Chapter 12 #2
“Count me in,” I told him, grateful that the twinkle had returned to his eyes.
I still had questions, but they could wait.
They could wait, because, right now, Cooper was smiling.
And so was I.
It was enough.
Daphne was furiously texting on her cell phone as we strolled through downtown Ashland, window-shopping and girl-talking.
I had my camera with me, eager to capture the beauty of the day.
It really was a perfect day—there was a light breeze, a sunny sky, and the scent of Italian cuisine and coffee shops mingling in the air.
Daphne giggled beside me as we walked side by side.
“What’s so funny?” I wondered, noting that my friend’s expression was giddy and flirtatious. “Are you talking to a guy?”
She cleared her throat and popped her phone back into her purse. “Maybe.”
“One of the Wilson brothers?”
“Oh, Abs, you’re going to think I’m an idiot. Maybe I am, but…well, remember when I went out a few weeks ago?” Daphne looked flustered, and she never looked flustered. Clearing her throat, she adjusted the kitschy headband on top of her teased hair.
My nose scrunched up as I tried to remember. “Oh, that night you attacked Cooper with a couch cushion?”
“First of all, it was a throw pillow. Secondly, he deserved it. Third, that has zero relevance to my exciting news.”
“Go on,” I encouraged, eager to hear the big reveal.
“Okay, fine.” She sucked in a dramatic breath, then let it out with a squeal. “Henry Dormer. I’m seeing Henry Dormer.”
“What?” I wasn’t expecting that. I’d only had a brief encounter with Henry, but it was a memorable one, and not in a good way. He seemed like a dog. “Isn’t he dating Maya? Along with everyone else in this town?”
Her eyes rolled up. “I knew you’d be unsupportive.”
“I’m supportive. I’m just…a little confused.”
“He’s not with Maya, okay?” she insisted. “He dumped her for me.”
My lips puckered. “They seemed pretty cozy at the bar a couple of weeks ago.”
“Yeah, he told me about that. We’d only just started reconnecting then.” She adjusted the strap of her purse, hooking it over her shoulder with a sigh. “It’s been five years, Abby. People change. They mature.”
Henry certainly hadn’t looked like he’d matured.
Not only was he flirting with Maya, but he was also hitting on me.
He was slimy. Henry had those boy-next-door looks with a break-your-heart smile. I supposed he was run-of-the-mill attractive with dark hair and eyes, a clean-shaven jaw, and lean build.
But he reeked of bad intentions.
“I hope you’re right. I would hate to see you get hurt again,” I cautioned. Hesitating, I decided to voice the question that had been plaguing my mind for two weeks. “Daph…do you know anything about Cooper being romantically involved with girls from his cases?”
Daphne twirled one of the rings on her index finger as she glanced at me. “Just Maya. Why? Do you think he has some weird fetish where he lusts over helpless victims?” She grinned, but her smile quickly faded when she noticed I wasn’t sharing in the amusement. “Oh, shit. You do think that.”
“No…I-I don’t know. Henry made a comment the night we all went out. I can’t get it out of my head.”
She pondered the statement before she replied.
“Look, you know I’m not a big McAllister fan.
If I had any dirt on Cooper that might steer you away from him, I would tell you.
But, the truth is, he’s not a bad guy. His biggest fault is that he’s Kate’s brother.
” Her steps slowed as she linked her arm with mine.
“Maya’s case was different from yours. She was involved in a hit-and-run accident and Cooper was tracking down the guy who hit her when they got together. It’s a small town. People gossip.”
I let out a breath of relief.
The story wasn’t as sordid as I’d made it out to be in my mind.
Daphne gave my arm a squeeze. “At any rate…I’ve never seen him look at Maya the way he looks at you.”
My steady pace came to a grinding halt at Daphne’s words. I ducked my head, unable to hold back the smile bursting at my lips.
Before I could respond, a middle-aged man approached us. I slunk back as he leaned in close, his breath smelling like tobacco and cheap liquor. He had wrinkles on his face and a salt-and-pepper beard, and he was wearing a dark baseball cap.
“Hello, Little Bird.”
My legs weakened. My airways tightened.
Gruesome memories rushed to the surface, and my heart exploded with panic. I couldn’t breathe.
I can’t breathe.
I latched onto Daphne, clutching her arm, desperate for something to keep me from crumbling to the pavement.
No, no, no.
He’d found me. Cappy had found me.
“Abby? Shit…Abs, are you okay?”
Daphne’s voice was muddled and murky. I felt my knees give out as I collapsed to the sidewalk, clawing at my chest, begging for oxygen.
I can’t breathe.
“I’m calling 9-1-1,” Daphne said, crouching down beside me and rubbing my back.
When the stranger leaned over us, his face seemed to change. “She’s having a panic attack. Give her a minute,” he stated.
I stared at him, blinking rapidly, my vision clearing.
It wasn’t Cappy.
It was someone else. He was middle-aged, but he had no beard and no baseball cap.
I tried to regain control of my breathing, gulping down a huge lungful of oxygen. Tears stung my eyes. “I-I’m sorry. Why…why did you call me that?” My voice was trembling, unsteady, my body still shaking.
“What?” He frowned. “I was just asking for directions.”
Daphne pulled me in for a hug as we sat on the sidewalk. Passersby began to crowd us, curious and nosy, whispering among themselves.
“Abby,” Daphne said gently. “He asked you how to get to The Dirty Bird. It’s a sports lounge around the corner.”
I idled on the middle of the sidewalk, frozen and depleted. My mind was playing tricks on me, acting cruel. Cappy haunted me, day in and day out, never straying far.
He’d made a home inside of me.
He was a part of me now.
And I feared he always would be.