People were frightened. Archer couldn’t blame them. This whole thing was a frightening experience.
With one Dogwood Springs reservoir disconnected due to possible contamination, the city was hard-pressed to supply enough water for the whole town. Jade Myers had vowed not to rest until alternate sources would be available.
That was apparently being taken care as most of the town slept. The community would weather this storm as it had many others over the years. Dr. Grant Sheldon and his son were already local heroes because Jade had “leaked” to the local television and radio stations that the Sheldon family had tracked the deadly poison to its source.
Now there would be an interesting situation. Archer knew Jade because she’d only been a year ahead of him in school and she’d been a member of Dogwood Springs Baptist for the past seven years. She was definitely attracted to heroes and she was single again after a quiet divorce a year ago from a man who had decided to become someone else’s hero. Grant and Jade might make an interesting couple.
The newcomer, still in the shadows, reached the bottom of the stairs and quietly stepped past cots and sleeping bags toward the designated kitchen area. There was something familiar about those movements. Archer folded his blanket and laid it on his cot then made his way toward the smell of coffee.
He was halfway there when he heard the melodious sound of a warm voice joining the soft chatter of the others.
“You’re still singing for our Fourth of July celebration, aren’t you?” Mrs. Netz asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
It was Jess. Archer rushed to greet her.
“Jessica,” he said quietly.
She turned and her sudden smile warmed him. “I thought you might want some help.”
He entered the circle of light as he beheld the vision so breathtaking that all the cobwebs and dreams of the night deserted him. “How did you know?”
“Dogwood Springs has made the news. I heard it before I went to bed and I couldn’t sleep for thinking about you, so here I am.” She wore a pair of old sweat pants and a T-shirt that said, in faded letters “The Promise,” the scruffy hem of which hung to the middle of her thighs. Her tangle of wavy brown hair was held away from her face with one of those claw-like clips that could be used as weapons if wielded with the proper aim.
Archer accepted two cups of extremely weak coffee from Mrs. Netz, who manned the huge percolator at the end of the long kitchen counter. He thanked her then gave one of the cups to Jessica and took her arm.
“How about a short stroll?” he whispered.
“Good,” she whispered back. “You can walk me to my car. I brought some supplies for breakfast.”
He smiled. Spoken like a true pastor’s wife. And that was what he wanted to discuss with her. He needed to talk to her before they were caught up in the night’s chaos and separated for however long it took to clear things up and set everything right in the town. According to the guys he’d talked to a couple of hours ago, setting things right could take days or even weeks.
He held the door for her and she stepped out. As soon as it closed behind them he asked her, “Don’t you have to sing tomorrow—I mean tonight?”
“Yes, but I’m free till then.”
“The last time we spoke I got the distinct impression that you didn’t want anything to do with this church.”
Jessica stopped walking and turned to him. “Archer Pierce, after all this time I would expect you to know me better than that.”
“Better than what?”
“Than for you to listen to me when I’m mad and blowing off steam.”
He couldn’t let her get away with that. “Excuse me, but you were not just blowing off steam when you told me you could not marry Dogwood Springs Baptist Church.”
“I told you I was confused. You reminded me in so many words that the subject was moot because you hadn’t asked me to marry you lately.” He could see her face in the dim light. She didn’t look angry. She looked like she was enjoying herself.
“Do you remember what you said?” he asked.
“Not as well as what you said.” There were definite signs of a smile in her eyes as she continued to remind him of his words, as if she wanted to relish them for a second time. “There are three things about which you have no doubts.”
He returned the smile. “I don’t doubt that God is in control. I don’t doubt that I was called to this church. I don’t—”
“And you said you didn’t doubt that you loved me. Has any of that changed?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“But Jessica, that also means that there are no plans in the works for me to leave my position of pastor at this church. They might still take a vote and throw me out but right now that’s what it’ll take.”
“I know.”
“I’ve prayed about it and thought about it and prayed some more. I’m not finished here.”
Her expression didn’t change. “No, but something keeps drawing me here. To you. Maybe even to this church. I miss you too much for this to be over between us.”
It occurred to him that the exhilaration of being in love with Jessica could be compared to a wild roller-coaster ride. Or maybe surfing the highest waves in the world. Or skiing down Mount Everest. What would marriage to her be like?
He cleared his throat. “You understand that?”
“Yes.”
He took a deep breath. He’d taken the ring out of its case several times recently to look at it and wonder about its future. It was a beautiful ring and it had looked beautiful on Jessica’s left hand. He wished he had it now.
Ask her.
“Jessica—”
The church door opened. “Archer?” It was Mrs. Netz.
Archer groaned softly. “I’ll be there in a few moments,” he called over his shoulder then returned his attention to the most beautiful woman in his life. “Jessica, would you—”
“Archer, I hate to interrupt,” Mrs. Netz said. “This is important.”
This was not a good time. “I’m sorry Jessica but it looks as if things are going to get crazy. Before it does, I need to—”
The door squeaked open further. “Archer?” This time the voice didn’t belong to Mrs. Netz. It was Grant Sheldon.
Archer sighed and turned. “Grant? What’s wrong?”
“Do you know where Lauren is?”
There was a feminine groan of frustration behind him. “Lauren again,” Jessica muttered.
“Can it wait a few minutes?” Archer asked.
“I don’t think so. I’m worried about her.”
“Why?”
“I’ve tried several times to call her tonight but she hasn’t answered. I left a note on her door instructing her to call me but she hasn’t.”
“Maybe she heard about Gina and drove to Springfield.”
“I tried the hospital. Natalie was with Gina and she hasn’t seen or heard from Lauren.” The concern was evident in Grant’s voice. “She has an ER shift in the morning and she obviously isn’t home yet—or she’s too sick to answer her calls. I thought she might be with her parents but Beau called them for me earlier and she wasn’t there.”
Okay, maybe there was reason to worry. “She wouldn’t be in Knolls because she just came back from there. She brought flowers back from her mother’s garden to decorate the church for Sunday service.”
“Then where is she?” Grant asked with increased emphasis.
With a sigh of resignation, Jessica laid a hand on Archer’s shoulder. “I think you need to go find Lauren. I’ll be here when you get back.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “Yours is probably low on juice as usual. Take this with you in case you need it.”
***
Grant retraced the route to Lauren’s house, with Archer riding silently in the passenger seat. Grant’s note was fluttering at the door when they arrived.
“She could still be inside,” Grant insisted.
“It�
�s possible.” Archer got out of the car and disappeared into the darkness at the back of the house. He returned holding up a key. “Old McCaffrey family habit. Hide a spare behind a drainpipe. I don’t know why Lauren even bothers to lock her doors.” He led the way to her front porch and unlocked it. The two of them charged inside turning on lights and calling her name.
While Archer disappeared into the kitchen, Grant checked the bathroom and bedrooms. The place was deserted. They met back at the front door.
“What now?” Grant asked.
“There’s one other place I can think of that she might have gone.”
“Her fishing spot?”
Archer nodded.
“In the middle of the night?”
“I know it’s unlikely but if she got sick there and couldn’t get home….” He shrugged.
“Can you navigate? I’ve never been there at night. I might miss the turn.”
“Of course. Let’s go.”
Chapter 31
A muffled thump in the darkness and the echo of a man’s voice helped Lauren fight her way back to consciousness but she couldn’t tell if they were products of her dream state or of reality.
She opened her eyes to the same darkness that had surrounded her for hours but a brief reflection of light flashed through the truck, barely there before it was gone again. She blinked and tried to raise her head.
Was she hallucinating?
She closed her eyes.
Another voice reached her, another thump like the closing of a door. A car door? She had to see. If there were people out there she had to get their attention.
With great effort she raised her right arm and placed her hand against the side window. She rested for a moment and listened then doubted her sanity once again. Auditory hallucinations. She thought about Gina.
Voices again. Male. She heard a rustle of brush, the crunch of footsteps on gravel.
“Hello?” she whispered. “Please help me.”
More footsteps. Another thump. She concentrated all her strength into her right arm and raised it from the window then slapped it back down as hard as she could.
She took a deep breath and forced the air from her lungs. “H-h-help me.” Her voice was barely a rasp of sound that couldn’t have made it past the door.
Had to get out of the truck.
She willed her hand to slide down to the handle and she pulled. Hard. It unlatched and opened with the weight of her shoulders against it. The interior light came on and blinded her.
“Help me!” This time her voice was stronger.
There was a female squeal somewhere in the darkness. A car door slammed and an engine started.
“No, please!” She reached for the armrest and the door swung out, taking her with it. Her body plunged headlong from the truck and she landed hard in the dirt.
Blackness once again smothered her as tires spun in the dirt and rocks, followed by the fading sound of an automobile speeding away, leaving her alone again.
No… never alone. He had promised she would never be alone. But she was so cold.
***
Grant’s grip on the steering wheel was so tight the tips of his fingers felt numb. He loosened them slightly and tried to see past the perimeter of road revealed by his headlights while he struggled to keep his imagination from taking him to unknown regions. Prayers whipped fast and furious through his mind, almost as fast as his car was speeding down the road.
“Uh, Grant, there’s a curve up ahead that you can’t take at eighty-five miles an hour.” Archer’s voice sounded forcibly relaxed as if he were trying to calm a frightened dangerous animal.
Grant looked at the speedometer and eased up on the accelerator. “Sorry. How much farther to the turnoff?”
“Not far. About a mile and a half. At this rate we’ll make it in about sixty seconds.”
Grant took the heavy hint and pressed the brake. “You say she wasn’t sick this afternoon when you saw her?”
“I don’t think she’d have bothered with altar flowers if she wasn’t feeling well. She’s probably out with the other volunteers knocking on doors, especially warning people with whom she’d shared her fish. That could be a lot of people.”
“But she would have called someone to let us know where she is.”
“Grant, she’s single and lives alone. Who would she call? How was she supposed to know you’d go tearing off after her like some half-crazed maniac?”
Grant took his eyes from the road for a half second to frown at Archer. “I notice you came out too.”
“Somebody had to slow you down.”
They’d just reached the curve when a flash of headlights glared around it like horizontal lightning zagging out of control. Grant swung the wheel sharply toward the shoulder of the road and slammed the brakes as the oncoming car squealed its tires and roared on down the road and out of sight.
A moment of shocked silence held them in place for a moment.
“Good job.” Archer released his death hold on the armrest.
Grant steered back onto the blacktop at a more cautious speed.
“I guess I didn’t mention that this is a party road, did I?”
“I should have listened to your cautions. Lauren said something about it the day we came fishing out here.”
“Look Grant, I know she’s special to you, that’s obvious. Just admit it and get it over with.”
“You think I’m overreacting.”
“If it were Jessica I’d be reacting the same way. You obviously care a lot for Lauren.”
“It’s that apparent?”
“I would say so. You might try prayer.”
“I’m relying on it.” Grant felt Archer’s surprised attention focusing on him.
“Really?”
“I am. In fact, I can’t help wondering if my revitalized spiritual connection has served as an alarm system. Ordinarily, I don’t think I would be so concerned about a grown woman who knows how to take care of herself. But the poison could have taken her by surprise. All she had to do was drink some water after you saw her this afternoon. In fact, she wouldn’t even have had to do that. It could hit her at any time. That’s the effect this stuff has on people, and she’s been struggling with it off and on since the second night I worked with her.”
Archer pointed to a sign that reflected in the glow from their headlights. “Turn up there.”
Grant turned onto the rough dirt road.
“See the cloud they raised?” Archer pointed to the dust that hovered around them. “They obviously just came from here.”
Grant’s hands tightened once more on the steering wheel and his thoughts returned to his most immediate fear. “If they did, wouldn’t they have seen Lauren’s truck?”
Archer didn’t reply. Grant gave the shocks of his car a good workout. From the corner of his eye, he saw Archer lean forward in his seat and plant his hands on the dashboard.
Grant’s prayers seemed to hit the windshield and bounce back at him. Archer didn’t have to tell him when the road turned again. He remembered this drive now even in the darkness. He remembered the potholes and the broken-down fence and the tree branches that reached down and threatened to slap him in the face but brushed over the top of the car at the last minute. He’d never been here in the dark but he remembered the gravel. It meant they were close.
And then he saw the familiar reflection of a bumper and red reflector and the glow of an interior light. He caught his breath.
“It’s hers!” Archer shouted in horror. “It’s Lauren’s.”
Grant was out of the car before the motor died, with Archer on his heels. He ran to the open door and nearly stumbled over Lauren’s still form, which was lying face down in the dirt beside her truck.
He fell to her side and reached for her shoulders as Archer knelt beside him. She was warm.
He felt for a pulse at her throat. “I have a heartbeat.” Her clothes were damp, and a familiar smell lingered in the still night air. “She’s be
en sick.” He leaned close. “A lot.” She was still breathing regularly.
“Lauren!” He rubbed her face. “Lauren, can you hear me?”
In the glow from the interior light he could see her lips move but no sound came out.
“Archer, didn’t Jessica give you her cell phone?”
Archer was on his feet before Grant said another word. “I’ll call an ambulance, but we don’t get good coverage out here.”
“Keep trying until you do.” Grant lifted Lauren into his arms. “Tell them to make it an ALS ambulance. It’s critical for life support. Tell them to drive in this direction and watch for our flashing lights. We’ll meet them on the road.”
***
She wasn’t alone. In the distant darkness she heard voices again but this time they sounded vaguely familiar. She would be okay.
Her prayers were being answered. She felt herself being lifted by strong arms, heard a kind voice, words of assurance. If God was taking her home now that would be okay but this didn’t feel like the arms of an angel ushering her into heaven.
Would an angel hold her this tightly? Would an angel sound frightened? Wouldn’t angels be singing songs of joy instead of shouting in urgent, clipped voices?
And heaven didn’t have blaring sirens and uncomfortably bright lights that flashed against her eyelids and threatened to drag her from her slumber.
The murmuring of a deep voice punctured her consciousness more forcefully. “Lauren! Can you hear me?” Gentle but insistent hands nudged her and she tried to reach up and push them away.
“I hear you.” The words were a whisper but she heard a shout of triumph in response.
Her thoughts continued to sharpen.
“She’s dehydrated. I want an IV…”
She felt a pain in her arm but didn’t have the strength to protest.
She definitely wasn’t on her way to heaven. There was no pain like this in heaven. Still, everything was going to be all right. God was in control.
Chapter 32
By noon on Saturday the flurry of activity had settled into a comfortable routine at Dogwood Springs Baptist Church. Frightened families had been reassured that their homes were safe as long as they didn’t drink water from the contaminated reservoir, and they had returned home. The cots had been folded and put away except for one.
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