Chapter
Twenty-Eight

After two days of intensive questioning by officials from the Kansas City Police Department, Paul and I were finally free to go on with our lives. We decided we were past due for our first date, so the first Friday after we returned to Sanctuary we made reservations at a wonderful pasta restaurant in Farmington. As I waited for Paul to pick me up, Janet cornered me in the living room.

“Before you leave, I have a few questions,” she said. “You haven’t shared much about what happened in that mine. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“I . . . I do, Janet. It was just so awful that it’s hard to talk about. Anson Bentley was a terrible man, but I’m not rejoicing over his death. I thought I wanted revenge, but in the end, I only felt sad. What a terrible waste of a life.” I shook my head. “The experience was so traumatic for all of us. Paul had never taken a life before, but he did it to save us. And no child should have to endure what Cicely went through.”

“Oh, Sarah,” Janet said, her voice catching. “You endured it. And who better to help her now? No one can guide her through this better than you.”

I stopped to think about what Janet had just said. It was true. Experiencing my parents’ murders meant I could understand Cicely’s pain. It was a terrible thing to share, but maybe God could bring healing out of it.

“Thanks, Janet. I hadn’t really thought about it that way. Ask me whatever you want to. I’ll do my best to answer your questions.”

“I understand you made a ‘help’ sign to Jeremiah when you drove past him. But how did he know you were going to the mine?”

“He didn’t, really. But after I made the sign, I quickly flashed an M. I just prayed he’d get it. Not sure what I meant, he ran after the car and watched us turn right onto the road out of town. The mine is really the only thing that way except for your clinic and some farmhouses. That’s when he decided the M had to be for mine.”

“Oh, honey. You took a real chance. What if Bentley had seen you?”

“Well, he didn’t. But in the end, that wasn’t what saved us.”

“Are you talking about the gun?” She frowned. “Where did it come from?”

“Mike had it in his ankle holster. He figured Anson would find it, so when he went upstairs, he shoved the holster under Cicely’s mattress and gave her the gun. It never occurred to Anson to check a little girl for weapons.” I smiled. “I wasn’t referring to the gun, though. In the end, God used Paul to save us.”

Janet smiled. “Bentley really underestimated Paul. He assumed he was an easy target for his gorilla, but Paul took control of the situation and arrested the man Bentley sent to kill him.”

“Yes, and then Paul got a call from Evan Bakker. Not having a phone, William had gone to Evan and asked him to contact Paul after Jeremiah told his father he thought we were in trouble. Realizing there was no way out, Bentley’s partner decided to spill the beans. When Anson called to make sure Paul had been taken care of, Paul answered the phone and pretended to be Anson’s partner in crime. By that time, he was already on his way to the mine.”

“So now the police will fully investigate your mom and dad’s murders as well as Hannah’s?”

I nodded. “Not sure how much investigating they’ll need to do. They have all the answers now. Mike told them everything. The guy who was supposed to kill Paul is the same man who murdered Hannah. He’s asking for a deal.”

Janet shivered. “Will the authorities really make a deal with that scumbag?”

“I don’t know. If they can get everything they need from Mike, they’ll have no reason to work with him. He’s a terrible person, Janet. A violent drug dealer. Hannah isn’t the only person he’s murdered for Anson Bentley.”

Janet paused at the stove and turned around to study me. “You’re glad Mike survived, aren’t you?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, I am. His cowardice may have cost Hannah her life. I’ll never be sure about that. But I can’t hate him. He saved Hannah and me when we were children, and he tried to save Cicely and me, even putting his own life on the line.”

“Too little too late, as far as I’m concerned,” Janet huffed.

“I know. I truly believe he started out as a good man who got in over his head. I guess when that happens, it’s like quicksand. Mike got in deeper and deeper, and before he knew it, he was drowning.”

Janet snorted. “You make it sound as if you know what that’s like. You’ve always been an honest, decent person.”

I sighed. “We all have the ability to deceive ourselves, Janet. Maybe the deceit in my life didn’t lead to violence, but I spent a lot of years elevating my own insecurity above my faith in God’s plan for my life.”

“Burying your talents in the ground. Just like the man in the Bible.”

“Exactly.”

“I think we all do that to some extent,” Janet said. “We tell ourselves we’re just being humble.”

“Maybe, but I’ve come to the conclusion that true humility is believing what God says about you when everything inside you screams you’re not who He says you are.”

“And now you believe you’re good enough.”

“Good enough for God. And good enough for me.”

“And what about Paul?”

I smiled. “He seems to think I’m good enough for him too. Hence our first date.”

Janet sighed. “It’s about time.”

Cicely came into the kitchen. “When does Paul get here?”

She’d been traumatized by our narrow escape. Last night and the night before she’d slept in my room. I’d called Jonathon earlier in the day and asked him to visit with her. I felt having someone like Jonathon to talk to would help. He’d agreed but had insisted I come too. “You both have emotions to work through,” he’d said.

I had to admit he was right. Since the incident with Anson, Cicely had clung to me. Even though I’d begun to feel like a real mother, I didn’t want her feelings for me to be based on one traumatic moment. We had a long way to go, but I finally felt confident that with some effort and a lot of honesty, we’d do just fine.

“Aunt Sarah,” Cicely asked softly. “What will happen to Mike?”

“Why, honey?”

“I . . . I like him. I know that he did wrong things, but I hope he gets another chance.”

“He’s working with the police in Kansas City to catch some other really bad guys. Because he’s trying to help them, he might not go to prison. Either he’ll be put on probation, or he’ll be put into something called witness protection.”

“What’s witness protection?”

“It means Mike would change his name and become someone else. The authorities would move him to a different city, and he’d have a new life. That way the bad guys he turns in can’t send people to hurt him.”

She considered this. “I think that sounds like a good idea. But what about his daughter?”

I looked at her in surprise. “How do you know he has a daughter?”

“He told me when he came upstairs and he asked me to take that gun. At first I said no because I was afraid of it. But he told me I reminded him of his daughter because I was so brave. That made me feel better.”

“You really were courageous,” I said. “I’m very proud of you, Cicely.”

“I’m proud of you too, Aunt Sarah. I’ve never known anyone as brave as you—except my mom.”

“She really was brave,” Janet said. “If it wasn’t for her, Anson Bentley would have continued to hurt people and ruin lives. Your mom just wouldn’t give up. Wouldn’t quit fighting for what was right.”

Cicely nodded. “I know.”

I hadn’t told Cicely that Anson was her father, and I didn’t intend to. At least for right now. It would be too hard for her to deal with.

“William stopped by while you were taking a nap,” Janet said. “He wanted to see how you were doing.”

“How nice of him,” I said with a smile.

“And he wanted me to tell you that he’s ready for Jeremiah to learn sign language. He wondered if you’d teach him and Trina too.”

“That’s wonderful. I’d be honored. We owe Jeremiah and William a lot.”

“I wonder if William will let Jeremiah and me be friends,” Cicely said.

“Let’s take one step at a time,” I said. “But it might help if you went to William and apologized for getting Jeremiah in trouble.”

She nodded. “I will.” Cicely took a deep breath. “Aunt Sarah?”

“Yes?”

“I know it might seem silly to ask about this now. Everything has been so weird . . .”

I put my hand over hers. “What, Cicely? You can ask me anything.”

She frowned. “It’s just . . . you know, it’s December. . . .”

I caught Janet’s wink and smiled. “Are you asking about Christmas?”

She cast her eyes down and nodded. “I know it’s awful to bring it up.”

“Oh, honey,” I said. “It’s not awful at all. It’s perfectly normal, and I think we’re all ready for some normal.”

Someone knocked on the front door, and Murphy began to bark. “Why don’t you open the door? I think Paul has something for you.”

She got up and hurried to the living room. Janet and I followed. When Cicely swung the door open, she saw Paul standing on the front porch with a Christmas tree that was bigger than he was.

“Awesome!” Cicely said. She turned and ran over to me, throwing her arms around me. “Thank you, Aunt Sarah!”

Paul, who was trying to hold on to the tree, knocked on the outer glass door.

“I think you just closed the door on the guy with our Christmas tree,” I said, laughing.

Her eyes got big and she rushed back to open the door.

Janet came up and put her arm around my waist. “We’re going to be all right.”

I nodded. “I think so too.”

As we watched Paul and Cicely struggle to bring the huge tree into the house, I silently thanked God for never leaving me. A voice inside told me that the dark echoes of the past were finally fading, and a new chapter in my life was beginning. As if he knew what I was thinking, Paul looked over at me and smiled.

I smiled back. “Awesome,” I whispered.