The Road to Mercy (19 page)

“What is it, Budder?”

Oh, no . . . a cat.

Beth grabbed for the little dog’s collar but it was too late. He bolted off toward the neighbor’s yard and disappeared around the corner of their house. She dropped the newspaper beside the front door and took off after him.

Josh picked up the newspaper from the stoop as he approached the front door of the house. When he turned the knob, he found that Beth had left the door unlocked again. How many times had he cautioned her about that?

He dusted the snow off his shoes and then tiptoed into the house so as not to wake his wife. She had left a voicemail message that she would be napping. No need to disturb her. Besides, he would be happy to have time alone. It would be great to relax and read the paper in front of the fire. Next week, he returned to the road. Might as well enjoy himself while he could.

He took off his gloves and rubbed his hands together to warm them up. It was freezing outside. The weather matched his mood. The low temperatures had stolen his comfort the way an unknown thief had taken his peace of mind. He’d lost something more important than money in the past few months. He’d lost a friend and employee who would be found out eventually.

Although he was tired and anxious right now, he was determined to fight back. A short nap would do him good before
he figured out how. He propped his feet up on the couch and settled in for a while.

Beth called for Buster, but the wind blew her words back into her face. The little black-and-white terrier was nowhere in sight. In the twenty or so minutes she had been searching, the weather had gone from bad to worse. She protected her eyes with her hand, while looking around for the dog. It would have been nice to have on gloves and a coat. Perhaps she should return to the house for them and solicit help. Or maybe she should just wait for Buster to return on his own.

She saw movement in her peripheral vision. It was him.

“Buster. Buster. Come here. . . .”

The little dog glanced at her and then, as if driven by demons, took off running in the opposite direction. They had already crossed several neighborhood yards and now approached the street that ran behind the houses. She watched him run, barking, into the street and directly in front of an oncoming car.

“Noooo!”

Thank God, Buster cleared the front wheel of the car and kept running. The black cat he chased managed to stay a few yards in front of him.

There was no way she could risk leaving the little dog to the elements. She had to figure a way to coax him to her before he crossed another street.

Perhaps she could corner the little guy.
Please, God, help me get to him
.

A few seconds later, the cat lured Buster into a vacant lot. One that had been partially fenced. The nimble feline scrambled up the rough wood planks and hopped to safety on the
other side. Her pursuer stopped briefly, inhaled the air above him, and considered his options.

Beth had only seconds to make her move. She rushed across the wet grass, now covered in two inches of fluffy, white snow, and grabbed for Buster’s collar. Mentally calculating the space between them, she lunged forward with one final push, and her foot slipped out from under her.

Her fall played out in slow motion, leaving time for her to contemplate whether the landing would be soft or hard. Beth juxtaposed her body to protect her baby the best she could, but when she hit the ground the pain was excruciating.

Josh awoke from his nap with the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. He sat up on the sofa and listened for a clue. Only silence filled the air. He should check on Beth.

When he opened the bedroom door, he found the room just as he had left it. The bed was made, and there was no sign of Buster. Either Beth had taken a nap and remade the bed, or she had never lain down after returning with Alex. Perhaps the girls had started chatting and time had gotten away from them. He picked up the phone to call next door.

“Alex, is Beth with you?”

“No. I dropped her off about two hours ago. Maybe more. Why?”

“I can’t find her.”

“What do you mean?” Panic fractured her usually calm voice.

“I haven’t seen her since I got home. And Buster’s gone.”

“That doesn’t make sense. I’ll be right over.”

While waiting for Alex, Josh walked through the house again, checking every room and calling Beth’s name.

Nothing.

“Did you notice any tracks in the snow when you came home?” Alex asked, rushing through the back door.

“I didn’t really look, but . . . no. I didn’t.”

“Surely she wouldn’t have taken Buster for a walk. Not in this weather.” Alex peered out the front window. “Her car is still here.”

“I’m worried.” Josh stepped to the hall closet, put on his heaviest jacket, and pulled on his gloves. “The weather is too bad for her to be outside. But I don’t know where else she could be.”

“Maybe at a neighbor’s house?”

“Not likely. But I’ll check.” He opened the front door. “You stay here in case she calls.”

“Will do.” Alex picked up the cell phone from the sofa table. “Look, it’s Beth’s phone.” A worried look crossed her face.

“Stay here anyway. Someone needs to stay at the house. If she shows up, call my phone.” He patted his jacket pocket. “I’ve got it with me.”

“Okay. I’ll be right here.”

Josh walked from door to door, and up and down the street. Few of their neighbors were home. Those who were said they hadn’t seen Beth or Buster. He looked around, uncertain about what to do next. He prayed she was somewhere safe, and that he could scold her later for being so unthinking as not to tell him where she’d gone.

The temperature had dropped considerably since he had come home. A light sleet was now falling, making it harder to walk on the ice-crusted surface of the snow. If she was outside, she could freeze to death in no time.

He had to do something. But what? He took his phone from his pocket and started to dial the emergency code. Then he remembered what he had always been told: that the police
wouldn’t take action on a missing person unless they had been gone for more than twenty-four hours.

Josh put the phone back in his pocket and called Beth’s name. Then Buster’s.

No answer.

He heard only the icy tic-tic-tic of the sleet hitting the ground and the crunch of the snow underneath his feet as he picked his way through the neighborhood.

Josh detoured from the sidewalk into yards and vacant lots, looking behind every bush and around every fence. He continued to shout. “Beth! Buster, here boy. Beth-a-ny.”

Only silence and fear responded.

Beth pulled Buster close to her. If she had anything to be thankful for, it was that she had fallen next to the old, wooden fence, which helped to shelter her from the wind. The temperature was cold, but the wind chill was agonizing. The fence also helped to block the icy rain that had begun to fall.

She rubbed her swollen ankle. When she tried to move, the pain proved almost intolerable. All she could do was wait. And hope that Alex or Josh would find her soon. She wasn’t that far from home. Although, she reasoned, she might as well be in Antarctica, if they didn’t know to look for her.

The number of cars passing on the street several yards behind her had diminished since darkness set in. By listening to the thump-thump of the tires, she could decipher that the state of the road was bad.

What if Josh hadn’t been able to get home? If not, Alex would have no way of knowing that Beth had left the house—until tomorrow.

She shouted for someone’s attention, but the wind carried her voice into the darkness without a response.

Fear seized her heart. How long did it take to freeze to death?

Lord, please don’t take my baby and me
.

The words surprised her. Until now, her brush with heaven almost four months ago had anesthetized her from this world.

Josh had been right all along. She hadn’t been thinking straight.

Heaven had seemed incomparable to any kind of life on earth, especially one where she had to face the problems she had created for herself. She had been hiding her guilt behind the painkillers and her illness. And she had let her relationship with Josh deteriorate.

Nothing had held her here until now, when death threatened again and she realized that she and her child were in this together. The bond between them could not have become more real than at that moment. They were fighting for life together.

A frozen tear lodged in Beth’s eye.

Dear God, was that a kick from my baby?

It was the first time she had felt the child growing inside her womb.

She had to get them out of here alive.

Buster wiggled next to her.

“Be still, boy. We need to hang close if we’re going to make it through this.”

The little dog looked up to her, his black-brown eyes conveying perfect love. Love without fear. Love that rested on trust.

He cocked his head.

“What is it?” Beth asked, and then she, too, heard something. Her hopes rose, and she listened.

There it was again, but it was just the wind howling through the rickety, old fence.

“Bethany. . . . Beth. Can you hear me?”

Josh had wandered for twenty minutes, not sure where to go or what to do. He dialed Alex as he continued to walk.

“Any word?” She answered.

“Nothing. Can you call a few people from the church and ask them to come over and help me search?”

“I already have. A half dozen or so are on their way, but the roads are near impassable. It will take a while.”

“Thanks. . . .” Disappointment lodged in his gut.

“What else can I do?”

“Pray. Just pray.”

“I’m already doing that.” Her voice cracked. Not what Josh needed to hear right now. Alex was always the optimistic one in the group.

He hung up the phone and exhaled, his warm breath turning to steam. Guilt stabbed him in the chest. What if he was too late?

He had so many things to tell Beth. First, that he loved her but also that he would stand with her through the trials and the pain she had been facing alone.

Oh, God. Please let me tell her I’m sorry for the words I said in anger
.