Read A Is for Abigail for Free Online

night.
    aaaaa
    There weren’t many customers in the Dew Drop that night, which pleased Stan Cooper. He’d had a heavy day, and he felt like relaxing. A nice cool glass of beer and then home to a steaming shepherd’s pie. Perfect.
    “Evening, Stan,” said Angus, the landlord, polishing glasses and holding them up to the light. “Your usual?”
    “Thanks, Angus.”
    “Tough day? Caught a cyclist without their lights on? Archie Draper been speeding on his tractor again?”
    “Now, stop that!” said Stan, laughing. “As it happens, I’m working on quite a puzzler at the moment.”
    “Can you talk about it?”
    “Yes, I can give you brief details. Who knows, you may be able to shed some light on the matter. I know you hear a lot of what goes on in the village.”
    Angus passed the foaming beer glass to Stan and waited. He was a good listener, an essential trait for a good pub landlord, and one of the reasons that the Dew Drop Inn continued to thrive.
    He glanced round the bar. Nobody needed serving at the moment. His regulars, the Captain and his friend were playing dominoes in the corner by the fire, their usual spot. They were wrapped up in their game, and the group by the window were chatting, enjoying their drinks and each other’s company. Idly wiping the counter with a cloth, he turned back to the policeman, ready to hear the story.
    Stan took a sip from his beer and looked at Angus over his glass, not noticing the beermat still stuck to the base of the glass.
    “Somebody found a baby in Sixpenny Woods this week.”
    “A baby? Oh no! You’re joking!”
    Being a pub landlord, Angus had heard his fair share of strange stories, but this surprised him.
    “No, I’m not joking. Not something that happens every day in Sixpenny Cross, is it?”
    “Was it a teenage mother abandoning a newborn, do you think?”
    “Unlikely.”
    “Then it must be the gypsies.”
    “At the moment we don’t know.”
    “Is the baby okay?”
    “Yes, it’s a little girl, about three weeks old. Beautifully dressed and looked after which rather blows the theory of an unwanted teen pregnancy.”
    “Must be the gypsies then.”
    “Except that we’ve interviewed them, and they insist they know nothing about any babies.”
    “Well, you know gypsies. And they have a reputation for stealing babies.”
    “We’ll have to follow every lead. At the moment, nobody has reported any baby missing. So I take it that you’ve heard nothing here in the pub about a baby? No gossip?”
    “Nope, nothing,” said Angus, shaking his head, “but I’ll certainly be listening out from now on.”
    aaaaa
    “Abigail! I’m home!”
    The house was silent, apart from Sam who bounded up to Aiden, tail wagging furiously in welcome. Sam patted him on the head then called his wife again.
    “Abs?”
    No reply.
    Aiden dumped his suitcase beside the boxes in the hall and went into the kitchen. The light was on, and the back door was unlocked, but there was nobody there.
    He walked from room to room, calling Abigail, finishing his search in the bedroom. Everywhere were signs of a baby in residence. Aiden’s face was white and bloodless. He opened their phone book, searching for a number.
    “Daisy, is Abigail with you? I’ve just got home and there’s no sign of her.”
    “Oh, hi Aiden! Glad you’re home. No, Abigail isn’t with me. Is her car in the drive?”
    “Yes, it’s parked as usual.”
    “Perhaps she’s taken Sam out for a quick walk?”
    “No, Sam’s here with me. Daisy, everywhere I look in the house, I see baby stuff. What on earth is going on?”
    A long pause.
    “She hasn’t told you anything?”
    “No.”
    Another long pause.
    “Well, Aiden, it’s not my place to tell you really. I think you need to discuss it with Abigail.”
    “But she’s not here!”
    “If you are really worried, perhaps you should talk to Stan.”
    “Stan Cooper? The policeman?”
    “Yes.”
    “Thank you, Daisy, I’ll consider that.”
    With a shaking