by Laura Scott
His high hopes deflated when he couldn’t hear anything but silence.
Just as he was about to give up, he heard a weird scratching noise.
Something was inside the crevasse, but was it animal?
Or human?
Janelle silently prayed over and over again as she waited from inside Devon’s squad car for news. Any news. Being here alone wasn’t nearly as frightening as wondering what was going on in the woods.
Sebastian was well overdue for his peritoneal dialysis exchange. Would he be feeling sick as a result? Or just tired? She had been meticulous about doing his exchanges so she had no idea what to expect him to feel like when he missed one.
Deep down, she hoped he was asleep, dreaming of good things rather than being huddled someplace, alone and afraid.
She took a small measure of comfort in knowing that he had his stuffed angel with him. And of course, she firmly believed God was watching over him.
What was taking them so long? She stared blindly through the windshield, the darkness so complete that she couldn’t see more than a few feet in any direction.
Headlights shimmered on the horizon and she couldn’t deny feeling relieved that more deputies were on their way to help search. She was so afraid they’d decide to hold off and wait until morning.
When the car pulled up and parked alongside the others, she slid out of the car to greet them, a bit surprised when she realized that Sheriff Luke Torretti was walking toward her.
“Hi Sheriff,” she greeted him. “Devon asked me to stay here, to show you the map so you’d know where they’re searching.”
The Sheriff nodded and then reached out to take her chilly hand in his. “I’m sorry that you have to go through this, Janelle,” he said in a low voice full of sympathy. “I want you to know we’re doing everything in our power to find your son.”
Tears threatened and she rapidly blinked them away. “Thank you. Is the K9 unit here? I have Sebastian’s jacket.”
“Right here, Ma’am,” a deep voice said from behind the sheriff. A tall man with jet black hair stepped forward, a large yellow Lab at his side. “I’m Seth Bertram and this is my dog, Buck. Will you hand me the boy’s jacket?”
Janelle was impressed at how well behaved Buck was. He sat motionless beside his master. Seth took the jacket and then held it for Buck to sniff.
The dog buried his nose in the fabric for several long moments before Seth straightened. “I’ll keep the jacket with me, if you don’t mind,” he said.
“Of course I don’t mind. Thanks for your help.”
“It’s no problem, Ma’am. This is what we’ve trained for.” Seth turned toward the Sheriff. “We’ll start out by walking back and forth to see if Buck picks up the scent.”
“Sounds good.” Sheriff Torretti turned to Janelle. “Any news yet?”
“Nothing.” She couldn’t begin to say how much the lack of information haunted her. She’d assumed there would be regular updates, but at this point, it was clear the deputies didn’t have anything to report.
What if they were looking in the wrong place? She reviewed the brief, disjointed conversation she’d had with Grant. Technically, he hadn’t said, “Meet us in the woods.”
She reminded herself that they’d already searched all the other possible places: the vacant properties, the motel, the campground, and up and down Main Street. They hadn’t checked the hiking trail along the lake, since the wildfire last fall had destroyed the area.
Where else could they be?
The woods made the most sense, but suddenly she was overwhelmed with doubt. Since when had Grant ever been logical?
Since never.
“Good boy,” Seth’s deep voice cut through the night.
Janelle rushed over. “Did you find something?”
Seth nodded. “Buck here picked up the boy’s scent. Sheriff, do you want to come along?”
Sheriff Torretti nodded. “Yes. Janelle, stay here and let the others know the K9 dog picked up the boy’s scent. We’ll be in touch as soon as we have something.”
She resisted the urge to beg him to stay. Better that Seth and Buck have all the help and support they need. She returned to the car, watching as the two men bearing flashlights followed the yellow lab’s lead through the trees.
She did as she was told, using the radio to let all the deputies know that the K9 unit was following Sebastian’s scent. Both Zack and Ian responded affirmatively.
But she hadn’t heard anything from Devon.
The bobbing of the Sheriff’s and the K9 cop’s flashlights grew dim, until the darkness swallowed them up. She bit her lip to keep from crying out in despair. Tilting her head back so she could gaze up at the stars hovering in the inky sky, she prayed once again.
Please keep Sebastian safe in Your care!
Minutes crawled by slowly, and the night air grew chilly, forcing her once again back inside Devon’s squad car. His male, musky scent lingered inside, giving her a small measure of comfort.
When her radio crackled a few minutes later, she nearly jumped out of her skin. It took a minute for her to recognize Devon’s voice. “Janelle? Do you copy?”
Eagerly she pressed the button. “Yes, Devon, I’m here. What happened? You didn’t respond earlier, did you find something?”
“Yes. I have Sebastian, over.”
She clenched her fingers on the radio with excitement. “You found him? Is he okay?”
“He’s okay,” there was a brief pause before he continued “I’m carrying him out now.”
The hesitancy in his tone caused a frisson of worry to snake down her spine. Sebastian was just okay? What did that mean? Was the boy unconscious? Unable to talk?
Had going too long without his exchange caused some sort of harm? And if so, was it temporary?
Or permanent?
She leaped out of the front passenger seat to grab the backpack of supplies she brought from home out of the back. The minute Devon arrived with Sebastian, she intended to be ready.
Once she had everything ready to go, she turned and gazed toward the woods, trying to catch the glimmer of light that would indicate they were close. She desperately needed to see her son for herself, to touch him, to hold him.
But as she stood there, looking at nothing, she realized that Devon hadn’t said anything about Grant. Because he was there but unconscious and unable to put up a fight?
Or because he’d disappeared, leaving Sebastian alone to die?
Chapter Thirteen
Devon carried Sebastian, the stuffed angel firmly wedged between them, his long strides eating up the ground as he made his way back toward the squad car where Janelle was waiting.
“Hang in there, Sebastian,” he murmured, wrapping his coat more tightly around the child. The boy’s hands had been like ice when he’d arrived, but they were beginning to warm up nicely.
“Okay,” the child’s voice was faint and he was so sleepy that Devon couldn’t be sure that Gardner hadn’t drugged him up to keep him quiet.
Not that the guy would be drugging anyone ever again. When Devon arrived, he’d found Grant dead of what Dev could only assume was an accidental drug overdose.
He felt sad that Grant had died so young, like so many others who ended up hooked on drugs. But thankfully, Sebastian hadn’t seemed to notice the guy who’d taken him from Janelle was dead.
A light from the west grew brighter and soon Devon realized that the K9 unit was coming toward him. “Armbruster?” a familiar voice called out. “Is that you?”
“Yes, Sheriff. I have Sebastian, but the guy who kidnapped him is dead.”
“Dead, how?” Sheriff Torretti asked, frowning as he approached. “I don’t recall hearing a gunshot.”
“No sir, I didn’t shoot him. He was crumpled up on the ground when I arrived with a syringe hanging out of his arm. I’m pretty sure it was an accidental overdose, but we’ll need to notify the ME to verify that.”
Sheriff Torretti blew out a heavy bre
ath. “What a waste.”
Devon silently agreed. He glanced at the K9 officer. “I’m Deputy Armbruster. I can take you back to where Grant’s body is located as soon as I hand Sebastian over to Janelle. He was pretty cold when I found him.”
“I’m Deputy Seth Bertram, and this is my partner, Buck. We can probably find the dead guy ourselves, Buck is pretty good at that kind of thing,” Seth said. “No need to rush back.”
Devon nodded. “Let me know if you can’t find it for some reason.” He edged past the two men, grateful when Sebastian squirmed a bit against him.
“Dev?” Sebastian asked in a whisper.
“Yeah, buddy, I’m here. You’re safe now, nothing to worry about, okay?”
“’Kay,” the boy mumbled.
Devon’s heart squeezed in his chest as he pressed a kiss to the top of Sebastian’s head. In the short time that he’d been around the child, he’d come to care about him, deeply.
He cared to the point where the thought of not seeing him, or Janelle again, was intolerable.
Yet could he really stay here in Crystal Lake for the rest of his life? Janelle made it clear she loved the small town, with its community atmosphere. And up until recently, he’d enjoyed it, too.
But what about his dream of making a difference, like his brother Steven had done? Was that God’s plan for him?
Or had God’s plan been about staying here to find Sebastian?
Dev knew there was time to think about the future, but right now, he needed to pick up the pace. Janelle would want to get started on Sebastian’s dialysis exchange right away.
When he emerged from the woods, Janelle came running toward him, her eyes full of gratitude. “Oh, Devon, thank you for finding him. Thank you so much!”
“Let me carry him to the car,” he said, when she reached up to take Sebastian. “He was chilled when I found him, so I’ve wrapped him up in my coat. We’ll need to keep him as warm as possible.”
“Okay.” She kept her hand on the child’s arm, as if she couldn’t bear to be separated from him for another second. When they reached his squad car, he waited for her to open the back door before he crouched down and gently set the boy inside.
“Oh, Sebastian,” Janelle murmured, kissing his cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Let’s get this catheter connected to a drainage bag.”
Dev stepped back, watching for a moment as Janelle washed her hands with sanitizer before moving Sebastian’s clothing just enough to expose his catheter. It didn’t take long to begin draining the fluid from his abdomen and she gently pulled the coat back around him for warmth.
“Mommy?” Sebastian asked, reaching his hand toward Janelle.
She leaned in and took his hand, pressing a kiss to his fingers. “Yes, Sebastian, I’m right here.”
A faint smile crossed his features. “I wuv you.”
“Oh sweetie, I love you, too.” Janelle’s voice broke and Devon quickly stepped forward to draw her into his embrace.
Janelle turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. “What happened to Grant?” she asked in soft voice, obviously not wanting Sebastian to overhear.
“He’s dead, Janelle,” Dev informed her. “Looks like he killed himself by overdosing on drugs.”
She buried closer, tightening her grip on him. “That’s so terrible,” she whispered. “But I can’t deny being glad he’s no longer a threat to us. To Sebastian.”
“I know, it’s awful to lose someone so young, especially when he might have been able to turn his life around with treatment. But the important thing is, we have Sebastian back, unharmed. And I don’t think Sebastian knows Grant’s dead, either. He was pretty groggy when I found him.”
That news caused her head to come up. “Groggy? Did Grant drug him?”
Dev hesitated and shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. Sebastian was chilled when I found him, so it could be that he was a bit hypothermic, or exhausted, or even because he was late in getting his exchange.”
She drew a deep breath. “Most likely, a combination of all three,” she agreed. She stared up at him for a moment. “How did you find him so fast? The K9 unit had barely gotten started.”
He flashed a wry grin. “I got lucky,” he admitted. “I remembered how Steven and I played in this area when we were younger. We found this crevasse in the side of a hill, shallow enough to be safe from predators. I was so glad I managed to get there in time to get Sebastian out of the cold.”
“Me, too.” She levered up on her tiptoes to brush his cheek with her lips. “Words can’t express how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me, Devon.”
He longed to kiss her properly, but wasn’t sure if she really felt the same way. Right now, she was simply grateful for having her son back, safe and sound.
For all he knew, she still only cared about him as a friend, while his feelings for her had somehow become much more complicated than that.
Janelle glanced at the dashboard clock, wincing when she realized that the hour was approaching midnight. As much as she needed to get a paycheck, she couldn’t go into work the next morning.
She was exhausted, as was Sebastian, but that wasn’t the real reason. After everything that had transpired in the last few hours, there was no way she could bear to leave Sebastian with Mrs. Alice.
Yet she hated the thought of calling in to work, asking for yet another unpaid personal day. But what choice did she have? It was too late to find someone to switch shifts for her.
Devon pulled into her driveway and then shut off the car. “I’ll carry Sebastian in for you,” he offered.
Since she needed to haul in all the supplies, she nodded. “Okay, thanks.”
They both climbed out of the car and she pulled the backpack up from between her knees and looped it over her shoulder. Sebastian had been so tired he’d barely eaten any of the fish crackers she’d brought along.
He was safe, and that was all that mattered, she reminded herself. No doubt, he’d wake up starving for breakfast.
She used her key to unlock the door and held it for Devon as he carried Sebastian inside. She flipped on the kitchen light, then went down the hall to help tuck Sebastian into bed.
“G’night, Dev. G’night, Mommy,” Sebastian murmured before snuggling into the blankets she brought up beneath his chin.
That was the second time he’d called her Mommy, and as much as she rejoiced in the endearment, she knew that it was possible Sebastian was confused.
In the morning she’d be Nana again.
She leaned down to press a gentle kiss on his forehead before straightening up to ease out of the room. Devon waited at the doorway, a tender smile on his face.
“I’m glad he’s doing all right,” Devon whispered as she closed the bedroom door part way, leaving it open an inch in case Sebastian suffered from any nightmares as the night wore on.
“You and me, both,” she agreed. As she headed for the kitchen, she pulled out her phone. “I need to call the hospital to let them know I won’t be in tomorrow morning.”
“I thought you had that woman all lined up to watch Sebastian?” Devon asked with a puzzled frown.
“I just can’t do it,” she confided. “Sebastian didn’t like her and after everything he’s been through, I can’t just leave him with her in the morning. I’ll have to try and find someone else to watch him.”
“I’ll come and stay until 2:30,” Devon offered in a low husky voice.
She appreciated his generosity, but she couldn’t just leave work early, either. “No, that’s not necessary. I’m lucky to get home by four in the afternoon, so we’d need someone to watch him for that period of time.” It took her a minute to notice she’d used the pronoun we, as if they were really in this together.
But they weren’t. A fact she needed to remember.
She cleared her throat, hoping Devon hadn’t noticed her subconscious slip. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll find someone to watch Sebastian. I can always offer to pick up some other s
hift.” She frowned, wondering if Tina, the young woman who finished her certified nursing assistant training would get back to her soon enough to possibly pick up a shift over the weekend?
Devon didn’t seem inclined to leave, but stood leaning against the kitchen counter while she called into work.
Thankfully, the charge nurse didn’t seem too upset by the news. “We’re actually staffed okay for the day shift tomorrow, Janelle,” Kimberly said. “But we’re short staffed this weekend, so let us know if you can help out at all.”
She let out her breath in a relieved sigh. “I’m hoping to find someone to watch Sebastian over the weekend, so that is a definite possibility. I’ll let you know for sure when I have someone lined up.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Kimberly said cheerfully.
Janelle disconnected from the call. Then she called Mrs. Alice, wincing at the late hour. Thankfully the woman didn’t answer so she left a brief message, cancelling her for the next morning. Then she glanced at Devon who was staring at her intently.
“I’m off this weekend,” he said in a casual tone. “I’d be happy to watch Sebastian.”
She would have liked nothing better, but she shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she protested.
His gaze darkened. “Why not?”
Her heart literally ached in her chest, but she knew she needed to stand firm “because Sebastian is already getting too attached to you, Devon.”
“So? I’m pretty attached to him, too.”
Was he being obtuse on purpose? “And what about when you move away for your new job?” she asked in a challenging tone. “I’ll tell you what will happen you’ll break his tiny heart into a zillion pieces.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it again. He pushed himself upright and then walked past her toward the door.
She wanted to call out to him, to stop him from leaving, but at the same time, she wasn’t about to prevent him from pursuing his future.
