Awakening: A Christian Romance Novel

by JoAnn Durgin

  “So, it’s a girl.” Lexa hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud, and she glanced at Rebekah, noting her curious look. “I knew she had a child, but didn’t know if it was a girl or a boy. Do you have any idea where they might be?”

  Sam shook his head. “I wish I knew. I feel responsible for Sheila since she’s part of my team. I’ll tell you one thing. I’m not about to lose another TeamWork volunteer on my watch.” He shot a meaningful look at Lexa and Rebekah as if to say, This is all I need right now.

  “We’ll find her, Sam.” Lexa forced a confidence into her voice from somewhere deep inside. She had to be calm now, for Sheila, for Sam, for Rebekah, for all of them. Having seen the man, she was afraid of what he might do. If Sheila was Howard’s way of finding his daughter, then he might very well have kidnapped her to lead him to their daughter. “How can we help?”

  “Go back to the dorm. I give you permission to go through Sheila’s things, anything you can find. See if she has a list of phone numbers, addresses, anything that might give us a clue who to call or where to start looking. I’ll check her TeamWork paperwork, but I suspect she put down bogus information.” He caught Lexa’s look. “It was a self-protective measure as much as anything else.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth before both Rebekah and Lexa sprinted to their feet, headed out the door in only a few seconds. “Come to me first if you find anything!” he called to them. “I don’t want anyone else to turn up missing.”

  “Right, Sam!” Rebekah called, throwing one arm in the air, signaling they’d heard. “Our fearless leader has spoken.” She gave Lexa a half-grin as they hurried to Building Seven.

  “I hope we can figure out where she is.” Lexa pushed open the screen door of their dorm and hurried over to Sheila’s bed. “You check the locker, and I’ll check around her bed,” she suggested, making quick work of stripping back the sheets. Rebekah opened the locker and started rifling through the bag inside. It was a good thing none of them used locks since they were among friends and saw no need.

  “Looks to be just dirty clothes.” Rebekah reached deep into the bottom of the canvas bag in her hands. “Find anything?” She glanced over at where Lexa sat reading. “Is that Sheila’s diary?” Dropping down beside Lexa on Sheila’s bed, she leaned over her shoulder.

  “Yes. She’s always got her head stuck either in here or her Bible, so I thought maybe it would give us a clue.”

  Rebekah nudged Lexa. “Don’t you sort of feel like Nancy Drew right about now? I’ll be George, and you’re Nancy.”

  Lexa allowed herself to smile, lessening the tension. “Let’s just pray we can solve this mystery in Nancy Drew fashion.” Her expression dissolved into a frown. “Where did Winnie and Natalie go?” They’d disappeared after their return from the trip into town. “And Amy and the other girls?”

  “I’m sure they’re in the search parties.” Rebekah walked over to the window. “I only see a few people milling around now, so I’m assuming most of them are out looking for Sheila. Not that there’s really anywhere to go, and I’m sure Howard had a car.” She ran a hand through her hair, mussing it. “It’s so confusing.” Her green eyes grew wide and she crossed the room, dropping to her knees. “Wait! Here’s another case of some sort,” she called, lying prone on the floor beside Sheila’s bed.

  Dragging a small black case across the cement floor, Rebekah glanced up at Lexa. Unzipping it, she withdrew a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, and then let her hand drop. “These seem awfully small,” she mused, fingering the shirt. “Sheila’s petite, but I seriously doubt she’s this small.” She looked up at Lexa. “Are you thinking the same thing I am?”

  Lexa nodded, her heart pounding again. “Yes! These clothes belong to Sheila’s daughter which means the girl must be somewhere nearby. Howard must know it, and that’s why he’s taken her. I’m going to read her diary some more. I feel guilty doing it, but what choice do we have if we want to help her?” Lexa shot a helpless look at Rebekah.

  The other girl nodded, tossing her hair behind one shoulder as she sat down beside Lexa on Sheila’s bed. “Go ahead. I think Sheila would understand since we’re trying to find her. Read it out loud. Maybe together we can come up with something.” Rebekah leaned one elbow on her knee and gnawed on a fingernail.

  “It’s worth a shot, anyway.” Lexa flipped through the pages of the diary to find the last entries from the previous few days. It was perhaps the best place to start.

  “This is Tuesday’s entry. Today was very unsettling. H. is here. I can feel his presence. It’s like he’s lurking on the outskirts of the camp, staring at me with those black eyes of his, seeing what I don’t want him to see. I think he knows that A.’s here somewhere. I might have to leave before everyone else does. I have a feeling H. is going to make his move very soon. I’m scared. I pray every night that God will help me. I don’t know how H. found me here. Still, I can’t help thinking that if he could find me here, he can probably find me anywhere.

  “Wow.” Rebekah stretched out on her back across the width of the bed, her long legs dangling over the edge. “Poor kid. Who’s A., do you think?”

  “Must be the first initial of her daughter’s name.” Lexa turned to the next page, eager to read another passage. “Let me skip to Wednesday. I don’t know what to do. I thought I saw H. standing behind the tree on the side of the camp watching me. I tried to blend in with a group of the women so that he couldn’t catch me alone. I want to tell someone. Maybe Sam. I’m afraid. I don’t want to drag anybody else into this nasty mess. I can’t take that chance. If anyone’s going to be hurt, it has to be me. I have to make sure that A.’s safe. I don’t know how, but she’s got to stay safe. Hopefully, God will watch over both of us now.”

  “Oh,” Rebekah said, rising to a sitting position again.

  “What?” Lexa closed the small book with a frown.

  “I have this awful feeling,” Rebekah said, shaking her head. “If she saw him, then she’s probably right. He must have made a move of some kind. I don’t like this, Lexa. I don’t like this at all.”

  “Neither do I, Beck,” Lexa answered, her voice firm. “But we have to do something. We can’t let Sheila suffer at the hands of this guy. We can’t give up.”

  “Of course not. All I’m saying is, I’m more than a little petrified at the thought of coming face-to-face with Howard.”

  “Don’t worry, Beck.” She patted the younger girl’s hand in a gesture reminiscent of Winnie. “Put your trust in the Lord. He’ll take care of us.” Again, Lexa was surprised at how easily the words came, and how comfortable she felt saying them.

  Lexa glanced over at Rebekah and then back down at Sheila’s diary. “Unfortunately, that was the last entry. Why don’t we see if we can find the guy who saw Howard dragging Sheila away from the camp and see if we can get any more clues.”

  “Good idea, but first I’ve got to go make a quick stop in the other room,” Rebekah told her with a sheepish look. “Be right back.” A moment later, Rebekah burst back into the main room.

  “That was quick,” Lexa teased.

  “Come in here a minute,” Rebekah called, motioning with one hand. “There’s something that doesn’t make sense, and Sheila might have done it.”

  “Done it?” Lexa repeated, hurrying into the bathroom behind Rebekah. Staring in the direction where she pointed, Lexa spied a small pink heart in the lower right-hand corner of the mirror above the tiny sink.

  “What in the world . . . ?” She walked closer to inspect it, touching the heart, smearing it on the mirror. Lexa rubbed her fingers together. “It’s lipstick.”

  “Sheila doesn’t wear lipstick.” Rebekah shoved aside the plastic curtain in the shower stall and poked around the sides of the toilet.

  “Maybe that’s a clue in itself.” Lexa rifled through the various cosmetics left in the bathroom by the other girls. “I’m sure none of the other girls made this heart. They’d have no reason. Let’s think about it for a minute.�
� She turned around, searching for any other possible clue, her mind working overtime.

  “Suppose Howard surprised Sheila here in the dorm. She’s usually here, anyway, unless it’s time for work, dinner or the bonfire. She claims she has to go to the bathroom or else she runs away from him and shuts herself in here.” Lexa’s eyes focused on the pink heart. “Not knowing what else to do, Sheila makes this small drawing of a heart, hoping Howard won’t notice it.”

  “But hoping we would,” Rebekah chimed in, raising a brow.

  Lexa frowned, silent for a long moment. “The only problem is, what in the world does it mean?”

  CHAPTER 38

  That small pink heart was a clue, a sign, a plea for help from Sheila. It had to be. But Lexa felt helpless, not comprehending its meaning. “I don’t know about you, but I find this all very maddening.” Her hands rested on her hips. “It’s the worst feeling in the world, not knowing what to do or how to help her. I hate to think about where that man’s taken Sheila. She didn’t do anything to deserve this kind of treatment. All she’s trying to do is protect her daughter.”

  “Howard is her father.” Rebekah shifted position, crossing her arms. “I hate to get in the middle of a nasty custody fight.”

  Lexa’s glance was sharp and direct. “This is more than a mere custody fight.” Her hands dropped to her sides and she released a long sigh. “Maybe I should tell you what happened to prompt the watch over Sheila in the first place. It was more than a mere threat. I happened to come into the dorm and surprise Howard once before. Sheila was scared to death. The fear in her eyes was almost palpable. I had to tell someone about it.”

  “Sam.” Rebekah’s eyes softened in understanding. “It makes sense since he’s the TeamWork director. So, that’s why you asked us to keep an eye on Sheila and to watch out for Howard. I wondered what that was all about since you didn’t give us many details. We didn’t question why. We knew you had Sheila’s best interests at heart.”

  “Sam didn’t feel comfortable telling everyone the circumstances,” Lexa explained, “but we knew she might be in danger. Sam told me he’d discussed Sheila’s situation with the board, and they made the joint decision to leave her here in the TeamWork camp.” She frowned. “He might regret that decision now.”

  “So, she was hiding out.”

  “This guy has a record, and he’s assaulted a woman before. It’s more than a nasty custody fight. I don’t think we should take Sheila’s disappearance lightly. He could be planning something sinister, and we can’t take any chances. We have to do what we can to find Sheila before . . .” Lexa’s voice trailed.

  Rebekah chewed her lip. “Are you sure you’re not just being melodramatic?”

  Lexa stared back. “Do what you want, but I’m going to Sam and tell him what we’ve discovered. Maybe he can figure it out.”

  “Okay, okay,” Rebekah grumbled, following behind Lexa and out the front door of the dorm. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. Sorry. You’re right. Of course, we have to do what we can to help Sheila.” She shook her head. “I suppose after what happened with Josh, I should believe anything can happen. This is all pretty surreal, though. This whole camp has been full of surprises.”

  Lexa couldn’t agree more.

  A few minutes later, after listening to what they’d found, Sam shook his head in exasperation. “A single heart drawn on a bathroom mirror with lipstick? That’s our only clue? No names, phone numbers, addresses, anything? You couldn’t find anything else?”

  “No, and we looked over all her things,” Lexa assured him, her defensiveness rising. “Do you have any idea what it means?”

  “I haven’t a clue.” Sam threw down his pen in disgust and crossed his arms. “A heart can symbolize so many things, especially love. From all appearances, there’s certainly very little love in Sheila’s relationship with Howard, so that puzzles me greatly.” He closed his eyes to concentrate, two fingers on his creased brow. “Let’s try to think of every possible angle.”

  They all tossed out ideas until they looked at one another with helpless expressions. One by one, the leaders of the search parties came back to Sam’s office to tell him they’d come up with nothing. No clues, no trace of Sheila. It was like she disappeared into thin air.

  “Maybe we’re all jumping to conclusions and imagining the worst?” Amy suggested as she, Winnie and Natalie joined them in the office a short time later. “It’s not like Sheila really had any close friends here in the camp. Maybe she just decided to take off since it’s almost the end of the project anyway.”

  “I don’t think so,” Sam answered. “She wouldn’t have left her things, and I don’t think she’d be the type to wander off by herself. Anyone who’s seen Sheila knows the woman’s practically afraid of her own shadow. I seriously doubt she’d make a phone call by herself, much less leave.”

  “I think Sheila’s stronger than you give her credit for,” Lexa interjected.

  Sam looked up at her in surprise. “Go on.”

  “I’ve gotten to know her a little bit, perhaps better than anyone else here at the camp. She’s got a firm inner resolve. Let’s look at the facts. She ran away and hid herself in the TeamWork campsite, thinking she was safe from Howard. She managed to somehow successfully hide their daughter, at least until now. I don’t know how, but he found her anyway. It took strength and determination to do what she did to protect her child. I think we need to give Sheila credit for more than simply being a quiet, timid doormat.”

  “I’m not saying that,” Sam protested.

  “Why don’t we pray about it?” Lexa hated the feeling of helplessness. She couldn’t sit still, knowing Sheila was out there somewhere, needing their help. It was enough to drive her crazy, but she felt powerless to do anything. “It’s probably the best thing we can do for Sheila right now since we have no idea where she is. But the Lord knows, and I’d say an appeal to Him is in order.”

  Sam looked back up at Lexa with a gleam in his eye. “That’s an excellent idea. Why don’t we go round up the others and have a corporate time of prayer? In this case, I think there might be greater power in numbers.” Lexa nodded and followed Sam outside as they made the rounds of the dorms to gather up all the volunteers.

  Soon, they had a majority of the men and women gathered. They silently filed into the bonfire area where they sat together, their heads bowed. One by one, they lifted their petitions to the Lord, beseeching the Almighty for watchcare over one of their own.

  “Dear Father,” Lexa prayed when it was her turn. Her voice was shaky with nerves. It was the first time she’d ever prayed out loud. “Help Sheila find her way home. I don’t just mean to us. I mean to find her way out of this situation. I don’t know what the answer is, Father, but you do. You know what’s going on in the hearts of both Howard and Sheila right now. You know where they are. Keep Sheila safe, Father, and help Howard see the error of his ways. And, if it’s in your will, help us to somehow find them and bring them back safely so that this situation can be resolved peacefully.”

  After everyone else departed the circle to head toward the dorms for the night, Lexa and Sam sat huddled together. “Go get some sleep, Lexa. Maybe it’ll all become clearer in the morning.”

  Lexa glanced over at Sam in exasperation. “How can I sleep? I can’t possibly,” she murmured, shaking her head. “I feel so useless. I want to help Sheila, but feel powerless. I want God to tell me what to do, where to go . . .” Eyes fiery, she looked back over at him. “I’m not mad at God, but I’m mad at this feeling I have. I hate it!”

  Taking Lexa’s hand in his own, Sam squeezed and held on tight. When she resisted, he increased the pressure of his fingers around hers.

  “You’re starting to hurt me,” Lexa protested, trying to wriggle free from his grasp.

  “That’s how the heavenly Father holds you in the grip of His love.” Sam relaxed his grip but still held her hand. “Sometimes He squeezes tight—so tight you feel like you’re suffocating from
the circumstances in your life crowding you in. But it’s in times like that when we feel the power, the strength of His love, and know how very much He cares for us, how much He loves us. God loves Sheila and Howard, too. He won’t allow anything to happen that He hasn’t preordained or allowed to happen. Maybe that will give you some small comfort tonight as you try to sleep.”

  Lexa leaned her head on Sam’s shoulder. “Maybe, but I doubt it,” she told him, her eyes wide. “I appreciate your trying to comfort me. None of this makes any sense, does it?”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Sam agreed, stroking her hair. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of things in our lives that don’t make sense. Part of the mystery of life, I suppose,” he murmured, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

  “Any more ideas on the missing money?” Lexa asked as they walked away, hands clasped together, fingers intertwined.

  Sam shook his head and released a heavy sigh. “No. With all the commotion surrounding Sheila’s disappearance, I haven’t had a spare minute to think about the money.”

  “Do you think it’s all connected somehow? I mean, first the money’s missing, and then Sheila.”

  Sam looked thoughtful. “It’s possible, I suppose, but I don’t really see how. Unless Sheila somehow convinced Kevin or Josh to give her the combination to the safe. And you and I both know Kevin Moore is as honest as the day is long. Like I said before, I know in my gut that Josh is honest.”

  “But unfortunately, Josh probably had his way of being persuaded,” Lexa said, not daring to look over at Sam. “I hate thinking such a thing, but you and I both know it’s true. The safe wasn’t tampered with or broken into, was it?”

  Sam shook his head. “No. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t know the money was missing for so long. Whoever took the money from the safe knew the combination.”

  “Do you have the combination written down somewhere? Could someone have gotten hold of it that way?”