Kaylee stepped forward, past the car, toward the young blond woman. “It’s Eli. He’s here to talk to you.”
Dazed, Phoebe tore her gaze from Kaylee to Eli and back again. “I know. I just didn’t expect him to look so much like Noah used to look. It’s…it’s been so long.”
Then she broke down. Within milliseconds, Eli was there, holding his little sister close. Kaylee watched with watering eyes as Phoebe clung to her brother.
“I’m sorry,” the younger woman sobbed. “I’m so sorry!”
For several long minutes, Kaylee, the investigator and the exit counselor watched and let the siblings begin their healing.
Finally, they broke their embrace. Eli led her to the picnic table. Kaylee took a step toward them, but the exit counselor caught her arm.
“Why don’t we go for a walk for a few minutes?”
Reluctantly, Kaylee allowed the woman to lead her away. She wanted to be by Eli’s side, to hold on to him, to give him the security and the prayers he’d given her. But this was something just for the siblings.
The fifteen minutes they took wandering around the campground felt like years. When they finally returned to Phoebe’s site, the siblings were hugging again. The exit counselor cleared her throat.
Wiping her eyes, Phoebe approached Kaylee. “And I’m so sorry for what has happened to you. For what I did to you.”
Kaylee blinked, confused by her words. “What did you do to me?” She was half afraid of the answer.
Phoebe hugged herself. Her eyes were rimmed with red. “I was the one who told the police those lies about you, when Trisha died.”
The world around her seemed to spin. “You said what?”
Phoebe’s small mouth twisted and her chin wrinkled. “I can’t believe I lied for Noah. I told the police you were angry and had left because he’d spurned you. I told them Trisha became so upset that she threatened to kill herself more than once.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t until Janice brought me here and we heard about Noah that I realized how awful I’d been.” Her voice wobbled. “How awful we all were, all in the name of something terribly wrong. I actually thought it was for the greater good to lie and keep the world away from us. But we were just hiding our heads in the sand like ostriches.”
Sympathy washed over Kaylee. Gone was the anger, the hatred. They’d all been victims. “I know how you feel. But it feels so much better to face your fears.”
Phoebe hiccuped a small sob. “I was afraid. Noah had given us such a horrible picture of the outside world, that I was scared to go anywhere. But being here, I see it’s not so bad.”
Kaylee pulled Phoebe into a warm, forgiving hug. The young girl clung to her, whispering an apology over and over.
The exit counselor stepped up and touched both women’s shoulders. They moved apart. “This is where I step in.” She led Phoebe away. Kaylee watched them, feeling Eli walk up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist.
“I love you,” he whispered in her ear. “And I’m so proud of you. You’ve done the right thing here. Not too many people do that.”
She clung to his arms. “Not too many people have what I have. A Savior and a wonderful fiancé.”
“Who both love you very much.”
STEEPLE HILL BOOKS
ISBN: 978-1-4268-0611-7
DESPERATE RESCUE
Copyright © 2007 by Barbara Phinney
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