When she turned, she noticed his face light up. Seeing his reaction, she felt her breath catch in her throat.
And found herself smiling at him. “Hi. Not too tired this afternoon?”
He glanced at his watch. “Not quite noon yet. And, no, I’m not tired.” He rolled his left shoulder. “Though I’m a bit sore from mopping most of the night.”
“I’m really grateful that you stayed and helped. You didn’t have to.”
“I was glad to. I just hope no more came in after we left.”
“I don’t expect so. Lois says the town workers have been out all night, so I expect that they sandbagged everything and checked out the back of the gym.”
“I hope I didn’t embarrass myself with my sandbagging skills. I may be a bit rusty.”
“When did you do it last?”
He grinned. “Never.”
She chuckled. “I’m sure it was fine.”
His smile dissolved away. “Someone had moved those sandbags from where you said they were. Recently, I’d say, by the stain left. It caused the water from the downspout to drain straight under the gym door.”
“Did you tell Jenn?”
“No. I didn’t want the kids to get into any more trouble than they were already.”
“Like Officer Reading’s boy?”
“From what you say, he can get into enough trouble without any help from me.”
“True.” She wanted to ask him about his conversation with Hec Haines. But the right words wouldn’t form in her mouth. Should she be repeating rumors? Accusing him of keeping things from her? Did she even want to know his answer?
No.
They fell into step along the sidewalk. For several minutes, they walked in a comfortable silence. Funny how he’d come into her routine and settled in so easily.
“Have you heard from your investigator?” Even as she spoke those words, she regretted them. He was ready to leave town on his quest at any moment.
Why had she asked such an obvious and painful question in the first place?
Eli didn’t want to talk about his investigator. Not with Kaylee. And not now.
“Did you go for a walk this morning?”
She nodded and kept up her brisk pace.
“Was that wise? You were hurt quite badly last night.”
“The fresh air helped my headache. Besides, I’ve got that list of things to look out for. It didn’t say to take it easy.”
“But that would be for a person of normal good health.”
“You sound like my aunt. She called this morning to see how I weathered the storm.”
“Did you tell her about last night?”
“No. I didn’t want to worry her.” She slowed her walk, adding, “She asked me when I was coming home for a visit. Two weeks ago, I was so sure I didn’t want to deal with my hometown and rehash everything that has happened to each person I speak to, but now I don’t know. I can’t bring back Trisha. I want to put all of this behind me. Start afresh. And if that means clearing the air in my hometown, so be it.”
He digested her quiet, anxious words. She should go home. She wanted to. Her aunt, her only living relative as far as he knew, should see her. Her friends, too, could help her.
Where would that leave him?
Selfishly wanting her to stay, that’s where. Phoebe had been bang on with her accusation.
And what would Noah do? Discover that there were more people who meant something to Kaylee, more people to torment and hurt with his revenge?
He grit his teeth. I’m not being selfish, Phoebe.
At the end of her street, they turned left. Ahead, numerous orange pylons indicated where the road had become unstable and, several meters beyond that, a sign pointed to a detour. Curious townspeople had come out to inspect the road for themselves.
“River Road is impassible,” he said, glad for the change of his focus. “I had to cut through the park down by the river. It was nearly underwater, too.”
They picked their way around the pylons toward the park. The wind had stripped the trees. Now the bright red maple leaves lay slick and matted in bold splotches along the road.
At the end, they saw the damage in the full light of day. A huge gouge of chewed up asphalt served now as the lining for a pool of rainwater. Several workers were busying pumping it dry. Along the other way, leaves smothered the storm drains and the water was backing up along the curbs.
“This way,” Eli said, guiding Kaylee around the hole toward the park. The storm had flattened what annuals had survived the frost of a few nights ago. They had to step onto the wet grass in several spots to avoid large puddles. Eli automatically glanced at Kaylee’s feet. Like most others out, she wore rain boots, the same secondhand cracked gum rubbers she’d worn the night before.
All he had were his hiking boots and he could feel the dampness seeping in between his toes.
Toward the end, the park rose slightly and widened. They could see that most of the small trees and shrubs had fared better here. And thankfully, so did the short pedestrian bridge over the creek.
Eli could hear the rushing water as they rounded the path toward the bridge. With his gaze, he followed the swollen creek’s meandering line to where it cut under River Road. After that, it wandered off to the far side of the playground and the rec center.
Still, the town workers were using its close proximity as a drain. Behind them, the steady drone of Wajax pumps filled the air.
Kaylee stepped on the leaf-strewn bridge, slowing down to peer over the railing. Eli stood back a moment.
“Lois said this creek normally dries up by fall. Look at it now.”
Eli watched her instead. To anyone else, he imagined she looked fine, without any great concerns in her life. But there were concerns and the biggest was his brother. He could see the carefully disguised pain in her eyes.
Was Noah responsible for what happened last night?
As Eli started toward her, his cell phone whirred. Reaching into his jacket pocket for it, he paused a few meters from the edge of the bridge. “Hello?”
“Eli, it’s me.”
Roger, his investigator. Eli’s heart hammered as he glanced up to see Kaylee shift to other side of the bridge. The dark, thick shrubs behind her framed her slim form. “What did you find out?”
“Good news.” Roger said. “Several women matching the descriptions you gave me were seen southeast of Tallahassee, Florida. At a campground.”
He perked up. “Are you sure? Were there any men with them?”
“I hired a couple who’ve helped me out before to check on them. But so far, no sign of any men.”
“They usually don’t travel without a man in the group. No one who fits Noah’s description?”
“No men period. Just a couple of children. From what I’ve learned, one of the women fits Phoebe’s description.”
Eli’s heart drummed in his ears, drowning out the distant sound of the pumps and the rush of water ahead. He could hardly breathe. This was good news. Great news! Locating The Farm in Maine had been a blessing for sure, but he hadn’t been able to confirm Phoebe was still with them, not until meeting Kaylee.
Now he had a woman fitting her description. It had to be her!
“Can you fly down?” Roger asked.
A blur of movement in his peripheral vision and he looked up.
Kaylee was gone. A thin line had been drawn through the wet carpet of fallen leaves, from the center of the bridge to the far side.
“Eli, you there?”
He ignored his investigator. “Kaylee?”
No answer. Eli shoved his phone into his pocket. He hurried onto the bridge in time to see the bright blue of her jacket sweep under the rushing water below.
A hand reached out, wildly grasping for the rocks that lined the high sides of the creek.
Kaylee!
He let out a strangled noise, tore off his jacket and bolted over the railing to plunge into the soft, sodden edge of the bank.
Kaylee’s head cleared the water and their gazes locked. Then she went under again.
He slid down the bank toward the mouth of the creek, digging into the mess of tangled growth and eroding soil until his foot caught an outcropped rock.
Kaylee was already sweeping past him as he thrust out his hand. He caught her wrist when she reached out again. With a sudden strength, he hauled hard. Her head broke the water, then her shoulders. He half twisted around and grabbed a weakened alder with his free hand. And hung on.
His foot slipped into the rushing water, but found a shelf of flat stone, securing his grip.
“Eli!”
Kaylee’s cry sliced through him, spurring him to tug harder. She grazed over the lower bank until she could find her own footing on the rocks. Her free hand flailed out to grab the small bushes that grew along the vertical bank.
“Hang on!” He secured his footing again, found another alder to grab and pulled again. Kaylee was halfway up the bank by that time.
A moment later, they both lay on the top, not far from bridge, partially hidden in the wild growth of shrubbery that still wore brilliant red leaves.
Eli dropped his head onto the ground and sighed. “Are you all right?”
Beside him, Kaylee coughed.
He sat up, wincing at the aches forming from his slide down the bank. “What happened?”
Shivering, she shoved the hair from her eyes and blinked at him. “I just slipped. The wood planks seemed to be covered in an oily film. Add those leaves and boy, it’s slippery!” She shook her head. “It happened so fast. First I was watching the water, then I was sliding right under the railing.”
She leaned forward, scanning the bridge. “I walked over that bridge this morning and it wasn’t like that. I even stopped and talked to someone. Neither of us slipped then and there weren’t any leaves, either.”
Eli glanced around the park. As nice as it was, there were none of the bold sugar maples whose leaves now lined the bridge. The closest were upriver and down-wind.
He rose to inspect the bridge, skimming his fingertips over the boards, then rubbing them together. “Who did you talk to?” he asked.
“Just one of the shopkeepers, I think. I told her about the gym and that I was planning to come back this afternoon. She’d spent the night at her shop herself.” She leaned forward to pull off her boot and rub her ankle, pulling back the sodden sock to peer at the skin. He heard her gasp.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Look at this cut. I don’t remember slicing it on anything. I must have hit something sharp. It sliced right through my rubber boot.”
Eli shifted to take her foot in his hands. A thin welt had already formed across her ankle. The center of the cut had begun to ooze blood.
He shifted over to the edge of the bridge, feeling the wet ground until he found what he suspected had cut her.
The same type of wire Noah had used for tripping his homemade bombs.
The Wajax pumps down the street stopped abruptly. A truck that had been backing up near them had its engine suddenly cut.
Static reached past the sound of fast flowing water. Then a weak voice called out. “Eli, are you there?”
His jacket lay where he’d tossed it, and his cell phone, still connected to his investigator, remained shoved in the pocket. But the voice still reached him.
Kaylee tugged on her sock. “Who is that you were talking to?”
He swallowed. “My investigator. He found Phoebe.”
“Oh.” She looked away.
Eli met her shy concern by lifting her jaw up with his finger. “But I can’t leave.”
“You aren’t going? Why?”
A dark cloud drifted in front of the sun, dimming the park and cooling the already brisk wind. Eli stood, helped her up and then brought his jacket over. He took his cell phone out before draping the jacket over her shoulders. The open connection crackled again. Eli lifted it to his ear. “Can I call you back?” Without another word, he disconnected.
“We should get you inside.” He glanced around. A group of teenagers were making their way down the path toward them.
With his hands, he swept the fallen leaves off the bridge. He quickly grabbed several handfuls of dirt from underneath the shrubs and spread them out on the slippery section of wood. Brushing off his hands, he said, “Let’s go to the gym. Do you have a change of clothes there?”
Kaylee nodded. Together, they hurried across the street.
“Let’s go in on this side.” She pointed to the right. “My locker’s closest to that door and I think there’s been enough water brought into the gym lately.”
Inside and waiting for Kaylee to change, Eli called his investigator back. “Sorry about that. We had an accident.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“No.”
“So, when can you get here?”
Eli tightened his lips to a thin line. He could hear the plop of wet clothes inside the women’s change room, before the sound of the electric hand dryer drowned it all out.
Lord, what should I do? All these years and You’ve finally given me Phoebe. And shown me Kaylee—
“Eli?”
“I don’t know when I can get down there.”
Roger made a soft disapproving noise. “I’m not sure how long these women are going to stay put. They’re only camping and don’t seem to have enough supplies.”
Frustration welled in him. He needed time. He needed to think. To pray. And Kaylee was finished changing.
She threw open the change-room door, dressed in a pair of well-worn green sweatpants and a soft, matching sweatshirt that bore the town logo. She’d only half dried her hair, then tossed it back. Though wet, it shone softly in a sweet, messy way.
He swallowed. How could he leave her?
“Hey, what do you want me to do?”
Eli stared down at his phone. He couldn’t afford his investigator much longer. And the man had other clients. He lifted the phone back to his ear. “Can you get a shot of Phoebe and e-mail it to me? I want to be sure it’s her.”
“Sure. I’ll ask that couple to get one.”
As he shut his cell phone, Eli knew what was happening.
Kaylee was beginning to mean something to him and he couldn’t leave her, not with his brother lurking about. Her church’s congregation may care for her, one of them may even be an auxiliary police officer, but they didn’t know Noah the way he did.
And Noah wasn’t going to take Kaylee like he took Phoebe.
THIRTEEN
Kaylee worked all afternoon, tidying up the office and the change rooms, refusing to dwell on all that had happened to her. When she got to the cleaning room, both she and Jenn chatted as they swept and prepared for the new appliances.
One thing she didn’t mention was the accumulation of candy wrappers on the floor behind the dryer. Being a health nut, Jenn would never eat candy and she remembered Eli’s concern about getting the kids into more trouble. Best to just sweep them up and forget about them.
With Jenn not one to dawdle, they got the room gleaming in no time. Shortly after that, Eli returned to drive her home. Where he’d gone, she didn’t ask, telling herself it was none of her business. But had it something to do with the call he’d made while she was changing?
About Phoebe? Her heart clenched at the thought of him leaving and she hated the selfishness within her.
As they pulled into her driveway, Kaylee glanced at Lois’s home. Would the older lady be keeping an eye out for her? Kaylee didn’t date. She didn’t do anything in the evenings she didn’t work. Which meant if she wasn’t home, Lois could be concerned.
But if Lois saw her now, she’d be shocked. Despite changing, Kaylee still had that bedraggled look. It came partly from the change of clothes, partly from shock, partly from too much work.
Partially from the realization that Eli would be leaving soon.
She threw open the car door. Beside her, Eli sat quietly. They’d sa
id no more about his decision to remain in Riverline because Jenn had chosen that moment to walk into the rec center. A thousand unasked questions still burned through her.
“Kaylee?”
She turned. In the dim glow from the streetlights, now on so early, Eli’s face appeared less harsh. His solemn profile tugged at her heart. Still gripping the steering wheel, he leaned toward her and swallowed. “I’m sorry for all that’s happened.”
Tears pricked in her eyes. He meant it. She could see the empathy in his eyes, hear the shake in his voice. “I know. And I’m sorry that…”
No, she wouldn’t tell him she was sorry he wasn’t leaving to find Phoebe. Besides the fact it was rude, it simply wasn’t true.
She climbed out, feeling the aches of all that had happened in her legs and arms. She’d no sooner shut the passenger door, than Eli climbed out. “Wait!” He strode around the front of his car. For the briefest of moments, she felt as though this was the end of a date.
It wasn’t. Nor would she pretend it was. “Kaylee. This isn’t over for you.”
She stopped. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Noah isn’t finished. He’s here, toying with you.”
The truth she’d been skirting all week rocked her now. With a bite on her lips, she stepped back. “No. He’s gone. The police said he’s moved south. No one would bomb their own home if they planned to return.”
“He has no intention of returning there. He rigged his compound to explode because he knew I’d come looking for Phoebe. Like scuttling a ship. And he may have even watched it explode. Regardless, he’s here. I know him. I can feel it. My investigator said only the women are in Florida. Do you know how that could be?”
“No. The women never went anywhere without the men, but we didn’t have that many men. Noah, John, Wilf, who married Tina, and another man, Thomas. But I get the impression that Thomas isn’t the faithful sort. As for Wilf, he and Tina started having problems after their child died.”
Eli frowned, leaving her to regret she’d brought up that terrible incident. Thankfully, he didn’t ask for more details.
Desperate Rescue Page 12