Hi Friends! I’m sorry for being so late in publishing this next chapter. My husband and I have been overwhelmed with medical issues lately. But we’re doing well now. So here’s the next chapter.
Blessings,
Sheri Schofield
Chapter 11
"I'm glad you all could make it this evening," Sheriff Aaron Russell said. We were meeting once again at my parents' home. "We had an incident last night. Some man broke into this house and went after Skye, who climbed out her window and ran across to Ethan's place."
"Oh my!" Martha Barrett said. "You must have been terrified, Skye!"
Skye nodded. "I was. But Ethan heard me in time to stop the man."
"There's more. Skye said the man was driving a dark van. "Sheriff Bold Eagle said his niece's neighbors saw a dark van speeding away from the neighborhood the night Ramona White Swan and Jenny Little Bear were taken. It could be the same man who took those girls. He would have needed others to help him. It's possibly the same man--or men--who took the Crow girls."
Silence fell for a few moments as the group absorbed the information.
Pastor Barrett sighed. "What you're saying is that the kidnappers may be in our community."
"Yes."
Shirley Delaney, the store owner's wife, shivered. "Then our own children are in danger. Violet is twenty."
"They're taking young boys, too," Aaron said grimly. "Sheriff Bold Eagle told me that about one in four disappearing children are boys."
"We'll need to warn the town," said Cecilia Cottrell. "I can put a flyer on the town bulletin board and keep some on my desk at the library."
Pastor Barrett shook his head. "But won't that tip off the kidnappers?"
"We need to do it anyway, " Aaron said firmly. "We must tell everyone. If the kidnappers hear of it, they might leave. But regardless, we will be looking for a dark van. The town needs to be aware of that, too. I'll post one of my deputies where the town's exit road is. There's a streetlight there so he or she can see who leaves and enters. I'll post the deputies immediately. There's a good chance we'll catch him."
"I'll headline it in the newspaper," said Max Barrett, the newspaper editor.
"Good idea," Ethan said. He reached out and covered my clenched hands. "But don't tell about our surveillance plan. We must set the trap secretly. So we need to keep that information among ourselves.."
"Yes. The surveillance needs to remain confidential. It might work," Aaron said, "unless they have already fled the area."
"Sheriff, I think we need to pray about this," Pastor Barrett said.
For the next half hour, we prayed together, asking God's help, praying for the captured girls, and praying for the safety of our town's children.
Ethan put his arm across my shoulder and held me while we prayed and I gradually relaxed.
After everyone had left except for the two police, Aaron and Liam. Aaron said, "Skye, someone knows you are living here alone. You shouldn't stay here."
"She can stay with me," Ethan said. "She's babysitting Ramie. I wouldn't want the two of them here anyway. I'll come over to the house with her whenever she needs to check on anything or feed the horses. She won't be alone." He turned to me. "Is that okay with you, Skye?"
I nodded. "Yes. I don't want to be here alone!"
"Of course not. Why don't you pack what you think you'll need, and we can walk over to my place."
"Okay." I walked upstairs to my room and began packing while Ethan, Liam and Aaron discussed strategies and details.
A few minutes later, as I carried my suitcase and overnight bag downstairs, Ethan stepped up to meet me. Taking the heavy suitcase, he out and took them. "We need to go pick up Ramie," he said. "He's over at Aaron's and Annette's house playing with his cousins."
I followed Ethan outside. Aaron's patrol car pulled out and left. Alone in the dark, we walked toward the familiar farm road between our homes up to Ethan's place, his porch light shining ahead of us. Ethan carried my suitcase while I managed the smaller tote bag.
"Come along, Tatum," I said.
The dog fell into step behind us.
"I didn't ask if you would be okay with staying at my house," Ethan. "I should have asked if you were okay with the plan first."
"That's okay." I shivered in the cool night air. "I'll be safe with you."
"The neighbors might talk," Ethan said.
"Once they know the facts, I don't think so. And even if they do, I don't care." I shrugged. "I'd rather be safe."
"Good. I'll feel better about you if you're at my place."
Walking up the deck stairs, Ethan set my luggage down and unlocked the house. "Let me put these inside, then we'll go get Ramie."
I waited, looking out over the moonlit fields. How could something like this be happening in our little town? Oh, Lord! Please help Aaron and his deputies catch those men!"
Ethan came down the deck stairs. Putting his arm over my shoulder, he led me to his car.
"Tatum, stay." I put her dishes on the floor and filled them..
As we drove into the night to fetch Ramie, Ethan said, "You know, if this is the same man who kidnapped the Crow girls, he must live in this area. Otherwise, he would not know you were alone at your parents' house. I think he must have friends to help him, too. He could not have captured the Crow girls alone."
"The thought crossed my mind." I clenched my hands together, fear shooting through me.
"I'll keep you safe, Skye." He reached out and placed his free hand over my hands. "We're in this together."
***
Sheriff Aaron Russell called his staff together the next morning. "We now know that a dark van was seen at the McMann ranch two nights ago, when a man broke into the house and tried to kidnap Skye. We need to be on the alert. I want us to find and check out the owners of all dark vans in the three local towns."
"I will check all the vehicles in town," deputy Wade Martin volunteered.
"Would you like me to investigate the outlying areas?" Liam Webster asked.
"Yes. You take the outlying area of this town," Aaron said. "Sandi, you check out the outlying areas of Bensenville. It's not very big, so after that, check out Twain. Ethan's going to be checking out all the medical people in the three towns. It's possible the kidnappers have a midwife or nurse or medic to help them with the delivery of any babies."
"Yes," Sandi nodded. "If those girls are in our area, I'm sure they will need help with any births that have resulted because of their capture."
Aaron walked over to the map on the wall. "We're going to be monitoring all the entrances to our town, too. There are plenty of trees around each turn-off from the main road. We have two roads to cover. I will want two deputies at those locations at all time. We will trade off. You'll each take a turn at one of the roads. I want them covered night and day. If the kidnappers are in our town, we will find them. You will take half a shift each day, trading off with each other. When you aren't monitoring the roads, you will spend part of you shift checking out the towns, identifying any vans in the area."
"It's probably going to take a lot of time," said Liam, "but we'll find the kidnappers if they're here."
John Hawk nodded. "I think you're right."
Aaron added, "I'm fairly sure the kidnappers are local. Only a local man would have known Skye was alone at her parents' home."
"We'll get 'em, Aaron," Sandi said with a nod.
Wade lifted an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah. We will."
***
Ethan knocked on Dr. Sander's door the next afternoon.
"Hi there, Ethan. How's the clinic doing?"
"Everything's going great there, Bill. Thanks for letting me use it."
Bill smiled. "You're perfect for the job. You have a good history with the town. Want some coffee?"
"Sure."
Bill led Ethan into a bright, cheerful kitchen and motioned to the table and chairs. "Find a seat."
As Bill filled two coffee cups and put cream and sugar on the table, he asked, "What brings you here, Ethan?"
"You've probably heard about the kidnappings at the Crow reservation, haven't you?"
Bill shook his head. "Wicked."
"Yes. But last night, someone broke into the McMann ranch and tried to kidnap Skye."
"What!"
Ethan nodded. "She escaped through her bedroom window and ran up to my place, and the perp chased her. I heard her scream and grabbed my rifle. But I couldn't see her pursuer clearly. I heard his vehicle start about the time she reached my house. The thing is, Skye saw it. She said it was a dark van. Sheriff Bold Eagle said the neighbors to the missing Crow girls saw a dark van racing out of the neighborhood. It's possible the kidnappers have moved here."
Bill thought for a moment and nodded. "Sounds probable. What is Aaron doing about it?"
"He's organizing a search for it. He's asked me to find out about any people in the area who may have medical training in delivering babies. That would be emergency techs, nurses, midwives--anyone you can think of."
"Off hand, I can think of a few. Let's see. There's Joey Carter, the EMT. DeeAnn Jones is a retired RN who once worked in the neonatal unit. Leah McArthur is a midwife. Then there's Brad Taylor. He's a LPN. He retired last year. Used to work in the emergency room over in Sheridan. Hm. Can't think of anyone else."
"Thanks, Bill. That will do for starters."
"I'll try to see if I can remember anyone else. At my age, I don't have as sharp a memory as I once did. Which is why I retired." Bill grinned. "And I must say, I'm enjoying my garden these days. Say! Would you like to take a zucchini home with you?"
"I'd love one. I'm sure Skye will know what to do with it."
"Skye?"
"Yes. She's been babysitting Ramie. Since the attempted kidnapping, I've put her in Aaron's old room. It isn't safe for her to be alone. And this way, we can walk over to her place to care for the horses and cattle together. Until we find the kidnapper, I'd feel a lot better if she stayed at my place."
Bill nodded, his eyes twinkling. "I see."
Ethan blushed and grinned. "She's handy in the kitchen, too."
"Uh-huh." Bill raised an eyebrow and sipped his coffee. "You gonna hold onto her?"
"She's planning on returning to Denver in the fall. We've been friends since we were just kids."
"Well, maybe you can talk her into staying."
"Maybe." Ethan finished is coffee. "I'm going to pass along your info about the medical people in town. Aaron's making a list of people to check out. Let me know if you think of anyone else." He stood. "Take care."
Bill stood and shook Ethan's hand. "You too, Ethan. Thanks for stopping by."
"Sure."
Ethan climbed into his Rav4 and headed home. Skye would have dinner on by the time he arrived. Could he talk her into staying? Since the first time he saw her at Christmas, she had been on his mind. But with Jodie's recent death and the new responsibility of his son, life didn't seem simple anymore. He sighed and spoke aloud. "God, my heart is full of emotion these days. Help me to know what to do. Would Skye even consider a life with me? Is it too soon? I just don't know. I'm trusting you to guide me. In the meantime, please keep her safe!"