by Sandy Nadeau
“Rick, Jenny, Mandy, why don’t you all come with me,” Jon suggested. “Nate needs to be on hand if the sheriff needs anyone to do traffic control, if word gets out and the lookie-loos show up. No doubt the media will be here soon.”
They took off for the ranch.
Connie tried to open the door before Jon could even stop the car. Jenny fell into her mother’s arms, both of them clinging and sobbing as they greeted one another.
Rick wrapped his arms around both of them. The family stood there for a long time holding on to each other and allowing the emotions to bubble over.
Sue came out of the house and hugged Mandy. “It sure is good to see you, my friend.”
Barney hopped around, trying to get in on the hug action with his favorite people, Jenny and Mandy. He finally went over to Mandy and leaned against her leg.
Nate drove up, letting Jon know his services weren’t needed by the sheriff.
A crowd of employees, as well as a few guests, gathered in the parking lot.
When Mandy and Jenny turned to face everyone, a huge cheer went up. Everyone wanted to hug them or talk about the relief of finding them. Knowing they needed closure, Mandy spoke with them all. Jenny held up like a trooper, talking gently with the children who were in awe of her harrowing escape.
Finally, as the crowd dispersed, the cook came over. “I’m going to bring over a bunch of food so you can all eat in peace.”
“Thanks, Alice. We’d appreciate it.” Mandy turned to the Carters. “Come on. We have a lot to talk about. Nate, Sue, why don’t you join us, too?”
“What on earth happened? I want details.” Connie demanded.
Mandy explained the accident they witnessed on the way home from the store and how she ran over to help, only to find Kane crawling out.
“That must have been horrifying.” Connie wrapped her arm tighter around her daughter.
“Oh, Mom, I was so scared.” Jenny laid her head on her mom’s shoulder and continued, “He’s so mean. He kept us tied up in that cabin. We couldn’t even go to the bathroom unless he let us. Then he made Mandy cook and we had to eat while tied up. I was so scared that Mandy would get hurt. When she found that knife, I thought if he found out, he would shoot her, or both of us.”
“We did a lot of praying, I’ll tell you that,” Mandy murmured.
“I don’t think praying did you any good,” Rick said. “Look what you had to go through. Why would God allow such a thing to happen to two innocent people?”
“Rick, it’s times like this that I depend even more on Jesus to get me through.”
“Yeah, Dad. You know, when I ran through the forest trying to find help, I got so tired and scared. I didn’t know what was happening to Mandy. I kept thinking Kane would be coming up behind me. When I stopped to catch my breath, I broke down and cried out for Jesus to help me, and when I thought I wouldn’t be able to go on, the weirdest feeling came over me. I even thought I heard a voice telling me to trust Him. It was weird, but then I felt so much better. When I looked up, there were Jon and Mandy. I’m sure that God brought them to me.”
“Well, I don’t understand why God would put you through it all in the first place. So what if He helps you through something? Why can’t He stop it in the first place?”
“Rick, God loves us all so much that He gave us a free will to do as we want,” Nate explained. “If He forced everyone to believe in Him, to do the right thing all the time, then we wouldn’t be choosing a life with Him. We wouldn’t have any need for Him if everything went great in our lives. He doesn’t want us to come to him by force. He wants us to see that we need Him in our lives. Kane exercised his free will by doing dreadful things to innocent people. God still watched over Mandy and Jenny. God won’t force Kane to do the right thing. Kane would have to choose to give up the evil heart he’s built up over the years.”
“But why?” Rick asked. “He made the wrong choices. Why would God allow my daughter to suffer through so much torment from the hands of that man?”
Jon responded, “We may never know, Rick, but God uses all things to bring about a good result for those who love Him. He knows what will happen. He knows what we can handle. He made His presence known to Jenny out there in the woods. He held on to her and helped her.”
Mandy picked up her Bible off the side table and turned to Psalm 73:23-26. “'Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.’ God will always be faithful to us as believers.”
“Well, I don’t get it. I just don’t. This has been too much to go through for there to be a God.”
Alice and another kitchen helper came through the back door with trays full of food. “Come and eat everyone,” she called out.
Nate walked over to Rick. “We’ll do what we can to help you understand, Rick. But some things we just won’t ever understand.”
“I’m just glad they’re home safe,” Rick said as he walked into the kitchen with everyone.
While they were eating, two squad cars pulled in to the ranch, red lights flashing.
Jon rushed to the door. They all stepped out onto the porch as Sheriff Ed walked up. Another deputy got out of his car, stood near it, and looked around the area.
“Ed?” Jon’s voice held great trepidation. “What’s going on, now?”
The sheriff removed his hat. “We went down to the O’Neil’s cabin to pick up Kane. He’s gone.”
Connie, Jenny, and Mandy gasped and covered their mouths with their hands.
“The door was wide open. There were ropes scattered on the floor, but no sign of Kane. We found blood, but not much. We called in the dog teams to head out in the woods to search the area. We’re going to keep the helicopters up for a while longer, as well. For now, I think you all better stay inside and together. I’m posting a deputy outside.”
Nate stepped around everyone on the porch. “I’m going to gather the guys. We’ll guard all the way around the house.”
“I don’t think he’d dare come back here, but I do think you should warn your guests, and maybe keep them in camp until we find him. We’re also going to post a guard at the hospital.” Ed was solemn. “After what you told us Mandy, about his feelings for his dad, we need to keep an eye on him, too.”
“I’ll get on the radio and call the guests back in.” Nate spoke into his radio.
Connie pulled her daughter into the house. “Is this never going to end?”
Mandy put her arms out to gather everyone. “We’ll just hang out together today. They’ll find him. I know they will.”
Rick’s face and neck reddened. “I’m starting to rethink the idea of staying on here. Rhodochrosite or not, this is not worth my family’s lives.”
“Dad…” Jenny whined.
Jon interrupted. “Rick, let’s just wait this out. They’ll find Kane and things will settle down. We need to just stay put for now until he is caught.”
“At least he doesn’t have a gun anymore.” Jenny tried to lighten the mood.
“He doesn’t need a gun to cause more trouble.” Jon said as he checked the doors and windows to be sure the locks were secure.
****
Mandy paced the room as she worried about two very different men. She called the hospital and waited for a call back from the doctor as to Mr. Shonee’s condition. “I’m no good at waiting. I want to go see him. He has to feel hurt that we haven’t come in to see him at all today. Here he’s having that procedure done, and no one is there to support him.”
Jon leaned forward in his recliner. “I know honey, but we can’t take a chance on leaving right now. Not until that man is found and locked up.”
Connie sat on the couch, quiet, her concern evident by her expression. Jenny petted Barney, who rolled over and laid his head against her, but when she
noticed her mom, she joined her on the couch. “You OK, Mom?” Jenny asked while rubbing her hand on her mom’s back.
“Yeah, I’m OK, sweetie. I just keep thinking about everything you went through out there and it scares me.”
Rick stood silently and stared out the window.
Jenny reached her arm around her mom’s back. “I don’t think I’ve ever had so much happen to me at one time before. Wait till all my friends hear about this trip.”
“How can you even think about it?”
“Well…it’s over now, Mom. I’ve found out how much it helped me to pray to get through it all. I don’t know. It just makes me feel better. Now that I’m safe, I think back on it all and I can see how God protected me.”
“I wish I could feel as secure as you do about this.”
Mandy sat on Connie’s other side. “It’s always harder as a mommy to find peace when your child is in danger. Remember that verse I read? He is my peace. I have to take comfort in Him.”
“But how do you find peace like that?” Connie held out her hands. “I used to go to church, but we just…fell away, I guess.”
“You just have to believe in Jesus, Mom. Now I finally understand what they all meant at church. When you have nothing else, when it’s all gone, when there’s nothing around to depend on, you still have Jesus to see you through. It’s cool! He’s like the best friend you could ever have.”
“Oh honey, I wish I could understand what you mean.”
Jon leaned back. “We don’t have much else to do, would you like to do a little Bible study to pass the time?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.” Jenny’s enthusiasm bubbled over.
“How about you, Rick? I’d like to help you understand Who God is.”
“I don’t care.” His words were clipped. “Connie and Jenny want to hear it, so go ahead. Like you said, there isn’t much else we can do right now.” He remained stoically staring out the window.
Jon got his Bible off the sofa’s end table. He went back to his chair and opened the well-worn book to the first chapter of John. “This is the chapter that really helps you understand who Jesus is. Why God had to send Him for us.” He began to read. “’In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him, all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.’” Jon went on to read about John the Baptist coming ahead of the One. He explained that even though Jesus was in the world, people didn’t recognize Him as God. “’The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’”
“But what does that all mean?” Connie’s face seemed puzzled.
Jon looked over at her. “Jesus is the creator. He created all things. He was there from the very start, and even though He came from God as a man to live with man, He was still fully God. Because of His love for us, that’s why He came to be with us. Kane made it obvious; the heart of man can be sinful. God cannot be around sin. It required a sacrifice. Jesus came to be the Lamb for us. Listen to chapter three. ’I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said, ’no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’” Jon then stated from memory, “’For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’”
“We just have to believe that, Mom, then He’s in your heart forever.”
“I heard a lot of this as a child growing up, but I never knew what it meant.” Connie had a faraway look in her eyes.
Rick finally turned around, acknowledging that he’d been listening. “It has to be harder than that. If God is really God, it can’t be a simple thing.”
“But that’s the beauty of it, Rick.” Mandy looked over at him. “It’s simple for us, but it wasn’t for Christ. He gave His life on the cross for us all. He suffered for all the sin of all mankind for all time. You said earlier that this has just been too much to go through. A lot of people go through much worse things. Families suffer through cancer, losing a child to death, rebellion that breaks their hearts…any number of things happen to many people. Life isn’t easy for anyone, but if you have Jesus in your heart, you have Someone to turn to. Someone to bring comfort when you don’t know where else to turn. And you get eternal life in heaven on top of it.”
Connie turned to Mandy with pleading eyes. “So how do I get this?”
“The Bible says that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. You just have to believe that God sent Jesus, and that He died on the cross for our sin. He rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of God. His Holy Spirit is here with each one of us to comfort us.”
“But I don’t understand it all.”
Jon’s smile brightened his face. “That’s OK, Connie. Jesus just wants your heart first, the learning takes a lifetime.”
“Rick?” Connie turned around to look at her husband. “What do you think?”
“Yeah, well, it all sounds good, but I still have my doubts. It just can’t be that simple.”
“Daddy, I just think you’d be a lot happier if you had Jesus for a friend. I want us all to end up in heaven.”
Rick walked over to his daughter and hugged her. “I know honey. I think it’s wonderful that you have found this to believe in.”
“But, what about you, Dad? Do you believe it?”
“I’m just trying to understand it all right now, sweetheart.”
The phone rang.
“Yes…” Mandy said into the receiver. “I’m so glad you called. How is he doing?”
They all waited, listening to her side of the conversation.
“OK, I’m glad it went well…yes, we have had more trouble with his son and we’re not able to come right now…no, I don’t think he should be told….I agree…can I call him later? Good, OK, thank you, Doctor. Goodbye.”
She looked at everyone. “They did the angioplasty on Mr. Shonee this morning. The doctor is very amazed at how well he is coming through all of this. Because of the procedure, they don’t think he should know about Kane, yet. They told him he couldn’t have company yet, so when they find Kane, we’ll go visit him. But he’s doing well.”
“Praise God.” Jon looked up.
“Hmm...” Rick said.
“What?” Jon asked.
“Well, it’s still pretty amazing how well that old guy is doing. How could he have made it through?”
Jon smiled. “Something to think about, isn’t it Rick?”
32
The sheriff pulled into the parking lot of High Country Safaris. Everyone met him at the door with hopeful expressions.
Nate ran up from the barn.
“We got him.” The sheriff punched the air to accentuate his words.
“Where’d you find him?”
“Well,” the sheriff began, “apparently, Mandy, you pack quite a wallop. He passed out and lay dazed at the bottom of a ravine only about a half mile from the cabin. The dogs found him. My guys got down there and apprehended him, and he still didn’t know what was going on.”
“Oh, my gosh.” Mandy’s hand flew to her mouth. “I didn’t think I pushed him that hard. Is he going to be OK?”
“It serves him right to be hurt.” Rick growled out his anger. “Don’t be concerned about him, not after what he did to you and Jenny.”
Mandy looked to Rick. Her brow pinched. “He’s just a lost man, Rick. He’s Mr. Shonee’s son.”
“Well, anyway…” Clearing his throat, the sheriff continued. “He’ll get checked out at the hospital, and then he’ll be locked up tight for a very long time. He’s got a long list of charges against him.”
Jon slapped his hand on their friend’s shoulder. “Thanks, Ed. Maybe now we can get things back to normal around here.”
“Yep, I hope so. I
wanted to let you know right away. He isn’t going to get away this time. Take it easy. I’m heading for the hospital. I have a few things to say to that guy. See you later.”
Everyone said goodbye to the officer and thanked him.
Jenny jumped up and down with a squeal, then spun a circle.
Rick took Connie’s hand. “Come on. We’re going to the cabin.”
Confusion filled Connie’s face.
Jenny wore a frown as she headed after her parents.
Nate looked at Jon. “I think we should do something special tonight for all the guests after calling them in today. Seems we need some damage control for the Carters, too.”
“He is really hardened towards God. I don’t want them to leave before we can reach him.” Jon stared after the family.
Nate gripped Jon’s shoulder. “I know buddy. We have to trust God to take care of him. It’s up to the Holy Spirit, now.”
“We need to get to the hospital and see Mr. Shonee,” Mandy reminded. “Let’s have a campfire tonight. We could have Alice make up some steaks to cook out there for everyone. Let’s have a party.”
“Aren’t you exhausted?” Jon turned to his wife.
“Not any more. There’s just too much to celebrate to be tired right now.”
Nate went to the door. “You guys go on. I’ll talk to Alice and let the guests know. We’ll have a big ol’ hoe down tonight!”
****
Jon and Mandy walked into Mr. Shonee’s room.
His bed was elevated and his face lit up as they entered. “Well, hey there. I didn’t think you’d come see me today.”
“Sorry we couldn’t be with you, earlier,” Jon said. “Things came up that we had to attend to.”
“You look so much better.” Mandy’s tone warmed. “How are you feeling?”
“Not too bad. A might frustrating earlier to lie still while things healed up, but I hear they got me all fixed. Should be good as new.”
“Well, you sure have been covered in prayer.” Jon shook the man’s hand.
