Hearts Through Time

TEN

Abigail awoke suddenly, horrible memories crowding her mind. She'd gone to sleep thinking of the day she was killed and the events that happened right before.

Groaning, she rubbed her forehead. She remembered that day well—as if it had just barely happened. She'd stayed in her bedroom most of the morning, turning away visitors and friends. Even her maid wasn't her cheerful self. Now Abigail suspected she knew why, since Lily had probably been her father's secret mistress.

After a late lunch, Abigail had taken a walk and ended up at the newspaper office. Her father's best friend, Harry, had tried to cheer her up, but it hadn't worked. She had locked herself in her father's office and sat in his chair, pondering her seemingly bleak future. That's when her uncle Alexander came to see her, demanding that she make him her legal guardian so he could assist her with her inheritance. Once again, he'd threatened to prove her unfit or insane, just so he would get her father's money. Her uncle had picked the wrong time to broach that subject, so Abigail had Harry throw him out just like he'd done when her uncle had come to visit her earlier that week.

She had been so exhausted after her uncle left that she'd fallen asleep at her father's desk. When she awoke, it was dark. She thought about turning on a light, but her throbbing headache made her think better of it. Suddenly, the floor creaked and Abigail heard the click of a pistol. The last thing she had smelt was the pungent odor of gunpowder.

Then a dream took over, not having anything to do with her murder. Instead, the light in her father's office turned on, and Nick swept her in his arms and carried her out of the room. He kissed her so deeply, it made her heart sing. He told her he'd been waiting for a woman like her all of his life. He said he loved her and always wanted to be with her.

Abigail smiled as she stretched her arms above her head. How she prayed that dream about Nick would come true. More than anything, she wanted to be held by him, to be in his arms forever. Indeed, she had been waiting for a man like him for a long time.

She glanced at the digital clock someone had left in the room a few years back, and it read six-thirty pm. But it wasn't Monday as she'd thought. It's Tuesday!

She shrieked and rushed out of the attic. Nick was going to see Cassandra Brown today. Had he left already? When she reached his brightly lit office, she sighed and hurried inside.

Nick was just slipping on his pinstriped gray suit jacket, and he spun to face her. "Oh, thank goodness you're here! Where have you been?"

At least he seemed relieved to see her, and the expression in his eyes told her that he missed her, too. "Please forgive me, Nick. I fell asleep and lost track of time."

He stepped closer, stopping only inches in front of her. "My dear, you slept almost forty-eight hours."

She shrugged. "I know. Sometimes that happens."

"Well, I'm on my way to see Cassandra Brown. Do you want to come?"

"Oh, yes! I hoped I hadn't missed it."

He turned out the light and locked the door. They hurried to his convertible, and Abigail kept in step beside him the whole way. Although Nick was a tall man, she managed to match his stride. Maybe she was more excited about meeting Cassandra than she cared to admit.

On the drive to the nursing home, Abigail told Nick all she could remember about the day she was murdered. She didn't dare mention anything about her dream about him. Even if she were brazen enough to tell him, it wouldn't come true. How could it?

"I didn't remember anything out of the ordinary. Everything happened just as I'd told you."

"What about smells? When you awoke in the dark room and heard someone, did you smell anything?" Nick asked. "Was the person wearing cologne or perfume? Did the person smell like printer's ink?"