by Judy Candis
“Praise the Lord! My God—Terrell!” Jael threw her hands out and grabbed at Terrell’s shirt, pushing aside Jasper’s cold body with her foot. She pulled him out of the shed and slammed the door before falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around his trembling frame. His clothing was wrinkled and muddied, his face and hair covered with botches of dirt. She also smelled a faint scent of urine around the crotch of his pants. Poor baby.
“Oh, Ms. Jael, you’re here, you’re here. I was so scared.”
“I know, honey. I’m sorry you had to go through this, but everything’s going to be all right now.”
Ramon had thrown his arms around them both, his cries of relief mingled with his constant words of prayer. Thank God for my little boy’s strength and endurance, she thought.
“I thought they had hurt you,” Ramon cried over her shoulder at his friend. “I thought I would never see you again!”
“I don’t know what happened,” Terrell said in a shaking voice. “That man hit me in the head so hard, I don’t remember much. Then it was dark and I couldn’t move. Something heavy and cold was on top of me. I tried to holler over and over, but no one heard me, no one came.” Terrell began to sob heavily on Jael’s shoulder, and she let him pour out his fear.
“You know it’s going to be all right, honey. Everything’s going to be . . .” Her words trailed off as her mind began to work. She had to get them out of there. She couldn’t wait around for Grant, who might not make it before the Captain ordered one of his men to finish the job he started.
Standing up on her feet with her hand still on Terrell’s shoulder, she wasn’t even aware she was speaking aloud. “I need to get this door open. Somehow I have to . . .” Turning around in a circle, she quickly reviewed what was available to break the door down. Nothing. Think, girl, think. The plow was far too heavy to use, and the storage shed had been empty except for . . . for . . . She suddenly had an idea.
Shoving Terrell aside, she moved quickly to the storage room. “Scrape as much of the dirt around the door into a pile in the center as you can, then try to find a bottle or anything that could be used to fill up,” she yelled over her shoulder at the boys as she yanked open the door.
Without looking at his face, she moved toward Jasper and gripped his shoulder with her left hand and ripped at his shirtsleeve with her right. It took several yanks before the sleeve separated from the shirt. Sliding it off his stiff arm, she prayed as she reached inside his front pants pocket. It was there: a book of matches.
“I couldn’t find a bottle, but here’s an old empty Coke can,” Terrell said from behind her as she left the storage room and closed the door with the heel of her foot.
“Okay, it’ll have to do.” Taking the can, she pressed the metal tab against the small opening in order to make a larger hole. She blew air between her lips in frustration when the cap popped off and into the can instead. The hole would surely be too small for what she planned, but it would have to do. Using the remaining edge of the cap as a kind of tool, she pressed it around the small opening, enlarging it only a tad. It didn’t help much, but it was all she could do. Taking the shirtsleeve from under her arm, Jael bent and pressed it down around the pile the boys had made at the center of the door, absorbing as much of the liquid as she could. Then she prayed it would be enough to ignite the cloth. She stuffed as much of the moistened shirt into the opening of the can as would go and pulled out the book of matches.
If she were a cursing woman, she would have used an ungodly word at that moment. When she flipped the cover on the book of matches, there was only a single match left along the cardboard stub.
“God, I need a miracle here.” She was unaware she spoke the words with confidence and assurance. A lot had changed in the last hours.
To the boys, she shouted, “Step back!”
In her hands she held the closest thing she had to a Molotov cocktail. But maybe it might just blow a big enough hole in the door for her and the boys to escape.
Jael closed her eyes briefly and struck the match to the cloth. The material ignited in blazing red and blue flames, scorching her fingers. She threw it at the base of the door. With the remnant of gasoline already there, the impact of the blast was instant—but not enough.
At first Jael couldn’t tell if she’d made a hole in the barn door at all, as the fire raced along the bottom and up the sides. Then, as it greedily ate away at the center, a small speck of daylight peeked between the dancing fingers of flame near the bottom. Though she could see through the flames that engulfed its core, the hole was far too small.
And as the tiny fingers of flame continued to lick at the base and sides of the door, blackened smoke was curling out toward them. It wouldn’t be long before the entire wall became a blazing inferno.
“Stay back!” she yelled. Her prayers accelerated to frenzied pleas, racing in time with the swift pace of her heart. Even as fear welled up in her for the boys’ safety, she held on, counting on the supernatural intervention of her Lord.
If she could somehow get through the small opening, maybe she would have a chance on the outside to find something to pry off the lock or burst the door open. But suddenly thick smoke began to enter from under the barn door, while at the sides, twin pillars of flame danced in twirling circles.
When Terrell screamed, Jael turned to see yellow and orange tongues of twirling flame licking away up the sidewall. A litany of prayers and supplication swept through her head while the chill of realization sawed at her nerves.
Time was running out for them; it was now or never. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then stepped boldly forward, speaking directly to the fire and her fear.
“And the angel of the Lord was there among them, even in the midst of the fiery furnace. And Nebuchadnezzar blessed the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego!” The words poured forth as if she were in a trance. Ramon and Terrell turned to stare at her in awe, forgetting their fear as they covered their faces to ease the hacking coughs that overwhelmed them.
Forcing the boys to move all the way to the back of the barn, she continued to speak words of faith. Intense heat draped itself over their bodies, declaring the power and promise of death within the fire. And the hole was widening; she could see the dirt ground just outside.
Jael braced herself, prayed and dipped her knees into a crouch. With a sprint equal to that of an Olympic champion, Jael hurled herself through the small opening, taking sharp splinters of burning wood with her. A moment of intense heat engulfed her, while the sharp sting of charred wood ripped at her body.
She hit the outside ground with enough force to knock the air out of her lungs, but was quickly back on her feet and grabbing at the lock. It burned her hands. She spun around, looking for whatever she could find: a hose, a rake, anything. There was nothing. She’d left the boys inside for nothing. The empty expanse of land beyond her seemed endless with despair. Through each cough of her own, she watched as flames spread savagely before her, greedily chewing its way higher along each side door. Again, Jael loudly proclaimed the Word of God. Her boys were coming out of there.
“The righteous will not be defeated!”
Rushing to the right side of the barn, the only thing she could find was a beaten old plastic trash can lying on its side. Grabbing it, she sprinted back to the door and began slamming it with the can. The door rocked with each slam but didn’t give; the fire hadn’t done enough damage yet. As the fire grew into pillars of flame, she noticed that near the bottom hinge, the flames had spread out, leaving behind black, smoldering wood. She dropped to her knees and began pounding at the weakened area. When she heard Ramon scream, Jael responded with the strongest word resounding in her spirit: “JESUS!”
“JAEL!”
She held her breath, stunned. Had the Lord just called her name in reply? Was she hallucinating out of panic, or were the fumes getting to her? Again she shouted the word as loud as she could: “JESUS!”
The response was a thundering roar
as if from heaven itself—only coming from behind her, not above. She turned to see a huge blue Jeep racing toward her, the howl of its engine drowning out all other sounds.
Someone was leaning out the driver side window, frantically waving his arm back and forth. She recognized the man as Grant as he shouted her name again: “JAEL!”
“God be praised! Oh, Grant! Oh, Grant!” She threw both arms in the air, pointing them toward the fiery barn, in reply. “Quick, the boys are still inside!”
Straining his head out even farther, Grant shouted, “Move away from the door, I’m going through! I—”
The rapid spit of gunfire somewhere around the other side of the building drowned out his next words. Frenetic activity suddenly surrounded them as men barked orders and gunfire exploded. And over it all Jael could just make out the sweet, whooping sound of helicopters overhead.
With her adrenaline pumping fast and furious, Jael sprung to her feet and ran for the Jeep, reaching out as it raced toward her. Yanking the passenger door open and jumping in beside Grant, she screamed, “Go, go, go!”
Without further prompting, Grant rammed the accelerator. The tires gave out a long squeal of traction, fighting against dirt, and the Jeep sped through the fiery door of flame. Splinters of burning wood crashed around them, flying helter-skelter.
Just inside, Grant slammed the brakes, as Jael leaped from her seat into the smoke-filled building, the inferno already sending out waves of scorching heat. It was all Jael could do to keep back the cry of terror locked behind her lips.
She screamed their names; then her heart nearly leaped in joy as Ramon and Terrell raced toward her from a far corner, mouthing words she could not read. But they were safe.
“Get in the Jeep,” she screamed, trying to shove each boy in.
“Jael, hurry,” Grant shouted. “It’s only a matter of seconds before this whole building crashes in on itself.”
She didn’t have to be told twice. Yelling again at Ramon and Terrell to jump inside, Jael helped them up, nearly fainting from the weight of the boys and the overwhelming smoke. She slipped twice trying to push them in before her. Even before the door was shut, she shouted, “Go! Go! We’re in!”
“They’re here!” Ramon yelled, repeating what he’d been trying to say earlier. “I hear the helicopters!”
Chapter
46
With the wheels screeching, Grant threw the truck in forward and raced ahead through the back wall. It was like a scene from a movie that only stunt doubles would have the nerve to try and pull off. Fresh air hit Jael like a blessed wash of spring rain. She inhaled deeply between coughs, watching the boys do the same.
Leaning out the window, she took a quick look around, taking in the chaotic scene of men shouting and running in all directions. Many were FBI agents in deep blue suits and others had large SWAT letters on their backs. The men were everywhere, like a swarm of bees, on top of buildings and on the ground.
But the one sight she wanted to see most eluded her.
“Where’s the Captain?” she screamed. “Do you have the Captain?”
“Not yet,” Grant shouted over the deafening noise around them. “My men are—”
“No, no, he’s left the campsite.” Straining to see around the camp, she asked, “Where’s the car they brought me here in?”
“Over by the front gate,” Grant said, pointing in the direction of the sedan. “. . . But Jael, we’ll get him. You need to—”
“Stop the truck,” she commanded. In her haste, she completely missed that Grant understood her sudden need to find the Captain. Before he’d come to a complete stop beside the car, Jael jumped out and pulled the back door of the vehicle open and reached inside. “It’s here,” she whispered. “Thank you, Father.”
She was back in the truck before Grant had finished his statement. “Jael, listen—”
“No, you listen. It’s got to be me. I have to be the one to do this. He must have left the campsite before you arrived. Take me back to the station.”
“But—”
“Take me back to the station, Grant!”
“Jael, I need to check—”
“Grant, if you don’t take me to the station, now, I’ll take this truck from you and drive myself.”
Grant gave her a look that seemed to say, “Oookaaay.” But what he said was“Hop in the back, boys.”
“Aw-right!” Ramon said as he climbed over his mother’s lap to get out and on to the bed of the truck. Terrell was right behind him.
At the clap of thunder and the sudden heavenly burst of rain, Jael stuck her head out the window and raised both arms high over her head, as Grant rushed past the madness and out the front gate. The cool, drenching wetness was like thousands of heavenly kisses. With eyes closed in wonder, she gave a loud and hearty shout: “THANK YOU, JESUS! PRAISE THE LORD!”
During the swift ride back to the station, she understood much of the Captain’s plan, and she knew that at this moment he would be pretending to try and locate her. If no one had contacted him and informed him the campsite was swarming with FBI agents, which she doubted, he’d assume she was already dead. He’d lead a false investigation out of his office. She couldn’t wait.
When they pulled up outside the station, Sills was coming out the door. His facial expression reflected his surprise at seeing them. Leaping from the Jeep, Jael took the steps two at a time. Sills hastily reopened the door for her.
“Jael . . . ?”
“Ask no questions, just follow me.”
In her stocking feet, Jael stormed toward the reception desk, her face a mask of rage. At the sight of her, Tammy jumped up, her mouth open as she fumbled to grab the phone.
“Don’t even think about it,” Jael said between clenched teeth. “Sills, hold her here until I return. Do not let her move, do not let her speak, don’t even let her bat an eye.”
“Jael, what the—”
“Just do it, Sills!”
As she marched away, heading straight for the Captain’s office, she heard Sills say, “Do not move a muscle.”
It was gratifying to know she could trust her partner. His actions now confirmed his loyalty to her, and not to some covert organization intent on destroying her.
When she reached the Captain’s door, she pushed it open without knocking. His back was to her as he rummaged in a cabinet near his desk. Just to the right of him, she noticed again the bulldog with the bobbing head.
“Whatever you want, you’ll have to come back,” he said over his shoulder.
“But I want you.”
The Captain’s head snapped up. With his back stiff as a mannequin’s, he slowly swiveled around in his chair. His astonishment showed for only a second, and then with a grin, he leaned back.
“So, somehow you got out of the barn. But whatever you’re thinking right now won’t work. If you’re as smart a cop as you think you are, you know it’s still my word against yours. You have no proof of anything. When it all comes out in court, I’ll still be the one standing.”
With lips barely moving, she hissed, “I doubt that very much, Captain.”
The Captain snorted. “You don’t know how stupid you are. Whatever you think you have, you have no proof I was involved in any of this.”
“Oh yeah? Well, who’s the stupid one now?” With a satisfied grin on her face, Jael lifted the cell phone in her hand and pressed REDIAL. Instantly, the cell phone on the Captain’s desk began to ring.
“To God be the glory! We’ve got a trace.”
Epilogue
They had been saved! Her desperate prayers had been answered and God had given her the victory. What sweet and precious words: holy victory.
The station was packed with news reporters, lawyers and family members. Virgil was preening over Ramon as if he alone were the hero of the hour, professing what he would have done if he’d gotten his hands on his son’s abductors. With hands on her hips, Rhonda walked around demanding someone get a change of clothing for the
boys and bring iced liquids to refresh them.
And Terrell’s mother, eyes filled with crocodile tears, ranted before the media, spewing words of disgust for the people who had tried to hurt her precious baby.
Sills was keeping everyone away from Jael and Grant, threatening to start his own war if anyone so much as tried to touch her.
Big Jake and his boys had followed her until a mile before the police station and then, with a honk of their horn, had detoured and gone off their separate ways. There would be plenty of time to thank the roughnecks and then get back to harassing them later.
As Sills forced Jael into a private room to escape the barrage of questions tossed at her, she smiled at the thought of Big Jake’s daring rescue, then quickly remembered how close they had all come to having a major race war. Before Sills could shut the door behind her, Grant pressed through the opening and closed the door himself. He’d barely let her out of his sight since returning to the station.
Still, unable to absorb the magnitude of what had transpired within the past few hours, she involuntarily shuddered, and a small whimper slipped past her lips. Grant quickly stepped forward to encircle her in his arms, squeezing gently. The concern in his eyes said everything. For a moment, his lips were only inches from her own. Her eyes asked, and his answered, just before he pressed his lips to her forehead. Whatever tension was between them, now was not the time.
She gently pulled away and smiled up into his face. There were a thousand and one questions that needed to be addressed, and only he could answer them.
“I still don’t get it!” she said. “You knew all long the Captain was involved and you were here mainly to see what he was up to?”
“Until I had more proof, I had to make it look as if I were here merely to watch what was happening to the drug dealers in town. Thankfully, not many were killed.” Grant still held his arms around her, but seemed glad she was feeling well enough to want to get down to business and questions. “After Billups contacted us about Slater—”