her finger and traced the star pattern on one of the quilt squares. What did she have to lose by telling Jay the whole truth? “I didn’t tell you this before because I was afraid you would think I was crying wolf.”
“Didn’t tell me what?” Jay said.
“Two times in the past three years, I saw a girl who looked like Riley Jo. Once at the county fair, and once on the lake. The sheriff had his deputies searching high and low, and it didn’t lead anywhere. They won’t do that again.”
“Guess you can’t blame them.”
“But this time is different,” Abby insisted. “The phone calls prove it.”
“All the phone calls prove is that someone threatened you.” Jay was quiet for longer than Abby was comfortable. “I think you need to drop this right now.”
“I can’t. Not without finding Ella.”
“Abby, you’re chasing a rainbow.”
“Maybe the sheriff would take me seriously since you witnessed the second call.”
Jay reached over and gently held her wrist. “Look, even if I back up your story about what the caller said, the sheriff won’t just reopen the case; he’ll have to treat it as a kidnapping and get the FBI involved. Is that what you want?”
Abby considered how obvious the FBI presence was before in the search for her father and sister. “That’s the last thing I need. If the caller’s watching me, he’ll know. And if he’s the one who has Ella, he might take her away. Then I’ll never find her.”
“Maybe you’re not supposed to.” Jay rose to his feet, his portfolio tucked under his arm. “You’re in over your head, Abby. You just got a death threat. This guy’s not kidding around.”
“Then help me find out who the Oldham kid is, since he apparently knows something. He might talk to us if I explained the situation.”
“The caller told you to back off.”
“I’ve come this far. I have to know the truth.”
“Even if you end up dead?” Jay exhaled loudly enough to make his point. “I’ve got to go to work. I’ll call you.”
“Can I at least have the last sketch you did?”
Jay shook his head. “There’s no way I’m helping you put yourself in danger.”
“I’m going to find Ella, with or without you.”
“Don’t do this, Abby. Do you want your mother to lose another daughter? I don’t want to lose my best friend.”
“Then help me.”
Jay walked past her and headed up the slope.
Abby sat on the blanket, her cell phone in her sweaty palm, and replayed the last few minutes in her mind. She had never once considered the threat to be real—until now. Jay was right. The caller was no high school kid.
A cold chill made her shudder. She got up and grabbed the quilt and the sacks, her mind spinning out of control.
“Come on …”
The male voice startled her and sent her pulse racing. She turned around, her hand over her pounding heart. “You scared me to death, Jay!”
“I’m not leaving you out here by yourself. I’ll walk you to your car.”
Chapter 14
Abby slipped into her room, the Raleigh County phone book tucked under her arm, and shut the door behind her. She flipped through the white pages and found the residential listings for the last name Oldham. There must have been over a hundred. She didn’t know anyone with that last name except Mr. Oldham the pharmacist, and he was older than Grandpa Buck. Not that she knew what the caller meant by the Oldham kid. Was he talking about a child or a teen or a young adult?
Abby slammed the phone book shut. What good were all these phone numbers without a first name? Why would the anonymous caller make his threat seem less credible by accusing her of confiding in someone she’d never even met? If he was messing with her mind, it was working.
Abby flopped on the bed. She was getting close to something big. She could feel it.
Don’t do this, Abby. Do you want your mother to lose another daughter?
Abby lay on her side and hugged her pillow. She would never want to put Mama through the agony of losing another child.
Lord, I don’t know what to do if Jay won’t help me. My family thinks I’m delusional. I can’t go to the sheriff. But if Ella’s in trouble—whether she’s Riley Jo or not—how can I just walk away?
Abby watched the clock until 9:59, then called Jay’s cell phone and got his voice mail. She hung up and called his work number.
“Tutty’s Barbecue. Randy speakin’.”
“Randy, it’s Abby