Page 84 of Hidden Depths

“Yes.”

“How about this.” She headed back toward the hall, beckoning for Sara to follow. “You have a shower first and get freshened up. That will help you to feel a little better. Then we can all pile into the car and find somewhere to talk where you’ll be more comfortable.”

“I’d feel better if we left now.”

“There’s no point arguing,” Frank said. “Once Margaret has made up her mind, that’s it. If you want to get out of here, the fastest way to do that is to obey.”

Sara resisted. “There’s no point showering. I don’t have any clothes to change into.”

“I’ll find something that will fit,” Margaret said.

“Okay, but under one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You have to promise me you won’t call anyone. I need you to trust me with this.”

“We can’t promise forever, but we’ll hold off calling the sheriff for now. At least until you have some time to calm down and clear your head.”

“I can live with that.”

Chapter21

Sara rushedwith the soap and quickly rinsed her hair, but when she reached to turn the water off, she stopped as the water poured over her head, muffling her ears. Her thoughts went to Tom, and she stood motionless letting her tears mingle with the stream. He was dead because of her.

She wrapped her arms around her body and hunched over, lowering herself until she was on her hands and knees sobbing as the pain radiated from a tightness in her heart until it emptied out of her and the tears dried up.

It was time for this to end. Tom couldn’t help anymore, so it was up to her. Even if she could run, there was no point. There would always be someone out there looking for her, and she was no longer willing to hide. She would stop Balthazar or die trying and finally be at peace. Then she remembered her salvation.

“God, I don’t know if you’re with me in this, but please help me. This has to stop. I can’t do it alone, and I’m so alone.” She was grateful she had Margaret and Frank with her now, but they weren’t on her side. Not the way Tom had been. “And can you speak to Margaret and Frank for me? Can you tell them I’m not lying? Help me to know how to show them the truth so they’ll trust me and find somewhere safe. If anything happened to them…please be with me in this.”

When she finished praying, she found her resolve had returned. Was that God’s way of confirming her path? She’d go with that thought. It gave her the strength to get up off the floor and get out of the shower.

A plan began formulating as she held up the oversized T-shirt with a giant puffy gladiola painted on the front. On another day, she might have grimaced at the selected attire, but today wasn’t the day to be picky about her outfit, even if it was the last thing she would ever wear.

She dragged the shirt over her head, then pulled on the long flowing skirt before hurrying out of the bathroom.

Margaret and Frank were sitting on the couch holding hands with their heads bowed.

“We thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity. Whatever it is. Give us wisdom to know how to help. Don’t let us get this wrong. Show us the truth, and protect Sara.”

Sara cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt. I appreciate your prayers, but we really need to go.”

“You look lovely,” Margaret said.

Sara plucked at the skirt. “Thank you for these. They’re not really my style, but I guess I’m not dressing up to go out anywhere special. Probably not for a while.”

“That’s exactly why I picked them out. If you’re in danger, it’s part of the disguise. You don’t want to look like yourself, do you?”

“That’s actually really smart. Thank you for thinking about that. And thank you for trusting in me, even if it’s a little. It means a lot.”

Frank held his keys up and shook them. “I’m ready when you ladies are.”

“You haven’t packed anything yet.”

“We have,” Margaret said. “Frank already loaded it into the car.”

Sara closed her eyes in relief. They would be okay. “Thank you.”

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