The Last Housekeeper

by Kari Shuey

  After finishing the day’s work, and early no less, Abby pulled out her computer. First, she searched for Securtech in California. She wanted to narrow down her area to search. Abby knew that she wouldn’t be able to figure out which woman she was looking for if there were multiple people by the names she’d just found. Securitech was founded in Silicone Valley, or more specifically in Sunnyvale. That didn’t surprise her. Silicone Valley was known for the technology companies taking America by storm.

  Abby put in the first name into her computer. She searched for Janice Hall of Sunnyvale. There were plenty of Hall’s in that area, but only one Janice. There was a Facebook profile matching the approximate age and the area that Janice would have been in. The problem was that this account hadn’t had any activity for about just over four years. The last post she had made was a few weeks before Gavin let her go.

  This woman wasn’t what Abby would consider smart. Most of her posts were public and she shared a lot about her life. Janice was pregnant, the father was in and out of the picture but involved enough that he would comment on her posts. Occasionally he would make remarks that sounded controlling, but otherwise she seemed pretty happy.

  One post caught Abby’s attention. Janice found out about the gender of the baby. It was going to be a boy. This excited the father, and he talked about how one day she wouldn’t have to work anymore, and he would take care of both of them. Some of Janice’s friends reacted to his comment with angry faces. Drama must have gone down in this particular thread because parts of the conversation were deleted. Attempting to fill in the blanks, Abby assumed that this boyfriend Derek, didn’t fit the bill. Her friends disliked him and thought she could do better.

  From the looks of it, Janice didn’t mind working and wanted to provide for her son, so she ignored most of Derek’s comments.

  The final post on Janice’s page was a countdown – five weeks to go. The baby would be coming, and she would continue to update her friends. But then there was nothing. What first-time mom didn’t post pictures of their baby every single day the first year of that child’s life? Granted, some people were more private, but that didn’t seem like Janice. So where was she? Where was the evidence of her life? Clicking on all of Janice’s friends’ pages, Abby couldn’t find any evidence of Janice. It was like she completely disappeared. If Janice had deleted her page, this would make sense. But her profile was still an ‘active’ one.

  Abby took it a step further and tried sending this woman a message, attempted to find a phone number associated with her, and even looked up old birth announcements for the local Sunnyvale paper. There were no children born to a Janice or a Derek around the approximate time she was due. Janice was a ghost.

  Abby shook her head to clear it. This was not what she was hoping to find. Initially she felt silly that she worried so much. But the relief was quickly replaced by doubt. She hoped there would be a different outcome when she searched for Mallory Tye.

  Abby was again disappointed. Mallory Tye was even harder to find. She didn’t have any social media accounts. There were Mallorys and there were women with the last name Tye but none of the people she looked at matched the profession and age Mallory would have been – nor the location. Either Gavin had hired a woman who was an imposter, or something happened to this person and everything about her life was wiped away.

  Abby put Mallory’s name into the general search bar, praying there wouldn’t be a missing person’s report on her. Her wish came true but that only left her with more questions than answers.

  One thing was for certain. Abby would be begging Lori to help her look into these two women. She hoped Gavin would be able to clear this up. But she wanted to have information before accusing him with wrong-doings.

  Chapter 31

  Abby looked at the clock and was surprised to realize she’d spent all day on the computer and Gavin would be home soon. She wasn’t much of a computer geek, so if he came home to find her glued to her computer, he’d definitely think something was going on. She wasn’t that good at keeping even simple things from him.

  As if the mere thought of Gavin summoned him, she heard someone enter the house. Snapping her laptop closed, Abby pushed it under her pillow and climbed off her bed. She’d been cooped up far too long today and she needed to get out. Not to mention, she hadn’t started dinner yet.

  Attempting to appear as if nothing was out of the ordinary, Abby meandered into the kitchen. Faking surprise that Gavin was home, she made a comment in his general direction. “Home already? I guess today went faster than I expected it to. Sorry I haven’t started dinner yet. Any requests?”

  Gavin was going through his mail and glanced up when she started talking to him. He turned back to the pile in his hand and shook his head. “Whatever you want to make will be great.”

  He was clearly distracted so she started pulling out ingredients for something Mexican. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t look like someone who was capable of murder. Nor did he look like the kind of person who would make someone ‘disappear’ to suit his needs. Gavin was not one iota a poster child for crime. But he was surrounded by it. Was it possible crime gravitated toward him for some reason?

  Gavin picked up a postcard with a Hollywood image on the back. He stilled. Picking up the pile of the mail he muttered about going to the study and she should call him when dinner was ready.

  Abby watched him go and breathed a sigh of relief. He was distracted today, he wouldn’t be too focused on her and what she was doing. She began preparing the enchiladas and after about 30 minutes, she was ready to knock on his door. Before she walked in that direction, Gavin flew out of his office and out the back door to the guest house, not listening as Abby called out that dinner was ready.

  Abby’s curiosity was peaked. Gavin was acting the same strange way he did about a week ago. Torn between going after him and waiting it out, Abby considered what the repercussions would be for eavesdropping on their conversation. Especially now that she knew there were a lot of blank chapters in the story of Gavin Saxe. Those chapters could be filled with darkness and danger.

  Abby set the table and started eating. Gavin would likely be out there long enough he’d have to reheat his food anyway. She got lost in her thoughts as she ate. Even attempting to come up with explanations of where these other women could have gone, was disheartening. Nothing made sense. And here she was in the exact same position. What had she gotten herself into? There was a good chance she had just walked into a figurative minefield where she needed to avoid stepping on mines of information Gavin wanted to keep secret. How far would he go to keep these things in the dark?

  Gavin entered the kitchen again and slumped down onto his chair. He served himself in silence. Abby watched him, waiting for him to tell her what he was upset about. But he didn’t. Instead he focused on his plate. Once he glanced at her, and held her gaze, but then he looked away again.

  “Gavin?... Is there something wrong?” Abby questioned while clearing her dishes.

  “Hm? Oh, no. Not yet,” he mumbled.

  “Not yet? That’s an odd thing to say.” Abby started washing dishes. “If you need to tell me anything, I’m all ears.”

  Gavin shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “It’ll be fine. Windsor is working on it.”

  “Okay.” Abby chose to abandon the conversation. As long as Gavin was burdened with whatever he was going through, she would be able to fly under his radar. When he was done eating, she picked up his plate and finished cleaning up the kitchen. Gavin withdrew to his study and Abby went outside to walk around the property. Now would be a good time to call Lori and ask if she could help with some of the information she found.

  Once outside, Abby retreated to the farthest corner of the lot. She pulled out her phone and dialed her friend. Lori picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Lori,” Abby answered.

  “Abby! How was the rest of your weekend? Thanks again for the ride home on
Saturday.” Lori responded.

  “It was pretty good. You know that stuff you said I should look into? I was able to find names of the two people we talked about.”

  “Yeah?” Lori sounded incredibly interested. But she was a journalist so that made sense. This would be a breaking story if Gavin actually did something to these women.

  “Yeah. And I looked them up online, but I can’t find anything. The earlier one had a profile on Facebook, but she hasn’t been active for at least four years. I can’t find anything about the one after her. It’s like both of these women disappeared off the face of the planet.”

  Lori made noises, indicating she was listening. “I’m so sorry, Abby. That must make your position as his housekeeper uncomfortable.”

  “Lori, I was hoping you might be willing to call in a few favors and see if someone you know could find out more about these women? I feel like there’s more to the story than I can see.”

  “I don’t know Abby. Calling in a favor for something that I won’t be able to write about is a waste of my connections.”

  “I don’t think there would be a problem if you wrote about whatever is found. I could be one of your sources.”

  “Abby, I don’t know…”

  “Please, Lori? I can’t do this without connections in the investigative world.” Abby didn’t think it would be so hard to get Lori to agree to help her.

  “Oh, okay. But only because you are my best friend. Now, tell me what I need to know.” There was shuffling on the other end of the line as Lori grabbed what Abby could only assume was a pen and pad of paper.

  Abby told Lori the women’s names and the cities they would have lived in or near. She elaborated on why she was concerned about Janice and why she thought Mallory didn’t exist or gave a fake name. Lori promised to get back to her by the middle of the week. They would set up a meeting and go over what she found.

  After Abby and Lori got off the phone, Abby continued her walk. The ball was in motion. If anyone could dig up information on these two women, it would be Lori and her connections. If something bad was discovered, then there would be enough information to go to the news and maybe the police. She hoped nothing would come from the investigation. No, she prayed nothing would be found. Then she could go back to the life she found herself enjoying more and more.

  The sun had long since set by the time Abby dragged her tired feet back into the house. She pulled off her jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair.

  “Long walk.”

  Gavin’s voice in the darkened house startled her. “Gavin! What are you doing in here?” Abby gasped.

  “Last I checked, this is my home. I live here,” his tone derisive. Gavin was sitting on the couch across the room. “You should really tell me when you are going out there… especially in the dark.”

  “I’m not afraid of the dark,” Abby tried chuckling to break the tension.

  “No, I don’t believe you are. But I do think you are naive enough to think that you are one hundred percent safe – even on my property.” Gavin stood up and lazily crossed the room to stand in front of Abby.

  She stepped back slightly, something inside her telling her to be wary. “You do have a fence around the property. And you have a security guard on the premises. I don’t think something will happen in the 20 minutes it takes for me to get a breath of fresh air.”

  “That’s where your assumptions are wrong.” His voice had lowered, sounding more threatening than sultry. “Amara wasn’t safe, and we both know how her life ended.”

  “Gavin, what’s wrong? You’re starting to scare me.” Abby backed up a little bit more.

  “”That is the first smart thing you’ve done since meeting me. You should be scared. What do you really know about me? Nothing, that’s what. And you know what’s funny? I might not be the scariest thing you have to worry about.” He continued to approach her, backing her up against the wall. “I have a need for you now, but one day that could change. I could be the person who keeps you safe or the person you should fear the most.” He leaned closer to her, his breath grazing her cheek. “Don’t trust everyone you meet, Abby.”

  “Sir.” Windsor stood in the doorway. He incredulously glared at Gavin.

  Both Abby and Gavin flinched at the surprise entrance of the head of security. Gavin glared back. “What is it Windsor?”

  “A word?” Windsor looked from Gavin to Abby. His expression sobered, as he took in her expression and unease.

  Gavin gave Abby one last knowing glance. A kind of threat and warning.

  Abby slipped away from Gavin and went straight to her room. Once safely behind her door, she thought about Gavin and his odd behavior this evening. She’d never witnessed him acting this menacing before. Sure, he seemed like he was under a great deal of stress lately, but that didn’t explain his new Mr. Hyde persona. Lori needed to come up with information that could shed some light on why Gavin was acting so strangely.

  Her thoughts drifted to Windsor. If Windsor hadn’t shown up when he did, would Gavin had done something dangerous? Could it be that Windsor knew Gavin well enough to see when he was becoming a danger – not only to her but to himself? Or had Windsor been watching the cameras and knew what Gavin was up to? Was Windsor the one who reigned Gavin in when he lacked control and common sense? And most importantly, was Lori right? In Abby’s real-life mystery, Gavin might not be the hero she wanted him to be but the villain instead.

  If Lori was as good as Abby knew her to be, it wouldn’t take long to dig up some dirt and get to the bottom of this mess.

  Chapter 32

  Gavin clenched his fists and practically stomped over to his friend. He glanced over his shoulder to watch Abby slink away. It was for her own good. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t keep her safe, no matter how much he tried to convince himself.

  “What do you want, Windsor?” He said through gritted teeth. “I was having a conversation with our lovely Miss Russell.”

  “Is that what you call it? Harassing the help isn’t what I would call having a nice conversation. Sir, I know you are under a great deal of pressure right now. We are trying to get any amount of evidence to point us in the direction of where these notes are coming from. They are simply a means to keep you off balance, and it’s working.” Windsor was attempting to appeal to his logical side.

  “Don’t talk to me like a child! We are in real trouble right now. Not even your connections have been able to get us anything tangible! What am I paying you for!?” Gavin turned and grasped a dining room chair, throwing it to the ground. It toppled and with a swift kick, skittered across the floor - hitting the wall with a resounding thud. Gavin was breathing heavily. He was feeling panicked and he didn’t know how to cope with it. Time was running out and the postcard he received today was reminding him he wasn’t in control.

  Even as he attempted to pinpoint why this was eating at him so much more than worse events in his life, he continued to come up empty. It all seemed to circle back to that woman in the other room. Gavin rationalized that had Abby not been threatened, he would be able to deal with this bump in the road.

  “Do you feel better, sir?” Windsor asked. “Because I don’t know that the chair is the one mailing you threatening letters.”

  Windsor’s attempt at dry humor did not appease Gavin. His scowl deepened. “I can’t protect her, Windsor.” he whispered. His jaw was clenched almost as tight as his fists. “I could take a leave of absence for the week and increase security, purchase additional guns, and have her under 24-hour watch… but then when the week is up, what happens next? This person, whoever it is, will not stop until my life is ruined.” His voice became almost hysterical. “And I don’t even know why!”

  “Maybe it’s time to send her away,” Windsor recommended.

  Gavin shook his head vehemently. “This creep knows who Abby is. They know she means something to me. It won’t help to do that. We need to fight this head-on.” But in his heart, Gavin knew Windsor had a point. Sendin
g Abby away and hiding her from this mess would help right now… but that’s not a life he could ask her to lead, no one could hide forever.

  Windsor remained quiet. Gavin suddenly realized just how obtuse he had become. This person who was threatening his life, and the life of his friends had also stolen Windsor’s soulmate from him. Of course Windsor wanted to find this person, probably more than anyone.

  Full of remorse, Gavin loosened his hands and flexed them. He put them in his pockets and looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry, Windsor. I know you want to find this person just as much as I do. I’m going to get my things in order and work from home. If I can be here when the timer runs out, we can attempt to have the upper hand… home advantage, you know?”

  Gavin told Windsor goodnight and turned to go back to his room. Abby was standing in the doorway leading to her room. He wondered how much she’d heard or seen. It didn’t matter anymore, he told himself. Nothing mattered until this villain was caught and Abby was safe again.

  Gavin briskly walked past her without a word. Once in his office, he wrote out a plan for the week. He’d need to take some vacation time, but it wouldn’t stop him from keeping up on a few company adjustments he was planning on presenting in the next few weeks. Then he wrote out a few plans he wanted implemented by the weekend to increase his security. The first on his list was disabling the gate at the entrance so it had to be operated manually by himself or Windsor. But that would have to wait until he was set up to work from home.