Not by Sight A Novel

CHAPTER 18

Abby was pushed and prodded along the muddy path by the man whose voice she knew but whose face she still had not seen. Was he the man she had glimpsed that day at Murchison’s? He had very convincingly threatened to butcher her and feed her to his pigs unless she did exactly as he told her.

“I seen that Oldham kid come up here,” the man said, “but I lost sight of him. What’s he want?”

“I’m not sure,” Abby said. “I hid in the bed of his truck when he drove up here. I was following him when you grabbed me.”

“How about you venture a guess?” He gave her a persuasive shove.

“I think he might be looking for you. He had some questions.” Did this guy know Jay had come for Ella?

“Little ol’ J.D. finally wants to talk, does he? Took him long enough.”

Abby wondered why he sounded amused, but she was afraid to ask. “Where are you taking me?”

“This is your own doin’. You and that Oldham kid shouldn’t have gone snoopin’ into things that ain’t your concern. I warned you what would happen if you kept it up.”

“I haven’t talked to anyone else about the girl—neither has Jay.”

“Don’t matter. You ain’t gonna stop till you git what you come for. And I ain’t lettin’ that happen.”

“Then you know Ella’s my sister.”

“Hogwash! She’s my kin. Born to my late wife, Ella Jane. I was right there when the kid took her first breath and started wailin’. I don’t know what you think you know, missy, but you’re way off.”

“Show me her birth certificate,” Abby said. “And I promise I’ll never bother you again.”

“Oh, you ain’t never gonna bother me again.” The man laughed. “She’s my kin, but I ain’t obliged to show you nothin’. Keep walkin’.”

“Why don’t you just call the sheriff and report me? Get a restraining order or something?” She knew why.

“The law don’t count for nothin’ out here. I make the rules. I already tried restrainin’ you. Now I’m shuttin’ you up my way.”

Abby’s gaze flitted around the woods. She wanted to flee, but to where? The woods were ominous and dense and unfamiliar. He had the advantage. If she tried to escape and failed, she might end up as pig feed.

“You have to know it’s not right to just take someone’s child,” Abby said softly, hoping not to provoke him. “If you give her back to us willingly, Mama would be so grateful that I’m sure the sheriff would go easy on you.”

There was that irritating laugh again.

Abby wanted to slap him. “You think this is funny? Do you have any idea how torn up my family’s been since my daddy and sister disappeared?”

“Don’t know what Jimmy Dale Oldham’s been fillin’ your head with,” said the gruff voice behind her, “but I didn’t take nobody’s kid. And he’s the one who shot and killed a man.”

“Well, that man was my daddy! And the little girl is my sister!” Abby started to cry. “You had no right to take her!”

“I told you, I seen Ella come into the world. And I don’t know nothin’ about your kin disappearin’.”

“Then why are you treating me like this? What are you afraid of?”

“I ain’t afraid.”

“You should be,” Abby said. “You can’t prove Ella is yours—because she isn’t. Jay told me about the accidental shooting that happened up here five years ago. The timing fits. You’re not her real—”

Abby felt a powerful blow on the back of her head that collapsed her knees and sent her falling … falling … falling … into a swirling gray vacuum. She was vaguely aware of her shoulder hitting something hard and the strong smell of wet earth … and then nothing.



Virgil sat at the desk in his office and glanced out the window, watching a pair of mourning doves in one of three red maples that graced the grounds in front of the Raleigh County Courthouse. The sun had moved to the western sky, hidden behind a billowy, gold-rimmed thunderhead. One of his deputies strolled across the grounds, hand in hand with his fiancée. Made Virgil wish he was home with Jill Beth instead of getting ready to drive up the mountain to deliver the dental forensics findings to Kate Cummings.

He heard a knock on the door and turned in time to see Chief Deputy Kevin Mann walk in.

“I suppose you saw the DF findings on the skull we found?” Virgil said.

Kevin nodded. “Just did. Can’t believe it’s back already. Not sure whether it would’ve been any easier if it’d gone the other way.”

“Me neither. It is what it is. I’m about to head up yonder and tell Kate in person. I owe her that. Then I’ll call it a day.”

“All right,” Kevin said. “I’m fixin’ to run out to the mass grave on my way home and see how the investigation’s coming. I won’t be hanging around long. Jenny’s panfrying some of my white river trout for dinner. Been thinking about it all afternoon.”

Virgil chuckled. “I know the feeling. Jill Beth’s got a spicy meatloaf in the oven. I’ve had a hankering for it ever since she told me. See you tomorrow.”

Kevin left the office.

Virgil stood and picked up the DF report, then set it down. Would it soften the blow if Kate read the report for herself? He decided it wouldn’t.

He turned out the light and walked down the long, shiny hallway and out the side door. He crossed the street to the parking lot, glad that he had long ago opted to wear the navy department uniform every day instead of a suit and tie. Some of the other county sheriffs thought it would diminish the office if they dressed like the deputies, but he hadn’t found that to be the case at all. And opting for a short-sleeved uniform shirt in this hot weather made sense.

He slid in behind the wheel of his squad car, started the engine, and pulled onto Commerce, then turned right on Main Street, glancing up at the white clock on the red-brick courthouse: 5:45. Kate had probably quit working by now. He didn’t know whether this was the news she was hoping for, but it was what he’d been given. He just wanted it over with.



Kate heard the doorbell ring. “I’ll get it!”

She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and walked out to the living room and opened the door, surprised to see the sheriff standing there holding his Stetson, looking even taller than his six feet three inches.

“Virgil,” she said, feeling the muscles in her gut tighten. “Come in.”

Virgil stepped inside and glanced over at Halo curled up on the hearth of the giant stone fireplace that took up one entire wall.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Kate said.

“Wouldn’t mind some water.”

“I’ve got spring water. Come out to the kitchen. We can talk there.”

Kate led the way into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, filled a glass with spring water Hawk had brought home from Rocky Springs Park, and handed it to Virgil. “No ice. Right?”

“Right.” He took a big gulp. “This is great. Thanks.”

“Do I need to call the family together for this?” Kate said.

“Not really. Mind if I sit?”

“Of course not.”

Kate followed Virgil to the table and sat facing him, her fingers laced together, her heart racing in anticipation.

Virgil cleared his throat. “We’ve already got the report back from dental forensics. Apparently their finding was obvious, almost from the get-go.” Virgil paused. “Kate … the skull wasn’t Micah’s.”

Kate clamped her eyes shut and brought her fist to her mouth. “Are they sure?”

“Absolutely sure. Didn’t come close to a match. No chance it could be wrong.”

She opened her eyes and looked over at Virgil. “What about DNA?”

“They’re still working on that. Lots of bones to test from both scenes. That’ll take a lot longer. We’re not done digging and may not know anything for months. But, based on Micah’s dental records, the skull we found at the first scene could not have been his.”

“So he could still be alive.” Kate wiped a tear off her cheek.

“There’s always that hope. But we have at least six adult skulls from the mass grave we need to compare his dental records with.”

Kate sat for a moment, realizing that, as relieved as she was, she was right back where she had been for the past five years. “I just want the truth, Virgil, whatever it is. My children need to move on. So do I.”

Virgil nodded. “The mass grave was a huge discovery. It may be the key to solving this thing. We just don’t know yet. And we might not know for a long time. We just have to keep going.”

“Going where? My entire life is on hold.” Kate felt her cheeks get hot. “Elliot Stafford has asked me out a few times—just as friends. I would actually enjoy that. But I don’t feel comfortable even entertaining the idea.”

“I know. No one would fault you for it, though.”

“But I would.” Kate dabbed her eyes. “I need closure first. In my heart of hearts, I doubt Micah and Riley Jo are alive. I’ve grieved losing them until it’s made me sick. I just want an end to the question mark—one way or the other.”



Abby was in a tug-of-war between sleep and wakefulness, aware of a throbbing pain in the back of her head. Where was she? She lay on her side and groped the area around her. Dirt.

She opened her eyes to a dimly lit pit. Fear seized her. She remembered being hit from behind and passing out. She reached to the back of her head and touched the aching spot.

“Ouch!”

Her hand was wet and sticky. Blood!

Abby shivered so hard her teeth were chattering. She wished she had on her sweats instead of just jeans and a T-shirt. She sat up, her muscles sore, and hugged herself to keep warm.

Was this her captor’s idea of a meat locker? Was he going to butcher her and feed her to the pigs as he had threatened? She started to cry. Lord, I’m scared. Help me.

Her eyes adjusted to what little light there was, and she saw a trapdoor overhead—with a small metal grate for a window. She stood on her tiptoes and pushed on it, but it was securely in place. She peeked through it and saw what appeared to be rustic metal shelves filled with canning jars. A single lightbulb burned overhead, but the wattage was so low she couldn’t tell anything else about the room.

She sat against one wall, hugging her knees, lamenting her decision to hide in the bed of Jay’s truck. He didn’t know she had come up here. And neither would anyone else.

Abby heard a door open above. Her heart nearly pounded out of her chest. She curled up in a fetal position and didn’t move. Or breathe.

“You awake down there, girlie?” said the man.

Abby didn’t answer, but she was trembling. Surely he noticed.

“Don’t matter. You ain’t gonna be around long. How’s it feel to lay your head on the ground where your daddy was? I put him down there after J.D. shot him—to preserve his body till I was ready to make good use of it.”

Abby’s tears fell onto the ground. Unless she made it out, her mother would never know what had happened to her either—or that Ella was Riley Jo.

The man laughed. “Soon as I find J.D., I’ll make you both disappear. Them pigs is gonna be mighty happy.”

“Wait!” Abby sat up and held her gaze on the silhouette of the bearded man, who knelt next to the grate. He appeared to be the same man she had seen at Murchison’s. “When Jay was twelve, he shot my father by accident. That’s when you found my sister and decided to raise her, right? You named her Ella. You and your wife also have twin boys—about three years old. One of them’s named Ronny.”

The man wore a stony expression and was quiet for a few moments. “You’re too smart for your own good. Shoulda left well enough alone.”

“Just tell me what happened,” Abby said. “You’re going to kill me anyway. Let me die knowing the truth.”

“Not unless you tell me where J.D. is.”

“I don’t know. Honest. I hid in the back of his truck. I knew he was coming up here. I tried to follow him but lost sight of him when you grabbed me. I’ve got no reason to lie about it.”

“Who else knows you were comin’ here?”

“No one.” The instant she said it, she wished she hadn’t. “Okay, that’s not true. Lots of people know where I am. My whole family does. And my friends. They’ll have the entire sheriff’s department coming up here any minute.”

The man grinned. “You’re a lousy liar. And J.D. won’t tell nobody as long as he believes he killed your daddy. That’ll give me time to round him up so I can git rid o’ the both o’ you.”

Abby stood just as the man started to walk away. “What do you mean as long as he believes he killed Daddy? Jay shot him by accident. He told me all about it.”

The man laughed and opened a door. “No one’s ever gonna know nothin’ about it once the two o’ you up and vanish—like your daddy and sis.”