Evidence of Life - By Barbara Taylor Sissel Page 0,51
more questions when what you need to do is to let go, Abby. You need closure. You need to be able to get on with your life.”
“Well, maybe she can’t, George,” Kate said following him into the house. “I mean, can you imagine how hard it is to live with—”
The door closed behind them severing the rest of Kate’s argument.
“They almost never fight,” Abby said.
“I don’t think they’re fighting so much as trying to decide the best way they can help you.” Dennis settled an ankle atop his opposite knee.
“Kate said Nick was here to buy land. I don’t believe it, but I don’t know what else would have brought him here.”
“You don’t believe that’s what he told her or—”
“Could we find out? Would there be a record of what he did at the courthouse?”
“Are you sure he went inside? You said Kate saw him outside.”
“But we could still ask, couldn’t we? You, your deputies, they could—”
“Abby,” Dennis said her name gently, so gently she winced. She knew what was coming. “I know it must be hell having so many unanswered questions about what happened to your family and why, but please trust me when I say we have looked very carefully into your husband’s and daughter’s disappearance, we have gone over every detail with a fine-tooth comb, and there’s nothing to indicate anything mysterious or criminal happened other than what is evident on the surface.”
Abby felt Dennis’s concern. She waited a bit, and when she thought she could speak without breaking into tears, she said, “I wish it were ten years from now.” And then she wondered, why ten years? Did she think she would recover by then? She said, “Kate knows more than she’s telling.”
“Okay.” Dennis went along. “What makes you say that?”
Abby shook her head. She didn’t want to tell Dennis about Baylor Gates, the man who had broken her friendship with Kate years ago. But that didn’t stop the memory from rattling around in her brain, from warning her that friends could be faithless. Friends could betray you. “She thinks she’s protecting me,” Abby answered. “But I wish she wouldn’t. I wish everyone would stop doing that and tell me the truth.”
But maybe that was the problem, Abby thought later as she was falling asleep. She was too caught up in waiting for someone to come to her with the answers. Maybe her plan should be to find them out herself. She could talk to the gas station attendant in Boerne, for instance. She could try and find Adam Sandoval’s wife. Abby knew Sherry Sandoval, not well. They’d met through their husbands; the four of them had had dinner once or twice years ago.
Abby was up early the next morning. She helped Kate make breakfast, and she was loading the dishwasher when Kate said she needed to go to the grocery store.
“Come with me. Leave the dishes. You’ve done enough slaving.”
Abby straightened.
“You’re still mad.” It wasn’t a question.
“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused between you and George.”
“You haven’t caused any trouble, Abby. George’ll get over it.”
Abby didn’t answer.
Kate sighed. “Look, I really did forget about seeing Nick last winter. Honestly. You know how terrible my memory is.”
Abby met Kate’s glance. It sounded like an excuse, but Abby conceded, saying, “Right, whatever. It’s fine,” because she didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want to blow up their friendship. The time for that was past. She couldn’t handle another loss anyway. She said, “I want to drive into Boerne.”
“What for?”
“I want to talk to the kid at the gas station myself.”
Kate didn’t agree. Abby could see it in her eyes. “You go on to the store. I’ll go to Boerne. I might pop on down to San Antonio, too. It’s not far. I can be back by dinnertime.”
“San Antonio?”
“Adam Sandoval lives there, or he did until he jumped bail. I want to talk to his wife.”
“Abby, this is crazy! Do you even know where she lives? Weren’t they divorced?”
“That’s what Nick said, but—” Abby shrugged. She had no idea what to believe or whom, not anymore.
Kate sighed. “Well, if I can’t talk you out of it, then I’m going with you. At least we can shop for groceries at Whole Foods in San Antonio.”
* * *
It was easy enough to locate the Sandoval residence. Abby drove, and Kate read off the directions she’d pulled from Google. Abby hoped they wouldn’t be wasting their time here