Every Sunrise

by Tricia Goyer

  Sam leaned his head back against the headrest. It smelled like sweat and body odor. He closed his eyes and tried to recall his father’s face. He remembered a lot of what they used to do, but he had a hard time picturing what he looked like. The only images Sam had were the frozen ones from the photographs in his baby book. His mom had gotten rid of the other ones. Maybe she tore them up or burned them after his dad had left. Not that it mattered. He’d see his dad again soon.

  The bus grinded into a new gear as it chugged up a slippery hill. Sam found himself praying that it would make it to the top of the hill, and to Golden. But when Sam realized what he was doing, he stopped. He was sure that if his grandparents figured out he’d left, they were most likely saying their own prayers. Prayers for his return to Nebraska.

  He didn’t want to return. Or to be stuck somewhere in the middle. It was bad enough that, because of the weather, the bus that was supposed to arrive at the gas station on Saturday night hadn’t got there until Sunday morning. He had spent his first night of freedom chatting with a stranger about people he didn’t know and things he couldn’t care less about.

  And then even after the bus had come and they were on their way, Sam had heard some of the other passengers say the trip might be canceled. He dreaded being abandoned in the middle of nowhere. After having to purchase an unexpected bus ticket, he didn’t have much cash left. And no Plan B. Or would that be Plan C?

  During the first hour of the bus ride, he’d felt bad leaving Emily and Christopher behind. Ever since his mom’s death he had wanted to protect them. But Sam knew that if he’d told either of his siblings about his plan they’d never be able to keep a secret. Christopher wouldn’t last ten minutes without spilling the news, and Emily would share with Ashley, and Ashley would tell her mother. And within a day the whole town would know.

  It was better this way. He’d been thinking about it for a while, and he knew the longer he waited the harder it would be for his brother and sister when it came time to leave.

  I need to do this alone. It’s now or never.

  The bus lumbered on, and Sam wished he knew just how far they’d gone and how far they had to go. Even the highway signs were covered with the snow that had blown against them and stuck.

  He glanced at his watch again and knew it could be as little as a few hours now until he arrived. Just a few hours until he found his father. Just a few hours until his life would change forever.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Charlotte had just entered the kitchen when Pete hurried inside with a frosting of snow on his ball cap. She’d expected Bob to be with him.

  “Is your dad still in the barn?” she asked.

  “No. When I headed out to do the chores he took off. Said he was going to Harding to look for Sam. He wanted to be there by the time the bus station opened at eight o’clock. He wanted to check to see if the ticket guy had seen Sam. He also wanted to drive around to see if he could spot Sam’s car.”

  “He went alone?” Charlotte pressed her hand to her forehead. “How come he didn’t come get me?” She walked to the window and looked to where Bob always parked his truck, as if trying to confirm Pete’s words.

  Charlotte turned to her youngest son. “Do you know if he ate something? If he checked his blood sugar before he left?”

  Pete shrugged. “I don’t know, Mom. I didn’t think to ask. He just told me he was leaving, and then he was gone.”

  “And what am I supposed to do while he’s gone?”

  Pete rubbed his stomach. “How ’bout make me breakfast?”

  “Is that all you can think about, at a time like this?” Charlotte knew she shouldn’t be taking her anxiety out on Pete, but she didn’t have the strength to stop herself.

  “Well—” Pete looked at the floor. “Think of it this way. If Dad finds Sam, you’ll want to have some food around here to feed him, won’t you?”

  Charlotte didn’t want to argue. At least making breakfast would keep her mind off of things.

  “Fine, I’ll make you some pancakes,” she said, getting out the flour and eggs for the batter. “But only if you promise to run upstairs and take a shower. You smell like the barn. I don’t think we’ll be going to church today, but maybe later you can run me into town to talk with Pastor Evans. He’s most likely heard through the grapevine what’s going on, but I’d like him to pray for us.”

  Pete nodded and then trudged upstairs the same way he did when he was six and didn’t want to take a bath.

  Christopher wandered in from the living room. “Can I help you make pancakes?” he asked, sidling up to her.

  “Sure, do you want to stir the batter?”

  Christopher nodded.

  “Okay, mix this really well while I get out the syrup from the fridge that Sam—” The words caught in her throat. “That Sam made a few days ago.”

  By the time Charlotte returned with the syrup, there seemed to be more pancake batter on the counter—and her pile of bills—than in the bowl.

  “Oh, Christopher,” Charlotte muttered.

  “What, Grandma?” He gazed up at her with wide eyes.

  “Oh, nothing.” She grabbed the wet washcloth from the sink and began wiping down the counter. “Hey, why don’t you run upstairs and get dressed while I finish these?”

  “Okay.” He scurried away as if it were any other day. Sam’s empty spot at the table and Bob’s missing truck outside the window made it clear that it wasn’t.

  She tried to wipe the batter off the bills as best she could, and then a new thought stirred. She remembered that charge on the credit card. Could Sam have done it? Maybe it was a clue to finding him.

  Pushing the bowl of pancake batter to the side, Charlotte dug through the mail, thankful she hadn’t yet filed the bills. There, near the bottom she found the statement.

  She looked at it again. There was a set of initials followed by an Internet order number.

  “Emily,” Charlotte called.

  “Yeah?” Emily yawned and stretched from her place on the couch.

  “I need you to help me with something on the computer. It might have to do with Sam.”

  “Okay.” Emily jumped to her feet, and within a few minutes they were logged on the computer.

  “This looks like something off the Internet, like someone bought something with my credit card.” Charlotte showed Emily the bill.

  “SPS, yeah, it looks like a business or something.”

  Emily clicked around for a few minutes, and then a smile spread on her face. “This is it. I found the Web site. It’s—”

  “SPS, Speedy People Search,” Charlotte interrupted. “Sam was trying to find your father.”

  “Or, mostly likely found him.” Emily’s eyes widened. She reached her hand for the bill. “Can I see that?”

  Charlotte handed it over.

  “Yes, this is the order code. Which means Sam had to pay to get information. Maybe if I punch it in, we can see what Sam bought.

  Emily typed the number into the search field. A small box popped on the screen.

  “Oh rats,” Emily mumbled. “It’s asking for a password.”

  “Do you know it?”

  “Sam’s password? Are you kidding? He’d never tell me. I’ll have to try to guess.”

  “Can you?”

  “Well, let’s see. Growing up, Mom gave us a password that we’d use to know who to trust. For example, if one of her friends was going to pick us up they had to know it.”

  “So, maybe that’s the one he used?”

  “Well, we had a few. Mom changed them every so often.”

  Emily started typing.

  “Okay, not purple panda. Not space goose.”

  She typed a few more ideas, and stopped to think. Then she filled the search field one more time. “That’s it! She jumped to her feet. “Fuzzy bunny!”

  Charlotte’s mouth dropped open as the page refreshed. Sure enough, there was a search for Kevin Slater.

  Emily scrolled down the pag
e. “Wow, Dad has lived a lot of places.”

  “Washington State, Arizona, Oregon … But what’s most important is the last one.”

  Emily scrolled up to the top. “Golden, Colorado. How far is that?”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll have to ask Grandpa, but I think it can’t be more than ten hours away, maybe eight.”

  Emily stared at the address on the screen.

  “Do you think Sam drove there? In his car?”

  Charlotte glanced out the window at the dark sky that promised more snow to come. “I sure hope not.” She took Emily’s hand in hers. “But at least we know which direction to look. Honey, you’re awesome. This is a huge help.”

  “Uncle Pete, Uncle Pete!” Emily raced to the stairs. “Grandma and I think we know where Sam is. He’s gone to Colorado to find our dad! We can search for him now!”

  Charlotte stayed fixed in the computer chair and stared at the screen. It was hard to believe that Sam had figured out where his father was. Even stranger that he was on his way to find him.

  At least we know where to look now. Charlotte tried to figure out how to get ahold of Bob. She needed to talk to him. To tell him what they found.

  Realizing that she’d found that “one little clue” that led to the answer, she rose and called Deputy Johnson, who agreed that they’d most likely found Sam’s destination. He said he would notify all the small towns along the highway between Bedford and Golden and he would ask Golden police for help too.

  Hearing this made Charlotte feel better. Surely with everyone looking along that path they’d discover something soon.

  Most of all, she needed a plan for how they were going to get to Golden.

  As she was thinking through the possibilities, Pete entered the kitchen, his hair still wet from his shower. “Is it true? Did you find out where Sam is going?”

  “I think so. We think he might be in Golden, Colorado, or headed there.”

  “Did he drive there?” Worry filled Pete’s eyes.

  “We really don’t know.” She glanced away.

  An hour passed, and Charlotte did anything and everything to keep her mind occupied and her hands busy. She was busy folding her third load of laundry when the telephone’s ringing caused her heart to pound.

  “Oh, I hope that’s Bob,” she mumbled to herself.

  She hurried to the phone and answered it.

  “Mrs. Stevenson, this is Deputy Johnson.”

  “Yes, deputy, do you have any news?”

  “We found Sam’s car. It’s in a town a few hours west of Bedford. We talked to a gas station attendant there, who said a young man matching Sam’s description got a flat tire and stopped at his station. He said the fellow said something about heading to Denver, and hopped on a bus headed that way.”

  “Oh, finally some good news,” Charlotte sighed.

  “It’s a start. I don’t want to tell you what to do, but my advice …” The deputy started and then paused.

  Charlotte could hear the sound of muffled voices from Deputy Johnson’s radio, making it hard to hear. “My advice,” he continued, “is that you try to get to Golden as soon as possible. The more time that passes, the harder it is to find these kids. It’s hard to say where Sam will end up. We’ll notify the Golden police.”

  “I agree.” Charlotte turned to Pete, her eyes meeting his. “We’ll do whatever it takes to bring him home.”

  The minutes seemed to drag on as Charlotte waited for the phone to ring again. She wanted to call Anna and fill her in, but didn’t want Bob or the sheriff’s office to get a busy signal if they called. As she waited, Charlotte heard Pete talking on a phone in the other room and she assumed it was Emily’s cell phone. She couldn’t make out his words, but from his serious tone she guessed he was talking to someone about Sam.

  When the phone finally did ring, it was Bob on the other line. “Charlotte, I’m calling from a payphone at the truck stop. Sam’s not in Harding.”

  “I know, Bob. We’ve discovered where he is headed. Deputy Johnson found his car and talked to someone who saw Sam. More than that, we found the address of Kevin Slater—in Golden, Colorado. That’s where Sam’s going. Emily found information about their father on the Internet.”

  “Does his father know he’s coming?”

  “We don’t know yet. Pete’s checking on that. I never thought that Sam might have been in contact with Kevin. Maybe Sam called his father before he left. Actually, that makes me feel better, thinking he didn’t stay the night alone in an unfamiliar place.”

  Charlotte felt a hand on her shoulder and turned. “Oh, wait just a minute, Bob.”

  “Sorry, Mom. I used Emily’s phone to call information in Golden. There is no number listed for Kevin Slater. The phone company searched all their records and they haven’t had a phone number for him for at least a year. I doubt Sam got ahold of him.”

  “Oh no. That means Sam most likely went there without his father even knowing he was coming,” Charlotte mumbled.

  “If Kevin Slater is even still around …” Pete added.

  “Charlotte?” It was Bob’s voice in her ear. “Pack some bags. We’ll leave as soon as I get home. We’ve got to get there.” There was urgency in his voice. “We have to find Sam.”

  Over the next hour Charlotte packed the best she could. It was hard not knowing how long they’d be gone and just what they’d need. She called Hannah to tell her what was going on. Hannah insisted they stop by on the way out of town. Even though everything inside her told her she needed to get on the road to find Sam, she agreed to stop by for just a second.

  Pete volunteered to call Bill and Anna. Five minutes after Bob arrived home they pulled into the driveway.

  Charlotte watched as they carried two duffle bags from the car.

  “Moving in?” Bob joked as he held the door open for Bill.

  “Well, actually, we didn’t know how long you’d be gone, and we thought it would be easier to stay here.”

  “What do you mean, stay here?” Bob squared his shoulders.

  “You know, to help with Emily and Christopher while you drive to Golden,” Anna explained.

  “Where are the girls?” Charlotte asked.

  Anna slid off her coat and hung it on one of the hooks by the door.

  “My mother’s at our house. I thought it would be better that they don’t get caught up in the drama.”

  “But there’s no need for you two to stay here. Pete will take care of Emily and Christopher.” Bob glanced at his youngest son.

  “Pete?” Bill’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Bill, please …” Charlotte put her hand on her older son’s shoulder. “Pete’s great with the kids, and you don’t realize that he’s pretty much running the farm.” She glanced over at Bob, hoping her words didn’t sound disrespectful.

  Instead of bristling, Bob nodded. “Exactly. Which is why Pete’s going to be in charge while we’re gone. You’re welcome to visit, of course, but there’s really no need to stay.”

  Bob turned to her. “Ready, Charlotte?”

  She nodded and moved to get her coat, ignoring the shocked looks on Bill and Anna’s faces, and the slightest smile on Pete’s.

  “Well.” Pete stepped forward. “Have a safe trip. Let us know when you get there.”

  “Of course.” She offered Pete a big hug, then glanced at Christopher and Emily. “You better believe I’ll let you all know when we hear something. Hannah’s going to let us borrow her cell phone so I’ll call if … I mean when … we find Sam.”

  Emily and Christopher rushed forward and wrapped their arms around her, holding tight. Half of her wanted to get on the road, and half of her didn’t want them to let go.

  She glanced at Bob and he nodded, understanding. “I’ll be waiting in the truck when you’re ready. Pete, Bill, Anna—” Then with quickened steps Bob hurried outside. His jaw was set with determination.

  We’ll do it, she told herself. With God’s help we’ll find Sam.

&nbs
p; Chapter Twenty

  Charlotte climbed into the truck and waved to the cluster of faces in the kitchen window. “Keep them safe, Lord,” she whispered.

  As the truck rolled out of the driveway, her gaze took in the white, frozen yard, and in her mind’s eye she tried to picture what it would look like in a few months—giant sunflowers and purple dahlias. Green grass. Birds. Now everything was dirty white. Even the sky looked the gray murky color of dishwater.

  She shivered, noticing how the bare arms of the cottonwood stretched into the sky, as if attempting to reach the smallest ray of sunlight. Everything around her seemed frozen, dead. Yet her mind was alive, active with questions. How could they ever find Sam? What was Kevin Slater doing? How will he respond to his son? Did Sam expect to stay with him?

  She had to admit the idea of Kevin taking in Sam scared her. Less than a year ago she had a hard time imagining the kids fitting into the farm. Now, she couldn’t imagine the farm without them. Without Sam.

  Toby barked nervously as they drove off in the old truck, as if she too realized that everything depended on the next few hours.

  “How long does it take to get to Golden?” Charlotte adjusted the heating vent so that the warm air blew on her chilled feet.

  “In good weather it’s only eight hours. But …” Bob gazed up to the sky. “The paper said there is another big storm coming. Let’s just hope we beat it.”

  “I know we’re in a hurry, but remember we need to make a quick stop at Hannah’s first to pick up her cell phone and some other stuff for the road.”

  Bob let out a big sigh as he glanced at the sky again.

  “I’ll run in and run out, Bob. I promise it will be less than five minutes.”

  Bob glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. “Does the stuff Hannah has for us have anything to do with food?”

  A surprised laugh escaped Charlotte’s lips. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.”

  Bob turned onto the long driveway leading up to Hannah’s house. “If I’m risking not being able to outrun the storm, it had better.”