During the closing prayer, Sam returned to his keyboard, and the music warmed her heart. She was so filled with God’s overwhelming love that she didn’t hear Gabriel’s lead into Amy’s kidnapping. He asked for her safe return, proclaiming that tragedy would not have the last word. “God’s hope is eternal.”
Jessica wiped away the tears as the reverend moved to the communion table and spoke about Christ’s last supper with His disciples. Jessica was surprised to learn that even Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples, had doubted Jesus’s identity, wanting to see the evidence of His resurrection for himself. When they were invited to share in the sacraments, Jessica accepted the bread and grape juice and invited God to be her Lord and Savior.
She left the church with encouragement and hope that God had not abandoned her, that all was just as He had planned. Now for the hard part: to go out into the world and keep this wonderful feeling twenty-four hours a day.
Chapter Seventeen
Sam helped Jessica out of the truck and into Galilee Women’s Shelter. “You’re doing really well this soon after your surgery.”
“Thanks for the encouragement. Wish I were as convinced.” Why couldn’t he let her go home so she could let loose and cry? She greatly appreciated the Vance family’s hospitality. Still, she wanted to convince them that she didn’t require supervision.
Jessica’s eyes misted over, but she refused to let anyone at work see her break down. She really didn’t want to visit today, but they had no choice. Sam wanted her input on whether anything seemed out of place.
Susan met Jessica at the door and reached out to give her a hug. “Hi, Jessica. Morning, Sam. How are you two today?” Susan said cheerfully.
“Okay” was the best Jessica could come up with this morning. For a moment she caught herself resenting Susan’s chipper mood.
“Morning, Jessica.” The words echoed around them. The receptionist offered her prayers and sympathy for what had happened.
Jessica hadn’t slept a wink all night, and the hope from yesterday had faded. She couldn’t fathom how anyone felt God could help in this. If He could, why hadn’t He brought Amy home already, or kept it from happening in the first place? Despite her doubts, she thanked them. One mother had been reading her daughter a book and when she saw Jessica, she stood to leave.
“Hurry along, Tina, we don’t want to bother these busy folks.” Mandy made a wide turn to avoid Jessica.
“Susan, would you mind if we asked you some questions?” Sam watched the other residents, wondering if they were also going to treat Jessica as if she had a virus. Could any one of them have known Deanne had this planned?
Susan directed them into her office. “I think we’d be more comfortable talking here.”
Sam watched as most of the residents offered Jessica their sympathy through a hug or even a simple smile. He realized Susan didn’t seem to like the audience.
“You two go ahead,” Jessica suggested. “I’ll join you later.”
Sam followed Susan, glancing back to see Jessica visiting with a few of the residents. He was startled by the dreariness of the facilities, though the lobby had been brightened considerably with new paint and a colorful quilt.
Susan closed the door, which made Sam wonder what could be so private. “So, does this mean you’ve come up with something?”
“I wish it did.” Susan rounded the desk and sat down. “I just felt it would be wise to avoid upsetting the residents any more than they have been. We’ve had a couple of families leave, thinking they’re going to be safer on the streets.”
“That’s frightening. What’s scared them away? Could they have helped Deanne set this up?”
Susan shook her head. “No, they’re too upset to have been involved. I could never really put my finger on what bothered me about Deanne. I suspect it’s similar for the others.”
Sam looked at her, startled. “What do you mean?”
Susan shrugged, uncomfortable with something. Surely it couldn’t have been too bad, or she wouldn’t have left her twin daughters in Deanne’s care.
“It was my first instinct. I thought I was uncomfortable with her scars. She did fine with the kids and took great care of them. There was just something off about her.”
Jessica knocked and came in and sat down without a word.
Sam met her dazed expression. “Anything?” Jessica simply shook her head and Sam turned back to Susan.
“Did you know she had a daughter?” Sam asked.
Susan leaned forward, her eyes wide. “She what? Deanne never mentioned a daughter to me.” She looked first at Jessica, then at Sam. “Did you know anything about a daughter, Jessica?” Jessica shook her head. “Oh, please don’t tell me the child was removed from Deanne’s custody.”
“No, nothing like that. She died in the same fire that injured Deanne.” Sam barreled into the next questions, trying to avoid looking at Jessica, afraid that if she started crying, he wouldn’t be able to continue. “What do you know about her injuries?”
“Only that she was injured in a fire a little over a year ago. She lived at the shelter for a few weeks after being released from the hospital. I believe she’d moved here from Kansas.” Susan glanced at Jessica. “When she made it into her own home, the previous director agreed to let her help at the center. She does a—”
“I’m going to go to my office and check my mail,” said Jessica.
Sam took her hand as she tried to escape. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Fine. I just need a break from all of this.”
She probably wanted a break from him, as well. They had been through these same questions over and over again.
Jessica closed the door behind her, and Sam heaved a sigh of relief. At least she was letting herself react to her emotions.
“How’s she really doing, Sam?”
He knew Susan from church, and he trusted her. “I’m worried about her. I assume you know Jessica was also in an accident not so long ago. Now this. I’m not sure how she’s hanging on, but she is putting on a brave face. I thought going to church yesterday really helped, but today, she seems lower than before.”
“I can’t imagine the agony she’s going through.”
He’d wanted to get another opinion, and supposed Susan knew as much as anyone could. “How would you describe Jessica?”
She sent him a puzzled look. “How do you mean?”
“I want someone who can show me another perspective on her. I need to try to figure out why Deanne would take Amy from Jessica. If I didn’t know her at all, what would you tell me about her?”
Susan smiled. “Jessica is a fun and caring woman. She’s had a few rough breaks, but she’s strong. Considering her back problems, she’s still a wonderful mother. It’s not an easy job on a good day, you know, but when a single mom doesn’t feel well, there’s no choice but to carry on.” Susan interwove her long fingers and leaned forward on the desk.
“I see. Does she miss much work?”
“This week is her first time off since she started two months ago. She takes her lunch hour for doctors’ appointments, refuses to use her sick time.”
Sam thought about his mother’s comment about Jessica’s faith, but instead asked, “Any idea if there have been any disagreements between Jessica and Deanne?”
“Not that I’m aware of. But Jessica would go directly to Deanne if there was something wrong, that’s her style.”
He had to know. “Any idea where she is in her faith?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “She agreed with our mission statement, which indicates a belief in God, but nothing too overwhelming. To be honest, I don’t think that means the same thing to everyone, and technically, it’s illegal to ask for much more detail these days. You can imagine how happy I was to see her yesterday. It’s the first I’ve seen her at our church.”
Sam nodded. “I know.”
Susan looked at him with laughter in her eyes. “Oh, have you been keeping your eye on her for
long?”
“No, but she’s the type of woman who’s hard to miss. I’ve seen her at the Stagecoach Café a lot lately.”
Susan nodded. “Oh yes, with the bachelors… Um, you didn’t think she was dating all of them, did you?”
“The thought did go through my mind, for a while, but that part is cleared up.”
“I’d hope so. It seems like you two have hit it off.”
“Yeah, I wish she were as convinced of that. Time will tell, I guess. It’s not been an easy week to think of—” His voice cut out, as if he was sixteen again. He cleared his throat, willing his brain to catch up with the conversation.
“Romance?”
He shook his head, embarrassed that his brain had stalled on that particular word.
Susan laughed. “God created amour too, you know. Read Song of Solomon sometime.”
“That stall wasn’t intentional. For the record, I have no aversion to romance.”
“That’s comforting to know, since the news is that you’re courting my dear friend.” Susan’s onyx-colored eyes sparkled with laughter.
Sam shrugged. “Let’s see, have you been talking to my mother, or Lucia? Because Jessica certainly wouldn’t have admitted as much.”
“All in God’s time.”
“I have to admit, He’s really caught me off guard this time. Having one of us a little gun-shy makes for a good balance, since the timing is less than wonderful.”
“Our hearts just never seem to work logically, do they.”
Sam agreed, then changed the subject, relieved to not be talking about falling in love. They discussed Deanne again, and Susan looked for records from her interview but couldn’t find them.
“I don’t understand,” Susan said, riffling through files. She opened the next drawer, and the next, and looked through them all. “I can’t imagine when she could have come in and gotten her file out of here.”
“Maybe someone got it out for Detective Hilliard earlier in the investigation. I’ll check on that.”
Susan stared at him as if in a daze. “It’s so unbelievable. I keep praying that Amy will come home unharmed. Oddly enough, I don’t question Amy’s safety with Deanne. But if there is someone else involved, you can never be certain.”
Sam closed his eyes, unwilling to think of the terrible things that had happened in similar cases. “Do you know if there was anyone in Deanne’s life?”
“No one that I’m aware of, but she worked more closely with the child-care staff than with me. They may know. I hate to pass the buck. Since I’m the director, I should have looked into the personnel files more thoroughly when I started.”
“It may not have made any difference—her official record appears to be clean up until recently.”
“How recently?” Susan sat up straighter. “What did she do?”
“Afraid I can’t divulge that information at this point. And it may be nothing at all.” Sam wished he hadn’t brought his own suspicions into the discussion.
“I’m her employer, she worked with children. Shouldn’t that matter?” Susan’s curls bounced with each motion she made.
Sam did his best to calm Susan down. “It’s just suspicion at this point. She hasn’t been charged with anything. And we didn’t know she worked with children until this incident. It’s not like you’d let her come back at this point. Would you?”
Susan’s jaw dropped. “Of course not! Unless… Never mind. If it was some sort of emergency, she’d have called by now. I just can’t seem to accept that Deanne planned this out and actually took Amy.” She shook her head. “How could anyone do such a thing?”
“The human psyche is a dangerous element to mess with. When we don’t take care of it, these things happen. Deanne should have sought psychiatric help.” Sam looked around, realizing he was preaching to the choir. Susan and the other staff at Galilee Women’s Shelter were obviously trying to help a hurting segment of the population. “Well then…” Sam stood up and stepped toward the door. “I’m sure someone will get back to you if we have any more questions.”
“I’d like that file back, if they have it. Or at least a copy for our records.” Susan stood with a hand on her hip.
Sam smiled at her determination to do things right. “If you’d like to consider reviewing the rest of your employee records, I’d be happy to assist you with some ideas about how you can go about it legally.”
“We’ll talk about that after we find Amy.”
“Thanks,” Sam said as he opened the door. “Which way to Jessica’s office?”
“End of the hall, to the left.”
Sam followed the hall and stepped into the last office, surprised to find Jessica nowhere in sight. He spun around and looked in each room along the way back to the lobby. Surely she wouldn’t try to leave without him. Surely she knew the police were doing everything they could to find Amy. She couldn’t do any more. He saw the receptionist and stopped.
“Do you know where Jessica went?”
“Next door, to the child-care room, I think.” She gave him directions on how to get there, and Sam rushed outside and into the next entrance, following the noise to the children. Please, Lord, don’t let her run away from me. Don’t let her take off trying to find Amy on her own. Take care of her and help me to show her how much she is loved.
As he ran into the room, he saw Jessica standing at the exit to the outside play area.
“Jessica?”
She pushed herself away from the door frame, where she’d been watching the children play.
“Amy should be here, playing with her friends.”
“You scared me,” he growled. “I thought you said you’d be in your office.” Sam ordered his heart to slow down.
She turned around, revealing red eyes. “I did what I needed to there, and came to see if I could find anything in here that might help us find them.” Jessica folded her arms in front of her, challenging him to push.
Sam waited a minute, trying not to sound defensive. “You could have let me know.” It didn’t do any good. He and Jessica had been locking horns all morning. The only thing he’d done right in her eyes was bringing her here, with him.
“I’m not the one in trouble, Sam. Yet I seem to be the one with the bodyguard.”
She walked past him, and Sam took a deep breath. “Patience, Sam,” he whispered, reminding himself not to overreact. She’d been through a lot in the last week. He counted to ten, then turned to follow her out. She’d already hurried out the front door and was making her way through the wrought-iron-surrounded yard as if he were a threat to her safety.
“Jessica…” Sam nodded to the security guard as he walked past. “Have a good day.”
“You, too, Detective.”
Sam hurried his step to catch up, hoping to talk some sense into her. “Slow down or you’re going to hurt yourself.” She stepped through the iron gate and slammed it closed.
Sam tugged on it, but it had locked automatically. He looked up, the sharp pointed tips discouraging him from climbing over.
“Just a minute…” the security officer said as he rushed to the gate.
Wasn’t that just like God to test his patience the minute he asked for an extra dose? Sam thought. She may have slowed him down, but she could still hear him. “You’re supposed to be resting. Taking it easy. I shouldn’t have let you come in the first place.”
The security officer paused before opening the gate. “Can I do anything to help, Jessica?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Edgar. Give me a block and let him out.”
Sam looked at the guard and shrugged. “She just had surgery a few days ago, I’m only trying to keep her from getting hurt.” The guard opened the gate and Sam jogged to meet her.
“I don’t need anyone to tell me how to take care of myself, or where I can or can’t go,” she insisted as she passed the pickup. “I feel like I’m in a prison surrounded by guards. And I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Sam stopped at the pickup
and opened the passenger door, hoping she would listen. “Get back here and we’ll talk about it,” he said in an even tone. The one place he didn’t want in any way to appear bossy was outside a shelter for abused women. “Jessica. There’s no need to push yourself so hard.”
She spun around too quickly and crumpled to her knees.
Sam hurried down the block. “I told…”
Jessica glared at him. “Don’t even think of saying it, Sam. I only twisted my ankle.” She gathered her skirt around her knees and slowly moved to get up.
“And landed on the ground.” He knelt next to her, offering a hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Positive.”
“I’m not trying to be a thorn in your side, Jessica. I’m just trying to make sure you take care of yourself, since you don’t seem to realize your limitations.”
She batted his hand away and pushed herself to her feet.
“When’s your checkup?” He couldn’t believe she’d brush him aside and ignore her own health. Jessica stepped close enough to kiss, but he knew better.
“I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care. And I don’t want you looking into it for me.”
“Maybe someone needs to,” he said in his “just-the-facts” voice. “I know this isn’t easy, Jessica. You haven’t had anyone around to take care of you in a long time. And I know this isn’t the best time to start a relationship, but I can’t just turn my back.”
“And who is it that isn’t seeing their own limitations? You can’t make my back heal any faster. You can’t keep me from getting hurt, emotionally or physically. Just like Reverend Dawson said in his sermon yesterday, you can’t fulfill me. Only God can do that.”
Sam stepped back, shocked to hear a lesson in faith coming from her mouth.
Chapter Eighteen
Sam had watched Jessica make her way to the communion table, thrilled for the revelation. Now, three days later, he still couldn’t quite believe Jessica had had such a quick change of heart. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d sincerely given herself to God. Her life and emotions rose and fell like a roller coaster.
Finding Amy Page 15
