“We’re good,” he said more confidently than he felt. He wheeled his Jeep into a parking space and cut the engine. “Let’s go tell Abby your good news.”
Once inside the hospital and checked in with the front desk, Cal followed Jules down the corridor to Abby’s room. He hung back until Jules gave the all clear that Abby was dressed and willing to meet him. When he rounded the doorframe, the sisters were still locked in a tight embrace.
“I’ve missed you, Juju. Your one visit in the last three weeks hasn’t been nearly enough. I know you said you were busy, but sheesh!” Abby said, her cheeks suspiciously damp.
Jules chuckled. “I know. I’m sorry. You’ll understand why in a minute but…three weeks? That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”
“Sixteen days! That’s more than two weeks, so…almost three.” Abby seemed to remember Cal was there, and her expression sobered, appearing wary as she backed out of her hug with Jules. “Hello.”
He gave her his brightest smile and stepped forward to offer a hand to shake. “Hi, Abby.”
Jules made the introductions, referring to Cal simply as “her friend.” He tried not to be disheartened by the generic term, but after her announcement in the car that she was leaving town, what did he really expect? He pushed aside his disappointment in order to focus on Abby.
Jules pointed out the best chair in the room for him, while she sat on the edge of Abby’s bed with her sister, holding Abby’s hand.
“So Cal is the sheriff here in Stark County. I think I told you I’d been working on a project with him?”
Abby sent Cal a timid glance, then nodded to Jules.
“Well, our work has paid off. I have some good news, Ab,” Jules said, angling her body toward her sister. “Chase won’t be bothering you ever again.”
Abby gave her a stark look, then blinked. All color drained from her face, and she visibly trembled. “Wha— Chase?”
Jules tucked a few loose strands of her sister’s hair behind Abby’s ear. “You’re safe, Ab. Chase can’t bother you anymore.”
Cal was struck by the tenderness Jules showed her sister, and recognized the careful way she was broaching the topic of Hamilton’s death. If he needed any more proof that the crustyshell Jules had projected when they first met hid a soft and gooey center, he had only to watch this interaction with her sister.
After processing Jule’s comment for a few seconds, Abby’s eyes widened, and she angled her head. “He’s in jail?”
Jules’s gaze darted to him quickly, as if seeking support before breaking the news to her sister. “He was arrested yesterday. Yes. And then…”
Abby visibly tensed, the same way Jules had whenever she braced for bad news or more discouragement. Jules clearly felt her sister’s reaction, saw it for herself, because she rubbed Abby’s arm and quickly said, “It’s all right, Abby. He— Well, when they were transferring him to the jail, some men involved in drug dealing shot him.”
Cal noticed she didn’t mention the plea deal that Hamilton had cut for his release. Moot point at this stage, he supposed. Or the fact that Hamilton had been killed. She was spooning the information in bite-size bits and monitoring how Abby reacted.
Together, he and Jules watched as Abby digested this latest tidbit. She frowned as if skeptical, then scrunched her nose and tipped her head again. “Shot? Wh-what are you saying?”
“Honey, he’s dead.” Jules put an arm around her sister’s shoulders, and the other hand clung to Abby’s hand as if she feared Abby might fall apart if Jules didn’t hold her together. “Chase was killed by the gunman.”
Chapter 32
Abby blinked hard, shaking her head and frowning. “Dead? I didn’t want himkilled. I never wanted…” Then she squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled as if releasing a long-held breath from her very core. “He’s really gone? He can’t bother me anymore?”
“I know this stirs up a whole bunch of mixed feelings,” Jules said, pulling Abby’s head down to her shoulder and resting her own cheek on Abby’s head. “I’ve been going through the same weird roller coaster since Cal told me.”
Abby suddenly bolted upright, her face pale. “Wait a minute.” Her attention shot to Cal. “She said you’re the sheriffhere? In Stark County?”
Cal gave a slow nod. “I am.”
Abby scowled at Jules. “Was Chase the project you were working on with him?”
Jules opened and closed her mouth as if unsure what to say. Her silence was answer enough for Abby.
“So Chase was here? In Red Grove? And you knew it? For how long? Why didn’t you tell me?” Abby’s breathing grew fast and shallow, and Jules took both of her hands and gave them a little shake.
“Abby, honey, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But the important thing is he can’t hurt you anymore. Haven’t I always promised to take care of you, to protect you?”
“But he washere! He could have—”
