Chapter Nine
Mia put a brave face on for Gwen and Becky, but she suspected they both knew she was hurting greatly inside. They had gone to see a movie after dinner on Thanksgiving. It helped to keep busy. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and it was back to the normal routine. The Christmas season was officially starting and excitement filled the air. Becky was anxious to decorate the coffee shop and talked excitedly about her ideas. Usually Mia would add to the ideas, but she felt weighed down with melancholy.
“I heard they finally arrested the purse snatcher last night at Kramer’s. A stranger from the next town over,” Reva remarked as she wiped the counter down with a wet rag. “I can’t believe I missed it all. I was supposed to go to Kramer’s last night with my cousin, but I fell asleep. Too much of Mom’s good cooking.”
“I heard the news this morning when I opened up. I am glad he is off the streets.” Mia attempted a smile, wondering if Abel had been there and if he was okay. She shouldn’t care but she did. How pathetic was that?
“It’s about time,” Reva said. “My cousin Hannah, her roommate, got her purse and phone stolen two weeks ago. She was so pissed off. She had to cancel credit cards and get a new driver’s license.”
“It was a scary experience for sure.” Mia looked outside. It was cloudy and looked like a storm was brewing. She could use a good storm. Maybe then she could take a nap and cry her eyes out. It had been just over a week since Abel ended things with her with his polite yet hurtful speech. The pain had not lessened any. Mia wasn’t sure if it would. With Frank she had felt disappointed and let down that he wasn’t who he claimed to be. A nice guy that cared about her. She had felt like easy prey. What she felt right now was a deep ache in her soul that made her feel weepy.
Gwen and Becky came out of the back office where Gwen had been talking to her dad on the phone.
“Everything okay?” Mia smiled at them. Becky nodded. Gwen slipped onto a stool. “I need a vanilla latte, please. My dad’s questions are like a drill sergeant. I am twenty-six years old yet he treats me like I am a dumb kid who has never traveled on her own before. Jesus, he should just send an armed guard to escort me home.”
Mia giggled and started making Gwen a latte. She decided to make herself one, too, since she had skipped breakfast feeling queasy and stressed out. Maybe one of Becky’s famous muffins would settle her stomach. The bell over the door rang. Mia didn’t bother looking until she heard Gwen curse under her breath. Mia turned around, surprised to see Abel walking in. He looked tired but Mia hardened her heart. She ignored him and went back to what she was doing. Let Becky or Reva wait on him. She refused to be polite and plaster a fake smile on her face. She was filled with equal parts hate and love for the dumb man.
“What can I do for you?” Becky’s voice was polite, but no longer friendly. Mia hated that both women hated Abel now. Gwen wanted to egg his car, maybe they should have. It was immature but maybe she would have felt slightly better.
“I need Mia to see if she can come down to the station and sign a formal complaint on what happened to her at Kramer’s. We have the suspect in custody.”
Mia placed the latte in front of Gwen and gave her a nervous glance. She did not want to admit Wilson was not her real last name. “My purse wasn’t taken, Sheriff. Aren’t the other women’s complaints enough?”
He nodded, looking at Mia’s coffee. Mia refused to offer him a cup. “Yes, but the more victims we have the better it will be in court. The judge can see how dangerous he is and make sure he gets the appropriate sentence.”
Mia felt panicky. Becky cleared her throat. “I will drive Mia down there once you have a statement ready and she can sign it. She won’t have to face him, right?”
“Of course not. She never saw him,” Abel replied.
Mia avoided looking at him and sipped on her coffee instead. Abel stood there for a second as if waiting
for Mia to speak to him. Well, it would be a cold day in hell before she smiled at him again, she told herself silently. He muttered something under his breath and left.
Mia sat her cup down, thankful she had not spilled any on her hands. Gwen stood up and smiled at Reva, who watched everything with curiosity. “Oh, Mia, I wanted to show you something in Becky’s office.”
Mia followed Gwen down the hallway that led to the back office. She felt like she was in a daze. What was she going to do? As soon as Gwen closed the office door, Mia blurted out, “Bloody hell, Gwen. I can’t sign an official statement with a false name. Isn’t that illegal?”
Gwen smiled. “Bloody hell? You watch too much TV.”
Gwen threw herself on the small armchair Becky had against the bookshelf where she kept all of her book club books. “I know what you mean though. Thank God Becky was smart enough to stall him.”
Mia paced up and down the room, her stomach felt twisted with knots. “If I use my real name, Frank’s uncle will see it and give my information to Frank. He might come down here to bother me just because he is an asshole and hates to lose.”
Gwen picked up the phone on the desk. “I am calling Dad. He may be a retired lawyer, but I bet he knows what we should do.”
Mia tried to follow the one-sided conversation since she could not hear what Bill Henderson was saying to his daughter. Finally, after a long time, Gwen hung up. She bit her bottom lip. “Dad said we should come clean with the sheriff and explain why you can’t sign anything official. He has plenty of victims that should be enough to throw the asshole in a cell for a long time. Dad says we shouldn’t take any chances of letting Frank know where you are yet.”
“Wonderful.” Mia sighed. Facing Abel was not on her list of things to do today. She could imagine his reaction to her secret. It wasn’t going to be pretty. “Can we send him an email?”
Gwen snorted and grabbed Mia’s arm. “Let’s get this over with before you drive yourself nuts with worry. We will be cool and polite, not giving Sheriff Asshole even a crack of a smile okay? Be strong, girlfriend.”
Mia nodded, feeling her stomach twist with nerves. She followed her friend down the hallway. “I might throw up on him.”
“That is acceptable.” Gwen lifted her chin up, looking tough as any lawyer on TV. “Let’s ride.”
“Now who is watching too much TV?” Mia cracked a small smile. It was better than crying.
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