Day Forty-Eight…
~~*****~~
Abigail shook her head. She didn't recall something as Abigail but It was her own memory as Phantomflake. She won't tell Dave about it. When she confessed that she was not the real Abigail, Dave didn't believe her. So… not again would she reveal something unbelievable to Dave.
Furthermore, Dave was indebted to Vincent. She didn't want to create doubts between the two since Monica's case had nothing to do with Dave. She was doing this as Phantomflake who was searching for an answer.
"Why do you look surprised?" Dave asked her again.
"Oh. It's nothing. I overreacted upon seeing Helena with Vincent. They looked good together. Are they truly in love with each other? Or did Vincent have a girlfriend before Helena?" Abigail was trying to check if Vincent had a romantic relationship with Monica.
Dave paused for a moment, thinking about it. "As far as I know, Helena is the only girlfriend he introduced to me. He is a very private man. He seldom disclosed anything about his relationship or women…"
"Why did you ask?" Dave could feel that this was not pure curiosity. He could see in Abigail's eyes that she was dying to know something about Vincent.
"Hmm. I am just curious about how strong their relationship is… I don't know if you read the article news regarding Helena and Nathan. Helena's father wanted to do an arranged marriage with the Sparks."
Dave was taken aback for a moment. 'So, is she just asking me this because it has something to do with Nathan? Is she afraid that Nathan might be stolen from her by Helena?' Dave had misunderstood Abigail's motive. His anxiety intensified further. He felt dejected and disheartened once more.
'Oh, Shit! Dave is very sensitive when it comes to Nathan.' Abigail regretted mentioning Nathan's name once more. But she didn't know how she would dodge Dave's direct question since she was hiding something from him. She was secretly gathering information about Vincent. She wondered if she would be able to find a connection between Vincent and Monica.
"I can't answer you about Helena's father's decision… But all I know is that the two love each other." Dave lowered his gaze, hiding the hurt feeling from Abigail.
Abigail just nodded her head, still trying to figure out how she could find a clue. After a while, she asked Dave another question.
"You said that Vincent is a native of Country R, how often does he visit Country M? Especially in the past two years or five years?"
"I remembered meeting him thrice during his visit here in the past five years. He only visits Country M for a business trip. That's what I know. But I don't know who his clients are." Dave was answering her every question even though he was still puzzled why Abigail was digging for information about Vincent.
Dave was a policeman so he could sense that Abigail was not only asking typical questions. She was like an investigator right now, searching for information.
"Dave… if you can still remember… can you tell me some places or hotels where Vincent often stays whenever he comes to our country?" Abigail could list the places where Kathleen and Old Man Xu saw Monica with another guy. She also remembered the place where she saw Monica and Vincent talking once.
If Dave could name a place then she would compare those places and try to connect the dots. What if Vincent was meeting Monica here? Were they business partners? Or they were romantically involved with each other? Perhaps an affair?! Abigail was so determined to unfold the truth.
"I can't remember… but I will try to check. I can also ask Vincent personally. But… can you tell me the reason why you are interested in Vincent's whereabouts?" Dave could no longer hold his curiosity. He wanted to know Abigail's reason for asking this.
"Sigh." Abigail exhaled sharply. She couldn't avoid Dave. She was too obvious. "Sorry, Dave. Am I troubling you with this? If you feel uncomfortable talking about Vincent then you don't have to answer me. Let's stop this discussion."
Dave felt so conflicted when he heard that. "No. I'm fine. If you don't want me to know your reason then I will respect that. Just feel free to ask me. I will do my best to answer you." No matter what Abigail wanted to do, he would try to understand her. If this was the only way he could spend more time with Abigail then he was willing to do anything for her.
"Thanks, Dave. When the right time comes, I promise… I will tell you everything. But for now, I want you to cooperate with me. I need more information about Vincent." Abigail blatantly said. "Can you get me the dates and schedules of his visits here in our country?"
Since Abigail was the one asking this favor, Dave could not refuse her. He could never say no to her.
"Give me a few minutes…" Dave picked up his phone, typing something. Abigail just quietly watched him.
Dave scanned through his photo gallery. He remembered taking photos with Vincent during their meet-ups. He could find the date and the place where the shot was taken. He also checked his conversation history with Vincent.
Dave found something useful for Abigail. He immediately forwarded the details to Abigail. Aside from that, he contacted Vincent, simply asking him some questions. It did not take long before Vincent replied to his queries. Dave forwarded Vincent's responses to Abigail.
"Thank you so much for this, Dave!" Abigail truly appreciated his help.
"As long as it's you… I can do anything…" Dave smiled faintly, reassuring her. He liked the feeling of being needed by the woman he loved.
"Dave… I have to go now. I have some business to do." Abigail was in a hurry to leave. She could dig for more information if she were holding her laptop. She had to go back to her hideout.
Abigail was about to leave when Dave stopped her, holding her elbow. "Abi… don't hesitate to ask me if you need something. I will always be here for you."
Abigail bobbed her head and patted Dave's shoulder. "I know, Dave. I know… I can always count on you."
"I'm leaving now. I'll treat you to dinner next time. Thanks for your help again…" Abigail hugged Dave shortly before she turned around to leave. Dave could only watch her back until she vanished from his sight.
Beep!
The beeping sound of his phone snapped him back to the present. He received another message from Vincent.
[ Vincent: I'm going to Country M tomorrow. Do you want to meet up? ]
Dave's eyes brightened up when he read his message. His fingers tapped his phone to send a reply.
[ Dave: Okay. Vince. Let's meet up. Can I bring someone with me? ]
Dave waited for a second before Vincent sent another reply.
[ Vincent: Sure! Who are you going to bring with you? ]
[ Dave: Abigail… my friend. ]
[ Vincent: A friend? So it's true. You and Abigail had broken up? So Nathan Sparks is the reason. ]
Dave could sense that Vincent was displeased to know that Nathan Sparks had something to do with his breakup.
[ Dave: I can't blame him. Abi had forgotten me. I was not there when she needed me the most. ]
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel