Page 52 of Echoes of Eternity

As she looked at Jacob, she shook her head as worry over the small town crossed her mind. They’d all soon know their daughter had run away.

“Maybe I’m just tired and overreacting, but I have poured my life into this girl. Into all my children. And for you to ask if?—”

“Ma’am. The questions are just protocol, nothing personal.”

“Yeah, sure.” She stood up and looked at him, worry washing over her. “If you have any care for your friend Jason, you’ll keep it quiet that she ran away.”

He looked confused. “I understand your desire to keep things quiet, but that’s not how it’s handled when a child goes missing. Everyone knowing is how we track them down.”

“Can we hold off on that part for a while? At least locally in town?”

“It’s too late for that. We will be issuing an amber alert soon.”

“Okay . . .” She felt defeated, tired, and upset.

She got up and headed for the door to leave when he stood up and stopped her by name.

“Emily.”

Walking back to the police officer, she waited for him to speak.

“I know it’s not easy with what you are going through right now. My wife and I went through a similar situation with our son. The only thing that helped my wife through it, and in turn helped me, was our faith in God. It’s often in these dark times of life that we get a glimpse of God’s true nature. His kindness, His comfort, His peace that surpasses all understanding. I know it’s hard to see the sun when there are dark clouds overhead, but we have to remember the sun is still shining up there.”

The words from a stranger gave her hope. “Thank you for that.”

Exiting the coffee shop, she drove home and was able to go directly to her bed and fall asleep.

A measure of comfort filled Ryan’s soul when his wife had finally come home. Jason was still over that evening at dinnertime, eager to stay by his side and help in any way he could. Ryan was joyful to have him back in his life, even if the circumstances didn’t make him happy. Running over to the grill to grab dinner, Ryan walked into the grill and spotted Bill at the end of the counter talking to Steven, the manager.

Uneasiness filled Ryan as he slowly approached the counter in front, recalling his conversation the day before with Vern. Was Bill there gathering support from Steven to give him and his family the boot from town? He watched them as Ally, the shift lead, rang up his order.

“Why’s Bill here?” Ryan inquired quietly.

“He stopped by to talk to Steven about something. I don’t really know.”

Paying for his food, then taking the plastic bag from Ally slowly, his eyes kept locked on Bill and Steven. When Bill finally noticed Ryan, he promptly left the grill and Steven came over to him.

“What’s going on, Ryan? I thought you were coming in this morning to help open. You never showed up.” Steven walked away from Ally and the counter, placing an arm around Ryan’s shoulders and guiding him away from possible prying ears.

“Something came up. What was Bill doing here?”

Steven stopped and looked at him. “Bill is a deacon at the church. My wife and I have been meeting with him about our marriage. Why?”

He shook his head. “Just curious.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Steven folded his arms. “You don’t like him, do you?”

“He’s fine, Steven. Hey, I have to go. I probably won’t be in tomorrow either. Do you have everything under control here?”

“Yeah. Is everything okay?”

Thinking of the police report being filed earlier that day, Ryan shook his head as he knew it’d get out eventually. “Elizabeth took off and we’re trying to find her. Try not to talk about it with anyone. Okay?”

“What? She took off? Like, ran away?”

“Right.” Ryan’s lips formed a thin line, annoyed that he was repeating it aloud in the grill.

“Man, I’m sorry. Listen, if there’s anything you need at all, let me know. I’m here to help.”

---