The Christmas Clock and A Song For My Mother - Kat Martin Page 0,75
brought Timmy back or some new information came to light.
The day was cold but the sun was bright. Someone had loaned her a pair of sunglasses as she stared out into the woods, searching with her eyes and heart instead of her feet.
Something moved at the edge of the clearing where the forest began. For a moment, she thought she had imagined it. Slowly, the image came into focus. One of the searchers was waving, another appeared, waving and shouting.
“We found him!” the man said. It was Floyd Culver, Doris Culver’s husband.
Emily’s heart clenched. Reverend Gains stepped out of the woods, waving his arms. She thought he was smiling and her hope began to soar.
Joe Dixon and Bumper Murphy from over at Dixon’s Garage appeared. “He’s okay!” Joe called out, sliding an arm around his pretty new wife, Sylvia, who had also come to search.
Emily jumped up from her chair, straining to hear what the men were saying over the roaring in her ears and the pounding of her heart. Several more volunteers stumbled out of the woods. Emily started running. Her legs felt numb from sitting in the cold for so long but she forced them to move toward the people streaming out from between the trees.
Then she saw him. Patrick Murphy held her little boy in his arms, propped against his chest. Timmy was wrapped in a blanket, and as she raced toward them, she saw that Patrick was grinning.
“He’s all right, Em! Timmy’s okay!”
She started crying then, racing toward the deputy, her heart threatening to pound its way through her ribs. “Timmy! Timmy!”
Patrick caught her against him when she stumbled, protecting her from the fall she might have taken.
“He’s okay,” Pat said.
She reached up to take hold of her boy, shaking so badly she was afraid she might drop him.
“Mommy!” He sniffed and she thought he would cry as she gathered him into her arms.
“I’m right here, honey.”
“We couldn’t find you, Mommy. Mrs. Anna got lost.”
“I know. It’s all right, baby. I’ve got you now.”
Timmy clung to her. He was icy cold and shivering but he wasn’t crying. She smoothed the light brown hair standing up on his head and kissed his cold cheek.
“Let’s get you both into the car where it’s warm,” Patrick said. “I’ll drive you to the hospital so we can get Timmy checked out.”
She looked up at him. “Do you really think that’s necessary? He’s been through so much already. I just … we just want to go home.”
Patrick smoothed the little boy’s hair. “He seemed fine when we found him. I think taking him in to his own doctor tomorrow would be all right.”
She nodded, felt a sweep of relief. “Yes, that’s a good idea.”
“I’ll get the car and turn on the heater. The two of you can climb inside and warm up.”
He started to walk away but she caught his arm. “Thank you, Patrick, for finding him. Thank you so much.”
He reached out and touched her cheek. “I wouldn’t have given up, Em. No matter how long it took.”
Emily made no reply but that soft touch somehow eased the tightness in her chest. She looked past him as he walked away, saw Reed coming out of the forest. Anna McAllister walked beside him. The legs of her gabardine pants suit were covered with mud, her brown hair no longer neat and tidy.
They walked straight over to where she stood still holding Timmy in her arms.
“I’m so sorry,” Anna said. “I... I don’t know what happened. One minute I was standing at the jewelry counter, the next, Timmy and I were in the woods. Only I thought he was my grandson, Nathan. Once I began to think clearly, I realized we were lost. You left your boy in my care and I was frightened to death something would happen to him.” Her eyes welled with tears and a broken sob escaped. “I’m so sorry. So terribly, terribly sorry.”
Patrick drove the car up just then, saving Emily from a reply, which was good since she had no idea what to say. Having once been a deputy’s wife, she knew Reed would be taking Anna to the hospital for a mental evaluation. Even after what Anna had put her through, Emily felt sorry for the woman.
“You’d better get in where it’s warm,” Reed said. “Patrick can drive you and Timmy to the hospital.”
“We’re going home. We’ll see the doctor tomorrow.”