InSight
it.”
Of course Luke didn’t hear a thing. He didn’t sense anything either. No vibrations, no peripheral shadows. A fleeting picture of Abby flashed in his mind at the same time the crack on the back of his skull made everything go dark.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Gone Today, Gone Tomorrow
W ith Meyer at a rehabilitation facility, Lucy arrived at Abby’s dying of curiosity to see who Luke had enlisted as her daughter’s babysitter. When she met Jeff, she remarked that in spite of all the turmoil, Abby’s life swarmed with good-looking men. When Jeff went out to get beer, Lucy learned he was gay.
“I don’t believe it,” she protested. “Not him.”
“Lucy, you’re in an artsy field. You ought to know that not all gay men are obvious. Some of them take big manly steps and do big manly things.”
“But this one is, he’s…jeez, Abigael, he’s sexy.”
If anyone should know, it’s connoisseur Lucy .
“How much you want to bet his partner’s the flighty one.”
But when Eric brought dinner, Lucy whispered that he was as macho as Jeff and almost as good looking. Her postscript: “Neither is as good looking as Luke.”
Abby and Lucy agreed that Eric was one hell of a cook. Lucy wrote down his recipes pinch by teaspoon, promising to try them all. He’d even made a special dish for Daisy. Abby heard her dog snarf down whatever it was without taking a breath.
“I don’t know why you’re not as fat as a pig,” she said to Jeff. “If I lived with him, I would be.”
“If you lived with him, he’d be straight and I’d be starving to death.”
They all had a good laugh. Jeff and Eric thought Lucy was fun. Abby agreed.
After dinner, Jeff shooed everyone out the door to pay more attention to his job. Abby didn’t argue. With Luke sticking his neck out in Charleston , she felt guilty enjoying herself.
Norm Archer called Friday to let her know Luke had arrived, but she’d heard nothing since. Worried, she called Norm Sunday morning. Even Daisy’s wet nose nuzzling her hand offered little comfort.
“Luke mentioned he intended to ruffle a few feathers,” Norm said, “whatever that means. I missed his call, but he left word he’d call back later. He hasn’t. I called the hotel and received a message that Carlotta Gentry had invited Luke to her house late yesterday afternoon.”
Dread snaked up Abby’s spine. “Something’s happened to him, Norm. He would have contacted one of us.”
“I warned him not to do anything foolhardy, especially since he’s deaf as a rock. He didn’t want the police involved until he had a feel for the situation, and frankly, I didn’t have reason to overrule him.”
“You’ve got to find him. He’s out there alone. I don’t know what they’re hiding, but they won’t let anyone get in their way. I can attest to that.”
“I’ll go to the captain, but he’s not going to wade into murky waters. I can attest to that.”
“Where’s Collyer?”
“I’ll see if he’s around, but men like him know how to disappear without leaving a trace. He could be sitting on your doorstep right now.”
“I’m not worried about my doorstep. I’m worried about Luke’s.”
“I got him here. I’ll find him. I should have made sure he had backup. Get back to you.” He clicked off.
Abby related Norm’s conversation to Jeff.
“Luke can take care of himself, Abby.”
“Could he take you, Jeff?” When he didn’t answer, she knew she’d struck a nerve. “Could he?”
“Abby, I was trained to kill. Luke’s not a killer.”
“So the answer is no.”
“Not if I didn’t let him, no.”
“Graeme Collyer’s a trained killer too. I’m sure his resume doesn’t read much differently than yours. Only you take no pleasure in killing; Collyer gets off on it. I bet when he was a kid he smiled when he pulled the wings off flies to watch them struggle.” She remembered her encounter with him. “That night in my yard, he enjoyed my fear, knowing I couldn’t see him, knowing I couldn’t tell what was coming next. Did I tell you that his breathing was so slow, so controlled, that anyone else would have been sleeping?”
“Okay, okay. What do you want me to do? I’d go to Charleston , but I’m not leaving you alone. My job is to protect you. Collyer might be there, but someone else might be waiting here for the perfect moment. That’s not going to happen. I promised Luke.”
“Then get someone else to stay here with me.”
“I don’t think
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