Not by Sight (6 page)

Abby gripped the steering wheel and laid her head on her hands. She took a slow, deep breath and let it out. She got out of the car and headed up Main Street, determined to talk to more people who worked with the public. Maybe someone else would recognize Ella from the picture and help her to piece together a more detailed description of this family.

Abby walked into the living room and tossed her purse on the couch, the delicious aroma of Mama’s homemade pasta sauce filling her senses. Hopefully her mother’s cooking would dominate the conversation over dinner. She was not going to share her discovery with anyone in the family. She was on to something and was not letting them talk her out of it.

She went out to the kitchen, where Grandpa Buck sat, clipping coupons.

“There you are,” Grandpa said. “I haven’t seen you all afternoon.”

“I was in town.”

“Again?” Grandpa looked over the top of his glasses. “Wouldn’t have somethin’ to do with that girl you saw, would it?”

“I’m going to have a Coke. Want one?” Abby said.

“No, thanks.”

Abby took a Coke out of the fridge and sat across from her grandfather at the table. “Find any great deals?”

“Buy one, get one on four-pound bags of sugar.” Grandpa smiled. “
No
limit.”

“Jesse’s going to flip.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Abby.”

“No. I guess I didn’t.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

Abby shrugged.

Grandpa’s white eyebrows came together. “Since when won’t you talk to me?”

“I don’t want to be laughed at again.”

“That’s unfair, don’t you think? I’m not the one who laughed. And I was all over Hawk for doin’ it.” Grandpa reached across the table and touched her hand. “I would never laugh when you’re bein’ serious about somethin’.”

“I know. Sorry, Grandpa.” Abby took a gulp of Coke. “I went back to Murchison’s and talked to the people who work there.” She told him the details of her conversation with Henry Lawgins.

“I’m sorry, honey. I’m sure that’s disappointin’.”

“At least I know her name now.” Abby put her elbows on the table, her chin resting on her palms. “Why do I feel such a connection with Ella? Even after I found out this information, it didn’t satisfy me. I went into lots of businesses and showed her picture. No one I talked to remembered her. But I left my name and cell number.”

“How much proof do you need, Abby? Seems pretty obvious the child’s got family.”

“I can’t explain it, but something doesn’t feel right.”

Grandpa stroked his mustache the way he did when he was trying to formulate a tactful reply.

“I don’t believe this,” Abby said. “You think I want it to be Riley Jo so badly that I’m imagining a connection.”

“Don’t presume to know what I’m thinkin’, Abby. I know whatever you’re feelin’ is real to you, and far be it from me to say it’s all in your head. I’m just lookin’ at the odds, and you know as well as I do, there’s a mighty slim chance that girl is Riley Jo.”

“But a slim chance is still a chance.”

Grandpa put the scissors down. “I can tell you’re not ready to let this go. So what are you gonna do now?”

“I want to find Ella and talk to her, that’s all.” Abby sat up straight and took a long drink of Coke. “She might not be Riley Jo, but it feels so amazing, imagining that she could be. It’s the first time in ages I’ve felt this way. I just want to enjoy it for a while.”

“You could be settin’ yourself up for a real hard fall, honey.”

“Maybe.” Abby leaned forward on her elbows. “But I love feeling that I could be on the verge of finding out something important. Can you even imagine how awesome it would be if …” She exhaled when she saw the skepticism on her grandfather’s face.

“If
what
?” Grandpa said.

“Doesn’t matter. It can’t hurt to hope, that’s all.”

“Have you told your mother what you found out about this girl?”

“No!” Abby heard the Coke can crinkle, and she loosened her grip. “I showed Mama the picture and told her what I thought. She shut me out and said not to mention it again. Don’t worry. I won’t. I’m not talking to Hawk about it either. Heaven forbid someone in this family should enjoy a flicker of hope without it depressing everyone else.”

“They’re weighin’ the odds, Abby. All things
are
possible with God, but not necessarily probable. He doesn’t always give us what we ask for.”

“I’m going to find Ella and see for myself.”

Grandpa nodded. “I figured as much. By the way, Jesse came to me this mornin’ and told me about his conversation with you last night. As long as we’re talkin’ about all things possible, maybe your mother and Hawk will come around one of these days, and we can all go to church together.”

“It’s possible,” Abby said. “Definitely not probable.”

Chapter 7

Abby sat with Jay on the pier at Angel View, her legs dangling, her bare toes skimming the water. She watched as the sun slowly dipped below the western horizon, the sky painted with fiery swirls of crimson, purple, and hot pink. The June breeze was warmer than it had been earlier in the day, the humidity thicker, and the fragrance of honeysuckle sweet and pervasive.

Her thoughts zigzagged in every direction like the aquatic insects that shot across the top of the water. What if Ella turned out to be Riley Jo? Why wasn’t she with their father? Was this just another wild-goose chase that would bring embarrassment and heartache to her family? Or was she on the brink of discovering the truth of why her father and sister had disappeared?

“You gonna tell me what happened today?” Jay said. “When you called and asked me to meet you here, you sounded upset. I assumed you wanted to talk.”

“I didn’t want to be alone.” Abby glanced over at him. “You’re the only person I’m comfortable being with even when I don’t know what to say.”

“Okay then.” Jay lifted his cap and wiped his forehead. “I’m glad I’m here, in case you want to talk. Or even if you don’t.”

Abby sat wrapped in comfortable silence as the last vestiges of light faded away, leaving only darkness and bringing with it a chorus of crickets. She got lost in the moment but never did escape that nagging feeling in her gut that she needed to find Ella.

“Did you see that?” Jay said.

“What?”

“A lightning bug! There it went again.”

Abby spotted a tiny yellow flicker. And then another. And another until the night seemed to come alive.

She heard herself giggling, her mind wandering back to one summer night when her family was camping on the Buffalo River. Neither Jesse nor Riley Jo was born yet, and Abby couldn’t have been older than five or six …

Abby spotted a beam of light coming up the path from the river. Hawk came racing over to her and flopped down in the lawn chair next to her.

“Look what I found.” Hawk held up a jar with several insects that seemed to turn on and off like lightbulbs. “Fireflies.”

Abby drew back. “Will they sting me?”

“No, they’re tame as anything. It’s so cool how they light up the night.” Hawk sprang to his feet and pulled her by the arm. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

Daddy came out of the tent. “Did I hear you say you spotted fireflies?”

“Yeah, they’re everywhere,” Hawk said. “We need to get away from the lanterns so Abby can see them.”

“See what?” Mama hollered from inside the tent.

“Come with us,” Hawk said. “I’m taking Abby to the river to see the fireflies.”

A minute later, Abby was covered in insect repellent and flanked by her mother and father, each holding her hand, her brother lighting the way with the flashlight.

Hawk stopped on a dry stretch of bank and sat cross-legged on the ground. “This is far enough.”

Abby sat between her mother and father as Hawk turned off the flashlight. “Keep your eyes peeled,” he said.

Within seconds, the inky blackness, near and far, was alight with hundreds—thousands—of tiny Tinker Bells, which seemed even more numerous because their flickering lights were reflected in the river. Abby had never seen anything like it. It was magical.

Daddy grabbed at something. “Gotcha.” He rolled over on his knees in front of Abby. “Don’t be scared. Fireflies won’t hurt you. Let me show you.”

He cupped his hands together and gave her a peek of the flickering light coming from the bug he had captured. “Here, princess. You hold it.”

Daddy carefully transferred the firefly to Abby’s palm and closed her hands around it.

Abby laughed. “It tickles.” She opened her hand, and the firefly took flight, joining the magnificent festival of lights that made it feel like Christmas in summertime.

Mama reached up as if to touch the tiny bursts of yellow light that were all around them, her laughter like music. She seemed so alive and full of joy …

Jay’s voice brought Abby back to the present.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Did you ask me something?”

“I just wondered what had you so tickled. What were you thinking about?”

Abby told him about her first encounter with fireflies. “I’ve seen a million of them since then, but the light show has never been quite as spectacular as it was that night. I don’t know if it’s because it was the first time or because it was such a happy family memory.” Abby exhaled. “I miss that so much. Our family doesn’t really feel like a family without Daddy.”

“But you’ve got your mom and grandpa and your brothers,” Jay said. “That’s a family.”

“I guess. But there’s a big hole that no one else can fill.”

Jay nodded. “I get that. I still have my dad, but there’s a big void when we’re together, and I can tell he’d rather be somewhere else.”

Abby looked out at the thousands of flickering lights illuminating the June night. “I miss mine so much. Part of me still thinks he’s going to come home and all this will have been a nightmare.”

She reached in her waistband and took out her cell phone. Why not go ahead and tell Jay everything? At least he wouldn’t be dismissive.

“The reason I’m so somber,” she said, “is I saw a girl at Murchison’s Feed Store yesterday. She was the spitting image of Riley Jo. And about the age she would be now. Thankfully, I had my wits about me enough to take a picture of her.” Abby pulled the photo up on the screen and handed her cell phone to Jay. “She even has blue eyes.”

“Cute kid,” Jay said. “She reminds me of Jesse. I mean, they could be related. Maybe it’s the dark hair and blue eyes.”

“Exactly. But no one else in my family thinks it’s worth pursuing.”

She gave Jay a complete rundown on everything she had done since seeing the girl, including going back to Murchison’s and pretending she had found the girl’s doll and wanted to return it.

“Wow, that’s some detective work.” Jay studied the picture of the girl. “So what does your family think now?”

“I only told Grandpa. Mama and Hawk don’t care.”

“I doubt that,” Jay said. “Maybe they just don’t believe it could be her.”

Abby kicked the water, creating more splash than she had intended. “I’m sure everyone thinks I’m obsessing because we just passed another anniversary.”

Jay rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Is that a possibility? It would certainly be understandable,” he quickly added.

Nothing like an open and honest relationship. Abby snatched the phone from his hand. “Look, I saw what I saw. You said yourself the girl looks like Jesse.”

“What do you think y’all should do about it?”

“I think we should find out more about Ella.”

“How would you do that?” Jay said. “You asked around town.”

“Only on Main Street.”

“You think you can go up and down every street in Foggy Ridge and ask people if they know where this girl lives? Abby, do you know how desperate that sounds?”

“Well, maybe I
am
desperate! I’ll regret it the rest of my life if I just blow it off. I have to try to find Ella.”

“Why don’t you go talk to the sheriff?”

“And tell him what—that this little girl looks like I imagine my sister would look now? Grandpa said the authorities won’t start investigating again based on just that. Besides, Mama would freak if I did that without her permission.”

“You don’t think she’d go for the idea?”

Abby shook her head. “Absolutely not. She made it clear that she doesn’t want to hear another word about it.”

“Then what can you do?”

Abby shrugged. “I’ll think of something. It’s the first time I’ve felt hope in a long time. Maybe if I just step out in faith, God will help me find Riley Jo.”

“You mean find Ella.”

“Right now, they seem like one and the same to me.”

Jay cracked his knuckles and was quiet for half a minute. “Abby, even if you could find Ella, how would you go about determining whether she was your sister?”

“All this just happened. I haven’t figured it out yet, all right?”

“Hey, don’t be mad at me for asking honest questions. This is pretty important. If this girl
is
your sister, then where is your dad? You have to deal with that, too.”

“Jay, you’re being a real pain. That’s not what I need right now!” Abby blinked the stinging from her eyes. She was not letting him dissuade her from doing this.