Winter's Edge

Chapter 69 - Present

Abby

AFTER lunch, I was feeling better and starting to get my strength back, so I returned to my quarters for the first time in days. As I opened my door, my heart sank.

On the wall just inside the door hung a huge drawing made up of smaller drawings on several pieces of paper. It was my favorite inscription—the one on the amphitheater floor. A majestic Tree of Life took up most of the drawing. Three rows of flowers circled on top of the outside edges of the tree. Each flower had its own piece of paper. At the bottom right, it was signed Ian Sharp. He'd drawn it for my birthday gift.

I stood for a moment, taking it all in, my heart breaking into a million pieces. My insides felt like someone was running them through a meat grinder.

Then suddenly, something snapped inside of me. I rushed the drawings, clawing at them, ripping them from the wall. Several pulled free and dropped to the ground before I broke into tears and fell to my knees, sobbing.

The drawings were just a reminder that I'd never see him again.

***

It wasn't long before a knock came at my door. I wiped my eyes and face, then picked myself up from the floor. When I opened the door, Lena stood there.

Her expression quickly shifted to pain. "I'm sorry, Abby." She hugged me. "I was coming to take these down before you saw them."

I held back more tears that threatened to spill out. "It's okay."

Lena shut the door behind her. "When we found out what happened with Ian, we figured it wouldn't be good if you walked in on this. I'm so sorry. I should've been quicker about it."

"Really, it's okay."

"It was his birthday gift to you." Lena looked into my eyes, a sadness of her own reflected back at me. "I can't believe he'd do this."

Pressure sprang up in my temples. "You think he's guilty too?" My tone was harsher than it should've been.

Lena shrugged, a sheepish look in her eyes.

I looked away, frustrated. "Geez, is there anyone here who thinks he didn't do it?"

"Part of me wants to believe that." Her French accent grew thicker now that I'd called her out. She walked to the living room and sat in a recliner while I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "The other part of me says anyone can be a pawn for the Hunters. Maybe they recruited him before he came to Winter's Edge?"

"That's not what happened." It irritated me that she'd even say that, but I let it go. She didn't know him the way I did. "Ian had nothing to do with it." I sulked, crossing the room, and sank into the couch.

"I hope you're wrong," she said. "But if you're right, dead bodies are going to start showing up again."

"That's why I'm gonna need some help."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

"Catching a killer."

Lena shook her head in disappointment. "If you search for months and months and find nothing, then will you believe Ian was the killer?"

"Look, I just need help, okay?" I wasn't usually that brash, but it was really starting to get to me that no one believed Ian was innocent.

Lena was taken aback for a moment, but she seemed to let it go. "Okay. I'll help you."

We stood at the same time, Lena about to head to the door.

"Everything's going to be okay, Abby." She hugged me. "When do we start?"

I leveled a serious gaze on her. "Tonight."

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