AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Creed chuckled. “Yeah, I got that when he told me.”
Dave nodded, picked up his glasses, and Creed knew he’d been dismissed. He returned to his desk and continued looking through files.
A few minutes later, he looked up to see Doyle entering the office. He shook his head and chuckled as Doyle sat at the desk he’d been assigned to. When he looked at Creed, he smirked.
“Sorry.”
“Hey, it’s alright. Rough night?”
“Damn people running in and out all damn night. It’s a nice motel but what’s with people? Don’t they sleep?”
“I have a spare bedroom if you want it.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m fine. I don’t want to impose.”
“It’s no imposition. I have plenty of room. Besides, who knows how long this case will take? Do you want to stay in the motel for who knows how long?”
“If you’re sure it’s not a problem.”
“The only problem would be if you don’t like dogs.”
“I happen to love dogs. I have three myself. My brother’s taking care of them while I’m here.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll follow you to the motel tonight so you can pack and check out, then you can follow me home.”
“Thanks, Creed. I do appreciate it.”
Creed nodded and got back to work. He hadn’t had a good night either. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Abbie and the pain in her eyes. He sighed, knowing he needed to apologize to her, but he wanted this case solved before he did because he knew it would just happen again. As long as this case was unsolved, he’d never let it rest.
****
Abbie stood next to the doctor while he stitched up a young boy’s hand. She did her best to soothe him, but he was screaming so loudly that she was sure everyone in town could hear him. Usually, this kind of thing didn’t bother her, but today she was running on no sleep. After Creed left on Saturday night, she cried all night and into the next day. Her eyes felt like they were filled with sand and her head throbbed nonstop. She just wanted this day to be over so she could go home and wallow in her sadness. She missed Creed terribly.
At lunchtime, Abbie sat in the busy cafeteria, trying to eat her salad even though it didn’t appeal to her. Even though she didn’t feel hungry, she knew she needed to eat for energy. The emergency department was especially crowded today because of the flu outbreak, and Abbie hoped she wouldn’t catch it since it was particularly severe this year.
Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her scrubs, and she pulled it out to see Lorna’s name on the screen. With a heavy sigh, she answered.
“Abbie, I’ve been calling and texting you all weekend. What’s going on?” Lorna asked.
Abbie explained about Creed and when she finished, there was silence on the other end of the line.
“Lorna?”
“You told him he was... obsessed with the case?” Lorna’s voice was filled with disbelief.
“Well, he is,” Abbie snapped.
“Abilene Grace Wells, what is wrong with you? Of course, he’s obsessed. They finally have the name of the man who shot them and killed my husband,” Lorna snapped back. “Eli is obsessed too. They’ve been waiting three years to find out who this person is, and now that they know, they need to find him and get justice.”
Abbie let out a heavy sigh. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. It’s just that ever since he started working on this case, I hardly hear from him.”
“This is not about you, Abbie,” Lorna growled. “For one thing, I’m glad they’re so dedicated to this. I don’t care if Eli doesn’t see me for days; I know why and I am proud of him for going to such great lengths to bring that man in. He didn’t just kill Mac; he was planning to kill them all. Luckily, Creed called for backup just in time. Hopefully, when they catch that prick, he’ll get the death penalty.”
Abbie let out an exasperated huff. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m such a drama queen.” She smiled when she heard Lorna snort out a laugh.
“You said it, I didn’t.”
Abbie laughed despite herself. “Some friend you are. You’re supposed to say, no, you’re not.”
