Page 55 of Bidding on a Second Chance
“Okay.” What else could she say?
As Graham had promised, God was providing in tangible ways. It didn’t feel like enough, but she had the support she needed to take the next step. She’d take it in faith that the Lord would also provide for the step after that.
If only she could lean on Graham’s arm as she took them.
ChapterThirty-Three
Adrenaline pulsed through Graham, but he kept his breathing even, his focus on the road. Piper had to be beside herself, but if he was going to help locate Bryce, he needed to keep his head.
Because he’d seen the boy outside with Teddy, Graham was one of the last to know his location. If he’d stopped to talk to Bryce, they might not be in this mess. But then again, Bryce could’ve simply said he was taking care of Teddy, and he would’ve had no reason to doubt him.
He scanned the street as he drove back to the school but saw no signs of the boy or the puppy. He pulled into the same spot he’d vacated a few minutes ago and hopped down. Cody, who’d called to tell him what had happened, rounded a vehicle to appear at his side.
“I saw him over here.” Graham grabbed the flashlight from the toolbox behind his seat and flipped it on.
“Got another one?” Cody lifted his cell phone. The flashlight app would only cover a couple of steps ahead once they got away from the glow of the parking area.
“Sorry.”
“Okay. Where was he?”
Graham jogged to the spot, Cody following. Together, they peered at the ground.
Today’s sun had evaporated the last traces of snow. The schoolyard’s grass had been worn thin, the dirt beneath pounded flat by the many who walked around out here every day.
“Not the easiest place to track a person,” Cody muttered.
“They were headed this way, last I saw.” Graham continued in the direction he’d seen the pair walking until he reached the edge of the school property. From there, scraggly grass poked as high as his knees, dotted with sagebrush and juniper. Ahead, a stretch of aspens and pines marked an undeveloped area around a creek that wound through part of town. This stretch of woods extended about half a city block wide and two long. Plenty of room for a ten-year-old to get turned around.
Graham turned a slow circle, looking for any signs Bryce had come this way. Wandering into the natural area wasn’t the path of least resistance, but if the kid wanted to hide, he might’ve continued. But had he?
An odor cut through the crisp scents of juniper and sage. After some trial and error, he discovered a little pile of dog droppings on a deer trail a couple of feet into the natural area.
He motioned Cody over. “They came this way.”
Cody shined his phone light ahead, but the device did little to reveal the subtle path as it extended farther from the lights by the school.
“If they came this far, they might’ve kept following the trail.” Graham’s flashlight provided more illumination but didn’t reveal the boy or give much information about the direction the footpath took. That, he’d have to discover a couple of steps at a time, even in broad daylight.
“I’ll head back, let the others know, and upgrade this.” Cody lifted the ineffective light once more and turned toward the school.
Swinging his light side to side to scan for spur trails or the boy himself, Graham followed the narrow path into the woods. Brush raked against his clothing as branches overhead blocked the moonlight, turning the passage into a tunnel.
This would be a scary place for a child in the dark. Scary enough that he might want a rescuer. “Bryce?”
At a rustle, Graham froze. Skittering that started at ground level and rose overhead suggested the source was an animal, not a child.
A few feet later, the ground softened, and the path opened into the creek bed. Graham scanned the muddy earth at the edge, non-stop prayers running through his mind. The stream was only four or five inches deep, but several feet across. Thanks to its constant movement and daytime temperatures above freezing, the water hadn’t turned to ice. But after dark like this, the air had dipped into the twenties, and wandering around wet could lead to hypothermia. Hopefully, they hadn’t waded through.
The scents of dirt and pine floated lightly on the frozen air. The calls of others echoed from behind him, and he tried shouting the boy’s name again, but to no avail. The puppy was more loyal to Graham, however, and might give their location away.
“Teddy! Here, boy! Come here!”
No response.
He combed the edge of the creek. A variety of footprints meant kids from the school hung out back here, obscuring any hope of finding Bryce’s prints. Then, right at the edge of the water, the mud outlined a fresh paw print. Dark splotches on the far bank suggested someone had tracked moisture up from the stream.
Bryce and Teddy had crossed here.
