Facing Evil

by C L Hart

  “But he didn’t,” Nathan said firmly.

  “Are you sure? Because if he has, it’ll be the final nail in Abby’s coffin!”

  Nathan was desperate to change the subject. “What else did you find in the room?”

  “Enough evidence to silence the prosecution, but not enough to silence me.”

  “Lincoln, where are you going?” Nathan asked as the angry man turned to leave.

  “I have a few choice words for my ex-partner, and I don’t think you want to hear them,” Lincoln said over his shoulder as he stormed out of the courtroom.

  ♥

  Sarah felt a heaviness in her heart as the sun rose over the mountains, spreading its rays across the still waters of Lake Alouette. Robin was leaving today and Sarah felt a growing fear at the prospect. The sun climbed higher in the eastern sky as Sarah strolled back to her cabin, back to where Robin was packing. The thought of her friend returning to the city filled her with apprehension.

  She had been so lost in thought, she hadn’t heard the distant thumping of an approaching helicopter. Increasing her pace, she caught glimpses of Robin’s ride through breaks in the trees as it flew in low over the water. Through an opening in the trees, she saw someone sitting in the passenger seat next to the pilot.

  Lincoln. Her face brightened with a hopeful smile. Sarah quickened her steps toward the helipad. It hadn’t crossed her mind that Lincoln might come out with the pilot, but it did make sense.

  Approaching the lodge, she saw the tips of the rotors as they peeked out in steady rhythm past the edge of the building. The helicopter had already landed. Slowing her pace, she came around the corner and saw the aircraft sitting in the middle of the grass. Lincoln was opening his door, and already his demeanor told her something was wrong. He hadn’t seen her yet. He hesitated a moment before he turned to open the back door and it was only then that she realized there was someone else with him.

  Sarah stopped, and so did her heart, as Lincoln opened the door fully. In the shadows she saw Nathan in the back of the aircraft. He seemed tired and old, and even from this distance she could sense the tension between the two men. She didn’t want to think about the reason.

  Nathan’s here, her brain screamed at her. But Nathan shouldn’t be here. He should be with Abby. He should be defending Abby at the trial. She stood riveted to the ground as she struggled to keep her world in focus and her thoughts in control. Nathan, why are you here? She so wanted to scream, but she couldn’t find her voice.

  “No,” Sarah whispered to herself as the potential meaning of their appearance started to sink in. Why are they here, why aren’t they with Abby? Because... “No,” she said louder, shaking her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Sarah,” Lincoln called out, but his voice disappeared into the sounds of the helicopter’s rotors winding down. Nathan said something to him and Lincoln turned to look at the front of the aircraft.

  There was movement on the other side of the helicopter. Sarah saw the pilot walk past his door, and then her reality wavered when she caught a glimpse of the dark-haired person behind him.

  Watching the far side of the helicopter, Sarah was certain she saw someone familiar, someone she should have recognized. Someone who looked...like Abby! Sarah’s hand came to her mouth to cover her sob when Abby walked past the pilot.

  The vision before her was something between a mirage and a dream. Still dressed in her dark Armani suit, Abby appeared elegant, but exhausted. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with her black hair as it fluttered with each step she took toward Sarah.

  “Abby?” Sarah whispered in astonishment. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It...it isn’t possible. Abby’s still in jail! But she wasn’t, she was there right before her eyes.

  Abby’s normally stoic facade crumbled as she stared at Sarah’s small form standing only a few yards away. Feeling weak from the excitement and having been out of touch with the world for so long, she concentrated on Sarah’s eyes. Each shaky step took her closer to that green. Her long legs quickly covered the distance separating them as tears flowed down both their faces.

  Sarah closed her eyes as she felt Abby’s powerful arms engulf her. It was all a dream. “Abby, tell me this is real,” Sarah whispered into her chest.

  “If it’s not, I don’t want to wake up,” Abby answered as she kissed the top of Sarah’s head. Neither spoke for a moment, both trying to believe in the truth before them.

  “But I don’t...I don’t understand,” Sarah lifted her head and looked up into Abby’s eyes. “Oh God, I’ve missed you,” she said as a fresh batch of tears sprang to her eyes.

  “Not half as much as I’ve missed you.” Abby leaned down and gently kissed the lips that had haunted her dreams, lips belonging to the happy memories that had kept her sane when the dark walls had started to close in. They were softer than she remembered. All she wanted was to sink into Sarah, to become so intertwined with her that they could never be separated again. Abby’s senses were going wild. The fresh air, the smell of the pine trees and the water, the smell of Sarah hair, and the growing desire inside her made her pull back out of need rather than want.

  Sarah’s heart was beating so rapidly she could barely control her breathing as she reached up to touch Abby’s cheek. “You’re eyes are darker than I remember.”

  “And you’re even more beautiful than I remember,” Abby said as she reached down to brush back Sarah’s bangs.

  The loving gesture was almost more than Sarah could handle and a new wave of fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I know a good doctor,” she whispered.

  “He didn’t make anything that wasn’t already there,” Abby said with conviction. “You were a beautiful woman when I met you. You took my breath away, and you’re even more breathtaking now.” She took Sarah’s face in both hands and ever so slowly, leaned down for another kiss.

  This time their desires were filled with passion, as the wanting pulled at them both. They reveled in the sensation of their lips touching, softly searching for the time they had lost. Finally they were reconnecting, their mutual energy igniting what had started so long ago. Sarah felt the need in Abby’s lips, as a tingle of pulsing warmth rode a wave all the way down to the pit of her stomach, and just a bit beyond. She didn’t feel Abby’s hands move from her face, but she felt them as Abby’s embrace brought them tighter together.

  “Abby!” Robin’s shocked voice broke them apart and back to reality. Abby straightened up as the young nurse approached them. Ignoring the tearstains, and the blushing cheeks, Robin looked from Abby to the two quiet men standing off to the side. “I don’t understand. How can you be here?”

  Abby looked over Sarah’s head to the two men standing silently on their own. “I think Lincoln should answer that.”

  “Abigail!” Helga’s distinctive voice made all heads turn as she came out of the lodge, with Günter not far behind. “Abby, is that you?”

  “In the flesh,” she answered, finally, though reluctantly, releasing her hold on Sarah.

  The young woman watched in awe while the now skinnier and paler Abby greeted them. The scene felt unreal as she brought her hands up to hold herself in a hug.

  Seeing Sarah standing by herself, Lincoln walked over and put an arm around her. “You okay?” If Sarah noticed the tension in his voice and demeanor, she didn't say.

  “Yes...no, I’m not sure. This all seems so unreal.” She couldn’t take her eyes off Abby. “That’s her...right?”

  “Yeah, it’s her,” he answered with a somber tone that finally made Sarah turn to him.

  “I don’t understand what’s happening. How can she be here, Lincoln? What about the trial?”

  “It’s over. We found all the evidence we needed to prove Abby’s innocence. Nathan asked for a dismissal and Judge Porter was happy to grant it. She’s a free woman now.”

  Looking over at Nathan, Sarah was once again startled by his appearance. He looked as though he had aged twenty years since she had seen
him last. He looked tired and drawn as he stood with sagging shoulders. “But how, what evidence?” she asked in confusion.

  “Part of it was you, Sarah,” Lincoln offered.

  “Me?” She felt Abby slide in next to her.

  Helga looked over at Nathan and then at Abby. “Why don’t we take this inside?”

  Sarah slipped her arm around Abby’s waist and it felt like the most natural thing in the world as they headed for the cabin. “I just can’t believe you’re here,” she said, leaning her head against Abby’s shoulder.

  “That would make two of us. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever be outside again.” Abby looked down at the grass beneath her feet. “Or ever see you again. I could get lost in those eyes of yours and never want for another thing.”

  Sarah smiled and her cheeks reddened as her eyes drifted to the gravel pathway. It was only then that Abby dared to glance at the scar on her neck. It looked better than she could have imagined, recalling with vivid clarity what it looked like before. Wanting nothing more than to forget that day, she leaned down and kissed the top of Sarah’s head.

  “I’ve missed that.”

  “We’ve missed a lot of things,” Abby said, looking out over the lake and the mountains.

  Sarah glanced up and saw dark eyes now staring at the ground. “Abby?”

  The dark-haired woman lifted her head, and Sarah could see the pain in Abby’s eyes as she looked over the large, empty deck of one of the cabins. Suddenly reality hit home, and Sarah knew what had brought on the shimmer of tears. “Buck,” she whispered, and Abby could only nod as they started up the stairs.

  ♥

  The day moved into evening but everyone in the cabin was oblivious to time. Food had been eaten, alcohol had been consumed, and there was a lot left to be said. Sarah sat close to Abby on the sofa as Lincoln answered most of the questions, with Nathan interjecting when he needed to.

  “When Sarah and I were talking the other day, she said she couldn’t scream, and I reminded her that it was because of that dieffenbachia concoction that Billy had used. It got me thinking. There were no dieffenbachia in either of Ward’s rooms, yet we knew he bought them, along with some rope, box cutters and a few other things. So, Lieutenant Banks and I went back to the Webster Arms. In the back closed section of the motel, where we found you, Billy had another room. It was booby trapped to self-destruct, but thank God it didn’t. It had everything — the dieffenbachia paste, the cocaine and morphine, some things he had taken from Abby’s house, another knife that matched the murder weapon, pictures, fingerprints, and an entire box of Jensen latex gloves. He’d even kept some things from the women he had murdered, and we also found a receipt from a rental car company. Billy rented a black Jeep the night he died. But more importantly, we found his computer — with a detailed plan of how he was going to kill himself and frame Abby for it. He planned everything, from the date he burned down Abby’s house to using the same brand of gloves and zip-ties the cops use. He even had the weather forecast mapped out so there’d be enough water in the creek to carry his drugged body downstream, banging him up in the process.”

  “Oh, my God,” Sarah whispered, realizing the true depth of Billy’s insanity. She leaned into Abby’s comfortable embrace.

  “Everything was there, everything we needed, everything he had kept.” He lifted his gaze and his dark eyes connected with Abby’s. “Everything.” Nothing was spoken between them, but there was plenty of communication.

  “It was incredible how he planned it all. He had the technology there to do anything he wanted regarding phones and cell phones. He had more books on police procedures than the police academy did.” Lincoln looked over at Abby. “It was obvious that he had been planning this for a long time, years even.”

  Sarah caught Abby’s downcast look out of the corner of her eye.

  “If we hadn’t gone back, we probably would never have found it all.” Lincoln raised his drink, but his hand stopped in mid-air as he shot a look at Abby. “And then we’d have never known the truth.”

  “Thank God you did,” Sarah said with a smile, “because now we have Abby back where she belongs.”

  Everyone agreed, but the stare between Lincoln and Abby became more intent.

  Günter held up his glass of Aquavit. “To the return of our beloved Abby, and to the men who brought her home.” A quick rap on the door interrupted the toast. Everyone looked up to see Nathan's helicopter pilot standing there.

  Nathan motioned him in. “Come join us, Drake.”

  “I don’t mean to interrupt you, sir, but I just received a call on the radio. There’s a medical emergency in a small town just ten minutes from here. They need to fly someone to the hospital, ASAP, and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I took the chopper.”

  “No, by all means go.” Nathan waved him off.

  Robin jumped to her feet. “Can I help? I’m an RN.”

  “Couldn’t hurt,” Drake responded.

  “My bags are already packed.” Robin disappeared into her room and returned a moment later. Sarah jumped off the sofa and gave her friend a quick hug. They knew they’d be seeing each other in a few days for Sarah’s next medical follow-up.

  Lincoln rose also. “Actually, if there’s room, could you take me back to the city too?”

  “Lincoln, you can’t leave,” Sarah begged. The pilot looked hesitantly at Lincoln. “It would be tight quarters, man.”

  “Lincoln. Please...stay,” Abby’s tone was low as she looked to her partner and friend.

  Shifting his eyes, he stared at Abby in contemplation.

  “Please,” she said once more.

  “Yes or no? I gotta go…” Drake stated impatiently.

  “Lincoln, don’t go,” Sarah said, not seeing the hidden communication going on. “Please...”

  Lincoln couldn’t resist Sarah’s plea. “All right, fine. I’ll stay. Go, Drake,” he said and the pilot quickly departed.

  “Thank you,” Abby said, but Lincoln said nothing as he got up to grab another beer.

  With Robin’s unexpected departure, the atmosphere in the cabin changed. Leaning back against Abby, Sarah started to notice that things in the room were not quite what they seemed. People were talking, however there was a level of tension just below the surface and the more she observed, the more obvious it became. Lincoln’s manner toward Abby and Nathan hinted at some underlying anger. Their exchanges seemed short and testy. Sarah at first blamed the stress they had all been under, though soon enough she caught a few glares between Abby and Lincoln that she didn’t understand. But she said nothing.

  Wanting out of the small cabin, Lincoln approached Helga to use their phone to call Carla. She and Günter were about to head back to the lodge anyhow. It signaled the end of the celebration for the night.

  “We have available cabins. I will give Lincoln the keys for everyone,” Günter said as they all stood up. “You wait here.”

  “That’s fine with me,” Nathan said as he sat back down.

  With everyone gone and Nathan relaxing in the rocking chair, eyes closed, Abby felt the log walls closing in on her. “I need to get outside. I’ve spent far too much time inside four walls.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Sarah whispered. “I'm not letting you out of my sight for a very long time.”

  Abby smiled down at her. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  Once outside, Abby leaned her head back and took in a deep breath. “A storm’s coming,” she said, her eyes closed. “I can smell it in the air.” She reached for Sarah’s hand. “Come on.” Together they went down the stairs and out onto the dock. Sitting down on the bench, Abby looked up at the outline of the vast mountains she had known and loved all her life. Dark ominous clouds were beginning to gather over the end of the lake.

  She shook her head. “It all seems so unreal,” Abby said into the night. “This morning I was headed for the gas chamber, and now here I am, under the night sky,” Abby turned and looked into Sa
rah’s eyes, “with you.”

  A smile lifted the corner of Sarah’s mouth, and Abby looked down at her with longing. Reaching out, she cupped Sarah’s cheek and brushed her thumb over the corner of her mouth.

  Sarah remained silent, the gentle touch electrifying her as Abby traced the outline of her lips. Acutely aware of their mutual desire, Abby slowly leaned forward and kissed her. Like a feather in the wind, the contact between them was soft and tender as Sarah closed her eyes and melted into the kiss. She wanted more, so much more, and was surprised when Abby pulled back. It took her a moment to recapture her breath as she opened her eyes.

  “I could do that for the rest of my life,” Abby whispered.

  “And I’d like that very much,” Sarah responded. “My dreams never felt like this, not this good. It all seems so surreal.” Sarah had to shake off her nerves as she looked to the heavens for help. “I mean, you’re here with me and all I can think about is...is...” Taking her eyes off the distant mountain tops, Sarah turned to Abby.

  “Is what, Sarah?”

  “All the things I’ve never been able to say to you because I didn’t want to put them in writing. All the things I want to explain to you, to your face.” Sarah turned in her seat so that she could look straight at her. “When I came here, I came as a naïve reporter with aspirations of headlines and bylines. I knew nothing about the real world and all of its ugliness. I came for the story, but I didn’t count on the woman behind the story.”

  “Sarah, sweetie, it’s okay.” Abby reached out to touch her face when Sarah stopped her.

  “Please, let me finish.” Sarah’s throat felt dry as she licked her lips. “I never meant to hurt you...”

  “No, Sarah, I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m the one who needs to explain.”

  Sarah reached up and put her fingertips on Abby’s lips. “No, please,” she begged. “If we’re to build a relationship, it has to start on a solid foundation of trust. And that starts with the truth.”

  “Yes, Abby,” a deep voice interjected, “relationships should be built on the foundations of trust...and truth!” Lincoln’s words startled them. They had no idea he was there as he started down the dock.