Nila's Hope (10 page)

He muttered some words, too, that he immediately regretted. Groaning a prayer for forgiveness, he pulled out his cellphone and punched in the number of the towing company. “Maybe I should put them on speed dial,” he growled.

Assured that Daniel's truck could be delivered to his shop, he dialed the number for a taxi company. “I have to wait here for the tow truck,” he said, “so I'm afraid you'll have to take a cab home. I'm sorry.”

Nila was still huddled against the restaurant wall, refusing to meet his eyes.

He put his arm around her, and she shivered. “Come on, let's go back inside. It'll be fifteen or twenty minutes before the cab gets here. It's too cold to wait outside, and I could use a cup of coffee. How about you?”

She nodded, still shivering, and huddled into his side as though trying to hide.

They took a table near a window so they could watch for the taxi and tow truck.

Nila sat hunched over as though in pain, but she didn't make a sound.

“Are you OK?” Will reached toward her, but her hands gripped her arms. He frowned and sipped his coffee without speaking again.

Ten minutes later a cab pulled up in front of the restaurant.

“It's here,” he said as he slid out of the bench seat. “I'll walk you out.”

“Thank you.” She spoke so softly he could barely hear her.

“I'll phone you tomorrow, all right?” He grimaced. “Next time will be better. I promise.”

Her lips trembled and she ducked her head. “Goodnight, Will.”

As he watched the taillights of the taxi disappear down the street, Will made another phone call.

“My name is Will Jamison, I'm at Geno's Restaurant, and someone slashed my—I mean my boss's—tires. I've already phoned for a tow truck, but I wonder if an officer would come take a look. Thanks, I'll wait inside.”

 

****

 

“Where to, miss?” The cab driver's cheery, feminine voice broke into Nila's dark thoughts.

She recited Dave and Lydia's address without looking up.

“Lovely evening, isn't it?”

Nila couldn't answer that simple question. It had been, mostly, until the end. She shivered.

“Kinda cold, isn't it? I can turn up the heat if you'd like.”

She looked up, and via the rear-view mirror, her gaze connected with the driver's. Nila couldn't look away. Darkness hid the color, but the cabbie's eyes shone as though lit from inside. She smiled at Nila's reflection, a smile that seemed somehow familiar.

Nila's brow puckered. “Do I know you?”

“Don't think so.”

The driver turned her attention to the road, so Nila glanced at the nametag hanging from the dash.

“Deborah Jones,” she whispered the name, trying to remember if they'd met before. She leaned forward for a better look at the woman's photo on her cab license. Chin-length, straight brown hair, button nose, and a square jawline didn't look familiar. But the eyes…

“Yep, that's me.” The driver must have heard somehow. “And you are?”

Their eyes connected again, and Nila had the strangest feeling that her answer wasn't necessary.

“Nila Black. Are you sure we don't know each other from somewhere?”

“Nope.” She began to whistle “O, Come, All Ye Faithful” as she steered.

Nila sat back and looked out the window. Christmas lights seemed to mock her with their merry brightness.

“You're almost home, Nila.” Deborah's clear voice startled her. “You need to remember, dear one, that you have a heavenly Father who loves you very much. You are not alone, no matter how things feel.”

Nila gasped. “H-how…?”

But the taxi driver didn't respond. Minutes later, she parked in Dave and Lydia's driveway. Then she turned to face Nila, and her shining eyes and warm smile felt like a benediction. “Don't let difficulties keep you from your Father. He's waiting to hear your voice again.” She shook her head at the money Nila offered for the fare. “It's been taken care of.”

Speechless, Nila climbed out of the cab and went into the house. She locked the door behind her and peeked out the narrow sidelight. The cab was gone.

 

 

 

 

11

 

By the time Daniel's truck was parked in his shop, it was after eleven.

Will stomped his feet on the porch mat as much from frustration as a need to remove snow. He dropped his coat on the floor, pulled off his boots, and flopped onto the couch. “What a disaster.”

One question asked by the policeman haunted Will. “Do you or your boss have any enemies?” At the time, he'd denied it, but now he wondered. He'd done some pretty stupid things during his years in British Columbia. Could someone still be holding a grudge? But nobody had a clue where he lived now. At least, he didn't think so.

And what about Daniel? Did he have enemies? Or was this, as the cop suggested, just a random act of violence?

But he considered Nila's strange reaction, too. Why had she said it wasn't her? She'd been with him all evening, and she would never slash tires anyway. He shook his head. That was just too weird.

He felt as if his nerves were vibrating, so he dug out his weight set and exercised until his muscles burned. His mind still raced, though.

Breathing hard, he went to his bedroom, picked up his Bible, and flipped several pages. It opened to Psalm 139. Not surprising, since his mother had used this Bible before giving it to him, and that was her favorite psalm. But his eyes were drawn to the verses just above in Psalm 138.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes, with Your right hand you save me.

The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.

“Exactly,” he said. He placed one hand on the written words as if to draw strength from them.

“God, I don't understand what's happening, but You do. And You have the power to handle it. Protect me and those around me for Jesus' sake. And help me keep Nila safe. I can't fail again.”

 

****

 

Too restless for sleep, Nila turned the television on with the volume low and sat on the sectional couch, knees pulled to her chest. She tried to concentrate on the sit-com, but she couldn't seem to focus.

Instead, images from the evening flashed like a slide show on hyper-speed, pausing at certain moments.

Will's face as he met her at the door, his eyes sparkling. Then his frown when she'd said they could be friends, but nothing more. Pleasant, but superficial conversation.

And finally, that moment when she saw Daniel's slashed tires.

She rubbed her eyes, but the image remained. Deep, ragged gashes in Daniel's tires, just like the gashes on the photos hidden in her closet. And she'd seen it before.

Nick had done it.

She knew he had. But she couldn't tell anyone, or he'd hurt them. He'd had lots of practice.

The cabbie's voice seemed to whisper again, “You are not alone, no matter how things feel.”

Nila clenched her fists and shut her eyes against the memories. But she
was
alone. Nick's threats had ensured that. And if God cared, he wouldn't let Nick get away with it.

She turned off the ignored TV and went to her room. Her cellphone caught her attention. She hadn't checked it for several days, afraid of more messages. Now a sense of fatalism numbed her as her hand reached for the phone. She held it for a moment, waiting. It was just a cool, inanimate object. No jolts, nothing. Shaking her head at her imagination, she slowly opened it and checked for messages. There was one.

Choking on horror, Nila dropped the phone and stomped on it. Too loud
.
She didn't want to wake Dave and Lydia.

But she couldn't stifle the flood of bitterness unleashed by that note. Every hurt, every injustice she'd ever suffered rose like a swirling, dark cesspool. Abuses, isolation, beatings, lies. She buckled under their weight and fell to her knees.

It had to end. She couldn't take any more. Rage lifted the hair on her arms and on the back of her neck. She breathed through her nostrils, half-expecting flames. She stared at the phone as if at a poisonous snake. It had to die.

S
he plucked her hammer off her tool belt and grabbed a towel from the bathroom. She wrapped the phone with its hateful message in the towel. She placed it on the floor and knelt in front of it. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she swung her hammer with all her strength. Once, twice, three times. Again and again, until the towel lay flat. She sat back on her haunches and opened the towel. Her cellphone was obliterated. But she couldn`t erase the text branded onto her mind:

I WARNED YOU. NOW YOU WILL PAY. IT'S YOUR FAULT.

 

****

 

“Good morning, Will.” Daniel's voice was as clear as if he were in the next room instead of Ixtapa, Mexico. “What's up?”

“I'm sorry to bother you again.”

“Son, I told you to phone whenever you needed.” Daniel sounded relaxed. “So talk to me.”

“We—we had some more trouble last night.”

“What kind of trouble? And who is ‘we'?” His voice lowered to nearly a growl.

“Uh, Nila and I. Well, not really. It was your truck.”

Total silence on the other end.

Will cleared his throat and continued, struggling to keep his voice calm. “Nila and I went out to celebrate finishing the Fehr job, but when we came out of the restaurant, your tires were slashed.”

More silence.

“Daniel, are you there?”

He heard a heavy sigh, and then, “Yes, I'm here. Do you have any idea who did this?”

Will shook his head as though Daniel could see him. “No. I did call the cops, and the guy asked if you might have any ideas.”

“No,” the response came slowly. “I don't think I have any enemies. Sure can't think of anyone who'd stoop to vandalism.” Another pause. “So now what? Is your truck fixed?”

“No, that's going to take a few more days. The tire shop will deliver new tires for your truck this morning. Once I get them put on, I'll have wheels, but I figured I'd better let you know.”

“Good thinking, Will. Any chance this was just random vandalism?”

“Could have been, I guess, but it didn't look like any other vehicles got hit.”

There was another long pause before Daniel said, “You know, I've got a bad feeling about this. We'll be home a week from tomorrow, but meanwhile I'd like you to contact Saskatoon Security. Get alarm systems put in both houses and the shop. I had them out last month, so they have all the specs, but then things got a little hectic with wedding plans. I wish I hadn't put it off.” Another pause. “I wonder if we should try and get an earlier flight.”

“I'll phone them right away. But don't cut your honeymoon short. We'll be fine. And please don't tell Mom about this. She doesn't need anything more to worry about. You take care, and we'll see you next week.”

Half an hour later, he had an appointment with the security company for Saturday morning. He sighed as he replaced the phone. He sank onto the couch.

Daniel said he had a strange feeling. He wasn't the only one. What was going on?

Nila was acting strange, and now this.

What was he missing?

 

****

 

Nila watched as a bright red Acura pulled into the driveway. “Hayley's here,” she called. “See you later.”

Lydia poked her head around the corner. “Bye, dear. Have a good time.”

She doubted that.

She'd been surprised when Hayley phoned and invited her for lunch. But then she'd admitted she wanted to show Nila the rooms she wanted remodelled. So there was an ulterior motive.

Before Nila reached the car, Hayley leaned over and opened the door for her.

“Hurry up! Come on. Get in. How do you like my early Christmas present?”

Nila eased into the small space and leaned back. “It's very nice. Comfy.”

“I told you I could find the house.” Hayley smiled smugly and patted a small screen on the dash. “I've got GPS. And heated seats, too. Just push that button; it'll warm up right away. Sweet, eh?”

Nila obeyed, and a small smile softened her mouth. “Yes, it is.”

“So what's up with your phone? I tried the number you gave several times, but it went straight to a recording.”

Nila's smile disappeared. “It broke.”

Hayley backed out of the driveway, glancing at Nila as she turned east. “Really? How'd that happen?”

“It just broke.”

Hayley pursed her lips as she turned onto Circle Drive. “You'll get another one, right? I couldn't
live
without my phone.”

Nila clung to the armrest. “I didn't use it much, anyway. Hayley, could you slow down a little?”

“I like to drive fast. It's more fun. Scared?” She swerved in front of a semi, ignoring the blast of his horn. “See? We're fine.”

Nila choked on a lump of fear. She faced her side window and closed her eyes. She would have asked God for help if she'd thought He would listen. Prayer wouldn't help now.

Hayley stopped at a red light. “So, do you want to eat right away, or can I show you my townhouse first?” She tapped her steering wheel. “I talked to Will, and I'm really glad you guys are going to work for me.”

Confusion knitted Nila's brow. “I'm not hungry, so if you want to show me what you want done, we could take care of that first. But did Will say he talked to Daniel about this? Because we can't start any new work without his approval.”