In the Shadow of His Wings

by Pamela Wells

  “Mom, what’s wrong?” Laura asked, rushing over to her side.

  “Didn’t you see them?” Hilda whispered, her eyes darting about. By now the woman was crying harder, sobbing like a small child. Laura took Hilda’s hands into her own, began to rub them in an attempt to calm the woman.

  “See who”

  “There were men down here, scary looking men, ghosts or something…they were tall, thin, had long hair and dark faces, with black hoods and cloaks. Their nails were long and dirty; their skin was yellow and dirty looking too. They kept pointing at you and whispering and then they looked at me.” Hilda quivered in fear. “I yelled at them, ‘take her, not me!’ I thought they were going to rape me or something.” Hilda was clearly petrified by what she had seen. Laura did her best to calm the frightened woman.

  Laura talked softly to Hilda, she told her she believed what Hilda saw were demons and that God had protected her. That’s why they didn’t hurt her and that’s why she wasn’t afraid. Hilda barely listened to Laura until Laura mentioned that she wasn’t afraid. At those words Hilda stopped her whimpering, looked at Laura and she noticed, for the first time, how peaceful the woman was. Laura continued to share with Hilda how wonderful the peace of God was. Hilda had always shushed Laura before at any mention of God or the bible but at this moment she needed something and was willing to listen.

  Laura sat down and began to share with Hilda the love God had for her. God loved the people of the world so much that He sent His son to become one of us, to live among us, to die on our behalf for our sins, and most important, to rise from the dead and live forever. He’s very much alive now, if we confess our sins, ask Him to forgive us and invite Him into our lives, He promises us eternal life. Laura told Hilda that God’s love for her was so great that even if she were the only person alive on the entire earth, God would still have sent Jesus to die, even if just for her. That’s how important she was to Him. Hilda had tears in her eyes as Laura told her this. She still didn’t seem ready to accept the whole thing.

  “It just sounds too easy. I just accept Him, just believe, that’s it? That’s all there is to it. I don’t think so. I’ve seen the religious shows on TV. They all want money.

  Every one of them begs people to mail in cheques. That’s what religion is all about. It’s just a business!”

  “Oh mom, that’s not true. Churches are buildings that take money to run, so there has to be some of that, but there is so much more to it. In the church I go to, the money is just a small part of things; it’s the people that are important. We come together as a church family, to worship God together, to study and learn, and for fellowship. Sadly there are some churches out there that give others a bad name. There are some that focus more on the money, but that doesn’t mean that all churches are bad.

  There are some hotels out there that are terrible. They are filthy and run down and only people with, well let’s just say, bad reputations stay there. So does that make all hotels bad? Should I say that all hotels are flea traps and never go into one? Now I haven’t been in Gerhard’s hotel but from what I hear it’s one of the finest in Niagara Falls. Wouldn’t it be wrong to judge his hotel by some of the bad ones?”

  “Humph, you’ve got a point.” Hilda muttered, she sat there silently, not sure what to say next.

  “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian and giving money to a church won’t get you into Heaven. The only way to get to Heaven is through Jesus Christ, and getting to Jesus is not hard. Prayer is the way, open yourself up to Him. He loves you so much.” Laura had tears in her eyes now. She wanted desperately to reach Hilda and see this woman saved.

  “What if I get my bible and I show you some passages?” Laura offered, hopefully.

  Hilda shifted in her chair and as she changed her position slightly, she seemed to forget the fearful experience she just had, as her eyes were drawn back to her TV show.

  “Some other time perhaps, my next show is just starting. Get me another cola from the fridge, and check the shelf beside it, see if there’s a can of mixed nuts or something.”

  Laura did as Hilda asked with a heavy heart. She was sure that God had set that opportunity up for her to witness to Hilda. Did I blow it God? Did I say the wrong thing? If I did, then please forgive me, and give me another opportunity. Laura knew it was quite possible that she had done exactly what God wanted her to do. It was Hilda’s heart that was hard and time was still needed. Important seeds were planted this afternoon. Laura needed to trust God to water them. She decided not to agonize any more over what she should have or should not have said. She would trust God to work on Hilda’s heart and hopefully there would be an opportunity soon for another discussion similar to todays.

  Laura couldn’t sit and watch soap operas any more. She went into her room and picked up her bible. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she thought back to her recent dream, how it could have been a frightening nightmare but instead it was so peaceful. The wings she saw when she opened her eyes! How incredible that had been! Thank You God! Oh how You have blessed me here today! First with the wings and then with the opportunity to witness to Hilda. As Laura continued to pray, she took her bible and let it fall open on the bed. She looked down to see what passage it had opened to and her eyes grew wide as she read,

  Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night.” Laura’s eyes filled with tears of joy as she praised God for His faithfulness.

  Some days she wished God would send a S.W.A.T. team to rescue her and take Hilda and Gerhard off to prison, but she knew that God had a greater plan for her, she had to trust Him.

  Laura picked up one of the catalogues Gerhard had given her the day before, began to flip through it, looking at all the wonderful gift ideas for Christmas. This would be her first Christmas without her family. She was trying desperately not to dwell on that fact. She had so much time on her hands. It was hard not to think about Jim, Josh and Lacey, all sitting around the Christmas tree, opening gifts together and laughing. She hadn’t even started her Christmas shopping for them, when she was abducted. Laura couldn’t help but wonder what Christmas would be like for her family as well. They always had so much fun together. They always planned a few days ahead and stocked the kitchen with plenty of their favorite holiday foods. Christmas day itself was relaxing and fun, with too much eating and plenty of laughter. Friends and relatives were welcome to drop by and many did. As Josh and Lacey got older Jim and Laura realized their traditions would probably start to change. That became apparent last year when Josh brought a girl friend over for Christmas day. Laura wasn’t sure she liked the idea at first but the girl had a sharp sense of humor and she fit in with the family well.

  Mornings in her prison were the hardest. So often she would waken slowly and before her eyes would open she would feel as if she were at home in her own bed. Jim would be in arms reach. As she gradually regained consciousness, the reality of her situation would be another horrible slap in the face, the day another nightmare to get through.

  Well what about this Christmas? What would it be like? Would Jim put up the tree? Would they decorate the house and buy gifts for each other? Laura hoped they would do something. She didn’t want her family to be worrying about her to the point of not living their lives. For the hundredth time she thought, they must be wondering if I’m even alive.

  Then all of a sudden it hit her. There was a way she could let them know! Oh if only this could work! Lord help me with this, it has to work! Laura remembered one particular Christmas gift for Jim that she had worked on before she was abducted. There was a book Jim wanted. It was an older book that was no longer in print. Something Jim heard a friend of his talking about. He decided he wanted to get this book but he wasn’t able to find it anywhere. Jim and Laura had spent many hours together scouring through the shelves of used book stores, but had no success. They had hunted for t
he book when they vacationed out of town. Eventually Jim had given up on the idea and forgotten about it.

  Several months ago Laura had gone to her friend that owned the River of Life Christian bookstore in town, enlisted her help in locating a copy of the book. The owner of the store, Sandy Alvarez, was an old friend of Laura’s. They had been friends since they met back in high school. She was glad to take on the challenge and set to work hunting for the book. It was about two months later that Sandy called Laura with some good news. She managed to track down an old copy of the book; it had taken some digging but she had found one in very good shape, it should arrive at the store within a week or two. Laura was thrilled and that’s when she got the brilliant idea to make the book a Christmas present for Jim. She asked Sandy if she would mind very much holding onto the book until Christmas. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about Jim discovering the book at home. Sandy assured her that would be no problem and she set the book aside with Laura’s name on it.

  Laura took the pad of paper and pen from the dresser and carefully wrote down,

  ‘Walk in the Wilderness’, a book by Albury Jakes, can be purchased or ordered at the River of Life, Christian bookstore. Laura felt her heart beating fast as she wrote this down. She knew when Gerhard went into that store, gave Sandy the order, that Sandy would recognize the title as the book Laura had ordered for Jim. This was a rare book and Sandy had spent a lot of time tracking the book. So she won’t have forgotten the title or the author’s unusual name. Laura was sure that as soon as Gerhard left the store, Sandy would call Jim, report the incident to him and then Jim would know that she was still alive. With this thought Laura’s hopes began to soar. Would this be possible?

  Could this work? Sandy would tell Gerhard that she would order the book and that he should come back in a few days. Hopefully she would call Jim and Jim would notify the police. Laura was sure of it. Then the police could set the trap and be waiting for Gerhard to return. That’s how they could capture her kidnapper. Maybe, just maybe, if this works, she’d home for Christmas! Laura almost jumped up and down with excitement! She held back knowing that much movement would cause her chain to rattle and perhaps cause Hilda to rise from her chair to see what the fuss was about. Laura paced back and forth in her small room, waiting for Gerhard to come home from work.

  She would have to wait for him to bring in their supper. Then wait for the game shows and sitcoms to be over. As he would say goodnight, she would casually bring out the pad of paper and ask if he wouldn’t mind getting a book for her. She would mention that it’s something she would very much like to read. He should be able to get it through the River of Life bookstore. The hard part would be sitting still until then. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? She actually started to laugh, for the first time in two months.

  This was a brilliant idea!

  Chapter 14

  The River of Life Christian book store was a quaint corner shop on the end of a strip mall, outside the tourist area of Niagara Falls. It was in a section of the Falls that depended on the local people for business, although the occasional tourist found their way there as well. Sandy Alvarez was a petite woman with an olive complexion and long black hair. She often wore her hair in a single braid that went all the way down her back.

  As the owner of the shop, it was successful enough for her to have three other women that took turns working for her. The bell on the door jingled as the man entered the shop that morning. Sandy looked up from the shelves she was dusting and smiled at him. She put down her cloth and went over to him.

  “Good morning, can I help you with anything?”

  “Yes, there is a book I would like to purchase.” Gerhard pulled out a piece of paper and read the title to Sandy, “Walk in the Wilderness, by Albury Jakes. Do you have it?”

  Sandy’s smile froze on her face and her colour drained noticeably. For several seconds she didn’t move.

  “Excuse me,” she quickly collected herself, “I’ll check and see.” Sandy went over to the book shelves and made a pretense of looking for the book that she already knew wasn’t there. As soon as she heard the title, she knew it was the book Laura Reid had ordered. She also knew it was the book that she had safely stored in the back room for Jim Reid’s Christmas present. She had forgotten all about it when Laura disappeared.

  Sandy couldn’t believe this stranger coming into her store was asking for the very same book. It couldn’t be a coincidence. She fought to keep her hands from shaking. A call the police might sound silly, because a man came in to ask about the same book Laura had ordered? No, she wouldn’t call the police, she would call Jim. As soon as the man left, she would get on the phone to Jim.

  Gerhard watched her suspiciously, it was obvious to him that something wasn’t right with the woman and he wondered what the problem was.

  “We don’t seem to have the book in stock right now, but I can order it for you.” Sandy went over to the counter, pulled out her order book. “If you just give me your name and phone number, I will call you as soon as the book comes in.”

  “That’s ok, I’ll just see if I can get the book somewhere else.” Gerhard started to head for the door.

  Sandy didn’t want the man to leave, she suspected he might be a connection to Laura. She wanted to be sure he came back to the store. “If you like, I can go ahead and order the book and you can just come back in a few days. I’m sure I can get it for you.

  You might not be able to find it somewhere else. I think that book is hard to find.” Sandy’s mind was racing now, she remembered the posters Jim and his children had put up after Laura had gone missing. She was trying to remember if this man’s face was similar to the drawing on the poster.

  Gerhard didn’t respond to Sandy, he left the store, but he didn’t go far. He went around the side of the shop until he was out of sight. Then turned back far enough so that he could see in the window, and just as he thought, Sandy rushed to the phone. Although Gerhard couldn’t hear what Sandy was saying he could guess the topic of her conversation. It made him very angry to think how he had been set up. He had let his guard down with Christine and come to trust her. When she was younger she used to be so selfish and greedy and she wasn’t like that anymore. She rarely asked him to buy her anything and when she did it was simple things, nothing fancy. When she had asked for this book he didn’t even think twice about it. He was glad to get it for her, not even for a moment did he suspect that she was setting him up. It was obvious by the clerk’s behavior from the moment he mentioned the title of the book. Gerhard was a calm man, his staff often commented on what a great boss he was for that very reason. At that moment he felt anything but calm. Gerhard was angry! He was so angry; he decided it was best if he didn’t go into work right away. He needed to go to the gym and do some serious weight lifting before he did something he would regret later.

  Jim sat at his office desk shaking. He had just talked to Sandy from the Christian bookstore and tears ran down his face. Laura was alive! He knew it! He knew she had to be alive and trust her to find such a creative way to get a message out to him. He wiped the tears from his face and scolded himself for just sitting there. He was wasting time! Jim rushed to his car heading straight for the police station. Jim’s heart pounded all the way there. This was an incredible breakthrough! He and the kids had been praying for Laura to be home for Christmas. Maybe now this meant she would be. Jim quickly parked his car and leapt up the steps of the police station. He ran down the hall to Detective Chisholm’s office and was relieved to see Don at his desk. Don welcomed him in and Jim wasted no time in telling him of this latest breakthrough.

  Don listened calmly to what Jim had to say. He agreed that the two should go over to the River of Life store together and talk to Sandy. All the way to the store Jim felt it hard to sit still, he was so excited and he couldn’t understand why Don was so calm. But then it wasn’t his wife that was missing, so that must be why. It didn’t take long to arrive at the bookstore and the two m
en went inside to talk to Sandy. First Sandy explained the story behind the rare book, with a small smile and apology to Jim because she was spoiling his Christmas present. She then told the detective about the man coming in this morning to ask about that same book. She stressed to the detective how old and rare this particular book was. In all the years she owned this business she had never had anyone come in and ask about this book before. She also added that normally when a customer wanted something she didn’t have, they had no problem giving her a name and phone number. This particular man clearly did not want to do that. Jim had thought to bring along a poster from when Laura first disappeared and pulled it out now. He showed it to Sandy to see if the man who came in the shop was the same one. She looked at the poster, but wasn’t quite sure.

  “It could be him. I’m sorry Jim, but I’m not sure. His hair is a little different.” Sandy wished she could say it was definitely him. The picture was a drawing and she was not good at remembering faces.

  “Well it’s been a few months since this picture was drawn, he certainly could have grown or cut his hair since then. Just look at his facial features and think hard.” Then Jim got an even better idea. “Sandy how about if we take you down to the Falls Mist Hotel and you can see if the owner there is the man who came into your shop today?”

  “Jim that’s enough for now, I want to talk to you outside.” Detective Chisholm interrupted and began to pull Jim outside. “Thank you very much Miss Alvarez, you have been very helpful. If we have anymore questions for you we will know where to contact you. Here is my card, please call me if anything else comes up.” Don handed Sandy his card and he pulled a reluctant Jim Reid out the door.