Page 47 of Hidden Depths

“Don’t worry about me. My work gives me purpose. And right now, I want to get to the bottom of what’s going on with those two guys. I found news articles on the web about what you went through. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to find your parents.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “I was there when it happened. I saw it. I watched him shoot them.”

“What?”

“He—” She cleared her throat. “I was home from college when Lansky broke in. He sat us all on the couch. He shot my dad, then my mom. I thought I screamed, but I don’t know that a sound came from my throat. It felt like an eternity waiting for him to shoot me too, but he never did.” She lost her breath for a second. “The blood…”

“Oh, Sara. I am so sorry.” He moved like he was going to take her in his arms, but he didn’t follow through.

“There was a time when I wished he had shot me, but I don’t feel that way anymore.”

“But I don’t understand. If you saw him do it, why did he let you live?”

“He’s a sick man.” She looked at the floor. “He crouched in front of me and pressed the gun into the side of my head. I was crying. I remember the taste of salt in my mouth as I licked the tears from my lips. And the blood.” She almost gagged, lost back in the moment. “Lansky made me look him in the eye. His eyes were so dark. He told me if I said a word to anyone about who did this, he’d find me and everyone else I loved, and he’d make me watch as he killed them too. All I could do was nod in agreement.”

She choked on the memory, and Tom couldn’t stay in place any longer. He put an arm around her and pulled her against him.

“Hey, it’s okay. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“He made me promise out loud that I wouldn’t tell anyone,” she said against his chest.

“I’m glad you didn’t keep your promise.” He held her back so he could look into her eyes. “Do you realize how incredibly brave that was to testify against him?”

“That’s what everyone said. They told me to be brave. The lawyer, friends of our family who I stayed with after—They said that they would close the courtroom so my testimony would be anonymous, but it was anonymous to people who didn’t matter.” She wiped her hand across her face. “But I didn’t do it to be brave.”

“Then why did you?”

“Because for a time, every morning, I’d wake up surprised I could still be alive with a broken heart. I was numb but so completely damaged. I wasn’t afraid of anything. I couldn’t be. I had nothing to lose. So I agreed to testify. Then I moved out here, and that’s when the fear set in. I don’t know why. I don’t know what changed.”

“You were probably in shock during the court case. You came out here and settled down and had time to think about everything.”

“I’ve spent the last five years being afraid, and I was finally getting over it. God set me free. Why would He do that only to have these guys turn up?”

“Godset you free?”

“Yeah. It’s probably hard for you to believe seeing the state that I’m in. But I never would have gone out with you if He hadn’t done something inside of me.”

“How’d He do it?”

“Maybe I’m oversimplifying it, but I recently became a Christian. God transformed me in that moment. But now here I am, right back where I started.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I’m terrified.”

“Yeah, but God didn’t leave you to flounder. If you hadn’t come out to lunch with me, then I wouldn’t be here right now. God sent me to you, and He prepared you for it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I came to the Keys against my will. I thought it was a waste of time. But I can see now that God sent me here because you need someone to help you.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes. He’s protecting you.”

“I guess…you’re a Christian too?”

“Despite my best efforts to sabotage myself, yes.”

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