Desperate Rescue (19 page)

He took her hand and squeezed it back. “What Noah did to our family made it personal to me and yet I handled it all without losing my cool.”

“God intervened. Didn’t you say something about Him taking us to the end to show us how much we need Him and how much He can minister to us and how much He really loves us?”

Eli smiled, but the expression held sadness. “That’s good, sweetheart. But I’m realizing now that Noah made it even more personal when he tried to hurt you.”

“It doesn’t mean you don’t love your family any less, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“For years I wanted to kill him.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I wanted to and that’s just as bad.”

“And that’s the great thing about Jesus, isn’t it? He’ll forgive us and we can start again.” She cupped his jaw, tilting her head to stare into his eyes. “He forgave me and you should have heard the things I said and did.”

He turned his face and kissed her palm. “You’re good at witnessing, you know that?” He sighed. “And with Noah alive, he can’t be turned into a martyr by his cult.”

The door opened and in walked Reading. His face appeared pinched and dark. “I have some bad news. Something has happened to your brother.”

Eli shifted Kaylee behind him. “What is it?”

“He was conscious and rather belligerent one moment, in the back of the cruiser and the next minute, he collapsed and lost consciousness. We called the paramedics. They rushed him to the hospital, with two other officers.”

“How is he now?”

Reading shook his head. “He didn’t regain consciousness. His heart just stopped and they couldn’t revive him at the hospital. I’m sorry.”

“He’s killed himself?” Eli asked.

“We don’t know that.”

“Did the emergency-room doctor see any signs of poisoning? He was eating candy when we caught him.”

“I don’t have any details yet. The other officers haven’t returned. There’ll be an autopsy and an inquiry; you can count on it.” He lifted his brows, looking grim. “But you’re right. It does look like suicide. I remember thinking that he looked a weird shade of green. I’ve seen some drug overdoses before, but nothing like that.”

Kaylee waited for the surge of some emotion. But all that came was a deep sadness. “He’ll never stand trial for killing Trisha.”

Eli turned to look at her. “He’ll be judged eventually, as we all will.”

She peered up at him, taking the step closer to allow him to draw her into his arms. “Still, I don’t want Trisha to be remembered as the one who committed suicide. It’s not simply a matter of justice. It’s her memory I don’t want to be tarnished.”

Reading shook his head, his face full of determination. “There’ll still be an investigation into her death, I promise you. I can’t promise what the outcome will be, but I’ll do my best to make sure you’re heard.”

Tears watered her eyes. “Thank you.”

But she couldn’t help but wonder how much they’d listen to her now, when they didn’t listen before. With Noah dead and Phoebe still to be found, what proof did she have?

T
allahassee’s brilliant sunshine blinded Eli. He and Kaylee had decided to fly down, and now, walking out of the airport with Roger, his investigator, he searched for his sunglasses. The moment he located them in his pocket, he fumbled and dropped them. Kaylee stooped to retrieve them.

“It’s going to be all right,” she whispered. “She’s already been told of Noah’s death. And it’s had time to sink in. The only other women with her right now are Janice and Tina.”

“Are you sure? The photo didn’t show their faces.”

“I know who they are by their shapes. It’s good for us.”

“Why?”

“Remember I told you about that woman who picked the lamb’s-quarter? That was Janice. Noah punished her. I think she began to be disillusioned after that.”

“And the other woman?”

“A couple of years ago, Tina became pregnant. She lost the baby. He was stillborn, poor thing. Tina nearly died herself. These two women weren’t as adamant in following Noah after what happened to them. Not like some of the group.”

“Like Phoebe?”

“I know what you’re getting at. But Phoebe has also got the truth about Noah now staring her in the face. The police down here showed her a copy of the autopsy and the proof that he killed himself.” She offered him an encouraging smile. “Have a little faith, okay?”

They had reached Roger’s car. Across the trunk, Eli returned the smile. “Thanks. I wish we’d have checked Noah’s mouth before he climbed into the cruiser.”

“The candy was covered with the poison. He’d planned it. He must have had it in his pocket all week. And with all those wrappers around, we wouldn’t have been surprised to see one shoved in his mouth. You couldn’t have known he was prepared like that.”

“No, but still—”

She plowed on. “He had enough poison in that shed to kill the entire cult. I thank God that he hadn’t headed south with the rest of them. He could have killed them all.”

Roger unlocked the passenger door for them. “You should be thankful he didn’t try to poison either of you. He had plenty of opportunity. I have the exit counselor meeting us near the campground. She’ll help you deal with this.”

Kaylee watched Eli nod in gratitude. The drive into the campground was long and they had to pick up the exit counselor halfway there. In the quiet of the backseat, she watched Eli drop his head and close his eyes.

He was praying.

Lord, listen to his prayers. Give him the right words. All for Your glory, Lord.

After they registered and drove into the small tent and trailer park, she caught Eli’s eyes.

He swallowed. She repeated her prayer. Roger consulted the campground map and turned left into the tenting area. Huge oak trees, so different than the ones she’d grown up with, along with slender palms, graced the grounds, giving the area an exotic Edenlike feel.

Roger stopped the car at one of the empty campsites. Everyone climbed out. Immediately, Eli’s gaze, followed by hers, fell on a small dome tent across the road. A woman emerged from it.

Phoebe. Kaylee froze and so did Eli.

“Phoebe?” Both she and Eli spoke at the same time.

Kaylee stepped forward, past the car, toward the young blond woman. “It’s Eli. He’s here to talk to you.”

Dazed, Phoebe tore her gaze from Kaylee to Eli and back again. “I know. I just didn’t expect him to look so much like Noah used to look. It’s…it’s been so long.”

Then she broke down. Within milliseconds, Eli was there, holding his little sister close. Kaylee watched with watering eyes as Phoebe clung to her brother.

“I’m sorry,” the younger woman sobbed. “I’m so sorry!”

For several long minutes, Kaylee, the investigator and the exit counselor watched and let the siblings begin their healing.

Finally, they broke their embrace. Eli led her to the picnic table. Kaylee took a step toward them, but the exit counselor caught her arm.

“Why don’t we go for a walk for a few minutes?”

Reluctantly, Kaylee allowed the woman to lead her away. She wanted to be by Eli’s side, to hold on to him, to give him the security and the prayers he’d given her. But this was something just for the siblings.

The fifteen minutes they took wandering around the campground felt like years. When they finally returned to Phoebe’s site, the siblings were hugging again. The exit counselor cleared her throat.

Wiping her eyes, Phoebe approached Kaylee. “And I’m so sorry for what has happened to you. For what I did to you.”

Kaylee blinked, confused by her words. “What did you do to me?” She was half afraid of the answer.

Phoebe hugged herself. Her eyes were rimmed with red. “I was the one who told the police those lies about you, when Trisha died.”

The world around her seemed to spin. “You said what?”

Phoebe’s small mouth twisted and her chin wrinkled. “I can’t believe I lied for Noah. I told the police you were angry and had left because he’d spurned you. I told them Trisha became so upset that she threatened to kill herself more than once.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t until Janice brought me here and we heard about Noah that I realized how awful I’d been.” Her voice wobbled. “How awful we all were, all in the name of something terribly wrong. I actually thought it was for the greater good to lie and keep the world away from us. But we were just hiding our heads in the sand like ostriches.”

Sympathy washed over Kaylee. Gone was the anger, the hatred. They’d all been victims. “I know how you feel. But it feels so much better to face your fears.”

Phoebe hiccuped a small sob. “I was afraid. Noah had given us such a horrible picture of the outside world, that I was scared to go anywhere. But being here, I see it’s not so bad.”

Kaylee pulled Phoebe into a warm, forgiving hug. The young girl clung to her, whispering an apology over and over.

The exit counselor stepped up and touched both women’s shoulders. They moved apart. “This is where I step in.” She led Phoebe away. Kaylee watched them, feeling Eli walk up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear. “And I’m so proud of you. You’ve done the right thing here. Not too many people do that.”

She clung to his arms. “Not too many people have what I have. A Savior and a wonderful fiancé.”

“Who both love you very much.”