by Carol Cox
“And what was the point of this mythical stalker?” Kate asked, feeling pretty sure that she already knew the answer.
“It was one of the clues in my mystery. I needed something to point you in Dr. White’s direction. I didn’t expect him to get arrested,” she added in a rush. “I just wanted to shake him up and make him feel bad, the same way he hurt me.” Casey had the grace to look slightly ashamed.
“And what about that day at the campground?” Kate asked. “Did it go the way Dr. White told me, with you calling him with some trumped-up story about your car breaking down?”
Casey gave her a startled glance. “He told you about that? Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened. I’d taken the distributor cap off. I learned that little trick from one of my cousins. I figured it would buy me some time so I could talk to Dr. White when he got there. I never expected him to just throw the hood open and figure it out the very first thing.”
“I can see it all up to that point,” Kate said. “But I still don’t understand what happened after he left. Where did the blood in the bathroom come from?”
Casey rubbed her forehead with one hand, as if trying to wipe away an unpleasant memory. “When he left, I felt so humiliated, I wanted to die. That was when I noticed I had his cuff link in my hand and threw it on the floor. It felt kind of like I was throwing him away, too. I went over to my car and put the distributor cap back on, but my hand slipped, and I cut it on the clip. I needed something to wrap my hand in, so I went back into the restroom to get a paper towel. And I fished that paper with your name on it out of my pocket and threw it away.
“You were my backup plan,” Casey explained. “That’s why I had the note with me. If things didn’t go the way I wanted them to, I was going to call you and tell you I needed help with some guy who’d been following me.”
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that didn’t happen,” Kate murmured.
“Yeah,” said Casey. “But what I did instead was just as bad. The more I thought about what had happened, the madder I got. By the time I reached my car, I was ready to chase Dr. White down and run him off the road. I jumped in my car and took off after him. It had started to rain by then, and I didn’t think about the road being slick. I took a curve too fast and skidded off into that ravine.”
Kate closed her eyes for a moment. “It’s a good thing you weren’t hurt any worse than you were.”
“I didn’t know if I was going to get out of it alive, at least not at first. The car flipped and started rolling over and over. When I felt it start bouncing downhill, I thought for sure I was going to die. I was so glad when it finally stopped! I was hurt pretty bad, and I knew I needed help. So I managed to push my way out through all those vines and climb back up to the road. Then I started walking toward town.
“I was really dizzy, and I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, I was here in the hospital. Since I’d been thinking about calling you, I guess your name was in the back of my mind, and that’s why it popped out when they asked me who they should contact.”
Deep sorrow washed over Kate. “In other words, my name was fresh in your mind because you intended to use me to frame an innocent man.”
Casey nodded, looking utterly miserable. “I thought if I could make people think he was my stalker, he’d really be sorry for what he did to me. All I meant for you to do was identify him as a suspect and make him sweat a little. I never expected you to get caught up in this whole mess.” She put her forehead on her knees, and her whole body began to shake.
Kate reached out and cradled the girl in her arms, holding her close.
“I don’t get it,” Casey managed to get out between sobs. “I did all those awful things, and yet you’ve been such a friend to me. You’ve done all of this to help me. I am so sorry.”
After her tears subsided, Casey sat up and reached for another handful of tissues. “He left me his money, you know.”
The abrupt change of subject took Kate aback. “Excuse me?”
“My great-grandfather.” Casey paused to blow her nose. “A lawyer called me after he died and said he’d left it all to me in his will. I didn’t tell anyone at school about it because I wanted them to like me for myself and not my money.” Her mouth twisted, and she gave a bitter laugh. “But then it turns out none of them liked me much anyway.”
“Actually,” Kate said gently, “that isn’t true. I’ve talked with Melanie McLauglin as well as Ashley and Rachel at the college. Every one of them thinks you’re a nice person, Casey. I think all you need to do is open up a bit and realize that the best way to make friends is to be one.”
Casey looked at Kate with a woeful expression. “I’d like to think that you’re right. You know, what I really wanted was a family, but money won’t buy me that, either.” Her face crumpled, and she broke into sobs again. “I’m such a mess! No wonder no one’s ever wanted me.”
“You’re wrong about that too,” Kate told her. “There is Someone who wants you.”
Casey looked up through her tears, her face a mask of disbelief. “Who?”
“God loves you, Casey. You made all these plans to try to force Dr. White to care about you. But God has loved you all the time. He wants to be a part of your life—now and forever. And,” Kate added with a tender smile, “he would love for you to be a part of his family.”
Casey wiped the tears from her cheeks with her fingers and stared at Kate. “That sounds too good to be true,” she said through trembling lips. “But you seem to know him like he’s your best friend. If he’s anything like you, I think I’m ready now to find out more about him.”
Kate studied her for a long moment, then she reached out to stroke the girl’s hair. “Why don’t you come have lunch with me and my husband? If that doctor ever shows up to discharge you,” she added with a laugh. “We’d love to introduce you to a Father who will always be there for you.”
Casey didn’t speak, but her eyes shone with a glimmer of hope.
A radiant warmth filled Kate, and her heart sang with joy. After all her searching for the truth, she felt like she was finally seeing a glimpse of the real Casey at last.
About the Author
CAROL COX is the author of more than twenty novels and novellas. Her nonwriting time is devoted to being a pastor’s wife, a homeschool mom and, recently, a grandmother. Carol makes her home with her husband and young daughter in northern Arizona, where the deer and the antelope really do play—often within view of the family’s front porch. To learn more about Carol and her books, visit www.CarolCoxBooks.com.
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