by C L Hart
“Think hard, Helga,” Abby’s voice was starting to sound strained.
“I don’t think so.”
“How was Sarah? Did she seem okay to you? Did she say anything?”
“She seemed fine, dear.”
“Helga.” She didn’t want to ask the question, but she knew she had to. “Helga, could it have been Billy Ward?” The phone went silent, and Abby knew the elderly woman had been taken aback by the question.
“Abby, you don’t think...”
“No, I don’t want to think it, but I have to. Could it have been Billy Ward?”
“Oh my, I never thought... No...yes, I don’t know...maybe.”
Abby thought she was going to be physically ill. Her legs felt weak as images of Billy’s past victims flashed through her mind. “How did he pay?”
“What?” Helga was confused and frightened. “The man, how did he pay the bill?”
“By credit card.”
A traceable mistake on his part... not likely, too obvious. “I need the number, the number off the card.” If Billy has Sarah... Abby forced herself not to finish the thought.
“It’s in the office.”
“Okay, call me back on my cell—” Abby stopped in midsentence as she looked at the cell phone on the counter. “Helga, did you give Sarah my number?”
“Ja, dear.”
“Helga, please hurry. I need that credit card number. Call me back at home here.”
She paced her kitchen for only a few seconds before she decided what to do. Reaching for the phone, she quickly punched in a number and waited for it to ring. On the third ring, a female voice answered.
“Hello.”
“Carla, it’s Abby. I need to talk to Lincoln.”
“Hi, Abby.” Carla looked to her husband to see if he wanted to talk to her. Lincoln shook his head.
“I need to talk to him.”
“He...ah...” She hesitated, not wanting to be in the middle of the ongoing dispute between her husband and his partner. They were a good team and she hated when they quarreled, but she decided she hated the silence between them even more. She looked over at her husband who was anchored to the sofa, watching the TV.
“Carla, it’s an emergency,” Abby pleaded. “Tell him I think Billy has taken Sarah.”
“He what? Oh, my God! Your friend from the resort?”
Lincoln saw the change come over his wife’s face and got up quickly to reach for the phone. “Abby?”
“I think Billy has Sarah.”
“What?”
“I just got a postcard from him, the same postcard I mailed to Lieutenant Banks.” Abby barely took a breath. “He wrote on the back. ‘Did you enjoy Sarah’s company at the lake, Abby? I know I will!’ I phoned Helga, because I thought Sarah was still at the resort, but apparently she left with some guy who paid her bill. Helga said it could have been Billy.”
“Jesus Christ, Abby! We need to talk to Sarah. Do you have a number for her?”
“Yes, but it is no longer in service.”
Lincoln’s mind clicked into another gear. “How was the bill paid?”
“By credit card. Helga is going to phone me with the number.”
“Abby...” Lincoln didn’t want to finish.
“If he hurts her in any way,” Abby said through clenched teeth, “I swear to you, I’ll kill him!”
“One thing at a time, Abby. We don’t even know if it is him. She could be at home watching TV.”
“How did he get away from the surveillance team... again?”
“I uh... They haven’t had Billy under surveillance for over a week,” he admitted reluctantly.
“What?”
“The brass pulled them off. Said it was a waste of time.”
“And you didn’t think I needed to know that? Son of a bitch!” Abby yelled into the phone. “Do you think we can get a warrant for the farm house?”
“Not a chance. We couldn’t get permission to search Billy’s garbage can right now, but anyhow, he’s not at his place anymore. He had been staying at a motel out on Route 15. Are you heading in to the station?”
“Not yet. I’m waiting for Helga to phone me back. My cell phone doesn’t work in the canyon.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you at the station.” Lincoln propped the phone between his head and shoulder as he strapped on his gun and reached for his coat.
“Wait, Linc, there’s something else you better know.”
“What?”
“He called me yesterday.”
“He what?” Lincoln couldn’t believe how daring Billy had become: brazen and daring, a dangerous mix.
“He called me at my house. He told me that he wants me to pay for what I’ve done to him.”
“That cocky son of a bitch!”
“I don’t know how he did it, but somehow he knew how long to time the call. I couldn’t get a trace.”
“I know how he did it.” Lincoln put one arm into a sleeve then took the phone in that hand as he finished shrugging into his coat. “During one of his background checks, I found out he worked for the phone company for a few years before they fired him.”
“Phone company? Then that could mean he might know how to... He could be listening.” Abby pulled the receiver away from her ear and looked at it, wondering if Billy had bugged her home phone. “Lincoln, I’ll see you at the station.”
As she examined the phone, she wondered if he had been listening to her phone calls. No longer trusting it, she hung up the phone and reached for her keys and cell phone, and was out the door, Buck close on her heels.
“You gotta stay, boy. Look after the place, okay?” She turned her key in the deadbolt and then double checked that the door was locked. “Be good,” she said as she pulled the Jeep door closed. The big Husky wagged his tail and sat down to watch his master drive away.
Abby pulled her Jeep in at the first payphone she came to and quickly dialed Helga’s number. On the first attempt, the line was busy, but the second try rang through. Helga had the credit card number and Abby quickly wrote it down.
“I keep thinking, that I should have done something,” Helga said anxiously.
“There wasn’t anything you could have done.”
“But, Abby—”
“Helga, trust us.” She hung up the phone and, with a spray of rocks and gravel from the shoulder of the road, she headed to the police station. There wasn’t anything you could have done, but on the other hand...
♥
Lincoln was on the phone when Abby rushed through the doors. Her pale color and worried eyes were not something he was used to seeing and they told him all he needed to know. He put his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. “I phoned Banks and she’s on her way down here.”
“Great. She’s gonna go ballistic when she sees me,” Abby said as she flipped through her Rolodex.
“I think she has more important things to be concerned about. Abby,” he said quietly. “Abby?” With her ear to the phone she turned to face him, the man who knew her best. Lincoln looked her in the eyes and he saw something he had never seen before. “You really are in love with her?”
There was nothing for her to say as they stared at each other.
“I thought maybe she was just another one who had fallen for those bedroom eyes of yours.” He’d never seen her so emotionally involved with someone before. “Jeez,” he said under his breath. Abby’s eyes were on her empty desktop as she spoke to whomever answered the phone.
Lieutenant Banks burst into her squad room, “Okay, people, what do we have and where are we look—?” She stopped just inside the doors, “Where the hell is everybody?”
“I didn’t know who else you wanted to call in on this,” Lincoln said to his commander. “I mean, technically, we don’t even have a case yet.”
“Is this woman missing or not?” Banks looked from Lincoln to Abby for answers.
“Well, officially, no,” Lincoln answered.
“Then what the hell...”
Propping the phone against her shoulder, Abby reached inside her leather jacket and pulled out the postcard. Lincoln quickly glanced over it before he handed it to Lieutenant Banks.
“No, I need it now,” Abby said calmly into her phone before turning her attention to her partner and boss. “It was in my mail, but I’m not sure when it actually arrived.”
“It’s the same as the one you sent me.” Abby nodded. “Open mail, so forget finger prints. How many places sell this postcard?”
“I have no idea,” Abby answered.
Banks tossed the postcard at Lincoln. “Find out.” The detective reached for the phone and went to work.
Within half an hour, the squad room was alive with activity as every detective was working to find the missing woman. Several times Lincoln looked over at Abby who was watching the ticking clock on the wall. He couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind.
“Yes, I’m here,” Abby said quickly into her phone. “Okay.” She repeated back the number. “And the name?”
Lincoln looked to his partner as she slowly hung up her phone. “Well?” he asked impatiently as Lieutenant Banks came out of her office.
“The credit card was issued to W. D. W., Inc,” Abby said, barely getting the letters out of her dried mouth. “William Daniel Ward.” She, more than anyone, knew what Billy Ward was capable of.
In all the years they had been partners, Lincoln had never seen Abby so tightly strung and as emotional as she was right now. She had always been quiet, almost reserved, her mind seemingly working a step ahead of everyone else’s. With her somber and composed attitude, almost everyone thought her a cold, hard ass bitch, but Lincoln knew better. Passionate about her job, she’d never let it get to her until Billy Ward came along.
Now as Lincoln sat across from her, he watched as she worked the case the best way she knew how. She was making calls and taking notes, her eyes fixed on the pad on which she was scribbling. Lincoln went to speak to Lieutenant Banks, and when he got back, Abby’s chair was empty. He looked around the room; she was nowhere to be seen. Leaning over her desk, he glanced down at her notepad. All that was on it was a sketch of a pair of eyes and the name “Sarah”, traced over and over again.
“Abby,” he called out and all heads looked up from what they were doing. “Did anyone see where Abby went?” Lincoln looked back over his shoulder toward his boss’ office, and saw the concern on her face. When no one answered him, he pushed through the doors and went down the hall to the front desk of the station.
“Did you see Detective Stanfield?” he asked the night clerk. She shook her head. Looking left and right, he spotted the stairs leading to the roof. Taking the steps three at a time, he burst through the door and immediately saw the silhouette of his partner kneeling at the edge of the roof. Her long hair was blowing in the night wind as she pounded her cast against the metal edge of the barrier that ran the perimeter of the roof.
“Abby!” he shouted as he approached; she barely looked at him. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’ve...got...to...get...this...cast...off, she said, punctuating each word with a whack.
“I don’t think you should be doing that,” he said as he came up behind her, but she showed no sign of hearing him as she continued to break away at the fiberglass cast.
“I’ve got to get this off,” she growled as she clawed away at it, her voice raw with emotion.
“Abby.” He reached out for her but she pulled away.
“You don’t understand. I have to... I have to do something.” Her voice cracked.
Lincoln knew his partner was about to break. “Abby, stop it!” He grabbed at her cast before she could strike it again. “Stop it, Abby,” he repeated with compassion as he reached to wrap his powerful arms around her. Abby rejected being coddled and he held tight as she fought against him. She was strong, but her strength was waning and eventually she gave in. At first he said nothing, just held her. Her cries were soft and silent, but Lincoln felt them and it broke his heart. “We’ll find her, Abby. I swear,” he said softly into her hair.
There was no reply, not a sound for a very long time. And when she had recovered enough to pull away from Lincoln’s embrace, she wiped away the tears that she couldn’t hide. “I’m sorry, Linc,” she said quietly.
“Why? You’re human, Abby, just like the rest of us.”
“Can’t prove it,” she said, trying to inject some humor into the difficult situation.
“I can now,” Lincoln said softly. “I’ve seen you through a lot of things, Abby, but I’ve never seen you like this. She must be pretty special to have broken through that tough ass persona you hide behind.”
“She is special. She...has a fire about her, a spark of life like no one I’ve seen.” Abby’s face came alive as she pictured Sarah’s bright smile and emerald green eyes. “There was...there is,” she corrected quickly, “there is just something about her.” Abby took her eyes off the city lights. “She makes me feel alive, Linc, alive and excited about life. No one has ever done that to me before. I can’t stop thinking about her, and if Billy—” Abby’s face twisted in torment as she looked to her partner for help.
“Abby, I don’t pretend to know what you’re feeling right now, but you need to focus on Sarah, not on Billy. We’ll find her. Just stay positive.” It wasn’t much, but he didn’t know what else to say.
♥
They worked through the night, though they had very little to go on. There was no point in dusting the postcard for prints. Even if they found Billy’s on it, it wouldn’t prove a thing. The card was sold at every corner store and gas station within a hundred miles of the resort.
Lincoln was waiting for Billy’s credit card company to fax over his last few statements to see if there was anything there that would help, but he figured there wouldn’t be. They had chased him for so long, they knew he wouldn’t leave a loose end like that. The new task force team that had been put together to investigate the latest murder joined them, but so far there was nothing new. Abby was like a caged animal, pacing the floor, ready to pounce on anyone or anything.
Lieutenant Banks had had enough. “Lincoln, Abby, my office.” Abby entered first, followed quickly by her partner.
“You two need a break,” Lieutenant Banks stated as Lincoln closed the office door. “And before you protest, Detective,” she said, turning her attention to Abby, “you need that cast looked at. Lord knows what damage you’ve done.”
“I would prefer to stay here. This,” she raised her battered cast, “can wait. I would rather be on the phones—”
“It wasn’t a suggestion,” Lieutenant Banks said firmly. “Lincoln, take your partner to the hospital. Get that cast fixed, removed, whatever, just get out of here and take a breather, both of you.”
Abby started to say something but was silenced by Lincoln’s grip on her arm as he quickly escorted her out of the lieutenant’s office and out of the squad room.
The car ride over to the hospital was quiet as Abby kept to herself, looking out the window. She finally broke the silence between them. “Linc, what’s the name of the motel Billy was staying at?”
“Forget it. Why would he take her to some place as public as a motel? And how could he get her in there without anyone seeing him? Even if he gagged her, it would still be too risky. Anybody might see him or hear him. He’s not that stupid.”
With pursed lips she turned to look back out the window as they pulled into the hospital parking lot. “Maybe we aren’t that smart.”
♥
With the exception of the growing light outside the windows, not much had changed when they returned to the squad room, minus one cast. Everyone was deeply absorbed in finding Sarah.
As she sat back down at her desk, Abby’s cell phone warbled. “Stanfield,” she said quickly.
“Hello, Abby.”
The sound of Billy’s smooth voice caught her in mid-breath. “You bastard,” she snarled into the phone.
> Lincoln immediately saw the change in Abby face. He knew who it was and he reached for his phone to trace the call.
“What the fuck are you doing, Billy? She has nothing to do with this.”
“Doesn’t she? I think she does. She is someone you care about — and that, my dear Abby, is enough for me.”
“Billy, I swear, if you hurt her...”
“What, Abby? Tell me. What would you do? What have you ever done?” He laughed as he goaded her.
“I will kill you,” Abby stated calmly.
“Somehow I knew you would say that!”
His insane laughter echoed loudly through her phone as she turned and looked at Lincoln. The black detective motioned for her to pull the conversation out longer. “Just leave her out of this, Billy. Let’s keep this between you and me.”
“But it isn’t just between you and me, is it, Abby? You keep bringing more and more people into this.”
“Then let her go, Billy, and take me instead. That is what you want, isn’t it?”
Dozens of eyes around the squad room shifted nervously at Abby’s challenge. Lieutenant Banks came quickly out of her office shaking her head at Abby. “Don’t,” she mouthed, but Abby turned her gaze back to her partner.
“That isn’t what I want anymore, Abby.”
“Then what? What do you want?”
“You know what I want, Abby. I already told you,” Billy said.
“Tell me again, I don’t remember.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me.”
Abby could hear the anger growing in his voice. “But you said it was a game to you, Billy. I’m just trying to play by the rules. Tell me: what are the rules?” She challenged him, hoping to pull his mind off the ticking clock.
“There are no rules! You destroyed my life, and now I am going to destroy yours!” he screamed.
“That wasn’t my doing, Billy, that was yours and you know it. I’ve never murdered anyone…it is you who has.”
“I’m not going to admit to anything, but you and I know the truth, don’t we? You’re not so perfect now, are you? How do you like it when things don’t go your way, Abby? You tried to prove it, but you couldn’t. You couldn’t stop me then, and you can’t stop me now.”