Watching Their Steps

by Alana Terry

“I’m sorry, Lace. I never wanted you to get caught up in any of this.”

  The Dodge had switched to reverse and was about to ram its bumper into them. “Move!” Lacy reached for the steering wheel, but Raphael had already jerked it to the side. The Dodge plowed into the back seat instead of straight on, but the momentum was almost enough to push them off the road. Lacy’s head was light, a helium balloon ready to float off into the clouds.

  The Dodge pulled ahead.

  “Hold on,” Raphael told her. “He’s coming at us again.” The green car jerked to a stop, shooting a small pebble onto the windshield of the rental, creating a small chink in the glass. Lacy winced. Raphael had time to angle the car and pull up a few feet before the Dodge rammed them again in reverse.

  “Are you ok?” Lacy could only take in the choppiest of breaths.

  “I’m gonna turn us around.” Raphael maneuvered the car on the narrow pass while the Dodge pulled ahead. Lacy gripped the door handle, holding her breath and praying he wouldn’t misjudge and send them flying off the road. As soon as Raphael straightened his car, the Dodge flipped itself around in a three-point turn. The sound of her own pulse flooded Lacy’s ears.

  “Careful,” she begged, her heart fluttering all the way up by her throat.

  Raphael sped ahead. They were back on their way to Glennallen, but the Dodge was right behind them. And now they were driving on the other side of the road, the cliff’s edge about a foot and a half away from Lacy’s shoulder. She sucked in her breath, dizzy with fear, terrified that an extra ounce of weight might tilt the car off balance and send them careening to their deaths.

  “I’m sorry,” Raphael panted.

  She didn’t care. It didn’t matter what he was apologizing for. It didn’t matter what alias he used, or whether he rented his car yesterday or three weeks ago. All that mattered was they were speeding back in the direction of home. Toward Kurtis. Toward safety.

  Her phone beeped. New voicemail. Did that mean there was coverage here? She pulled it out and dialed 911.

  “Hold on!” Raphael shot his arm out across her chest right as the Dodge hit them from behind. Their car lurched forward to the sound of metal crumpling. Lacy’s head whipped forward and then snapped back with so much force she couldn’t see anything but black for a second. She wanted to ask Raphael what was happening, but she didn’t have the breath to make herself heard.

  “Can’t this thing go any faster?” Raphael grumbled.

  Her phone beeped again and flashed its ominous message. Call failed. Why had she ever moved to Alaska? She hated living here. She certainly didn’t want to die here.

  Raphael maneuvered around a hairpin curve without slowing down. She sucked in her breath, certain they were about to free-fall off the cliff. The speedometer raced past seventy. She clutched the door handle. Let me out, she wanted to beg, but she couldn’t find her voice.

  The car made it around the bend, and Lacy had a clear view of a straight stretch of road ahead with a red truck coming their way. “Is that ...” she started to ask but stopped, afraid to hold onto hope until she knew for sure. She waited for Raphael to get closer, begging God for deliverance. The Dodge had slowed down around the curve but was gaining momentum behind them.

  The truck sped toward them. “That’s Kurtis!” Lacy shouted. She recognized Drisklay in the passenger seat but didn’t even wonder what he was doing there. It didn’t matter. Kurtis was here. He would find a way to help. He was a trooper. He was trained. He’d know what to do.

  Everything was going to be just ... Hope froze in Lacy’s veins. What if Kurtis had Madeline in the truck with him? What if something happened to her?

  Kurtis slowed down to let Raphael pass and gave what Lacy thought was a brief nod. She turned around to watch what would happen next. Kurtis’s truck was in the middle of the road now. Was he trying to keep the Dodge from passing? What if he got hit? She scrunched down in her seat, trying to brace for the sound of the two vehicles crashing, praying Madeline was somewhere far away from all this.

  The Dodge swerved, barely squeezing between Kurtis’s truck and the rocky mountainside.

  “Let me out. Let me get in with Kurtis.”

  “I can’t do that,” Raphael answered in a monotone.

  No amount of Dramamine would cure this kind of sickness. Kurtis had turned his truck around and was coming up behind them.

  “Let me out,” she repeated.

  “You have to trust me.”

  She stared over her shoulder. Was it possible the Dodge was falling back? Kurtis’s truck came roaring up around the bend behind them. She squinted to avoid seeing the crash that never came.

  “I know I’ve done some horrible things in my life,” Raphael said. “But I’m telling the truth when I say I never wanted you to get messed up in all this. Just like I’m telling the truth when I say I’ve always ...”

  He sped around another curve, and Lacy gripped her seatbelt as the car wavered, struggling to keep its center of balance. She let out her breath when it straightened out, relieved for a short second.

  “Look out!” Her warning was accompanied by a blaring horn from an RV camper directly in front of them. Raphael had swerved into the oncoming lane. There was no way they could avoid it. Lacy shot out her hands to brace for the impact.

  But instead of crashing, they gained speed. She peeked at Raphael, who was frantically trying to gain control of the steering wheel. A shadow whizzed past her window. Tree branches scraped at the sides of the car.

  They were rushing down the cliff.

  She was deafened by the sound of her own scream. She grabbed the bottom of her seat and shut her eyes. Faster. A bump, and they were airborne. They landed again, and the bottom of the car scraped the rocky edge, but they hadn’t reached the valley yet. They weren’t slowing down, either. She opened her eyes. The view from the window turned and spiraled. They were spinning. She stopped screaming long enough to catch her breath and then began again. She had no idea how much longer they’d plunge until they hit the bottom, but she doubted she’d still be alive when they did.

  Chapter 16

  “IT’S OK. YOU’RE GOING to be just fine.” She heard the voice but couldn’t see anything. She tried to open her eyes. Only blackness. She blinked again. Nothing.

  “I’m here.” A hand reaching out to her. She was pinned down, trapped. The voice was soothing. “Can you move?”

  I think I’m dead. She said the words but couldn’t hear them.

  “Drisklay’s calling the ambulance. They’ll get you to Anchorage. You’re going to make it. Just hang in there.”

  She recognized that voice.

  “Kurtis.” This time her mouth managed to form the sounds.

  “It’s me.” He squeezed her hand. “Save your energy. I’m right here. You’re safe. I’m not leaving you.”

  She blinked again. Bright light from above pierced through the veil of darkness. She saw shadows but not distinct forms. Her head felt disconnected from the rest of her body.

  “Where’s the munchkin?” Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t form any more words.

  “Shh.” He patted her hand. Brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. “I dropped her off with another trooper’s family. You remember Taylor, right? Don’t talk. Just hang tight.”

  I’m gonna take a nap now. She only had enough energy to form the thought before she blacked out.

  A HORRIFIC, GRATING noise, louder than any chainsaw.

  Men yelling over the racket.

  A presence by her side. Constant reassurance.

  “She’s going to be ok, isn’t she?” Pleading in his voice.

  She strained to hear the answer before everything fell once more to inky, black silence.

  “YOU ARE ONE LUCKY GIRL.”

  Her eyes were so dry it took several attempts to blink them open. Drisklay sat next to her, sipping from a Styrofoam coffee cup.

  She tried to speak, but her tongue was like dry cotton. She was on a bed. White linens.
Lights all around. Too bright.

  “You’re in Anchorage. Sacred Heart Hospital.” Drisklay cleared his throat.

  She tried turning her head. Couldn’t understand why she felt so confined.

  “They got you on some pretty strong pain meds,” he explained. “You’ll be disoriented for a while, but at least you shouldn’t hurt.”

  She tried to wiggle her fingers. Toes. Anything.

  “Don’t worry. Doctors expect a full recovery.” He stood. “Your friend is a lot worse off. Frankly, I didn’t expect either of you to survive that kind of crash.” He cleared his throat. “Well, it’s time for me to sleep off this coffee. I’ll check on you again in the morning.”

  A nurse bustled in and played with the IV lines hooked up to Lacy’s arm. Heaviness surrounded her like fog. She shut her eyes and drifted off once more.

  “SO SHE’S ... YOU SAY she’s going to be ok, though, right?”

  Lacy kept her eyes closed. Let the words float around her like a summer breeze.

  “Yeah. Once she heals up from the surgery, she should be as good as new.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “Hard to say. As long as she comes off the anesthesia without any problems, she’ll move out of intensive care tonight.”

  “And then where will she go?”

  “To the regular floor. Get her strength back. Are you her husband?”

  “No, just a friend.”

  “Well, when she wakes up, I’ll tell her you stopped by.”

  DREAMS. SO MANY DREAMS. Kurtis smiling over her, about to nuzzle his nose against hers when his face morphs into Raphael’s.

  Screaming. Pummeling down in the darkness. Branches scratching at her face. Clawing at her skin. Trying to catch her.

  Raphael’s unconscious body beside her, staring blankly ahead.

  THE NURSE POKED HER head through Lacy’s door. “Someone’s here to see you. Are you up for a visitor?”

  Lacy winced as she raised the back of her bed to sit up a little. She wiped sweat off her brow. She had been having a bad dream, a nightmare of some sort. She couldn’t remember the details.

  “Yeah, I’m awake.” Her voice sounded groggy. This was her third day post-surgery. Or was it her fourth? She had a hard time keeping track of time. She knew Kurtis wasn’t coming back until the weekend, though, and Drisklay had flown home to the East Coast. Was it Raphael, then? Nobody had told her anything about him, where he was, how he was recovering.

  If he was recovering.

  “Oh, my little baby, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

  Lacy bit her lip as Sandy bustled into the room, rushed to her bedside, and clasped her hand. “Oh, my little sweetheart, so much has happened to you.” And right then and there, before Lacy could ask a single question, her foster mom started to pray.

  “Oh, precious heavenly Father, I love you so much. I love you for saving my sweet Lacy’s life. I love you for protecting her from the men who were trying to hurt her. I love you so much, Lord, and I pray you would fill my sweet little girl with so much joy and peace and healing that she would be wrapped up in your arms from this moment on until she leaves this hospital, even stronger than she was before.”

  Sandy went on longer, but Lacy was too disoriented to pay much attention.

  “How did you know I was here?” she asked when Sandy was done.

  “Your friend called. The nice policemen. Kurtis, I think his name was. He called me and Carl, filled us in on what happened. I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner, sweetie. It took us a couple days to get everything figured out, you know, get the tickets, make all the arrangements.” She shook her head and clucked her tongue. “Just look at you. I hope you’ll forgive me. I wanted to be here sooner, really I did.”

  Lacy was about to respond, but Sandy was still talking. “It’s just eating your father up inside that he couldn’t come, too, so he made me promise to give him updates night and day on how you’re improving. You look so beautiful, sweetie. All grown up. You’ve let your hair grow out. It’s so much nicer that way.”

  Lacy wanted to laugh, which was just as painful for her incision site as crying. “I can’t believe you’re here,” was all she could say.

  “And I’ll be here as long as you need, sweetie. Well, at least a week, and after that we’ll just have to see how things are going, because you know Carl. He’s just a mess when there’s nobody there to cook and clean and make sure he gets on a matching tie before he preaches. But you know I’m gonna be here for you, precious. That’s why I came as fast as I could.”

  She took Lacy’s hand and kissed it. “I’m just so happy. It’s such a relief to see you. It could have been a lot worse. Raphael, he’s not doing well from what I can gather. I asked them, you know, while they were showing me to your room, but of course it’s hard to get any real information. But that could have been you, darling. Your policeman friend said they caught the man, the one chasing you. He won’t be troubling you anymore. Now, I don’t think Drisklay would agree to it, but you know you can always come home and live with us if you ever need.” A spry smile stretched across her face. “But from the sound of it, I wonder if that policeman friend of yours has other plans. Maybe?”

  “He’s a trooper,” Lacy corrected.

  Sandy took a deep breath. “Well, now, you just sit tight and get your rest, and I’m going to find me a bathroom, because I got off the plane and took a cab right here I was so anxious to see you. But now that I know you’re ok, I’ve really got some business to tend to. I won’t be long, darling. Don’t worry about a thing.”

  She swept out of the room, but even after she left, a warm, loving presence remained wrapped around Lacy’s body, filling her with a peace she hadn’t experienced in four lonely years.

  Chapter 17

  THE NURSE HANDED LACY a slip of paper. “Here’s the prescription for your pain meds. You can stop by any pharmacy and get them filled.”

  “I’ll take care of that for you, hon.” Sandy reached out and took the form. “She probably shouldn’t take them on an empty stomach, either. Right?”

  The nurse shrugged. “I guess not.”

  Lacy was ready to go outside, to enjoy the fresh air once more.

  “Doctor Jacobson wants you to check up with your general provider in a week. Do you need us to help make you an appointment?”

  “Do you have a doctor in Anchorage, sweetie?” Sandy asked, as if Lacy needed a translator. She lowered her voice. “Do you have insurance? Because Carl and I can help with the medical bills, you know.”

  “It’s all right,” Lacy insisted. Money had been tight working at the daycare, but at least her pitiful pay qualified her for state health insurance, so her entire hospitalization would be covered. That was one perk of getting transplanted into an oil-rich state.

  The nurse made a little mark on her clipboard. “Well, if you don’t have any other questions for me, you’re free to head home.”

  Lacy forced a smile, even though the word home stabbed at her heart like a giant icicle. “Thank you.”

  “Oh, one more thing,” Sandy inserted. “Is she supposed to be taking baths or showers or just leaving the area dry or what?”

  “I’d stick with sponge baths until you see your doctor in a week,” the nurse replied.

  Lacy felt like apologizing for her mom. “Thank you,” she repeated, hoping Sandy didn’t have any other questions.

  The nurse nodded. “Just let the charge nurse at the front desk know when you leave.”

  “Are you sure she should walk? Don’t you have a wheelchair she can use or something?”

  The nurse raised an eyebrow. “Do you want a wheelchair?”

  “I’m all right,” Lacy answered.

  “Are you sure?” Sandy pressed. “You just had a major surgery, and, well, I hate to say it, but you look like you’ve been in a fight or something. Wait, Raphael never hit you, did he? I didn’t want to say it when you two were so close, but I always had a bad feeling abou
t him.”

  Lacy shook her head. She had been so happy to see Sandy she forgot how smothered her foster mom could make her feel.

  Sandy held onto her arm while they made their way to the exit. “Carl said it would be all right for me to rent a car for the day while we settle in. I’ve checked us into a little missionary house that belongs to an old seminary friend of his. They’re not charging us, which is awful sweet of them.”

  Once outside, Sandy handed her ticket to the parking valet. “Could you be careful, sir?” she asked. “It’s a rental.”

  They sat down on a bench to wait. Lacy’s mind was still reeling, replaying all the details of the past few days so her doped-up mind wouldn’t mix them up. The man in the Dodge, the one who followed Raphael to Alaska, was behind bars. By all appearances, he was the last link to the murder on the North End pier. It should be good news. Great news. Except it was clouded by the fact that Raphael was still in critical condition. Nobody could guess if he’d pull through. Lacy had wanted to see him once she was well enough to walk, but the nurses said he was refusing visitors. Was that it, then? Was that how their whole tragic story was going to end?

  The valet arrived with the rental, and Sandy insisted on holding Lacy’s arm to the car and buckling her once she got in. “The mission house should only be ten minutes away. If I don’t lose our way before then,” she added with a grin.

  Lacy adjusted the seat belt strap so it wasn’t pressed against her incision site. Sandy got lost within two turns of the hospital but filled the extra driving time prattling on about grandchildren and foster kids Lacy hadn’t thought of in years, some she had never met. Her mind zoomed in and out of the conversation, either from the exhaustion or the pain meds or a combination of both.

  Half an hour after they left the hospital, Sandy’s phone rang. “I’m a block or two away,” she answered, “if I got my directions right. Sorry for making you wait ... Yup, I’ll see you soon.” She hung up the phone and turned down a cul-de-sac in a small neighborhood full of duplex-style houses.