AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Focus on good memories.That was the answer. Like a date with Harris before they were engaged. That sometimes, but not always, could drag her mind to another place. To a safer one where her heartbeat didn’t whoosh in her ears.
She loved Center City Philadelphia and used to convince Harris to come in for an activity or meal every weekend before they had Nathan. An outdoor concert or movie. The museum. An art show.
Parenthood decreased her downtime to almost zero. The incident eleven months ago stole the rest.
The plan today was to get in and out. She’d just called Josh and asked him to come down for coffee at the place a few doors away from his office building. That saved her from having to talk to a bunch of people or maneuver her way on an elevator. The idea of being trapped in a little box did nothing to calm her jumping nerves.
She crossed the street and glanced up at the glass entry doors to the building. People passed her on the sidewalk. More than one helpfully reminded her that she could stand somewhere else.
The one thing she loved about Philadelphia was the waypeople just said what they were thinking. No filter. The other thing was the colorful and inventive ways they told you that you were an asshole for being in the way.
She inched away from the street and wound her way across competing lines of pedestrian traffic. Having her back against a solid wall would give her a sense of control, so she wanted to get there. She tried to slow her breathing. A man slammed into her shoulder, knocking her sideways. She glared at the back of his head for a few seconds before turning around again.
A woman walked toward her. An off-white coat cinched at her waist. Tall and sure. Pretty and dressed to impress.
The same redhead.
“Hey!” Elisa pushed past the couple in front of her, trying to get to the woman. Just as she broke free of the people marching around her, the redhead took a sharp turn. She pushed inside Josh’s building and kept moving. Elisa picked up the pace, determined to follow the unknown woman who kept showing up.
She ran right into Josh. She put up her hands or she would have slammed into his chest. Seeing him ranked second in the surprises that had greeted her so far.
Half out of breath and squirming to get a better view, she looked around his shoulders. “Did you see that woman?”
It was a ridiculous question. Men and women mingled everywhere. The streets were filled with people, some in business attire and others in comfortable clothes. None of them was therightredhead.
“Elisa? What are you doing here?” But he didn’t wait for an answer. He took her arm in a gentle hold and pulled her awayfrom the main traffic area of the sidewalk. They moved until they could turn a corner and get out of the fray.
She drew in a big breath when she finally leaned against a wall. “Who was that redhead?”
His concerned frown deepened. “Who are you talking about?”
“She was right there.” She peeked over his shoulder one more time, but it didn’t help. The redhead was long gone. “You passed her in the doorway to your building.”
Right?He had to have passed her. She went in. He came out. They worked together, or at least in the same building. The idea made sense a second ago. Now it sounded ridiculous as she thought it all through.
He rested a hand on the wall by her head. “Elisa, I’m really worried about you.”
No... this wasn’t about her. She was there about Abby... then this redhead...
His voice droned on. “You rarely leave the house. You’ve become paranoid. You finally ventured a bit out of the tight area you’ve confined yourself to and it’s to come see me? That doesn’t make sense.”
His words finally penetrated the mental fog billowing up around her. “No. That’s not—”
“Rather than concentrating on getting better you’re obsessing about me.” His voice stayed low, almost soothing. “Conjuring up conspiracies and apparently seeing things.”
None of that was true. She wouldn’t let it be true. The street started to spin around her. She shifted her head to the side and dizziness whirled through her.
Somehow, she managed to get words out. “I am trying to find Abby.”
No... wait. That’s not why she came today. She was there to talk about their fight. Then the redhead appeared.
“Abby is gone, Elisa,” Josh said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Dead. Missing. Kidnapped. Hurt. All of those remained possibilities and no one had come up with a reason for her to think otherwise.
“Look, I know what it’s like to have a huge, life-altering shock.” His words didn’t match his concerned and caring tone.
Why did the buildings keep jumping? She had to close her eyes to keep the rolling sensation from moving through her.
