Desperate Rescue (11 page)

Kaylee!

He let out a strangled noise, tore off his jacket and bolted over the railing to plunge into the soft, sodden edge of the bank.

Kaylee’s head cleared the water and their gazes locked. Then she went under again.

He slid down the bank toward the mouth of the creek, digging into the mess of tangled growth and eroding soil until his foot caught an outcropped rock.

Kaylee was already sweeping past him as he thrust out his hand. He caught her wrist when she reached out again. With a sudden strength, he hauled hard. Her head broke the water, then her shoulders. He half twisted around and grabbed a weakened alder with his free hand. And hung on.

His foot slipped into the rushing water, but found a shelf of flat stone, securing his grip.

“Eli!”

Kaylee’s cry sliced through him, spurring him to tug harder. She grazed over the lower bank until she could find her own footing on the rocks. Her free hand flailed out to grab the small bushes that grew along the vertical bank.

“Hang on!” He secured his footing again, found another alder to grab and pulled again. Kaylee was halfway up the bank by that time.

A moment later, they both lay on the top, not far from bridge, partially hidden in the wild growth of shrubbery that still wore brilliant red leaves.

Eli dropped his head onto the ground and sighed. “Are you all right?”

Beside him, Kaylee coughed.

He sat up, wincing at the aches forming from his slide down the bank. “What happened?”

Shivering, she shoved the hair from her eyes and blinked at him. “I just slipped. The wood planks seemed to be covered in an oily film. Add those leaves and boy, it’s slippery!” She shook her head. “It happened so fast. First I was watching the water, then I was sliding right under the railing.”

She leaned forward, scanning the bridge. “I walked over that bridge this morning and it wasn’t like that. I even stopped and talked to someone. Neither of us slipped then and there weren’t any leaves, either.”

Eli glanced around the park. As nice as it was, there were none of the bold sugar maples whose leaves now lined the bridge. The closest were upriver and down-wind.

He rose to inspect the bridge, skimming his fingertips over the boards, then rubbing them together. “Who did you talk to?” he asked.

“Just one of the shopkeepers, I think. I told her about the gym and that I was planning to come back this afternoon. She’d spent the night at her shop herself.” She leaned forward to pull off her boot and rub her ankle, pulling back the sodden sock to peer at the skin. He heard her gasp.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Look at this cut. I don’t remember slicing it on anything. I must have hit something sharp. It sliced right through my rubber boot.”

Eli shifted to take her foot in his hands. A thin welt had already formed across her ankle. The center of the cut had begun to ooze blood.

He shifted over to the edge of the bridge, feeling the wet ground until he found what he suspected had cut her.

The same type of wire Noah had used for tripping his homemade bombs.

The Wajax pumps down the street stopped abruptly. A truck that had been backing up near them had its engine suddenly cut.

Static reached past the sound of fast flowing water. Then a weak voice called out. “Eli, are you there?”

His jacket lay where he’d tossed it, and his cell phone, still connected to his investigator, remained shoved in the pocket. But the voice still reached him.

Kaylee tugged on her sock. “Who is that you were talking to?”

He swallowed. “My investigator. He found Phoebe.”

“Oh.” She looked away.

Eli met her shy concern by lifting her jaw up with his finger. “But I can’t leave.”

“You aren’t going? Why?”

A dark cloud drifted in front of the sun, dimming the park and cooling the already brisk wind. Eli stood, helped her up and then brought his jacket over. He took his cell phone out before draping the jacket over her shoulders. The open connection crackled again. Eli lifted it to his ear. “Can I call you back?” Without another word, he disconnected.

“We should get you inside.” He glanced around. A group of teenagers were making their way down the path toward them.

With his hands, he swept the fallen leaves off the bridge. He quickly grabbed several handfuls of dirt from underneath the shrubs and spread them out on the slippery section of wood. Brushing off his hands, he said, “Let’s go to the gym. Do you have a change of clothes there?”

Kaylee nodded. Together, they hurried across the street.

“Let’s go in on this side.” She pointed to the right. “My locker’s closest to that door and I think there’s been enough water brought into the gym lately.”

Inside and waiting for Kaylee to change, Eli called his investigator back. “Sorry about that. We had an accident.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“No.”

“So, when can you get here?”

Eli tightened his lips to a thin line. He could hear the plop of wet clothes inside the women’s change room, before the sound of the electric hand dryer drowned it all out.

Lord, what should I do? All these years and You’ve finally given me Phoebe. And shown me Kaylee—

“Eli?”

“I don’t know when I can get down there.”

Roger made a soft disapproving noise. “I’m not sure how long these women are going to stay put. They’re only camping and don’t seem to have enough supplies.”

Frustration welled in him. He needed time. He needed to think. To pray. And Kaylee was finished changing.

She threw open the change-room door, dressed in a pair of well-worn green sweatpants and a soft, matching sweatshirt that bore the town logo. She’d only half dried her hair, then tossed it back. Though wet, it shone softly in a sweet, messy way.

He swallowed. How could he leave her?

“Hey, what do you want me to do?”

Eli stared down at his phone. He couldn’t afford his investigator much longer. And the man had other clients. He lifted the phone back to his ear. “Can you get a shot of Phoebe and e-mail it to me? I want to be sure it’s her.”

“Sure. I’ll ask that couple to get one.”

As he shut his cell phone, Eli knew what was happening.

Kaylee was beginning to mean something to him and he couldn’t leave her, not with his brother lurking about. Her church’s congregation may care for her, one of them may even be an auxiliary police officer, but they didn’t know Noah the way he did.

And Noah wasn’t going to take Kaylee like he took Phoebe.

K
aylee worked all afternoon, tidying up the office and the change rooms, refusing to dwell on all that had happened to her. When she got to the cleaning room, both she and Jenn chatted as they swept and prepared for the new appliances.

One thing she didn’t mention was the accumulation of candy wrappers on the floor behind the dryer. Being a health nut, Jenn would never eat candy and she remembered Eli’s concern about getting the kids into more trouble. Best to just sweep them up and forget about them.

With Jenn not one to dawdle, they got the room gleaming in no time. Shortly after that, Eli returned to drive her home. Where he’d gone, she didn’t ask, telling herself it was none of her business. But had it something to do with the call he’d made while she was changing?

About Phoebe? Her heart clenched at the thought of him leaving and she hated the selfishness within her.

As they pulled into her driveway, Kaylee glanced at Lois’s home. Would the older lady be keeping an eye out for her? Kaylee didn’t date. She didn’t do anything in the evenings she didn’t work. Which meant if she wasn’t home, Lois could be concerned.

But if Lois saw her now, she’d be shocked. Despite changing, Kaylee still had that bedraggled look. It came partly from the change of clothes, partly from shock, partly from too much work.

Partially from the realization that Eli would be leaving soon.

She threw open the car door. Beside her, Eli sat quietly. They’d said no more about his decision to remain in Riverline because Jenn had chosen that moment to walk into the rec center. A thousand unasked questions still burned through her.

“Kaylee?”

She turned. In the dim glow from the streetlights, now on so early, Eli’s face appeared less harsh. His solemn profile tugged at her heart. Still gripping the steering wheel, he leaned toward her and swallowed. “I’m sorry for all that’s happened.”

Tears pricked in her eyes. He meant it. She could see the empathy in his eyes, hear the shake in his voice. “I know. And I’m sorry that…”

No, she wouldn’t tell him she was sorry he wasn’t leaving to find Phoebe. Besides the fact it was rude, it simply wasn’t true.

She climbed out, feeling the aches of all that had happened in her legs and arms. She’d no sooner shut the passenger door, than Eli climbed out. “Wait!” He strode around the front of his car. For the briefest of moments, she felt as though this was the end of a date.

It wasn’t. Nor would she pretend it was. “Kaylee. This isn’t over for you.”

She stopped. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Noah isn’t finished. He’s here, toying with you.”

The truth she’d been skirting all week rocked her now. With a bite on her lips, she stepped back. “No. He’s gone. The police said he’s moved south. No one would bomb their own home if they planned to return.”

“He has no intention of returning there. He rigged his compound to explode because he knew I’d come looking for Phoebe. Like scuttling a ship. And he may have even watched it explode. Regardless, he’s here. I know him. I can feel it. My investigator said only the women are in Florida. Do you know how that could be?”

“No. The women never went anywhere without the men, but we didn’t have that many men. Noah, John, Wilf, who married Tina, and another man, Thomas. But I get the impression that Thomas isn’t the faithful sort. As for Wilf, he and Tina started having problems after their child died.”

Eli frowned, leaving her to regret she’d brought up that terrible incident. Thankfully, he didn’t ask for more details.

But he did speak. “So it’s possible that there aren’t any men with them?”

Her throat dried and tightened. She shook her head, feeling confused. “Noah
is
insane, but he’s not after me. Your investigator is mistaken. Those women would never go south alone.”

“I know my brother. I know what he’s capable of. And what he’ll do. He’ll come after you, Kaylee. He warned you that he would.”

“He warned me that he’d kill Trisha if I left. So that means
I
killed her by leaving.”

“No, you didn’t! Noah did. Don’t let him poison your mind. I know he told you if anything happened to her, you’d be at fault, but you’re not.” He grabbed her shoulders. “And you’re not safe here, either. Remember, he threatened you!”

She stepped back from him, closing in on her home. “Don’t say that!”

“And you know Lois’s dog? He’s dead. He was the dog that was killed that night. The one that stopped barking right after a painful yelp. Did you ask Lois what was wrong with him?”

“I’ve been too busy and Lois didn’t mention anything.” She searched his face. “What happened?”

Eli’s face showed reluctance. “Suffice it to say that his barking was a problem to Noah. And it was Noah.”

She leaned away, trying not to absorb all he was saying. That poor dog! “Crazy or not, Noah’s done with me. Haven’t I been through enough this past year? You should know that more than anyone. Noah’s gone, so if I were you, I’d be heading south while the trail’s still fresh.” She wrenched herself free and raced to her door.

Her heart pounded against her ribs as she struggled to unlock the deadbolt.

“Kaylee!”

“Just leave me alone!” She threw her comment over her shoulder.

Her fingers shook as she rushed inside. Once safely there, she found her breath heaving as she slid to the floor. She hated being so helpless, so useless, so stupidly fearful. She’d been like that for two years and she never wanted to be like that again. But here she was, weak, powerless, not even strong enough to want to fight back.

Eli found her minutes later. Wordlessly, he lifted her up and took her into her living room. She slumped down on the couch, her head hitting the back cushion.

He found her a pillow to hug, which she snatched and drew to her chest. Then he spoke. “Noah isn’t done yet. You’ve got to believe me.”

“I don’t want to hear that. You’re sounding like a broken record. Noah’s gone. He fled south. He’s taken them all, including Phoebe, with him. Don’t waste time with me. You want Phoebe, so you shouldn’t be hanging around here.”

“I know my brother. And I know he’s here.”

“Don’t say that! It’s not—”

“It is true! Let me tell you how I know. Hec Haines talked to him last Thursday night. When I saw Hec at church, he began to talk to me as if he’d already met me. He had met Noah, who was impersonating me. What better way to stick around town than to pretend to be someone else? We look enough alike to fool most strangers and he knows I’ve been all over town.” He pushed further. “And you already said that he warned he would kill you.”

Her head shot up. “No, I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did. When we first met, you said something about Noah threatening to kill you.”

Feeling the blood drain from her face, she looked up at him. “I said that?”

“Don’t you remember? Right outside here? You said he would kill you. Then at the compound, when you panicked?”

She frowned, deep in thought. After she swallowed, started to speak, stopped and started again. “I did. Oh, no!”

He reached out to help her, but she jumped up and away from him. “No! This isn’t fair! I don’t deserve it!”

She stalked away, only to stop, spin and return. “Forget it! This is
not
happening to me!”

He grabbed her. “It is! But I can help you.”

She shrugged him off. “I’ve started over. I have friends here. They’ll help me.”

“But they can’t protect you from Noah. They don’t know him like I know him.”

She scrunched up her eyes before throwing up her hands to cover her face. When he held out his arms to draw her close, she didn’t resist.

They clung to each other for a long time, until, stiff and sore, she peeled free of him and sank down on the couch.

Peeking up at him, she watched him offer up a quiet prayer.

Lord in Heaven, help us both,
she added when he’d finished.
Please.
Because she had the feeling Eli needed His help more now than he ever did before.

Five minutes later, she found Eli in the kitchen, making coffee.

He looked across the small room at her. When she didn’t speak, he looked over at her questioningly.

“I…I need to talk to you.” She dropped into the nearest chair, hoping the look on her face wasn’t as blank as it felt. She had no idea what was in her heart, let alone what she could say.

Eli sat down beside her. After a short silence, he suggested softly, “Why don’t we pray first?”

She stiffened. “It won’t do any good. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I’ve done all kinds of praying these past two years and nothing good ever happened. I prayed in the living room after you did and I don’t feel any different.” She struggled to find the best words. “I even prayed while I was in that compound and all that I got was more involved with them. I ended up believing the lies Noah told. The whole time I was praying for help, but I got nothing back, no peace, no hope, nothing!”

Eli smiled. “So, what you’re saying is that you want me to pray instead of you?”

Despite the turmoil within her, Kaylee snickered. It was more of a nervous laugh, but it was nice to see a different side to Eli. Had his decision to stay lifted a weight from him? “Go ahead. You’d do better than me, anyway.”

They bowed their heads. Taking her hands, he said a soft prayer.

It was lovely. Gentle, thankful words rich with a deep sense of commitment. Kaylee bit back the wash of longing she felt. To have that kind of faith; to know peace and trust was just a prayer away.

“So,” he said after he’d finished, “you need to talk?”

“I…” She didn’t know where to start. To her horror, she felt an unwelcome swell of tears and looked at Eli through watery eyes. “You say that Noah’s here. How? What are we…”

She couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. For a few minutes, she sobbed quietly. Honestly, would she ever be strong again?

Eli found a box of tissues and, after setting it down in front of her, he held her hand. When she finally pulled herself together, she blinked up at him. He was sitting there, his eyes closed.

Praying again?

Oh, how good it would feel to rely on God, to totally believe He’d help, that He cared for people like her.

Eli opened his eyes. Without speaking, he rose and walked into her living room. There, she watched as he scribbled something down on a sheet of cut-up scrap paper she always kept by the phone.

Fascinated by his smooth, fluid movements, she felt a warmth grow in her heart as he wrote swiftly.

With his left hand.

She stiffened. His left hand? Eli was left-handed. She knew that.

The warmth of a moment ago drained, replaced by a cold, icy clutch around her heart.

When he returned to the kitchen and sat down again, he looked at her. He went instantly alert. “Something’s wrong. What’s going on?”

Rubbing her arms, she chewed on her lip. “Noah has been here.”

“I know. Hec Haines met him downtown.”

“No, I mean, here, at this house. In the backyard. And I was ready to let him just walk in and be alone with me!”