“We already have by eliminating your house and the lodge facilities. We’re in the process of pulling together teams made up of my detectives, police officers from Foggy Ridge, and core volunteers from the community. We’ve also contacted Dawson’s mother and gotten the names of the other football players. The game just ended, so we’ll talk to all those kids and their parents and see if that leads anywhere. I still don’t have enough information to issue an Amber Alert. But we’re making up fliers with Jesse’s picture. I’ll talk to the media and get Jesse’s face on the news.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” Kate said. “Deputy Duncan mentioned you were going to send someone to stay with us and keep us informed.”
“Yes, that’s the most efficient way to get information relayed to you quickly. Also, two of my deputies are going to come talk to your family members, one on one. The more we can learn about Jesse, his habits, his fears, his strengths, his impulses, the easier it will be for us to consider every angle of how he might respond if he’s being threatened.”
Kate sighed. “You’ve said all along that you thought he was being threatened. I should’ve listened.”
“I hope I’m wrong. But I’ve never believed his recanting was sincere. If he’s being threatened, he could feel very alone. Hiding would be a natural impulse.”
“But he has to know I’d be worried sick,” Kate said. “I just don’t see Jesse doing that to me.”
“Me either. Unless he’s afraid.”
Kate let out a whimper and sounded as if she’d started to cry. “Sorry … I’m just so afraid something awful has happened to him.”
“We don’t know that. Jesse’s smart. And he knows these hills like the back of his hand. There’s a good chance he’s hiding to stay safe. I’m going to do everything in my power to find him. I need you to get a piece of Jesse’s clothing that hasn’t been laundered and give it to the two detectives who come out to question the family. If we get a good lead, I’ll call in the bloodhounds.”
“Find him, Virgil.”
“We’re going to turn Foggy Ridge upside down. Sure Foot Mountain too. If he’s out there, we’ll find him.”
Virgil put his phone on vibrate and put it back in his pocket, not nearly as confident as he’d sounded. What if his best effort still wasn’t good enough?
t
As Kate hung up the phone, the gravity of the situation buckled her knees. She fell backward onto a kitchen chair.
Elliot hurried over to her, grabbed her hand, and steadied her. “You okay? You look pale.”
“All of a sudden, I’m weak as a kitten,” Kate said.
Elliot dabbed the perspiration off her forehead. “I’m not surprised. You need to eat something. Let me make you a sandwich.”
“I would probably throw it up. Maybe a glass of milk.”
Elliot opened the fridge, poured her a glass of milk, and set it on the table. He pulled out a chair and sat facing her. “Kate”—he seemed to look right past her defenses—“God knows where Jesse is. We need to stay positive and not give fear a foothold, or it will eat us up.”
“I know,” Kate said. “Easier said than done.”
Elliot took his thumb and gently wiped a tear off her cheek. “I’ll help you.”
“You’re always helping me. My life is just one crisis after another.”
“Come on, Kate. Things have been great for two years.” Elliot’s eyes seemed to search her thoughts. “This is not your fault. And I’m right where I want to be.”
Kate squeezed his hand. “Why didn’t I see this coming? Virgil did.”
“Virgil’s a professional. It’s his job to be suspicious.”
“I believed Jesse,” Kate said.
“So did I. He’s never given us cause to doubt his word before. Poor kid. Had to be hard lying to us. He’s got such a tender conscience.”
Kate nodded. “Jesse’s so sensitive that I’m not sure he would even fight back, if someone tried to hurt him.”
“But he’s also a smart boy. And his faith is strong. He has amazing spiritual insight for a kid his age.” Elliot tilted her chin and held her gaze. “If he’s in over his head, he knows who to turn to.”
“That’s what Hawk just said, right before I hung up the phone.”
“Is Hawk coming back to the house?”
“No, he’s going to hang around the command post. He said he would keep us updated.”
“Do you want me to take you there?” Elliot said.
“Not yet. I think I’d rather wait here, in case Jesse comes home.”
Kate folded her arms across her chest and rocked back and forth in the chair, then buried her head in Elliot’s chest, not even trying to stop the tears.
Lord, are You going to take Jesse from me? Haven’t I suffered enough? I want Your will to be done. You know that. And I’ve come a long way in trusting You again. But this is so hard. I’m just not ready to let him go.
t
Virgil sat between Chief Deputy Kevin Mann and Police Chief Reggie Mitchell at the computers in the mobile command post, a used motor home that had been remodeled for the specific needs of the sheriff’s department. He had put his chief deputy in charge.
“All right, Kevin,” Virgil said. “Tell us the plan.”
Kevin took a pen and pointed to the left monitor. “This is a detailed map of Foggy Ridge, divided into four sectors. As we discussed earlier, Chief Mitchell’s officers will cover all four, which are numbered and shaded in blue. Our deputies and the chief’s core volunteers will join to do a foot search of these areas outside the city limits, which I’ve also divided into four numbered sectors and shaded in red.”
“Looks good.” Reggie rubbed his chin and studied the graphic. “And what about the specific people that need to be questioned?”
Kevin clicked the mouse, and a different graphic appeared. “Those folks are divided into four groups: Friends and family. Schoolmates and teachers. Youth group and youth pastor. And miscellaneous. Chief Mitchell, your field interview teams will handle the two groups shaded in green, and our deputies will handle the two shaded in orange. We’ll be using handheld radios and operating on two separate frequencies, one for search and one for field interviews. They’ll be monitored here at the command post and information compiled minute by minute, enabling us to pass pertinent information back and forth so all teams are on the same page.
“I’ve also got people assigned to handle media questions and disseminate information,” Kevin said. “They’ll make sure that fliers with Jesse’s picture and our phone number are widely distributed, and will oversee any incoming leads.
“A search-and-rescue helicopter should be in operation shortly. And the sheriff’s department in Fayetteville has been alerted that we may need the bloodhounds brought in. The dogs are in use at the moment, but the sheriff will let us know as soon as they’re available. In addition, I’ve assigned Deputy Roberta Freed to stay with the Cummings family and relay any information they need to know.”
Reggie nodded. “Good. Have we caught up with Liam Berne? I don’t see his name on the list of folks to be interviewed.”
“Not yet, Chief,” Kevin replied. “We’re trying to reach his cell number, but the calls aren’t going through. His sister did talk to him on his cell, just after eleven. Liam told her that he didn’t see Jesse in the store, but his voice cut out before they finished the conversation. She said his phone’s been acting up off and on for weeks.”
“So we don’t have a twenty on Berne?”
“Not yet,” Kevin said. “He told his sister he had a long list of errands to run, and not to expect him home until dinnertime. The sheriff offered to follow up with that.”
Virgil nodded. “I put Deputies Duncan and Hobbs on it. They’ll locate him and see if he remembers anything that can help us.”
Reggie seemed lost in thought, hi
s dark skin shiny like fine mahogany under the fluorescent overhead lights. Finally, he turned to Virgil. “Sheriff, should we have concerns about Berne, since he and the kid were in the sporting goods store at the same time and neither’s been seen since?”
“What concerns? Liam Berne isn’t a suspect.”
“I know,” Reggie said. “I just meant the possibility that Berne might be missing too.”
“Since his sister talked to him after he left the store, I’d rather not spend our resources on him. Duncan and Hobbs will let me know when they catch up with him. Let’s focus our efforts on finding Jesse while we still have daylight.” Virgil stood and arched his back. “Anybody else want coffee?”
“No, thanks,” Reggie said. “I already have a caffeine buzz.”
Kevin shook his head. “I’m coffeed out.”
Virgil went over to the counter and poured himself a cup. “Kevin, how close are we to getting under way?”
“Minutes. The core volunteers are all here, and the teams are being briefed. I’m waiting for confirmation from each team leader that they’re ready to go.” Kevin turned his chair around and seemed to study Virgil. “I know that look. This is not your fault, Sheriff.”
Virgil pursed his lips.
“I’ve been in your shoes, Virgil,” Reggie admitted. “I know it’s easy to second-guess yourself, but don’t go there. You made a good call.”
“And you sure didn’t tell Jesse to shoot off his mouth at the middle school,” Kevin said.
“I should’ve never called off the covert operation. I should’ve listened to my instincts.”
Kevin raised his eyebrows. “Instead of your chief deputy?”
“It was my call,” Virgil said.
Kevin turned back around and looked at the map. “Finding that kid’ll be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Should we at least consider calling in the feds? Jesse could be in any one of seven states by now.”
“Or he could be right here,” Virgil said, more adamantly than he intended. “There’s no indication that Jesse was taken across the state line, and I don’t need the feds breathing down my neck. Let’s use our own resources and find Jesse and end his mother’s agony over another missing child. No one in this town has suffered more than Kate Cummings.”
Virgil hated that he sounded defensive. This was personal and everyone knew it. He would conduct this search the same as he would for any missing child and use every resource he had. But he couldn’t fail. Not this time. Not with this kid.
t
Jesse moved as quietly as he could, darting from tree to tree, and trying not to breathe too loudly. Though he hadn’t actually seen Liam in a while, he could hear him, and the image of him closing in with a gun in his hand was still vivid in his mind. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and very little light was filtering through the canopy now. He wondered if it were even possible to find a way out of these woods before it got dark.
Jesse sat down on a hollow log and laid his head on his knees. It felt good to rest, though he didn’t dare stop for long. He couldn’t remember ever being this hungry. Or this thirsty.
God, please help me. Show me the way out. And don’t let Mama get too worried.
“Jesse … I know you can hear me. I’m right on your heels.”
The sound of Liam’s voice made him shudder.
“We’re losing our light, kid. In another couple hours, it’s going to be hard to see in these woods. Just talk to me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Jesse sprang to his feet and leaned against the trunk of a hardwood tree. It sounded as if Liam was behind him. Or maybe to his left. He could hear the swishing of leaves and pine needles crackling beneath Liam’s feet. The guy was on the move.
“The sooner we talk, the sooner we can both go home,” Liam shouted. “I’m getting really tired of playing hide-and-seek.”
Jesse clung to the tree, paralyzed with fear, and waited for what seemed an eternity. The forest was silent again. He took in a deep breath and let it out, then ever so slowly peeked out from behind the tree.
“Olly olly oxen free!” Liam let out a wicked laugh, grabbing Jesse by the collar of his denim jacket, the gun barrel pressed flush against his forehead. “I’m done with hide-and-seek. Start talking.”
Chapter 27
Jesse glanced up at the barrel of Liam’s gun, his surging heartbeat audible, his tongue feeling as if it were glued to the roof of his mouth.
“I’m out of patience. You do not want to mess with me.” Liam’s gruff tone was as intimidating as ever. “Who else knows that you saw me in the river with my mother on the morning she drowned?”
“I–I didn’t tell anyone. Honest.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not!”
“Spit it out, kid! Or I swear I’ll pull the trigger.”
Jesse considered making up a name. But if Liam could tell he was lying, he might kill him anyway. He decided to stick with the truth and hope Liam could read him.
“I’m t-telling you the truth.” Jesse hated that his voice was shaking. “I can’t give you something I d-don’t know.”
“If you didn’t tell anyone, then who’s trying to extort fifty grand out of me, huh?”
Jesse felt the hard steel barrel of Liam’s gun pressing closer and closer to his brain. “I–I don’t know. Maybe someone else saw you. If I knew, why wouldn’t I tell you? I don’t want to die.”
Liam wore an ugly scowl and a stone-cold glare, as he tightened his grip on Jesse’s collar. “You’d better not be lying to me.” Liam let go of Jesse but kept the gun pointed on him. “If you kept your mouth shut, then whoever left me that note might be bluffing.” Liam looked somewhere beyond Jesse and seemed to be talking to himself. “Probably one of the deputies trying to hit the jackpot. He’s thinking if I’m guilty, I’ll pay him. If I’m innocent, I won’t. By staying anonymous, he has nothing to lose and might walk away with fifty g’s. Clever. I almost fell for it.”
“I kept my word,” Jesse said. “Can I please go now?”
“You’re a good kid, Jesse. But I know you overheard my conversation with Joe Evans. It was one thing when you only got a glimpse of my face at fifty yards. It’s another now that you know exactly who I am. And be honest. If you get out of these woods, your conscience will compel you to go to the sheriff and spill your guts. I get it. That’s what a good kid would do. But that would mean I’d go to jail for the rest of my life. I’ve invested too much to let that happen.”
Jesse’s eyes clouded with tears. It was pointless to try to talk his way out of this. Or even to plead. What Liam said was true, and Jesse couldn’t deny it.
Help me, God, or I’m going to die.
“Look, I’ll make this quick and painless,” Liam said. “Kneel down on the ground and keep your hands clasped behind your head. If you don’t try and fight me, you won’t feel a thing.”
Jesse stood frozen, his mind whirling with thoughts of his family and how hard this would be for them. Also the fact that a split second after Liam pulled the trigger, Jesse would be with Jesus. And would get to see his father again.
Lord, help Mama not to grieve so long this time. Convince her to marry Elliot. They’re really good for each other. And Riley needs a dad.
Jesse tried to think of anything he needed to make right before he saw his Savior face to face.
“Stop stalling. Let’s get this over with.” A brisk breeze came up and blew the trees. A weird scraping noise caused Liam to look up, and he spit out a swear word. “This place gives me the creeps. Come on, kid. On your knees.”
“Wait … I need to tell you something.” Jesse swallowed hard, a tear escaping down his cheek. He looked up at Liam, his lips trembling, but unable to make a sound.
“You think I want to do this?” Liam said. “It’s the only option that makes sense. I’m done talki
ng about it. You’re not going to change my mind.”
“I know. I f-forgive you,” Jesse said, relieved the words finally came out. “I just wanted you to know.”
“Whatever makes you feel better. Now turn around and kneel, hands behind your head.”
Liam spun him around. “For what it’s worth, I never intended for this to happen. But I’ve got to play the hand I was dealt.”
Jesse’s heart pounded wildly as Liam cocked the gun, but he was strangely at peace. God, I don’t get why this is happening. But I trust You.
A loud cracking sound split the silence, and something powerful forced Jesse forward, facedown on the ground. Had he been shot? Maybe he was dead.
He opened his eyes, lifted his head, and looked around, trying to get his eyes to focus. Liam lay motionless on his belly, his legs pinned by a huge tree limb. The gun was on the ground. Jesse got up on all fours and grabbed it, then sat on his heels, realizing how narrowly he had escaped being shot and being crushed.
Liam slowly opened his eyes and seemed disoriented, then cried out with moaning and swearing as he struggled to get his legs free.
“Not fun being helpless, is it?” Jesse said, his voice shakier than his hands holding the gun.
Liam sighed. “Go ahead and gloat. I suppose I have it coming. But either give me a hand or shoot me.”
Jesse laid the gun down and pushed the fallen limb as hard as he could, grunting and straining, but to no avail. “I’m not—strong enough—to move it.”
“My legs are probably busted,” Liam said. “Just put me out of my misery. No one would blame you, after what I did.”
“They’d probably thank me.” Jesse rubbed a cramp out of his arm, sizing up the man who had scared him into silence and tried to put a bullet through his head. Liam was totally helpless pinned underneath that limb. Served him right.
You can never disappoint God by refusing to repay evil with evil. Jesus didn’t even lash out at those who were going to kill Him.
Only by Death Page 21