He picked up his cell phone and keyed in the number for Kevin Mann, who picked it up on the first ring.
“Hello, Sheriff. Didn’t expect to hear from you today.”
“What’s your twenty, Kevin?”
“I’m in my office, cleaning out my in-box.”
“Jesse Cummings is missing. I need you to put out an APB right away. He was wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt with a Razorbacks logo, a hooded denim jacket, and red-and-white Nikes. Last seen at nine o’clock this morning at Evans’s Sporting Goods at Fourteenth and Pine in North Foggy Ridge. Call in Billy Gene and Jason, and meet me in my office in thirty minutes. Get Police Chief Mitchell to join us. This has got to be a joint effort.”
“I’m on it.”
Virgil put down his phone and looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. What if this situation had already escalated beyond his control? Could he ever forgive himself for not listening to his instincts and scrapping the covert operation that could have prevented this from happening?
Chapter 25
Jesse leaned his back against the trunk of a tall pine tree and caught his breath. He listened for the sounds of traffic, people talking, or children playing—anything that would indicate he was nearing the other side of the woods. All he heard was the unmistakable chatter of chickadees. He had no idea how much distance he had covered or even which direction he was going. He had expected to exit the woods on the other side. Instead, he was swallowed up in a dark forest that seemed to have shut the door on any chance for escape.
How long could he hide from Liam and refuse to talk? It was already twelve thirty. By four o’clock, the sun would be low enough in the western sky that it would be nearly impossible to see anything in these woods. Unless he could find a way out before then, neither of them was going anywhere. Even if he found a clearing and could remember how Hawk had taught him to start a campfire by rubbing two sticks together, he couldn’t do it without Liam knowing where he was.
Jesse sighed. No one would think to look for him here. The denim jacket he was wearing wouldn’t keep him warm once the temperature started to drop. If Liam didn’t kill him, hypothermia might. Unless he starved first. What he wouldn’t give for a plate of his mother’s Saturday-night spaghetti.
A twig snapped. Jesse sucked in a breath and held it, listening intently, his heart racing. He ducked his head and continued weaving around the trees, hoping he wouldn’t get shot in the back. The grim reality of his situation brought tears to his eyes.
Lord, I’m really scared. Show me the way out of here.
“Jesse!”
Hearing the killer’s voice so close filled him with dread.
“Come on, kid. I know you hear me. The clock’s ticking. Your mother’s got to be worried sick. Just tell me who’s trying to get fifty grand of my money, and I’ll show you the way out of here.”
t
Virgil pulled his squad car into his designated space in the courthouse parking lot, then turned off the motor. Why did he feel such a heaviness in his heart? He had dealt with missing kids before. But Jesse was Kate’s boy. Kate, who had suffered unspeakable mental and emotional anguish every single day of those five years when Micah and Riley were missing. And during those torturous hours when Abby and Jay had disappeared on their foolhardy mission to snatch Riley from the clutches of Isaiah Tutt. And then again after the final, raw realization that Micah wasn’t coming home …
Kate got a bottle of water out of the fridge and sat across from Virgil. “What was so important you couldn’t tell me on the phone?”
“I waited to say anything until I was sure.” Virgil held her gaze and spoke softly. “Kate … we found Micah’s remains. Buried in a wooden box under the root cellar at the Tutts’ where Abby and Jay were held hostage. The dental records match.”
Kate stared at him, almost blurry eyed, seeming to let the gravity of his words sink in. “You’re sure it’s Micah?”
“Absolutely. We recovered his entire skeleton. And his gold wedding band—his initials and yours were engraved on the inside of the band, along with your wedding date, just the way you told us.”
Kate put her fist to her mouth and pushed down the emotion that he wished she would just let go.
“We immediately confronted Isaiah,” Virgil said. “He admitted to burying Micah under the root cellar but still claims that Jay shot and killed him. However, the medical examiner found a distinct scrape on Micah’s breastbone, consistent with a deep stab wound. If it’s the last thing I ever do, I’m going to get Isaiah to confess to Micah’s murder. I’m going to nail him, Kate.”
“I know you will.” Kate lifted her gaze and exhaled. “At least now I finally know what happened, though it doesn’t seem real yet.”
“After what you’ve been through, it’ll take time for this to sink in. But it’s definitely Micah’s remains we found. It’s over, Kate. It really is.”
But it wasn’t over. Not for Virgil. He had gotten a confession out of Isaiah—the same one that Isaiah had indeed told Abby and Jay but later denied: that he had stabbed and killed Micah and kidnapped two-year-old Riley. But Virgil considered it a personal failure that he had been unable to solve the case. That it took two brave teenagers to unravel the layers by putting their lives on the line to do what law enforcement had failed to do. Abby and Jay accomplished in just a couple weeks what Virgil couldn’t do in five years—five long years that had taken a huge toll on the Cummings family, especially Kate.
Virgil gripped the steering wheel. What if he couldn’t find Jesse either? Maybe his decision to ignore his gut feeling and call off the covert operation would turn out to be a fiasco. Maybe they were too late. Maybe Jesse would never be found—at least, not alive.
Virgil took a slow, deep breath, then let it out. Poor Kate. After finally getting her life back, would she be shackled again with the cruel uncertainty of whether another of her children was dead or alive? He couldn’t let that happen. Jesse’s disappearance had to be related to the Dixie Berne drowning. Whoever was responsible either believed that Jesse saw something damaging or just wasn’t taking any chances. Either way, Jesse was a target unless they found him first.
Virgil got out of the car and walked across Commerce Street toward the back door of the courthouse. He couldn’t allow the regrets of his past to color his judgment now. There was no room for self-pity or doubt. He had a job to do. He needed to embrace the belief that they were going to find Jesse and bring him home, and then lead his deputies with confidence and resolve. He couldn’t fail Kate again. He just couldn’t.
t
Liam held tightly to his gun. He was done playing cat and mouse with Jesse. His anger and frustration should make it easier for him to do what was necessary. Jesse had to die—or Liam would be spending the rest of his life in prison, instead of spending his inheritance.
Listen to yourself. Mom would be horrified.
Liam blinked away the thought. He was in way too deep to wrestle with his conscience. He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Jesse … you’re stuck here until you tell me who’s after my money … Come out and let’s get this done so we can both go home.”
The silent forest seemed to taunt Liam. What if Jesse had eluded him? What if he’d found a way out of the woods? “Kid, you’re really starting to tick me off! Stop acting like a baby. Man up and give me a name.”
“I didn’t tell anyone! Just leave me alone!”
Liam smiled. There you are. He began moving surreptitiously in the direction of Jesse’s voice, low branches scratching his face. He needed to get this over with before he lost his nerve.
t
Kate had Elliot drive her home, where she then conveyed to Abby, Jay, and her father the conversation she’d had with Virgil. She assigned each a portion of the house to search. And when none of them found Jesse, they set out to search it again, agreeing to meet on the front porch when
they were finished.
Kate, her heart heavy and her emotions fragile, pushed open the front door, went outside, and sat in the porch swing next to Riley.
“Guess you didn’t find Jesse.” Riley lowered the library book she was reading.
“No. But let’s wait and see if the others do.”
“Mama, don’t be sad.” Riley’s bright blue eyes were wide and filled with hope. “I came home again. Jesse will too.”
Kate put her arm around her youngest daughter and choked back the tears that were just under the surface. How could Riley understand the gut-wrenching anguish Kate had suffered in those years she was missing? Riley had only been two when she was taken. She had no memory of being stolen from her family. She knew nothing of their suffering, other than what she’d been told.
Kate blinked the stinging from her eyes, but not before a tear escaped down her cheek. She quickly whisked it away just as Abby came through the door.
“I told you Jesse wasn’t here.” Abby went over and stood at the railing, her auburn hair draping her shoulders and shining like copper in the sunlight. “We should be out looking for him instead of wasting all this time.”
Kate sighed. “Virgil was insistent that often the missing child is hiding at home.”
“Not this time.”
Kate moved her gaze to the doorway as her father and Jay, wearing somber expressions, came out on the porch.
Dad put his hand on Kate’s shoulder. “Sorry, honey. No soap.”
“I’m sure I covered every inch of the attic, Mrs. Cummings.” Jay pulled a strand of cobweb from his sandy-colored hair. “If Jesse was up there, I would’ve found him.”
Elliot appeared in the doorway. “He’s definitely not in the basement.”
Kate heard car doors slamming and rose to her feet. Seconds later, four uniformed deputies walked up and stood at the bottom of the porch steps. Kate recognized Billy Gene Duncan and Jason Hobbs, who had helped in the search for Abby and Jay, and before that when Micah and Riley were missing.
Please, Lord. Let Jesse be all right. Help us find him. I can’t go through this again.
Billy Gene came up the steps and extended his hand. “Afternoon, Mrs. Cummings. The sheriff sent us to search for your boy.”
Kate nodded. “We’ve already searched the house twice. Jesse’s not here.”
“You may be right, ma’am,” Billy Gene said, “but since we’ve done this a time or two, we might could think of places to search that wouldn’t occur to you. Never hurts to do one last sweep before we rule it out and move on.”
“All right, go ahead,” Kate said. “We’ll stay out of your way. When you’re finished, I’ll take you to the other buildings Jesse has access to and you can search there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Billy Gene motioned for the deputies to follow him inside.
As Elliot took a step back, holding the door for the deputies, Kate’s mind flashed back to all the times he had been there for her. How he had been present through every family crisis since Micah went missing. Always a friend. Always putting her needs ahead of his own, even before his feelings for her had turned romantic.
“So what now?” Abby pulled back her hair and fastened it with a ponytail band.
“We wait.” Kate walked over and linked arms with Elliot.
“Mama, we’ll go nuts just standing around.” Abby exhaled and looked at Jay. “There must be something we can do.”
“How about you and me go up the mountain,” Jay said, “and pick up where your mom and Elliot left off? They can always call us, if they find him. Or if Hawk does.”
Kate nodded. “Good idea. Go.”
Jay grabbed Abby’s hand and the two of them hurried down the porch steps and out to his car.
Kate’s dad turned to Riley. “Sugar, how about you walk with Grandpa Buck down to the pier so we’re outta the way while the deputies do their searching?”
“Okay, we can feed the geese.” Riley jumped up out of the swing, her blue quilted jacket matching the sky and the hair bands holding her dark braids. “We don’t need to take any food. We left that big sack of corn in the boathouse.”
“So we did.” Buck glanced over at Kate and winked. “We might as well see if the fish are bitin’. I’ve got my cell phone.”
Kate smiled appreciatively. How she loved her dad. He had worked hard at filling in for Micah during the years she’d been raising kids alone.
“Zip your jacket,” Kate said to Riley. “The breeze is picking up, and it’ll be chillier near the water.”
Riley obeyed and flashed her a toothy grin. “Mama, I know how to stay warm. I’m nine. I’m not a baby.”
“No, but you’re my baby.” Kate tugged one of Riley’s braids, then bent down, hugged her tightly, and whispered in her ear, “I’ve never, ever stopped loving you—not for one minute.”
“Not for a teeny-tiny second?” Riley whispered back.
“Not for a single heartbeat.”
Kate smiled, vividly remembering the first time they spoke these words, when they were reunited after Riley had been missing five years. From that day on, this affectionate mantra was a reassuring expression of love that each enjoyed repeating from time to time. The words also reminded Kate that Riley had come home despite hopeless odds, and that nothing was impossible with God.
Riley rested in Kate’s embrace as if she understood, and then she pushed back and looked over at her grandfather. “Don’t forget your walking stick.”
“It’s right there under that bottom step,” Grandpa Buck said. “We’ll see y’all after a bit.”
“’Bye, everyone,” Riley said.
Kate linked arms with Elliot and watched her father and younger daughter talking and laughing as they headed down the hill toward the pier. Life had become normal again. Kate had finally let herself trust the God who had broken her heart, who had allowed unspeakable suffering to befall her. And yet here she was again in the throes of fear and anguish, the fate of still another of her children totally in His hands.
Lord, am I willing to give up my son, if that is what You require of me?
She wanted to believe yes, but her heart screamed no with every fiber of her being. God had given Jesse to her, and she wasn’t finished raising him. She wanted to guide him through adolescence, reassure him before his first date, see him off to the prom, and watch him graduate from high school. She wanted to share his excitement as he went off to college, got his degree, found his true love, got married, held his firstborn in his arms.
Kate blinked away the slideshow of Jesse that flashed through her mind. She had to be strong and believe that things would work out as God had ordained. And that she would be able to handle whatever was to come. But deep down, under the cool facade, the demons of the past taunted her unmercifully. Anything was possible. Even the unthinkable.
Chapter 26
Jesse, the pounding of his heart almost audible, stood with his back pressed against the trunk of a huge old pine, listening to the sound of dried pine needles crunching underfoot. He held his breath and tightened his gut in an effort to muffle the gurgling sounds coming from his stomach.
If Liam found him, he was a dead man. Jesse felt hot all over. He had to find a way out of these woods. Lord, what do I do? Help me!
A proverb he had memorized in Sunday school popped into his head. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
That’s what he needed! A straight path out of there. A way of escape. Lord, I do trust You. Please show me a way out. I just want to go home.
“Jesse!”
Jesse leaned into the tree trunk as if it could hide him. That demanding tone sounded more like the Liam he knew. All the sweet talk had been a ploy to draw him out.
“I’m
getting tired!” Liam shouted. “And I’m starved. Come out, son. Tell me who you told. Then we can both go home. Aren’t you tired of playing games?”
t
Virgil disconnected a call and set his cell phone on the conference table in his office. He looked across the table at Kevin and Police Chief Reggie Mitchell, who had been anxiously awaiting a status report from the search team he’d sent to Angel View.
“That was Billy Gene,” Virgil said. “The team’s done searching. No sign of Jesse.”
“Perfect timing. I’ve finished creating the search grid.” Kevin slid his laptop into its carrying case. “The mobile command post is ready to roll. I’ll have it in place and fully functional in thirty minutes.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Virgil said. “I want to call Kate first.”
Kevin put on his sunglasses, then hung the strap of the carrying case over his shoulder and left the office.
Reggie stood. “I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up, and then I’ll head over there.”
Virgil shook his hand. “Thanks for sharing your turf. We’re going to need the combined manpower.”
“Always glad to work with you, friend.”
As Reggie walked out the door, Virgil took his cell phone and keyed in Kate’s phone number.
“Hello.”
“Kate, it’s Virgil. Since we didn’t find Jesse at Angel View, I’m setting up a command post and going forward with a full-scale search of the area. We’ll be set up in the back parking lot of the new Walmart. That’ll afford us a central location, the use of restroom facilities, and several fast-food places nearby. We’ll be up and running in thirty minutes. We want to make use of every minute of sunlight.”
“Where do you even begin?” Kate said.
Only by Death Page 20