“Yes. I remember her aunt gave it to her. She’d bragged about how it unlocked her aunt’s jewelry chest,” Claire said.
“A ring that unlocks something?” Trunk found that hard to believe.
“It does. Watch.” Claire twisted the pearls.
The pearls popped off, and under them was a small square and a star. Claire placed the pearls on the counter and pulled the two ends of the ring. They popped apart into two separate pieces.
“Well, that’s different,” Billie said.
“Oh, my God.” Trunk’s mother gasped.
“Mom, what is it?” Trunk was at her side instantly.
“Do you remember the Mahers? They lived next door to us before we left St. John’s,” his mother said excitedly.
“Yes.” Trunk nodded.
“This was Mrs. Maher’s. She showed this to me a long time ago. She gave it to her niece but took it back when she noticed her niece opened the chest and stole a pair of expensive earrings. She asked me to take it, but I was afraid because of… well, you know.” His mother dropped her head.
“Yes, I remember. Lydia’s mother was a Maher before she married,” Claire said as she put the ring back together.
Trunk didn’t know how Jerry would end up with a ring that belonged to Mrs. Maher, but it wouldn’t surprise him if he’d stolen it. Trunk didn’t remember a lot about how Jerry interacted with the Mahers, but he did know they didn’t like him.
“Are they still alive?” Trunk asked.
“Mrs. Maher is, but she lives in an assisted living home. I go to see her every Tuesday.” His mother smiled.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Trunk asked.
“I know how busy you are. I got in touch with her when I came back to St. John’s,” his mother explained.
Before Trunk could say anything, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out but didn’t recognize the number. He thought about ignoring it, but with Abbie missing, he couldn’t take that chance.
“Hello,” Trunk said.
“Ben, thank God.” Abbie’s voice sounded panicked.
“Abs? Jesus Christ, where are you?” Trunk shouted.
“Stop yelling. I’m at my parents’ neighbor’s house. I escaped from Mrs. Woodman. She killed Jerome. Just shot him…” Abbie was practically screaming.
“Stay where you are. I’m on my way.” Trunk ran out of the house with Darren behind him.
Trunk called James as he sped toward St. John’s because he wasn’t about to wait for the police to bring her home. She might be at a neighbor’s house but that didn’t mean her abductors didn’t know where she was.
As he stopped outside the neighbor’s house, he jumped out of the vehicle and bounded up the front steps. The door opened, and an older lady stepped back for Trunk and Darren to enter. Abbie practically leaped into Trunk’s arms and sobbed.
He held her tightly for a moment and released her when Darren stepped next to him. She looked up and immediately wrapped her arm around her father, still keeping the other around Trunk.
By the time Abbie calmed and was able to speak, James had arrived, and they made their way out to Abbie’s parents’ house. They didn’t want to intrude on the neighbor longer than they needed.
“First of all, are you hurt?” James asked.
Trunk noticed the bandages around her wrists and anger raged inside him. His jaw clenched as he forced himself to keep calm until he knew what happened.
“I had zip-ties on my wrists, and they sliced through my skin when I tried to get out of them. The man gave me the first-aid kit to wrap them when he noticed,” Abbie explained.
“Well, when we find the asshole, I’ll thank him right before I pound the piss out of him,” Darren snapped.
“I don’t think that will help, Darren,” James said before he turned back to Abbie.
“How did you escape?” James asked.
Trunk held her while Abbie told them of her struggle to kick through a damaged wall. He was so proud of her courage and determination to escape. She trembled as she explained how Jerome had tried to help her and how he got a bullet for his efforts.
“You have no idea who the woman is?” James inquired.
“No, as far as I knew, she was a potential client.” Abbie shrugged but gave her father a faint smile when he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.
“You don’t know what she’s trying to get back?” James asked.
“No, but she is convinced we have something belonging to her.” Abbie shrugged.
“Abbie, I think we should head to the hospital to get your wrists checked,” James suggested.
“Not a fucking chance,” Abbie replied adamantly.
“Abs, someone needs to check your wrists,” Trunk interjected.
“Call Dr. O’Connor or Ian, I’m not going to the hospital again.” Abbie shook her head.
Since the O’Connors had two doctors in the family, Trunk knew all he had to do was call, and either Keith’s father or brother wouldn’t hesitate to be there for him. He understood her aversion to the hospital since over the last month, she’d ended up there twice.
“I’ll call Dad and get him to meet you at Trunk’s place.” James nodded.
“Thanks.” Abbie breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Do you know where they held you?” James asked.
“Yes, the house is not even two blocks from here. I can show you.” Abbie shot to her feet.
“No,” Trunk and Darren said together.
“I need to show them,” Abbie snapped.
“Why don’t you drive her to the house, and I’ll follow. Then take her back to your place. Ian will be there to check her.” James suggested
Unfortunately, Sean and Kurt took their new stepfather, for a weekend of bonding, but James assured them Ian would examine Abbie’s wounds.
“Fine.” Trunk sighed.
“James, there’s a huge freaking dog in the house. If you go in there be careful. I think he could probably eat a human if given the chance.” Abbie warned.
“I’ll contact animal control too,” James assured her.
Trunk’s body shook as they drove up the street where he lived as a kid. When Abbie pointed to the house where the Mahers used to live, Trunk felt a cold chill run up his spine. Trunk jumped out of the truck and ran back to James.
“I know that house,” Trunk told him.
“You do?” James studied the house.
“I used to live next door, and the Mahers lived there.” Trunk pointed to the house.
There was no way Mrs. Maher was involved in any of this. Both his mother and Abbie’s mother made the connection between Lydia and Mrs. Maher, but Trunk couldn’t believe the sweet woman would be that cruel.
“Get Abbie home so that Ian can take care of her wounds. We’ll get a warrant to search this house,” James told Trunk.
“Don’t hurt the dog. He might be a savage, but he doesn’t deserve to be hurt.” Abbie shouted out the window as Trunk drove away from the house.
“The dog will be fine, Abs.” Darren shook his head.
“I think he was just scared,” Abbie whispered but seemed mostly to herself.
By the time they arrived in Hopedale, Abbie was asleep. Darren sat in the back holding her as if she would disappear again. Trunk wasn’t much better because he kept glancing back to see if she was okay.
Abbie winced as Ian cleaned her wounds and even called him a butcher a few times. After he wrapped them, he checked her from head to toe. He seemed content that she was okay and turned to Trunk.
“The cuts aren’t too bad and will heal fine,” Ian said.
“Not that bad, says you. Let me put zip-ties on your wrists, and you try to escape from it,” Abbie grumbled.
“Easy, if you know what to do.” Ian winked.
“Thanks, where the hell were you when I needed that information?” Abbie scoffed.
“Take some Tylenol if you have any pain, and don’t lose that spunk.” Ian chuckled.
Ian instructed Tr
unk to change the bandages in a day or two and to keep it clean. Other than that, she was physically fine. Ian also suggested they keep her bandages dry and if she wanted to shower, to wrap them in plastic.
Abbie managed to get a bath with her mother’s help, and Trunk helped her settle into bed afterward. Trunk gave her some Tylenol for pain and sat with her until she started to drift off to sleep.
“I’m so tired of being picked on.” Abbie sighed as he tucked her into his bed.
“We aren’t picking on you.” Trunk smiled.
“Not you. The idiots who tried to kill me twice and then kidnapped me. Why the hell do they think picking on me is going to get them what they want?” Abbie asked.
“They must have planned to contact someone.” Trunk didn’t want her to think they were going to kill her.
“I guess. I just want to sleep.” Abbie yawned.
“You sleep, baby. I’m going to get everyone settled in for the night, and then I’ll be back.” Trunk kissed her forehead.
Trunk made his way downstairs and found everyone in the living room, quietly talking. Abbie’s parents, his mother, Chris, Billie, Mike, Cole, and Paige, looked up when he entered the room.
“How is she?” Paige asked.
“She was falling asleep when I left the room.” Trunk smiled at his half-sister.
“She’s a brave woman,” Cole interjected.
“Are all of you staying tonight?” Trunk asked since it was midnight and they were all still there.
“I was going to take Dad home, but Billie offered us a place to stay for the night. Dad wants to stay close in case you or your mom need something.” Paige smiled.
“Why don’t we go over to Billie’s place? Cole and Paige can stay here,” Claire suggested.
“Where’s Chad?” Trunk asked, noticing Cole’s nephew was gone.
“His mother came to get him,” Cole explained.
By the time everyone went to bed it was well after midnight. Trunk wasn’t sure where everyone was sleeping but he made his way to his room, exhausted. When he opened the door he found Abbie curled up in the middle of the bed, sobbing.
“Abs, you’re safe.” Trunk immediately wrapped his arms around her.
“I know. I was just thinking about Jerome. She shot him because he didn’t want to be involved with her plan. He’s dead, Ben.” Abbie clung to him.
“I’m sorry, baby. I know you cared about him.” Trunk kissed the top of her head.
“I can’t believe he got close to me for that woman.” Abbie blew out a breath. “Who the hell is she?”
“I wish I knew,” Trunk whispered.
By the next morning, his house was a buzz of activity again. Trunk insisted Abbie stay in bed for the day, and when he told her about the crowd filling his house, she agreed.
“Trunk, I think you should come with me to talk to Mrs. Maher. She knows your family,” James said.
“I haven’t seen her since I was a kid, but maybe Mom can come with us,” Trunk suggested.
His mother was more than willing to go with them because she didn’t want them scaring the elderly woman. His mom was worried she’d become distraught if James and Trunk showed up asking a ton of questions.
The senior’s home was not far from where his mother lived. She seemed to know most of the staff because several of them greeted her as they made their way to Mrs. Maher’s suite.
“Let me go in first and talk to her.” His mother walked through the door, leaving James and Trunk in the corridor.
“Do you think she’ll be able to help?” Trunk asked James.
“It can’t hurt to talk to her.” James shrugged.
Trunk’s mother opened the door and motioned for him and James to come inside. Trunk hadn’t seen Mrs. Maher in a long time, but when he saw her, he knew he would recognize her anywhere. She had the same hairstyle and the same friendly smile.
“Well, my goodness. You boys have certainly grown up,” Mrs. Maher said from her chair.
“Mrs. Maher, this is James O’Connor. He’s the police officer who wants to talk to you.” His mother touched Trunk’s arm. “This is Ben.”
“Such a handsome young man.” Mrs. Maher smiled.
“It’s great to see you again, Mrs. Maher.” Trunk crouched and took her hand in his.
“I’m so glad you came to see me. Your mother is so proud of you and Christopher.” The older woman smiled.
She raised her eyes to look up at James, and her smile faded slightly. Her grip tightened on Trunk’s hand, and she motioned for James to sit.
“I understand you have questions about my house,” Mrs. Maher said.
“Yes, ma’am.” James smiled.
“The house belonged to Ambrose, and when he passed, I didn’t want to live there without him. I couldn’t bear to sell it, so I asked his nephew to take care of it for me until I decided what to do.” Mrs. Maher’s eyes filled with tears.
“What’s your nephew’s name?” James asked.
“Gary Sweeney. His mother was Ambrose’s sister. When she passed away, they stayed with their father, and he passed a few years later. Gary looked after his sister,” Mrs. Maher explained.
“Her name was Lydia?” Trunk asked.
“Yes, that poor girl had a lot of problems, and Gary did his best to take care of her. He had to admit her to the hospital quite a few times.” Mrs. Maher shook her head. “That poor girl.”
Trunk was glad Mrs. Maher didn’t know why Lydia had problems. Her brother had been molesting her for years, and she was stuck with him. There was no doubt in Trunk’s mind that Mr. and Mrs. Maher would have gotten her out of that situation as fast as possible.
“Do you remember when she passed?” James asked.
Mrs. Maher stared at him as if he’d spoken a different language. It was as if she didn’t know Lydia had passed away, and maybe Gary didn’t tell her because he didn’t want to upset her.
“Lydia passed away? When?” Mrs. Maher gasped.
“It was last year.” Trunk didn’t like the idea of upsetting the older woman.
“That’s impossible. She was here two days ago,” Mrs. Maher told them.
Trunk and James shared a puzzled look, and then Trunk glanced at his mother. Mrs. Maher might not be mentally healthy, and maybe she thought it was a couple of days since she’d seen Lydia.
“Are you sure?” James asked.
“Of course, I’m sure. My body might be breaking down, but my mind is sharp as a tack.” Mrs. Maher nodded.
“She has a great memory,” Trunk’s mother agreed.
While Trunk and his mother stayed with Mrs. Maher and tried to comfort her, James contacted Sandy and had her search for Lydia’s death certificate. If Lydia wasn’t dead, then she might be the elusive Mrs. Woodman.
James returned a few minutes later and sat next to Mrs. Maher. He pulled up something on his phone and then turned it toward the older woman.
“Mrs. Maher, we have a death certificate for Lydia. You said there was a woman here two days ago. Are you positive it was Lydia?” James asked.
“My eyes aren’t what they used to be, but now that you mention it, I hadn’t seen her in a long time. She was in a psychiatric hospital for years. The day she came here, she said she was doing much better, and Gary told her to come to see me.” Mrs. Maher told them.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Maher, but I think the woman that was here was not your niece. Can you tell me what you talked about?” James asked.
“She apologized for how she acted when I gave her my special ring all those years ago and asked if she could have it back. I told her it disappeared years ago. She asked about the jewelry chest that my Ambrose made for me. I keep my valuable jewelry in it, and when the ring disappeared, Ambrose made me another ring. I keep it in my dresser over there,” Mrs. Maher explained.
“Can I see it?” Trunk asked.
“Fatima, would you be a dear and get it out of that drawer? It’s in a small black velvet bag. The ring isn’t worth anything. A
mbrose made it out of some metal and fake pearls. He was such a creative person.” Mrs. Maher lowered her head, and Trunk watched a tear run down her cheek.
“Mrs. Maher, do you still have the chest?” Trunk asked.
“All my things were stored in the attic of my house. A few months back, Gary’s son came here with the box and told me I should keep it with me. It wasn’t safe for me to leave it in a house where nobody lived. I asked him to hold on to it for me. He said he would keep it safe.” Mrs. Maher shook her head. “I thought he was paranoid, but I appreciated him worrying about me.”
Trunk was frustrated. They didn’t know who the woman was, but the death certificate told them Lydia was dead. So, they had no way of knowing who was responsible.
“You should talk to Gary,” Mrs. Maher said.
Trunk could see Mrs. Maher was getting distressed with all the information she’d gotten. He motioned to James to meet him outside and left his mother to visit with her old friend.
“I don’t want to upset her more than she is. She didn’t know Lydia was dead,” Trunk whispered.
“We’ve got to bring in Gary and find out who this woman is,” James replied.
He was right, and until they had that information, Abbie was still in danger, and so was Cole. They needed to keep everyone safe until the woman was apprehended.
Trunk’s mother visited with Mrs. Maher for another hour after James left to track down Gary or Jerry. Both James and Trunk had a feeling both men were working with the woman Mrs. Maher thought was Lydia.
When they got back to his house, Trunk was surprised not to see it full of people. Abbie was in the kitchen with her father and mother talking with Cole and Chris. His brother was still dressed in his uniform since he’d just finished a three-day shift.
“How did it go?” Cole asked.
“Apparently, Gary is Mrs. Maher’s nephew, and a woman visited her two days ago saying she was Lydia,” Trunk explained.
“Lydia’s dead,” Claire said.
“Yeah, we know because Sandy pulled a death certificate.” Trunk sat next to Abbie.
“Who’s the other woman?” Abbie asked.
“We don’t know, but Mrs. Maher said she hadn’t seen Lydia in a long time, so when the woman told her she was Lydia, she believed her.” Trunk sighed.
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