Kalianne came into view. Sara held her breath and watched the woman pull out her cell phone and make a call. She strained to hear, but Kalianne’s back was to her, and her voice was muffled. Opening the door a bit more, she leaned forward.
“I can’t find it, Devi, and Elin is gone. I’d hoped to find her here with Marc and his parents gone, but there’s not a soul here. I need to get out of here. Our faces are plastered all over town. Someone is bound to see me. What if the map doesn’t exist any longer? There’s no guarantee the old woman found it and hid it. I can’t believe it wasn’t in that stupid pouch!”
What map could she be talking about? Thank the Lord Elin wasn’t here.
Kalianne listened a few moments. “Who is this Ben Summerall and why would he have taken Elin?”
Sara’s eyes widened. Ben had Elin? She couldn’t quite wrap her head around that.
“Where does he have her?” Kalianne stared at herself in a wall mirror and used her free hand to fiddle with her hair. “Okay, I’ll meet you there. Where’s the turnoff to the old airstrip?” She listened a few more moments. “It’ll take me half an hour. If you can get there first, do it. I think the diary is in her purse. If we can just get that, maybe it will be enough. There might be details from the map.”
The diary. Sara had been a little bored with the old history, so she hadn’t paid much attention. What would Devi want with it? Surely he didn’t think the map led to anything real.
Kalianne clicked off her phone, then went down the hall to the powder room. Sara waited until the door closed, then eased out of the closet and exited the house as quietly as she’d entered. She called the sheriff’s office again and told Mindy what she’d overheard.
“The sheriff will apprehend Devi on the road. Can you stop Kalianne there?” Mindy asked.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Sara ended the call and turned back toward the house.
It would do no good to call Josh since he was out on patrol. She eased through the back door and pulled a small pistol from her purse. The door to the powder room was still closed. When the sound of water running stopped, Sara raised the barrel of her gun and waited.
Kalianne’s eyes widened when she opened the door and saw her. She attempted a smile. “Sara.”
“Alive and well, no thanks to you. Put your hands up.”
FORTY
The ferry docked with Marc first in line to drive off. He pulled out his phone to call Elin for the fifteenth time. Why wasn’t she answering? Had Mosely already gotten to her? His phone rang, and he glanced at the screen, praying it was Elin since she’d had so many missed calls, but the display showed Sara’s name.
He thumbed it on. “Sara, have you seen Elin?”
“Where are you?” Her voice rose to a nearly hysterical decibel.
“Just leaving the ferry. What’s wrong?”
“Ben’s got Elin!”
Ben? Not Mosely? His breath hitched in his chest. “Tell me.”
Sara launched into what she’d heard. “The sheriff should be there soon. He’s looking for Devi too.”
“I’m close to the old airfield, I think. Tell me where to turn off.” He scanned the landscape as she told him to look for a nearly overgrown path. “I think this is it. There’s an old gray fence post on the right side.”
“That’s it! Call me if you find her.”
Marc dropped his phone into the passenger seat and gunned his Tahoe down the road. On the way to his destination, he saw several cars parked behind a familiar green pickup. Mosely’s. A body lay sprawled in the ditch, a red patch spreading from his chest. Marc recognized the shirt on the victim even though he couldn’t see his face. It was Mosely.
He accelerated past another two miles, then whipped his Tahoe into the narrow, overgrown cow path that headed toward the trees. It didn’t appear like any kind of airfield, but maybe there was a big clearing on the other side. The weeds lay beaten down in wheel tracks ahead of him, so it looked like another vehicle had been through here recently.
Something white gleamed in the path ahead of him. An iPhone? He stopped the SUV and jumped out to retrieve it. When he turned on the screen, a picture of Josie popped up as the background. This had to be Elin’s! He leaped back into the Tahoe and floored the accelerator. The vehicle’s back tires spun in the sand, then gripped and shot the SUV forward.
As he entered the trees, he scanned the area hoping to see a house or cabin. Or even another vehicle, but only stands of live oak lined the path. The road was so narrow through here he had to let up on the accelerator. The shrubs brushed against his big vehicle as he rolled through.
Where was Elin?
FORTY-ONE
The gloomy interior of the hangar made it hard to make out more than the looming shapes of workbenches and tools scattered around the perimeter of the large building. Elin sat on a carpet square in the corner with her hands tied behind her. She worked at loosening her bonds, but all she’d managed to do was bloody her wrists.
Ben worked at something in the corner, but she couldn’t see what. He’d tied her up before he unlocked the truck, and she hadn’t had a chance to try to escape or grab a metal tool as a weapon. She prayed for God to help her, but no great inspiration came to her. There seemed to be no way out.
Ben stepped away from the corner, then exited the cabin without a glance her way. Where was he going? When he disappeared from view, she staggered to her feet and raced to the workbench. There had to be a knife or something she could use to cut the rope. Was that a drywall knife under a piece of wood? She turned around and felt along the workbench until she felt the cool outline of the knife.
It took a few moments to expose the blade and several more to figure out how to press the blade against the rope without cutting her skin. Keeping an eye on the door, she sawed furiously at her bonds. It seemed an eternity before the rope fell away.
She looked for a place to hide near the door. Once he came in, maybe she could make a run for it. An old airplane wing sat perched on its end near the door. She slid behind it and waited.
When she heard his footsteps again, Elin shrank back into the shadows behind the plane wing. She had to get out of here before Ben carried out his plan. His form blocked the tiny bit of light as he entered. She prayed the shadows would make him wait for his eyes to adjust before he realized she wasn’t in the corner.
He moved her direction. She shoved the wing out of the way, and it toppled forward. As she darted toward the door, the wing crashed to the floor. Elin slammed the door behind her as she ran for the trees.
Behind her, Ben shouted, and she dared a glance back. The door was still shut so she prayed the airplane part blocked the passage for a few more seconds until she could melt into the shadows of the forest.
The glass in the door rattled, and she put on an extra burst of speed and plunged into the coolness of the shade. Ben yelled behind her, but she didn’t waste any time looking back this time. Running faster than she thought possible, she darted around trees and leaped over shrubs in her way. Where could she hide? A lowhanging live-oak branch beckoned her, and she leaped atop it and shimmied up into the leaves.
She climbed as high as she could, until the branch began to thin enough she feared it might not hold her. Then she scooted against the main trunk and held her breath, praying all the while he hadn’t seen her mad scramble into the tree.
She pressed her face into a covering of moss and waited. Some scuffing came below, and she peered down to see Ben standing with his hands on his hips as he looked around.
“Elin? It won’t do any good to hide. I’ll find you sooner or later. You can’t escape.”
Don’t look up. She barely dared to breathe. The thick leaves should obscure her from view, but she wore a bright orange top that might be seen.
“This is all your fault, you know. I couldn’t let you marry Marc, now could I? His death is on your conscience, not mine.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. Could Marc be dead? Wouldn’t she know i
t, feel it somehow? Please, God, let him be all right. She opened her eyes and pulled in oxygen.
“I was surprised you didn’t guess it was me. I gave you so many clues. Especially the song ‘Music of the Night.’ Remember when we went to see The Phantom of the Opera?”
Had they? She didn’t really remember it.
Ben’s gaze went to the base of the tree. Even from here, she could see the scuffed-up dirt where her foot had found purchase. His head went back, and he stared into her face.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Then he put his foot on the lowest branch and began to climb.
Marc’s headache had abated some, and he fought with the wheel as his Tahoe hit the potholes. Through the trees, Marc glimpsed an old airplane hangar and an airfield beyond it. Could Elin be inside? He stopped his vehicle and got out.
A woman’s scream echoed from the woods, and he whipped around. It sounded like Elin.
He ran in the direction of the scream and entered the coolness of the shade from the big trees. Did he dare call out for Elin, or would it alert Summerall? Though Marc didn’t want her in danger, he willed her to make some kind of sound. Scanning the underbrush, he looked for prints or a trail of some kind. Anything that would tell him which direction to move.
Cocking his head, he listened for thrashing or breathing. Nothing but birdsong and the wind in the leaves came to his ears. He saw some crushed weeds by a bramble bush and walked in that direction. There was matted grass on the other side of the bushes, so someone had come this way recently. Following his instincts, he hurried farther east.
“Stay away from me!” Elin’s voice came from his left this time.
He got a better bead on the direction and set off toward her. She’d sounded high up, so he scanned the trees. Most were too small to climb, but a large live oak with low-spreading branches was about thirty feet ahead. His gaze touched on the big branch that almost reached the ground, then traveled up the tree. He caught a glimpse of orange, then saw Elin scrambling back from another figure that crawled toward her.
Summerall. He had a syringe in his hand and a smile on his face that could freeze someone’s blood.
“Ben!” Marc leaped onto the first branch. “It’s all over. Come down from there.”
Summerall didn’t even look in his direction. He continued to advance on Elin with the syringe. “It’s not too late, Elin. Come to me. We can be in eternity together. I love you. I know you love me too.”
He was going to reach Elin before Marc could stop him. He reached for his gun, only to realize he’d left it on the seat of the Tahoe. He glanced around for some kind of weapon and grabbed a stout branch.
“Ben!”
At Marc’s shout, the man stopped and glanced at the ground. His cold gaze swept over him, and he smiled. “I really wanted to kill you myself. I’m glad I get the chance.”
He released the branch he clung to and dropped to the ground like a cat. He set the syringe on a rock. His smile widened as he flexed his hands and leaped toward Marc.
Marc feinted back, but Summerall came right after him. A hard blow to his neck with the side of Ben’s hand left him gasping for breath. Ben darted back, then swung around with a back kick that struck Marc in the stomach and drove him to his knees.
His vision dimmed, and he fought to draw in enough breath. Could he even beat this guy? Marc struggled to his feet. Summerall’s smile never faded as he danced around Marc.
Elin dropped to the ground, and he shook his head when she started toward Ben. She paused and glanced around. Before either of them could find a weapon, Summerall made another move, and Marc found himself on the ground with the guy’s knees on his chest and his forearm across his neck.
Marc strained to find the leverage to throw Summerall off. His lungs cried out for air, and his vision was already starting to cloud.
“No!” Elin grabbed a stick and walloped Summerall on the back with it.
The distraction rattled the guy enough that the pressure on Marc’s throat eased. He flung out his hands and touched a rock. With the last of his strength, he gripped it and smashed it into the side of Summerall’s head.
He fell off Marc and hit the ground with his eyes closed and his mouth slack. Marc got up as Elin rushed into his arms.
“I thought Mosely had killed you,” she muttered into his chest.
He pulled her tight and pressed a kiss against her hair. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
FORTY-TWO
Twilight cast gold and yellow highlights over the darkening water. Gulls swooped over the water looking for a lastminute meal. The tranquility eased the tension from Elin’s neck and shoulders as she sat with Marc on the edge of the pier looking out into a sea that seemed to go on forever. What a day it had been.
She leaned her head against Marc’s shoulder. “I can’t believe it’s over.”
He pressed a kiss against her temple. “You’re safe.”
“I keep seeing Ben’s expression as he crawled toward me with that needle in his hand.” She pressed her face against his chest for a moment, then looked up. “He killed Lacy too.”
“I know.” His arm tightened around her.
“What about Mosely? He strangled Laura.” She shuddered, remembering her struggle with him.
“I think he’d done it before. The guy was a psychopath. No regret at all.” He kissed her forehead. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Ben said he was dead, but I wasn’t sure.”
“One shot through the heart and one through the head. Mosely’s not going to hurt another woman.”
“Let’s get our daughter home with us.”
The light in his eyes intensified. “I like the sound of that. ‘Our daughter.’ And we’ll be a family.” When she didn’t smile back, he frowned. “What’s wrong, honey? I thought you’d be so relieved to have this over.”
“Is it over, really? Or am I always going to have some of Laura’s memories? Will I ever go back to hating coffee? Or watching my favorite movies?” She searched his gaze. “Am I even the person you think you love?”
His warm hand circled her cheek, and he rubbed his finger over her lips. “You’re talking about unimportant things, Elin. Tastes come and go. The places we find our identities can vary depending on what part of our lives we’re in. Look at my parents. For years, my dad’s identity was in his job. Now he’s content to be a grandpa, and the law isn’t nearly as important. You’ve been a mom and a wife. You’ve been a single mom struggling to do it all on your own. You’re your mother’s caretaker. All those responsibilities change us and shape us, but you’re still you. You have the same giggle. You still rescue stray animals and give whatever you have to help others. Your heart is as big as the ocean and just as clear.”
His words caused warmth to spread from her heart down to the toes she dangled above the water. “You’re not afraid to marry me? What if I change even more?”
“What if I do? We all change as we go through life. It’s part of what makes living interesting. The trick with loving someone is to nurture those changes and encourage one another to be better people. I think the Elin-and-Marc team will be unstoppable.”
His lips came down on hers, and she lost herself in the swirling sensation of want and need his kiss elicited. She wound her fingers into his hair and poured herself into showing him how much she loved him.
He broke the kiss with a sharp exhale. “Mercy, you’ll be the death of me. Let’s get this wedding planned and soon.”
“How soon?” Her smile felt as though it would split her face.
“I’m not doing anything tomorrow. How about you?”
“I haven’t even begun to look for a dress. Or a caterer or flowers.”
“You want all that stuff?” He slapped his forehead. “How long will it take to plan?”
“I think Josie will be disappointed if she doesn’t get to be a flower girl. And this will be fun for your parents. You’re their only boy. They will want to make a bi
g deal of it for Josie’s sake.”
“You have them pegged pretty well.”
“And there’s Sara. I don’t want our wedding to overshadow hers.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to make me wait until they get married?”
She chuckled at the alarm in his voice. “No, but I don’t want ours to be so big that Sara feels left out.”
“You want a double wedding?”
She shook her head. “I want Sara to bask in the glow of her own day.”
His eyes darkened and he cupped her cheek. “See, that’s exactly what I mean. You always think of others. Who you are hasn’t changed, Elin.”
When he kissed her again, she knew he was right. The way she felt inside was still uniquely her. The way God had made her. The good and the bad. If Marc could love her, warts and all, she would be content with that.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s call your parents and tell Josie.”
“In just a minute. I’m not ready to let the world in just yet.”
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Dear Reader,
I think we women get too focused on trying to be everything to the people we love. We get tied up in how we look, what we wear, how we decorate, and our various roles in life. I know my roles have morphed through the years. But the cool thing I’ve come to realize is that they are supposed to. How boring it would be never to grow and evolve as a woman and as a Christian.
As I’ve gotten older, those things I mentioned have become less important (though I still don’t like to be seen without my makeup!), but one thing I know—my real identity is in Christ who teaches us how to love others. When I go on to heaven, I want my legacy to be one of shining out love.
I’ve had a great example of that in my life. Diann Hunt recently lost her battle with ovarian cancer. But even as her body grew weaker, her spirit grew stronger. The lens shining out Jesus became so highly polished and brilliant that it was nearly blinding.