In the Shadow of His Wings

by Pamela Wells

  For the good and bad times and she knew she could count on their love and support whether it was a small or big problem. They were truly like a family, working together and sometimes even fighting together. They didn’t always get along perfectly.

  Sometimes there were problems but that’s when they had to work a little harder and work through those problems and resolve things. When they did, they were stronger because of it. Laura smiled when she thought of some of the tough times they had been through.

  Some people had left the church when struggles had come. She always hated to see people leave because she knew that if they stayed and worked through the difficulty they would see how God worked it out for good. The church become stronger for it. They might, perhaps, even see themselves grow through it as well.

  Laura looked at the time again and instead of worrying about where her lunch was she worried about Hilda. Something must be wrong. She was thinking over the possibilities in her mind when the upstairs door opened and Gerhard came down the steps. This was a week day and it was not normal for Gerhard to be home during the day.

  He didn’t look himself. His face was red, he seemed flustered and nervous. He placed a tray on the couch with some food on it that had clearly been purchased at a fast food restaurant.

  “I hope this is alright. I’m sorry about the choice of food but I was in a hurry today.” Gerhard stood there wringing his hands as he talked, clearly feeling awkward.

  “Gerhard what’s wrong? Where’s your mother? Is she alright? I haven’t seen her all morning?” Laura walked around the couch and over to Gerhard, definitely more concerned about Hilda than the food.

  “She’s not feeling very well. I think she’s ok but just needs to rest. She didn’t feel up to coming down the stairs so she’s using her bedroom upstairs for now. I came home to check on her and bring you both some lunch but I have to get back to the office, so you go ahead and eat and don’t worry about anything. I’ll be home at supper time as usual.” Gerhard turned to go back up the stairs, clearly wanting to get out of there and away from any further questions. Before he went all the way up he turned to add,

  “I’m not sure when she’ll feel up to coming back downstairs again. Perhaps in a day or two. I’ll be sure to come home each day and bring lunch for you both and I’ll get some snacks for down here too. Maybe I’ll get something extra to put in your fridge so that you’ll have some additional choices. I’ll see what I can do. Don’t worry about it, everything will be ok.” Gerhard disappeared through the door, not waiting for Laura to respond.

  Laura sat down with her lunch and thought about what Gerhard had said. Poor Hilda. She knew the woman well enough by now to know that she must hate being upstairs alone all day. She must be bored. It would be better for her if she were at least downstairs where Laura could tend to her and keep her company. Laura bowed her head to thank the Lord for her food and also to say a prayer for Hilda. As Laura ate her cold hamburger and French fries she thought about Gerhard and how stressed he looked. It couldn’t be easy for him to run a major hotel and have to baby sit two women at the same time. Ordinarily a man of his means would hire someone to take care of his mother. Of course that wouldn’t be a good idea in this situation. Although the more Laura thought about it the more she realized that he really could do that if he wanted to. When she had tried to escape she had noticed how the upstairs door was hidden in a pantry. Both Hilda and Gerhard had made a point of telling her how well the basement had been sound proofed. So they could have an upstairs nurse or house keeper and she wouldn’t know that Laura was downstairs. But there would always be a risk of course. It might depend on just how ill Hilda is. If she were not completely conscious she might say something she shouldn’t. The nurse might find out a bit of information that Gerhard wouldn’t want her to know. Gerhard would be feeling paranoid enough that he would never take that risk. Of that Laura felt sure. She wondered if he had called a doctor in to have a look at his mother. She hoped he had at least done that for the poor woman.

  After Gerhard delivered Laura’s lunch to her he checked back in with his mother to see if she needed anything else before he went back to work. She was propped up in bed with several pillows and had a supply of magazines on the bed to the left. On her night table to the right, Gerhard had been sure to place a fresh pitcher of water as well as a tin of her favorite cookies. On Hilda’s lap was an attractive bed tray with her lunch, also from a fast food restaurant. There was a TV remote control in the side pocket of the bed tray and a small TV mounted on the wall across from the end of Hilda’s bed.

  “Everything alright mom, do you need me to get you anything else before I go back to work?” Gerhard asked from the doorway.

  “Well I guess everything is ok, if you call this junk you brought me food.” Hilda grumbled as she looked at the lunch on her tray.

  “I’m sorry mom, I know you don’t like that sort of food but I was in a hurry today and didn’t have time to ask the chef to prepare you something. I’ll plan it better tomorrow, I promise. I have to get back to the office now. I’ll be home later with a nice supper.”

  He rushed over to her side, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and without waiting for a reply, he hurried out the door.

  “Make it Italian food tonight!” Hilda yelled after him. “I feel like pasta with a Caesar salad. Don’t forget the garlic bread!” Hilda then collapsed back into the pillows.

  She still felt so very weak. Leaning forward to yell after Gerhard required too much energy and now she felt drained. She poked at the bagged lunch on her tray and wished she had the energy to toss it in the garbage and go fix herself something decent. Slowly she opened the bag, unwrapped the hamburger and sniffed it. She scowled at the thought of eating such vulgar food but she clearly had no choice, and she was hungry.

  Gerhard hurried back to his hotel, quickly checking with his secretary to catch up on his messages, then going into his office and closing his door. This was not going to be easy. In the past whenever his mother had been ill he had hired a nurse to take care of her. Of course she had hated every single person he had hired. He had tried a few different housekeepers over the years as well but his mother had rejected each of them.

  Hilda was a very particular woman and everything had to be done her way. Gerhard figured that if Hilda hadn’t rejected the housekeepers or nurses he had hired, they probably would have quit on their own anyway. There weren’t too many people that could tolerate Hilda for long. He had to admit that Laura was an amazing woman to have endured Hilda’s quirks and won her over the way she had. Ralph Milgrom, the gardener seemed to get along with her as well. The man had been with the Bloone’s for years.

  Hilda loved her gardens to look nice but over the years she spent less and less time out in them so she gave Ralph total freedom to tend them as he saw fit. As long as the overall yard looked nice, from the windows Hilda looked out, of she was happy. When the weather was nice she might take the occasional stroll out into the back yard but Gerhard wondered if she would be doing much of that anymore. She used to love to sit in the gazebo and look out over the river. It was a wonderful spot in the summer. The breeze off the water made it an especially comfortable, beautiful place to sit and relax. Hilda used to take great pleasure in the back yard garden. Gerhard always thought it was a shame that she didn’t have friends she could invite over to enjoy it with her but that had never been Hilda’s style.

  Gerhard sifted through his messages and made some necessary phone calls, tending to the most urgent matters first. There were a few things that couldn’t be dealt with over the phone however and needed his personal touch, he couldn’t spend the afternoon hidden in his office as he had hoped. This was not uncommon, but he had hoped that today he could rest for awhile on his office couch. He hadn’t slept much at all the night before and the stress of his mother being ill was getting to him. He hated to admit it but he was also feeling very guilty about what he had done to Laura. He wanted to tell her that the newspaper arti
cle wasn’t about her daughter. However he felt if he did, then it would be too much of a sign of weakness. It was better that Laura were afraid of him and what he could do. That way she would behave and stay under his control. He just wished he could enforce that discipline without hurting her the way he had. He forced those thoughts out of his mind and left his office to tend to more pressing hotel business.

  Gerhard informed his secretary of where he was going and then proceeded into the lobby of the hotel. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of police Detective Don Chisholm wandering through his hotel lobby. What is he doing here? Gerhard started to panic. He began to turn around and go back to his office but then realized the detective had seen him. If he turned around now it would look too suspicious. He looked to the right and then the left, hoping to see a possible way out. Something that would require his immediate attention so he wouldn’t have to deal with the detective but there was nothing.

  The business that he did need to tend to required walking right past where the detective was standing. He’s just standing there, watching me. Gerhard scolded himself for acting so nervous. After all the detective probably didn’t know a thing and was just nosing around. So stop acting so guilty and just go talk to him like an innocent man would. He went up to the police man, smiling and held out his hand to shake the detectives,

  “Good afternoon detective. Are you following me?” Gerhard laughed, trying to sound as casual as he could.

  “Following you?” Don questioned.

  “Well yes, first last night and now this afternoon.” Gerhard responded.

  “Oh not at all Mr. Bloone! I’m simply here to check out your facilities. The policemen’s recreation association is looking for a new place to hold its annual summer dinner dance. We thought perhaps your hotel would be a good location.” Don smiled at Gerhard as he explained his presence there. He couldn’t help but notice the perspiration on Gerhard’s forehead and upper lip, as well as his flushed complexion. The man was clearly a nervous wreck and trying desperately to cover it up.

  “And what conclusion did you come to?” Gerhard asked, wanting to get this little meeting over with as quickly as possible.

  “Oh we are checking out several possibilities at the moment. We haven’t made a final decision yet, but you do have a wonderful place here. The ballroom is outstanding.” Don hadn’t even looked at the ballroom that afternoon. He had been in it a couple of years ago for a friend’s wedding and remembered it being large and elegant. It was obvious that his presence in the hotel was making Gerhard very nervous and uncomfortable. Don hated to admit it but he was enjoying himself tremendously. He may have doubted Gerhard’s guilt in the past but he no longer did. This man had something to hide and having a police detective hovering around clearly made him nervous. Don was determined to find out exactly why that was. He wished he could get back into Gerhard’s house or office to search again but he was sure the man would not be so accommodating now as he was the first time. He didn’t have enough grounds to get a search warrant.

  “Well I’m afraid I must leave you detective. I have a lot of work to do.” Gerhard nodded to Don.

  “Yes I’m sure you are a very busy man. You have a good afternoon. I’m just going to look around a little more if you don’t mind. It’s a quiet day in Niagara Falls and unlike you; I’m not busy at all.” Don smiled.

  “Suit yourself and have a good day.” Gerhard turned and walked away quickly so the detective could not see the scowl on his face. How he wished the man would just leave and get out of his hair. He couldn’t stand the idea of the man snooping around his hotel. Not that he would find anything there; he just made him so uncomfortable.

  Gerhard quickly left the lobby and immersed himself in taking care of hotel business for the afternoon, trying not to think about the detective. The harder he tried to push it from his mind the worse it got. Why after all this time is he getting suspicious now? Gerhard walked through the laundry room and barked out some orders to his staff, then proceeded to the maintenance area where he dealt with a few other issues that had come up. Normally he was quite patient with his staff but today he found he couldn’t tolerate their petty problems. He actually yelled at a man and came very close to firing another. Word soon spread through the hotel of his foul mood and the staff all eyed him warily when he passed through their area. Gerhard Bloone was a respected man and well loved by his staff. They all felt he was a fair and honest boss. He had never fired a staff member without cause and even in such cases it was obvious the task was a difficult one for the man. So his behavior that day was not normal and there was much talk and speculation amongst the staff about what could possibly be wrong to cause such a foul mood in Mr. Bloone. Thanks to the hotel grapevine the staff soon learned to stay out of his way and save any problems that could wait for another day.

  Gerhard, feeling very frustrated went back to his office and lay down on his couch. He closed his eyes trying desperately to rest for a few minutes before he had to pick up supper from the restaurant and head back home. Rest eluded him however as his thoughts would not let him relax. He remembered what Laura had said about him not being able to find any peace on his own. How he needed to turn to God for that. Yet he doubted that God would give him any peace. It’s too late for that. I’ve made such a mess of my life. I don’t think God is big enough to forgive someone like me.

  The next few days continued in much the same way. Gerhard tried his best to keep the hotel running as smoothly as possible. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep the pace going. His mother was very bored lying in bed all day but felt too weak to make it down the stairs. She whined and begged Gerhard to allow Christine the use of the upper floor but he couldn’t take that risk. The upstairs hadn’t been set up for her and he didn’t have the time right now to do it. There was just too great a risk of something going wrong if he brought her up the stairs. Especially with that police detective snooping around! No, there was no way he could bring Laura upstairs. But he couldn’t explain all that to his mother. She didn’t understand how great the risk was, and like a spoiled child she wouldn’t let up on her nagging and begging. He tried to bring her things to do in bed. Anything he could think of to help amuse her and pass the time but she was a difficult woman to please and he was running out of patience. His staff clearly noticed the change in his routine since he didn’t normally go home for lunch. He did explain to some that his mother was ill but he knew they wondered why he didn’t just hire someone to take care of her. He could tell by the questioning looks his secretary gave him that she wondered what was going on as well. Most of his staff greeted him in a friendly manner every day but they all seemed to have grown cautious around him and many now avoided him when he entered a room. There was also that detective! Just the thought of Detective Chisholm made Gerhard’s stomach churn. The man seemed to be there every time he turned around. Yesterday when Gerhard went to the hotel restaurant to pick up supper the man was there eating dinner with a friend, obviously watching Gerhard. And this morning when Gerhard stopped at a local coffee shop for a quick coffee and donut before work, there was the detective, right behind him in line.

  Gerhard’s nerves felt like they were stretched as tight as they would go. He didn’t know how much more he could take.

  Chapter 23

  Jim, Josh, Maggie and Lacey were discussing the email they felt sure came from their mother. It excited them to feel she was alive but at the same time it was all so frustrating because there was nothing they could do.

  “Dad, why don’t we go to the media with this? It might renew interest in mom’s case, and who knows, some fresh tips might come in.” suggested Josh.

  “That’s an excellent idea. Good one son! Let’s get on it right away.” Jim replied.

  They called the three different TV stations that had originally covered the story of Laura’s disappearance but not one of them was interested in picking up the story line.

  They said it was old news and the simple email d
idn’t mean a whole lot. There was no way to back it up, not enough proof that Laura was still alive.

  Next they called the local newspapers but the response was pretty much the same. The small group of four moaned with frustration. This was all dragging on so long and it seemed everyone was assuming Laura was dead. They used to get regular calls and visits from friends but other than their closest ones, they hardly heard from anyone anymore. Jim’s business had dropped significantly as many of the public still felt he must have done away with his wife.

  Jim knew he had to focus more on his business and his children, not spending so much time worrying about Laura. Several days had gone by since they received the email that they assumed was from his wife. It’s quite possible the kidnapper found out about it and killed her in a rage. Jim shuddered at the thought. He didn’t want to think thoughts like that. He knew that they all had to get on with their lives. Laura would want them to do that.

  Jim tried to change the subject with the kids and get on to other things. They all welcomed the distraction. Josh and Maggie had picked July as a wedding date, they had hoped Laura would be home by then and wondered if she wasn’t, should they postpone it?

  “No, don’t postpone it” Jim encouraged, “Your mom would want all of us to move on with things. Can’t you imagine how furious she would be to find that we all put our lives on hold and did nothing but sit around worrying about her? Speaking of getting on with our lives, what about you Lacey, have you been applying to different universities or colleges?” Jim turned to his daughter.

  “Well dad, to tell you the truth I wasn’t sure what to do, so I thought maybe I would just take a year off, stay here with you, and get a job. That way I can save enough money to help pay for part of my future expenses.” Lacey replied, already knowing what how her father would say.