Drake Sisters 03 - Oceans of Fire

Mason.” She touched her face. “I ran out and bought a new outfit and went, even though I knew it would be awful and no one would talk to me. I just wanted Mason to see I was serious about being with him, but everything went wrong.”
    “And you were angry with me,” Abigail said.
    Sylvia nodded. “I thought it was your fault. He found out about the affair because of you and every time he saw the rash on my face it just reminded him of what I’d done.” She ducked her head. “I was so desperate to get rid of it I even went to see Lucinda, the voodoo lady over in Point Arena, but nothing she did worked. I was talking to Ned Farmer and the stupid rash was suddenly all over my face and I turned around and Mason was standing there. I could see his disappointment in me. He walked away without saying a word.” Tears filled her eyes all over again.
    “I’m sorry, Sylvia,” Abigail said gently, “but where is Mason now? You have to tell us what happened to him. What happened to you?”
    “I’m trying to.” Sylvia took another sip of tea. “Mason went into the back where Chad works. I waited and waited for him to come back out so I could talk to him, but he didn’t. And then I ran into the Russian, the one you were with at the Caspar Inn.” She swallowed convulsively several times. “I was so angry with you. I wanted you to hurt the way I was hurting and I asked him to go in the back room. I though Mason would be there, but he wasn’t.”
    “It’s all right, Sylvia,” Abigail soothed. “I understand.”
    Sylvia shook her head. “No, you don’t. Mason never went home. I sat on his porch all night and he never came home. I went by his boat and he wasn’t there either so I decided to go ask Chad where he was. They’re such good friends.” Her voice broke. “I thought they were good friends.”
    “I’m sure Aleksandr will help,” Abigail offered. She’d known Sylvia since the third grade and she’d never seen her so broken.
    “Mason really loved me. He didn’t think I was stupid or a slut, or any of the other things everyone else thinks. I can’t believe how stupid I was to ruin everything over a dumb fight.”
    “Sylvia, where is he? What happened to you?”
    “When he didn’t come home, I went down to Chad’s place to ask him if he’d seen Mason. Chad was just getting into his truck and he didn’t see me waving him down. I followed him to that old abandoned barn just past the turnoff to Caspar. You know the one that looks like it might fall down any minute? It’s overgrown all the way up to the house. I parked my car a distance away and sneaked up on him.”
    “Why?” Abigail looked at Sylvia’s dirty jeans, the knees torn and black.
    “I don’t know. He was acting strange and he was beat up like he’d been in a terrible fight. He kept Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    looking around like he expected to be followed and I was afraid. I thought maybe he’d gotten into a fight with Mason. I hid in the grass and crept up on the barn until I could look through one of the cracked boards.”
    “Sylvia!” Abigail was horrified. “You could have been killed. What were you thinking?”
    “I don’t know. I just wanted to find Mason.”
    “Aleksandr is here,” Joley said softly. “He’ll help, Sylvia.”
    Sylvia gasped in horror as she saw Jonas follow Aleksandr through the door. She began shaking her head violently.
    Abigail rescued the teacup. “Jonas isn’t in uniform, Sylvia. You know he’s friends with Mason. He would never do anything to jeopardize Mason’s life.”
    “I was with Aleksandr when Joley called,” Jonas explained. “I couldn’t help but overhear. I know this coastline better than most, Sylvia, and nobody is going to kill Mason if I can help it.”
    “Sylvia was just telling us she followed Chad out to the old run-down barn just past the Caspar exit. She was hoping to find Mason and thought Chad was acting funny,” Abigail said. “So she followed him.”
    Sylvia nodded. “I looked into the barn and there was a man standing there holding a gun to Mason’s head.” She broke into sobs again, choking, pressing her palm to her mouth to muffle the sounds. “They were going to shoot him right there. Right at that moment in front of me.” She looked up at Abigail. “I was so scared. I was afraid to move.”
    “Of course you were. Anyone would be.”
    “Before he could pull the trigger another man came out