was a long moment of dead air.
“Jay, you still there?”
“I’m here.”
“Well, shouldn’t you?” Abby asked.
“I guess so. Easier said than done.”
“Well, I’m going to help you keep it in its proper perspective.”
“Abby … can I see you tomorrow? I know this is bad timing with everyone waiting for news about Ella … or should I say Riley Jo?”
“Everyone in my family is saying Riley Jo now. But the sheriff can’t until the DNA results prove it. Thankfully, they took a mouth swab before she disappeared again.”
“I feel isolated out here,” Jay said. “Can I see you?”
“I don’t know why not. But I don’t think I should go very far from home while we’re waiting for a call from the sheriff.”
“I’m not ready to face your mother yet.”
“She wants to see you. But I agree that now is not the right time.”
“Where do you wanna meet, then?” Jay said.
“How about on the bench under the sycamore tree? Mama never walks down there. It’s a good place to talk, and I can also hear Mama’s whistle if something important happens.”
“Okay, what time?”
“Ten?”
“Great. I want to tell you about one really good thing that’s come out of this, but I don’t want to tell you over the phone. I’ll see you then.”
“Jay, wait … in all the craziness of today, I’m not sure I even thanked you for going after Riley Jo.”
“By all standards, it was a really dumb thing to do.”
“It worked,” Abby said. “And you risked your life when you didn’t have to.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“No. It was the most you could do.”
“I’m no hero, Abby.”
“You are to me.”
Abby let the truth of her words sink into the quiet moment that followed.
Finally she said, “I’ll see you in the morning. Be careful. I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m probably being paranoid, but you’re the only one who saw Isaiah with Riley Jo when Daddy was shot. Your testimony holds a lot of weight. Maybe whoever took Riley Jo from her foster home isn’t too happy about that.”
Chapter 35
Kate curled up on one end of the living-room couch, clutching a throw pillow, a ribbon of moonlight bathing her face. Her mind jumped from one memory to another, her heart breaking all over again at the harsh reality of Micah’s fate. She had come so close to having Riley Jo back in her arms, only to have her snatched again.
God, I’m desperate. I loved You once. I even trusted You. But You’ve proven to be cruel and unreliable, and now I wonder why I should ask You for anything. But I’m asking anyway. I have nothing to lose and nowhere else to turn. Please bring Riley Jo home to us.
Kate wiped a tear from her cheek. I can’t promise You my undying devotion. I’m not even sure I still believe You exist. But I’m helpless. And if You are the God I once loved and trusted, then this isn’t too big for You. I’m not asking just for myself. I don’t deserve anything from You. But Abby has that blind trust I used to have, and I can’t bear to see her heart broken.
Kate dabbed her eyes. Had she really just asked God to help her? Had she really prayed to the One who let her husband be murdered? Had she become that desperate?
Kate felt as if she were left sitting on the edge of a cliff after clinging frantically to Micah’s hand as he ever so slowly, inch by inch, lost his grip and fell into nothingness. Now she held tightly to Riley Jo’s hand, but she was slipping away too.
“Mama?” a voice whispered.
Kate looked up and saw Abby’s silhouette standing next to the couch.
“I wondered if you were sleeping,” Abby said. “I can’t.”
“Me, either. I’m wide awake. Come sit with me.”
Abby sat on the couch and snuggled up next to her.
“I’m so glad to be home,” Abby said.
“My head is still reeling at the thought of how close you came to dying. Gives me chills.”
Abby laid her head on Kate’s shoulder. “Mama … you haven’t asked me anything about Riley Jo.”
“I know.” Kate hid for a moment in the awkward silence that followed. How could she explain her behavior to Abby when she didn’t fully understand it herself? “The emotional roller coaster is overwhelming, honey. It’s all I can do to deal with your father’s murder. And frankly, I’m not sure if I can handle hearing about how cruel Isaiah was to her.”
“I understand. But Otha was