Desperate Rescue Page 7

  He cut off the thought. No. He had to stay very aware of that fact.

  “I’m glad that there was no one in the house,” he answered quietly.

  “But you’re not happy that Phoebe’s gone.”

  “True. She’s still alive, though. I’ll find her.” He stepped back onto the narrow sidewalk leading to her little house. “Will you be at church on Sunday?”

  “You weren’t planning on staying that long, were you?”

  He lifted an eyebrow and watched her cheeks redden in the glow from the streetlight above his car. “It may take me a few days to get the information I need, and I’d like to see your church.”

  She hastily unlocked her front door. “It’s not my church. But of course, they’d welcome you. I tease Lois that she’s always looking for fresh blood.”

  He smiled and she returned it immediately. He could feel how relaxed she was and wished he felt the same.

  He should remind her of his concerns. “Kaylee, there’s something you should know.”

  Immediately, a dog nearby started to bark. The insistent yelping sounded like it came from the back of her house.

  “That’s Lois’s dog, Pepe. He’s always sneaking into my yard. I think the previous tenant used to feed him.”

  The dog’s barking turned frenzied. With a shake of her head, she pushed open her door. “I better call Lois. She’s the only one who can settle him down, but I think she’s a bit hard of hearing, so she doesn’t always know what he’s doing.”

  Twisting around, she caught the light from the street. She looked much like a teenager, a scared, wide-eyed one who’d seen too much for her young age, one of those haunting girls who might grace the cover of a missionary magazine. So cautious, so wanting to trust, he felt the image burn into his brain. He cleared his throat, unsure of what to do with the emotions churning inside of him. “I’ll say good-night now and see you Sunday, then.”

  She hesitated. “I don’t know. I’ve been so tired lately and a chance to sleep in…”

  “No,” he said, stepping a few inches closer, “don’t shut out this opportunity. Don’t let Noah win here. You should see and prove to yourself that this church can help you. And that Noah was wrong. About everything.”

  “You don’t know anything about that church. How can you say that?”

  Gut feeling? God-given? Instead of those answers, he gave her one of logic. “Lois cares for you and she goes to that church. I’ve heard what some people in town say about the congregation. Don’t judge them prematurely. It’s not fair to Lois or the people who can help you.”

  She dropped her head slightly and sighed. “I don’t want to prejudge them.”

  “Good. I’ll see you there.” Then, smiling, he added, “Good night.”

  She didn’t return it. Eli watched her close and lock her door. He walked back to his car, all the while listening to the dog’s frenetic barks growing wilder. A few minutes later, a door opened at the next house and he could hear Lois call her pet.

  As he climbed to his car, the dog stopped barking. He tapped the steering wheel, torn between going back to Kaylee’s house to tell her his suspicions and letting her have one good night’s sleep.

  Leave her alone. She needed some time to digest all that had happened. It had been a brutal day for both of them. He hadn’t expected the explosives anymore than she had. Only working with the police taught him to be wary and to recognize danger.

  Dropping his head down on the steering wheel, he shut his eyes. The prayer he tried to form came out jumbled, chaotic, but he knew that wasn’t important. He just didn’t seem to have the strength to sort out the right words.

  Grimly, he backed out of the driveway, drove down the street and parked in front of a small convenience store that had closed for the evening. From there, he could see Kaylee’s house and the street that intersected her cul-de-sac.

  He waited, too drained to do anything but shut his eyes.

  A sharp rapping jolted him. Turning, he winced at the blinding light in his face. When the flashlight dropped, he blinked into focus the time on his car stereo. Seven something.

  He’d fallen asleep. He’d been watching her house and drifted off. Automatically, his attention shot to Kaylee’s house, beyond the police car that was parked broadside to him. It looked no different than last night, except that her lights were off.

  “Want to get out of the car, sir?”

  He peered at the nametag of the police officer staring in at him. Auxiliary Police Officer Jim Reading, it said. From the looks of the burly man, he was older, maybe retired from the military or regular police force. Eli climbed out.

  “Did you spend the night in your car, sir?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  The officer asked for registration and driver’s license, which Eli provided. That done, the man asked, “Why did you spend the night here?”

  “I wanted to keep an eye on Kaylee Campbell’s house.”

  “For what reason?”

  “My brother threatened her and I believe he’ll carry out his threat.”

  “So you don’t believe he’s gone south?”

  Eli’s brows knitted together quickly. “You know him?”

  The officer didn’t answer right away. Of course. Kaylee had told the state police where she lived. They would call to confirm her address and offer a courtesy call to let the police here know what had happened.

  “We had some water bombers on standby to douse any forest fires that may have started from the explosions. The bombers scoop up water from the river, so they usually let our detachment know their plans.” He tilted his head to the left to study Eli. “But I don’t think it’s wise to follow Kaylee around.”

  “Have I broken the law being parked here?”

  “No. You just made a few of the residents of this street nervous, that’s all. They woke up to see the same car there as the night before.” He tucked his flashlight away and folded his arms. Eli noted that they were equal in height. The officer met his gaze with something more than just politeness. His tone changed, softened slightly. “It’s okay to be concerned for a friend, but wouldn’t it be wise to let us know?”

  Good advice. But he’d spent the night supposedly waiting for Noah to show up. He could have easily put a thousand miles on his car, heading south, following a trail that would hopefully lead to Phoebe.

  Instead, he’d stayed here and had promptly fallen asleep.

  Rolling his shoulders, he said, “Thank you. I think I’ll just go check on Kaylee.”

  The officer stopped him with a firm hand. “I’ll go check on her. You can get yourself some breakfast and find a motel room, if you plan to stick around.”

  He had a motel room, but had hardly used it. “Thanks.” He turned toward his car, then turned back. “How well do you know Kaylee Campbell?”

  “Well enough for a small town. But, take another piece of advice, Mr. Nash. Your brother’s gone, so you should be, too. Kaylee has enough to deal with. You’re only making things worse.”

  Yes, he probably was. But he couldn’t just walk away now. Not with all that had happened. Not with the memory of Kaylee’s wide, exotic eyes haunting him.

  “Time to move on, Mr. Nash. Either that or find a motel and clean up. I’ll go check on Kaylee.”

  As the man turned to go, Eli said, “Thank you.”

  The officer turned back to him, pulled out a card and scribbled something on it. He handed it to Eli. “This is my cell number. You can call it anytime if you’re worried about Kaylee. We all care about her. She hasn’t been here long, but she’s become like family to my aunt. She’s her neighbor, Lois Smith. So I know how much Kaylee wants to start again.”

  Reading dipped his head once, then climbed back into his cruiser.

  Eli watched the police officer drive up to Kaylee’s little bungalow. A moment later, he was knocking on the door. A moment after that, Kaylee answered it.

  He found himself sighing. When the officer pointed down the short
street at him, he climbed back into his car. Even at this distance, he could read her body language. Her stiff shoulders, her tightly crossed arms. She didn’t like his concern.

  So what else was he supposed to do? The police officer nodded, returned to his car and drove away. He watched the cruiser roll past him.

  Movement caught his attention. Kaylee shook her head before returning inside.

  He drove up to her house.

  She opened her door before he reached it. “You spent the night in your car? Are you nuts? You could have frozen to death!”

  “We’re having an Indian summer. It wasn’t that cold. Plus, I have a blanket in the back.”

  Disbelief lingered on her face as she shook her head. “Why? Why did you do that?”

  “Because…” he started, then cut off his words. Kaylee wouldn’t believe him if he told her that he thought that Noah would come here to finish his threat. The short time he’d known her told him that she wasn’t the sort to tackle her problems head-on.

  Officer Reading’s comment returned to him. Kaylee had enough on her plate right now. He didn’t need to add to it, even if he really believed that Noah hadn’t fled south.

  Or was he being selfish again, as Phoebe had so often accused him of being? Noah was his problem and standing here telling himself that Kaylee was in danger could be his own selfish way of foisting his problems onto her, of forcing her to help him.

  Did he really believe that?

  “Because why?”

  With a blink, he brought her face back into focus. “You’ve gone through a lot. I was concerned about you.”

  An odd expression rolled over her features. Still, she said nothing. Just as he turned away, she stepped forward. “Eli?” Her voice had turned soft, hesitant.

  He faced her. “Yes?”

  Her throat bobbed and a small crease formed between her dark brows. “Did you call me last night?”

  “No. Why?”

  She shivered. The urge to hold her close swelled in him, but he pushed it away when she stepped back. “Why, Kaylee? Who called you?”

  “I’m not sure. There was a moment of silence before the person hung up.”

  His heart skipped a beat. “Do you know what the number was?”

  “No. I can’t afford call display or even that last-number-dialed feature. It took me a long time to fall asleep.” She paused. “There are some nuts out there who like to scare people just because they’re bored in the evening. My boss said this area is bad for that. And it’s not as if what happened to me is a secret. It was probably just kids.”

  Or it could be Noah, Eli thought.

  Kaylee peered at him. Her hands had found each other, her fingers tightly intertwined. “I know what you’re thinking. You think it was Noah. But he’s headed south. He wouldn’t leave his followers and risk them abandoning him.”

  She threw off the whole idea with a hasty shake of her head. “He wouldn’t have stuck around. Look, I just don’t want to deal with this!”

  With one swift step, he hauled her to him. There was nothing he could do but let her sag in his arms. Should he be telling her that he believed it was Noah?

  No. She’d run away. And without her as a lure, he’d lose his chance to stop Noah once and for all.

  He shut his eyes. Phoebe was right. He was being selfish. He was only using the notion of waiting for his investigator’s call as an excuse to hang around, all the while using Kaylee as bait.

  His stomach twisted. Not the best way for a Christian to act. The old fears within him reared up, nasty and cold like the words Noah said once when they were reaching the end of their teenage years, when John, their second cousin, had sparked dangerous ideas inside of him. “We’re a lot alike, Eli.”

  Just before that, Eli had told Noah he was nuts to think people would walk away from organized religion just because the world seemed headed for disaster.

  Noah had smiled and repeated his comment, knowing it would push Eli’s buttons. “We are alike, you and I. Only, I’m insightful and creative enough to make my own religion—a religion based on the truth of today, not old myths that have worn out their welcome.”

  Eli opened his eyes to see a close-up of Kaylee’s dark, soft hair, each strand fine and wavy, its faint scent of apple shampoo teasing his nose.

  He had to find Phoebe, save her from their brother, using everything God had given him. Including Kaylee?

  With that resolution, he gripped her tighter and prayed silently.

  “He’s checked into the Valley View Motel up by the highway. It’s quiet this time of year, so he’s their only guest,” Lois told Kaylee after supper that evening. She’d asked Kaylee over for tea before Kaylee had to return to the rec center. Jenn had asked her to lock up after the men’s basketball game finished and Kaylee was free until then.

  “Everyone in town knows he’s here,” Lois continued. “And why. He’s here because of you.”

  With a flick of her gaze up to the older woman, Kaylee wrapped her hands around the mug of hot tea. Yes, Eli had said he was sticking around. She knew enough to guess his plan.

  But she still didn’t know what to make of his decision to stay. He’d been driven all these years to find Phoebe and free her. Why stop now?

  Because of her? No. They’d only just met.

  Because of Noah? Did he suspect he was here?

  A cold shiver rippled through her and she lifted the steaming mug to swallow another sip. Eli was wrong.

  “It was on the news last night, along with that tropical storm coming. I heard you could see the smoke from the explosion on the highway.” Lois still chattered on. If she’d asked Kaylee here to glean some information on what had happened yesterday, she’d forgotten to ask the questions.

  Kaylee looked up at the older woman. “I didn’t watch the news.”

  Lois gave her a sympathetic smile. “I don’t imagine.”

  “I wish it hadn’t been reported.”

  “It’ll be in the news for a while. They even have some kind of forensic bomb squad there trying to figure out what explosives were used, but it could take months, the reporter said. Bombs and explosions and such are a fact of life now, I’m afraid.”

  And with Noah having dropped out of sight, they’ll never find him, Kaylee thought as Lois topped up her tea.

  “They had the water bombers on standby, I heard,” Lois added. “And when I found out it concerned the very compound where you were held, I paid attention. Did any reporters call you?”

  Kaylee nodded. “A couple, but I said I didn’t want to talk.” It wasn’t their calls that lingered in her mind. It was the other one.

  “I should go,” she said before gulping down her tea and pushing back her chair. “I have a few things to do at work while the men finish up their game.” Her head was beginning to pound. The fresh, crisp air on the walk down to the rec center would do her good.

  She paused. Should she be walking, alone, if Noah was out there? But Noah wasn’t out there; he wouldn’t leave his followers. They were too important to him and his need for control. She’d learned that the hard way.

  Lois reached out and touched her hand and she started. “Oh, dear thing! This is my fault, isn’t it?” The older woman bit her lip, looking as if she was ready to cry. “Honey, if I hadn’t told you that story about my husband leaving for Korea, and that man helping us, you’d have never decided to go back to Maine with that Eli Nash and none of this would have happened!”

  Kaylee looked over at her friend and saw the etched concern on her face that must have been a mirror of her own. Tears stung her eyes. Now Lois was feeling guilty, too? Were they all going to be prisoners of Noah Nash?

  She leaned forward, her jaw tightening. “Lois, you did the right thing. Look, if we hadn’t gone to that compound, those explosives may not have been found until some kids went there. Noah would have hurt or killed innocent teens backroading with four wheelers. You did the right thing, though you didn’t realize it at the time. Noah’s p
lans were thwarted.”

  And she wasn’t going to be a prisoner to him, she added to herself. Forget it. She was free. And while that might get Noah Nash’s goat, as her grandmother would say, she wasn’t going to turn her life back into the fearful, captive one she’d had while in the compound.

  Fear is the lack of trust. Noah had said that more than once.

  As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Fear is the lack of trust. But a trust in what, a part of her asked. Certainly not Noah.

  With gritted teeth at the way he still ruled her, she rose and shoved her mug under the kitchen tap. Noah was wrong. Phoebe was wrong to believe him. Kaylee twisted off the faucet. And she was wrong to dwell on those people. They had destroyed her life and allowed Trisha to die.

  She rinsed her mug out in the sink and set it on the rack to dry. Then, with as strong a smile as she could imagine, she said, “It’s not your fault, Lois. I made the decision to help Eli. I’m not going to let Noah Nash win here. He’s had enough influence over me to last a hundred lifetimes.”

  Lois nodded her approval. “That’s my girl.”

  After giving the elderly woman a warm hug and Pepe a pat on the head, Kaylee walked out into the street. She wouldn’t take her car. She’d tried it earlier and the rickety old thing barely turned over.

  Autumn had turned the air crisp and sharp. The nice days would soon be over. Above, the clouds looked like chunks of ice floating in a dark liquid. Lois had said a tropical storm was on its way, up from the deep south. The warm temperature might be welcome, but after the wet summer they’d had, the rainfall wouldn’t be.

  She pulled up her zipper so the cool breeze from the Saint John River wouldn’t trickle down her neck. She’d been cold enough for the last few years.

  At the end of her cul-de-sac, she paused. Then turned around. The street lay silently, chillingly before her.

  A tingle on the back of her neck whispered that someone was watching her.

  SEVEN

  Pray constantly. Give thanks in all circumstances. Lois had said they were Pastor Paul’s favorite Bible words, but that even he admitted it was hard to do. Kaylee’s steps faltered. God felt too far away to reach by a simple prayer.