by H. L. Wegley
He stood in the living room of their suite.
“Please hold me, sweetheart.”
He pulled her head against his chest. “Worried about what the day might bring?”
“You know me too well.”
“Not possible.” He squeezed her. “I just assumed you were doing the same thing I am, wondering what’s going to happen.”
“Tell me we’re not being fools—that this will all turn out good in the end.”
“I’m not the final authority on that. But the One who is said all things work together for good for people like us. At least, that’s what the end ultimately looks like. And your question about fools…” He cupped her cheeks so they stared into each other’s eyes. “If those girls knew what we were attempting, and they knew we were the only ones attempting it, would they look at us as being fools?”
She pushed forward and kissed him. “How do you do that?”
“Do what? Cure the morning mouth I had when you picked me up yesterday? That’s easy. Toothpaste.”
“No. I mean how do you come up with a question that answers my question?”
“It’s genius. Pure genius.”
She poked his ribs. “I hardly think so. But right now, I need to focus on making something happen rather than wondering what’s going to happen, so let’s go. And, Lee?”
“What, sweetheart?”
“If you promise to keep using toothpaste, I think I can handle the next sixty years.”
****
Lee looked at his watch, 6:32. “Good-bye, Olympic Suites.”
“Should we tell anyone we stayed here together?”
He certainly didn’t plan to. “It wasn’t our first choice, and it shouldn’t be our first choice to tell anyone. It might have been necessary, but was really out of character for us.”
“It was kind of nice staying under the same roof, though, even if we were in separate rooms, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. It was nice.” He gave her a smirk. “But I’ve heard that after you’re married, it gets even better.”
“I think we need to talk about coffee.”
“I think I’d enjoy a quad venti mocha.”
“No, I think you enjoy embarrassing me.”
“Until this weekend, I didn’t even know that was possible. But I’ve got to admit, with a little color in your cheeks, you could win any beauty pageant on the planet.”
Jennifer took his hand and drove in silence to Mocha Motion, the drive-through espresso stand in the center of town.
“It’s not raining as hard.” Lee craned his neck to look upward through the passenger-side window. “But the wind is picking up out of the southwest. This shop may be open for business now, but I’ll bet it closes early.”
Jennifer’s window slid down, and she placed their order before the female barista could greet them. “Two quad venti mochas. Extra hot, please.”
“Anything to eat for you two? Muffins, maybe?”
Lee leaned to see the menu. “I’ll have a poppy seed muffin and one of those breakfast cookies,” he said, as he leaned across to shove a twenty through the driver’s window.
Jennifer grabbed his hand. “You have a few things you need to pay for, but this isn’t one of them.” She glanced at the barista. “I’ll have the same as my fiancé.” She handed the barista her own twenty.
The young woman smiled warmly. “Fiancé. That must be nice. I’ve seen you here occasionally. What’re you doing out here in such nasty weather?”
He looked up. “We—”
“We’re staying at the inn.” She blocked his view of the barista with her head. “We had to take a two-bedroom suite, because our wedding is still a few weeks away. It was nice to have some time together, but I’ve heard it gets better after you’re married.”
He groaned and lowered his forehead into his hand.
“Well…moving right along, here are your muffins and cookies. The drinks will be ready in a minute.” The barista disappeared from the window shaking her head.
“Jenn, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I know exactly what I’m doing—getting even. And it worked. You ought to see yourself.”
“But we agreed not to—”
“No, Lee. You suggested. I never agreed. What’s more, I think I’m going to tell Jim Williamson and let your men’s accountability group at church deal with you.”
“But, Jenn, they won’t un—”
“And I won’t, either…tell them, that is. But I’ll bet they could really tighten down the thumbscrews if I did.”
The barista, apparently still at a loss for words, shoved their two drinks at them.
Jennifer grabbed the two large cups. With her eyes on the barista, she pushed a cup at him. “Keep the change and have a nice day.” She smiled at the girl and closed her window. “Well, one mission accomplished, and now we can focus on the next one.”
“Please do,” he said between sips of steaming hot coffee.
****
Shortly before they passed Braithwaite’s shop, Jennifer hit the power button on the stereo. Two days before, she had positioned the player to begin at the song she now needed to hear. The song provided the answer to her doubts, fears, and Peterson’s warnings.
Today she would to listen to His voice, the voice of truth from her favorite Christian singer.
Lee’s head was tilted forward and his eyes were closed. He was deep in silent prayer.
She joined him, except for the closed-eyes part.
When the song finished, she hit the power button and held his hand as she guided the vehicle through the winding road that would bring them to Kalaloch.
In a few minutes they reached the Hoh River bend.
She released her grip on Lee’s hand to steer through the steep, never-ending turn.
When the road finally angled back, Lee craned his neck, and then opened his window and stuck his head out as they crossed over the narrow bridge.
The Hoh River drained the wettest rainforest in North America. The roar of its water sounded loudly above the rain, wind, and road noise. The deep sound of awesome, raging power rumbled, resonating in her chest.
Lee closed his window and pulled the satellite picture and map from the side pocket of his door.
He would probably study their approach plans until they reached the sites, analyzing each detail for ways to improve it. That was Lee, analytical. But, like her, he also used his intuition. As Lee said, together they made a great team. She wished it wasn’t a team facing life-threatening danger for the second time in seven months.
The voice of truth did indeed say to not be afraid, however, that didn’t take all the fear away. But God provided courage for those who trusted Him. Enough courage to act despite their fears. That’s what His word said, and that’s what she needed today, cour—
Smack! Something hit the right side of the car. The unknown force shoved the vehicle over the center line.
She jerked the wheel to the right, barely preventing them from running into the ditch.
Lee looked at her. “The wind’s picking up. You’ll need to watch the gusts each time you pass an opening to the beach.”
“It caught me by surprise. I didn’t realize we were so close to Kalaloch and to the beach.” She took a deep breath and blasted it back out.
“Are you OK?” He put his hand on her shoulder.
She reached across and squeezed his hand. “Yes. Just deep in thought…and in prayer.”
“Me, too. We intended to stop in Kalaloch, but the Beach 4 parking area is coming up. Why don’t you pull in there?”
“Good idea. And don’t worry. I won’t let the wind blow us off the road.” She placed her hand back on the wheel.
“Jenn, you’re the best driver I know, but we’ve got to make sure we’re not driving this stretch of road this afternoon, or you might not be able to prevent that.”
The next blast of wind sounded like someone whacked her car with a baseball bat. It splattered so much rain
she couldn’t see the road ahead. But she had anticipated the gust and managed to keep the SUV in the right lane.
When the Beach 4 sign appeared, she turned in.
The trees surrounding the paved parking area swayed like demonic dancers in the gusting winds.
Where was the safest place to park? Probably the center of the vacant parking area.
She stopped there and scanned the trees. If they fell, they couldn’t reach her vehicle, could they? What if the wind picked up a tree? Could it carry the tree far enough to crash into…it wasn’t the time for such distractions. They had a lot pray about.
“Lee, will you start, please? I’ll finish. And please pray for me. The storm is barely starting, and I’m already battling the willies.”
When Lee finished, he had verbalized every concern on her heart.
Jennifer thanked God for the unity that enabled him to enumerate her requests by simply speaking what was on his own heart. But the words in her heart needed to be spoken, too. They spilled out like water from opened flood gates. Protection for Lee, petitions for the girls and for the arrival of the FBI when they were needed.
At 7:30, they drove out of the parking area, exiting between two large, swaying trees, and pulled onto Highway 101. The prayer time had given her a measure of peace.
Lee shifted restlessly in his seat.
She wanted to take his hand, but the wind gusts were too strong and unpredictable. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
“We’re running out of time. The worst of the storm will hit us shortly. We need to short-circuit our plan and—”
“And go straight to Braithwaite’s mill?” She glanced his way. “We both know that’s where we’ll find the girls.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe the right timing is being worked out for us…by the One who really is in control here. Just think about it. Nothing has happened on schedule since we got out here.”
“That’s an understatement. So now, we go to Braithwaite’s mill. But it’s too dark for me to see the map. Let’s stop at Kalaloch and use the overhead light to take another look at our approach plan.”
By 8:00, they had finished re-examining the map and their approach to the mill site.
What if the girls weren’t there? The thought ambushed her, attacking the confidence built during her prayer time. A storm surge of doubt rolled over Jennifer like a thirty-foot wave. “Lee, I don’t think I can handle it if we strike out here.”
His arms drew her close. “Remember Who’s really in control? If that’s what you b—”
“It is what I believe…but sometimes I need to be reminded.” Jennifer shifted back into her seat and pulled out onto the highway. “Eight miles to the mill, right?”
“Right as rain.”
“That was totally unnecessary. After the past two days, I’m ready to move to Death Valley.”
“Death Valley? Couldn’t you have picked some other desert location?”
“You mean like Tombstone?” She shot him a smile as she accelerated. But all humor had its roots in truth, and the truth was, as she had stated yesterday, what they were doing wasn’t safe.
By 8:20, they were searching for the timber access road a quarter mile west of the mill site. The recently planted trees waved like wheat in a breeze-swept field.
What would they look like when they began their violent dance to hurricane-force winds? She prayed she wouldn’t be here to watch it.
Lee’s voice startled her. “Fifty yards ahead. Let’s hope there’s no gate on it.”
“Gate? Are you being your usual worrying self, or trying to get me to join you?”
He grinned. “Misery loves company.”
No vehicles in the rear-view mirror. Good.
She slowed.
Lee pointed to the mouth of the road. “Great! There is a gate. Pull up to it and let me take a look.”
“It’s not a good idea to sit out here exposed.”
“I only need a few seconds. Besides, the mill road is still a quarter mile up the highway. They couldn’t have spotted us yet.” He stepped out, opened the rear door, and pulled something from his pack.
He reappeared carrying a hatchet.
A handy tool for splitting firewood, but for unlocking a gate? She didn’t think so.
Lee set the hatchet down on the steel cylinder protecting the lock on the gate.
What was he doing?
His hand reached up into the bottom of the cylinder and came out holding something. He picked up his hatchet and set something on top of the cylinder. A padlock?
Lee pushed the gate open and motioned for her to drive through. After she passed through, Lee closed the gate, put the padlock back inside the cylinder, and scampered to the vehicle.
“The lock was hanging there, but it wasn’t locked. What are the odds of that? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. I hope the rest of the day is as wonderful.” She steered onto the small dirt road. This was the moment they’d been waiting for since Saturday morning. Her pulse shifted up a gear. But the accompanying adrenaline rush would erode her caution. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and tried to calm down.
Lee looked at her and nodded. “Me, too. It’s hard to stay calm and think things through.”
The fuzzy images in the rear-view mirror told her they were out of sight of any traffic on the highway. “I’m going to park behind the small trees on the left.”
She steered towards the parking spot, but the steering became mushy when she turned off the dirt road. The vehicle slowed to a crawl. Her reflexes kicked in. She pressed on the accelerator. The car stopped moving, all but the wheels.
She pulled her foot from the gas pedal and slammed her hand on the steering wheel. “I’ve gotten us stuck.”
“Not your fault, sweetheart. The ground looked fine until we sank in. There must be underground seepage from all the rain. Let me get out and take a look.”
He circled the vehicle and slid back in. “I’ll find something to give us some traction. Be right back.”
Lee disappeared around a cluster of small trees.
Jennifer took a deep breath and tried to relax, but her pulse pounded in her fingers, her head…in every part of her body.
Lee came out of the trees with a large armload of wood. He distributed the wood evenly to all four wheels and motioned for her to roll the window down. “When I get the wood under the tires, try to back out of the hole. I’ll stay out here and watch the wheels.”
On her first attempt, the car rolled backwards about a foot. But when the tires hit the back edge of the hole they’d sunk into, the wheels spun.
Lee gave her the slit-throat signal. “The wood is just sinking into the mud. No progress. We need to dig a gradual incline for each wheel and try again. Do you have anything we can dig with?”
“Nothing. I don’t even think the jack has any parts we can use for digging.”
“The jack…that gives me an idea. Wait here.”
“Lee, we’re losing a lot of time.”
“Some. But sit tight while I get some more wood. There’s a pile of old slashings beyond the trees. I can find something to dig with.”
She waited.
Five minutes passed and Lee hadn’t returned. Maybe he needed help.
As she opened her door, Lee reappeared carrying another large armload of wood.
It was 8:50 AM. Desperation grew, spreading through her body until her legs and arms grew weak and shaky.
As Lee approached the car, his eyes widened. He dumped his load of wood.
That wasn’t a good sign. She rolled her window down when he stepped to the driver’s side.
“Bad news. I created a bog around each wheel.”
“We don’t need this, Lee. Let’s walk to the mill, now.”
“You know we can’t do that. If this is the holding location, and they detect us, we’d be creating one of the scenarios we discussed—where we have to run eight miles through the woods to Kalaloch. They wou
ld know where we were headed, and they’d be waiting for us. That leaves no us and no help for the girls.”
“Tell me what I can do. I need to do something.”
“Let me think for a minute.” He stared at the wheel nearest him. “I need to see the base of your jack.”
She pushed the button to unlock the rear door, slid out into the rain, and headed for the back. At least she remembered how to get the jack. “Will this work?”
Lee took the base. “I think we can make it work. But we’ll need a wide base for it, something that won’t sink. If the base holds up the jack, I can raise each wheel and fill the holes with wood chunks. If the wood holds up the wheels, you can back out to the road.”
She shook her head. “That’s too many ifs and too much time.”
“Only two ifs and, yes, it will take some time. I’m open to other ideas.”
“I don’t have any. Let’s divide the work and shorten the time. It’s already 9:00. The wind is getting stronger.”
“C’mon, then. I’ll show you where to get the wood, and I’ll look for a base. We should be able to move the car in less than an hour.”
Over the next forty minutes, Jennifer jogged back and forth nearly a dozen times.
The wind drove the heavy rain so fiercely that, even with her hood up, the huge drops stung when they pelted her face.
When she dumped her last pile of wood, Lee shook his head. “We’ve got to jack up all of the tires again and add more wood. We raised the car about a foot, but now we’ve lost six inches of it.”
She threw her hands up into the air, while her heavy breathing created small clouds around her head. “Are you sure this is going to work?”
“Eventually. We’ve made a lot of progress.”
“OK. I’ll bring more wood.” Fifty yards to the pile of slashings…again. One delay after another. What was happening here?
Twenty-five minutes later they were ready for another attempt to free the SUV. The panic fluttered in her queasy stomach as she fired up the engine, hoping it was the car that came out and not her breakfast.
The SUV’s clock read 10:30 when she gave the gas pedal a gentle push.
The rear wheels rolled out of the mud and onto the dirt road.