Chapter Eight #2
on the foot of her bed as she filled the small case.
“I’m only taking enough clothes for two days.”
“That should be enough time.”
“Good.” She snapped closed the lid of the small case. “Can I tell Terry why I’m suddenly descending on her doorstep?” At Cole’s
hesitation, Lesley added, “Give my sister some credit—she’s bound to be suspicious if I show up with a bag in my hand.”
“All right,” Cole agreed, “fill her in, but only briefly. I don’t want this out, you can understand that.”
“Yes.” She nodded, her head adding emphasis to her words. “Yes, I do.”
They walked into the living room, and Cole helped her on with her coat, his hand lingering longer than necessary on her shoulders,
bringing her close to him for a timeless moment. When he broke the contact, it was Lesley who opened her eyes and expelled
a long, quivering sigh.
“I want you to have something,” she said.
Cole watched her with a blank look as she moved into the kitchen and took the broom out of the narrow closet. “It worked great on Dale and Larry.”
Cole laughed as he accepted the weapon, gripping the handle tightly. “Here.” He handed her a slip of paper with a number written
boldly across it. “Call me if anything suspicious happens, even if you’re not sure.”
Mesmerized, Lesley stared at the figures. She had lived next door to Cole all these months and not known his phone number.
“Okay.”
“Let’s go.”
“Us?”
“Yes, I want to follow you into town. Jennings’ men could still be out there.”
A cold shiver of apprehension ran up her spine, and some of the anxiety must have shown in her face.
“Don’t worry, it’s only a precaution. I don’t think they’re still around, but I want to be certain. I’m not going to let anything
happen to you.”
After locking the front door, Cole placed the suitcase in the backseat of her car. Their eyes met when he straightened. His
look: intense, worried. Hers: fearful and unsure.
“Honey”—his voice was a husky murmur—“Don’t look at me like that. It’s difficult enough to let you go.”
She nodded, tears filling her eyes until Cole swam in and out of her vision.
He kissed her gently and held her close as if sending her away was the hardest thing he had ever done. “I’ll be fine, don’t
worry about me.”
“But I will every second.”
“I know.”
“I’ll be praying, too.”
“I could use a few prayers. If there’s a God in heaven, I’ll be awarded the patent.”
If! Lesley’s mind shouted back. If! She wanted to talk to him, explain. But now wasn’t the time.
“I’ll follow you as far as your sister’s.”
Lesley agreed with a feeble smile. She climbed into her car and started the engine. Cole followed her into town, waving a
brief farewell as she turned into Terry’s driveway.
“I can’t believe it,” Terry muttered, slowly shaking her head back and forth. They sat at the kitchen table, while Lisa was
on the floor banging on a set of old pans with a wooden spoon.
“Why do I get the impression that this is a repeat of a previous conversation?”
“I can’t help it.” Terry shot back a half-angry glare. “It isn’t every day I hear this kind of stuff. What did Jennings’ men
do to your apartment?”
“Dumped things, mostly. They were looking for Cole’s report, and since they couldn’t find it at his house, they must have
assumed he’d given it to me. Most of the mess is cleaned up,” she answered absently.
“Are you thinking of going to the police?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what to do. Cole could be in terrible danger, but he definitely wants the police out of it.”
“Can you blame him?”
“Yes,” she returned loudly. “No,” she finished weakly.
“It sounds to me like you’re as confused as I am about this whole thing.”
“For once, sister dear, we’re in agreement.”
“How much longer before Cole knows about the patent?”
“Apparently the judge hearing the case is making his decision soon.”
“Shouldn’t Cole be there?”
“Where?” Lesley looked up blankly.
“At the courthouse, wherever his case is being heard.”
“Oh.” Lesley took in a deep breath. “I guess not. His attorney seemed to think it would only place him in greater danger.
Jennings would have open range on Cole if he’d stayed in Michigan.”
“Is that so different from now? If this Jennings character knows that Cole’s in Coeur d’Alene, isn’t he in even greater danger?”
Lesley’s finger made nervous circles around the edge of her coffee cup. “I don’t think so. Oh, Terry, I’m really worried.
My life has always been so peaceful and quiet. Who would ever have dreamed all this could happen?”
“Believe me, the next time you start complaining about something mysterious going on at your place I won’t question or doubt
or anything.”
“That’s encouraging,” Lesley responded with a small, slightly high-pitched laugh.
Lisa banged loudly on an aluminum pan with her wooden spoon, causing both sisters to stop and smile. How safe and secure the
baby’s life was, compared to the harsh realities of what she was facing with Cole, Lesley mused.
“Lisa’s making a joyful noise unto the Lord,” Terry teased.
Lesley gazed lovingly at the baby.
The phone rang and Terry rose to answer it. “Hello. Yes, just a minute, she’s here.” She handed the receiver to Lesley. “It’s
Cole.”
“Oh.” Lesley hurried out of her chair. “Cole?” Her voice was thick with anticipation.
“I probably shouldn’t have phoned, but I needed to hear your voice after all these weeks of living next to you.”
“And complaining about all the noise I made,” she added with a happy sigh.
“I’m finding it’s incredibly quiet here. Too quiet.”
“Don’t say that.” Lesley tensed, her hand gripping the telephone until she was sure her fingers had made permanent indentations in the hard plastic.
“Not to worry, it’s not that kind of quiet. I’m finding that I miss your singing.”
“But I can’t carry a tune.”
“You don’t need to tell me that. I know, I’ve listened to you often enough.”
Lesley laughed softly. “You must really be missing me, then.”
“That just goes to show you how much.”
They spoke for a few minutes longer. Cole’s words were reassuring. Much of the terrible tension that had knotted Lesley’s
stomach all day lessened.
That evening the church was filled almost to capacity. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was a time the congregation set aside
to thank God for His continued blessings throughout the year.
Even after the church had emptied, Lesley sat in the pew, her gaze resting on the huge cross behind the altar. Her mind was
filled with prayers for Cole. Mentally she pictured an army of angels surrounding him, offering him spiritual protection.
His words “If there’s a God” had shocked her. Until that time she wasn’t certain where he stood with the Lord. The bitterness
and hatred she had witnessed in him from their first confrontation was even more pronounced now. Paul Walker, with his spiritual
insight, had sensed Cole’s inner struggles at their first meeting.
For her peace of mind, Lesley rushed to the phone as soon as she returned to her sister’s house, and dialed the phone number Cole had given her.
She let it ring twelve times without an answer.
With taut nerves, she hung up and dialed again: still no response.
A flood of horrible, heart-stopping fear washed over her.
Jennings’ men had found Cole! He was hurt.
He could be dying. She had to get to him.
Blindly she grabbed her coat and stumbled out of the kitchen.
“What is it?” Terry demanded, noting the pale, bloodless look on Lesley’s face.
“Cole,” she muttered, feeling numb. “He doesn’t answer the phone.”
“Les.” Terry placed a restraining hand on Lesley’s sleeve. “What are you going to do?”
“Go out there and find out if he’s all right.”
“Les, you can’t.”
Two pair of intense blue eyes clashed. “I’ve got to.”
“At least wait until Robert gets home. Let him go with you.”
“No.”
“The Thanksgiving baskets will be delivered soon, he’ll be back any minute.” There was a desperate ring to Terry’s voice.
“And he could be hours. For Cole’s sake I’ve got to go now.”
“Maybe we should phone the police?”
“No, that would be premature. Cole could be in the shower or outside or sleeping and not hear the phone. But I’ve got to be
assured he’s all right. I’ll phone you the minute I know.”
Indecision played across Terry’s face. “I’ll pray,” she added. “And if I don’t hear from you within forty minutes, I’m calling
out the National Guard.”
Lesley hardly heard her sister’s words, she was so intent on getting to Cole as quickly as possible.
The car headlights illuminated the way as Lesley drove up the hill that led to the duplex. She pulled into the driveway and
purposely left the car lights on, flooding the area with beams of light. Both sides of the apartment were dark.
Only an hour earlier, Lesley had been sitting in a quiet, peaceful church, praying. Now she stood alone in a dark moonless night, facing . . . she didn’t know what.
“Cole?” She cried out his name and waited.
Nothing.
“Cole, answer me.”
“Lesley, is that you?”
Relief weakened her knees.
“You idiot, what are you doing here?” Cole questioned as he came around from the back of the house.
She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, laughing to keep from crying. “I tried to phone and there wasn’t an answer.
I was frantic! Where were you?”
“In the back, breaking up hay for the deer.”
“Why now?”
“It’s dark, I figured it was safer at night. I’m not really into this cloak-and-dagger stuff, but it made more sense not to
be a target in broad daylight.”
“You crazy fool. . . . I didn’t know what to think. Let me use your phone. Terry is worried sick. She didn’t know what I was
going to walk into once I got up here.”
Cole turned off her headlights and followed her into the house. He turned on the living room lamp so she could see the dial.
“Yes, yes, he’s fine. I’m fine, too.” Lesley laughed at the relief in her sister’s voice. “I won’t be long,” she promised
and replaced the receiver.