Page 47 of The Soul that Redeems Me
“I’ll never keep another secret from you. I promise.” I told her, meaning every word, placing a small kiss on her neck. I would have to tell her about the other case in Texas and I was worried how she would react.
No secrets.
“Emily, I need to talk to you about a couple of other things. Do you want to stay here or do you want to go back to Lisa and Joe’s?”
Looking up into the dark sky, she turned to face me and place a gentle kiss on my lips, “Let’s go back to Lisa and Joe’s.”
We strolled, hand-in-hand, Jake walking on Emily’s other side as we made our way back to the house. Walking inside, we found Joe and Lisa watching TV and snacking on popcorn. Lisa got up and gave me a hug before she guided us into the kitchen to make us a plate of dinner. They sat with us while Emily and I enjoyed the meal Lisa prepared for us.
We finished and I wasn’t sure if Emily wanted privacy or not for the conversation we were about to have so I gently grabbed her hand and squeeze it, her eyes swinging toward mine.
“Do you want to talk here or would you rather be alone?” I whispered into her ear.
“I think whatever we have to talk about can be said in front of our family. If they want to be a part of whatever you need to tell me.” Emily replied, a sad smile on her face as she looked over at Lisa.
Lisa reached over and took her other hand, “We will be right here with you until you tell us to go.” A look passing between them that had Joe clearing his throat and looking at the ceiling, his eyes blinking rapidly before he looked back at me and I suddenly understood his earlier comment.
Trying to gather my strength to explain the rest of the developments, I started speaking, “I know you overheard a lot this morning but I think there are some things you may not have heard. Jason’s PI started looking into that monster’s past. You heard that his family has money and they have covered up his crimes most of his life. It was only when his trust fund remained untouched did they care enough to try and find him. Now, with the legal maneuvers, they are trying to get him out of trouble again. You may have to testify in front of a judge but that’s not the worst of it.” Emily’s eyes cutting to me, anger fueling the tears that were flowing. I could see it now and I feel that I had been blind to her true emotions for too long. “There was a case in Dallas, the details were very similar to yours, so they started digging and found out he was there, living in the city, during the time of the attack. The girl was thirteen years old, and no one has ever been arrested for her assault. If he is allowed to go free on a technicality, Texas may not be able to get his DNA to prove he is the attacker.”
“I have always wanted to testify. My parents tried to hide me from everything, but I was aware when he plead guilty. I wanted to face him. To look him in his eyes and show him I won. I beat him. I just need to find where he took me. It might not make any sense to y’all but I need to know I’m not crazy. That what I remember is correct.” Emily explained to the three of us, her eyes shining with tears.
“What is your plan?” Joe asked Emily as he held Lisa’s hand, stroking the top with his thumb.
“I’m going to get up in the morning and I’m going to the walking trail where he took me. I plan to drive as much as I remember until I get close to the river. From there, I’m going to let memory take over and see what happens.” She shrugged, her plan not without merit. I just hated she felt she needed to do it alone. I would never let her deal with her anger alone again.
“Then I think it’s time we get some sleep since we need to be up early in the morning,” Joe said. “I’m going to call a friend of mine in the sheriff’s department and see if they can have someone follow us, just in case.” We all stood from the table and embraced in a group hug, their warmth and understanding flowing through the embrace.
Emily, Jake, and I made our way into Caroline’s old bedroom and crawled under the covers, wrapped in each other’s arms. Jake, the dutiful guard dog, plopped himself against Emily’s back, pushing her further against my chest.
“I love you.” I whispered down to her as I kissed her head and hugged her tighter against me.
“I love you too. Thank you for coming after me,” she whispered against my chest as I felt her lips brush against me.
“I’ll always come for you, Emily. You are my entire world.”
We slept in each other’s arms all night, waking up before the sun had risen, determined that today was the day I helped Emily put the last of her demons to rest.
