Prossers Bay Series

by Cheryl Phipps

  Dan and Shannon were there. It was never going to be a social call when the two of them turned up, especially when they had their police faces on.

  “Is Liam okay?” Max blurted before he could stop himself.

  “Can we come in?”

  “Sorry, Dan.”

  Max stepped back and the officers went through to the dining room where Abby waited, still a little pink-cheeked from their interrupted lovemaking.

  “What is it?”

  “Bad news, I’m afraid. We found Marie Harper about two hours ago.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “I’m afraid she’s dead.”

  Abby gasped, and Max put his arm around her shoulders.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “It looks like she was hit on the head and then left in the culvert, on the other side of the ravine.”

  “Was it her boyfriend?”

  “We don’t know for certain, but since we haven’t been able to locate him I’m even more worried that he might still be in the area.”

  “Will he go after Liam?” Abby was rubbing her hands together furiously.

  “Again, we have no way of knowing what he’ll do. The fact that the note you left for Marie was gone and the house broken into suggests that Grainger has unfinished business. We’ve been to see Jeanne and Allan, who’ll keep a close watch on Liam, but we need your help. As hard as this is we must tell Liam, and I think that you should both be there when we do.”

  Max crossed his arms. “I’m not sure Abby should get involved if this guy is dangerous.”

  “If he has some unresolved issues with Liam, then we need to find out everything we can about him, and Liam is the only one with that sort of information. We’d like to question him, but I don’t think he’ll tell us a thing without Abby, and we’ve already talked to Jeanne and Allan who totally agree.”

  “I’ll come with you.” She turned to face Max. “It’s too late for us to not be involved and Liam might be in danger. If I can get him to help the police, then I should. Don’t you think?”

  “Okay. But I’m coming, too.” He squeezed her hands.

  “Thanks, Abby, Max. I hate to drag you into this.” Dan coughed a little. “We’ll all go in the police car. Shannon and I will wait outside. Take as long as you need.”

  Before long they were in the back of the police car for a second time, holding hands for support. Max wasn’t sure how to feel, or what to say to Abby, so he concentrated on how they would tell Liam that his mom was never coming back to him. And, how not to frighten him, when they asked about his mother’s boyfriend.

  The holiday park wasn’t too far away, and as they pulled up, Jeanne and Allan came outside and shut the front door, so that they could discuss how they would approach things without the kids hearing, especially Liam.

  Jeanne had sent the girls to their rooms and Liam sat on the worn couch looking at them with trepidation. Even a young child couldn’t mistake the air of seriousness surrounding the group.

  Abby took a seat on one side of him and Max took the other.

  “You remember Officer Shannon and Sergeant Dan, don’t you?” Max asked gently.

  Liam nodded.

  Dan pulled a chair closer to the couch. “Liam, I’m very sorry to tell you that we found your mom today.”

  A look of pure joy blossomed on his young face and Max felt ill at Liam’s mistake. This felt so incredibly cruel.

  “You did? Where is she? Can I see her?”

  Dan looked just as affected but he recovered quickly. “I’m so sorry Liam. Your mom had a bad accident, and I’m afraid that she’s dead.”

  Liam stared at Dan, then turned to Max, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

  “That’s not true, is it?”

  “I’m afraid it is, son.”

  “She’s not coming back for me,” he whispered.

  His small face puckered, his eyes filled with tears, and he turned into Abby’s side and sobbed his heart out. Max patted his back, wanting to take the pain from him, but knowing that it was impossible.

  They let him cry for a long time but, eventually, Dan gave Abby a nod and Max, knowing how this would be affecting her, squeezed her shoulder, hoping to convey his support for what it might be worth.

  Abby took a deep breath. “Liam, honey, I know you’re hurting, but can I ask you a few questions?”

  He looked up at her, tears still flowing down his sweet face, but he nodded.

  “You’re such a brave boy, and I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but do you know where Pete Grainger might be?”

  Liam stiffened beside her. “We left him in Georgeville.”

  “That’s right, but he moved out of his place, and I wondered if he had another place that he might go?”

  “I don’t know any other place. He was always with us. My mom didn’t want him there, but he wouldn’t go. I heard them fighting, lots.” He bunched his hand into fists. “He told my mom that if she left, he would kill her. I told her we should stay. I was so scared he would do it, but she said we had to. She said it would be okay.”

  His small body shook with sobs once more, and Abby bundled him into her arms, looking over his head at Dan. “I don’t think he can help you any more than that.”

  The sergeant patted Liam’s leg. His eyes were as misty as Max’s felt.

  “That’s fine. You did good, Liam.”

  Liam, didn’t respond. He was locked into his grief, and he was certainly entitled to do so. He was going to need a lot of time to deal with this, and Max knew that Abby would make sure he got every second of it.

  Max felt out of his depth watching the two of them. His heart pounded in his chest with the unfairness of it all. Liam was a son anyone could be proud of. What little they knew of Marie Harper sounded like she was a woman trapped, unable to give her son the life he deserved, but doing the best that she could.

  What this Grainger guy had done to the two of them was despicable. Bullying and cruelty were clearly the man’s weapons of choice, and Max hated to think what mother and son had gone through.

  It was too much for Max. He excused himself and went outside to stand by the porch railing. Composing himself was hard, but he had to be strong for Abby and Liam. That was the one thing he could do for the two of them.

  Dan came out and shuffled his feet. “I want you to know that if you decide it’s something you and Abby would like to do, then I’ll help in any way I can so that the two of you can foster Liam. I can’t go against what the courts decide, but I know that after all he’s been through, living with you two would be the best thing for the boy.”

  His feet did their awkward tap dance once more. “I promised Abby’s dad before he died that I’d look out for her, but I never needed to because you’ve done a fine job. It’s probably going to get a bit rough for her, dealing with lawyers, and maybe you won’t get to keep the boy, so you have to hang in there.”

  Max was choked up once more. The bad thing about living in a small town was that everyone knew your business. The good thing was that most people wanted to help.

  Chapter Seven

  Two days later, Jeanne was sitting outside the house when Abby got home from work. Her face told her that it wasn’t a casual visit, and Abby was suddenly afraid.

  “Is Liam okay?”

  “I had a call from child services this morning.”

  Abby’s heart dropped and she wished Max was here.

  “Are they taking Liam?”

  “We talked about it, and I imagine that was their first thought, but I suggested it would be kinder to leave him where he was until they could find a permanent placement for him.”

  “They agreed?”

  “They did.”

  “That’s so good of you.” Abby sat down on the step, suddenly light-headed.

  “More selfish than good, actually.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve brought you over this paperwork.” She dropped a packet in Abby’s lap. “I’ll
keep Liam until you decide what you want to do.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Do you want Liam to live with you?”

  “More than anything.”

  “Well, this is the legal way to go about it. It’s only the first step, so things can always go wrong, but you have to take it, otherwise you’ll never know.”

  Abby opened the packet and the first page was an application form to be a foster parent.

  “Small steps, Abby. Small steps.”

  Abby sniffed and wiped her eyes. “You’re right. If Max agrees, then this is a step that we can absolutely take.”

  “I’ve already added an affidavit from me and there’s another one from Dan to get you started.”

  “Jeanne, you are amazing. I don’t understand how you could call this selfish?”

  “Because as much as it would please me to see that boy in a happy home and not pushed all over the state, I’ll be over the moon to see you get what you’ve always wanted, what you and Max deserve. I want you to be as happy as I am, and if this works out, I know that you will be.”

  The two women kissed and hugged, then Abby dragged her inside, before the whole street knew what was happening to their usually boring neighbor. They spent a bit of time going over the paperwork and even after Jeanne had gone, Abby couldn’t leave it alone.

  By the time Max came home, she was in a state. Not wanting to call him at work, the last few hours had felt like a lifetime. Naturally she had to discuss this with him before she could commit to anything, but as the time passed Abby began to worry that Max wouldn’t want to foster Liam. Perhaps she was forcing this on him. Maybe she had misjudged his interest in Liam.

  It was a big call to take on someone else’s child and she couldn’t force him into fostering Liam, but now that it was an option she really wanted him to agree. And he did like Liam, liked him a whole lot, she believed. Around and around the thoughts swirled, making her feel a little light headed.

  Max came in as usual, after stripping off his overalls, with no idea of what she was about to ask of him. He looked tired and had a big smear down his cheek. Oil, probably. Even that couldn’t detract from the fact that he was still incredibly handsome. Her heart skipped a beat.

  “Hey, honey. How was your day? Did you go see Liam?”

  “Not today.”

  “What’s wrong? Are you ill? You look a bit flushed.”

  “I’m fine. I just need you to look at something. If you could do it now before your shower, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “Sounds bad. Did you have a big spending spree on the credit card? It’s not quite Christmas yet, you know.” He laughed at his joke, but stopped when he saw the official-looking documents.

  Taking a seat he turned the papers over. Not until he had read each one very carefully did he look up, the wait for his reaction nearly killing her.

  “So, we’re really doing this?”

  The breath she’d been holding hissed out.

  “Only if you want to, Max. You have to be sure. I don’t want you to do this just to please me.”

  He nodded. “Fostering’s not cut and dried. We could still lose him down the road even if they let us have him.”

  “I know.”

  Max suddenly grinned. “Got a pen?”

  Abby threw her arms around him, her cheek rubbing his. “Thank you, Max. I love you so very much.”

  “I hope you’re still going to feel that way when you look in the mirror.”

  “Why?”

  He ran his finger down her cheek and showed her a thick clump of oil. She laughed, really laughed, and it felt great. Whatever happened, they were doing better than they had in years.

  Then he put a cupped her face and kissed her deeply. ‘Better’ was a ridiculous word to explain how she felt now.

  When he released her, she sighed as he looked into her eyes.

  “I’m going to have a shower, then I think we should fill out these papers.”

  “Okay,” she answered, while she resisted the urge to follow him. One step at a time. She wrapped her arms around herself and smiled at the delicious warmth Max had left her with.

  The next day, Abby was having lunch with Stephanie and Megan on the top deck of a beachside mansion, where the views of the glistening white sand and blue sea for miles usually took her breath away. Today the vista couldn’t soothe her. Today she felt ready to explode.

  “If you don’t tell us what you are clearly dying to, I may have to throw this apple pie at you, which would be a crying shame.” Stephanie stretched her long legs out in front of her.

  Megan was cleaning up the food and stopped in the middle of putting lids on containers. “What did I miss? What going on?”

  “There’s nothing concrete to tell, because the wheels in social services move so freaking slow, but Max and I have decided to try to foster Liam.” Even as she said the words, it still felt surreal.

  “That’s awesome. When does this happen? Can we help in any way?” Megan hugged her.

  “The papers are going in today but it could be weeks yet. They’re still looking for anyone who has any ties to Liam. We might need more character references, you could help with that if you don’t mind.”

  “Don’t mind? We’ll do whatever you need.” Stephanie joined the hug.

  “I can’t believe this is happening, but I do know that I feel so damn good right now.”

  “So you should. This is what you guys have wanted for years. Do you think you can handle getting attached to a kid then letting him go? Fostering can be like that.” Megan was always direct.

  “Hopefully, I won’t have to let him go.”

  “Do you mean that you’re going to adopt him?”

  “I’m not sure. I want to, but Max won’t go past talking about fostering at this stage, which is absolutely fair. With my history, I’m not even sure we’ll even be acceptable candidates for fostering.”

  “Nobody could blame you for that part of your life, and Liam would be one lucky boy to spend even part of his with you and Max.”

  “I’m so nervous and yet so happy, even with the stress and worry. I just feel like I can cope this time.”

  Stephanie and Megan hugged her tighter, giving her all the love and encouragement they could.

  “Who would have thought that this job might lead to me having a child?”

  “Don’t say that out loud again, Abby, or I won’t turn up for work ever again.” Megan looked horrified.

  “Ditto.”

  “What are you two fools getting at?”

  “Just because you got yourself a child out of cleaning and are happy about it, Stephanie and I are going on the record as saying, ‘no way’ do we want that to be a perk of the job.”

  “Since Megan and I are determinedly single, it better not be catching,” Stephanie agreed.

  The three of them laughed at the idea of it, and Abby was reminded once more about the part her friends had played in pulling her out of her depression.

  As she went back to work, it made her think of the subtle shifts that had occurred recently, in the way she felt about every aspect of her life.

  Max and she had become less tentative with each other. There had been a lot more touching and kissing, but they hadn’t taken it any further, which was as tantalizing as it was frustrating.

  She could see in his eyes that he was worried about moving too fast, of saying or doing the wrong thing. She felt the same. But they were moving forward and she was going to do everything in her power to keep up the momentum.

  Chapter Eight

  A few days later, Abby was over at Jeanne and Allan’s, doing some spelling with Liam at the kitchen table while Jeanne took a call.

  “I need to go and unlock a cabin for some guests who are arriving a day earlier than planned. Will you be okay for a few minutes?”

  “We’re fine, aren’t we, Liam?”

  “I think we’d be okay if we could have a brownie.”

  “Maybe after you�
�ve done your spelling,” Jeanne laughed as she left.

  “I need to go to the bathroom.” Liam used his favorite excuse to interrupt his homework.

  “Go on then, but don’t be all day.”

  He hadn’t been gone long when she heard an odd muffled noise coming from down the hall. There it was again.

  Abby left the dining room and was about to knock on the bathroom door when she saw someone coming from Liam’s bedroom at the far end of the hall. A man held Liam, with one arm around his waist and the other hand clasped across his mouth. Hearing her gasp, he turned to face her. It was Pete Grainger and the back door was wide open.

  “Look, Liam, it’s the pretty lady who can’t leave you alone.”

  He put Liam down, but held onto his arm so tightly she could see it hurt. The boy’s eyes were wide with fear, and he had a bruise starting to form on one cheek.

  “What do you want Liam for? The police are after you, and he’ll slow you down.”

  “Only if I let him.”

  Grainger looked around him, then turned back to her, a sly grin on his face. “This place isn’t as nice as yours.” He laughed openly at her shock. “Yes, I’ve been there. No need to look surprised, you left me a note after all. I was especially appreciative of the address. Do you think that you could steal a child and no one would care? I can’t believe they didn’t put you in jail where you belong. There again, being friends with the police would help, wouldn’t it?”

  The thought that this man had been in her house made Abby feel nauseous, but looking at Liam was enough to make her stand firm. The only thing that mattered was getting this scumbag away from the petrified child.

  “Maybe we could make a deal?” Abby began to move slowly towards him.

  “Do you know where the key is?”

  “What?” The random question confused her. Was he here for Liam or not?

  “The key that Marie took from me.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about and I’m sure Liam doesn’t, either.”

  “She said she left the key at the house, but I searched every inch of it and found nothing.”