just had a lightbulb moment. What if it’s a bible citation? They’re usually listed by book, chapter and verse, in that order.” She pulled a pen and notepad out of her pocket and wrote down an example. “Like this.” She held it up: John 3:16–17
I stared at it intently. “So this might suggest that the kidnapper is religious? Go figure.”
“Call it in,” Detective Miller said. “We’ll have someone search for all the passages with a J, 8 and 4.”
Lieutenant Holmes dug her phone out of her pocket while I went to the living room to spend some time with Trudy.
*
That afternoon, Miller returned to the hospital to question my mother-in-law about the intruder. He then called back to report that Carol, who had remained at Lois’s bedside all morning, was shocked to learn of it. She explained that she had risen from bed at 7:15 a.m. without hearing a thing. Trudy hadn’t mentioned it to her either. Both Lois and Carol were disturbed by the news and I spent a half hour on the phone with Lois, promising I would keep a close eye on our other two children.
Still needing to do something proactive while I remained at home with them, I set them up with a movie in the living room while I went online at the kitchen table to do a search on infant kidnappings. After an hour I felt nauseous. There were so many missing children. The cops were searching for a needle in a haystack.
Shutting down the computer, I checked on the kids, then sat down on the edge of my bed and did nothing but fiddle with the hospital band on my wrist. The numbers on it connected me with my newborn child. It identified me as the father. Lois wore the same bracelet, and our baby wore one on her ankle.
Was she still wearing it? I wondered miserably, needing to look away.
The sick churning in my stomach continued. My pulse throbbed in my veins. It wasn’t easy to sit still. My fingers tapped rapidly on my knee. I wanted to get up, run out the door and do something that would make a difference. Or lose myself in a drink…
Seven years.
Seven years sober …
If there was ever a moment I was in danger of taking a drink, this was it. Shutting my eyes, I took a few slow, deep breaths, then re-shifted the focus of my thoughts away from me.
A few minutes later, I was back at the kitchen table, flipping through the family bible, searching the scriptures for verses with the letter J and numbers 8 and 4 in the headings. I read for a long while, but nothing jumped out at me as a clue about the kidnapper.
I recalled what Detective Miller had said about the woman not wearing a coat. It was the middle of November. Had she simply taken it off when she entered? Or did she leave a warm car running outside in the driveway? If so, why wouldn’t Carol have heard it?
In the end, I read recommended verses for those in need of comfort until I nodded off at the table with my head resting on my arms.
Chapter Seventeen
Later in the afternoon, Carol returned home to watch over Trudy and Danny so that I could return to the hospital to visit with Lois. I arrived to discover they had moved her out of the ICU to a private room, which was good news in terms of her recovery.
Physically, she was doing well. Mentally was another story altogether. I almost didn’t recognize her when I walked in the room. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her skin was blotchy. As soon as our eyes met, she asked desperately, “Did they find her?”
I shook my head solemnly. “Not yet.” Approaching the bed, I kissed her and held her for a long time. “The police were at the house for hours this morning. They have some good leads. Trudy was able to give them a description of the woman, and the tattoo is definitely something to go on.”
“You said you thought it might be a bible citation?”
“Maybe,” I replied. “We don’t know for sure, but they’re looking into it. I spent the afternoon reading scriptures. Looking for a clue.”
“Did you find anything?” she asked
I stared at it intently. “So this might suggest that the kidnapper is religious? Go figure.”
“Call it in,” Detective Miller said. “We’ll have someone search for all the passages with a J, 8 and 4.”
Lieutenant Holmes dug her phone out of her pocket while I went to the living room to spend some time with Trudy.
*
That afternoon, Miller returned to the hospital to question my mother-in-law about the intruder. He then called back to report that Carol, who had remained at Lois’s bedside all morning, was shocked to learn of it. She explained that she had risen from bed at 7:15 a.m. without hearing a thing. Trudy hadn’t mentioned it to her either. Both Lois and Carol were disturbed by the news and I spent a half hour on the phone with Lois, promising I would keep a close eye on our other two children.
Still needing to do something proactive while I remained at home with them, I set them up with a movie in the living room while I went online at the kitchen table to do a search on infant kidnappings. After an hour I felt nauseous. There were so many missing children. The cops were searching for a needle in a haystack.
Shutting down the computer, I checked on the kids, then sat down on the edge of my bed and did nothing but fiddle with the hospital band on my wrist. The numbers on it connected me with my newborn child. It identified me as the father. Lois wore the same bracelet, and our baby wore one on her ankle.
Was she still wearing it? I wondered miserably, needing to look away.
The sick churning in my stomach continued. My pulse throbbed in my veins. It wasn’t easy to sit still. My fingers tapped rapidly on my knee. I wanted to get up, run out the door and do something that would make a difference. Or lose myself in a drink…
Seven years.
Seven years sober …
If there was ever a moment I was in danger of taking a drink, this was it. Shutting my eyes, I took a few slow, deep breaths, then re-shifted the focus of my thoughts away from me.
A few minutes later, I was back at the kitchen table, flipping through the family bible, searching the scriptures for verses with the letter J and numbers 8 and 4 in the headings. I read for a long while, but nothing jumped out at me as a clue about the kidnapper.
I recalled what Detective Miller had said about the woman not wearing a coat. It was the middle of November. Had she simply taken it off when she entered? Or did she leave a warm car running outside in the driveway? If so, why wouldn’t Carol have heard it?
In the end, I read recommended verses for those in need of comfort until I nodded off at the table with my head resting on my arms.
Chapter Seventeen
Later in the afternoon, Carol returned home to watch over Trudy and Danny so that I could return to the hospital to visit with Lois. I arrived to discover they had moved her out of the ICU to a private room, which was good news in terms of her recovery.
Physically, she was doing well. Mentally was another story altogether. I almost didn’t recognize her when I walked in the room. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her skin was blotchy. As soon as our eyes met, she asked desperately, “Did they find her?”
I shook my head solemnly. “Not yet.” Approaching the bed, I kissed her and held her for a long time. “The police were at the house for hours this morning. They have some good leads. Trudy was able to give them a description of the woman, and the tattoo is definitely something to go on.”
“You said you thought it might be a bible citation?”
“Maybe,” I replied. “We don’t know for sure, but they’re looking into it. I spent the afternoon reading scriptures. Looking for a clue.”
“Did you find anything?” she asked
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