by H. L. Wegley
Jennifer thumped the map with her finger. “Let’s go with it.”
“But, Jenn, it’s predicated upon us being able to cross the bridge and also upon the land east of the river not being flooded.”
“So what do you recommend for a backup plan?”
“What would you do if you saw the river overflowing its eastern banks?”
“I’d go down this road beyond the mill. Then I’d head south and come in from the higher land to the southeast.” She was sharp, intuitive.
“I like your idea. Now let’s go have a look at that bridge and the river.”
They slid out into the rain.
He offered his hand.
She took it and the warmth of her hand filled him with such a sense of her presence that—he really needed to concentrate on approaching the bridge or he could get them both killed.
“What is it, Lee? What’s—” She looked into his eyes. “Oh.” The exposed parts of her cheeks were a rosy color, vivid enough to see even through the rain and the gloom.
She used to get mad at him for what she called his gaga-eyes episodes, like the one he had the first time he saw her.
“Lee, the coach says if you don’t get your head in the game he…uh…she is going to pull you.” She squeezed his hand. “So what’s it going to be?”
“Tell the coach I’m good to go now.” He smiled at her. “We’ve got some girls to find. I can lead.”
“You’d better be right about that, or I’ll—”
“Kill me?” He felt his smile fading. “If I’m wrong, you may not have to.”
When they reached the west end of the bridge, Lee scrambled up the bank. His first glance felt like a punch in his solar plexus.
On the far side, the swollen river overflowed its banks. The bridge and the road beyond weren’t under water…yet. He motioned for Jennifer to climb up beside him.
Jennifer had conquered her acrophobia, but he was bringing her face-to-face with her one remaining phobia, raging water. If they were going to check out this mill site, she would have to win at least one battle with fear.
Jennifer struggled for traction on the muddy bank, slipping backwards with each step.
He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her onto the bridge. “Take a look and tell me what you think.”
Jennifer gasped. “I think this bridge isn’t long for this world—at least not in one piece.”
“Can you feel the bridge shaking?”
“Honestly, I can’t tell if it’s me or the bridge.”
“It’s mostly the bridge. That big cedar tree lodged against the middle could eventually take it out. But if another tree was to shoot down the river like a big battering ram, the whole bridge would go.”
“The coach left you in the game. What play are you going to call?”
He stared at the river. “I’m calling timeout. We need to do some risk assessment.”
“You’d better factor in the risk to the girls if we don’t cross this bridge.”
“I was afraid you’d say something like that. OK, we cross it. I think we can run across. Even if it starts to give way, we can sprint to safety. But, Jenn, what if the bridge goes while we’re on the other side?”
In the semi-darkness under her hood, the whites of her eyes flashed at him. “Whether we find the girls or not, we need to get back to the car as soon as possible.”
He pointed up river. “Isn’t there another bridge upstream?”
“Yes. I remember looking at it when we planned the approach to this mill.”
“OK. Worst case, we can get back to your car by making a three- or four-mile walk in the rain.”
“There aren’t any chunks of that bridge lodged against this one. So let’s assume the other bridge is still standing.”
“Then I say we run across now and pray we can get back. The flooding’s only going to get worse.”
“Let’s go, Lee.”
He grabbed her hand and they sprinted across the bridge.
At the eastern side of the bridge, Jennifer stepped ahead of him.
He pulled her to a stop. “Remember, it’s my turn to lead.”
“Can’t blame a girl for trying.” She grinned.
He was torn between wanting to wring her neck or kiss her, but there was no time for either.
Ten minutes of trudging through mud, around bushes, and walking between dripping trees on a sodden forest floor, had brought them even with the mill.
He crept towards the road, stopping behind a row of scrubby trees and motioning for Jennifer to follow.
“There’s the mill,” he said when Jennifer reached their secluded vantage point. “Since we’re worried about the bridge, we need to short-circuit our southeastern approach. I’ll go straight in from here and check for signs of recent traffic in the mill yard. If I don’t see any, we can scratch this place.”
“I don’t want you to do that. Too risky.”
“I can use the vegetation over there for cover and slip in close without being seen.”
“I’ll let you do that on one condition.”
“What do you mean, you’ll let—”
“You’re forgetting who the coach is, Lee.”
“OK, coach, what’s the condition?” Coach. It was a reasonable concession. Jennifer’s reactions in times of danger were incredible. She had saved his life on several occasions.
“Once you’re on the other side of the road, give me a signal, and then wait for me. You’re not going near that place unless I’m there watching your back.”
“You’ve got it, coach. And, by the way, you’re a pretty wise coach. Prettiest one I’ve ever seen.”
“Get over there wise guy.” Jennifer poked him in the ribs. “And…please be careful.”
Within five minutes, they were crouched behind blackberry bushes beside the mill entrance.
The building they’d marked on the satellite picture still looked like a candidate, but so far he hadn’t seen any signs of traffic. “I need to get in closer.”
“In that case, you’ll be close enough to use this.” Jennifer handed him her Smith & Wesson .38.
“I’m not sure I’ll need it. You’re a better shot than I am, anyway.”
“But you’re the one who’s going to be close enough to hit a target near the building.”
“OK, I’ll take it. But you better stay hidden, or I’ll kill you.” Lee smiled.
Jennifer did not.
He found a long opening behind the blackberry bushes and crept along until he drew even with the back of the buildings.
From here he could reach the back wall without being seen. Going down the backside of the buildings was the safest approach. But it would take longer than he’d planned.
Jennifer was probably getting worried about him being out of sight.
As he crept towards the target building, something drew his attention. It was a dark area on the back of the target building, a hole. Lee moved towards the hole. It still appeared dark—no lights of any kind.
The roar of the rain would drown out his footsteps, but if a head popped out of the hole…he pulled the .38 out of his coat pocket.
He moved to the edge of the opening, but he didn’t look through it, fearing his head would become a target silhouetted against the light from outside. He picked up a rock, readied the .38, and tossed the rock into the hole.
No response.
But what if they’d gagged and tied up the girls inside?
He walked around to the front of the building and strode up to the door.
Jennifer jumped up from her hiding place. “No, Lee! Get back!”
It was too late to back out now. He needed to be sure. He readied the gun and kicked in the door. Light from outside flooded the room. Only a rotting wooden floor with a few boards scattered across it. This wasn’t the holding site.
But now he had to face Jennifer.
Where was she? He ran towards the bush where Jennifer stood a few seconds before.
Jenn
ifer was down on one knee, sobbing.
In one thoughtless moment, he had caused this.
He knelt and wrapped an arm around her. “Jenn, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize what it looked like to you. I didn’t think about that until—”
“No matter what excuse or baloney you’re about to tell me, promise me you’ll never do that to me again.”
This wasn’t the Jennifer he met last March. That Jennifer might have shot him, with her eyes, if not with bullets. But seven months of God’s grace in her heart—what a difference.
Her arms circled his neck. “I’m OK, Lee. But do you promise?”
He took a deep breath, exhaled, and looked down into her teary, brown eyes. “I promise. But it wasn’t what it looked like. I was certain the building was empty, but—”
“No more buts and no more Rambo, got it?”
“None. I promise. I never meant to hurt you.” He realized his cheeks were wet and not entirely from the rain.
Jennifer wiped his cheeks. “I understand.”
“I don’t deserve you, Jenn.”
“Right now, I’m inclined to agree.” She smiled.
He covered her smile with his lips, but their inclined heads created a waterfall of raindrops cascading from their hoods onto their faces. It was wet, wonderful, and—Jennifer broke it off.
She coughed, trying to catch her breath. “Lee, we can’t do that in the rain.”
“Says who?”
She coughed again. “Me. I’m shorter than you. That miniature Niagara Falls from your hood goes right up my nose.”
“If you start to drown, I can give you mouth-to-mouth.”
“Very funny, Mr. Brandt.”
“Jenn?”
“Just tell me, Lee.”
“We need to get across that bridge before a big tree takes it out.”
“What are we waiting for?”
4
When they jogged a few yards down the road, an alarm sounded in Lee’s mind. He took Jennifer’s hand and pulled her to a stop. “It’s been barely thirty minutes since we passed here. Look at the water.”
Jennifer scanned the ground. “It’s about six inches deeper.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Come on, let’s hurry to the bridge.”
“I don’t think we’re going to like what we find.”
Water flowed across the lowest point on the road.
“Jenn, your eyesight’s better than mine. What do you see along the bridge?”
“Not sure. Let’s move closer.”
After they moved onto the edge of the bridge, Jennifer grabbed his coat and yanked him backwards.
“What is it?”
“Another tree is lodged against the supporting structure.”
“I don’t think we should chance it.” He sighted down the edge of the bridge. “Look how the bridge’s midsection is bowing, slipping downstream. The whole bridge is ready to go.”
Jennifer pointed up river. “Lee! Two more trees!”
“We need to get off. Now!”
He clasped her hand. They broke into a run. “Don’t stop until we’re on higher ground.”
A deep groan sent vibrations up their legs. It changed to a loud staccato of cracking sounds.
Lee looked back.
The bridge was gone. Its entire midsection floated downstream, bobbing on its edge.
“Faster. If that bridge section catches, it will dam up the river.”
“The water!” Jennifer’s voice pierced the roaring of the water. “It’s rising!”
The bridge caught, forming a dam. A wave of water six feet high curled and broke like an ocean wave, surging towards them.
Jennifer stepped in a pothole and stumbled forward.
He yanked on her arm, pulling her upright.
Another wave caught the previous one, adding to its amplitude, sending an even higher wall of water towards them. If the wave swept them away, the turbulent water, filled with its eddies and undertows, would have its way with their bodies.
“My ankle! I think it’s—”
He scooped her up in his arms and ran. Water splashed over his hiking boots.
The wall of water broke and sloshed towards him.
He stumbled thigh-deep in muddy water. The surge of water propelled him forward. Lee gained his footing and sprinted up a small hill.
Breathing hard, he set Jennifer down at the top of the hill.
They looked back. A large lake had formed. The mill was now an island.
“How’s your ankle?”
“Ankle? Didn’t you see that water? I was worried about the rest of me.”
She put her weight on the ankle and shuffled her feet around. “I think it’s OK. I just tweaked it when I slipped.” Jennifer put her arms around him. “Lee, do you think the car’s all right?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart. I honestly don’t know.”
She leaned against him and put her ear against his chest for a moment, and then looked up at him with wide eyes. “I guess we head up river now.”
“Yeah. And we pray the west bank is high enough to protect your car. Don’t worry, Jenn. We’ll get across, and it’ll be fine.”
“But you saw the river. How can you know that?”
“Remember, we’ve got God and right on our side. Like you said, ‘Don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen to us unless He allows it.’”
“Lee, please don’t mock me.”
“Mock you? I was only reminding you of what you told me you believe. Nothing has changed that, has it?”
“You’re doing it again.”
Lee took her hand. “What am I doing?”
“Trying to make me feel better about things.”
“Did it work?”
“Yes…like it always does.”
“Jenn, we’re not going to make Kalaloch before dark. The other site will have to wait. That means the girls …”
“I know what it means.” Her eyes held a haunted look. “Let’s hurry and get back to Forks. We’ve got to get up early.” Her head tilted towards the ground.
After his reminder and that look in her eyes, she was probably through talking. But was some voice talking to her?
For the next half hour, he led Jennifer northward, parallel to the river. They caught glimpses of the swollen stream from time to time.
When they reached the top of a knoll, Jennifer pulled him to a stop. “Do you see it?” She met his gaze. No traces of the eerie look. That was a good sign.
“I’m not sure. Your eyesight’s better than mine—too many days in front of computer screens.”
“I started working with computers at age four. My eyesight is fine. What were you doing at age nine, Lee?”
“Point taken, Einstein.”
“I see the bridge. Enough to know it’s still standing.”
“That’s encouraging, but let’s not waste any time. Point the way.”
“It looks like we can make a beeline straight to the bridge without any floodwater interfering.”
It took five minutes of brisk walking down the gradual slope towards the river to reach the east end of the bridge.
“Besides being saved from that backwash, we’ve got something else to be thankful for. This is a modern bridge, much higher than the one that washed away. The trees that took out the other bridge must have come from farther upstream, on the mountain. Evidently they passed under this bridge without hanging up.”
“Still, I think we should run across it.” Jennifer stared at the churning water below them.
“You really don’t like water do you?”
“You know I like water, when it’s warm, calm, and I can swim in it. But see the boiling, angry look of this water. It’s menacing, evil.”
“We’ll run then. Race you to the other side.”
She took off.
He had to break into an all-out sprint to keep up with her.
At the west end of the bridge, he headed downriver, but Jennifer stopped him. She looked at t
he gray shroud above them. “Something’s different. A few seconds ago the rain blew into my face, but not now.”
“Rapid cyclogenesis is starting, maybe explosive.”
“English, please.”
“The windstorm that’s coming—the low pressure system driving it is deepening. This storm didn’t just move in on us. It’s forming right now, and we’re in the outer part of its circulation. The wind is nearly calm at the moment, but in a few minutes it will shift to the north. Then it will slowly increase in speed over the next twelve hours. The direction will shift towards the east, then to the southeast, and to the south. The speed will—”
“That’s enough. Let’s get the girls before the wind shifts to the southwest.”
“Amen to that, because then…it might be too late.”
5
Lee glanced at his watch. Three fifty PM. It was beginning to get dark.
Jennifer’s SUV sat in front of them, unscathed by the surging water.
He studied the ground around it. No signs of flooding. Another reason to be thankful. They hadn’t found the mill site, and yet their lives had been threatened and spared at least twice. If he believed in luck, his would have been all used up by now. But a good and gracious God transcended that thing called luck.
“Lee, if we hurry we could make the first mill before—”
He shook his head. “It’ll be completely dark. They could see our headlights.”
“I know. But I feel panicky, and I can’t control it. It’s like a child, my child, crying out to me for help.”
“It’s frustration. I feel it, too.”
“No, Lee. It’s a whole lot more than that.”
He stopped her, placing hands on her shoulders. “Tomorrow, we’ll help those girls. Nothing’s going to happen now before late Sunday or early Monday. Trader can’t continue his ugly business until the storm passes. By then, he’ll be toast.”
“I’ll try to hang on to that thought.”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “Let’s get out of this rain. After two days, the Pineapple Express is wearing on us.”
She unlocked the doors, sat down on the seat, and slipped off her boots.
The maps and satellite pictures of the eliminated mill sites weren’t a total waste. He pulled them out and spread them on the floorboard, setting both pairs of muddy boots on the papers. Besides being muddy, his were saturated.
