The very next day, I went into town with Oliver to get some cooking supplies. When we arrived home, there was a police car in the driveway. Adam was standing in the driveway talking to the officers and they were writing in their notepads. They all turned to look at us as we pulled up. Oh boy, did he call the cops on me? I didn’t know what he could get me for, but he was resourceful. I’m sure he could come up with something. He still had the stolen Picasso hanging over my head. Could that be it? He couldn’t possibly think that I would actually take it? Crazy thoughts were racing through my head. He would do anything to get me out.
We did not stop in the driveway, but continued on past them to park around behind the house, where everyone that worked there parked. I tried to put the police out of my mind, figuring that I would hear about it soon enough from someone that worked there. Secrets didn’t last long around there.
I was on pins and needles all throughout the dinner preparation and during the meal. Adam didn’t say a word to me about the police while I was serving dinner. Not that I expected him to. I was getting a little freaked out by the whole thing. Honestly, the police being there probably had nothing to do with me. If it had something to do with me, I’m sure they would have wanted to question me. But, that didn’t happen. I was probably just being paranoid.
After dinner was done and I had finished with all of the cleanup work, I grabbed some treats for the horses and went for a walk around the ranch to calm my nerves. I ran into Adam in the stables. Not having any desire to fight with him, I just lowered my eyes and walked around him, hoping he would just let me go and not start anything. I was only there to see the horses, not him.
“Abbey, wait,” he called after me.
I stopped and turned to face him, saying nothing. What was there to say? We hadn’t been getting along very well and I doubted it was going to be any different that time.
“I need to tell you something,” he said quietly. It didn’t sound like he wanted to start a fight. He was calm.
I waited. I was not going to speak with him if I didn’t have to.
“Do you know why the police were here earlier?” he asked me.
“No.” I desperately wanted to know, but wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. I could be so stubborn sometimes.
“They were here about the painting. I had to report it stolen.”
“I see.” I had no desire to engage him in more conversation than that.
“I didn’t tell them that I thought it was you.”
Was he serious? It sounded like he was trying to let me know that he did me a favor.
“You know it wasn’t me. If it was, I would be long gone from here.”
“Maybe.” He stood there for a moment contemplating his next move. “Look, I don’t really think you took it, and I’m sorry that I accused you. However, my daughter is the most important thing in my life now and I will do anything to keep her here, safe with me.”
“What do you mean by that? Why wouldn’t she be safe here?” I didn’t understand why he thought she would be in any danger.
“You know what I mean. I mean that I want her to stay here with me. Not with you.”
“Oh, I see.” I stood there for a moment without speaking. “Wait, are you threatening to tell the cops it was me that took the painting, if I take Madison? Is that what this is all about?”
My voice was starting to get higher and higher, because I was starting to freak out some. He was basically telling me that if I took my daughter and left, he would have me put in prison for grand theft. Yes, I was definitely getting freaked out.
“Okay, calm down.” He lowered his voice. “The truth is that I don’t want to do that. But I need some sort of leverage. I’m afraid that you might take her,” Adam told me.
“You do know that she is my daughter, right? I can take her if I want.” I had no idea if making threats back at him was going to help the situation or not, but I felt I really had nothing to lose.
“Well, not really. There is no proof that she is your daughter. Sarah’s name is on the birth certificate.” That’s when he just turned around and walked away, satisfied with himself.
Oh no, he was right. I didn’t even think about that. How would I be able to prove that she was really mine? How could I be so stupid as to agree to let them put Sarah’s name on the birth certificate, without anything in writing at all to prove she was my biological daughter? Of course, there was DNA, but I would have to convince someone to do a DNA test in the first place. Who would believe me? No one, that’s who. Was I the stupidest person ever? I so often jumped into decisions without thinking them through first. It was so reckless, and now I would probably lose my daughter permanently because of it.
A few days later, when no one was around, I went digging in Adam’s desk for anything that could help me. Anything at all. I found some paperwork showing that he filed a claim with his insurance company so they could collect the money for the stolen painting. I was pretty sure that it wasn’t really stolen, but I had no proof of that. Adam just didn’t seem all that upset that a priceless masterpiece was taken from his house. It was something that his grandfather was given as a gift directly from Picasso himself. The sentimental value alone had to be through the roof. Yet, Adam seemed to take it all in stride. What about the fact that someone supposedly broke into their house and knew where to find it? It isn’t like it was out in plain sight in the front hallway. It was in a room that most people didn’t even know existed. I’m pretty sure Sarah didn’t even know that room was in the house. So, why was Adam so calm about the whole thing? If it was my house, and my painting, I would be extremely upset.
Unfortunately my timing was really bad. As I was rifling through Adam’s desk, in they walked, both of them. They were talking as they entered the room and didn’t even see me at first. I jumped up out of the chair when I heard them approach. The look of guilt on my face had to be priceless.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Adam was angry, of course. That was his default state where I was concerned.
“Um, nothing. Just looking for a pen.” Wow, seriously, that was the best I could come up with?
“What are you holding behind your back?” Sarah asked.
I hadn’t even realized I still had the papers in my hand. No point in denying it, I was caught red handed. I brought them around me and held them out for everyone to see.
“Your insurance claim papers, that’s what I have. I’m pretty sure that the Picasso was never stolen. I just can’t prove it. Not yet anyway,” I said smugly, like I had any proof of anything, which I didn’t.
“Really? That’s all you have, that you are ‘pretty sure’ it was never stolen? Okay then, let’s call the FBI right now.” Adam was obviously being very sarcastic.
“Whatever.” My clever reply.
“Give me the damn papers.” Adam walked over and yanked them out of my hands before I even had a chance to respond.
“Is this what you are going to use to get rid of me? A stolen painting?” I knew the answer before I even asked the question.
“Actually, yes,” Sarah jumped in. “We have tried offering you money and you refused it. So, the painting is our next step. Besides we don’t know that you didn’t take it. You obviously knew about it, knew exactly where it was hung, and now it is gone. You do the math.” She glared at me as she made her accusation.
“You know I didn’t take it. I wouldn’t do that!” I screamed.
“Look at how you are acting. You walk in here and rifle through Adam’s desk, then you start screaming at us, like this is our fault,” she said mockingly.
“So this is it? You are going to have me arrested for something I didn’t do, just to get your hands on my daughter?” I was in shock.
“Our daughter,” Sarah said. “She is our daughter, not yours. And we can prove it. You can’t prove anything, can you?” She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, obviously satisfied with her threat.
“Maybe not right now, but I’ll figure out a way.”
“Look, Abbey, let me be perfectly blunt with you. You have a record of drug use and theft. Do you actually think anyone would believe someone like you, over someone like me?” Sarah proclaimed.
I suddenly had a fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach and my breathing became shallow. I’m sure it showed on my face.
“I see that you are surprised that we know about that. Your problem is that you have a big mouth and we have our sources.” She was so smug and I wanted to slap her.
Oliver. That’s the only person I told. Besides Huck, of course. But Huck wasn’t around and he wouldn’t have told them anything anyway. I knew it was Oliver. He may not have told Adam or Sarah directly, but was a terrible gossip, so they could have heard my story from just about anyone on the ranch. I should have known better. Stupid, stupid, stupid of me.
“Anyway, we have no qualms about having you arrested for grand theft of the Picasso if you don’t leave right away. We mean by tomorrow morning. We will give you some money to live on for a while. We don’t want you to starve. But, we will not be supporting you forever. That’s up to you. Oh, and just in case we were not clear, you are going alone. Madison stays here,” she told me.
“Yeah, I got that,” I replied.