by Christina Li
In church on Wednesday evening, Vanessa felt a tug on her heart to lay her burdens down. Pastor Flowers preached on Matthew 11:29-31 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
As he preached, Vanessa realized that she had been trying to make herself right. She wasn’t supposed to do that. It was so much better and easier to surrender to Jesus, to walk with Him, and eventually He’d make her into something beautiful. If she simply trusted Him, He would work out all the details.
At the altar that night, she fell to her knees and poured out her heart to Him, asking for forgiveness, for her mistakes in California, for walking away from Him in the first place, for trying to come back on her own terms, and for trying to make things right all by herself. Tears streamed from her face as she finally let go and let Him take control. As she prayed, soft music played echoing her thoughts. She felt a light touch on her shoulder and something pressed into her hands. It was a tissue.
Then, realizing it was her grandmother, she heard her praying for her. “Lord, thank You so much for bringing Vanessa back home to us. Help her to feel Your presence and to know how much You love her. Draw her closer to You. She is precious, not only to me, but to You. Help her to know that. Help her to recognize that You love her and that it’s not because of anything she can do to earn it or lose it. It’s simply because she’s Your child and You love her. Help her to realize that the fact of Your love doesn’t change, no matter what. She’s come back to You. Help her to allow You to minister to her, to heal her, and to experience the restoration and beautiful future You have prepared for her.”
Vanessa couldn’t help it. After a prayer like that, her tears flowed even more freely, every sob was like the dropping of one more weight. The weight she hadn’t known she was carrying was now lifted. Afterwards, she felt lighter than she had in years.
When she stood up to go back to her pew, Daniel caught her eyes and smiled. She beamed back at him. Those moments at the altar with the Lord were exactly what she needed. Maybe she could confide in her grandmother. Maybe it would be okay. At least she knew for certain that the Lord had forgiven her. She would humbly follow wherever He led next. It would be wonderful if her future included Daniel in it, but she was grateful for what she already had. She couldn’t ask for more. Should she?
Chapter 12
“They’re arriving when?!” Denny was livid, stomping up and down in his hotel room.
“Today. They’re probably already there. Sorry, but I don’t do refunds.” Leonard didn’t sound sorry. Denny was thinking of all sorts of ways to get his ‘refund’ from Leonard. None of them involved money.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“It’s that new encryption software. It took longer to get in.” Leonard was matter-of-fact in his explanation. Denny squeezed his phone so hard the casing cracked.
“Thanks for nothing.” He jammed his finger on the end button. Then, he threw his cell across the room. It hit the wall and fell into pieces on the thickly carpeted floor.
Denny sat on the bed glaring at the mess. Then, he picked up the pieces and put them back together. He was a bit surprised when he pressed the ‘on’ button and it worked. He checked his texts and saw several messages from the men he owed money to.
Reluctantly, he pressed the button to open the first message.
Where are you, Denny? How could four simple words be so terrifying?
There were two more messages, equally disturbing: Denny, I had better hear from you in the next 24 hours. and Don’t make me have to find you.
He could get a new cell phone, but that would be pointless. One way or another, they would find him.
Why were they so impatient? He still had a couple weeks before the date they’d agreed on. Maybe they didn’t like that he’d left LA. But how would they know that?
The time stamp on the last text was only a few minutes ago. He texted back hoping to pacify them. Will have your money by the date we agreed on as promised.
Yes you will was the response that came back. Denny pressed his palms to his eyes, wishing he’d never gotten messed up with these people. Then, he heard his cell beep another text. I know you’re in Chicago.
That’s just great. Growling obscenities, he left his hotel room and headed over to Vanessa’s. He had to get that vase, even if it meant getting rid of her for good. He had an idea that would seem like an accident…
***
When Vanessa saw the truck, she nearly beat the mail carrier to the door. She opened it immediately and would have hugged him if he hadn’t been holding a box.
“Oh, finally! Thank you so much! I’ll take that.” She took the package he had in his arms and set it in the family room. Coming outside, she said, “I guess the best place for all of those would be the garage. If you’ll go around, I’ll open it.”
He went and stood patiently in front of the garage holding another box until the door went up. Her grandparents and Daniel were already gone and her car was parked in the lot in the middle of the cul-de-sac, so the two car garage was empty. She beckoned him inside and he set the box down.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said. He seemed surprised by her offer, but didn’t argue when she jumped into the truck and pushed a largish box toward him before picking up one herself. In short order they had all her stuff in a large, neat pile in the garage.
She waved as he drove away. Then, she surveyed the boxes. There were fifteen total in large, medium and small sizes. The large boxes held all of her clothes, scarves, shoes, and a few of her larger paintings. The small and medium boxes held her nick knacks, smaller prints, books, pots, pans, and various kitchen things. The most important boxes were labeled ‘art’ and held blank canvases, her easel, and other art supplies.
Where should she store it all? She had forgotten about Daniel and the fact that the basement was no longer available. She hated to leave her stuff in the garage. They wouldn’t all have to be unpacked, only the stuff that she needed for now. Until she had an apartment of her own again, the rest could go into the attic. She decided to put as many as she could in her room and the rest in the guest room until she could get help hauling stuff to the attic. Its only entry was up a ladder and through a hole in the ceiling of the garage. For now, the guest room and hers would be easiest and most out of the way for everyone else. For sure, if any guests came through, she would need to rearrange quickly.
***
Denny parked in the cul-de-sac lot and sat glowering at the open garage. He could see Vanessa carrying boxes into the house. The good news was that somewhere in one of those boxes was his vase. All he had to do now was get rid of Vanessa, get his vase, and he could go back to California and his life. How long until she left? He could go in there and force her to let him go through the boxes, but it would be easier to let her unpack them. If she saw him, she could identify him and then he’d have to kill her. He didn’t want the police getting any more involved than they already were. No, the best thing to do was wait. It would only be a little longer now. Then, all he needed to do is go into the house and retrieve the vase. Simple, right?
Bzzzz! Great! Another text from the mob.
He clicked the message and his stomach plummeted.
We know you’re in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We even know your hotel room. Hope you don’t intend to make us come and get you.
His cell rang. When he didn’t answer another text showed up.
I’m going to call you one more time. Pick up.
Ringgggg!
“Hello, Denny. How’s the windy city?” Even through his cell, the man seemed to radiate power.
“Hello, Mr. Rigotti. It’s fine. You should see it sometime.” He hoped Mr. Rigotti couldn’t hear the tremor in his voice.
“Thanks. I’d rather not. I hear you’ve got
a vase.”
How did he find out about that? “Uh, I’m working on it.”
“Hmm. Your girlfriend did say there was a small problem. I assume you’re solving it.”
“Yes, sir.” Great, Collie had messed things up for him even more. He wished he had never gotten involved with her.
“That’s good. Get me the vase and I’ll consider all debts paid. Does that sound good to you?”
“Yes, sir.” That was easier than trying to fence it.
“Good. Don’t get too comfortable in Chicago. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.” The call ended and Denny could breathe again.
He needed that vase. Now.
His fear quickly changed to anger. What an idiot Collie was. He couldn’t get back at her right now. He’d have to save that for later, if the mob hadn’t already gotten to her.
Vanessa would serve as a nice substitute. She never would go out with him and that made him even angrier. Her car was sitting right next to him. It would be so easy to crawl under her car and no one would notice. He would make it seem like an accident. Mess with the brake lines a little. She wouldn’t even realize anything until it was too late. Chicago traffic could be murder. At the very least, if she ended up in the hospital, everyone would clear out to go visit her, giving him plenty of alone time to go through the house and find that vase. He smiled to himself as he slipped out of his car and rolled under hers.
Chapter 13
As Daniel sat in his office going over his notes for tomorrow’s lectures, he had the worst feeling that something was wrong. Finally, he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Pulling out his cell, he called Vanessa. He was relieved when she picked up after a few rings.
“Hello?”
“Vanessa, it’s Daniel. Is everything alright? You sound out of breath.”
“I’m fine. In fact, I’m great. My stuff finally got here. I’ve been carrying it all inside and upstairs. That’s why I’m out of breath.”
“Oh.” Obviously she was fine. Yet, he couldn’t shake that feeling. Then, he got an idea. “Are you doing anything for lunch?”
“Um, no. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Well, you must eat and I hate eating by myself. Want to go to the Coffee House?”
“Well, I do need to get these boxes out of the garage and go through them. Then, I have to go to Grandpa’s to work this afternoon.”
“How about I come home and help for a little while? Then we can both eat, my treat. I promise I’ll have you back in time to get to your work. Please, I saw Dr. Thomas prowling around the department. I need a good excuse in case I can’t avoid her.”
“Do you want me to come rescue you?” He could hear the laughter in her voice.
“No, I’ll come to you. It’s better that I make my escape as soon as I can. Besides, this way I can help you with some of your boxes. I won’t go through anything you don’t want me to.”
“Actually, I could use the help. I’m afraid I didn’t label these as well as I should have.”
“Great. I’ll be home in about half an hour then.”
“See you later.”
When she pressed the end key, she shook her head. Was Daniel pursuing her? No. That simply wasn’t possible. He was lonely. That had to be it. She was nothing special, simply a good friend, a mate. Well, she wouldn’t waste time waiting for him to get here. If she hurried she could get through a few boxes (labeling them better!) and figure out which she wanted to put in the attic and which she wanted to keep out and unpack.
***
“Hey, beautiful, when do you get off work?” Denny flirted with the waitress at Rosalita’s, a Mexican restaurant about halfway between his hotel and Vanessa’s.
“In about an hour,” she replied smiling.
Denny was in a good mood after the ‘work’ he had done that morning and he needed to eat. He had some extra good stuff back in his hotel room. It would be fun to share it with this pretty girl and he deserved a reward. His day was definitely getting better.
Vanessa had to leave sometime and then, well, she wouldn’t be coming home any time soon…
***
No matter what, Daniel could not shake the sense that something was terribly wrong. “Lord, what is wrong?”
His only answer was a strong impression to get to Vanessa as rapidly as he could. When he pulled into the driveway, he felt compelled to go over to Vanessa’s car. “All right, Lord, this is strange. Is this You, or did I drink some bad coffee this morning?”
He went over to her car and walked all round it. Feeling silly, he stooped down and peered underneath. Not seeing anything at first, he nearly missed the slow drip. Was there some kind of fluid leak? He reached under and touched a few drops. It wasn’t dark, but it felt oily. Laying down on his back, he slid under her car and touched her brake lines. There. He could feel a slight tear along one of the lines. Was that deliberate? She needed to get her car into an auto shop immediately. If her brakes were to go out in Chicago traffic… He didn’t even want to think about it.
Though the sun was warm that day, he shivered. “Lord, did some nutter do this?”
“Daniel, what are you doing? I saw your car in the driveway, but I didn’t see you. Why are you under my car?”
Daniel jerked in surprise, then quickly pulled himself out from under her car. “Sorry. I felt like I should check your car and I found a problem.”
“Really?” She squatted down and tried to see under the car. Daniel showed her his fingers. “What is that?”
“I think it’s brake fluid. It’s lighter in color than oil or power steering fluid and it feels greasy.”
She touched his fingers and felt the fluid for herself. Frightened, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What happens with that kind of leak?”
“It’s very dangerous. Your brakes could go out. You need to have your car checked immediately.”
“Well,” she said standing back up. “I’m glad you caught it. I guess the Lord led you to check this?” She had never been that faithful or involved at church growing up, but she had always respected her grandparents’ faith, especially when they had an unction from the Lord. She recognized the same faith at work in Daniel.
Daniel nodded and stood up too. “Vanessa, I don’t think this was an accident. There’s a little cut in one of your brake lines.”
Her eyes narrowed, with a slight tilt of her head, not quite able to believe him. “Why would someone do something like that? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know. You should probably report it to the police.”
“I left my cell inside.” She couldn’t think clearly. What should she do? She thought she had garnered a measure of peace in recent weeks, things were looking up, she was starting to believe she actually had a future. Her body trembled like one of California’s earthquakes. Daniel put his arm around her shoulders and gently led her inside.
By the time they walked in, her hand was shaking so hard, she couldn’t hit the right numbers on her cell. Did it have to come to this? She wished she had never gone to California, never been so stubborn, never been so foolish, never, never, never! Floods of regret and self condemnation ran through her head. She sat there staring at the numbers as if they were some sort of foreign language. Finally, Daniel took the phone. “Do you want me to call for you?”
Fighting back the tears, she tried to still her trembling chin. “Thanks,” she whispered.
Daniel squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, tapped in the number and spoke for a few seconds.
When he finished, she asked. “Well, what do I do? Do the police need to check out the car for evidence? Should I take pictures with my cell? I didn’t even think of that.” She grabbed her cell and strode out the door. Daniel stood deadpan in the hallway for a moment, apparently caught off guard by her quick change of direction and demeanor, then trod out to keep up with her.
“That’s not a bad idea, but the police are on their way. I’m sure they’ll take their own pictures
.”
She needed something to do. Straightening her shoulders, she arrived back at the small parking area, then crawled under her car. “Where are the brake lines?”
Surprised, he decided to lay down and slide under beside her. Oh dear, his nice shirt was getting dirty. “It’s hard to see, easier to feel.” He took her hand and guided it along the brake line. If she weren’t so scared she would enjoy feeling his hand on hers. In fact, she was enjoying it especially because she was scared. Her nerves calmed and that safe feeling returned. But so did all of those distractions, the sound of his velvety voice so close to her ear, the strength of his arm as his hand guided hers… Help, Lord! No answer, only a sense that she was not alone. Then, she felt the spot where Daniel found the cut. She maneuvered her cell phone, pressed on the flash, and took a quick picture.
Crawling back out from under the car, she studied the picture. “You can’t really see anything. I wonder if the police will be able to get something useful.”
“Here they come.”
The same police officer she had met earlier rolled to a stop behind her car. Vanessa couldn’t help feeling a little strained around him.
“Is this the car?”
Daniel answered, “Yes. I found something on one of her brake lines. I’ll show you.”
The officer lay down beside Daniel and both slid under.
When they stood back up, the officer said, “You’re right, that’s not regular wear and tear.” He pulled out an iPad and a stylus and wrote a few notes. “I’ll get a technician out here to take pictures and dust for fingerprints, but I’m afraid it’s going to be difficult to get much.” Vanessa couldn’t help but notice the iPad, thinking about how many sketches it could capture in her capable hands.
