Chapter Fifteen
Abigail wanted coffee. Bad. But she didn’t dare stop anywhere that would have cameras. She yawned. It was hard work breaking
out of prison. She let out a little chuckle at that thought.
The drive ahead of her was a couple hours. Maybe even closer to three hours. If she’d wanted to go the direct route, she would
on the mountain roads.
She rolled down the window to enjoy the fresh air—something she’d come to appreciate. It was hot, but after being stuck in
a prison cell, she didn’t care. The air was hazy, but again, she didn’t care. As she inhaled, Abigail recognized the smell
of smoke. Was there a fire somewhere? She better figure that out as that could close roads to her destination.
She passed a sign stating there was a rest area up ahead.
Yawning again, Abigail decided to pull off there and touch base with Jake and Vicki.
She needed to make sure they could meet up right away and there weren’t road closures.
When it came to forest fires, roads would be closed by deputies or state patrol.
Running into officers was the last thing she needed.
They might not find Lexie for a couple days, but by now, Abigail’s absence would be noted at the prison.
They’d probably done evening head counts and discovered they were one less.
The car could be an issue. At some point, she’d have to get rid of it. Abigail let off the accelerator as the rest stop came
into view. She put on her turn signal and pulled in. Summertime in the mountains meant there was a lot of traffic. There were
at least ten cars parked at the rest area.
Abigail pulled up and sat for a minute, observing her surroundings. Not only was this a rest area, but it was a trailhead
for a hike to some lake according to the signs. Only a couple of people were around. There didn’t appear to be any cameras
on the outside of the restrooms. Some mountain areas had cameras, some didn’t. She took her phone out of the center console
and texted Jake and Vicki telling them where to meet and asking about a possible forest fire. One of them responded fast.
We can meet you there. This kid is a pain. We will be glad to give her to you. There is a fire, but roads should be fine to
our meeting spot.
“Perfect,” Abigail said to herself. She put the phone away, pleased that so far, everything was going as planned.
The people who’d been using the restroom climbed in their car and left.
At the moment, there was no one else around so Abigail took the opportunity to pull out a pocketknife she’d also grabbed at Lexie’s place.
She opened the attachment that could help her unscrew license plates and went to work on the ones on Lexie’s car.
They came off easily. There was a similarly colored sedan parked a few spots down. Abigail scanned the area again and still
seeing no one, she went over and crouched down. She quickly swapped the plates on the front and back. Then she went back to
her vehicle and put the new plates on. This might help if there was a BOLO or “be on the lookout” issued for her car. That
would most likely happen once Lexie was discovered. If a cop ran the plates, they would instantly know that they didn’t match
this vehicle. But if they saw her vehicle and didn’t run the plates, then hopefully they wouldn’t pull her over.
Abigail used the restroom, checking one more time for cameras. She didn’t see anything. She climbed back into the car, started
it up and backed out of her parking spot. Next stop was meeting Jake and Vicki and getting the kid from them. From the sounds
of it, the kid was a real piece of work. Good thing Jake and Vicki owed her big-time.
When she was still a detective, she’d nailed them for some car thefts and other stolen items. They were working for a guy
who’d screwed her over. She could have put them in prison for years, but instead, she told them if they helped her catch their
boss, she’d look the other way, but they’d owe her.
Abigail knew at some point she’d cash in on the favor. Even better, they believed her when she said that they’d be even and no longer owe her. Like most criminals, they weren’t smart.
She couldn’t wait to reach out to Maya Thompson and tell her that she had her niece. Maya would want to save the day with
her rotten mutt. Abigail wouldn’t mind killing the dog either. At this point she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Her phone buzzed as a text came through. Abigail glanced at the screen and saw her partner had left a long message. She pulled
off again so she could read it without trying to navigate the mountain roads.
Hey babe, they already know about the kid and that you’re out. Be careful. I’ve made sure I’ll be joining this investigation,
so when I can, I’ll keep you updated. Gotta go. Can’t wait to see you.
Abigail typed a quick thank-you and then got back on the road. She never thought she’d find true love, but her partner was
as close as she’d ever get. She was grateful he’d warned her to be careful. But she was also happy that she didn’t have to
contact anyone about the missing kid. This made her plan even easier along with the fact her partner was joining the investigation.
It seemed like the universe was on her side. Her goal of luring Maya and Eric to her had just become easier.
Maya’s shoulders were tight. She took a few deep breaths trying to let some tension out. As if that was going to happen after learning that Abigail had escaped. Her stomach was in knots. How could this have happened? Because it was Abigail. That’s how. Would this nightmare ever end?
No one spoke. Eric appeared defeated, hunched forward in his chair, fingers intertwined, staring at the floor as if it would
give him answers. The little bit she knew her father, he’d always been cocky and made it seem like things would work out.
Maybe that had been an act.
By the look on Pops’s face, Maya knew he was thinking. She didn’t want to sit around anymore. They needed to find Hope and
they needed to stop Abigail. The plan was that simple.
“I’m going to take Juniper and see if I can figure out where they might have taken Hope from the area we last tracked,” Maya
said, breaking the silence.
“No,” Eric said. “I mean, we need to find Hope, but you’d be doing exactly what Abigail wants. She’ll kill you if she gets
a chance.”
“With Juniper, she won’t have that opportunity,” Maya fired back.
Pops cleared his throat and gave her the same look she received as a teenager when she’d argued with him. She backed down.
Pops could always stay calmer than her.
“We need to wait for Agent Kessler to get here so that we have more help,” Pops said.
“Right now, we’re stretched thin because of the fire.
That means backup would be hard for any of you and while I’m sure Abigail has a plan that includes going after Maya and you too, Eric, we need to work this like any other case.
It’s hard because there’s family involved. ”
“You’re right, Pops,” Maya said.
Family. Her siblings were coming from the same town in Montana. Her brother was in law enforcement. Was there any chance he
could be on Abigail’s payroll? Had someone planted that phone? That would be far-fetched, but on the other hand, when it came
to Abigail, Maya’s imagination went wild. Nothing was normal with Abigail and she probably loved elaborate plots to show how
smart she was. Besides revenge, Abigail always wanted people to know she was the smartest person in the room and would outthink
them.
Maya stood and paced for a moment. When she stopped, she said, “Kessler is bringing some other agents with. At least one of
them worked with Abigail.”
“I wouldn’t trust them and I’ll lawyer up if they want to talk to me. I’ll trust Kessler because you do, but I won’t deal
with anyone else,” Eric said.
“Kessler is a good guy,” Josh spoke up. “I don’t see him helping Abigail in any way.”
“There’s one other thing I need to ask you,” Maya said to Eric.
“What’s that?”
“What about my brother? He and my sister will be arriving soon. What do I need to know?”
“To be honest, I don’t know him that well.
When his mother found out about my relationship with your mother and about you, she left.
Took both kids with her and made sure it was hard for me to have any part in their lives,” Eric said.
“But I can’t believe that Nick would do anything to compromise his niece.
He’s like a father to her. He’s there for her because Isabelle’s ex-husband is, well, like me.
That jerk remarried and has barely been a part of Hope’s life. ”
Maya could see the regret on his face as the consequences of facing his life choices hit him. “I’m sorry to hear that her
dad isn’t a part of her life. That’s hard.” She regretted saying that after it came out, but Maya knew it was true. Pops and
Nana were wonderful grandparents and raised her with love, but not having parents was tough. At least Hope had her mother.
“There’s something else I need to know.”
“Anything,” Eric said.
Maya could see he was exhausted. Maybe after being on the run and everything he’d done, he was letting down. It was all over
for him at least until the next phase of his life started with trials and sitting in a jail cell. “Do Nick and Isabelle know?”
“Know what?”
“About me. Do they know they have a sister?”
Eric stared at her. “I’ve always sworn I would tell you the truth to make up for not being a good father. I don’t know if
they know about you or not. I doubt their mother told them and I never did. I think Nick might have figured it out. You’re
a spitting image of your mother so when he sees you, he’ll probably wonder. Nick met Zoey once. Isabelle is younger and she
may not have put things together.”
Eric paused. Maya didn’t know what to say. How did one introduce oneself as a half sibling? Awkward was an understatement.
“I’m not proud of my affair,” Eric said. “But I loved Zoey. My marriage was over and I know that doesn’t make it right. It’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth. Your mom came along and she was . . . she was wonderful. Then you arrived and we both loved you. You know the rest of the story.”
Maya noticed Pops scowling. This had to be hard for him to hear too. Having an affair with a married man wasn’t what any parent
wanted for their daughter. “Thanks for telling me the truth.”
“You’re welcome,” Eric said. “Now, how far out are those agents? We need to start figuring out a plan to find my granddaughter.”