Instead, he headed for the back of the room and slid in next to David “Biggie” Bigelow. A wrestler in the unlimited weight class, Biggie topped out at 300 pounds and captured the state title as a junior. He was ferocious on the wrestling mat but otherwise gentle and good-natured.
Biggie grinned and lifted a hand in greeting, “Hey, man, looks like you’ve been in a milk explosion.”
Gabe grimaced. “Yeah, something like that. My kid puked on me.”
Biggie nodded. “I hate it when that happens. I got me a bunch of little brothers and sisters, so I know all about it.”
Gabe looked at Biggie with newfound respect. He’d been so consumed by his own misery, it hadn’t occurred to him that one of his fellow students might understand. He raised an arm and sniffed his shirtsleeve. “Do I stink?”
Biggie leaned close and inhaled deeply. “Nah, you’re okay.”
The television set in front of the room burst to life. Gabe dug his notebook and pen out of his backpack. The first ten minutes of class was always a quick rundown of national headlines and a smidgen of local news. Mr. Rogers loved to pick some obscure bit of info from the broadcast and include it on the Friday quiz. Hence, the note taking.
Toward the end of the broadcast, the announcer asked, “Have you seen this girl?”
Gabe glanced up from his notes to check out the missing girl. Big blue eyes peered through a strand of black hair that fell across one cheek. No smile for the camera. Gabe shook his head. “That’s one sad-looking chick,” he murmured to Biggie who was frowning at the TV.
The disembodied voice continued, “Elizabeth Perham has been missing from the Yakima area for a week. If you have any information about Elizabeth, please contact the Yakima County Sheriff Department.” A phone number flashed on the screen. Gabe saw Biggie copy it down.
When the TV went black, Biggie leaned close to Gabe and whispered, “That’s her, dude. You were with her that night at Kev’s party. Remember, she kept saying you were the one?”
Gabe stared at Biggie in disbelief. “No way. I never saw that girl in my life.”
He glanced over at Kev and the others. Kevin grinned at him, held up an index finger and mouthed, “You’re number one.”
Gabe ground his teeth in frustration. If he’d been with this girl, surely her face would look familiar. Had he been that out of it? He grabbed Biggie’s arm, “Tell me what you remember about that night.”
Mr. Rogers stepped to the front of the room. “Gentlemen in the back row. Mr. Bigelow. Mr. Delgado. My apologies for interrupting what, I’m sure, is a fascinating discussion. No doubt you have something vitally important you’d like to share with the class regarding current world problems. No? In that case, I’d like to begin.”
He clapped his hands. “Everybody. Cells phones off. Place them face up on your desk.”
Confident he had the attention of everyone in the classroom, Mr. Rogers launched into a statistics-filled lecture about the rise of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Gabe applied pencil to paper and faked a look of rapt attention. In reality, a flurry of note passing ensued between him and Biggie.
Biggie: “Nobody knew her. I think she was somebody’s cousin. She said her name was Liz. Maybe Lizzie.”
Gabe: “You sure I was with her?”
Biggie: “Yeah, you came to the party with Heather, but that Lizzie chick was looking to hook up and she picked you. Said you were her birthday present.”
Gabe: “No wonder Heather’s pissed.”
Biggie: “Think the missing girl is your kid’s mother?”
Gabe: “Her hair’s not red.”
Biggie: “Dude, girls dye their hair. What about . . . you know . . . down there.”
Biggie pointed at his lap and blushed.
Gabe wrote furiously. “Geez, Big, if I don’t remember her face, you think I’d remember that?”
Biggie sighed and wrote, “Just check it out. I bet it’s her.”
After school was out and the crowd thinned, Gabe walked to the student parking lot lugging Birdie in her car seat and the ball bag, now considerably lighter. His backpack slipped off one shoulder and hung from his left arm, the weight of the books causing it to list to one side.
“Hey, Gabe, need a hand?”
Boomer Woodard appeared behind him. He caught up to Gabe and reached for the baby.
Gabe’s hand tightened on the car seat. He handed Boomer the ball bag. “Thanks, Coach. Lots of crap to haul when you’ve got a kid.”
“Tell me about it. You heading home?”
Gabe nodded.
Boomer grinned at him. “Thought you might want to shoot some hoops. You know, tune up a little for the season.”
Gabe avoided Boomer’s eyes. “I’ve got a bunch of things to do at home. Like I said, when I get a sitter set up for after school, things will be different.”
“About that,” Boomer said. “I talked to my wife. She said she’d love to take care of the kid. Today, if you want. No charge.”
Boomer’s wife, Lacey, was a real fox. She came to the games dressed in tight jeans and sweaters that dipped down in front to reveal a pair of perky boobs. With Lacey in the stands, the players could barely keep their minds on basketball. The couple had no children. Gabe wondered if she knew anything about taking care of babies. His lips curved upward in an involuntary smile. She probably knew at least as much as he did.
Gabe pressed the remote, opened the back seat door, and locked down the car seat. At least that part was getting easier. “That’s real nice of your wife, Coach, but I’m working on other arrangements.”
Boomer’s smile disappeared. “Your choice, man. Just thought we’d help you out a little. Standing offer.”
He leaned into the car and poked Birdie in the chest with his index finger. “Hey there, little girl. Where’d you get that red hair?”
Instead of grabbing Boomer’s finger and stuffing it in her mouth, her usual reaction to a finger in her vicinity, Birdie’s brows drew together in a fierce baby frown. She flapped her hands and turned her head away, as if avoiding eye contact.
Boomer chuckled. “Guess she doesn’t like personal questions. Speaking of which, who’s the mom?”
Gabe was so sick of that question he had to bite his lower lip to hold back a string of cuss words. He shrugged and shook his head. “Gotta go, Coach. Thanks again for the offer.”
Later, after he’d offloaded Birdie and all her stuff into the house, all Gabe wanted to do was hit the sack, pull the covers over his head, and drift into a deep, blissful sleep. Try to blot out what had been the worst day of his life. But it was not to be. He had homework to do. He had laundry to do. He had a baby to take care of.
Gabe pulled a semi-clean shirt out of the hamper and changed it out for the one covered in baby puke. He placed Birdie on a blanket on the family room floor. At least if she rolled, she wouldn’t go very far. Rosie, the lab, curled up next to her, her thick tail periodically thumping the floor as the baby grabbed handfuls of fur and tried to stuff it into her mouth. Papi had assured Gabe that ingesting a bit of dog hair wouldn’t harm the little girl.
Gabe had just begun tackling his homework when the phone rang. Not his cell. Land line. Answer it or not? By the time he’d made up his mine, the answering machine kicked in. Papi’s voice. “Gabriel, are you there? Pick up the phone.”
Gabe snatched up the phone. “Yeah, I’m here.”
Papi’s voice was low, as if he didn’t want to be overheard. “Graciela called me. She has information about The Abolesco. Important information. I’m coming home.”
“Now?” Gabe was shocked. Papi almost never left work early.
“Yes, now. See you in precisely thirty-five minutes. Make sure you’re there.”
Gabe sighed. “Where else would I be?”
Chapter Nine
TRUE TO HIS word, precisely thirty-five minutes later, Papi burst through the door that connected the garage to the house.
“Gabe?” he called.
“In here.”
Briefcase in hand, Papi stepped into the family room. The worry lines creasing his brow disappeared when he leaned over and tickled Birdie’s tummy. The baby released Rosie’s fur, rolled onto her back, and greeted her grandfather with a big gummy smile. Gabe noticed she had a hunk of dog hair stuck to her right cheek.
“So, what did the bruja tell you that was so important you left work early?”
Papi gave Rosie a pat, walked to the sofa and plopped down with a sigh. “Many times, I have told you, Graciela is not a witch. She is a curandera. She doesn’t curse people, she heals them.”
Gabe nerves were strung tight and ready to snap. He flapped a hand. “Whatever.”
“Whatever?” Papi said, a sharp edge to his voice. He pointed at Birdie. “When I tell you about this little girl, your daughter, there will be no more whatever.”
Gabe closed his physics book. “Sorry, Papi. I’ve had a rough day. Tell me what you found out.”
“Remember when I told you Graciela had a connection with someone who knew about The Abolesco?”
Gabe nodded.
Papi said, “A man called Jacob Landman used to come into her shop and buy herbs from her. They became fast friends. You may notice I’m using the past tense, because Jacob seems to have disappeared.”
Gabe glanced over at Birdie. “Recently?”
“Graciela said he’s been gone about three months. Hasn’t been in her store. Doesn’t answer his phone. After our visit the other day, she went looking for him. She dropped by his apartment and talked to the neighbors. They said the mail was piling up so they notified the landlord. He went into the apartment thinking maybe the old fellow was sick or had fallen. Apparently, it looked like he was planning to come back. He had houseplants on the window sill and food in the fridge.”
“So what does this have to do with Birdie?” Gabe said, wishing Papi would just cut to the chase.
“According to what he told Graciela, Jacob is one of the last living Abolesco.”
Gabe shrugged. “Well, there you go. That explains why he disappeared. Isn’t that what we figured the Abolesco do? Disappear?”
Papi shook his head. “No, son. He told Graciela he didn’t have the ability to disappear. The trait is passed on by males but is stronger in females. Jacob’s daughter, Jeanine, was the last Abolesco with the power to vanish.”
“So maybe this Jacob guy went to visit his daughter,” Gabe said.
“She’s dead, mi hijo.”
Gabe blew out a gusty breath. “Oh.” He thought about what Papi had told him. “Why didn’t Graciela tell us this stuff when we were in her shop?”
“She wanted to talk to Jacob first, to see if there was a connection between him and the baby. Jacob had sworn her to secrecy, and she didn’t want to break her promise. But after she saw Birdie and found out Jacob was missing, Graciela knew she should share what information she had.”
“So there’s more?” Gabe said.
“Yes,” Papi said. “Here’s what Jacob told Graciela. The laws of The Abolesco are crystal clear when it comes to using their ability to vanish. Using it for personal gain is strictly forbidden. The power is to be used sparingly and for only two reasons—to benefit others, or to escape from mortal danger. His daughter, Jeanine, married a man named Daniel Perham. They got in with some bad people, and Jeanine used her vanishing ability to score money for drugs.”
Gabe shot to his feet. “Did you say their last name is Perham?”
Papi nodded. “Was. They’re both dead. Overdose. Why, do you know the name?”
Gabe pondered the question for a couple of beats before answering. “Maybe. Tell me more.”
“Landman said when the couple overdosed, their sleazy neighbors grabbed the girl and took off.”
Gabe held up a hand. “Hold it. What girl?”
“The Perhams had a daughter. According to Jacob, his granddaughter is the key to the future.”
Gabe held back a snort of impatience. Just barely. “Papi, you need to fill in the blanks. What’s the deal with the granddaughter? What makes her the key?”
Papi took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. “It’s complicated. Jacob told Graciela after the last Abolesco with the vanishing gene dies, a young girl will conceive a child, and that baby will represent a new beginning.”
A sick feeling settled into the pit of Gabe’s stomach. “And this girl, Jacob’s granddaughter, she’s the one who gives birth to the kid?”
Gabe dug around in his pocket and pulled out the note he and Biggie had exchanged.
Yeah, you came to the party with Heather, but that Lizzie chick was looking to hook up and she picked you. Said you were her birthday present.
“What’s the matter, son? You’re pale as a ghost.”
Gabe compressed his lips and shook his head, trying desperately to reconstruct the events of that fateful night. But how the hell could he explain it to Papi? All he had was other people’s memories. Why did this have to happen now? Just when he thought he had it all together, his future was morphing into a steaming pile of crap.
Gabe took a deep breath and reluctantly met Papi’s gaze. “Perham. It’s the second time today I’ve heard that name. Looks like she might be the girl I hooked up with. She might be Birdie’s mother.”
Papi’s nostrils flared. Not a good sign.
Thankfully, a sharp rap on the kitchen door gave Gabe a short reprieve from Papi’s impending interrogation. Gabe held up a hand, bounded into the kitchen and threw the door open.
Abby.
She gave him a shy smile. “Thought I’d check on how it went today. You know, with the baby and all. You were kinda freaked out this morning.”
Gabe heaved a sigh. “Not so hot.”
Papi followed Gabe to the door. “Gabriel, where are your manners? Invite the lady in.”
Gabe turned his head toward Papi and whispered, “But what we’re talking about, maybe we should keep that between us.”
Papi leaned closed and spoke directly into Gabe’s right ear. “You need someone in your corner. Someone besides your family. We already know Miss Abby can keep a secret. Plus, she doesn’t seem to be easily shocked.”
Gabe was so accustomed to using his “Papi filter,” scrolling through his father’s torrent of words and choosing the ones he wanted to hear, he almost missed the sincerely spoken endorsement of Abby Templeton. When the words penetrated the fog of confusion swirling in Gabe’s brain, he recognized the truth in them.
Gabe smiled. “Come on in, Abby. We’ll catch you up.”
Abby followed Gabe and Papi into the family room and sat on the floor next to Birdie. Rosie thumped her tail in greeting. When the baby spotted Abby, she went into bicycle mode, her legs churning the air at warp speed.
“Hey, baby,” Abby cooed. She stroked Birdie’s cheek, eliciting a happy baby chortle.
“Whoa, was that a real out-loud laugh?” Gabe said. “Try it again.”
Abby stroked Birdie’s other cheek. This time, the laugh seemed to come from deep in her belly. “Ha ha HA!”
Abby clapped her hands in delight.
“That’s a real laugh alright,” Papi said. “Gabriel, you must purchase a baby book so you can record these important firsts. There will be many coming up.”
“Yeah,” Gabe muttered. “I’ll put it on my to-do list.”
Abby walked to the couch and sat next to Gabe. “So, what’s going on?”
Papi drew a deep breath and opened his mouth. Before he could speak, Gabe gave her an abbreviated version, making sure to hit all the salient details. He felt the tip of his ears burn in
shame when he filled her in on events at Kevin’s party.
The stunned silence that followed was broken by a shriek of rage from Birdie. She’d managed to roll over several times and was now jammed under an end table, unable to move. Gabe grabbed hold of a foot, pulled her free, and set her back on her blanket.
Birdie narrowed her eyes. Her lower lip turned downward and began to quiver.
“Okay, okay, you win,” Gabe said. He picked her up and placed her over his left shoulder, praying she wouldn’t spew on his semi-clean shirt, and headed back to the couch.
Abby held out her arms. “Give her to me.”
“Be careful. She pukes,” Gabe warned.
“Oh, really?” Abby rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the info, Gabe. I didn’t know that.”
Papi smothered a laugh.
Abby placed Birdie on her knees and bounced her up and down. “I know someone who can help you with your memory problem. If you’re willing to be hypnotized.”
“Who?” Gabe said.
“My mother. She’s a nurse at Swedish Hospital. But, back home in Canada, she worked for a doctor who specialized in recovering lost memories. She learned the technique from him.”
“You don’t have to, of course.” She paused and peered at Gabe. “Just thought I’d mention it in case you’re interested.”
Gabe glanced over at Papi who gave him an encouraging nod. But, hold it. Did he really want her to know all the sordid details?
Birdie squirmed and held out her arms to Gabe. He took her from Abby and held her against his body. She clutched his shirt with both hands and snuggled into his chest.
Time to man up, Gabe. Maybe you’re scared to face the truth but if you’re going to keep this kid safe, you need to know.
He met Abby’s steady gaze. “Okay, then, let’s do it.”
Chapter Ten
FRIDAY NIGHT. Seven p.m. Gabe’s date with the past. That was when Luanne, Abby’s mother, was available to send Gabe back in time. But first, according to Abby, Gabe had homework. He was to find out everything he could about that night and write it down, even if he had to ask his friends to fill in the details. Gabe thought some of the questions were lame. Like, what was the weather like? Who all was at the party? What time did he get there? Was the party inside the house or outside? Was it dark?
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