Page 77 of Unforgotten

By now they’d mastered the scooch. They were only inches from the wall. When Bethanne counted again, Candace moved in sync with her. After one more time, they were next to the wall, though both were panting and sweating. She figured Bethy wasn’t thinking she smelled all that good now. “Well, we got over here.”

“Yes we did. And did you notice something about the rope?”

“Beyond the fact that it’s rubbed our wrists so raw that they’re bleeding?”

“It’s stretched some.” Sounding almost triumphant, Bethanne said, “Look at the space between us, Candace.”

If she twisted her body just so and craned her neck, she could get a pretty good look at the section of rope that lay between them. At first she wanted to cry because she had no idea how to tell her cousin that she was seeing things, but then she noticed how frayed the rope had become. “I think a section of it near your hip is a lot thinner. Do you see it, or is it my imagination?”

“I can’t bend that much. I noticed that when Scott first tied us up, our backs were almost touching each other. Now we’d both have to bend back an inch or two to touch our heads.”

“You’re right.” It was a small thing, but boy was it good to feel even the tiniest ray of hope. “Bethy, let’s get on our feet and try to catch the rope on the nail.”

“All right, but I have to warn you, I don’t think I’m strong enough to get up without using my hands.”

“I’m not either.” Glad for the rising sun and how much brighter it was in the space, she said, “Let’s brainstorm some ideas.”

“Okay. Here’s one.” For the next couple of minutes, they debated how best to get each other to their feet. At last they decided to simply rest their sides against the wall and use it as leverage.

Their first attempt felt almost impossible.

So did the second.

Candace was exhausted from the exertion. The physical activity, added to her fear that Scott could return at anymoment, made her almost break down. She hated feeling so weak.

Beside her, Bethanne sounded as frustrated as she felt. “Maybe this is the worst idea ever. My shoulders hurt so bad.”

“Mine too.”

“I wish I could think of a better plan.”

“I wish I’d done about a hundred more stomach crunches a day,” Candace muttered.

Bethanne snorted. “I wish I’d done one a day. When we get out of here, I’m going to exercise more.”

Candance was grateful for Bethanne’s wishful thinking, but once again her own optimism was plummeting. “Bethy, I love you. No matter what happens, I want you to know that.”

“I love you too. And before you apologize again, I want to make sure you hear my words. Don’t just listen. Hear what I’m saying. This was not your fault.”

“But—”

“Nee, Candace. Stop blaming yourself and listen. No matter what happens, you aren’t responsible.”

“I would never want you to get hurt because of me. You’ve been through too much.”

“But I survived. And I’ve been realizing that I’m stronger than people think. I’m stronger than I’ve even given myself credit for. I got through that, and I’ll get through this too. Just like you will, okay?”

Candace’s eyes teared up. “Okay.”

“Promise that you hear me?”

“I hear you and I believe it,” she said around a lump in her throat. “Careful, I’m about to start wiping my face on your clothes again.”

“Go for it,” Bethanne whispered. After a few moments, she said, “Let’s do this.”

“I think we should count. It’s worked for us so far.”

“Fine. One, two, three, go.” Together they pushed themselves against the wall and somehow helped each other up. The wall they were leaning on creaked and moaned but didn’t break.

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