The Hollow by Jessica Verday Read Free Book Online Page B

front porch. Usually I would have just followed Kristen right in, but things were… different now. So I waited.
    Kristen's mom opened the door, and a wide smile split her face when she saw it was me. "Abbey, come on in. You don't have to knock. I thought it was the mailman."
    I grinned back and stepped into the familiar hallway, trying very hard not to think about the last time I had been here.
    "Hey, Mrs. M., I just wanted to stop in and say hi. With school starting and all this week, I've been kind of… busy," I finished lamely.
    Well, something like that. Sad, overwhelmed, upset, hurt. Busy? Same difference.
    She waved me into the living room and sat down on a small baby blue couch while I chose a nearby pink and green flowered armchair.
    "So how's junior year going so far?" she asked me, leaning forward slightly. "They say that junior year is when you get all of the hard work out of the way so you can enjoy your senior year."
    I forced a fake laugh. "I don't doubt it. Lots of hard work this year, that's true. It's going to be a tough one."
    "It sure is," she said softly, folding her hands together and resting them in her lap. "I know Kristen-" Her voice broke on the name, but she kept speaking. "Well, she was really looking forward to this year. She couldn't wait for prom, and to start looking at colleges."
    Leaning closer to her, I patted one arm. "I know she was, Mrs. M. I know." I tried to think of something else to talk about. This was not going very well.
    "She should be here, Abbey, with you." Her sudden exclamation echoed my thoughts from earlier in the week. "Starting school. Doing homework. Making plans for the weekend. Not… this." She looked around the room helplessly. "Now it's just an empty house."
    "What if she's still out there?" I asked her, just as suddenly. "Why did you give up so soon?" I knew I shouldn't say those things, but I couldn't stop myself. The filter between my brain and my mouth had spontaneously erupted.
    She looked at me sadly. "You know she's not out there, Abbey. You know what they found." She couldn't say it, but I knew what she was talking about.
    "The cops should have done more," I said angrily. "I've seen how these things work on Law and Order. They don't give up so easily, and they bring in other agencies. What about the FBI? Why weren't they called in? They would have done something. Just because she's missing doesn't mean she's dead."
    "It's not like this is the first time it's happened," she refuted. "When that old man fell in last year, his body didn't wash up for six months."
    "I know. It's just…" I sighed and shook my head.
    "Since there was no ransom note, no evidence of a kidnap-"
    "What about the blood?" I interrupted. "It could have meant someone hurt her."
    This time it was her turn to shake her head. "The police know what they're doing, Abbey. They said the small amount of… blood… on that rock was consistent with someone hittina their head and falling in. You know that already."
    "Yeah, well, I still think they should be looking harder. Like the cops on TV."
    "Life's not a television show." She sighed wearily before standing up from the couch. "Do you want some ice cream? I think I need some double mint fudge right about now." I nodded, and she left the room momentarily, before returning with a large carton and two spoons.
    We passed the tub of ice cream back and forth several times before she spoke again.
    "I didn't want to give up on her, Abbey," she said plainly. "But we needed some type of closure. With Thomas it was different. This time we just needed to have some type of an end to it all. Do you understand that?"
    I didn't understand. But I did wish with all my heart that the sadness could go away for her as easily as that ice cream did.

Chapter Five
    Choices

    Over a deep black part of the stream, not far from the church, was formerly thrown a wooden bridge… This was one of the favorite haunts of the Headless Horseman…
    "The Legend of Sleepy