She placed the phone to her ear.
"Ben. It's not the time."
There was a pause, then Ben spoke in a more sombre tone than Abbie was used to.
"I hear congratulations are in order. That poor child is back with her father, safe and sound. You saved the day and avoided prison to boot. You should be proud."
Abbie was struggling to keep control of her breathing. Her hand was trembling, so the phone shook against her ear.
"Please, Ben," she said. "Make that all you have to say. Please."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because," she took a breath. "There are some loose ends that shouldn't be tied. Sometimes, it's better to leave a mystery unsolved. So don't, okay? Please don't."
There was a long pause. Long enough that Abbie started to believe maybe, just this once, Ben would listen. He would say goodbye and hang up.
"That you would ask this of me suggests the loose end is already tied," said Ben. "You know the truth. You don't want me to talk because you're afraid my confirmation will prevent you denying it, but that's childish. Denial causes more harm than good. You must verbalise the truth before you can hope to accept it and move on."
"Don't," said Abbie. "Please."
"You could hang up," said Ben. "But you won't, will you?"
Abbie said nothing. Nor did she take the phone from her ear. It appeared to be glued there because Ben was right. There was a mental block. There was no chance she would find the strength to end the call.
"The truth is I care deeply about you," said Ben. "After our last call, I felt terribly guilty. I felt as though I'd let you down, and that wasn't a feeling I could stand. But everyone has someone to answer to, and in my case, I was facing the mighty board of directors that has for some years supported you in every way. They'd made their decision, and I couldn't change their mind. Not with words, anyway."
Abbie closed her eyes. By feel, she found the book on her knee and clutched the spine, though it wasn't up to such manhandling. There was a risk she would destroy the binding, and all the pages would spill-free. That would be the end. That would destroy her.
Clutching the book, Abbie prayed, not to any God but to her sister's memory.
Please, give me the strength to make him stop.
But as Ben continued, Abbie remained unable to hang up.
"I chose to believe you. You told me your relationship with Bobby would never get in the way of your job, so I decided I would allow you to prove this claim. You would show your commitment to the board without even knowing it, and they would have to reinstate you."
Abbie's eyes still closed; she could not help but imagine the black-clad team arriving at her house, setting her property ablaze. Inside, Bobby waking in the clutch of fear. He had risked his life to save Abbie's most precious possession. So easily, both he and Abbie's last remnant of Violet could have been lost.
As though he knew what she was thinking, Ben said, "I had people watching the house. We expected Bobby to escape, but if he hadn't come out, we would have saved him. We didn't want to punish you, Abbie. We wanted you to prove yourself. I knew you'd know we'd pay to have the house rebuilt, so once the doctor told you Bobby was okay, there'd be no reason to jeopardise the mission to save Isabella. You could see it through, just a few more hours, and visit Bobby afterwards. After that, we could welcome you back into the fold with open arms."
A tear ran down Abbie's cheek. She forced her hand away from The Stand and moved instead to the letter. She prised open her eyes.
"I feel so let down, Abbie," said Ben. "Unnecessarily, you went to visit Bobby, and as a result, Isabella almost died. Christine did die. All because you lied when you told me your personal life would never get in the way of your duty."
Ben gave a theatrical sigh. That he was putting the blame on Abbie for Christine's death and acting the injured party should have inspired such rage in Abbie that she could not help but scream. But something blocked the anger. Something kept Abbie still and silent.
"I don't expect you to have the maturity to apologise," said Ben. "But we shall see how you get on without our backing. We shall see what the future holds for Abbie King. How long it is before the choices you've made in the last couple of days get you killed. Or worse, someone else. Another innocent. I dread to consider. I only wish I'd been right about you. I wish you could have been better."
Another sigh and Ben was done. He had laid Abbie low and was ready to go. His lies made her sick. Setting her house alight with her boyfriend inside had never been about allowing Abbie to prove herself. Abbie had hurt Ben by refusing to bend to his will. He called her childish, but he was the one who lashed out in response to perceived slights. The arson attack was punishment, but for Ben, it would never have been enough. He had to call. To talk Abbie through his actions. The pain he knew his words would cause was his final and ultimate reprisal.
"I wish you luck, Abbie. For what remains of your future."
"Ben—" she said before he could hang up.
He paused but did not respond. Abbie took this as consent to continue.
"If I ever see you again," she said. "I'll kill you for what you've done. You hear me? I will kill you."
Ben made a derisive noise. If he was worried, he hid it well.
"Goodbye, Abbie," he said. "I'm sorry for the way you let
