Page 60 of Abandoned

“Thank you.” Zara sounded awful even to her own ears. “Clearly my voice needs it.”

She leaned forward and picked up the mug and breathed in the steam. It was entirely too hot to drink, so she set it back down. She emptied the yogurt into the bowl with the blueberries and stirred it all together before devouring it as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

Glancing at the clock on the TV stand, she couldn’t believe it wasn’t even noon. Had Will and AJ noticed she wasn’t at church and come right away? She couldn’t quite get her mind to accept that, but it had to be true.

She took the last bite of yogurt and turned to Will. “When did you realize something was wrong?”

“The third song. You’re never that late.”

“You really didn’t think I ditched?”

“Why would I think that? You said you’d be there. And AJ was expecting to give you the books.”

AJ smiled. “They’re in Will’s truck.”

Zara sat back against the couch. She’d completely underestimated these people and, ultimately, God. After all, He was the One Who’d put them in her life.

A knock sounded on the front door.

Someone in the kitchen said they’d get it.

Who else was going to invade her space? She wasn’t even sure who else was already here.

The woman detective she’d seen a week ago, whose name she was pretty sure was Becca, came into the room, followed by Detective Doug Ramirez.

Doug said, “Hey, Zara.”

She waved, then picked up her tea. Made sense that he would investigate this too since he was the one already on the break-in case. “He was back.”

“So it would seem. Okay if we bring the chairs around from the table?”

She nodded.

AJ came around and sat beside her.

Logan came up behind the couch, and reaching across the back, laid his hand on Zara’s shoulder. “Jared and I are going to get stuff to fix your door. Do you need anything while we’re out?”

She put her hand on his. “I can’t think of anything.”

“Okay. Let me know.” Logan and the tall detective left.

The woman and Doug pulled chairs into the living room and sat across from Zara.

Doug said, “Are you ready to walk through what happened?”

She looked down at the tea. Was she ready to talk about the third-worst thing that had happened to her? “I can try.”

Will wrapped his arm across the back of the couch. “We’re here for you. Take your time.”

She smiled. There he went sounding like a detective again. She began telling them what had happened, starting with coming from her date with Will and noticing the alarm. “I can’t believe I was so stupid to forget to turn the alarm on.”

“I should have reminded you,” Will said.

She blew on the tea and took a sip. The warmth soothed her throat. The inhaler was doing its job too, and breathing was much easier. She went on to recount noticing the AC and lights. As she told them about being grabbed, a shudder shook her body.

Will’s hand settled on her shoulder, anchoring her in the present. With a few more sips of tea, she was able to recount the rest of the details.

A crime scene tech interrupted and asked if she had scratched her attacker.