Chapter 17

Seventeen

Isla

I ate a tuna fish sandwich that evening, and then I examined the other wall hanging pieces I had made. One was a verse from Proverbs: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Another one had a sunrise. The third piece showed a mountain setting with another scripture: Charity never faileth.

I marveled at how great they had turned out.

Another day of dispatch had gone by, and I felt like even though this was my first week, it was going well. I went to the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. The sun was setting, so I walked outside, leaving the door a little bit cracked.

The ranch was empty but beautiful. I could see myself being a homesteader. I imagined animals and horses and the sound of people working on the ranch. I breathed in the fresh air, so glad I had come back to Refuge Falls. Inspiration stirred inside me as I watched the sunset.

I realized I’d forgotten my phone, and then I heard something that sounded like gravel from the front of the house. But it stopped after a few seconds, so it wasn’t long enough for someone to come up the driveway.

My heart sped up as I rushed back into the house. I shut the door and locked it. Then I ran to the front of the house and looked out the window. There were no cars, or at least none that I could see from the front area with the light on.

It sure had sounded like someone.

Needing a distraction, I moved back to the kitchen and quickly loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Then I gathered all my painting supplies and cleaned up.

It was almost too quiet, so I decided to turn on my traditional eighties rock radio station. At the sound of the song “Africa,” I sang the words out to try to drown out all my fears.

The sound of something falling in my room rang through the air. I froze as my heart rate picked up a notch. Who was that?

I grabbed my phone and turned the music down, but not completely off—if someone was there, I needed to keep the music going so they wouldn’t think I knew they were there. Then I listened carefully.

Had Kyle found me?

I crept down the hallway, wishing I had a gun. I should talk to Damon about that. Would he want me to have one? I wasn’t sure.

There was another sound, like a window banging shut. I rushed toward the room, threw the door open, and turned on the light.

The dresser next to the window was turned, like someone had had to turn it to get inside. I went to the window, threw open the blinds, and realized there was no screen. Had there been a screen there before? I looked out the window and saw the screen had been tossed to the side. I was pretty sure someone had been here.

I heard the sound of an engine and tires on gravel. I rushed back toward the front of the house to take a better look, but all I could see was a man in a black car pulling onto the main road and taking off. Had that been Kyle?

I hated doing this, but I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. I was connected to the night dispatcher. His name was Henry. We had met this week.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I need an officer out to this address.” I rattled it off to him.

“Is this Isla?”

“Yes.”

Henry asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. I’ll wait for someone to get here.”

“Do you think someone is there?”

I listed off the details of everything I had seen. “I’m going to let you go,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Henry asked. “I can stay on the line.”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay, but call back if you need someone on the line with you.”

“Thank you.”

I got off the phone and thought of Kyle. Kyle had done stuff to me over the year and a half since our divorce. I wanted it all to be over. Was he tormenting me? Or was it someone I didn’t even know?

I sat on the floor, worried that I would have to lie down because I might pass out. I was pretty sure I was having a panic attack, and I hated the thought of it.

I didn’t know how long I had been there when someone was finally knocking at the door. “Isla, open up. It’s McCrae.”

I got up and threw open the door. “Hey.”

He started looking around, shining a huge flashlight in every direction. “Can I come in? I got the call. Tell me everything.”

I stood to the side so he could come in, and I took him through everything that had happened.

McCrae moved throughout the house, inspecting things, and then I followed him out the back. He went around to the window and put the screen back on. “How about you come stay at my parents’ tonight?”

I shook my head, feeling out of sorts but not wanting to do that. “No. It’s okay.”

McCrae moved to the front of the house and shone his big flashlight around one more time. There was no one. He said something into the radio, using codes that I didn’t understand. Then he turned to me. “You know that Damon is not going to want you to be alone.”

Damon. “Oh my gosh. I should call him.”

McCrae nodded, and we moved back into the house. “I would call him right now. Let’s decide that you’re going to stay at my parents.”

I didn’t really love the fact that he thought Damon was in charge of me, but I pressed Damon’s number.

“Hey,” he said when he picked up.

“Hey. I have McCrae here. I heard some noises in the room and gravel crunching, and I thought that someone was in the house.” I knew I wasn’t saying it right.

“What? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. But your brother wants me to go stay at your parents’, and I’m not going to do that. But he won’t leave until I called you.”

“McCrae, are you there?”

“Here,” McCrae said with a stoic look on his face. “I couldn’t find anything, but I’m pushing for her to come stay at Mom and Dad’s.”

I shook my head. “I’m not doing that.” It felt like the more determined I was to stay here, the calmer I felt.

Damon coughed. “I think it would be a good idea to stay at my mom and dad’s.”

I shook my head again and sucked in a long breath. “Listen, whoever it was is gone. I’m not going to your parents’ house.” Even though I loved his parents, I hadn’t even been in town that long. I wasn’t comfortable with it.

“Isla, just go with McCrae.”

I really didn’t like his tone. It reminded me too much of Kyle. “Damon, I’ll talk to you in a little bit. I’m going to say goodbye to McCrae.” I hung up before he could argue.

McCrae let out a loud laugh and then shook his head. “Big brother is not going to be happy about that.” He moved toward the door but stopped. “You sure? I could just park outside for a while.”

I sighed. “Maybe stay outside for a little bit. But I’m not going to your parents’. Thank you.”

McCrae moved out the door and nodded. “You can call me too, if you don’t want to call the station. Let me give you my number.”

I was reluctant to do that, but I was also grateful. “Okay.” I took McCrae’s number and then said goodbye.

It wasn’t two minutes later that Damon was calling. I answered the phone. “I’m sorry. I’m just not going to your parents’ house.”

“I’m worried. Tell me everything that happened. I’m staying on the phone with you all night.”

His kindness was what made me feel that fear again. “You don’t have to do this.”

“It’s either we stay on the phone all night or I’m driving home.”

I moved into the hallway and flicked on the light to make sure everything was locked. “Fine. Let me get ready for bed, and then I’ll call you back.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

I got off the phone and grabbed some water, telling myself to calm down. I readied myself for bed in the bathroom, and then I went into the bedroom and changed into a long dress shirt I’d been using as pajamas. I said my prayers, slipped into bed, and called him back.

He answered on the first ring. “What took you so long?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “I was just saying my prayers and getting ready.”

“Do you pray?”

His question took me off guard. “Yes. Don’t you? You just asked me if I was going to church.”

He was quiet for a minute. “I do with the children. I do at my parents’ house over meals. The truth is, I guess I haven’t really felt like praying in the past couple of years. Honestly, I haven’t known if God was there or not.”

I was sympathetic, but I said, “That’s funny. I guess even through everything I’ve been through in the last couple of years, God has been the only person I could really talk to. I haven’t had anyone else.”

He was quiet for a couple of minutes, and then he said, “Dang, Isla. You haven’t been back in my life very long, and I am already inspired by your goodness.”

His compliment surprised me, and I didn’t know what to say.

“Are you there?”

“I’m here. I just never looked at myself as inspiring. I just need God; that’s all I know.”

“When you put it like that, it sounds so simple.”

“It is simple.”

He was quiet again, and then he said, “We could say a prayer now together. Because I’m worried about you, and I guess God is who we need to talk to.”

I smiled. “Why don’t you go ahead and say it.”

I listened to this man pray for me, for my safety, for the safety of my home and that I could keep doing well at work. He prayed for his children, his parents, and his family. Then he prayed for my mother and my father, which tripped me up. He ended the prayer, and then he said, “Are you there?”

My heart was racing. “Yes,” I managed to say, though I was choking on the word.

“What’s wrong?”

Tears streamed down my face. “Well, you just inspired me, Damon Armstrong.”

He let out a soft sigh. “How is that?”

“Because in all the years I’ve been praying, it never occurred to me to pray for my mom and dad. But I guess the scriptures do say love your enemies, pray for those that hate you, do good to those that curse you.” I hiccupped out a sob.

“Are you okay?”

I sniffed. “I can’t wait for you to get back tomorrow.”

“You took the words out of my mouth. Now, tell me something good. Because we have a long night ahead of us.”

I wiped the tears from my face. “I don’t know. I can’t stay on the phone all night. I need some sleep.”

He sighed. “Then I guess we’ll just have to count on God to protect you.”

I smiled. “I guess we will.” But I knew that nothing could protect my heart.