Eye of the Abductor by Elaine Meece Read Free Book Online Page B

Dillon
spewed.
    “Oh, Brance,” his mother whispered
on a sigh.
    "Hell, here we go
again," Colby stated. His wife watched with amusement.
    “You owe Carla and Dillon an
apology,” his dad demanded, giving him the look again.
    “I don’t owe either of them shit.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever tell them I’m sorry.” Brance stood
and placed one hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Thanks for dinner.”
    Driving home, he thought about his
dad. Lately he sensed the distance between them growing. He didn’t understand
it. Nor did he know how to change it.
    Brance pulled into the complex
parking lot. A dark figure moved around Allison’s car. His lights spotlighted
the area, and the person ran.
    Brance shifted into park, hopped
out, and chased the silhouetted figure. After rounding the back corner of the
complex, he didn’t see anyone and decided to give it up.
    He returned to Allison's car. Her
trunk and the front door on the passenger's side had been pried open. The mats
had been ripped out, and the glove box hung open with the contents scattered
about.
    After parking his car, he hurried
to Allison’s door and knocked. She opened it. Her long hair covered her
shoulders. Even without makeup, she glowed with a natural beauty.
    “Allison, someone broke into your
car.”
    Rather than respond, she appeared
cautious. “Why would anyone want to steal my car? It’s junk.”
    “It appears he was looking for
something. You got the two-hundred fifty million dollar lottery ticket hidden
in that car?”
    Rather than smile, her expression
grew even more guarded.
    “I think you should report it,”
Brance advised.
    “No. There’s nothing in my car
worth stealing. Let me slip on my shoes, and I’ll be right out.”
    Her reaction hadn't been what he'd
expected. He walked back to her car and fiddled with the busted trunk latch.
When she joined him, he glanced up. “Trunk won’t close. I can secure it down
until you contact your insurance company.”
    “I only carry liability." She
stopped beside him and stared at her belongings strewed on the ground.
    “I wish you'd file a police
report.”
    “Absolutely not.” She picked up
what items had been thrown on the floorboard and placed them back in the glove
box. Then she closed the passenger door and walked around to where he stood.
“Nothing is missing. There isn't anything the police can do. Is there?”
    He shook his head. By her worried
expression, he figured there was something she wasn’t telling him, something
she considered none of his business. Her decision not to involve the police
probably stemmed from a deep-seeded fear. Why was Allison afraid of the police?
And what did she have that someone would go so far as to break into her car
for?
    ***
    Allison tried to hide her concern
from Brance. But terror boiled beneath the surface like a geyser waiting to
blow. The possibilities caused her pulse to quicken. Who knew she was back? Was
it Escobar?
    She reminded herself the burglary
could’ve been random. Then she remembered her experience after choir practice
and the mysterious phone call.
    Stop it. You can’t keep doing
this without driving yourself insane. Don’t let paranoia rule your life.
    The events could have been random
and coincidental. For now, that’s how she’d look at it. But she’d definitely
glance over her shoulder more often.

Chapter Four
    Though Allison had been concerned
about the vandalism to her car, it hadn’t stopped her from driving over to
Little Pal's Daycare the next morning.
    Nathan had spent most of his
recess on a painted metal car anchored to the ground. He turned the steering
wheel round and round, pretending to drive. She worried he’d catch a cold
because he removed his jacket. The sheer joy of seeing Nathan made her giddy
and lightheaded.
    No sooner than she walked into her
apartment and tossed her purse on the table, the phone rang. She made a dash
for the receiver. “Hello.”
    “Okay girl, you really need a