The Haunted

by Jessica Verday

  “Um, yeah,” I said finally, taking a small step back. “Nice to meet you, too. Good luck with your new real-estate branch and all that.”

  Sophie’s gaze sharpened, and Kame smiled widely, revealing a surprisingly shiny and sharp-looking set of teeth. “Take care of yourself, Abbey,” he said. “Take very good care.”

  Chapter Twenty

  THE MISSING PIECE

  And besides, what chance was there of escaping ghost or goblin, if such it was, which could ride upon the wings of the wind?

  —“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

  One week later I was sitting in front of my new laptop, working on my business plan. Scribbling down sentences that would hopefully be a part of my mission statement, I let my mind wander. It kept going back to that strange dinner with the real estate agents. I tried to figure out why they seemed so familiar. Had I seen them at the bridge dedication ceremony?

  My cell phone rang, and I reached for it, glad for the distraction. “Hello?”

  “Abbey? Is this Abbey?”

  I didn’t recognize the voice. “Yes, who’s—”

  “It’s Aubra Stanton.”

  You could have knocked me over with a feather. “Um, okay.” Or a stiff breeze.

  “I got your number from your uncle’s office.”

  “Okay.” Gee, I was being a real conversationalist here.

  “Look, I need you to come cover the store for an hour.”

  “But it’s Saturday night. I don’t work on Saturdays.”

  Aubra exhaled loudly. “I know that, okay? I just need you to come in because I have to go take care of something. Your uncle’s not here. He had to go get another part for the freezer.”

  My thumb moved back and forth over the volume button on the phone. “I’m not sure I can, Aubra. I’ll have to ask my Mom for a ride.” I felt lame for telling her that, but it was true.

  “Please, Abbey?”

  Something in her voice tugged at my heart strings. Pushover. “I’ll try.”

  She hung up without saying thank you or good-bye, and I sighed. So much for a little gratitude.

  Mom dropped me off at Uncle Bob’s with fairly little talk along the way, and Aubra was waiting for me by the door.

  “Finally!” she exclaimed, the instant I stepped inside. I just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She ignored it and paced nervously in front of the door, stopping every now and then to peer out of it. I moved toward the counter and grabbed a wet washcloth to wipe up some spilled caramel sauce she’d obviously overlooked.

  A minute later I heard the doorbells chime, and she was gone. Without saying good-bye. Again.

  Luckily, the shop stayed pretty quiet, and everyone was patient with me as I slowly worked the register. When there was only half an hour until the shop closed, I kept busy by refilling the toppings jars.

  Aubra came back twenty-eight minutes later, not that I was counting or anything, and completely ignored me. Her eyes were red and splotchy, but I wasn’t going to give her the pity vote again.

  “All right, see ya,” I said. “I’m leaving now.” She didn’t reply, so I headed outside to call Mom and tell her I was ready.

  Mom was busy with something, though, and said she’d pick me up as soon as she could. I let out a breath as I hung up, not exactly loving my situation. I walked around the store and went to the alley out back.

  It was nice at first, to just sit there and chill in a quiet spot. But then I started to realize how secluded the alley really was. A security light sprouted from the middle of the cement wall that was opposite the back of the store, but the light only illuminated a few feet in either direction. I didn’t know who, or what, could be lurking at the end of the alleyway.

  Of course, that was when I started hearing strange noises and seeing things move out of the corner of my eye. I had to laugh at myself when a rat scampered by. “Chill, Abbey,” I said out loud.

  Pulling out my phone, I lamented the fact that Caspian didn’t have one, then scrolled through the games section. I was busy pushing buttons and kicking ass on Tetris when a shadow loomed over me. I looked up.

  And then wished I hadn’t.

  “Hello, Abbey,” Vincent said.

  I gritted my teeth and forced out a hello before returning to my game. He sat down next to me on the table and bumped his knee into mine. I shifted away from him, and he crowded further into my space.

  With exaggerated slowness, I moved farther away from him. His perfect white teeth glowed in the light as he smiled. “Don’t be like that,” he purred, then he pitched his voice low. “Or rather, do be like that. It excites me.”

  I stopped what I was doing and stared at him. What was his deal? Why did he have to be such an asshole?

  “I can tell what you’re thinking,” he said. “You want me.”

  I made a disgusted sound. “Please. I’m taken. Besides, don’t you already have a girlfriend?” I gestured toward the shop. “Aubra?”

  Vincent sighed, an elegant sound, and looked pained. “I’m getting tired of her. She’s becoming a bore.” Then he and cocked his head. “Besides, maybe I’m looking for a piece on the side.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s not gonna be me.” I stood up and moved away from him to the front of the alley, only noticing then that a black Ford Mustang was blocking the entrance. His footsteps echoed behind me, and with every step I took, they followed.

  Panic started curling the edges of my stomach. Whirling around to face him, I planted a fist on my hip. “What’s your problem? Go toy with someone else.”

  He stepped close, and I resisted the urge to shrink back.

  “I will toy with you when and how I want,” he said. His voice was cold… and deadly. I knew that this was no game. His face transformed from a perfect mask to seething rage. He gripped my cheeks in one hand, his fingers digging in harshly.

  Please, please, my mind was whimpering, don’t hurt me. I bit down on my tongue to keep myself from crying out.

  His free hand grabbed my left wrist and shackled it like iron. Vincent’s touch made my skin crawl, and I glanced down to see if the flesh was actually starting to curl up and peel away like it so desperately wanted to.

  Running one fingernail down my wrist all the way across my open palm, he pressed cruelly and left a deep red scratch in his wake. I tried to put steel in my gaze, but was quickly losing the battle. My hand burned like fire and my mind was still whimpering.

  The severity of my situation slammed into me. We were alone. In a dark, dirty alley. No one knew where I was, and no one would come if I screamed. My mind switched gears from Please, please don’t hurt me to Please, please let me get through this.

  “Tell me how you are taken,” Vincent said suddenly.

  My mouth refused to open, my lips clamped shut.

  “A boyfriend?” he asked. I nodded mutely, willing the tears not to fall. “I see.” He let go of my face.

  But I could still feel his finger marks, like brands, on my skin.

  He brightened, and flashed a smile at me. “Wonderful, wonderful.” As if realizing what he’d done to my hand, he looked down. “My apologies.” Bending low, he kissed the scratch mark, and I closed my eyes. I was going to be sick.

  Vincent released my arm and straightened, putting one hand to his head like he was tipping an imaginary hat. “My lady.” Then he turned and sauntered down the alley, whistling as he got into his car.

  I stood there, lost for a moment, as it thundered away. Trying to tell myself that he was really gone… I was really okay.… And that was when my stomach rebelled. Huddling over a section of yesterday’s trash and old cardboard boxes, I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Wave after wave of fear and loathing washed over me, and I retched.

  I’d only been home for an hour at the end of another long shift on Monday when the second call came. Caspian was sitting nearby on the window seat, feet swinging back and forth, and I was testing some new perfume formulas. I glanced over my shoulder. The phone was on the bed.
>
  “I’ll get it,” Caspian said, hopping down and reaching it in two long steps. A second later he dropped it next to me.

  “Thanks.” I smiled up at him and opened the phone.

  “Abbey, this is Aubra.”

  Oh, no. My heart sank. I couldn’t cover for her again.

  “It’s over!” she screamed, and I held the phone away from my ear. “I’m finally going to tell that bastard it’s over!”

  “Okay… ,” I said.

  “I need you to—”

  I cut her off before she could finish. “No, Aubra. Sorry.”

  Her voice turned hysterical. “I need you to, Abbey! You don’t understand what he’s done to me. This is the only way. I can’t keep letting him control me like this.” She was breathing heavily, and I could hear a note of panic in her voice.

  “I have to… I have to… ,” she babbled. “Or else… Or I’m going to do something else. I’ll end it. I have to.”

  I sat up straight. “Aubra, what are you saying? You’re not going to do anything to yourself, are you?”

  She stayed silent, and I had a terrible feeling that was exactly what she was saying. I shot a worried look at Caspian, and he made a What’s happening? gesture. “I’ll be right there, Aubra,” I said. “You hear me? Give me twenty minutes.”

  I hung up the phone, and all my nerve endings suddenly came alive. I had to get Mom. I had to hurry and get there. I had to make sure Vincent didn’t hurt her. I had to make sure she didn’t hurt herself.

  “I have to go, Caspian. That was the girl from school I work with. She’s breaking up with this guy tonight, and I want to make sure she doesn’t do anything crazy. She didn’t sound right.” I rubbed at my left palm. It was burning.

  Caspian’s face grew concerned. “Will she be okay?”

  “I think so.”

  He looked down. “Hey. Stop. Stop that, Abbey. You’re rubbing your hand raw.”

  I looked down too and saw the red scratch from Vincent standing out in vivid relief on my pale skin. Quickly turning my hand over, I pressed my palm against my leg. I’d been trying to hide that from him.

  “What happened?” Caspian asked, his eyebrows arching downward into a frown. “Let me see.”

  “It’s nothing. I just scratched it when I was outside. I have to go. I’m sorry. Can you come by later? Or I can come to you?”

  He shrugged, but I turned away from him, grabbing for my phone. I didn’t have time for mood swings right now.

  “I’m sorry to ditch you,” I said again. “Please, wait for me?”

  He nodded. “I’ll be here.”

  I blew him a kiss before heading to the stairs, calling for Mom as I went.

  When I got to the store, Aubra looked awful. Her hair was a mess, and mascara streaked down both cheeks. The store was empty except for a couple finishing their cones, and I grabbed her hand to haul her to the back. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  Aubra gazed at me and sniffled, her eyes wide and glassy. For a moment I thought she was on something.

  “Hurt me?” she said woodenly. “He broke my heart, the bastard!” She let out a scream, and I tugged on her arm.

  “Aubra! Calm down. There are customers out there.” She shut her mouth and looked at me sullenly. “Now, I’m going to ask you some questions. Just shake your head yes or no. Has Vincent been here tonight?”

  No.

  “Is he supposed to come by tonight?”

  Yes.

  “Have you taken anything? Any drugs or pills?”

  Silence. Then, “I took a Xanax that I had in my purse. It was my mom’s.”

  That explained the outburst and glassy eyes. “Just one?”

  Yes.

  “Do you have any more?”

  No.

  “Good. Okay, listen. I’m going to go out front, and when Vincent gets here, I’ll come get you. You can talk to him inside the store. We’ll make the customers leave, or put out the CLOSED sign or something. But I’ll be here with you. You won’t have to face him alone. Okay?”

  Yes.

  I looked around at the freezer room we were in. There didn’t seem to be anything she could hurt herself on if she started freaking out again, so I felt relatively comfortable leaving her there. I spotted a wooden chair resting in one corner of the room and dragged it over to us. “You sit here and wait for me. Do you want some ice cream?”

  Aubra sat in the chair and crossed her arms. “Pistachio.”

  “Coming right up.” I hurried out to the counter, where I grabbed a scooper, loaded up a small cup with the green ice cream, and swiped a spoon from the plastic dispenser. Aubra was still sitting calmly when I returned, and she took the ice cream from me without a word.

  I resisted the urge to pat her on the head and tell her to be good as I left the room, and then let out an exhausted sigh when I headed back out front. What have I done to deserve this headache? Whatever it was, I sure hoped my good-deed karma was racking up the bonus points.

  Vincent never showed up, and I stayed to help Aubra close. We both worked in silence. The tables were really messy, so I decided to put some space between us and grabbed a spray bottle to go wipe them down. Then I glanced out the front window.

  Caspian’s face was pressed against the glass.

  “I’ll, uh, be right back,” I called over my shoulder to Aubra. “I need to get some fresh air.” I bolted through the door and gestured for Caspian to follow me around back.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed, facing him. “Not that I’m not happy to see you and all, but how did you get here?”

  “I walked.”

  “You… walked?”

  “Yeah. You know, when you move your legs?”

  I made an exasperated noise. “I know what walking is. I mean, why are you here?”

  “I was worried about you. That phone call sounded serious, and that scratch on your hand…” He reached out to grab my palm and then drew back. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

  I tried to keep a stern face on the outside, but on the inside my heart was melting. “I’m fine. Aubra’s okay. And the jerk didn’t even show up.” I took a step closer and peeked up at him. Uncle Bob’s store was close to an hour’s walk away from home. “You really walked all the way here just to make sure I was safe?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, almost looking bashful, but his gaze was solemn and steady. “I’d go anywhere to find you.”

  My heart somersaulted and then melted in a puddle at my feet. I gazed at him with a sappy smile. “My protector.”

  His face fell. “Of sorts.”

  Suddenly, I remembered Aubra. “I have to get back in. I don’t want to leave her alone for too long.”

  Caspian nodded. “I’ll wait for your mom to pick you up before I leave.”

  “Leave? As in, you’re going to walk back home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Um, no. You’ll ride back with us.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but I shook my head at him. “I’ll be more worried about you if you walk home, and you wouldn’t want that, would you? Put my mind at ease, okay?”

  He grinned. “Okay. You twisted my arm.”

  “That’s why they call me the arm twister,” I said. “At least it’s better than the alternative, though.”

  “What’s the alternative?” he asked.

  “A ball buster.”

  Caspian looked shocked that I had said such a thing, and I laughed at the expression on his face. I led him back to the store, and he stopped short to take up a watchful stance at the door. Aubra had everything turned off and shut down when I walked in.

  “Do you want me to ask my mom to drop you off at home? We can come back later for your car,” I said to her.

  “Why would you do that?” she asked.

  “Because I’m not sure you should be driving after taking a Xanax.”

  “Me?” She scoffed. “I’ve taken them before. They don’t affect me like that.”

>   Whatever. I wasn’t going to push her. I had to set my limits somewhere. “Are you still going to break up with Vincent?” I asked instead.

  She tossed her head. “I texted him like an hour ago and told him it was over. He never responded. Drake’s such an asshole.”

  My head snapped up. “Drake? I thought you were with Vincent?”

  Aubra looked at me like I was slow. “Vincent Drake. Everyone calls him Drake.”

  Instantly, an icy sensation filled me. It couldn’t be. There was no way. Kristen would never fall for a jerk like him.

  A horn honked outside, and I looked up to see Mom’s van in the parking lot. Functioning on autopilot, I barely remembered to slide the back door open to let Caspian in. Mom gave me a weird look, but I told her some lame excuse about checking to see if I had my bag in the car or if I’d left it in the store, and she seemed to buy it. With Caspian safely inside the van, I shut the door and then climbed into the passenger seat.

  ˜ ˜ ˜

  I waited until Mom was all the way in the house before talking to Caspian.

  “Do you want me to stay?” he said. “I can.”

  I wanted him to… I didn’t want him to… I was so confused by everything. “I don’t know.…”

  “It’s okay. No pressure. If you want to talk about Aubra, you know where to find me.”

  I gave him a half smile. “Thanks for coming to check on me.”

  “I’ll always be there,” he promised, walking out into the darkness.

  “I know you will,” I whispered to his retreating form.

  In my bed that night I rolled back and forth, trying to find a comfortable position. Tossing one arm above my head, I counted sheep and went through the names of all the vice presidents. Twice. But nothing was working. I couldn’t sleep.

  I thought for sure I’d drift off and have nightmares about Kristen. But I wasn’t dreaming at all, because I wasn’t sleeping at all. A fact that became all too evident with every half hour that passed on the clock.

  By two thirty I gave up. It was useless to stay in bed any longer.

  Sitting by the window, I mulled everything over. Moonlight streamed around me and turned my arms and hands silvery gray. Back and forth I went, worrying the subject like a dog with a bone. Is Vincent Kristen’s D.? Why else would he tell me a different name? And how did they meet?