Loving Tenderness (17 page)

As she drove, reality settled over her. She couldn’t go without telling Andrew. He would panic when he didn’t find her home, and he’d promised to come to the house after work. She wouldn’t frighten him like that. Hannah reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone, then punched in his office number.

Andrew’s voice mail kicked in. “Andrew, don’t be angry,” she said. “Jack phoned. The police couldn’t trace the call, but I have an idea where JJ might be. I’ll call you as soon as I know for sure. I won’t do anything foolish. Promise. I’ll leave the cell on, and you can call me when you get this message. I love you, Andrew.”

She lingered with the feeling of
I love you
on her lips. Three tiny words, yet so powerful. So meaningful. The love of a man and woman. God’s love. So powerful. She disconnected, checked the power button, then slipped the phone in her jacket pocket.

The heavy line of trees shrouded the late-afternoon sun, and as the forest deepened, Hannah felt alone and frightened. Maybe she’d been foolish to leave without Andrew. A pain charged through her, and she pressed her hand against her stomach as a spasm surged low in her belly. She’d been under too much stress, too much turmoil.

When she drove into White Cloud, a filling station appeared on her left. If her memory was correct, Jack had stopped there on the drive to the cabin. Her mind stretched back to the occasion. Which way had they
turned after they left the station? Right or left? Undecided, her gut instinct was to make a right turn, heading east. She did and followed the gloomy road, watching the sun approach the horizon through her rearview mirror. She would never find the cabin once it got dark.

The farther she traveled, the more her confidence faded. Should she have turned west instead of east? The highway seemed too well-traveled. Too straight. She pulled to the shoulder, tears blurring her vision. Her back throbbed with a low, dull ache and another cramp rolled through her abdomen. She lowered her head against the steering wheel, praying God would give her fortitude. She had no confidence in which direction to follow.

Andrew pulled away from Bay Breeze, his mind heavy with concerns. The day had been filled with problems—over-booking, a laundry snafu and a resort packed with overeager guests visiting the area to enjoy the autumn colors. But his greatest worry was JJ. When he hadn’t been solving problems at the resort, he’d been praying for the boy’s safety. His chest ached for Hannah. After he’d brought her home from church, she’d been devastated when the police had had nothing to report.

He hadn’t talked with her since, and he’d meant to call. He pulled out his cell phone, punched in her number, then listened to it ring. No answer. Concern prickled along his spine. She wouldn’t leave home without letting him know.

He shook the fear from his head. She’d probably gone to visit Jenni or maybe Jemma. Claire might have invited her for dinner. Yet she’d said she didn’t want to leave the house. He didn’t know her friend’s phone numbers offhand, and he wished he’d called her before
he’d left the resort. He faltered. Hannah might have called the office. He’d forgotten to check his voice mail before he’d checked out for the day.

Rifled by concern, Andrew pulled out his cell phone and hit the buttons to retrieve his desk messages. He was probably being ridiculous, but with Jack loose and holding JJ, Andrew could never be sure what the lunatic might try next.

When he heard Hannah’s voice, he felt relieved until he heard her message. His heart stopped. She’d gone out alone to find Jack. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel. Why would she do that? Independence. Stupid independence. She was endangering herself and the baby for the sake of doing it alone. Frustrated and fearful, Andrew reviewed her call and memorized her cell phone number, then pressed the buttons. Three rings, four, then Hannah’s voice.

“Where are you?” he yelled before he could stop himself.

“I don’t know for sure. I think I made a wrong turn.”

“Hannah, don’t be foolish. Come home. I’ll go with you.”

“It’s getting dark, Andrew. I have to find JJ. I’m going to check the cabin, and then I’ll call you if he’s there. I won’t let Jack see me.”

“It’s too dangerous.” He clenched the cell against his ear, wishing he could wring her beautiful neck. “Hannah, I love you. Please, come back. Don’t do this.”

“I have to. I need to go the other direction, I think. I’m close. Please don’t ask me to stop now.”

He understood. JJ was her child. Any mother would fight to find her child, but she needed protection, and he longed to be there for her.

“Where are you headed?”

“Jugville.”

“Jugville? Where’s that.”

Trying to comprehend through the static, Andrew listened to her instructions and tried to calculate the location without a map. The Manistee National Forest, a town called Jugville. The more he thought the more perplexed he became. Why? Why? Why?

“I’m heading your way now, Hannah. I’ll find you. Don’t do anything foolish. You have an unborn child to protect, too. Don’t take any chances.”

With Hannah’s unconvincing promise in his ears, he disconnected. She’d already gone too far. Going off without thinking put her, JJ and the baby in danger if Jack went berserk.

Immediately Andrew made a speedy call to the police and relayed what Hannah had done and where she was headed. When he hung up, he stepped on the accelerator and headed up Highway 31, his fingers clenching the steering wheel. Dusk already hung against the treetops. In the national forest, Hannah would face the dark early.

Worse, she might face Jack. He pressed his foot against the accelerator again.

Hating the time she’d lost, Hannah eased her back against the seat as the pain passed. She’d been too tense, too frightened. She tried to calm her thoughts. Just go back, Hannah. It’s the other way. You should have made a left not a right. She remembered the road had been winding. Jack had passed a lake or two that day.

She feared disappointment. She’d counted on this location to be the hideout. Jack had nowhere else to turn
where the police wouldn’t find him. She felt the Lord urging her on.

Getting a grip on her fears, Hannah doubled back. She crossed the White Cloud highway and followed M-20, but again, the highway ran too straight, too populated. White Cloud County Park appeared on her right. She slowed. This wasn’t it, either.

What could she do? The gas station struck her thoughts. She would return there and ask directions. She headed back to M-37 and turned right. At the station, she pulled up to the building and ran inside. “Jugville? Which way.”

“You make a left just up the road. No traffic light. You’ll have to watch for it.”

“No traffic light.” That had been her mistake. “I’m looking for someone.” She dug into her shoulder bag and located JJ’s snapshot, then handed it to him.

He stared at the photo with no recollection on his face. He shook his head. “I don’t remember. Sorry.”

“The boy’s five, dark wavy hair. He has a broken left arm.”

“Broken arm,” the man said. “I didn’t recognize the picture here, but the broken arm, I remember. He and a man came in for a couple of pops a few days ago. The boy wasn’t happy. Kept whinin’ to go home.”

JJ.
Hannah’s heart thundered, and something twisted deep in her stomach.

“You okay?” the man asked.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you.” She turned to go. “Did the man give you any inkling where they were staying? I really need to talk with him.”

“Not that I recall. Sorry.”

Hannah stuffed the snapshot back in her handbag. “You said turn left.”

“Just a few yards up the road. You’ll see it.”

“Thanks.”

She hurried to the door, praising God for getting her this far. Jack and JJ had been here. She’d asked for guidance, and the Lord had led her here.

Hannah started the car and pulled onto the highway, recalling that she’d seen the turnoff but had mistaken it for a farmer’s driveway. Ahead, she saw the road again and, this time, turned left. Dusk enveloped her as she wound her way through the heavy forest. She turned on her headlights and soon saw a small sign tilted toward the ground announcing Jugville city limits.

Hannah’s pulse escalated. A small house and shed stood at the left with a late-model car parked nearby, then an unlighted diner with a closed sign in the window. She slowed as she reached the center of town—a few small businesses, a gas station and a grocery store.

Hannah parked in front of the market, grabbed her purse, and headed inside. A bell tinkled as she entered. As her eyes adjusted to the overhead lights, the scent of raw meat, cardboard boxes and dust assailed her.

The clerk rose from a chair behind the counter, dropped his magazine, and peered at her. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

“I’m trying to locate someone.” Her hands shook as she searched for JJ’s photo in her shoulder bag. “I know they’re staying at a hunting cabin around here somewhere.”

“There’s a couple cabins up the road apiece.” He swung his hand to the left. “Most are set back pretty far off the road.” He pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. “They’ll be hard to find, ’specially in this light.”

She located the photo and handed it to him.

He shook his head. “Never saw that boy.”

“He has a broken arm.”

He gave his head another shake. “Not many strangers around her this time of year. We’ll see more during deer season.”

Groceries. Jack had to have food. “The boy’s with a man about five feet eight inches. Dark hair.”

“The only stranger I’ve seen in the past week was a man who robbed me last weekend. He was about medium size. Could be five foot nine or ten. White man. Dark hair, but he had a scarf over his face. I just saw his eyes. Dark, evil eyes. He had a pistol.”

She searched the man’s face, confused and startled. Could the stranger have been Jack? Jack, a robber? He always needed money. Had he wanted money for food? Or had Andrew been correct? Jack needed money for drugs? “Did you notice which way he went?”

“Sorry. He had me lay on the floor. I work alone here, and I stayed down like he told me. He said count to a hundred. I did.”

“Did you notice his car when he pulled up?”

“No, I was in the back stocking canned goods. By the time the police came, the guy was long gone. Not a clue.”

She stared at the door in panic. Could it have been Jack? Had he stooped to burglary? “This man has a child with him, so I don’t—” So what? Jack could have left JJ at the cabin or left him in the car. Or it could have been someone else. “Thanks for your help.”

The bell tinkled when she opened the door, sounding frivolous in contrast to the fear that pounded in her head.

A weapon. If it had been Jack, he had a gun. Would he use it on her or JJ? The question lodged in her mind. God alone knew the answer.

As she walked away from the building, a cold gust of wind sent a shiver down her back. She slipped into the car and flipped on the heater. The police. She needed to call them. She punched in 911 and told them all she knew before she turned on the headlights and pulled back out onto the two-lane road. This was the time deer shot out across the highway and animals crept across the road, hoping to make it to the other side. The only varmint she wanted to locate was Jack.

As Hannah drove, she peered into the shadows between the trees, looking for lights or a sign of people. The road meandered to the left, then the right. Ahead she noticed a rutted driveway. She slowed and looked down as far as she could see. No lights, no vehicles. She continued, traveling slowly, peering into the dark woods. The road made a sharp left, and her memory stirred. She was close. She sensed it.

Ahead she saw another cut into the woods. She slowed, letting her car stop across the path. No cabin was visible, but the lane meant something. Should she venture down it? Should she park here and walk?

Knowing Andrew was on the way, Hannah faltered. She felt so close, but she would wait for him. She pushed her good sense aside. She’d found her way this far, and couldn’t stop now.

Andrew. If he was looking for her, he would recognize her car on the road. She pulled out her cell phone, and in the dim light, she pressed in his number.

He answered on the second ring. “Where are you?”

“I’m close. At a gas station just before the turnoff, an attendant remembered a child with a broken arm traveling with a man. I just passed through Jugville and—” She faltered. If she mentioned the gun and the
burglary, Andrew would be furious. “And he mentioned some cabins up the road.”

“Don’t move. Stay in the car. I just turned onto M-37. I’m about thirty minutes behind you. I’ll call the police and let them know where you are.”

“I called them, Andrew. I’m down the lane from a cabin now, and I sense this is the place.”

“Don’t move. Do you hear me? I’ll be there soon.”

“I hear you,” she said.

He disconnected, and Hannah dropped the cell phone into her pocket. She sat a moment, examining the path. She’d heard him, but she didn’t want to stop. She was so close.

A pain rolled through her belly again, and she released a groan. Hannah placed her hand over her abdomen and stretched her legs forward. The ache eased away, and she unlatched her seat belt, opened the door and stepped outside. She pressed against the door until it clicked.

Maybe standing outside she could relax the cramp. Instead, fear sparked in every vein. Supporting her belly, she crept forward and peered down the gloomy path. The lane was rutted and had enough room for a car to get through. She took a step forward, her legs quaking. This could be nothing or everything. She inched forward, wanting only to see if a cabin was up ahead.

Leaves crunched beneath her feet. A twig cracked with her next step. Each movement sounded like a gunshot in the quiet woods. Her heart thundered in her ears while adrenaline raced through her limbs. If Jack was there, she’d be in danger if he saw her. She halted. She’d promised Andrew to wait for him. Forcing herself back toward the car, she strained to see down the darkened
road for a vehicle. Andrew. The police. Someone to help her.