by Laura Scott
“This way,” Caleb said as he veered off to the right. There was an old farmhouse up ahead. She instinctively slowed. Why on earth would he risk going to a farmhouse? There had to be people living there, otherwise who’d planted the corn?
“Wait,” she said between gasping breaths. “What are you doing?”
“I’ve been watching the place for a few minutes now. It looks pretty dilapidated. So far, I haven’t seen anything indicating someone is living there,” Caleb explained. “Once we’re at the farmhouse we can rest for a few minutes.”
She was apprehensive about following him but as they approached, she relaxed as the state of disrepair became more obvious. The wood siding that had once been a light green or yellow, hard to tell as it hadn’t been painted in at least a decade, and several windows were broken. The yard was seriously overgrown with tall grass and megaweeds. The front porch was sagging so badly she had to assume the boards were rotting away underneath. There was no indication anyone was living there, and Caleb led them around to the back of the house, where there was plenty of shade providing relief from the sun. He gently set Kaitlin on her feet and the little girl rushed over to Noelle.
Noelle hugged her close and sank down into the long grass. Thank You, Lord, for saving us!
* * *
Caleb knew Kaitlin and Noelle needed some time to rest and recover, but he couldn’t help feeling nervous as he glanced around to make sure they weren’t followed. He’d ditched his cell phone back in the cornfield, not a big loss as the thing was out of battery anyway, but still, he wouldn’t be happy until they were far away from here.
The sirens had gone silent and he assumed that meant the police and the fire trucks had reached the motel. How long before the cops fanned out to look for them? Surely the desk clerk would be able to give adequate descriptions. Of him, for sure, although now that he thought about it, only the old man had seen Noelle and Kaitlin.
Still, they needed to get to safety. But how? The odds of getting away on foot weren’t good. Especially since he would have to carry Kaitlin.
Squinting at their surroundings, he searched for familiar landmarks. When he recognized the buildings way off in the distance, he realized he’d headed in the same direction as the strip mall where they’d gone shopping earlier that morning. The mall provided at least one opportunity. As a cop he didn’t like breaking the law, but what else could he do? If he didn’t steal a car they’d never survive.
Oddly enough, he didn’t like the thought of disappointing Noelle, either, but their safety was more important than worrying about his ridiculous feelings. He’d do whatever it took to keep them safe.
“I’m thirsty,” Kaitlin said.
Regret welled in his chest. “I’m sorry, Katydid, but I’ll get you some water as soon as possible, okay?”
“What’s the plan?” Noelle asked with a weary smile.
He had to admit she’d held up through their mad dash through the woods like a trouper. “The mall where we shopped earlier today is a couple of miles down the road to the north,” he said, indicating the general direction with a wave of his hand. “I think that’s our best option.”
Her gaze was troubled as she looked up at him. “We’re not going to get very far without a car, are we?” she asked, a note of defeat in her tone.
“We’ll think of something,” he assured her. No point in worrying about the next step until they had to. “Are you ready to keep going?”
“Sure.” She stood and picked up the plastic bag. “Let’s go.”
He buried a flash of admiration for her strength and determination as he looked at Kaitlin. “Do you want to ride on my shoulders, Katydid?”
His daughter regarded him steadily for a moment and he hoped she might remember when he’d carried her like that when they attended the state fair a few short weeks before his wife’s murder and his nightmare had begun. How he longed for those days. After what seemed like forever, she nodded and held up her arms. “Up!” she commanded.
His heart swelled with love as he put his hands around her tiny frame, lifted her up and set her gently on his shoulders. She clutched at his head, her tiny fingers finding his ears as a way to hang on when he started walking.
He ignored the discomfort, too happy to know his daughter was finally getting over her fear of him.
“Look, Daddy, birdies!” Kaitlin exclaimed.
“I see them, Katydid.”
“Caleb, the road is over there,” Noelle said, waving to the right.
“I know, but we’ll save time if we cut through the cornfields.” Being careful not to dislodge his daughter, he swept his gaze around the area, making sure they weren’t attracting attention. “I’m guessing this farmland is being leased out to someone. It would explain the abandoned farmhouse.”
“I guess you could be right. But, Caleb, why didn’t the license plate swap work?” Noelle asked in a low tone. “Is it possible we were being followed the whole time?”
He let his breath out in a sigh. “I guess anything’s possible, but I can’t see how I would have missed a tail. And if someone had followed us, why wait so long to make a move? We’d been at the motel for over twenty-four hours. There was plenty of time to go after us then.” The more he thought about it, the more he realized how unlikely that was. “No, I can’t believe we were followed.”
“Then how did they find us?” she persisted.
Admitting his lack of poor judgment wasn’t easy. “I made a mistake,” he admitted in a grim tone.
“What mistake?”
“Last night, I called my lawyer, Jack. I thought I kept the call short enough, but considering what happened, I have to assume that he managed to get a trace on me.”
“But why? Why would your lawyer do something like this?” she asked.
“Giddyup, Daddy,” Kaitlin said, kicking her heels. “You’re my horsey!”
The interruption made him chuckle, despite the seriousness of their situation. “This horsey isn’t going any faster, Katydid. You might fall off.” He glanced over at Noelle. “I don’t know why Jack would do something like this,” he said in a low tone. “It doesn’t make any sense, especially since he worked so hard to get me released from jail.”
Noelle switched the bag over to her other hand and he knew the bag was getting heavy. “Could someone else have tapped into your lawyer’s phone to trace you here?”
He turned the possibility over in his mind. “A cop would have the technology and the equipment to do that,” he said slowly. “I’m already convinced the guy who took a shot at me outside your house is someone from the team. That was a long but unerringly accurate shot.”
“Except he missed,” she said.
“Only because of Giffy,” he muttered wryly.
“Or maybe because God has other plans for you,” she persisted. “I’m so thankful God has been watching over us.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he kept silent. Was God watching over them? Watching over Noelle and Kaitlin, maybe, but him? Doubtful.
His shoulders were feeling the strain of carrying Kaitlin over the uneven turf so he kept his sights focused on the shopping mall. He didn’t want to point out that God wasn’t going to be too happy with him after he hot-wired a car.
Because truthfully, Noelle’s disappointment would hurt more than anything God could dish out.
* * *
Noelle’s arm muscles were screaming in protest from lugging their bag of belongings, but since Caleb was carrying Kaitlin she refused to complain.
She tried to keep focused on getting to safety. The buildings making up the shopping mall were slowly but surely getting closer. Once again, Caleb had saved her life. She’d never depended on a man before, not even when she was a teenager on the run from a physically abusive foster home. To this day she thanked God for se
nding her to a women’s shelter run by Abigail Carrington. Abby had helped her turn her life around. She never would have gotten her GED and gone on to college if not for Abby’s support.
After getting her preschool job and buying her very first home, she decided to try and give back to the community, the way Abby had given so selflessly to her. So she’d gone through the red tape of becoming a foster parent and had opened her home to Stephanie, a troubled young girl who’d been in rehab for drug abuse at the tender age of thirteen.
She veered away from thoughts of Stephanie; the pain of losing the young girl was still too raw even after two years. She hated knowing how badly she’d failed the young girl.
“Are you okay up there, Katydid?” Caleb asked.
“I wanna get down,” Kaitlin whined.
“All right.” Caleb stopped and carefully lifted the little girl off his shoulders. He held Kaitlin in his arms but she squirmed.
“I wanna walk by myself,” she said with a pout.
Caleb shot her a helpless look and Noelle smiled and nodded. “I’m sure she’ll be okay for a while.”
“Here, I’ll carry our stuff, then,” he said, reaching for the bag. Their fingers brushed and clung as she untangled her fingers from the plastic.
“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, avoiding his gaze. What was wrong with her? She should be immune to men, especially a guy like Caleb. She’d only had one boyfriend during college and that relationship had ended after a few short months because she just couldn’t bring herself to trust Daniel. He quickly moved on to someone else, which convinced her she’d made the right decision. What she didn’t know about men would fill an entire library.
She reminded herself that Caleb had been married to Heather, a beautiful, striking model with a slender figure and long, silky blond hair. He’d never be interested in someone plain, like her. And she should be absolutely glad about that.
So why wasn’t she?
Stress. It had to be stress making her think these crazy thoughts. Stress of being on the run from someone who’d tried to kill them. Twice. Any normal woman would be stressed under these circumstances, right? Right.
Yet she couldn’t deny that being with Caleb like this was far better than those horrible weeks she’d been on the streets alone back when she was seventeen.
“Hey, don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Caleb said in an encouraging tone.
She realized she must have been scowling, so she relaxed her features. “I know.”
“So far there’s no sign of the police searching for us,” he added. “I have to admit I’m a little surprised.”
“Me, too. I thought they’d bring out the bloodhounds,” she joked.
“Be glad they didn’t,” he said soberly.
Kaitlin was skipping ahead but she tripped and fell, letting out a screech. “Owwwieee!”
Noelle rushed over and scooped the girl up. “Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart. Let me see. There now, there’s no blood. It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Thankfully Kaitlin’s cries diminished to mere sniffles when she saw that indeed there was no blood. Noelle picked Kaitlin up, intending to carry the child for a little while.
“I can take her,” Caleb offered. “She’s too heavy for you to carry for long.”
She reluctantly handed Kaitlin over, knowing he was right. Their bag of clothing and toiletries wasn’t very heavy, either, at first but after a mile it had felt like a ton of bricks.
They were only twenty feet away from the mall parking lot now, and as they approached she noticed there was a big chartered bus parked in the center of the lot. And then she saw the soft-drink vending machine. Just seeing the cold drinks inside made her keenly aware of how parched she was.
“First stop, water,” she said to Caleb as their footsteps hit the pavement.
“I’m with you,” he murmured. He set Kaitlin down again, but this time held on to his daughter’s hand so she couldn’t run off as they crossed the parking lot.
As Caleb fed dollar bills into the vending machine, Noelle couldn’t help watching the bus. There appeared to be several elderly people nearby, making her wonder if they’d come here on some sort of senior shopping trip.
“Here,” Caleb said, handing her an ice-cold water bottle.
“Thanks. Kaitlin, do you want a drink?” she asked as she unscrewed the cap.
“Yes.” Kaitlin tried to grab the water, but she held firm, so it wouldn’t spill as the child took several big gulps. When the little girl was finished, she took a long sip herself.
“Wow, that hit the spot,” Caleb murmured as he recapped his water. “Why don’t you two rest in the shade for a while? I’ll be back soon.”
Back? Where was he going? And then she knew he intended to steal a car. “Caleb, wait.” She reached out to grasp his arm to prevent him from leaving. His skin was so hot she was half-afraid she’d be seared by the touch. Yet she refused to let go. “Why don’t you let me talk to the bus driver first?”
“The bus driver?” he repeated. He looked over and frowned. “Noelle, that’s a private bus, chartered for a specific event. There’s no way they’re going to give us a ride,” he protested.
She knew the odds weren’t good, but she didn’t care. “Have faith, Caleb. At the very least it can’t hurt to ask. Wait here a moment, okay?”
She could tell he didn’t want to let her go over there alone, but really after everything they’d been through it wasn’t as if a bus driver and an elderly woman presented any sort of danger. Wishing she wasn’t quite so hot and sweaty, she walked over to where the bus driver, a bald man who looked to be in his mid-sixties, was talking to a woman who was probably a decade older. From the gist of the conversation it appeared they were intending to leave soon.
Please, Lord, guide me through this.
“Hi there,” she greeted them warmly. “My name is Noelle and we had a little car trouble a few miles back. Is there any way you would consider giving us a ride to wherever you’re headed? We’d be so grateful.”
“That’s against the rules,” the bus driver said quickly. “Sorry.”
“Oh my dear, that’s terrible,” the elderly woman said with clear sympathy. “Do you want to borrow my phone to call a tow truck?”
“No, thanks, we really can’t afford a tow truck and the car wasn’t really worth much anyway,” Noelle said sadly. She forced a smile and glanced again at the bus driver. If she could convince him to take them along, she thought for sure the elderly woman wouldn’t mind. “I understand it’s against the rules, but Kaitlin is only five and she’s exhausted and hungry. We aren’t asking you to go out of your way. Please?”
“That’s not an option,” he said firmly.
She swallowed a frustrated sigh. She had no idea what she could say to make this stubborn old man change his mind.
“Look, Harry, give this poor girl a break, will you? She’s a nice Christian woman,” the elderly woman said.
Noelle’s jaw dropped open. “How did you know?” she asked.
The elderly woman gave her arm a gentle pat. “You’re wearing a cross around your neck, my dear,” she said in a soothing tone. “Now, Harry, what can it hurt to give this nice family a ride back to Madison? Three additional people aren’t going to make one bit of difference to you. We’ve already paid you for the trip, haven’t we?”
The old man scowled and scratched his jaw. “Don’t see what good a ride will do, they have to get a tow truck eventually,” he groused.
“What do you care if they do or they don’t?” the elderly woman asked with exasperation. “Now, listen here, Harry, giving these young folks a helping hand is the right thing to do. Now, are you going to give them a ride or not?”
The bus driver must have realized he’d soon be outnumbered because he let out a huff and threw up his han
ds. “Okay, okay. I’ll give them a ride.”
Relief threatened to buckle Noelle’s knees. “Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”
“My name is Lydia Rawlings,” the elderly woman said. “But you can call me Lydia. Now bring that cute little girl and that handsome husband of yours over and introduce us properly.”
Husband? Noelle blinked in surprise, but didn’t correct Lydia’s assumption as she gestured for Caleb and Kaitlin to come over. Caleb’s gaze was questioning as he approached.
She wet her lips nervously. “Caleb, I’d like you to meet Lydia Rawlings, who has graciously agreed to give us a ride to Madison. Lydia, this is Caleb and Kaitlin.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Caleb said, offering his hand. “We’re very grateful for the lift.”
“Well, the Lord always finds a way to provide, doesn’t He?” Lydia said with a laugh. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, such a beautiful family. Now go ahead and climb inside. I can see the rest of the group is already making their way over.”
Caleb’s gaze clashed with hers and she lifted her shoulder in a tiny shrug in response to his unspoken question. She hadn’t told Lydia they were a family and certainly it wasn’t her fault the woman had jumped to that conclusion.
But as she climbed inside the blessed coolness of the bus, she found herself wishing they were a real family, instead of a make-believe one.
FIVE
Caleb followed Noelle and Kaitlin to the back of the bus, taking the seat directly behind the one they slid into together. He had to admit being very surprised Noelle had managed to convince the bus driver to take them along. And he was glad he didn’t have to steal a car.
At least not yet.
Many of the elderly patrons of the bus filed in behind them, greeting the newcomers as they took their seats. Noelle chatted cheerfully, giving a good impression that they had nothing to hide as she thanked them again for allowing them to ride along.
Now that they were relatively safe, he couldn’t help trying to figure out how they’d been tracked to the motel. Jack Owens had to be the leak. There was no other explanation. Caleb had kept his phone off, turning it on to make the one call to Jack, before shutting the phone down again.