"Yes. Didn't she tell you?"
"I'll call you back later, Sally."
"You didn't answer—", Sally was saying, but Abra did not have enough patience to listen to what she had to say; she ended the call with Sally and called her mother. "Hello mum."
"Hello dear. How are you?"
Abra wanted to shout at her mom and tell her to stop the act, but she was able to keep calm. "Where are you, mom?"
"Uhm—"
"Mum, don't lie to me. Where are you?"
"I traveled for a vacation. I'm in New York."
"Mum, I feel like you're keeping a lot of things from me these days, and it's not a nice thing to do."
"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, Abra. I just needed a break from a lot of things. I didn't want to think about how you'd be handling the case or how you would be able to stay alive. How are you?"
"I'm fine, mom, and you?"
"I'm okay. How is—"
"We will talk later, mom."
Abra rushed over to Sheriff Barry's office, and again, Charles was there. Their eyes met, and Abra felt like melting to the ground, but she was able to stand strong. It was evident in Charles' eyes that he was still thinking about Abra's reaction the previous night. As she came in, he left without saying a word.
"So, you are sharing your office with your son?", Abra asked Sheriff Barry.
"You don't have to sound so sarcastic. Charles is a reporter, so he fills me in on news; that's why he comes here sometimes."
"And other times he just comes here to chill", Abra added.
"Are you two having something going on?"
"No. Why?"
"Nothing. It's better you two don't have anything to do with each other."
Abra did not bother asking what Sheriff Barry meant by that; instead, she sat down. "So what's the bad news you wanted to tell me?"
"Someone was killed in the early hours of the morning."
"Who?"Sheriff Barry removed a picture from his coat and gave it to Abra. Abra looked at it and recognized the face immediately. It was the pale guy who was attacked by the gang. The one she tried to save but got hit in the head. "I know this guy."
"You do?"
Abra went ahead to tell Sheriff Barry what had happened, including some leads and clues she had found. "It was around the estate that they found his body. I wonder how that is possible because I made sure the security was tighter than before, just like you suggested."
"What's his name?"
"Carlos."
Sheriff Batty looked very stressed. Who wouldn't be anyway? The deaths were becoming more and more disturbing as the days passed by.
Abra was in deep thought. She had seen the note, 'You could be next, with Carlos. Could it have been given to him by one of the guys who beat him up? Is this writing done by different people and not just one person? Could it have been the whole gang causing these deaths all along? If Carlos had received the note earlier and got killed today, did that mean her end was near?
"As the Sheriff, I will hold a burial for all the people who lost their lives in this City on Sunday. What do you think about that?"
"I think it's a good idea", Abra said. They talked for a while, and Abra asked for something that would help her solve the case—
After they talked a bit and Abra was done with her mission, she left for Magdalene's house, her mother's friend's house. She knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, it was opened by Magdalene herself. Magdalene had a pistol in her hand, ready to attack. But Abra was unafraid. She walked into the house. "What is that for?", she asked referring to Magdalene's pistol.
"Oh, I'm sorry", Magdalene apologized as she locked the door and put away the pistol. "With all the scary stories I've been hearing, I have to protect myself. Would you like some chocolate tea?"
"No thank you; I just need to talk to you for a bit."
Magdalene took a seat opposite Abra, who had already made herself comfortable. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Do you perhaps know where my mom is?"
"She's in New York. Didn't she tell you that?"
"That's what you both want me to believe, but I know you guys are lying.""
Why would we purposely lie?", Magdalene asked, keeping a blank face, one that was very hard to read.
"Each time I come to your house, the first thing you ask about is my mother, but you didn't ask today. So you know how she's doing. Meaning you know where she is."
"You aren't making any sense. I know she's fine because I phoned her this morning, and I just told you where she is."
Abra was tired of the whole back-and-forth argument. It was not helping that Magdalene was a good liar.Abra got up and walked straight to Magdalene's puppy, and without warning, she picked it up and took out a pocket knife from her bag. "Tell me where my mom is right now, or your stupid puppy is gone."
"You wouldn't dare", Magdalene said, getting up, but Abra put the knife on the dog's throat. "One step forward, and your dog will be with its creator."
"Look—"
"Tell me where my mom is! No, no, I've changed my mind. I want you to call my mom right now and put it on loud speaker. Don't say I'm here, and don't try to play smart, or your puppy will die. I am not joking about it at all."
The little puppy looked at Magdalene with its cute eyes, and her heart melted. She could not help but do what she was instructed to do. Magdalene has always been a dog lover, but this particular dog was her all-time favorite, and she could not bear losing the dog.
"Hello Maggie. Thank you so much for your advice. Lawson is so good in bed. The sex I got is the best I've ever gotten."
"Uhm, that's nice."
"Is anything the matter?"
Magdalene looked up at Abra, who still had a knife to the poor puppy's throat. "Nothing. Enjoy yourself."
"I will, Maggie. Before I forget to tell you, I have to tell you this juicy information now. Lawson is such a sweet guy. He wants to take me to the Fernando Suite this evening. I'm so excited."
"That's sweet. I'll talk to you later, Maggie."
Abra walked over without warning and smashed Magdalene's phone on the ground, then went ahead to step on it until it went blank."What the—"
"Here's the money to get your phone fixed", Abra said, handing the money to Magdalene, who was too dumbfounded to speak.
"Who is my mom with, and where are they? There's no need to lie to me anymore; Fernando Suite is in this city and not in New York."
"Eastern estate. Ninth house by your right She's staying with her boyfriend ", Magdalene said, giving up her act.
Eastern Estate was the same estate where Mabel got attacked, and that was the same estate her mom decided to go to.
"As you have noticed, I smashed your phone because I don't want you calling my mother to tell her I'm going to be meeting with her soon. So if you still try to tell her anything, I will break your phone again and kill your puppy too."
When Abra got inside her car, there was a written note inside. It was a threat from an unknown person who knew she dated Zach and cheated on him with Charles.

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