Raising Faith (14 page)

The car was quiet now. There was just the sound of the tires hissing down the wet road, the thump-thump of the windshield wipers going back and forth, and the grainy hum of the car’s radio. Kyle had tuned to a popular coastal station, which was slowly fading out as they continued driving south. Emily was about to try talking some sense to Mom again when she suddenly became aware of a different sound. Kind of a whining sound, like a mosquito, but not on a wet rainy night like this. She turned around in the backseat and peered back behind them to see flashing blue lights slowly getting closer.

“Hey, Mom,” she said quickly. “There’s a cop car behind us. With its lights on.”

Kyle turned around in the front seat and looked back too. “Yeah, Mom, it looks like they’re chasing someone. You better pull over and let them pass.”

“I haven’t seen anyone else on the road,” said Mom as she turned on her signal and slowed down and pulled over.

Emily continued watching the cop car and its flashing blue lights. She expected it to zip right past them but,
like them, it too slowed down and stopped directly behind their car.

“What?!” said Mom with an alarmed voice.

“Were you speeding?” asked Kyle.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“You were driving a little fast,” pointed out Emily.

“But not enough —”

“The policeman is coming to the car,” said Kyle.

“I know,” growled Mom. “You guys better have your seatbelts on.”

“We do,” said Emily.

“It’s probably nothing,” said Kyle. “Maybe you have a taillight out.”

Mom rolled down her window. “Is something wrong?” she asked the policeman who leaned down with a flashlight, pointing it into the interior of the car and shining it all around as if he expected to find something illegal going on.

“Are you Lisa Chambers?” he asked.

“Well, I … uh … I am Lisa Adams,” Mom stammered.

“May I please see your license and registration, ma’am?”

Mom fumbled to find her purse, searching for her wallet. “I don’t understand,” she was saying. “I wasn’t speeding, was I?”

The policeman just waited until she finally handed him the items he wanted. Then he stepped away from their car and returned to his own car.

“He called you Lisa Chambers,” said Kyle in a voice that sounded as scared as Emily was starting to feel.

“That means he’s talked to Dad,” said Emily. Her stomach got a hard knot in it.

“Do you think Dad’s with him?” asked Kyle.

Emily turned around to peer into the police car, but thanks to the bright flashing lights she couldn’t see if anyone else was inside.

“I don’t know,” said Mom.

“What are we going to do?” asked Emily, truly frightened now.

“I don’t know …” Mom turned and looked back. “I could try to make a run for it.”

“No,” said Kyle. “That would be stupid.”

Now Mom was starting to cry. “I
am
stupid,” she said.

“No,” said Emily in her firmest voice. “You’re not stupid, Mom. Dad always tried to make you think that you were, but
you are not stupid.”

“Yeah, but leaving Boscoe Bay like this wasn’t too smart,” said Kyle.

“Kyle,” said Emily in a warning voice. “That’s not helping.”

“He’s coming back,” said Kyle.

Mom rolled down her window again.

“Can you please step out of the car, ma’am?”

“But why?”

“I just need to talk to you,” he said. “In private.”

“Oh … okay.” Mom turned and looked helplessly at Emily and Kyle.

“We’ll be fine,” said Emily.

Then Mom got out, and she and the policeman went behind the car to speak. Emily wished she could read lips. But it was obvious when he used the name Chambers, that the policeman knew something about their family.

“I know that’s Dad behind this,” said Kyle in an angry voice. “He’s probably in that cop car right now, just waiting to haul us back to Idaho.”

A cold chill ran through her. “What will we do?”

“I’m not going with him.”

“But what if the law’s on his side, Kyle? What if he forces us to go home with him?”

“I’m gonna make a run for it, Emily.”

“No, Kyle, don’t do that. That’s crazy. We’re out in the middle of nowhere.”

“I’ll just head due west,” said Kyle. “Straight for the beach. I’ll find a place to spend —”

“No, Kyle! You can’t do that.”

“I can’t go back with him.”

“But it’s cold out there, Kyle. And wet. And the police would be looking for you.”

“I don’t care.”

“Kyle, please,” she pleaded. “It’d just make things worse if you did that … for you and everyone.”

“Fine. You win. I’ll stay.” Then he swore.

“Kyle!”

“Sorry, Emily, but this just totally stinks. And I’ll tell you what! I might go with Dad now, just cuz the cops are here. But I swear, the first chance I get, I’m gonna run for it. And I won’t ever come back.”

“Oh, Kyle!” Now Emily was crying again.

“Sorry, but I can’t go back and live like that, Emily. Maybe it wasn’t as bad for you. Dad always seemed to go a little easier on his Baby Doll.”

“It was hard on me too, Kyle,” sobbed Emily. “I don’t want to go back either.”

“Maybe you could run away with me.”

“But how would we live? We’re just kids, Kyle.”

“Kids with parents who are totally nuts.”

“At least one of them. You can’t really blame Mom, Kyle. At least she was trying to get us away from him.”

“Yeah, I guess she was right after all.”

“Maybe so.” Emily just shook her head.

“Dad’s even got the law in Oregon in his back pocket. We don’t have a chance against him.”

“Yes, we do,” said Emily suddenly.

“How’s that?”

That’s when Emily began to pray. Out loud this time. “Dear God,” she prayed out loud, “Please, help us. We don’t want to go back to live with Dad. He’s a mean and
wicked man. Please, please, help us out of this mess. I know you’re my heavenly Father and that you love me more than any earthly father ever could. And I need you more than ever right now. We all do. Please, please, help us, dear God. Thank you. Amen.”

“Like that’s gonna change anything,” said Kyle in a sarcastic tone.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, right.”

They sat silently in the car now. Emily turned around in the seat again, watching as the two figures stood in the drizzling rain, still talking.

“What can they possibly be saying for all this time?” demanded Emily impatiently.

“He’s probably telling her that we have to go back with him.” Kyle’s voice was flat now, like he didn’t care anymore, although Emily knew that he did. “The cop probably has some kind of court order from Dad. Maybe he’s got a warrant for Mom’s arrest. Dad probably accused her of kidnapping — that’s a serious crime.”

“Just like Mom said he would do.” Emily kept watching. Now it seemed like Mom was the one asking the cop questions. And it almost looked like she was getting mad as she shook a fist at him.

“You better look, Kyle,” she said quickly to her brother.

He turned around in his seat to watch. “Wow, Mom looks ticked.”

“I’ll say.” Emily felt even more worried. “I hope she doesn’t smack that cop.”

“That would not be good.”

“Hang on, Mom. Don’t do anything stupid,” Emily pleaded.

Despite Mom venting at the cop, she did not strike him, and he remained calm. Then, after she quit raging, his expression grew almost compassionate, and he actually placed a hand on Mom’s shoulder, nodding and saying something that Emily assumed was supposed to be reassuring.

“Maybe he’s telling her that their jail cells are clean,” said Kyle in a cynical tone. “Saying that the beds aren’t too uncomfortable, and that prison food is pretty good.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Emily, joining his pathetic game. “And he’s probably telling her that her children will be perfectly safe in the custody of their father, and that as long as she cooperates, she has nothing to worry about.”

“I just thought of something.” Kyle’s voice got serious now. “If we thought it was bad being with Dad before, can you imagine how bad it’ll be if she’s locked up and we’re stuck with him without her?”

Emily could not imagine. And she almost wanted to tell Kyle that she’d changed her mind just now, and that making a run for it might be their best bet after all. Sleeping on the beach in the rain might be tough, but not as tough as
going back to Dad without Mom.

Even so, she had a feeling that running away would be a mistake in the end … and that it would backfire and they’d be in more trouble than ever. But she also had a strong feeling that this was the end of their little road trip. And suddenly she wasn’t too sure she was ready for it to be over with now. She watched her mom’s troubled face and felt guilty for the way she’d disagreed with Mom’s escape plan right from the start. And she felt guilty for the way she’d slowed things down with phony bathroom breaks, which probably made it easier for the cops to find them. She also felt guilty for phoning her friends. For all Emily knew, that was how her dad had tracked them down. Emily felt worse than ever now.

If Mom went to jail, it would be partially due to Emily’s interference. Perhaps Emily deserved getting stuck back with her dad. But her mom did not deserve getting stuck in jail. That was totally unfair!

“What a day you’ve had,” said Mom as they walked away from Emily’s house and back toward home.

“I’ll say,” said Morgan with a happy sigh. The rain had finally stopped and the Christmas lights on various houses in Harbor View made interesting reflections on the dark wet pavement. Morgan thought she’d like to paint something like this. It reminded her of a colorful beaded necklace against a piece of black velvet.

Mom ran her fingers through Morgan’s curls as they crossed the street. “You still like your new hairdo?”

Morgan didn’t answer. She didn’t want to make Mom feel bad. She knew it had been expensive to have all her beaded braids removed a few weeks ago. But the truth was she really wished she’d never done it.

Mom paused on the porch. “You don’t like it, do you?”

She looked up at Mom’s bronze face, illuminated by the colorful Christmas lights on their house. Morgan kind of shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess.”

Mom started to smile. “Tell me the truth, Morgan.”

“Okay, the truth is I did like the beaded braids better. I just didn’t know it. I’m sorry, Mom. I know it was stupid
to want to change my hair. I guess I thought it would make me more like my friends … and then, after it was too late, I realized that I’d rather be more like me.”

Mom threw back her head and laughed.

“That’s funny?”

“No, Morgan, not funny like that. Just ironic, I suppose. Well, the truth is, I liked your beaded braids better too. In fact, I’ve been missing them.”

“Me too,” said Morgan as they went in the house.

“Well, if you want, you can get them back.”

“Really?”

Mom nodded as she took off her coat and hung it on the hook by the door. “My treat, sweetie. I’ll give Crystal a call this week.”

Morgan hugged Mom. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“Hello there?” called Grandma from her recliner. “Is anyone going to fill me in on the rest of the story?”

“You go tell Grandma all the details of your latest adventure, and I’ll start dinner,” said Mom.

So, for the second time that night, Morgan retold the harrowing story of Mr. Chambers breaking into the house, her hiding in the closet, and Mr. Greeley’s brave rescue.

“My goodness,” said Grandma. “The good Lord was really watching out for you tonight, honey. I know I was praying my fool head off over here, stuck in this chair like
this, but your mother gave me strict instructions not to set foot out of this house.”

“And I’m glad you listened,” called Mom from the kitchen.

“Well, I figured prayer was my best tool under the circumstances.”

“Thanks for praying,” said Morgan. “A lot of people have been praying today. And I can tell that it’s made a difference. In fact, I should call my friends and tell them the good news. It looks like it’s safe for Emily and her family to come back now.”

Grandma nodded. “You go and call them, honey. I think I’ll take a little nap before dinner. All this excitement has worn me out.”

“Do you want me to help with dinner first?” Morgan asked Mom when she went into the kitchen.

“Call your friends,” said Mom as she filled a pan with water. “Then you can help.”

Morgan called Chelsea first, and for the third time tonight, she retold the story, slightly shortened this time.

“Wow,” said Chelsea when she finished. “That’s incredible.”

“I know. It was a miracle.”

“Well, I’ve sure been praying for one,” said Chelsea. “I keep hoping that Emily will call me again.”

“She called?”

“Yeah.” Then Chelsea told Morgan about their quick conversation and how the lawyer was starting to research the case. “He really wants to help them.”

“Well, he should call the police,” said Morgan. “I’m sure they can fill him in a lot about Emily’s dad and the charges against him already. Let me tell you, that guy is one scary dude.”

“I’ll let my dad know.”

“Guess I better call the other girls. I know everyone has been seriously worried about Emily.”

“Thanks, Morgan. Keep me posted.”

“You too.”

Next Morgan called Carlie, telling her an even shorter version of the still hard-to-believe story.

“No way!” shrieked Carlie.

“Way!” said Morgan, laughing.

“We wondered what was happening when we heard sirens in the mobile-home park. My dad went out to see, but since they were police cars, he wouldn’t let us go out and look. I think he was afraid we’d get shot. I had no idea you were involved in that whole thing. I can’t wait to tell my dad what was really coming down.”

“Yeah, it was pretty weird.”

“I’m sure glad I’ve been praying today.”

“Yeah,” said Morgan. “It’s pretty much a miracle the way things are turning out. Anyway, I better call Amy
now.” So they said good-bye and Morgan tried Amy’s house. When no one answered she tried the restaurant and got Amy on the second ring. She quickly retold the story once more. She was actually getting a tiny bit tired of it by now. Or maybe she was just tired in general.

“That’s totally awesome,” said Amy.

“Yeah,” said Morgan. “I know …”

“So, does this mean we’ll still have our Christmas party at the clubhouse on Thursday?”

“Sure, we have some really great reasons to celebrate now.”

“And Emily gets to go on the ski trip too?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah,” said Morgan happily. “We are going to totally rock up there. I cannot wait!”

“Except for one thing,” said Amy. “Uh, make that two.”

“Huh?”

“Well, I ran into Jeff Sanders in town today.”

“So?”

“So, he informed me that he and Enrico Valdez are both going on the ski trip.”

“Why?” demanded Morgan. “They don’t even go to our church.”

“Well, neither do Carlie or I,” Amy pointed out. “But I asked Jeff that exact same question, and it turns out that
his uncle is your youth group leader, Cory What’s-His-Name.”

“No way. Cory is Jeff’s uncle?”

“That’s what he said.”

“Well, that doesn’t have to spoil anything for us,” said Morgan with confidence. “Besides it’s been a long time since those guys have bullied us, Amy. And they were actually pretty nice to us last summer. Remember the sand-castle contest?”

“And at least Derrick Smith won’t be going,” said Amy. “He’s still in juvenile detention.”

“So, we’ll still have fun. A couple of boys can’t ruin it for us.”

“We’ll have even more fun now that Emily is coming too. You know, Morgan, I was really praying hard for her today. I don’t normally pray that much, but today I was asking God for a real miracle.”

“It sounds like we all were, Amy. And it looks like that’s just what we got.”

“That is so cool — a real answer to prayer.”

“Yeah. We have a lot to be thankful for.” Morgan noticed Mom peeling potatoes. “But right now I need to go help make dinner.”

“And I need to get back to work. It’s starting to get busy here.”

As Morgan hung up the phone, she decided it was time to ask God for something else. Emily and her family
were still out there, still on the road and running for their lives. Morgan bowed her head and silently asked God to help the cops to find them, to turn them around, and to get them safely home. Then she went to help Mom in the kitchen.

“Do you think the cops will find the Adams — I mean the Chambers tonight?” asked Morgan as she peeled a potato.

“I hope so.” Mom turned and adjusted the heat on the stove. “I know I wouldn’t want to be in Lisa’s shoes right now. She must feel so frightened … so alone.”

“Maybe we could make them something tonight,” said Morgan suddenly. “Something to put in their house to help make them feel welcome and at home again.”

“Oh, Morgan, that’s a super idea.”

“But what should it be?”

“Well, I know Lisa felt bad that she hadn’t had time to make any Christmas cookies. And since Grandma’s surgery, she hasn’t been able to do much in the kitchen either. Maybe you and I could give it a try — as long as we keep it simple.”

“I’m sure Grandma will have some good suggestions,” said Morgan.

As it turned out, Grandma had lots of ideas. And, after dinner, the three of them — Grandma coaching from her recliner — managed to put together all sorts of wonderful
things, including microwave fudge, caramel corn, Russian teacakes, and candy-cane cookies. Morgan even made a big Welcome Home sign on the computer while the cookies were baking. Then she found a spare string of colored lights that she thought would look pretty hanging up around Emily’s new front door.

Finally, they put all their goodies together to make two yummy-looking platters that even impressed Grandma.

“I know it’s not as good as what you would do,” said Morgan as she held one out in front of Grandma.

“I think it’s wonderful.” Grandma smacked her lips after taking a bite of fudge. “I may have to retire from the kitchen altogether.”

“Please, don’t,” begged Morgan. “No one is as good a cook as you are.”

Grandma smiled. “Well, I’m looking forward to getting back to it after the New Year.”

“It’s getting late,” said Mom, pointing to the clock on the wall.

“Wow,” said Morgan. “It’s almost nine.”

“If we want the Chambers to have these tonight, we should take them over right away.”

“We’ll need to get the key from Mr. Greeley again,” said Morgan.

“That’s right,” said Mom as she wrapped plastic wrap over one of the trays.

Morgan peered out the kitchen window and across the street to see that the lights on his house were still on in his house. “I think we’re in luck too. Looks like he’s still awake.”

“We better hurry,” said Mom.

“Hey, we should take him something too, Mom.”

“You’re right, Morgan.” Mom opened the cupboard and reached for another platter and in no time they had it loaded up for Mr. Greeley.

Then they put on their coats and headed across the street where Morgan happily presented Mr. Greeley with the platter. “We made it ourselves,” she told him. “Just a small token of our appreciation for saving my life tonight.” She had rehearsed that little speech in her head as they walked across the street to his house.

He grinned and thanked them both.

“And if you don’t mind, we’d like to leave these platters at the Chambers’ house,” said Mom.

“Sort of a welcome home,” added Morgan, glancing across the street to see that the driveway was still empty. But at least the porch light was on. “Do you think they’ll get home tonight?”

Mr. Greeley frowned. “I don’t rightly know, but I sure hope they get home soon — safe and sound, of course.” He handed Morgan the key.

“We’ll bring it right back,” she promised. Then she and Mom headed across the street to Emily’s house. Mom
put the goodies on the kitchen table, and Morgan taped her sign on the archway that led to the kitchen. Then, together, they hung the lights around the front door.

“Did you check to make sure they work?” asked Mom as Morgan stooped down to plug them in.

“Presto!” said Morgan as the colorful lights came on.

“Lovely,” said Mom. “Now let’s get this key back to Mr. Greeley.”

“This should be a nice welcome for them,” said Morgan as they stood in the yard and admired the string of lights.

“I feel just like one of Santa’s elves,” said Mom as they hurried across the street again.

“It’s going to be hard to go to sleep tonight,” said Morgan after they returned the key. She glanced back at Emily’s house. “Knowing that they’re still out there … alone … maybe still scared …”

“Well, it should be a lot easier now that you know things are looking up for them,” said Mom. “It’s a much better scenario now than it was earlier today.”

Morgan nodded. “Even so, I’m going to be praying extra hard until they get back.”

“I think we all will be.”