Chapter 25 #2
Only the headlights Estelle had left on threatened the black sky with zero light pollution from the town. They’d most certainly left Seaside Harbor behind. A tall, narrow structure rose up on the beach. A lighthouse, she presumed. It didn’t transmit any light so not likely one in service.
Estelle ground the barrel of her gun in Abby’s side. “Head for the lighthouse. No one around to hear us, so any stupid move and I’ll shoot.”
Abby didn’t doubt the woman’s words, so she took careful steps through the deep sand toward the dark structure. Footprints led the way through the mounded sand. With nothing filling the impressions, she figured someone had recently been there.
Had the blood at the antique shop been Shaw’s? Had Estelle brought him out here to kill him too?
She gave Abby another shove. She stumbled, but managed to right herself.
Estelle laughed.
“What’s wrong with you?” Abby swiveled to look at the woman. “How can you be enjoying this? Finding joy in someone else’s struggle?”
“Struggle? You don’t know what struggle is.” She revealed deep anguish in her tone. “Try growing up without a penny to your family’s name. Literally without a penny. No food on the table. Going to bed hungry more times than not. Wearing rags to school and being belittled every day.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you, Estelle,” Abby said sincerely. “But it doesn’t mean you need to resort to killing people.”
“I’ll do anything. Anything to live the life I want.
Escape from my childhood. But that didn’t happen until I married Victor.
I worked hard to drag myself up out of the gutter and make myself socially acceptable.
I had to before someone like Victor would stoop to marry me.
Once I caught his eye, I had to fake my feelings for the imbecile.
Bear kids for him. Just so I could have the life I deserve. ”
Shocked by her statement, Abby stared at her captor. “No one deserves such a life. It has to be earned.”
“Really?” Her eyes flashed open, and she panted like a dog. “Did Victor earn it? No. He simply had the good fortune to be born into a rich family. He’s never worked a day in his life and never will.” Her eyes turned hard as iron. “Now go.”
Her look sent shudders over Abby as she turned to follow the footprints. At the lighthouse door, she tried to get a good look inside, but the darkness hid everything. Estelle pushed her ahead and flipped on a light, flooding a circular room with large windows all around.
“Go to the stairwell to your right. We’ll be going down to the basement.” Estelle shoved her harder, and she continued on across the room. She gasped.
To her left, Shaw lay in a heap, his eyes wide, blood infusing the front of his white shirt.
“So now you can see I mean business,” Estelle said. “We aren’t here for fun and games like you seem to think.”
“Trust me,” Abby said, her voice barely getting out of her throat. “I didn’t think we were here for that. Is there anything I can do to convince you not to use your gun on me?”
“No.” Estelle fired Abby an undeniable look of certainty. “You’re going to die tonight.”
Burke stabbed the call from Hayden on his phone mounted on his dash. “Tell me you found her, and she’s okay.”
“We didn’t find her. The shop’s locked. The lights on. The back door open.”
“And?”
“And we found her phone on the work table, blood on the inside of the back door.”
“Blood?” Burke couldn’t control his tone, the high pitch reflecting the inner turmoil threatening to destroy him. “It could be hers—” And he was still thirty minutes away from Seaside Harbor. He couldn’t do anything about it.
“It could be.” Hayden’s tone was level, unemotional.
“How can you be so calm?” Burke snapped.
“Trust me. I’m not calm. Just trying to keep it together. You should probably do the same. Won’t do her any good if you get in an accident.”
He was right, but Burke couldn’t calm down. Not with Abby missing and blood found on the door. “Did Shaw hurt her? Where could he have taken her?”
“Could be another property he owns, but I don’t know of any. I’m on my laptop now, checking county property records.”
Burke needed to pick up his speed, but he couldn’t concentrate on the phone and go faster. “Call me back the minute you know anything.”
He didn’t wait for Hayden to agree, but ended the call and punched the gas pedal. If anyone other than Abby were missing, he would still do his best to get to them. But his emotions wouldn’t be wrapped up in the need to find this person, and he could drive more rationally.
If anything told him he cared about Abby—maybe loved her—this clarified things for him.
He gripped the wheel, roaring around curves, his tires squealing. He’d taken many defensive driving classes and was confident in handling this road, slowing when he had to but hating every second of it. Hating every minute that passed when he was no closer to knowing where Abby had been taken.
Nearing the lights of Seaside Harbor, his phone rang. “What did you find, Hayden?”
“Nothing.”
Burke slammed his fist against the steering wheel. Pain shot up his arm, but it didn’t compare to the pressure crushing his chest. “So that’s it? We’ve got nothing?”
“Just a long shot,” Hayden replied. “I found a mention in a local paper. The sale’s not final, but Shaw’s in the process of buying an old lighthouse. Coastal property.”
Burke didn’t care about final. This location was a lead. Right now, it was all he had. “Send me the coordinates.”
“On it. We’ll meet you there.”
A chime lit up his phone. The GPS loaded instantly.
His pulse spiked.
The lighthouse was on the edge of Seaside Harbor—his side. He was only three minutes out. Three minutes from possibly finding Abby alive.
Or not.
He floored the gas pedal, tires screaming against pavement.
Hold on, Abby. I’m coming.
In the basement with big construction work lights burning bright, to the floor. “Don’t make a move.”
Abby tried not to be afraid. Tried to pretend it didn’t matter. Pretend she wasn’t concerned with what Estelle was about to do. But inside, her stomach rolled and acid burned up her throat.
Please, please, Lord. Don’t let Estelle win.
Don’t let her kill me. Sure, I want to live, but I’m not asking for myself.
I’m asking for Burke, who has finally been able to consider loving someone again.
For my team members who don’t need to deal with the loss of a teammate.
Even for my family, though I don’t know how they’d respond.
Estelle had made a call while Abby prayed, and she tuned into it now.
“What do you mean there’s some question about my trip back to France?” Estelle nearly screamed into the phone. “What’s wrong with my passport?”
Tapping her foot, she listened carefully, her eyes narrowing into spiteful slits. “You better figure it out. I’m leaving tonight or you’ll pay the price.”
She shoved her phone into her pocket.
Abby was certain the gun would now be trained on her again, only this time the unstable woman would fire. Instead, she started pacing, running her hand over hair no longer rich black like earlier in her photos, but brown and laced with silver.
She suddenly spun and stared at Abby. “You’re law enforcement. You can fix it so the authorities aren’t questioning my passport.”
Abby likely couldn’t do any such thing, but she wouldn’t tell Estelle. “Sure, but I’ll have to go into the office to take care of the paperwork.”
“Don’t think I’m stupid.” Estelle’s stare turned into a challenge. “You don’t help me, I get that hunky detective you’ve been hanging out with to do it. Then I’ll kill him too.”
Abby stifled a gasp. “If I call him to do the paperwork, I’ll have to tell him you’re alive, and he’d have to insist you stay in the country until the investigation is resolved.”
“What about one of your teammates? I read their bios on your website and know they’re all former law enforcement officers. One of them must have a contact who can make something happen under the table.”
“Sure, yeah, that might work.” Once again, Abby was certain they couldn’t sidestep federal law, but someone on the team might have a contact who could help. “I’ll have to tell them where I am and why I didn’t come home after my meeting today.”
“Lie,” Estelle snapped. “Say you and the detective have a thing for each other, and you’re on a date.”
Abby’s stomach twisted. “What if he calls them?”
Estelle’s gaze sharpened. “Is that likely?”
“With everyone working on this investigation, it could happen,” she said, though even she didn’t sound convincing to herself.
Estelle’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe in chances. I believe in instincts.” She cut the ropes on Abby’s hands and held out her phone. “Pick the team member most likely to have the right contact. You have five minutes.”
Abby froze.
Five minutes. Just five. For a decision that could mean the difference between life and death.
The weight of the clock pressed against her chest.
One call—one person—could save her life. Or end it.