Finding Abby: A Romantic Suspense set in the Colorado Mountains (Whispering Pines Mysteries)

by Rhonda Blackhurst

  How nice to be considered merely a loose end. She swallowed her bitterness. Now her curiosity was truly piqued, however. What could he possibly need to speak with her about?

  “Okay, then,” she answered. “We’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

  “Yes, you will.” The line went dead. It was so abrupt she wondered if they’d been disconnected.

  Abby stared at the phone still clutched in her hand. What an odd call. She wasn’t quite sure what to think. She couldn’t decide whether she was curious or frightened. Intrigued, that’s what it was. Definitely intrigued. Today had been an odd day all the way around, and she hoped tomorrow would bring some normalcy. Whatever normal was anymore.

  When her mind wouldn’t stop whirring in circles at dizzying speeds, thoughts tripping over themselves, she decided to get out of the bath. She dried off, slipped into a pair of shorts and t-shirt, and she slid beneath the covers in her big bed. A bed that seemed too big since Hunter left, yet too small when he had been there. Although, her bed was without a doubt more comfortable than the one Hunter had slept in each night in prison. She felt an all too familiar stab of pain beneath her left ribcage where her ribs had been broken, before falling into a fitful sleep.

  Abby woke earlier than her alarm, remembering the strange call from Henry’s son the night before. She brushed away the lingering irritation from his attitude and referral to her as a loose end. Instead, she decided she was going to have a good day despite John Lancaster. She was going to make today a better day than yesterday if it was the last thing she did.

  She stretched, pressed the button so her alarm wouldn’t needlessly sound, swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and pulled her robe around her, before making her way into the kitchen to start the coffee maker. In her hurry to wash away her day in the suds and hot water last night she had forgotten to get the coffee pot ready as she usually did before retiring for the night. Her limbs felt heavy from not getting enough sleep, but it was nothing that a little yoga couldn’t cure. Yoga was always her answer to make her feel more centered in her sometimes-unbalanced life. Yoga followed by a good morning writing session to bleed all the thoughts, emotions, and garbage that had accumulated over the night onto the page.

  By the time she had gotten Cooper out of bed and out the door, which was no small feat as he neared the tween years, she was running fifteen minutes late. But with record-breaking speed and lots of luck to have not gotten a ticket, she arrived to work with three minutes to spare. She followed the maze of hallways on autopilot as she raced on the well-worn gray-flecked carpet that led to her classroom. Her heavy tote bag pulled on her shoulder, causing her to lean slightly to one side.

  “Somebody’s had a busy morning.”

  Abby turned to see Holly, her friend and one of the school counselors. Holly had transferred to Oakland from Iowa at the beginning of the school year. Now she poked her head through Abby’s doorway.

  “How can you tell that?” Abby asked. Holly still had her head poked through the doorway. “And come in before you get a crick in your neck.”

  “Are you kidding me? You were but a blur through the hallway, almost ran over one of the history teachers, and your hair’s in a ponytail.” She laughed.

  “What’s my ponytail got to do with anything?”

  “I know you. When your hair is in a ponytail it’s because you didn’t have time to do anything else with it.”

  “Seriously?”Abby stared at her friend with a lopsided grin. “You pay that much attention to my hair?”

  “Only because I’m jealous.”

  “And obviously more than a little biased.”

  “Not biased. Just envious.”

  The bell rang and students began to pour into her classroom.

  “Go,” Abby ordered. “I bet you already have a student waiting in your office needing guidance of some sort. Steer them right.”

  “I know. Sad, isn’t it? I don’t remember life being so hard when I was growing up.”

  “It’s called job security for you.” Abby smiled. “Hey, really quick,” she said above the noise and chaos of the kids filling her room. “What are you doing for lunch? I had the strangest phone call last night I’m dying to tell you about.”

  “Need a counselor?” She teased. “I’m meeting you,” she answered as if she would be doing anything else. “See ya before then, though. Break?”

  “I’ll try.

  Abby sat facing Holly at a small corner table they had grabbed in the staff lunchroom, away from the others.

  “You know,” she whispered as they settled in, Abby watching Holly pull a sandwich out of her black vinyl lunch bag as she pulled an apple and peanut butter and jelly sandwich from her plain brown paper lunch sack, “I have to say, it really bothers me that so many teachers think it’s okay to talk about their students like they do every day at lunch.” She tipped her head toward the two teachers sitting at the end of the long table that ran through the middle of the break room. “And most of it isn’t very nice. The thought that Cooper’s teachers might be talking about him like that really chafes me.”

  “Make sure you’re never in the lunch room at the same time as his teachers then,” Holly said through a mouthful of a turkey sandwich. She swallowed and took a swig of water. “So the suspense is killing me,” Holly whispered. “I almost died when you said you couldn’t meet for break. What’s up with that, anyway?”

  Abby laughed. “Sorry, Miss-no-patience. When Cooper showed up in my room, I wasn’t about to leave. It’s getting to be a rare occasion that he will acknowledge me in front of his friends. Or acknowledge the fact that he has a mother at all.”

  “Dramatic much?” She rolled her eyes. “I happen to know that boy worships the ground you walk on.” She took another swig of water. “Is he okay?”

  “Yeah. Just wanted to hang out in my room with me. Is that cool or what?”

  “And I ask again, is everything okay with him?” Holly stopped chewing and stared at Abby, concern etched in her eyes. “Worship you or not, that is so not normal for a kid his age.”

  “I think so. He said he just wanted to hang out with me.”

  “And he didn’t want anything?”

  Abby laughed at Holly’s jaw hanging open.. “Close your mouth when you’re eating. I don’t need to see your chewed food. Besides, it’s bad manners.”

  “Hey, sorry! I’m just shocked. In a good way.” She grinned and took another swig of water. “Anyway, you’re killing me. What’s with the phone call you said you got last night?”

  Abby set her sandwich down, absently picking at the crust. “John Lancaster, Henry’s son, called and said he needs to meet with me. In fact, he called what he needs to discuss with me a loose end. At least I hope that’s what he was calling a loose end and not that I’m the loose end.”

  “And you have no idea what it’s about?”

  “None whatsoever. But I guess I’m about to find out this evening.”

  “Is Cooper going to be home?”

  “Yup.” She took a drink of water and screwed the cap back on. “Much as he would rather not. To say he doesn’t like John is an understatement.”

  “So I’m still stuck on the fact that you thought it was one of Cooper’s friends calling. Why are you intercepting his calls?”

  “The house rule is he has to hand over his cell phone to me every night before bed.”

  “Has that always been the house rule?”

  “Since he’s had a cell phone, yes. He balked at it, to begin with, but I told him it was either that or no cell phone at all. Suddenly handing it over each night didn’t seem so bad to him.”

  “Don’t you think that kind of tells him you don’t trust him?”

  “It’s not that I don’t trust him, but the rule is no phone calls after 8:30. At least once a week one of his friends tries to work around the rule. I thought this was one of his friends who thought he’d get creative by using the house phone.”

  Abby stood and gathered her gar
bage; Holly followed suit.

  “I don’t know, Abby. It seems a little unfair to Cooper that you would punish him for the actions of the person who was calling after hours.”

  They began walking to the trashcan. “You think so? He’s only nine.”

  “I do. Just because he’s nine, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust him. I think you need to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. If he breaks your trust, then it’s another story.”

  “Hm. Maybe I’ll have to re-think the rule.” They tossed their garbage, Abby draining the rest of her water before tossing the bottle into the recycling bin. “So what do you make of it? About John Lancaster. Thoughts?” Abby asked.

  “I’m thinking I can’t wait until tomorrow so you can tell me what it was all about.” When Abby didn’t say anything, Holly said, “You are going to tell me as soon as you find out, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll believe it when it happens. You told me a long time ago that you’d fill me in on what happened with you and Hunter. I’m still waiting.”

  “A long time ago?” Abby looked over her shoulder at Holly who was following her out of the break room and into the hallway. “It was only like two weeks ago when you asked.”

  “Like I said. A long time ago.”

  Abby laughed. “I sure hope you haven’t had to counsel any of the kids on patience because you haven’t learned it yourself yet.” She glanced over at Holly as she swerved to dodge a kiddo running down the hall. “Walk, Zach!” she called after him. “Look, Holl, it’s not that I’ve been avoiding telling you, it’s just not a fun story to tell. It really messed me up.”

  “I tell my kids that talking about things, getting it out, is healing.”

  Abby shook her head slowly, a sad smile tugging at her lips. “I’m not one of your kids, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “Pretty much,” Holly teased her.

  “Fine. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, okay? But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Holly draped an arm around Abby’s shoulders and gave a slight squeeze. “I’m not afraid of what you have to say. If I can handle a bunch of moody, angry, hormonal little monster middle schoolers, you’re no threat at all.”

  “I’m insulted.” Abby laughed and branched off down the hallway that led to her classroom, Holly heading straight ahead toward her office. “See ya later, Counselor.”

  3

  Abby stopped at the local take and bake pizza place on Macarthur Boulevard on her way home from work to pick up Cooper’s favorite pizza, stuffed crust with sausage, olives, peppers, and onions. There wasn’t time to make anything substantial before John arrived and making Cooper wait until after he left was out of the question. She had expected him to be less than thrilled when she told him John was stopping by, but his reaction far exceeded her expectations.

  “Cooper, I’m not asking you to like the man, just that you be civil.” Cooper met her request with a grimace and an eye roll. She hoped she could trust him to be on his best behavior. For a nine-year-old anyway.

  At six o’clock sharp, the doorbell rang. Cooper scooped up the last piece of pizza and carried his plate into the family room. She opened the door and saw John, looking more casual than she’d ever seen him in perfectly creased jeans and a starched and fully buttoned shirt. All but the top button, anyway. He held a large brown envelope in one slender hand, nails trimmed and manicured. A tweed jacket was draped over his arm, his other hand in the front pocket of his jeans. He wore a trace of a scowl.

  “John,” she said, extending her hand, which he didn’t take but instead looked her over from head to toe. She suddenly felt self-conscious of her sweatpants, oversized sweatshirt and hair swept up in a ponytail. She slowly lowered her hand and took a deep breath. She wiped the palm of one hand against her thigh, made a sweeping gesture with the other hand. “Come on in,” she said as he was already making his way past her. She rolled her eyes, feeling a bit like Cooper and like a guest in her own home. “Can I get you anything?” She noticed her reflection in the mirror, looking all of fifteen years old rather than her actual age of thirty-five. She wished she had stayed in her work clothes at least until after he’d left.

  “No, I can’t stay long. Besides, this isn’t a social call. I’m just here to take care of business.”

  “Of course.” She felt a beat of anxiety from his callousness. “Which is what, exactly?” She was having a difficult time doing what she’d asked Cooper to do not even half an hour ago. Be civil to the man.

  “My father had a resort up in the mountains in Colorado. You probably didn’t even know that.” The way he said it made her feel like she was a mere bug on the wall. “According to his will, he wanted it to go to you and your son.”

  Abby gasped. It took her a moment to regain her composure as she sat down. “Why would he give that to us? That seems awfully generous.”

  “Yes. I thought so, too.” His words were clipped, his tone crisp. “But apparently he felt something for the two of you that he didn’t even feel for his own flesh and blood.”

  The temperature in the room felt like it dropped twenty degrees as his cold gray eyes pierced through her. Abby shivered. “Mr. Lancaster, I—I don’t know what to say.”

  Suddenly, as she tried to make sense of things, she felt like the little girl of fifteen that she saw in the mirror’s reflection a moment ago. Her world seemed to be spinning. She knew Henry had some land somewhere in Colorado but had no idea that land was a resort. And she certainly would never have dreamed that she and Cooper would be the beneficiary of that resort. Her senses became aware once more of John’s harsh presence in the room. Part of her, a very small part, felt sorry for him as she imagined his pain. She watched as he walked back toward the door and reached for the door handle. He turned around and looked at her, pausing for a moment.

  “There is nothing for you to say, Ms. Sinclair. What’s done is done.” He appeared to be looking down his nose at her. “I don’t know how he thinks you and a seven-year-old will be able to run a resort, but apparently he wasn’t thinking.”

  “Nine.” He looked at her with eyes that showed irritation that she dared to speak. “Cooper is nine, not seven.”

  He waved his hand as if he were shooing a gnat from in front of his face. “As I was saying, everything is clearly spelled out in the letter from my father in this envelope.” His tone remained curt with barely concealed anger. He abruptly turned back toward the door and closed it firmly behind him, gone as quickly as he’d arrived.

  Abby, unable to move, stared at the closed door. She glanced down at the brown envelope John had carelessly tossed on the table in front of her. She felt fear bubbling up from somewhere within her, as irrational as she knew it was, that the venom in John’s voice had somehow made its way inside the envelope, waiting to lunge at her as she opened it. Like the joke Hunter took pleasure in playing on her when he handed her a little brown envelope that said Rattlesnake Eggs. When she opened the envelope, it rattled loudly, the sound and the vibration eliciting a scream from her.

  She toyed with the envelope, pushing it around on the table with her pointer finger, debating whether she should read it first or call Cooper into the room so they could read it together. Eventually, she decided to read it herself first so she could try to digest the contents before discussing it with her son. She was, after all, the parent here. At least she was supposed to be. Though John Lancaster made her feel otherwise.

  Abby wiped the sweat from the palms of her hands onto her thighs, and with trembling hands, she slowly opened the silver prongs and extracted the documents. An additional sealed envelope slid out with the documents. She wasn’t positive John hadn’t opened it and re-sealed it, but it looked untouched. It had Henry’s distinct handwriting on the front addressed to her and Cooper. She inhaled, slow and long, filling her lungs until she thought they would burst, then closed her eyes and exhaled before opening the envelope. She hoped the letter would help make sense of the legal
documents that now lay on the table in front of her.

  She unfolded the white unlined sheet of paper, feeling as though everything was happening in slow motion. She took another deep breath as she looked at Henry’s handwriting, and began to read.

  Abby and Cooper:

  If you’re reading this letter, it means my time in this world has come to a close and I’ve begun the next chapter in my life. The chapter I’ve worked long and hard for—to be with my heavenly Father. You should know I wouldn’t have left you with nothing, so don’t be so surprised with what I’m about to tell you. Abby, I love you as I would my own daughter. If I had one, that is.

  She smiled through tears that threatened to spill over. She blinked to clear them away before she continued reading.

  I know you’re aware I owned land in Colorado, as I made mention of it a time or two upon leaving for one of my occasional trips to take care of business there. What you may not have known is that it is a resort. An elderly couple, Maggie and Simon, have been living there and managing it for me since shortly before you and Cooper came into my life, as it was just getting to be too much for me. My son was too busy with his own life to want to take care of a resort. I’m leaving it to you and Cooper. Whether you choose to keep the current management in place or take care of it yourself is purely up to you. I trust you will know what to do. I’ve spoken with Maggie and Simon about my desire for the resort to go to you in the event of my demise. A man my age doesn’t live forever. Should you choose to relocate there and take care of things yourself, they have agreed to stay on for whatever length of time it takes for you to feel comfortable running it yourselves. There is nowhere more beautiful than the Rocky Mountains, all four seasons. It would be the perfect opportunity for you to do something with your photography. And what inspiration for your writing dreams! And for Cooper? It is a beautiful place to raise a child. He’s old enough to work and help out around there, so he could learn the value of responsibility through work and earning his own money, as you and I have agreed every youngster should learn. I imagine my son will not be too pleased, but he shouldn’t be surprised either, as he never really cared for the place. But for me, and for my wife when she was alive, it was our pride and joy. We loved that place.