“Any of them get away?” Pemrose asked.
“I don't know,” Meacham answered. “No one expected them to take that route through the neighbors' property. We got a few shots at them. The Pecks could have been with the pack.”
“Bridges won't be happy if they ran out the back door,” Jennifer snapped.
“You looked under the beds?” Pemrose said.
Meacham cursed. “Of course not! No one's hiding under a bed.”
“At least, look!” Pemrose ordered. “We've got to find Peck.”
The sounds of men walking away faded. No one in the corner of the attic moved. The darkness was so pervasive that they could not see a wristwatch or anything more than the mere form of someone huddled next to them.
Graham kept his ear near the side of the wall and could hear men tearing up the house. Sounds of furniture being pushed back and forth drifted up the stairs. Beds were being shoved around. Men kept talking, but Graham couldn't discern what they said. After what seemed like an eternity, the house became silent again. Far off in the distance he heard several cars start, but the family didn't move.
CHAPTER 57
ONLY AFTER AN HOUR of total silence in the house did Graham speak. “I don't hear anything,” he said.
“I think they're gone,” Jackie answered.
“I'm going to crawl out, and then put the plywood back in place,” Graham whispered. “I think Mr. Big Time and his crew are gone. Don't anybody move until I come back.” By now he could see heads shaking in the dark. “Understood?” No one spoke.
Without making a sound, Graham pushed the plywood forward and worked his way out of the hamper. Even in the dark, he could tell that Bridges's men had ransacked their house. Beds had been pushed aside and chests thrown away from the walls. The lights were still on downstairs and the damage was obvious. Graham inched down the stairs, watching carefully to make sure no one was waiting to grab him. The living room was in shambles, but the kitchen didn't look too bad. Tiptoeing, he slowly peered around the corners of each room, but the men were gone.
Because the Pecks' family cars were parked in the garage and blocked anyone pulling the stairs down out of the attic, Pemrose's men hadn't checked the attic, but they wouldn't have seen where the family was hiding in the distant corner if they had. Apparently, it hadn't occurred to the thugs that the students had sneaked in front of the cars and left through the side garage door. Once satisfied, Graham hurried back upstairs to get the family out of the attic.
“Looks like Pemrose's men assumed that we ran,” Graham said. “No one's downstairs.” He offered his hand to Adah as she crawled through the hamper.
Adah stood up and dusted herself off. “I thank God that you had such an unusual place. These men would have killed us.”
“We don't have much time,” Eldad said. “I'm sure they will be back in the morning further to look.”
“We must run,” Graham said, “and tonight is our only chance.”
Jackie sat down on the side of the bathtub. “I've never been so frightened. I thought they had us for sure.” She looked up at Graham. “But where can we go?”
Matt smiled. “You didn't like my idea earlier, but now it might be just what we need. I don't think anybody knows about our summer place up on Mohawksin Lake. We could drive up there.”
Graham nodded. “I thought about this earlier when I asked your mom to gather up emergency supplies. It's on the rustic side, but we've got a complete home up there. Since it's equipped with a propane gas tank, no one would even know we were there for a considerable period of time. I think it's our only sure bet.”
“What about money?” Mary abruptly said. “How will we eat?”
“I put money in your grandmother's old bank account and we can use her bank card. Several days ago I also set up a separate account under a different name,” Graham explained. “We're covered.”
Adah nodded. “Eldad and I can take a train back to Evanston and…”
“No, you can't,” Jackie said. “They'd grab you in a minute. You must come with us.”
“Oh, no. We couldn't,” Adah said.
“You have to,” Graham insisted. “Your safety is too important to us. We have room up there in the forest. Don't worry. The Bible calls this man the dragon. You must not be out there where he could breathe on you.”
“Depending on the traffic and the condition of the roads, we can drive north in four to six hours,” Matt said. “We've got three cars.”
“That's right,” Graham agreed. “I've got my small hydrogen coupe in addition to Jackie's car and my large auto. We'll need all of them.”
Jackie looked at Mary, standing by herself next to the wall. “Mary, I'm sorry, but you don't have any choice. You must run with us.”
Mary didn't say anything, but only stared at the floor.
“You children can only pack a small suitcase,” Graham said. “Don't make a sound. Just get it done.” The children raced out of the room.
Graham put his arm on his wife's shoulder. “We must run like scared rats.”
“No, not like rats.” Adah said. “We will leave like the children of Israel did when they left Egypt. Not afraid, but with confidence, going forward in faith!”
“Yes.” Graham smiled. “Things have changed. We can leave now, trusting in our God!”
CHAPTER 58
GRAHAM HUDDLED the family and his Jewish friends close together in the kitchen. “Listen to me carefully,” he whispered. “Remember, there's a curfew across the suburbs. We've got to be extremely careful.”
Everyone nodded their agreement.
“In a moment we will get in the cars in the garage. Matt will drive the hydro-coupe by himself, and Adah and Eldad will be in Jackie's car. The rest of our family will stay together in my car. I'll raise the garage door and then we'll fly out of here.” He looked around carefully at each one of them. “Okay?”
“What happens if someone chases us?” Matthew said.
“I don't know what we can do except split up and hope to get back together in Wisconsin,” Graham said. “I think there's a McDonald's on the edge of Beloit. We could aim for that stop as a rendezvous point if we need to split up. I'm going to give Matt one of the phones in a wireless intercom set I've got out here in the garage. I'll stay in front and he can bring up the rear. If there's a problem we can communicate.”
Adah nodded her head. “I will pray the whole time that the Holy One of Israel will protect us.”
“Good,” Graham said. “Remember. Don't stop your car until we get out of Arlington Heights. Surveillance could be anywhere.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “I'm going to have Matt cover our car tags until we get to the edge of the town. If there's any camera surveillance set up around or outside of our house, they won't be able to trace our car numbers for a while.”
Matt darted out into the garage.
“Any questions?” Graham said.
“Do you think we will ever come back?” Mary's eyes filled with tears.
“I don't know,” Graham said. “I have no idea what's ahead.” He shook his head. “No one can even guess what the future holds. We can only do what seems best for all of us.”
Jackie put her arm around her daughter. “Don't worry, Mary. We're going to be all right.”
Mary didn't say anything. For once she huddled protectively next to her mother.
“Okay, Dad,” Matt said in a loud whisper. “I slipped hand towels over the tags. We're ready.”
“Let's go!” Graham ordered, and everyone rushed into the garage.
In a matter of seconds, the cars filled with passengers and the electronic garage opener sent the large door up. The cars backed out quietly. Graham quickly looked up and down the street, but saw nothing except dark houses. At first, he drove slowly and then pushed the caravan faster. Within minutes they paused at the entry to Interstate 90 to uncover their license tags so they wouldn't attract the attention of the highway patrol. Within second, they sped on toward Rockford.
Traffic proved to be sparse at one o'clock in the morning and their motorcade moved easily down the broad highway. The crimson glow of the moon beamed down on them. Bypassing the town of Rockford, they drove on north toward Janesville like any other travelers in the night. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them.
Once they crossed the state line, the late hour took its toll and the children nodded off. The stars twinkled brightly in the cold winter night, while Jeff, George, and Mary slept in the backseat. Jackie dozed on the passenger side of the front seat. In the rearview mirror, Graham could see Adah and Eldad following him in Jackie's car with Matt bringing up the rear in the hydro-coupe. So far, so good.
Graham wondered if he would feel sleepy, but the possibility of danger kept him alert. By the time they had crossed the state line he relaxed, feeling they had broken away from any surveillance or curfews in Illinois. Their caravan sped through Madison without incident and went north on Highway 51 toward Wisconsin Rapids.
The dramatic events of the last several weeks surfaced again in Graham's mind. Discovering Jake Pemrose's hand in funding terrorism and Borden Carson's ultimate role in the attacks had left Graham in total turmoil, but Sarah Cates's death utterly dismayed him. Sarah had her problems, but he could never accept her death. Clearly, circumstances had unfolded with a significance far beyond anything he could have dreamed possible, even in six lifetimes.
CHAPTER 59
AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES, Graham thought about his mother again. Bridges's claim that he had sent the killer stung in a way that wrenched Graham back and forth between sorrow and horrific anger. Grief over Maria's death had not subsided, and the pain was still heavy.
Yet, Graham recognized that his feelings about death had changed. No longer was dying the staggering, terrifying monster that everyone in his office believed it was. Graham knew that his new relationship with God surprisingly changed the hooded specter into a comrade with a purpose he could trust.
Ringing deeply in his mind, he could still hear her familiar voice. She had been the source of so much wisdom throughout his life, often bringing insight and clarity that no one else could offer. He abruptly remembered playing checkers with her in the corner of their living room when he was only twelve years old.
Maria had pushed a checker forward, leaned back in her chair, and grinned at Graham. “Okay, Mr. Smarty, lets see what you do now.”
Graham had stared at the checkerboard and been mystified by what piece to move. If he had moved to the left, his mother could jump him and pick up two checkers. However, going to the right might mean that she would end up taking even more pieces. He wasn't sure what to do. Graham had fumed.
“You know,” Maria had said. “You are a funny little boy.”
“What?” Graham had looked up in surprise.
Maria laughed. “You are a good boy. Yes, my son, you are a fine young man, and you are smart. You do exceptionally well in school.”
“I try.”
Maria nodded. “Yes, you are a good student and I am proud of your work, but you have one weakness, son. You tend to be naive.”
“Naive? What do you mean?”
“Well,” Maria spoke slowly, “you tend to think the best of everyone.” Her voice became more earnest. “But you often fail to look behind their actions, and examine their motives. You don't think they are capable of the destructiveness that is natural for them.”
“Are you serious?” Graham sounded mystified.
“It could get you in trouble someday,” Maria said seriously. “I know that you won't remember that I told you this fact, but assuming the best doesn't always work.”
A car with bright headlights suddenly came up the other side of the hill. Graham hadn't seen another automobile approaching them for a number of miles and the lights interrupted his memories. The car flashed past and was gone.
In that moment Graham realized that his mother had been right, very right. In the past months, he had not even once thought about what Bridges, Pemrose, Meacham, any of them might actually be doing. Sarah Cates had been little more than a functionary until she drank too much and tried to seduce him. Each one of them had an agenda he had not even bothered to consider and it nearly cost Graham his life and the lives of his family. Being intelligent did not compensate for not paying careful attention.
The scene of playing checkers with his mother that afternoon returned to his mind again. They had continued playing that game for another five minutes when Maria suddenly put her hand in the middle of the checkerboard.
“What if I told you that we are no longer playing checkers,” Maria had abruptly said.
Graham had jerked his head back. “What?”
“What if I told we are now playing the game of chess with the checkers?”
Graham had stared at his mother, not comprehending what she was saying. “You're not making any sense.”
“Well,” Maria had said with a sly twist in her voice, “what would you think if I said that the black checker over there in the corner is now a pawn and that white one is a king.” She pointed around the board. “We could make the black checker on the end into a rook. Right?”
“I wouldn't know what to do,” Graham said.
“It would slow you down a bit, wouldn't it?”
“Sure. How in the world would I know what was going on.”
“Yes,” Maria said. “Yes, you would be confused. Then, on the next turn I might tell you that the game we are now playing is actually called marbles and the goal is to get our players to the other side of the board first. Now, that would finish you off!”
“You bet,” Graham said.
Maria nodded her head. “Son, we don't go to church much, but you know that I believe in God. I've learned something that could prove to be important to you. Just as I've been describing changing the rules in the middle of the game, the Lord often has purposes behind the scenes that we know nothing about. We think we're playing one game, and He actually has another one in mind.”
Graham stared in confusion. “Another one?”
We think we're living our lives in one direction, “Maria continued,” only to discover that God has taken us down a completely different path, and then later in our life we may find out that there was a third alternative behind the scenes that we didn't even consider. Only after a couple of decades might that last design become obvious.” Maria patted him on the hand. “Life operates like that, you know. You might think your existence was like a checkerboard game; later you find it actually was a chess match, and much later it turns out to have been marbles all along.”
Graham remembered staring at Maria, unsure of what to say, but feeling she had told him something of great significance. Suddenly, it was coming clear to him. He had thought the world was sailing straight ahead—a great home in the suburbs and an important job in Chicago politics. But in a matter of hours all the pieces on the table had been renamed. He was actually living in the middle of a battle to stop the forces of evil from destroying the world. He and his family were plunged into a conflict going on for centuries that they didn't even know existed. The game had turned inside out!
Rolling hills in front of Graham's car became filled with trees. Even though it was too dark to see them, Graham knew that tall pines were starting to appear. The town of Wausau wasn't far ahead… but what was really ahead?What was actually on the other side of the hills, waiting for all of them out there in the future? Graham knew more danger would be waiting than he had dreamed possible. His simple decision to trust God had plunged him into a battle where checkers did suddenly become chessmen.
He took Jackie's hand. She mumbled slightly and snuggled up next to him, warm and good. They could walk through this time together and endure. Mary was a problem, but the family could struggle and still stay together. He was thankful that Adah Honi and Eldad Rafaeli would be with them. The times would be hard, but in the midst of the battle Graham felt thankful, and that was a new kind of hope for him. Thankfulness. Yes, and
that was a good feeling.
“Dad,” Mart's voice echoed over the earpiece in Graham's ear. “I'm being followed!”
CHAPTER 60
OTHER THAN the headlights of the four cars, blackness surrounded the Pecks like a shroud. Flying down the highway at 80 miles an hour, Graham carefully studied his rearview mirror to understand what was happening behind him. Adah Honi was still following his bumper and he could see Matt driving at a safe distance from her, but another car was clearly on his son's taillights. Graham picked up the transmitter and spoke softly.
“Son, we're in Wisconsin. If it's not the highway patrol, no one from Illinois has any jurisdiction. They can't legally stop us.”
“I don't care what's lawful,” Matt barked. “I'm not sure where I picked this guy up, but he's clearly on my tail.”
“Can you see who's in the car?”
“No, but he keeps talking into a cell phone. He's getting instructions from someone.”
“Do you want me to pull over and stop?”
“Dad, I think stopping would play into his hands.”
Graham thought for a minute. “Then let's try another angle. I'm going to slow down to fifty-five miles an hour. Let's see what he does.” He took his foot off the gas pedal.
After fifteen seconds, Matt called back. “He's slowing down exactly like we are. No question but that this guy is following us.”
“We need to know who he is,” Graham concluded. “You got a flashlight. Right?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to do this maneuver carefully, Matt. We don't need any wrecks. Set your rearview mirror so you'll get a clear facial view. Then turn on the flashlight and shine it over your shoulder. Find out if you've seen this creep before.”
“Here goes nothing.” The intercom went dead.
Graham hung on, hoping the light wouldn't cause an accident, but he didn't know any other way to fathom who was on Mart's bumper.
Suddenly, the earpiece buzzed. “Dad! I saw him. Jake Pemrose is following us! He's in the car by himself.”
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