It’s been a stressful day.” She refused to tell him about the ethics committee, sure he’d feel responsible. Someone was out to get her, and they were using Luke as a means to do it.
“Email me in the morning when you get up,” he said.
Abby nodded.
“Will you be all right?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll stay if you want. On the sofa. In my car. Whatever.”
Abby laughed and touched his arm. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”
“If you’re sure. Lock up after me and go to bed.”
“Yes sir.” She walked him to the door. He put his hand around her waist and kissed her cheek. She let him out, took off her bloody clothes, and fell into bed naked, her nightly beauty regimen the last thing on her mind.
Chapter Eight
Ethics Be Damned
A bby awoke Saturday morning and pressed the button on top of the clock. “Ten o’clock,” a clear voice announced. Unwilling to abandon the comfort of her bed, she rolled over and hugged her pillow. She couldn’t run this morning. Every bone in her body shrieked from fatigue. She’d call Jackie and suggest a later time.
She remembered her first trip to the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, not far from the center of town. Scared to death would be an understatement, but everyone helpfully eased her through the difficult transition, teaching her how to live independently. When Jack Todd discovered she’d been a runner, he arranged a time for her to run the track with a guide. As she segued from terrified to confident, it became her Saturday morning ritual. Jackie Davis, a state champion cross country runner during her high school career, picked her up and ran a few miles around the oval with her. The exercise kept her fit and burned off excess frustration. She needed it.
But not this morning.
After Abby described the “random break-in” and a late night at the vet’s, Jackie agreed to postpone the run until two. The guide said that suited her, especially after a long Friday night. Abby told Jackie she’d call if she needed a ride.
She never slept this late because Daisy woke her before the alarm went off.
Daisy. The thought of her dear companion lying in a strange place, stitched and groggy, made her stomach ache. Guilt won out and she crawled out of bed. A hot shower washed off last night’s grime and injected renewed vitality into her weary body. She brushed her teeth and threw on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt.
Lucy had arranged everything in her closet, but some things were still out of order from the first break-in. She kept her wardrobe simple, colors minimal, so everything coordinated. Too complicated and a mistake might make her look like a circus act. Her only concession to the exotic was her T-shirts. Hard to mess up jeans and a T-shirt. She chose a pair of jeans by the feel of the denim. A quick finger over the Braille label told her they were black.
She scuffed to the kitchen to make coffee. A glass of orange juice accompanied a calcium tablet and multivitamin. When the coffee stopped gurgling, she poured a cup and emailed Luke. He answered immediately, saying he’d be right over. Then the robotic voice asked: Got coffee?
Made plenty, she typed back. She left a couple of emails to check later, took a second cup of coffee. She wanted to sit outside, but even though she thought her intruder hid his perversions under cover of night, she’d wait until Luke came and checked it out. She curled up on the sofa and waited. She almost dozed until the doorbell chimed.
“Who is it?” she asked. No response. Of course not . Leaving the security chain on, she opened the door, staying behind it.
“Hi, it’s me,” Luke said.
She let him in.
“You just get out of the shower?”
“I guess wet hair is a dead giveaway, huh?” They headed for the kitchen. “Coffee pot, cup, and sugar are on the counter. Cream’s in the fridge.” She heard Luke pour the coffee and liked the comfortable way he made himself at home.
“ Mmm ,
“Email me in the morning when you get up,” he said.
Abby nodded.
“Will you be all right?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll stay if you want. On the sofa. In my car. Whatever.”
Abby laughed and touched his arm. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”
“If you’re sure. Lock up after me and go to bed.”
“Yes sir.” She walked him to the door. He put his hand around her waist and kissed her cheek. She let him out, took off her bloody clothes, and fell into bed naked, her nightly beauty regimen the last thing on her mind.
Chapter Eight
Ethics Be Damned
A bby awoke Saturday morning and pressed the button on top of the clock. “Ten o’clock,” a clear voice announced. Unwilling to abandon the comfort of her bed, she rolled over and hugged her pillow. She couldn’t run this morning. Every bone in her body shrieked from fatigue. She’d call Jackie and suggest a later time.
She remembered her first trip to the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, not far from the center of town. Scared to death would be an understatement, but everyone helpfully eased her through the difficult transition, teaching her how to live independently. When Jack Todd discovered she’d been a runner, he arranged a time for her to run the track with a guide. As she segued from terrified to confident, it became her Saturday morning ritual. Jackie Davis, a state champion cross country runner during her high school career, picked her up and ran a few miles around the oval with her. The exercise kept her fit and burned off excess frustration. She needed it.
But not this morning.
After Abby described the “random break-in” and a late night at the vet’s, Jackie agreed to postpone the run until two. The guide said that suited her, especially after a long Friday night. Abby told Jackie she’d call if she needed a ride.
She never slept this late because Daisy woke her before the alarm went off.
Daisy. The thought of her dear companion lying in a strange place, stitched and groggy, made her stomach ache. Guilt won out and she crawled out of bed. A hot shower washed off last night’s grime and injected renewed vitality into her weary body. She brushed her teeth and threw on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt.
Lucy had arranged everything in her closet, but some things were still out of order from the first break-in. She kept her wardrobe simple, colors minimal, so everything coordinated. Too complicated and a mistake might make her look like a circus act. Her only concession to the exotic was her T-shirts. Hard to mess up jeans and a T-shirt. She chose a pair of jeans by the feel of the denim. A quick finger over the Braille label told her they were black.
She scuffed to the kitchen to make coffee. A glass of orange juice accompanied a calcium tablet and multivitamin. When the coffee stopped gurgling, she poured a cup and emailed Luke. He answered immediately, saying he’d be right over. Then the robotic voice asked: Got coffee?
Made plenty, she typed back. She left a couple of emails to check later, took a second cup of coffee. She wanted to sit outside, but even though she thought her intruder hid his perversions under cover of night, she’d wait until Luke came and checked it out. She curled up on the sofa and waited. She almost dozed until the doorbell chimed.
“Who is it?” she asked. No response. Of course not . Leaving the security chain on, she opened the door, staying behind it.
“Hi, it’s me,” Luke said.
She let him in.
“You just get out of the shower?”
“I guess wet hair is a dead giveaway, huh?” They headed for the kitchen. “Coffee pot, cup, and sugar are on the counter. Cream’s in the fridge.” She heard Luke pour the coffee and liked the comfortable way he made himself at home.
“ Mmm ,
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