I pulled up from his chest and smiled ruefully, “Goddamn, Duffy. When did you turn into such a knight in shining armor?”
He grinned back, “I was promoted three weeks ago, up from stable boy.”
“Congratulations,” I said, sitting up and finger-combing my hair. “Your new post suits you.”
“Thanks, but don’t let the word get out. I’ve got a reputation to protect, ya know.”
“So I’ve heard,” I said with a grin as he helped me to my feet and I straightened my clothing.
“You really do look great tonight, Abby,” he said, lifting my hand and kissing my palm.
“Isn’t that how this whole thing started?” I asked, cocking my head.
“Yeah, come on,” he said, and squeezed my hand. “Let’s get back to the party before we start too many rumors.”
We headed back downstairs, and I ducked into the ladies’ room to touch up my makeup and hair after our little romp. When I got back to the dining room, everyone was seated and the waiters were serving dinner. I had a moment of panic as I looked around the room, wondering where I should sit. Gary was sitting next to Ellie and Eddie at the head table, and even though there was an empty seat next to him, there was no way I was going to sit there. Next, I saw Claire and Sam at the same table as my sister, my nephews and my brother-in-law. Fortunately, there were no extra seats there, and just about the time I’d resigned myself to eating with a group of strangers off to my right, I caught sight of someone waving to me from across the room. Duffy held a space at a table with some other members of the bridal party and Viv. I walked quickly over to him and waved at Cat, who mouthed, Where were you? to me as I passed her table.
Later, I mouthed back, and reached Duffy’s table. Taking my seat just as a serving of roast chicken was laid in front of me, I smiled around the table. Duffy winked at me as he bantered fondly with Viv, who was asking him if his swimmers were getting a good workout.
I managed to stifle a giggle as I cut my meat and began to eat. Out of the corner of my eye I caught someone staring at me, and I glanced up at Kelly, who glared at me, then looked away. Hmm. Wonder what her problem is? “Hi, Kelly,” I said, trying to break the ice.
“Hey,” she said, not making eye contact.
Christina, who sat on the other side of me, leaned in and whispered, “Don’t mind her. She’s just pissed that you and Duffy have become an item.”
“We’re not an item,” I whispered back.
Christina nodded, her eyes dancing with merriment. “Sure, honey. Whatever you say.”
Thinking about what Christina had said about Kelly, I leaned in and whispered, “I didn’t know Kelly liked Duffy.”
“Oh, yeah,” Christina whispered back. “Duffy jumped her bones a while back, then never called her again. I’d say she’s still pretty hung up on the guy.”
“Kelly was Duffy’s rebound chick right after Rachel?” I asked, surprised that Duffy would poop in his own backyard.
“Yeah, how’d you know?” Christina said, looking at me in surprise.
“Uh…” I said while I searched for an explanation that wouldn’t throw Duffy under the bus. “I’m psychic, remember?”
“Except where I’m concerned, right?” Christina said with a giggle and an elbow poke.
I smiled, embarrassed by the memory of the night before. “Apparently,” I said with a small shake of my head.
Just then the lights dimmed in the dining hall and a spotlight fell on Eddie from across the room. He was standing at a table where Ellie, her parents and a couple who were probably his parents were seated. “I’d like to thank you all for coming,” he began, a glass of wine in his hand. “As you know, we’re doing things a little backward this week. This is the rehearsal dinner before the actual rehearsal, which will be Thursday night, so all of you in the wedding party need to be at St. Sebastian’s Church on Everwood day after tomorrow at six sharp.”
In the dark I felt Duffy’s hand reach over and grip mine. He held it while Eddie continued. “In three days I will become the luckiest man on the planet as I watch the most beautiful woman in the world walk down the aisle to become my wife…”
At that moment I felt my left side grow thick and heavy, and I gripped Duffy’s hand in alarm. “What?” he leaned in close and asked me as he saw the look in my eye.
I shook my head and mouthed, Nothing, and tried to focus on Eddie’s speech.
“…so I’ve prepared a little something to entertain you all this evening. It’s a slide show I’ve titled ‘Eddie and Ellie, A Love Story,’ and without further delay, let’s get to it!” Eddie finished, and the spotlight dimmed while a light shone on a screen across the room where a baby picture of Ellie appeared with the accompanying music, “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder.
Much as I tried to focus on the slide show, the feeling I’d had when Eddie talked about marrying Ellie in three days kept stealing my attention. I knew these two would not be getting married as planned. While I fought about what to do with this newest piece of intuitive information, Duffy leaned in and whispered, “Holy shit!”
I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to him. “What?”
“I know where Gina is,” he said, and pointed to the screen.
On the slide was a picture of Ellie, Eddie and a whole troop of friends, dirty and muddied, with a football clutched in Eddie’s hands. The group looked to be having a fantastic time. In the background was a large field, and at the edge of the field was a green shack with a slanted roof and a large white star painted on top.
That should have held my attention, but it didn’t. I was too shocked and horrified to see Sara’s face among the crowd as it stared smiling back at me, flat and plastic next to Gina, who appeared exactly the same. “Oh, God…” I moaned, and turned to face Duffy, my eyes wide and afraid.
“Abs?” he said turning to me as I put my head into my hands. “What is it? What’s the matter?”
“Sara,” I whispered as my mouth went dry. “Where is Sara?” I asked a little louder as my eyes darted around the table, searching for the redhead and not finding her.
“She’s not here,” Christina said. “She’s mad at Ellie or something and she’s off pouting somewhere.”
I turned back to Duffy, my heart pounding in my chest and a feeling like I might be sick overwhelming me. “Come on,” he said, taking me up out of my chair and winding me quickly through the crowded room. We hurried out through a back door, where I took huge gulps of the cold night air. “What’s happened?” he asked me after a moment, when it looked like I was beginning to catch my breath.
“It’s Sara,” I puffed. “Duffy, her photo’s the same as Gina’s! Sara’s been killed too!”
“What?” came a shocked voice to my left, and I turned in alarm to look at Ellie, who was standing frozen in the doorway, watching us with wide, horrified eyes.
Chapter Eleven
“Ellie…” I gasped. I hadn’t heard her come to the door.
“What do you mean like Gina, Sara’s been killed too?!” Ellie demanded walking over to me and Duffy, her face frightened, but looking determined to hear what we’d been talking about.
“I’m not certain, Ellie,” I tried. “It’s just my intuition—”
“El? What’s going on?” Eddie asked, coming up to us, and I noticed with dismay that a small group of people had followed him and were staring at us from inside the doorway.
“Abby thinks Gina and Sara have been killed,” Ellie said with a note of panic in her voice.
“What?” Eddie said, staring at me. “What’s all this about?”
I looked between Ellie and Eddie as I wondered where to begin. Taking a big breath I said, “One of the little oddities that goes along with my sixth sense is my ability to look at a photograph of a person and tell if they are living or dead.” I paused to see if they were following me, and both of them nodded, so I continued. “Ellie, when I first came to your house I noticed Gina’s picture on the wall. I could tell t
hat something had happened to her. That she had…well…died.”
I said it as gently as I could, but Ellie still sagged against Eddie and said, “Oh, my God, no!”
“That’s impossible,” Eddie said as he supported his fiancée. “Gina flew to California last week. If something had happened to her, we would have been notified.”
“Gina never flew to California, buddy,” Duffy said. “Abby and I have been investigating this for two days. Her boyfriend broke it off with her for good about a month ago, and hasn’t heard from her since.”
“Maybe she flew there, and she’s just waiting for the right opportunity to see him,” Ellie said hopefully.
“She never got on the plane, El. She’s MIA. And, unfortunately, I think Abby’s intuition is on target.”
“But…how can that be?” she demanded as her head swiveled between Duffy and me. “And now you think that Sara’s dead too?”
I couldn’t take the look of horror and shock on Ellie’s face. I looked at my feet as I felt all eyes on me. How could I explain this? As I was about to try I heard, “Is this a joke?” from the doorway.
I glanced up to see Gary, another martini glass in hand, wobbling on unsteady feet as he came forward to our group. “Of course it isn’t,” I snapped. “Do you think I’d upset my friend by making this up?”
“Oh, I think you get a kick out of upsetting people in general,” Gary slurred. Even from four feet away his breath was fumy enough to be a fire hazard.
“This is none of your business,” I said. “Why don’t you go back to the dining room and attempt to sober up.”
“I’m fine,” he said, lifting a finger to point it in my direction. “It’s you who’s the problem.”
“Gary,” Eddie said in warning.
“Naw, naw, cousin,” Gary said to Eddie. “I’ve got a point here. My thinking is that this chiquita is upset her friend is getting all the attention, so she’s here to stir things up a bit. And what better way of stirring things up than by looking around to see who’s missing and claiming something tragic has happened to them? Personally, I smell a fraud.”
“Not sure how you could smell anything with breath like that,” I said, waving my hand in front of my nose. “Ellie, you know me. I’m not making this up. Something has happened to Gina. And I’m fairly certain something’s also happened to Sara.”
“Phony!” Gary yelled, and pointed his accusing finger again. “If you’re so psychic, why don’t you tell me what I’m thinking right now!”
“That’s enough,” Duffy said, stepping in between Gary and me.
“Don’t get in the middle of this,” Gary said as he took a wobbly step forward and stood just inches away from Duffy.
“I’m already in the middle of it, pal,” Duffy said evenly, pulling himself up to his full height. “I’ve known Abby a lot longer than you. And I believe her. If she says something’s happened, then you can bet the farm on it.”
Ellie began to cry. “Please!” she said as she let go of Eddie and reached for Duffy’s shoulder. “Please don’t fight!”
Gary and Duffy stared at each other for long seconds before Gary finally gave me one last, “Fraud,” and headed back inside.
When he was gone I turned to Ellie and said, “Honey, I’m so sorry. Duffy and I wanted to have some proof before we told you.”
“What could have happened to them?” Ellie asked as the tears trailed down her cheeks.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Duffy said gently. Turning to me he said, “Come on, Abs,” and led me out the door. We walked down the hallway past pairs of staring eyes as people had come out of the dining room to see what all the fuss was about. I could see Gary huddled by a good-sized group, telling everybody who would listen that I was a big, fat faker.
“Abby?” my sister asked as we passed her. “Why is that guy calling you a fraud?”
“I’ll call you later,” I said, and kept walking. The last thing I wanted was to have to explain all this to Cat and, even worse, to Claire and Sam, who would devour all the gory details like two hungry mountain lions.
Duffy paused at the coatcheck and retrieved our coats; then he hustled me outside and we waited for his car to be driven up by the valet. Without a word we hopped in and he began to drive. After a while I asked, “Where are we going?”
“To find Gina,” he said.
“Oh.” I stared at my hands, hating the havoc I’d caused.
“Hey,” he said, noticing my downcast face. “I meant what I said back there, Abby. None of this is your fault.”
“Then why does it feel that way?”
“Because it sucks being the messenger when the news is bad. I’ve known you too long not to trust that you’re right. So has Ellie, and that’s why we owe it to my sister to find her friend and deal with that reality rather than wondering if Gina’s alive or not.”
“What about Sara?” I asked in a choked voice.
Duffy was silent for a long moment, and I watched his hands grip and ungrip the steering wheel while he thought through his answer. After a time he said, “We’ll deal with Gina first. Sara second.”
The rest of the way to our destination was spent in silence. I stared out the window at the passing terrain and thought it ironic that I’d been on this very road the night before, feeling exactly the same way about giving Ellie the bad news about Eddie.
I didn’t want to give her any more news that would make her cry. I wanted to be wrong about Gina and Sara. Mostly I just wanted to go home.
We reached a large meadow a short time later, and Duffy parked the Mustang on the side of the road, pointing down a hill and across a large, open field to the green shack from the photograph, which was barely discernible in the early evening twilight. He got out and grabbed a small toolbox, a pair of boots and a Denver Broncos windbreaker from the trunk. “Here,” he said, setting the boots at my feet. “They’ll be pretty big on you, but at least it’s better than tramping through this field in those heels.”
“Thanks,” I said, my lips quivering as I bent to undo the buckle on my shoes.
As I was bent over I felt a heavy weight land on my back. I looked to my left and saw the arm of Duffy’s dress coat dangling by my side. “That will keep you warm,” he said.
I stood up once I had his boots on and shrugged quickly into his thick wool coat, noticing that he’d donned the lighter jacket, which looked slightly ridiculous over his velvet blazer. “Next time maybe we should stop at home first to change,” he said, catching my eye and looking down at himself.
“What?” I laughed. “And miss this fashion-don’t moment?”
“Come on, dollface,” he said with a roll of his eyes as he handed me a flashlight and clicked on another he pulled out of the toolbox. “Let’s see if your hunch is right.” I followed after Duffy, trying to keep up in his long coat and giant boots while our beams bounced in unison over the thick foliage of the field.
While I struggled through the winter weeds, Duffy flipped open his cell phone and made a call to Information. He asked for a residence and was apparently connected, because in the next second he said, “Hey, there, Colonel. It’s Duffy McGinnis.” There was a pause while the colonel answered him, and then Duffy continued: “Thanks, I’ll pass your congratulations on to my sister. Listen, the reason for my call is that I need to look at that old shack on your property. Can I have your permission to check it out this evening, sir?”
Another pause while Duffy listened to the reply, then: “You don’t say. Some kids lighting firecrackers about a week ago? Mm-hmm. Well, sir, I’d like to take a look if that’s all right with you. I’ll call you if we find anything. Thank you for your cooperation, sir, and have a good night.”
Duffy flipped his phone closed and turned back to me. “That was Colonel Pentwater. He bought this property a couple years ago after he retired from the army. Kind of a crazy old coot. Has this love of army green. Paints all the structures on his property green and puts a star on top. You wou
ld have thought I’d remember that when I looked at your drawing, but I didn’t connect the dots until I saw it up on the screen.”
“What did the colonel say about kids with firecrackers?”
“He said about a week ago he heard some kids out here playing with firecrackers. He says he came down the road in his truck and chased them off, but one of the firecrackers had burned the side of his shack. It went out almost as soon as it was lit; apparently it was drizzling out that night, thank God. Otherwise this whole area could have gone up.”
“That explains the heat section on my drawing,” I said, thinking back to what I’d sketched.
“Sure does,” Duffy said just as we reached the shack. I was huffing pretty good by this time, hampered by the thick foliage and the altitude, not to mention my awkward attire.
“You okay?” he asked, glancing back at me.
I waved at him as I bent over and took big breaths. Just as I was getting my breathing under control I noticed something foul in the air. “Jesus,” I said as I shuffled away from the shack, which was the direction it was coming from.
“Yeah, I smelled it coming down the hill,” Duffy said as he waved the flashlight at the wooden structure. The shack was about medium size, maybe six feet by nine by eight feet tall. It had a slanted roof, and the white star stood out against the dark army green. Duffy waved the flashlight over to the right, and we could both see where a small section had been burned. “Stay back, Abby,” Duffy cautioned as he moved in a few steps toward the door.
Just then his foot slipped on something and he stumbled a bit. Backing up, he shone the light down on the ground and bent to examine the object. His expression clouded over as he reached into the toolbox he’d been carrying and pulled out some tongs.
Curious, I inched closer to get a better look at what he’d found and saw a small, square brown piece of leather on the ground. “It’s a wallet,” I said to him.