Page 6 of Wandering Souls

In the center was her mother, Margery. Seeing the image made Abi’s throat tighten and she closed her eyes to send a silent prayer skyward. Claimed by breast cancer just after Abi turned eighteen, Margery had been everything to her. If she tried hard enough, she could still conjure the memory of Margery’s favorite perfume. The sweet Frangipani scent permeated her entire childhood though she’d never known what it was called. It reminded her of summers spent hiking and winters spent by the beach.

Thanks to Margery, she’d climbed iconic mountains and learned how to ski in places renowned for snow play, far, far away. She’d seen a lot of the world courtesy of a globetrotting free spirit and it had fed a desire to see more. Somehow, she’d expected the Army to fill the void. It did, sort of. Sent to Afghanistan, she’d seen snow-capped mountains in a country so dry and desert-like it fascinated her beyond explanation.

Abi opened her eyes, steering her thoughts away from anything related to the Middle East. She focused on the image to the right of her mother. He was a young man in the photo, with his proud posture and his police cap sitting high on his head. Handsome, he had a strong jawline and a pair of ghostly blue-gray eyes she’d inherited. The image stared right through her. He’d never seen her, didn’t even know she existed. Sadness touched her heart.

Her father.

She’d never met him, but she’d been told he was a hero. Protecting the innocent and serving his country. He died doing what he did best.

A tremor passed through her and she shifted her focus to the photo to the left of her mother. Herothermother. The one who brought her into the world and then disappeared. Margery had always spoken highly of her birth mother, describing her as courageous and brave. She encouraged Abi to see her adoption as a blessing.If she hadn’t given you up, I wouldn’t have got to love you and see you grow.

Abi tried. Really, she did, but no amount of wishful thinking satisfied the hundred unanswered questions that filled her head. As she stared at the image, a mix of sadness and curiosity in her heart. The blond woman smiled back with kind eyes and a story Abi hardly knew.

Why did you leave me?

Abi sighed and touched a fingertip to the photo before folding the locket up and tucking it under her sweater again. The metal had grown cold and when it touched her chest, she shivered. She didn’t know which was worse, the mystery of her family or the nightmares of her dreams...at least her family hadn’t tried to kill her.

In a bid to dislodge the melancholy, she stood and turned back toward theSanctuarybut rustling in a nearby bush caught her attention. It sounded loud enough to belong to a large animal. She watched the bush shake before hearing a whimper and then a deep growl.

Dog?

She listened again.

Definitely dog.

Not sure what she’d find, she edged closer, half expecting the animal to rush at her. For a moment, the movement stopped and then started up again, only this time more frantic and urgent. The growling persisted and though she remained alert, she crouched to peer into the foliage.

A pair of ice blue eyes stared at her.

“Hey there.”

The animal settled, encouraging her to get closer.

“Are you stuck?”

A huff answered her and she dropped to her knees. Crawling forward, she could make out a large round nose and a black ear. Abi held out her hand for the animal to sniff, her muscles coiled to pull away should it attack. She heard the animal snort before its cold snout nudged her hand. Reaching in, she ran her palm over the fur and scratched behind the ear.

“Hold still.”

Venturing into the bush, she felt around the animal’s neck. A collar tinkled. Attached to it was a lead that had become tangled in the branches of the shrub. Abi tugged but it needed to be detangled with more finesse. Lying on her stomach, she shimmied deeper into the bush. A twig poked her scalp but she ignored it and reached further in amongst the small branches, deliberately not thinking about all the creepy crawlies that could bite or sting her.

It took a minute but before long, she had the dog free. Holding onto the leash, she shuffled backward and enticed it out with kind words. The pooch crawled out at her encouragement, watching her with those intense eyes.

“Well, hello,” she cooed. She smiled and sat on her knees again, running her hands over the dog’s coat. She removed half a dozen burrs and prickles, the action of caring for the pup relaxing her. “What’s your name?”

She checked the collar and found a tag.

“Bruce, huh?” The dog licked her hand. Abi turned the tag over and found a phone number. Handy. “I bet you’ve given someone a scare.”

He looked young and she wondered how long he’d been out on his adventure. “Well,” she stood, “come on then. Let’s get you back home.”

Keeping hold of the lead, she led Bruce back along the river and toward theSanctuary. With his tail high in the air, the pooch seemed happy enough to accompany her. They followed the river, Bruce stopping to sniff and cock his leg. The trail grew steep, rising to climb the embankment. Abi slowed as the muscles in her thigh seized. Bruce slowed too, looking back at her with concern in his eyes.

As she limped up the hill, she found they’d returned to the gravel drive behind the cottages. The sun had risen higher, its beams warmer as she emerged from the shadows. Bruce stayed with her, loping alongside at her pace. He never tugged impatiently on the lead and frequently checked on her. Abi reached down to scratch his ears.

When she reached the front veranda of her cottage, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and punched in the number on the tag. It rang three times before going to voicemail, where a deep voice announced she’d reached Detective Ray Wells. Abi frowned down at Bruce.

“You ran away from a policeman?”

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