Reluctantly, they filed out of the SUV and trotted into the garage.
Clara noticed Mrs. Allen’s face was ravaged by worry. It looked like it was taking everything she had to even speak with them.
“There’s been no news?” Josh asked quietly.
“No.” Barb sniffed. “They still haven’t returned. I’m scared to death.”
Joshua asked, “What about the police? I would have thought they’d be here already.”
“They’re sending over two officers, but they’ve asked us to do as much as we can, too. There’s been a number of stranded motorists and some power outages, as well as a terrible wreck on the exit ramp of the freeway, with four cars involved.
“The policeman I talked to said we’d most likely have better luck looking in their spots than a group of people who didn’t know them,” Barbara added. “Plus, he said sometimes scared children won’t come to a stranger.”
“That makes sense,” Josh said. “Let’s split into groups. Caleb, you and I will make a team.”
“I’ll take Clara,” said Tim. “We’ll search the area near her house.”
“There are a few fishing holes toward my home that I think I told Anson about one time.” Clara added, shaking her head in frustration. “I’m afraid I once told him they were the best fishing spots.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Lilly said. “None of us could have guessed that the boys would go to the creek when it was so high. Gretta, how about you and I walk a bit in the opposite way?”
“And I’ll keep everyone informed as best I can.” Barbara reached into a pocket and pulled out a worn tissue. “Please check in within the hour.”
“We can do that,” Tim said. “Do you have any raincoats or even plastic garbage sacks?”
“I got some from Elsa,” Mrs. Allen said, pointing to the stack of coverings waiting to be donned.
After slipping her feet into an old pair of Elsa’s galoshes, Clara pulled a rain slicker over her head and followed Tim, who wore his own boots, his black hat, and a large green trash sack with a hole cut out of the top.
“Please hurry. And please look everywhere,” Barb said. “Even…even in the water,” she sputtered. “Just in case—”
“We will,” Josh said. “We will look everywhere until we find them. No matter what.”
In front of everyone, Tim reached for her hand. Clara slipped hers in his. And then they were off toward the creek.
They were walking too fast for conversation.
But not so fast that they couldn’t do the one thing each of them knew was most important. To pray.
Chapter 24
“Anson! Anson? Ty!” Clara called out. “Ty? Ty Allen? Can you hear me?”
She held her breath, straining her ears to listen for even the smallest sound.
But still, no one answered her calls.
Two hours had passed since they’d begun the search. After the first hour, the downpour had miraculously lessened to a light sprinkle.
In the distance, there was a break in the clouds. A wan ray of sunshine had appeared, seeming to direct them, just like the star in the sky had once guided the wise man so many years ago.
“Ty! Anson!” Tim yelled beside her, his deep voice seeming to shake every tree branch surrounding them and splattering them with water. Startled, a sparrow alighted, squawking in protest at their disturbance.
But still, no boys answered their call.
“I’m beginning to lose hope,” Clara confided.
“Don’t. We need to stay positive. We will find them.”
She appreciated his sentiments, but if she’d learned anything, it was that sometimes life didn’t always turned out the way people wanted it to.
And in that case, it was better to be prepared. “But if we don’t find them. Or if we find them and they’re—”
Tim reached out to her and squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t say it,” he commanded. “We will find those boys and they will be all right. Think positive, Clara. Please.” His voice turned deeper, huskier. “Don’t give up. Promise me you won’t give up.”
There was such a plaintive note in his voice, Clara had no choice but to give him what he asked for. “I promise. I promise I won’t lose hope.”
“Thank you.” With a ragged sigh, he pointed to his right. “Let’s move on. I don’t think we’ve tried this direction yet, do you?”
To the right were thick bushes and a myriad of ash trees covered from trunk to limb with thistle-covered vines. On the ground lay a thick blanket of brown leaves and dots of ripe green grass shooting through a few gaps. Had they been there before?
She honestly didn’t know. It was all starting to look the same. But she couldn’t find any of their footprints, so perhaps that meant they hadn’t searched there yet.
Still fighting the dull sense of foreboding inside of her, she shook her head. “I don’t think we have, Tim. Let’s go.”
The soggy ground slurped underfoot as Tim reached for her hand and they veered right. The clouds above shifted again. Seconds later, the light sprinkles had turned to thick raindrops. She blinked them away as they kissed her skin.
Their coverings had not offered much protection under the pouring rain. Underneath the raincoat, Clara’s dress was soaked. The wet leather of her boots rubbed blisters onto her heels.
But still they continued. “How much longer until we check in with the others?” she asked as they walked down a trail.
He pushed up his sleeve. “Twenty minutes.” The moment the rain had lessened, he’d pulled the trash bag off his shoulders and had stuffed it in his backpack, claiming the plastic had been too hot and confining. Now, as the rain fell harder, he pulled back out the plastic bag and slipped it over his shoulders.
An hour ago, they’d all gathered along the river’s edge and checked in with each other. Lilly had yelled for all of them to meet near the widest section of the creek, where she gathered the reports.
That hadn’t taken long, because no one had had any news.
Lilly had called home and told her mom to report their latest news to the police. Then, no one wanting to just sit and wait, they all made arrangements to meet in another hour, this time at the banks of the creek, where the Graber and Slabaugh land met.
Through it all, Clara clung to Tim. He was her support. She dared not say anything to any of the families, but she dearly loved that Anson. He was special to her…one of her favorite students, though she knew she wasn’t supposed to have favorites. Now, as they stumbled back down their muddy tracks and gazed once again along the shores, Clara peeled her eyes and forced herself to keep her promise to Tim.
Pushed herself to have hope. To remember that it was God who was in charge. And that there was a reason all this had happened. And that He was watching over Ty and Anson far better than any of them could.
Thank you, Lord, she prayed. Thank you for guiding us. For being with us. For watching over Ty and Anson when we cannot.
Over and over Clara prayed her simple prayer. As she opened her heart to Him, she felt a little better. It was as if a haze had been lifted from her eyes, and she could see her surroundings more clearly. In a new light—not weighed down by glum thoughts and negativity.
With her fresh perspective, she kept scanning the area. Right and left. Looking for the boys.
Looking for anything that would lead her and Tim to them.
And then her heart jumped. “Tim! Tim, there’s a thicket of bushes over to the left, right by that patch of purple wildflowers. Do you see it?”
“I do. What about it?”
“I think there’s something different about it.” She moved closer. “I think there’s something stuck to the branches. Do you see it? Does it look like something shiny is peeking out?”
He squinted. “I don’t see anything, let’s go look.”
Clara smiled at him, grateful that he’d taken her sighting seriously.
Carefully, they approached the spot, both scanning the area intently.
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The bushes were prickly. In no time, Tim’s makeshift raincoat was ripped and torn. But he hardly seemed to notice as he lifted branches. “I think there is something here,” he said.
She leaned closer. So excited to have good news.
But what they uncovered only heightened her worries. There, knotted and caught among the branches, was fishing line. Tied to one end was a red fishing lure—the fishing lure Anson had brought to school one day to show her.
“This is theirs,” she said, her voice sounding unnaturally high pitched. “They were here.”
He lightly touched the knots and crimps in the plastic line. “They must have tried to get out of the rain and gotten the line caught. This is amazing, Clara. Now we have an idea about where they were. Good job.”
“It’s not that good. We haven’t found them.”
“Keep positive, remember?”
Resolutely, she nodded. “I remember.”
His steady gaze never left hers. “We should call out to the others and let them know what we found. Would you like to do it? Or shall I?”
She was touched that he’d even offered. But that was the kind of man he was. Giving. Considerate. “I’ve got a good strong voice. I’ll do it.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good job.”
Facing the others, raising her face into the storm, she yelled. “Hello? Hello, this is Clara! Everyone, we found fishing wire! We think the boys were here.”
Twenty seconds later, a voice floated out of the distance. “Location?”
“Near my house. Near the Slabaugh house! And about two hundred feet from the wide gap of the creek.”
“Stay there!” the voice demanded. “We’re on our way.”
As they heard the faint flurry of voices race to join them, Clara turned to Tim. “We will find those boys,” she stated. “And they will be okay.”
“That’s right. God’s looking out for them. He’s holding them until we can get there.”
Buoyed by his statement, she smiled, then called out again. “Ty? Anson? Can you hear me?”
Tim joined, yelling the boys’ names every few seconds. But no one replied.
Until her mother did. “Clara? Clara Slabaugh? What in the world are you doing, walking outside in the rain?”
“Ty? Ty? Anson!”
Lilly knew her voice was getting hoarse from yelling so much. Together, she and Gretta had made wide circles around her house, and then did the same thing with the Grabers’ home. Now they were heading back toward her house for a quick break. Gretta needed to use the bathroom and Lilly wanted to check on her mom. The last time they’d talked, her mom sounded scared to death.
When her phone rang, Lilly answered her mother’s call eagerly, then felt the world spin around her as she processed the news. “That was Kasey, our policeman friend. He said that Clara and Tim found some fishing wire.”
Gretta frowned. “But nothing else?”
“He didn’t say, but I don’t think so.”
A tear fell from Gretta’s eyes and mixed in with the pouring rain. “I’m worried, Lilly. That boy has no fear. He could have jumped in that creek on a dare.”
“I’m worried, too. Ty and Anson do stupid things together. They hardly ever think about things like consequences.”
“Or worry about making other people worry,” Gretta added grimly.
“Or keep us informed. I can’t tell you the number of times they’ve gone to each other’s houses without telling our moms where they’re running off to.”
“At least they’ll be together.”
“I hope so.” Lilly was prevented from saying anything else because a line of four cars pulled into the driveway. “Hello? Hi. What are all of you doing here?” she asked when all the doors started opening and people began piling out.
“Mrs. Kent!” Gretta said. “Mamm! Miriam! What are all you doing here?”
“Where else would we be?” Mrs. Kent said. “As soon as we heard that Anson and Ty were missing, and that people feared they were near the creek, we put a Closed sign on the door and started gathering up everyone we knew.”
The front door opened. As she stood in the threshold, her mother stared. Even from where she was, Lilly could see that her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen.
“What’s going on?” she asked, looked at Lilly worriedly. “Is something wrong? Do you have bad news?”
“No, Mrs. Allen. We came here to help,” Mrs. Kent said as she led the procession inside. “We brought casseroles and thermoses of coffee.”
“I packed two boxes of cookies that we had for sale today,” Miriam added.
A group of men stood under the front porch. Some were bearded, others clean-shaven. All looked united in their efforts. “We have more rain gear and some walkie-talkies,” one said. “I went to a few friends’ houses who couldn’t get away and got what supplies I could. We’re going to go pass them out, and go see what else you need.”
As others talked about what they brought, Lilly stared at them all in shock. Everyone had literally dropped everything in their lives in order to lend a hand. Even in the middle of a thunderstorm.
Even Robert had come.
Awareness gripped her as she watched him visit with a few other men. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall. Compared to the others, he seemed a little taller, a little more muscled.
A little more attractive, with his neatly trimmed brown beard and blue eyes. Her pulse jumped when she watched him grin at someone’s quip. His teeth were brightly white and lit up his face.
Then he looked her way. Those blue eyes caught hers and held on. She couldn’t look away.
They hardly knew each other, but he’d come to her house to help. Certainly it was only because of Anson and Ty…but part of Lilly felt a connection to him. She knew that he’d also come for her. Knew that she meant something to him…even if he wasn’t sure quite what. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what he meant to her either. But she was certainly glad he was there.
Thank you, she mouthed to him. Not sure if he could read her lips. Not sure if he was actually staring at her.
But just as Mr. Yoder called the group together, Robert looked her way again. You’re welcome, he mouthed.
As soon as Mr. Yoder divided them into search teams and tersely called out instructions, Robert left with his designated group.
Lilly closed her eyes and prayed for his safety.
“Lilly, Gretta, come out of the rain for a bit,” her mother called out, interrupting her reverie. “You can help us make baskets of Styrofoam cups and thermoses. We can deliver them to groups as they get closer.”
“But, Mom, we should go back out there, searching. Ty is out there.”
“I know that.”
“Then you know I can’t just stay here. Doing nothing.”
Her mother winced at the words. Instantly, Lilly ached to take them back. Her mother hadn’t been merely doing nothing. And it was more important than ever that someone was at the house, keeping it as an information base.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I didn’t mean it like that.” Warring emotions churned inside her. She wanted to find Ty, but she didn’t want to make her mother cry either.
“We all know what you meant, Lilly.” After wiping her face and arms down with a towel, Gretta nodded calmly. “I think this task is a good one. We’ve been walking in circles without any luck. At least preparing these baskets will feel like I am doing something useful.”
There was something to be said about that, Lilly knew. As her mother showed the assembled ladies the kitchen, and where they could deposit purses and rain gear and coats, Mrs. Kent began organizing them all.
Gretta’s mother came over and gave her daughter a hug. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just worried.”
“You must take care of yourself. Jah?”
“I’m fine, Mamm,” she said, though Lilly could have sworn her cheeks blushed a bit. Curious, Lilly looked her way. Gretta kept her head down, but a se
cret glow seemed to emanate from her.
Over the next half hour, they bagged cookies and granola bars and slipped them into baskets with a thermos of hot coffee and cups.
Nervous chatter echoed off the walls as everyone tried their best to sound positive. To ask about each other’s jobs and children. Almost like any other day.
Then the phone rang and all went silent.
Her mom ran to the phone and picked it up. “Hello?” she asked anxiously.
Lilly leaned closer.
Her mom gripped the phone and licked her bottom lip. “Are you sure?”
Her mom sounded so forlorn, so upset, Lilly’s heart started to pound. Had they found the boys? With a nervous expression, Gretta turned to her and gripped her hand.
“What…what can I…” She closed her eyes. “Yes. I see. Thank you. Yes, I’ll wait.” With a shaking hand, she hung up.
Lilly gripped her arm. “Mom, who was that? What happened?”
In a daze, her mom looked up. “That was the sheriff. They…they think they’ve found Ty’s raincoat,” she said, before breaking into sobs. “They’ve called in the canine unit from Berlin. They’re going to see if the dogs can help, though it’s doubtful because of the rain and the creek.”
Her tears ran faster as she looked at Lilly. “I’m so afraid. What…what if we’ve lost him? My baby? Our baby. What are we going to do?”
“Mom you can’t think like that. You can’t talk like that,” Lilly said, feeling stronger than ever before. “We have not lost Ty or Anson. We will find those boys. We will. We have to.”
“And we will keep praying,” Gretta’s mother gently added. “No matter what happens…no matter what God has in store for us, we will keep praying.”
Gretta hugged her mother tight. “That is gut advice, Mamm. Yes, that is what we will continue to do.”
Lilly looked at her friend—the girl who had once felt like her enemy—and noticed that she was ghostly pale. Instinctively, she knew Gretta was most likely thinking about losing her little sister Beth.
How sometimes even the most horrible things did actually happen.
“Don’t give up,” she whispered. “Please, keep praying and don’t give up.”
Seasons of Sugarcreek 02. Spring's Renewal Page 17