Page 706 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Try to stay calm. We’ll get through this together. I just hope they get here in time.”

The next words that flowed into her mind seemed to generate from outside of herself, almost as if she could hear someone else speaking them. It was the verse from the Bible that Stella had quoted. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Peace. Blessed peace. Was this the Lord’s way of telling her that she was going to die and that it was okay? Sean loved her. Stella loved her. She had to help Stella. This wasn’t just about her anymore. It was bigger than that. It was then that an idea flowed into her mind as clean and pure as the freshest water. She looked up at the window.

“Sean, I know how we can get out of here.”

“How?”

“We’re going to climb out that window and get on top of the roof. Find something heavy to tie around the end of the rope. We can sling it over that metal rafter and propel up.”

“What?” He shook his head. “It’s no good. Even if we could climb up, which I doubt because the wall’s too slick, we’ll die of smoke inhalation before we get to the top.”

There was no time to explain the miraculous peace she’d experienced or the knowledge that had flowed into her mind. “That wall is made of cinderblocks. It won’t burn like the rest of the walls. We have to at least try. Sean, I can climb anything. You have to trust me.”

“All right,” he said, reaching for the rope. He felt around and found a short two-by-four piece of lumber. “You hold this end of the rope. Don’t let go.” He tied the wood to his end and then tossed it up. It took him three tries before he managed to get the wood over the rafter. It came back down, sending the rope with it. She handed him her end, and he tied it to his.

He yanked on the rope to make sure it was secure. “I’ll go first and then pull you up.”

“Oh no, I’m the climber. I’ll go first.” She grabbed the rope out of his hands. “There’s no time to argue.”

Her eyes were burning as she looked up through the smoke. She turned her face to her shirt and attempted to breathe into it. Climbing the cinderblocks would be like walking on hot coals. An intense pain shot through her thigh when she thought about the flames from the burning walls that were closing in around her.This is not about you. Think about Stella. It was a short climb, no more than fifteen feet, but it would be the most difficult of her life. The rope cut into her hands as she used it to propel herself up. She willed herself to go higher and higher into the thick smoke. The heat from the walls burned her feet through her tennis shoes. She paused and breathed into her shirt.

“Are you all right?” Sean yelled.

“I’m fine … almost there.” Her head was spinning wildly, and she kept repeating the same prayer over and over.Please, help me.With a superhuman effort, she climbed until she was even with the window. She held onto the rope for dear life and kicked the window. “Sean,” she yelled down. “I made it to the window.” Her foot broke through the glass. She kicked it again and again until she felt the cool air rush in. A shard of glass dug into her heel. She winced and put her foot on the window frame and used it to pull herself toward the window. A moment later, she stood on the windowsill and climbed through the broken glass and onto the roof.

She let the rope fall back through the window. She laid on top of the roof for balance so she could help Sean up. Smoke used the window as a means of escape and started billowing out.

“Sean!” She coughed through the smoke then waited. “Sean! Are you okay? Answer me!” she shouted into the smoldering inferno.

Her only answer was the roaring fire.The seconds seemed to last hours. “Sean!”

She heard the coughing first and then her name. “Sydney!”

“I’m here,” she called. She looked through the window and saw the top of Sean’s head. “Just a little farther!”

He looked up at her.

“Give me your hand!”

He caught hold of her hand and she helped pull him up on the roof. He rolled over and a string of coughs racked his body.

A loud bang caused them both to flinch. They looked in horror as the far side of the roof disappeared. Sydney stood. “The roof’s collapsing! Get up! We have to get off!”

“But how?”

Sydney looked out at the water. Her eyes locked with Sean’s. He grabbed her hand and they ran to the edge.

“Are you ready?”

“Jump!”

The soundof the sirens was so faint at first that Sydney felt she’d only imagined it. She was alive! Swim! She needed to swim!

Several men were waitingfor Sydney and Sean when they reached the bank of the river. They helped pull them from the water where they both collapsed on the ground. Sydney’s body was shaking like jello. She tried to sit up. A policeman in his mid twenties knelt beside her and draped a blanket around her shoulders. Under different circumstances, Sydney would have recognized him as the man who questioned her after the journal was stolen. “Your hands are bleeding and you’re in shock. We need to get you to the hospital.”

Sydney looked down. The rope had cut into her hands, leaving bloody streaks, and she hadn’t even noticed. “Stella! I have to help Stella!” She struggled to her feet and stumbled. The police officer moved to steady her.

“Whoa. Take it easy ma’am. You’re not going anywhere. We need to get you to the hospital.” He looked down. “Your foot is bleeding.”

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