Pops cleared his throat and gave her the same look she received as a teenager when she’d argued with him. She backed down. Pops could always stay calmer than her.
“We need to wait for Agent Kessler to get here so that we have more help,” Pops said. “Right now, we’re stretched thin because of the fire. That means backup would be hard for any of you and while I’m sure Abigail has a plan that includes going after Mayaand you too, Eric, we need to work this like any other case. It’s hard because there’s family involved.”
“You’re right, Pops,” Maya said.
Family. Her siblings were coming from the same town in Montana. Her brother was in law enforcement. Was there any chance he could be on Abigail’s payroll? Had someone planted that phone? That would be far-fetched, but on the other hand, when it came to Abigail, Maya’s imagination went wild. Nothing was normal with Abigail and she probably loved elaborate plots to show how smart she was. Besides revenge, Abigail always wanted people to know she was the smartest person in the room and would outthink them.
Maya stood and paced for a moment. When she stopped, she said, “Kessler is bringing some other agents with. At least one of them worked with Abigail.”
“I wouldn’t trust them and I’ll lawyer up if they want to talk to me. I’ll trust Kessler because you do, but I won’t deal with anyone else,” Eric said.
“Kessler is a good guy,” Josh spoke up. “I don’t see him helping Abigail in any way.”
“There’s one other thing I need to ask you,” Maya said to Eric.
“What’s that?”
“What about my brother? He and my sister will be arriving soon. What do I need to know?”
“To be honest, I don’t know him that well. When his mother found out about my relationship with your mother and about you, she left. Took both kids with her and made sure it was hard for me to have any part in their lives,” Eric said. “But I can’t believe that Nickwould do anything to compromise his niece. He’s like a father to her. He’s there for her because Isabelle’s ex-husband is, well, like me. That jerk remarried and has barely been a part of Hope’s life.”
Maya could see the regret on his face as the consequences of facing his life choices hit him. “I’m sorry to hear that her dad isn’t a part of her life. That’s hard.” She regretted saying that after it came out, but Maya knew it was true. Pops and Nana were wonderful grandparents and raised her with love, but not having parents was tough. At least Hope had her mother. “There’s something else I need to know.”
“Anything,” Eric said.
Maya could see he was exhausted. Maybe after being on the run and everything he’d done, he was letting down. It was all over for him at least until the next phase of his life started with trials and sitting in a jail cell. “Do Nick and Isabelle know?”
“Know what?”
“About me. Do they know they have a sister?”
Eric stared at her. “I’ve always sworn I would tell you the truth to make up for not being a good father. I don’t know if they know about you or not. I doubt their mother told them and I never did. I think Nick might have figured it out. You’re a spitting image of your mother so when he sees you, he’ll probably wonder. Nick met Zoey once. Isabelle is younger and she may not have put things together.”
Eric paused. Maya didn’t know what to say. How did one introduce oneself as a half sibling? Awkward was an understatement.
“I’m not proud of my affair,” Eric said. “But I loved Zoey. My marriage was over and I know that doesn’t make it right. It’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth. Your mom came along and she was... she was wonderful. Then you arrived and we both loved you. You know the rest of the story.”
Maya noticed Pops scowling. This had to be hard for him to hear too. Having an affair with a married man wasn’t what any parent wanted for their daughter. “Thanks for telling me the truth.”
“You’re welcome,” Eric said. “Now, how far out are those agents? We need to start figuring out a plan to find my granddaughter.”
Chapter Sixteen
Abigail continued to navigate the mountain roads. The small sedan wasn’t the right vehicle for this area. It was meant for higher clearance SUVs. But she had managed to avoid the larger potholes and rocks so far. The route hadn’t been marked four-wheel drive on the map, but she knew that didn’t mean it was well maintained either. Especially in the national forest.
The good thing was she hadn’t seen anyone else. With the fire burning nearby, all emergency resources should be headed to help fight it. She hadn’t run into any roadblocks yet.
Abigail turned off the road into a camping area where she was meeting Jake and Vicki and taking the girl. Abigail already knew her plan. She didn’t love it. Once again, she preferred to not get her hands dirty. But there was no other choice.
She saw the van ahead. Jake sat on the back bumper with the doors open, vodka bottle in hand. Some things never changed. Vicki was sitting in a camping chair drinking out of a glass. While the liquid was clear and one might think it was water, Abigail knew better.
She parked and pulled Lexie’s handgun out of the center console. Abigail checked the magazine andmade sure the weapon was loaded with one in the chamber ready to go. It was a Glock, which worked for Abigail. No safety to click off. Reliable. Overall good guns. Lexie had gone for the large caliber .45 which would work well and put everyone down fast.
She holstered the gun and put the jacket she’d grabbed from Lexie on over the weapon so Jake and Vicki wouldn’t see it. Of course, if they’d had enough vodka, they might not have thought about it anyway. They still thought of Abigail as the cop they owed favors.
Abigail stepped out of the vehicle and approached the couple. “Hello, Jake. Vicki.”
Vicki glared back at her. Jake stood and said, “Hi.”
