“No clue, Clay,” Sheriff Pearson said, “But we’ll figure it out. Seems this might not be just a simple breaking and entering. I’ll have to talk to my deputy more on that, however.” He stopped talking, but his eyes flicked over to Abby with a promise that he would be talking to her, as well.
It was at that point that Gloria stuck her head out, motioning for them to come in. “Okay, you can come in now, but for the love of god don’t be loud. He’s in his room. As long as you stay out, he should be okay.”
The sheriff, Lanie, and Mr. Sanborn all trooped in with Abby close behind. Fortunately, whatever had happened with Demsey hadn’t resulted in the large man trashing anything in the house, but the interior was still surprising to Abby. There were strange, gaily decorated china dolls covering almost every square inch of numerous shelves and display cases in the living room. The only sacrifice to Mr. Sanborn was a well-loved lounge chair and a television placed on a folding table. Everything else was a sea of eyes staring back at her.
“Oh, jackrabbits,” Abby muttered to herself, trying not to stare as she moved inside.
Chapter 10
Abby almost laughed as she caught the sheriff watching her. It seemed he half-expected her to try searching the premises. Instead, Abby sat down with Gloria on the couch, trying to keep from feeling strange with all of the dolls behind her. There were even some on the cushions that Abby had to move in order to sit. She watched as Mr. Sanborn walked down the hallway and heard a door close before she turned back to Gloria.
“You can go ahead and say it,” Gloria said in a deadpan tone.
“Say what?” Abby asked, trying to act as if the dolls weren’t there.
“About the dolls,” Gloria continued, picking one up and shoving it behind her. “Don’t worry, everyone has the same reaction.”
“I’m sorry, but…there are a lot of them,” Abby finally said, giving Gloria a mollified look. “How long has your mother been collecting? Unless these are yours, but they don’t seem to be.”
Gloria gave a sickly laugh and shook her head. “My mom left a long time ago, and they aren’t mine.”
“You mean?” Abby said, but trailed off.
“Yep, my dad collects them,” Gloria said and then shuddered. “He did a tour with the Navy when he was younger, and apparently he started collecting them when he visited the port in South Korea. I thought they were cool when I was a little kid until they started to fill up the house. Then it just became weird.”
Abby and Gloria both just looked around. Abby knew she held a grimace but even to be polite, she couldn’t wipe it off of her face. She was just glad that Mr. Sanborn wasn’t in the room any longer. “Okay, moving along. How are you holding up? Are you okay with Demsey? That sound he was making was terrifying.”
Gloria shrugged and nodded. “I’m okay. This is what I agreed to in order to give him a home. Dad doesn’t like it, but truthfully, we let him stay with Buck way too long. The only reason we let him go was because Buck would come by our house, and Demsey would then follow him like a baby duck, anyway.”
“That sounds terrible,” Abby said. “I’m sorry he had to grow up like that. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be dealing with him now that he’s a grown adult.”
“Sometimes, yes,” Gloria admitted, “especially when he gets excited. He can be dangerous. My dad wasn’t kidding when he said that Demsey has broken his jaw. He doesn’t know his own strength, but honestly, that doesn’t matter. We still have to take care of him. If we didn’t, he’d probably end up in a place like the state hospital with Samantha.”
Abby wanted to comment, but decided against it. She didn’t know the situation at all, only having seen Demsey a handful of times. He was frightening to her. She was fairly petite, and he was a giant of a man who had serious issues with self-control. It would be a miracle if Abby wasn’t afraid, but she took a breath and forced that into the back of her mind. The words ‘we still have to take care of him’ finally floated to the surface and helped Abby push through her knee-jerk reaction. “Okay,” Abby said, reaching out and squeezing Gloria’s hand.
The sheriff came in from the kitchen right about then, pulling out his pad and a well-used pencil. It was almost comical how he looked around himself, trying to decide if he should sit in the slumping recliner, or move the hoard of dolls out of one of the sitting chairs. Finally, he decided to just stand and looked at the two women. “I came to get your story about the men who had been following you, and pretty much all the other hoopla that you and Abby have been up to today.”
“We gave that information to Lanie,” Gloria said, frowning.
“I know, but I’d like to hear it for myself,” Sheriff Pearson said, nonplussed. “I know it sounds like an imposition, but afterward, Lanie and I will compare notes. Sometimes people forget things, or remember things at odd times. Can both of you humor me, please?”
“Both of us?” Abby asked, surprised.
“Yep,” the sheriff said, giving Abby a look that said he was serious. “If I’ve learned anything these past few months, it’s that by the time I hear about it, you’re already up to your bacon bits in things.”
Abby and Gloria exchanged glances, but then began to relate everything they could to the sheriff.
Chapter 11
It was early evening by the time Abby, Lanie, and the sheriff left Gloria’s home. They walked Abby out to her PT Cruiser first, making sure she got safely into her car before heading back to their own police cars. Abby noticed that Lanie had driven the interceptor she loved so much, and wondered if the sheriff was actually going to let her keep it.
As she began to drive away, back down the narrow road, Abby mulled over the information she’d heard the sheriff relay to Gloria and her dad. No one had forced entry, but the door hadn’t been locked. However, they’d found evidence of boots in the dirt behind the house that didn’t belong to any of the residents.
That was all they’d found, but the sheriff would be back later that evening once they reviewed the pictures Gloria had pulled out from the file she’d gone through. Hopefully, her dad would recognize one of them, and then they might get a lead.
Abby had caught the sheriff looking at her a few times, his face frowning as if he were deciding something. Most likely it was how he could get Abby from being wrapped up in the investigation, but then again, maybe he was wondering how he could get her to help more.
After all, he actively encouraged Abby to become involved with the last investigation and it had paid off. They had found the killers of Don Buckshire, who also happened to be the same people that had attacked the mayor and had also trespassed on the Morgan family island.
It was completely different than when he’d tried warning her away, which didn’t work anyway. Abby always seemed to become involved, and so far, her help had been beneficial.
Except in her last escapade, she’d almost been murdered out in a shed in the forest.
She shook her head, trying to push the thought out of her mind. It was difficult, seeming to bounce out of the darkness at the least provocation. She wondered if she’d ever be rid of the awful smell of Bakes’ breath, but figured it would be years, if ever.
However, the best way to be rid of it was to distract herself, so she pulled out her phone and dialed the number for Robert Carrington.
“Yes, can I please speak to Mr. Carrington?” Abby asked into the phone.
“Robert here,” the man answered, his easy-going voice smooth on the other end of the line. “Is that you, Abby? Is everything all right?”
Abby grimaced, realizing that whenever she had spoken to the man, it usually meant a problem, but that was the life of a lawyer, wasn’t it? They had to expect this kind of thing. “Well, yes and no. Not for me, but there’s someone in town that’s having some issues. I wanted to ask your opinion, and perhaps help.”
“All right,” Robert said slowly and Abby listened to some rustling as the man grabbed a piece of paper. “Tell me how I can help.”<
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“There’s a girl in the state hospital. She was committed a few months ago since she was ruled mentally unfit. Some things happened there recently, such as men following her and even peeking into her window. They even got in to talk to her and it seems they were asking if she knew where another man might hide things.”
Robert made some hmm sounds while writing, then broke in. “This sounds familiar, Abby. The only person I think you’d be acquainted with that had been committed recently would be Samantha Green. I’ve read up on that case, as part of coming out here. Am I right?”
Abby blinked in surprise, “Yes, Samantha Green. I didn’t have a clue you knew who she was.”
Robert chuckled before answering. “Sorry, I know it sounds like wizardry, but Hazel had called us and asked us to be on standby if we were needed. I’m familiar with how the case panned out, but not recent events, though. I take it from what you’ve said that Buck might be hiding something from some criminals, but they can’t get to him, so they’re going after Samantha, right?”
“No,” Abby said, taking a turn onto main street and then blinking. The soft rain that had been falling had begun to freeze, hitting her windshield as half-frozen splotches. It might finally be snowing in Red Pine Falls. She quickly got her mind back on her conversation, looking down at the phone sitting in its holder. “Actually, they did get to Buck. He’s dead. Now they seem to be coming after Samantha and Demsey.”
“Oh, boy, that is a crinkle. I have some research to do,” Robert said. “Do we have any clue as to who these men might be?”
“Maybe,” Abby said. “At least in part. The men that have been following Demsey and his guardian, Gloria Sanborn, seem to be some of the same men that were passing out flyers for the Foundation for Oregon Urban Renewal. I’m just coming back from Gloria’s house where someone tried to break in.”
There was a soft whistle on the other end of the phone followed by more writing, then Robert grunted. “Great, so there may be a possible connection with our very favorite senator. He doesn’t sit idle, does he?” He paused for a few moments before speaking again. “Anything else? Cheerio is okay, isn’t he?”
Abby chuckled and shook her head. “Yes, Cheerio is okay. I didn’t have him along with me to visit an insane asylum. Gloria has been visiting Samantha often, but she’s not her guardian so we can’t get any information from the hospital. I completely understand it, but there might be issues there. I just don’t know the laws around that kind of thing, or if even the police will have problems getting that information. Can you look into the options?”
There was a considering silence on the other end of the line as Robert mulled over the issue. “Maybe, but I’ll have to investigate it. Can I call you back in a few days? Email me all the names of everyone involved as well as a recap, too. That usually helps. My handwriting isn’t always legible.”
“I will,” Abby said, smiling. “Thank you Mr. Carrington.”
“You’re very welcome, Abby. I’ll talk to you soon.”
After Abby hung up, the snow was coming down in thicker flakes and even sticking on some of the dead leaves. As Abby pulled across the small bridge that led up to her house, she couldn’t help but feel a small tingle of excitement. She’d finally get to see Red Pine Falls with snow.
Chapter 12
“It’s snowing, Grandma!” Abby exclaimed when she stepped into the warm house, grinning like a school girl. “Snowing! I can’t believe it’s snowing, and big flakes, too!”
Hazel stuck her face out of the kitchen just as the rapid click-clack of Cheerio’s feet erupted and the dog himself barreled down the hallway toward her. His pink tongue stuck out as he bounded up to Abby, receiving a hug and scratch for his trouble.
“Snowing! My goodness!” Hazel answered with a twinkle in her eye. “I do love the snow, though I’m equally as happy not to have to drive in it. Nor to hear Bill gripe about the other drivers.”
“Hey!” came Mr. Wilberson’s voice from the living room followed by a rustling of newspaper. “I don’t gripe. It’s not my fault no one up here knows how to drive in the poor excuse for snow they call it up here.”
“I thought you lived in Red Pine Falls all your life?” Abby asked, looking at the old man as he came around the corner and glowered at Hazel.
Mr. Wilberson squinted at her but then shook his head. “Nope, I used to live in Hayden Lake, Idaho. Beautiful place but they didn’t close down the schools unless the snow was taller than your truck. Here, I bet the public education is already scrambling to push the cherry red button closing everything down. Bunch of cowards.”
Hazel waved her arms at him. “Stop being so dramatic, Bill, but I do agree with you, most of us aren’t the best at driving in snow, at least around these parts. I hear it’s a lot worse up in Portland, though.”
“Californians,” Mr. Wilberson muttered before turning and disappearing back to wherever his newspaper was.
Abby wasn’t about to let Mr. Wilberson’s natural grumpiness interrupt her joy at the snow. She danced toward Hazel and took her hands, spinning them inside the kitchen that was filled with the aroma of a cooking pot-roast.
Hazel went along with her, grinning at her for two spins before disengaging to go stir something on the stove. “How was your day, dear?” Hazel asked.
Abby sighed and sat down at the kitchen table, watching her grandmother work. “It was very strange,” she said blandly, her mind pulled off the wonder of the new snow.
“Strange? How so?” Hazel said. She stopped stirring whatever it was and put the top back on the pot before turning around. “Also, do you think Gabe will be by tonight for dinner? He sure has been around a lot, lately.”
“No, not tonight. He’s got an early morning and doesn’t want to risk missing sleep,” Abby said.
Hazel chuckled and shook her head. “My goodness, you two are the second most serious couple in this house.”
Both women laughed before Abby sobered and picked at the cloth placemat on the table. “Do you think we’re moving too fast?”
“You mean, do I think he’s some sort of bounce-back relationship?” Hazel answered before sitting down across from Abby. She took a moment before she continued, giving Abby a considering look as she did so. “No, I don’t think that’s it at all. I think he’s the right man that came along at the right time, Abby. He’s also what I’d call a catch.” Hazel said the last with her fingers up in air quotes. “But take this from a foolish old woman that let a twenty-year misunderstanding get in the way of her relationship.”
Abby nodded thoughtfully. Hazel and Bill had obviously cared about each other for a very long time, enough so the man had moved into the apartment above the garage and played at being a handyman for the woman he loved. The problem had been that each of them had thought the other might have done something dastardly to Hazel’s brother, Rob Morgan. It wasn’t until the man had shown up alive and well that they’d discover the mistake, and Mr. Wilberson had proposed to Hazel shortly thereafter.
“That was one of my worries, compounded by the fact it doesn’t feel like we’re moving too fast. It feels right,” Abby said. “I love him, and I can feel his love, too.”
“I know, dear,” Hazel said, reaching out and patting Abby’s hand. “Also, you are a grown woman, not some flighty eighteen-year-old. You can make up your own mind, and I’m not about to tell you how to do it. Now, tell me about this strange day you’ve had.”
Abby smiled, basking in the love she felt for the old woman before answering. “Gloria and I visited Samantha out at the state hospital. I have to say, that is one creepy place. I can’t believe it’s sitting right in the middle of downtown Salem. Apparently, some people think Buck hid something from them, and they are trying to get it back. Since Buck is dead, they’re going after Samantha and Demsey. I just came from Gloria Sanborn’s house. Someone tried to break in while we were away. It’s a good thing Mr. Sanborn was home.”
“Wow, that is quite a day,” Hazel said. “
Did you go into Clay’s house? I hear he has quite the collection.”
“Oh, yes, yes he does,” Abby responded with a grimace. “All of those eyes staring at you. I can’t imagine living in a place like that.”
Hazel laughed softly. “I heard about it from Diane and Doreen Calem. They said it was bad, but I wasn’t sure how much to believe them. Sometimes they get a little carried away with their stories.”
“Oh, no, they were probably underselling it. There are literally dolls on every flat surface, and Mr. Sanborn installed lots of shelving. It’s really creepy. Also, I hope you don’t mind, but I called Robert Carrington to see if he could look into things. Samantha said she saw some things, but there’s no way we can get the information out of the hospital. Gloria isn’t her guardian, so I bet it’s going to take some legal mumbo jumbo. Was that okay to do?”
Hazel nodded. “Yes, I am fine with that. Robert seems like the adventuresome type, so I bet he’s looking forward to sinking his teeth into all of this.” Hazel rose and began to walk toward the stove. “Now, why don’t you go wash up? Dinner is almost ready.”
“Okay, Grandma,” Abby said, rising to go to the restroom. “And thank you for letting me talk to you about Gabe. I think he’s special.”
Hazel smiled and nodded. “Of course, dear. It’s been a pleasure talking to you, too.”
Chapter 13
The next day was a workday for Abby, and they’d had a pleasant, if busy, morning. Abby stopped often to look outside the window at the white wonderland that Red Pine Falls had become. It was just as beautiful as Abby had imagined with the trees thrusting up out of the blanket of snow.
They’d expanded their trade with the Inn at Ravenwood Cove, importing tarts as well as the chowder that had been such a hit with the lunch and dinner crowd. Abby was in the back getting another order of the cherry tarts when she heard a ruckus from the front room.
Deadly Desires and Killer Instincts Page 4