Blue Ridge Setup

by Kimberly Rae

  The sun dropped, painting a glorious melody of color across the canvas of sky and mountain.

  As they drove back down the mountain, Kayla rested back against the seat with a contented sigh. “Today was perfect. Thank you, Ryan.”

  “Worked for those blahs?”

  She smiled. “Definitely. Remember how that one web article talked about how Addison’s is a stress disease, so doing things that are stressful are actually physically bad for me, but doing thing that are pleasing are good for my health?”

  “So North Carolina is good for your health, then.” He braved a glance her way, quick to get his eyes back on the curvy mountain road.

  “You are good for my health, Ryan Cummings.”

  Her voice was soft in the darkness. He reached across the space between them and she filled his hand with her own, just the way she had filled his heart.

  They pulled into the driveway, and Ryan was disappointed to see not only the porch light on, but a driveway light illuminated, and Laverne Bloom herself waiting on the porch.

  “Uh-oh. She looks upset. I wonder if she and Doctor Bradley had a fight or something.”

  “Well, I won’t walk you to the door then.” His voice rang with disappointment.

  Kayla hesitated. “Aunt Lav is waving me over, so I’d better go.” She slowly pulled her hand from his. “Thanks again, Ryan.”

  He watched her walk across the walkway to the porch, then he backed from the driveway, only barely hearing Laverne Bloom tell Kayla, “I’ve been waiting forever for you to get home!”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “What did you say?” Kayla stood rooted to the top porch step. “Who has run away?”

  “It’s Jose.” Laverne Bloom was wringing her hands. Her shawl was askew and her skirt off-center. “You know how Stephen and I went down to see how the Bible Club was going today. Well, Jose wanted us to meet his mother. I thought that was a nice idea, so we went to his house.”

  She sat on one of the rocking chairs and started rocking as if her life depended on keeping the motion going. “We were actually having a nice chat with her when you-know-who showed up.”

  Kayla sat on the second rocking chair, keeping her feet firmly planted so it would not rock. “The boyfriend?”

  Laverne nodded, “And his whole troupe of ruffians. A bunch of arrogant hoodlums if I’ve ever seen any. The moment that woman saw them, she turned into a mousy doormat, and Jose turned into a victimized little child.”

  She stood. The chair continued rocking and bumped into the back of her knees. “Well, I wasn’t about to let them traumatize that child any longer, so we snuck out the back door and brought Jose home with us.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Kayla wondered if her aunt was even vaguely aware that, if Jose were indeed missing, she was wasting precious moments telling this story the longest way possible.

  “It was. He had a grand time, especially with Stephen. Oh, Kayla, that man has a gift with people. Wait — where was I? – Well, after supper, Jose said he was going home. We wanted to take him, but he insisted on going alone.”

  She grasped one of the posts connecting the porch to the awning. “Stephen and I were just finishing the dishes when he came back.” Kayla could hear the tears in her voice. “His little eye was swollen black and blue. That Neanderthal of a man hit him!”

  Kayla stood. “Oh no! What happened?”

  “Jose was crying, but he kept saying he found the stuff. He found it and he would hide it, and he was going to get the police to put those guys in jail.”

  Laverne’s hands were flapping all around her in panic. “I didn’t know what to do. Oh, it was so foolish of me, but I told him to wait here on the porch and I would get him a glass of warm milk and some cookies. That was how my mother always made me feel better when I was upset.” She looked off into the yard. “Only I was never upset about something like this! I was usually upset about some boy picking on me or — oh dear, I’ve messed it all up. I should never have left him out here alone!”

  Kayla grabbed one of Laverne’s flapping arms. “Please, Aunt Lav, what happened? Could you get to the point?”

  “I went inside and told Stephen the whole story. We got the milk and cookies, but by the time we got out to the front porch, Jose was gone! No trace of him whatsoever. We wandered all over the yard, calling for him. I called the police and they said they would put his name into the Missing Person’s database, but only after they talked with his mother to see if he really was missing. What if she’s done some drugs and won’t even answer their questions?”

  Kayla’s mind was whirling. “Where is Doctor Bradley?”

  “He went to look around Jose’s neighborhood in case he went home or went to a friend’s house.”

  “How long ago did all this happen?”

  “An hour. Maybe two? Three? I don’t know!”

  “Aunt Lav, why didn’t you call us? We’d have come right away!”

  The older woman looked dazed. “Call you? Oh, that’s right, you have cell phones. Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I messed that up, too.”

  “It’s okay, Aunt Lav. It’s hard to think clearly at a time like this.” Which is exactly what she was telling herself to do. Think clearly. Think clearly. “Okay, I think I might know where he is hiding. I’ll check there first. You wait here — this one won’t take long.”

  “Just wait here?”

  “Yes. Don’t go anywhere, and if Doctor Bradley gets back, keep him here, okay?”

  “Just wait?”

  “Wait, and pray.”

  Kayla was winded by the time she got back to the tree house. “Jose?” she called up, not expecting an answer. If he were trying to hide, he would not want her yelling his name.

  She started climbing the ladder, using muscles connected to her surgery site that sent inner moans of protesting pain at each rung. Once on the platform, it was easy to see Jose was not there.

  Her heart sank. Then she saw a small backpack. She remembered seeing Jose carry it before. Sometimes he put Frog in there.

  Heart racing, she pulled the backpack across the platform toward herself. Opening it, she let out a slow, calculated breath to keep from giving in to the panic that gripped her.

  The backpack was full of small bags, each bag containing white powder.

  Drugs.

  No wonder they hadn’t wanted Jose around during their visits. And no wonder they had been so angry to find out some teenagers had been cleaning the house — snooping around, as they’d called it.

  As Kayla carefully zipped the backpack and carried it down the ladder, her thoughts raced. Jose had told Aunt Lavender he found the stuff, that he would hide the stuff, and that he would get the police to put the men in jail.

  Back on the porch, Kayla was greeted by a concerned Doctor Bradley and nearly hysterical Laverne Bloom. “You didn’t find him, did you?”

  “No, but I found this.” Kayla handed the backpack over to Doctor Bradley. “Can you take this to the police station and tell them the whole story? Maybe they’ll be able to find those men and put them in jail, and make Jose’s home a safe place again.” God, please help us know what to do.

  “I’m going with him.” Laverne Bloom latched on to Stephen like a lifeline.

  “Good idea.” Kayla would be able to think better without her aunt wandering around the house in a panic. “I’m going to call Ryan. I can only think of one other place Jose might hide, if he didn’t go to the police station. I know Ryan will be willing to help.”

  “All right, dear. Remember not to do too much yourself. You’re still recovering, you know.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she said, relieved to see them hurrying to the car.

  Kayla rushed inside. She heard tires squealing as Doctor Bradley turned the corner onto the main road.

  She headed toward the phone. First things first, she needed to call Ryan.

  Ryan! Oh no! Her cell phone was in her purse, and she had been so distracted when they’d arrived back
at the house, she had left her purse in his car.

  Think. Don’t panic. Think.

  Kayla searched around in the kitchen drawers for a phonebook. No, that would be useless. She had no idea what the parsonage address was, and it wouldn’t be listed under his name. She searched for a church directory, yanking out kitchen drawers, burrowing through piles of magazines and overturning stacks of papers on the coffee table.

  This was taking too long. It was nearly nine o’clock already. It would not be a cold night, but the air was damp, as if a storm might be coming. She could not waste any more time.

  Writing a quick note and leaving it on the kitchen table, Kayla set her mind to packing up what she would need for a trip up the hill.

  Ryan had said it was the best place to be reminded that God was in control. He had taken Jose there the day he’d been so upset. Kayla knew, was she a frightened child with no place to turn, that’s where she would go.

  Just the thought of climbing a hill made her side ache, but there was nothing to be done for it. She could not reach Ryan. She had no vehicle to drive to the church and find him. And she had no cell phone with his number in it.

  She could not even call Aunt Lavender to return — her number was also programmed into Kayla’s cell phone rather than written down anywhere.

  “Now who messed everything up?” Kayla hurried around the kitchen and other rooms, finally locating a flashlight, some matches, a first-aid kit, and several muffins, just in case. Would she need anything else? She had her inhaler in her pocket. Thank goodness she had not left that in her purse as well. All her other medication would not be needed until the morning.

  So that was that. Not wanting to waste another second, knowing her climb up the hill would be slow, Kayla began walking, praying with each step for little Jose’s safety. She tried not to worry, but couldn’t help visualizing those slippery rocks and all the possible dangers a hill at night could present for a small child alone.

  Chapter Thirty

  Ryan’s body wanted sleep, but his heart kept him awake.

  He looked forward to the day when Kayla was stronger, and they could spend time together without him having to be so concerned about her not overdoing it. He thought he did pretty well that day. At least he had cheered her up, and the articles said that was good for her.

  He smiled into the darkness of his bedroom, remembering her face when they’d first walked into the restaurant, decked to overflowing with every kind of pig statue, portrait, and knick-knack imaginable. His smile broadened when he saw her swinging on the playground — slowly, he had reminded her.

  Then something inside him sighed as he imagined the kiss he had planned to end their evening with, a kiss he had been looking forward to ever since the last one had ended.

  Would he always feel this way? He figured some things would have to fade in time, just for practicality’s sake. If he felt this way forever, he’d never get a decent day’s work done the rest of his life.

  Or sleep, if tonight was any indication.

  He rolled to his side and looked at his alarm clock. The red digital numbers read eleven-thirty.

  Rolling back to his other side, he tried finding a comfortable spot, jerking limbs in every direction when his cell phone rang next to his bed.

  Who would be calling him this late at night? A church member must have been admitted to the hospital.

  Ryan picked up his phone. “Hello?”

  “Ryan? Is Kayla there with you?”

  Ryan sat up. “Aunt Lavender?” He gazed down at the shorts he slept in and his bare chest. He couldn’t see his neck but knew it was red. “No, of course she’s not with me. I brought her home, remember?”

  “Oh, Lord God in Heaven, help us.”

  “Miss Bloom — Miss Blossom — Kayla was brought home at a decent hour tonight, and I’ve been alone ever since.”

  “Oh, you dear boy, I’m not in the slightest questioning anything like that. Good gracious. Kayla is gone. Jose has run away. I don’t know where either of them are, and she couldn’t call anyone because her cell phone is in her purse which is still in your car!”

  “What?” Ryan rubbed his hand over his head. In one swift move, he was out of bed and pulling on his jeans, holding the phone between his chin and shoulder so he could use both hands to dress. “I don’t understand. Can you start at the beginning?”

  That was the wrong question to ask. Laverne Bloom started her story at the beginning of the day. It took the entire drive to her house to get up to the part where she and Doctor Bradley had arrived home from the police station to find a note from Kayla.

  By that point, Ryan was in the kitchen reading the note for himself.

  Aunt Lav,

  I’m so sorry. I messed up. My cell phone is in my purse, and I left it in Ryan’s car. I don’t have anyone’s number memorized and can’t find a church directory. So I’m going myself. I can’t think of anything else to do. When you get back, please call Ryan. Tell him I went to a place that is special to him and me and Jose. I don’t want to write where here just in case those guys break in and read this or something.

  That was it. The handwriting was a terrible mess, as if she had written the note while doing three other things at the same time. She had not even bothered to sign it.

  “Do you know where she is talking about?” Laverne clutched at his sleeve.

  Ryan looked at the note. A place special to him and her and Jose. “It’s the tree house, of course!”

  Laverne shook her head. “That’s where Kayla went first. That’s where she found the drugs, but not Jose.”

  Where else would Jose go to hide away from the bad guys? A place special to the three of them?

  “Oh no.” His stomach twisted. “She went up the hill.”

  Then his stomach twisted harder. “And I have her purse, which has her emergency shot in it.”

  Suddenly he was all movement. “I’m going up that mountain right now. I need a flashlight, a bottle of water, and any medications Kayla might need.”

  He turned to the doctor. “I also need some kind of backpack, a blanket, and… and a Bible.”

  He rifled through Kayla’s purse, not caring if he was invading her privacy. When Stephen brought the backpack, he tossed in Kayla’s emergency shot dose, her cell phone, and another bottle that looked like it might be medicine.

  Packed, he turned to go. Laverne stopped him to add a bag of muffins. “Just in case,” she said with tears in her eyes. “We will be praying the whole time.”

  Ryan was fighting his own emotions. It had been hours, and he remembered hearing a light rain earlier. “Yes, please pray.” He turned to the doctor. “And you might want to call the police. Maybe they could send some people out, considering the situation.”

  “They won’t file a missing person report for a non-minor until twenty-four hours have passed,” Laverne said.

  “No, but Kayla’s not a runaway. We know where she went, and we know she should be back by now, and we know she went to find a kid who found a stash of drugs and is in hiding. I’d think that would add up to enough reason to help.”

  “You’re right, son. I’ll call them right away. They already had men working on finding the drug pushers when we were leaving the station. If nothing else, maybe they’ll have more news.”

  “Thanks. I’ll try to call and keep you updated. I’ve got both my cell phone and Kayla’s with me, just in case the battery dies on one of them.”

  Before Laverne could add any sentimental words that would clog his throat with sore emotion again, Ryan opened the door, closed it behind him, then took off at a run for the trail that led up the mountain.

  When he thought of Kayla’s weakened state, Ryan felt his forehead breaking out in a cold sweat that had nothing to do with his body’s exertion. “God, help her please. Help them both.”

  He kept running. “And please help me to find them in time.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  What for Ryan was likely an easy thi
rty-minute hike had taken Kayla two solid hours. She pointed her flashlight down at her watch. Ten forty-five. A misty rain had added to her misery, but Kayla trudged on, only rarely calling Jose’s name. She had no energy to spare, so she was rationing it for when she reached the top where he most likely was hiding.

  She remembered one spot in particular, right where Ryan had taken her around the bend and shown her the view, that would be a perfect place for hiding for a night. The mountain had a natural curve that created a little alcove, not noticeable from the one side, and easily hidden if Jose had been creative enough to cover the opening with brush or sticks.

  That was where Kayla was headed. At least she hoped so. The trail, only a path created by the few people who hiked up there — which were not many from the looks of the overgrowth — was difficult to follow with only the small beam of a flashlight as guide. Kayla tripped several times, each time scraping a knee as she grasped her ribs instead of breaking her fall.

  She was exhausted by the time she reached what might be the bend. Stopping for a moment, she placed a hand against the mountainside and leaned onto its strength, praying for wisdom to help the little boy, then thinking to pray that he would be there to help.

  What if he had gone to a totally different place? What if he had gone home and was in danger there?

  Kayla took in several deep breaths and purposefully turned her thoughts away from those possibilities. God was in control. Even when the answers didn’t make sense, Ryan had said.

  So would He fix this problem? Kayla was not sure how to pray. If God didn’t always want things to be fixed because He had other plans, should she even ask for it?

  “God, it’s been so long since I’ve been really close to you. Those nights in the hospital were so special. Just you and me. Since then, I’ve tried to know You better and understand You more, but right here and now, I have to tell You I’m confused. Jose is out there somewhere, and I love that little boy, and he’s gone through so much. I know You sent Jesus to die for him, so I know You love him, too. Whether I’m supposed to find him tonight or not, would you please keep him safe, wherever he is? Would you help me to know what to do? Oh, and thanks that my asthma hasn’t flared up in all this rain and mist and stuff. I appreciate that.”