Page 100 of Lost Cause
Abby couldn’t let the door close. No way or she’d be dead. She frantically scanned the vehicle for a way out. Two bucket seats in the front. An empty void in the back.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing useful for an escape.
“Fine.” Estelle dropped her finger to the trigger and aimed at Abby. “The same offer from inside stands. I’ll kill you right here. Either way you’re dead.”
Abby’s pulse pounded. No way she wanted an instant death. If she hung on she might somehow escape on the drive to wherever Estelle was taking her.
She drew up her legs and curled into a ball. Her thoughts ricocheted through her brain. She could hardly focus.
Prayer. She needed prayer.
She closed her eyes and lifted up her request.
I don’t want to die. Not when I’ve just found a possible future with a wonderful man like Burke. Please let someone find me before Estelle takes her revenge.
25
Phone to his ear, Burke paced across his department’s floor as he waited for his call to Abby to connect. Voicemail. Just like the last five calls he’d made in the past hour.
He’d think she didn’t want to talk to him, but their last conversation told him they were beyond that stage. At least he hoped they were. But if so, where was she? Why wasn’t she answering?
He wasn’t one to panic. At least not normally. But his feelings for her added a strong measure of unease.
What should he do next? He could ask Ryder to have her phone pinged, but he didn’t have enough justification for such a request. If the only evidence they presented to a judge was a woman who wouldn’t return his calls, they’d be laughed out of his chambers.
So then what?
Call her team.
He stopped pacing. Was that a good idea? If nothing was wrong, he would come across as extremely needy. Not something he wanted to portray when they were just starting to think about a relationship. Normally, he wasn’t a needy guy.Wouldn’t even be thinking of calling her team. Would just leave another more urgent voicemail. Or not even that.
“So give it time,” he mumbled under his breath and returned to his desk.
He settled into his chair and took the time to read through the original missing person file, hoping something would jump out at him. Something they’d missed. He flipped page after page. Nothing popped out at him.
His phone rang.Abby. His heart soared. Fell. Not Abby, but Sam was calling.
He swallowed his disappointment and answered. “You haven’t heard from Abby this afternoon, have you?”
“No, why?”
“She hasn’t been answering her phone for the last few hours.”
“Do you think something has happened to her?”
“I’m probably just being paranoid.”
“Because you care for her.”
Though she spoke the truth, Burke wasn’t going to acknowledge it. At least not until his relationship with Abby became official. “You must have forensic results if you’re calling me instead of her.”
“Way to sidestep the question.” She let the words hang in the air.
No way Burke would say anything, and he waited her out.
“So, yeah,” she finally said. “I have additional fingerprint information for you.”
“Good.” He tried to get enthused about her call instead of worrying about Abby. Failed. “The investigation has kind of stalled, and we need something to go on.”
