Abigail: Chapter 34

I parked the van outside Abigail’s house and checked my new phone for messages. Neither of the girls had replied but that wasn’t unusual. It was only when they actually wanted something that they could be relied upon to make contact. Sometimes I didn’t know why they even bothered having mobile phones but the alternative was unthinkable. I liked being able to reach them.

I looked up at Abigail’s house and watched it for a few minutes, as if by just being there I could will some minor miracle to occur and I’d witness something critical to the case. Nothing happened of course, it was all just wishful thinking, so I walked up the path to Abigail’s house, rang the bell and waited. This time the front door was firmly shut but I thought about my promise to Abigail the last time I’d been here. I was still no closer to finding the source of Toby’s debt and if the bailiffs decided the grace period was over, there was nothing I could do to stop them taking Abigail’s stuff.

When Abigail came to the door I was shocked by her appearance. She had bags under her eyes and her hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in a week. She had a stain on the front of her blouse and her trousers were wrinkled. She smiled when she saw me though and it lightened her whole face. “Charlie! It’s so good to see you, come in.”

She led me into the kitchen and offered me a seat. After I’d sat down and she’d made us both a cup of tea I couldn’t ignore the obvious any more. “Is everything okay Abigail? I mean, except the usual. You look like you’ve had a difficult week.” Diplomacy was never my strong suit but I didn’t think it would help to tell her she looked like she’d crawled out of a dustbin.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and yawned. “I’ve not been sleeping very well.” She paused to take a sip of tea then looked at me as if she were considering carefully what to say next. “Do you ever have times when things just feel more difficult than usual?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s not like anything’s different from last week or the week before, but it just feels like I’m pedalling through mud.”

“I guess that’s to be expected. Good days and bad days.”

She nodded. “That’s what my mum said but sometimes it’s just so difficult. I could barely get up this morning.”

“You’re not doing so well?” That had to be the understatement of the year if her appearance was anything to go by.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. You just caught me on a bad day I suppose.” She smiled. “But let’s talk about something else. Any news?”

I knew that was my cue to finally ask her about Barnstaple and Toby’s parents so I took a deep breath and got ready for the fireworks.

“I went back to Barnstaple yesterday, thought I might have a lead, someone who saw Toby last week.” I watched her and saw her eyes widen. “But it was a hoax. I’m sorry Abigail.”

“Oh.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “I just hoped, I don’t know, hoped there’d be something by now.”

“Well there is one thing.” I paused, wondering how much of Ryan’s story I should share with her. “He was there.”

“Toby was?” She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. “My Toby?”

I nodded and smiled to see her face brighten.

“When? How?”

“I don’t know yet. But I’m working on it. Do you know why Toby would go to Barnstaple? Have you got friends there? Family?”

She shook her head. “None that I know of. I’ve been thinking about that ever since the bank statements arrived. All those places, I’ve never heard of any of them.”

“And there’s no chance Toby went there, for work maybe?”

“I’m sure he’d have mentioned it if he did. I mean, he travelled all over the place, but never said anything about Devon. I looked on a map,” she added by way of explanation. She ran her fingers through her hair. “I just can’t believe it. This is incredible!” She got up, came round to my side of the table and gave me a hug. “Thank you so much Charlie.”

“Hold on, we’re not there yet.” I understood her excitement but we were no closer to getting Toby home in time for Christmas and the only people who’d seen him were an old lady with terrible eyesight, a nosy neighbour who’d say anything to get a reaction and the thieving bastard who’d stolen my van and left me alone in the middle of the woods. They were hardly the SAS. 

“I wonder if his parents might know about a family member in Barnstaple?” I said, crossing my fingers.

Abigail didn’t say anything. I held my breath and waited. I had to believe she’d do anything she could to help make that connection. If I could find out why he’d gone to Barnstaple it might be the missing piece I needed to bring him home. I knew the relationship between Abigail and her in-laws was fraught but they all loved Toby. That had to count for something.

“Abigail?” I reached across the table and touched her hand. “Do you think they could help?”

She brushed my hand away and stood up. “Can I get you another cup of tea? Coffee?”

“Forget about the tea. What’s going on?” I didn’t need her permission to go and see them again but I wanted to get to the bottom of their relationship. I needed to know if there was any truth to their allegations, and I wanted to hear in her own words exactly why they felt she was to blame for the move west. If she refused to even acknowledge their existence it was going to make things very difficult.