The Soul Redeemer: From Victim to Victory

by Bowser, Nancy

  The two ladies cautiously stepped onto the wooden board walk of a main street. If she had stepped into the western looking town under better circumstances, and if she weren't so hungry, thirsty and tired, she would have enjoyed strolling the streets and exploring the quaint shops that hinted of another place and time.

  Suddenly realizing that they were entering civilization and that they probably didn't look very civilized after hiking all night, Nicole pulled Maria into an alcove of a building and looked her up and down.

  "What you do Miss Nicki?"

  "How do I look?"

  Maria's eyebrows puckered and she said, "You look very tired. Black circles under eyes, hair messy, feet very dirty,…" She smiled widely and added, "I say you look beautiful!"

  "Very funny. I don't want it obvious to everyone that we're on the run. I wish I had my brush. Here, let me just straighten out your hair." Nicole ran her fingers through the tangles in Maria's short, dark hair, and then she did the same with her long brown hair. Somewhere along the way she had lost the clip that held it out of her face.

  They stepped out of the alcove as a delivery truck passed by. Nicole's heart seemed to skip a beat as another vehicle also turned the corner near them but headed in the opposite direction. The street was quickly coming to life as people were arriving and opening their shops.

  "I wonder if the next street over is as busy. Let's check it out," she said.

  As they rounded the corner, the smell of fresh bread assaulted their noses and their stomachs growled simultaneously. The aroma seemed to be originating from an old western style building across the street, and it seemed to be calling to them. The sign above the door said, "JACKSON'S SALOON," but under that in smaller letters it read, "Best Beer and Bread in Town."

  Nicole looked at Maria, who nodded at her, and they crossed the street and went in.

  It was definitely a bar, but there was also a display case of delicious looking baked goods and a menu of breakfast and lunch type foods written on a chalk board.

  A man behind the counter looked up and asked, "Take out?"

  "No."

  "Then take a seat anywhere you ladies like," he said, and he went back to his job of polishing the glasses and setting them on a shelf.

  Nicole hesitated as she considered asking him if she could use his phone, but her weariness and thirst was overpowering. They walked to the far end of the bar and sat down at a corner table away from the large front window.

  "I'm afraid that we are going to look suspicious when we only order water," Nicole said.

  Maria pulled a coin purse out of the pocket of her jeans and smiled. Nicole's eyes opened wide in surprise. "How much do you have?" Then added, "If you don't mind my asking."

  Maria pulled a twenty dollar bill out and smiled broadly. "We eat now."

  The bartender approached them with menus, a basket of very tempting bread, and two glasses of water. "Ok, what can I get for you hungry ladies this morning?" he asked.

  "A cell phone," Nicole said.

  "Now that's a new one," He laughed. "Sorry, lady. I don't have a use for one of those time stealers. I'd let you use my land line, but it's not working at the moment. I called it in last night and the repair guy should be here sometime this morning, but you know how that goes."

  Nicole was clearly disappointed, and the man said, "How about a breakfast special? I've got a lot of those."

  Both ladies nodded. "Yes, thank you," they said simultaneously, and then as he walked away, they picked up their water and drained the glasses.

  "Maybe we should go look for a phone in another business," Nicole thought out loud. In response, Maria's stomach growled ferociously, and Nicole laughed. "Ok, we'll eat first!"

  It wasn't long before they were eating a nice breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee in addition to the fresh bread. While they were discussing what to do next, three men entered the saloon.

  "Morning Bob," the bartender greeted.

  Bob nodded but didn't reply. Instead, he looked around, and then moved to a table near the back wall.

  Nicole looked curiously at the trio. "Bob" was just an average looking, middle aged, balding, white guy, casually dressed in a black polo shirt and jeans. The two other men who didn't sit down but continued to stand on either side of the table were dressed in black suits, dark sun glasses, and seemed to be his body guards.

  Under normal circumstances, Nicole would have laughed because the two men in suits reminded her of the movie, "Men In Black." She shook her head at the way her imagination could throw out humorous thoughts in the most serious of situations! She looked over at Maria and saw her smiling too.

  "Maybe we in Hollywood with Men In Black," Maria joked.

  However, a moment later, neither were smiling. Nicole realized that she may be a bit paranoid, but it seemed like the three men were watching them. Every time she looked up, the polo shirt guy was looking at her. After the third time this happened, Mr. Polo Shirt got up and approached their table. The men in black stayed standing against the wall near their table.

  "I know this may sound a bit forward ma'am, but by any chance would you happen to be Nicole Bailey?"

  Nicole hoped that the fear she was feeling didn't show. "Why would you want to know my name?" she questioned.

  "I have a very good reason for asking." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge. He flashed it at her, then tucked it back into the front pocket of his jeans as he introduced himself. "I'm Detective Bob Miller, Special Services Division, Washington DC Law Enforcement at your service. You see, if you would happen to be Nicole Bailey, then I believe that I have some information that may be of use to you."

  He paused a moment and as he looked directly into her eyes and added, "I can assure you that I am here to help. That is, if you are Nicole Bailey and in need of some help."

  There was something in his eyes that made Nicole want to trust him. She glanced at Maria, who nodded slightly. "Yes, I am Nicole Bailey, and the only help I need is to borrow a cell phone. If you'd allow me to use yours, I would be very grateful."

  He half smiled, then replied, "Thank you for being honest about your identity, ma'am, however, I can't allow you use my phone. But I believe that I can assist you."

  "Well all I need right now is to borrow a cell phone, so I guess you can't really help me." Nicole replied. She realized that she wasn't being very kind, but she wasn't in the mood to trust just anybody, badge or not. She turned her attention from him, back to her breakfast as she took another bite, silently dismissing him.

  Mr. Polo Shirt Detective took a deep breath. He was still half smiling but it was now the kind that was laced with impatience and frustration. He looked towards the door as a man and woman entered, then back at Nicole.

  They heard the bar tender greet them with familiarity, and in a very low tone the detective said, "Look lady, I'm trying to help you here. I have some things in my truck that I'd like to see if you can identify, so if you'd be so kind as to look at them, I'd appreciate it."

  Nicole's curiosity was aroused and she looked at him. He looked like he was going to say something else, but he remained quiet, waiting for her response. She suddenly felt a little sorry for him as she realized that he looked almost as tired as she felt. She nodded. "Ok."

  He looked into her eyes as if to silently confirm that she wouldn't run away. Apparently satisfied, he said, "I'll be right back," and disappeared out the front door. Nicole glanced over at the silent body guards who remained standing against the wall looking straight ahead.

  A moment later the detective came back in holding a small cardboard box. He pulled up a chair and sat down at their table.

  "Mrs. Bailey, I would appreciate it if you'd look inside the box and tell me if you recognize any of the things in it."

  Nicole took a sip of her coffee, then reluctantly looked inside the box. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing. There was her wallet, keys and cell phone.

  "Where did you find these?"
She started to reach for the phone, but he grabbed her hand and stopped her. Startled, she looked up at him.

  "Look," he said. "There are a lot of things you don't understand right now, and we'll make a phone call to your husband in just a minute. But first, I have to ask if you recognize these items."

  She struggled to free her arm and answered, "Yes, of course; they're mine. Will you please let go of my arm!" It was a statement rather than a question.

  He let go of her, but pulled the box toward him guarding it. It was obvious that he wasn't going to allow her to claim her things.

  "Where did you get these? How did you get them?" she asked.

  He ignored her questions and said, "Thank you for identifying them. Now I'll call your husband on my phone, but I am asking you to do something I know will be very difficult for you. I want you to trust me and just listen to our conversation, and I'll explain why after that. Will you do that? Don't say anything, just listen."

  Again, Nicole reluctantly agreed. All she wanted to do was to talk to Jake. The detective dialed her home phone and hit the speaker button. She anxiously waited, and then she heard her husband's voice answer, "Hello?"

  It was all she could do to keep herself from reaching for the phone and screaming out to Jake that she was ok, but the men in black had moved closer. She glanced up at the one standing nearest to her and his intense gaze let her know that he wouldn't allow that.

  "Hello Mr. Bailey. This is Detective Miller. I am calling to check in with you. How is everything going after your ordeal last night?"

  Nicole was expecting to hear fear and anxiety in his voice; for him to question the detective about any new information he might have about her. She was waiting for the detective to tell him that she was ok. Instead, Jake calmly said that everything was fine!

  She heard him say, "Nicole is very sad and upset about loosing her dog, of course; and she's pretty sore, but the doctor said that there are no broken bones and her bruises will heal. Other than that, she seems to be ok."

  Detective Miller said, "I'm sure it was a very traumatic experience for her, but I'm glad to hear that she's ok. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

  "Do you have any more information on Eddie and Maria or whoever they are and why they did this?"

  "We're working on all that Mr. Bailey, and will let you know as soon as we have information to share."

  In shock and disbelief she listened to Jake's voice respond. "Ok. Thank you Detective, I'd appreciate that. We're very grateful for all your help. Thanks for calling."

  When Jake hung up, it seemed as if the disconnection of the phone line also disconnected her life line, as well as the hope of getting home anytime soon. Something was terribly wrong, but what? Her mind was swirling as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard.

  Panic began to overtake her. "What's happening Detective? I'm not home, but they think I am. Someone is in my home pretending to be me! WHO? Who would do that?"

  He lightly patted her hand to try to calm her. "Lady, there are many things you can't understand right now. But what I can tell you is that you are a target in a big operation. You have gotten the attention of some very bad people that I have been tracking and investigating for a long time. You've made them angry and they arranged this whole event to look like just a robbery. I've been watching this operation carefully and had reason to believe that they might be targeting you. That's why I was able to recover your things. They ditched them the way they would if it had been a mugging, and I picked them up."

  The detective's effort to calm her didn't work. Nicole jumped up and started to run out the door, but the men in black stopped her. She fought against them, trying to break free. "You don't understand! I have to get home! NOW!"

  Detective Miller looked around. The couple had taken their order and left. The bar tender was in the back room. He drew close to Nicole and said, "You must quiet down and not draw attention to us."

  Even in her frantic state of mind she thought he must be kidding….like his two bodyguards wouldn't draw attention! She felt the battle rising up within her. She suddenly grew very still as the world around her disappeared and she withdrew into herself. Dissociation was threatening to overtake her mind as she searched for a way to process and handle this new kind of terror, but the defense mechanisms that had worked in the past were not so easily accessible since Jesus had healed her and the parts of her mind that would have taken over, were now integrated within herself.

  She stood unaware of her surroundings as her mind was working hard to make sense out this situation that was beyond her comprehension. Surely they were all mistaken…. If she could convince that mean man of this, she could go home.

  But wait…Jake thought she was home! This was beyond comprehension as well! She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't heard him say it himself. But wait…Maybe that hadn't really been Jake. Maybe it was a recording or a voice imitator and Mr. Polo Shirt was the bad guy trying to trick her. Surely with advanced technology, something like that must exist. It seemed like some part of her from deep within was screaming out for her to run, but she was unsure how to get past the men in black. She was hoping that this was just a nightmare and would all dissipate upon waking.

  She was contemplating how she could wake herself up from this night terror when Maria touched her arm, reluctantly drawing her mind back into the realm of the present unwanted reality. "Miss Nicki, come. You sit here. You have very big shock. We work this out together, Miss Nicki. Maria stay with you. Jesus help us."

  Nicole was unsure if Maria's words about Jesus were a plea for His help or a reminder that He would, but her soft, calm voice and the name of Jesus broke into her thoughts as a thread of hope, and like an obedient child she sat back down at the table.

  Detective Miller proceeded to calmly explain what he could. "I know this is difficult for you, Mrs. Bailey, Nicole. I'm very sorry that you have to go through this. I want you to know that I am for you, and if you'll trust me, I will do everything I can to help you. I am working on developing a plan to take down the people who have done this to you, but it is going to require patience, careful planning, positioning and timing. I know this is hard for you to hear and to believe, but Nicole, if you go home now or even contact your family or friends, you would most likely be compromising our counter operation, not to mention that you would be putting your life and those of your family and others you care about at risk."

  It was all so overwhelming, and she was so tired. She didn't know what to think. For some strange reason, she did believe that the detective was trying to help and not harm her. But who was the enemy? And what did they want from her? Why was she such a threat to them?

  It was as if another thought was turning around in her mind, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It had something to do with time… "Detective, what time is it?"

  He looked at his watch. "Eight-fifteen. I forgot about the time difference between California and Wyoming or I might have tried to put off calling Jake a bit longer."

  Now Nicole's mind was truly whirling. She looked at him in disbelief. "What did you say?"

  "It's eight-fifteen."

  "No! What did you say about California and Wyoming?"

  "I said that I forgot about the time difference between the two. It didn't sound like I woke Jake up though."

  Nicole's face drained of all color and she felt faint. She closed her eyes and she did what she should have done sooner. "Jesus, help me! I think I'm drowning!" she cried out from the depths of her soul.

  She heard the bar tender greet another local who stayed waiting at the bar for her take out order of coffee and cinnamon roll. She also heard another familiar Voice.

  "Nicole, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

  She recognized the words from Isaiah 43:2 and knew that she could do nothing but trust the Lord Je
sus. This was the key she needed to use right now. She opened her eyes and saw the concern on Detective Miller's face.

  "Hey lady, are you ok? I mean I know you're not, but are you?" His flustered compassion comforted her.

  "Where are we, Detective? What state are we in?" she asked more calmly than she felt.

  "We're in Wyoming. Jackson, Wyoming. Which leads me to my next question. How did you get here, and why did you come here?"

  Nicole closed her eyes and slowly breathed in and out before answering. "We walked all night. After we got away from Eddie we ran until we were too tired to run, then we walked. We came this direction because we felt that if we followed the road back to Samaria we would be found. And here we are."

  She opened her eyes and saw that the detective clearly didn't believe her.

  He looked over at Maria who nodded her agreement. "That's impossible," he said.

  "I know. Which either means that I'm having a crazy nightmare or that we aren't where you say we are."

  The detective said, "I know for certain that we're in Jackson, Wyoming because yesterday I was in Samaria trying to track you down, but found your belongings instead. I flew here this morning. Just got off the plane in Jackson Hole where I picked up my truck and instead of heading straight out to the ranch, I decided to stop in town and pick up a few supplies. I was hungry and came in here to get a bite to eat, and here you are, the person I was going to begin searching for."

  He ran his hand over the top of his head, and then shook it. "Maybe I'm the one having the crazy nightmare."

  Maria spoke up. "With God all things are possible." They both looked over at her. She was smiling from ear to ear.

  "I know strange things can happen," Detective Miller said without smiling. "So you thought you were on the other side of the Sierras?"

  Nicole nodded at him then asked Maria, "How did you know there was a town here Maria?"

  She shrugged. "Maria just knows in here," she answered as she touched her heart, still smiling.

  Still not smiling, Nicole said, "I'm going to go find out where we really are."