Free Web of Lies by Brandilyn Collins Page A

faith.
    “Chelsea, glad you found us.” I stepped back to usher her inside.
    She smiled with genuine warmth and reached out to squeeze my hand. “Annie, it’s so good to
meet you. Thank you for letting me come.” She stepped into our great room and, like all who see it for the first time, tipped her head back to admire its vastness. “Wow, that’s quite a staircase.” She gazed at the custom-built curved stairs. “You have a beautiful place. You are so gracious to open your house to me.”
    “Thank you. And you’re welcome.”
    We looked at each other. Suddenly I couldn’t quite figure what to say. My sister saved me, appearing from the side hallway. From her easy stride, I knew Jenna would be at no loss for words.
    “Chelsea, this is my sister, Jenna.”
    Jenna held out her hand. “Hello, and welcome.” She chatted for a few minutes, allowing herself ample time to form a judgment about Chelsea. Finally, and not a moment too soon, she excused herself. “Annie, I’m going to work awhile longer. Then I want to head over to the runway. Time to see how the project is going.” She looked to Chelsea. “We have a private airstrip here for homeowners’ airplanes. It’s being lengthened right now, so the whole thing’s closed down.”
    “Oh.” Chelsea looked empathetic. “Bet you want that fixed in a hurry.”
    “No kidding she does.” I shook my head at Jenna. “Poor crew members. The project’s just begun, and already she’s starting to bug them about their progress.”
    Jenna threw me one of her looks, then retreated to her bedroom.
    I offered Chelsea something to eat. She refused, asking only for ice water. I poured her a glass and we headed for my office. Pulling up a seat for her on the other side of my desk, I invited her to sit, then settled into my chair. Earlier that morning I’d set out my drawing materials. Chelsea surveyed them, her expression tightening.
    She folded her hands on her lap and took a deep breath. “You know, I think we should pray first.”
    “Please, go ahead.”
    She nodded, resolve firming her mouth. I closed my eyes.
    “Father God, Annie and I sit in awe before You. In Your mercy and in Your will, You have brought us together. We don’t fully know why and we are anxious. But we do know that You will lead us. We seek that leading; we claim it. We ask that You open our ears and our spirits to hear You. Lead us, Jesus. Protect us. Give us wisdom.” Her voice rose. “We stand on Your power over evil, and we walk in Your strength .. .”
    The words pelted me like hard rain. By the time Chelsea finished, I felt almost tremulous. Did her intensity flow from frightening details of her vision?
    “All right.” Tightness squeezed my shoulders. I sought the familiar veneer of a forensic artist conducting an interview. Just relax, Annie. You’ve done this many times. “Since you’ve assured me you remember the face very well, let’s put that aside for a minute. First I want you to tell me everything about your vision.”

Chapter 15
    H ere goes, God.
    Chelsea picked up the yellow pad she’d placed on Annie’s desk. Not that she needed it to remember every detail of what she’d seen. But the paper provided something to focus on, something to hold.
    “I’ve got notes here.” She tried to keep her voice factual. Would Annie think she was crazy? Kick her out of the house after hearing what she had to say? “After I saw this, I wrote everything down.” She looked at Annie, then back to her writing. “It started when I was in the kitchen, doing dishes. The boys were in their bedrooms, busy with homework. Paul was . . . I don’t know where.” She drew a breath. “I always know when a vision is coming. The world starts to go black, sort of like when you’re about to faint. Fear usually comes with it, just because I . . . I don’t like the experience. It would be fine with me if I never had another vision in my entire life.” She aimed a rueful smile at Annie. “And