Carolina Key Read online

Ch. 6

  Hope

  Hope, you’ve got to get yourself together, I thought. If I can just hold it together until Philip

  gets here everything will be ok. I braced myself and walked into the kitchen and dialed 911. I explained the information about Grace and when she was last seen and her height and clothes for 25 minutes until they finally agreed to send an officer out to the camp. In the meantime, I made a pot of coffee just for something to do. I was vaguely aware of the huge crowd of campers gathering in the dining hall to pray for Grace and divide into search groups. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw two officers stride into the building. They walked with authority and confidence.

  “Hope?” said the tall, mustached, officer.

  He reached out his hand and I took it and squeezed it. It was Kenneth Glenn. We had worshipped together for years at the little white rock church in town. Our church was a sponsor for the camp. At a time like this, I was very grateful to live in a small town. It was so different from the coastal town I had grown up in.

  “When I heard it was Grace I asked for the case. I called the prayer chain. Is Philip on his way?” he asked.

  “Yes. I am so glad you are here.” I said.

  “Have a seat. This is Officer Hodge. He has transferred to us from San Antonio. His

  daughter is at U.T.” he said and I looked at him for the first time. He was short and balding with a pleasant smile.

  “Mrs. Stephens, I want you to know we are going to do everything in our power to bring Grace home today. It is very unlikely that anything has happened to her. In 90 percent of all cases these kids are home by evening.” Officer Hodge said.

  I gave him a bland smile but said nothing. Ken grabbed a cup and poured me some coffee. We went through the motions of cream and sugar, then Ken began to take down Grace’s information. Height, weight, etc. He was explaining how an Amber Alert was issued when Philip came in. I ran into his arms and cried for the first time. When I got myself together the men shook hands and made introductions to Officer Hodge. I poured Philip a glass of iced tea

  and we sat down together holding hands.

  “We need a recent picture of Grace,” Officer Hodge said. “There is one on the bulletin board, in the hallway,” I said.

  The foyer of the dining hall displayed photos of each counselor. I walked to the foyer and took down the smiling picture. I stared at it while I prayed then handed it over to Officer Hodge.

  “Her hair was shorter then. She had just gotten a haircut. It’s longer now,” I babbled on.

  “It’s ok, Hope,” Ken said gently.

  “Ok, folks. We need to get this Amber Alert issued. You need to call your extended family. It’s possible someone has heard from her. You don’t want your family to hear about this on the news. The media coverage will be intense. As irritating as they can be, they are also our best ally in getting the information out to the public.” Hodge finished his speech and shook our hands, still offering reassurances.

  Ken guided us into the dining room where the search groups were coming inside to rest and get water. He spoke with Daniel, Madison, and John Baker who had heard about the search and joined in. Ken came back to us with a shake of his head.

  “Nothing yet, but that’s good news. She’s going to come waltzing in here in just a moment. Don’t you worry,” he said.

  We didn’t even pretend to answer. John walked up to Philip and shook his hand. “She’s got to be here somewhere. She’s such a good little girl.” he said, his brown eyes filling with tears.

  “I’ve decided to cancel the banquet,” he said.

  “No, John. Don’t do that. The kids look forward to the banquet all week. They have already given up their morning classes to look for Grace. Plus, Lance has that report to give to the board about the fundraising trip. Don’t cancel that, too. The camp business must go on as usual,” I pleaded.

  “I agree with Hope, John. Don’t call it off,” Philip said. I turned to look at him and he put his arm around me. “Well, ok then, if you’re sure. Lance will help when he arrives. I am going to look for Daniel.” he said.

  Officer Ken came to us then and said, “Who was the last person to see Grace last night?”

  “Daniel. They had coffee together in the dining room,” I replied. “What do you know about him?” he asked pulling out his black notebook.

  “Oh, I don’t think…” I shook my head.

  “What is his last name?” he asked.

  “Well, it used to be Ferguson. He was adopted by a couple named Johnson about 10 years ago.

  He was about 14 at the time. Uh… actually I do know a little bit more but I don’t want to break

  a confidence until I speak with Shirley,” I said hesitantly. Ken stared hard at me.

  “Break it. Now is not the time to protect anyone. If there is anything I need to know to help find your daughter I’m going to use it,” he spoke forcefully.

  “Let’s go somewhere more private to talk,” I said looking at Philip nervously. Ken escorted us into the kitchen and we closed the doors. The big room glistened with stainless steel appliances and bright overhead lights.

  “Ok, Thursday night I was in the infirmary looking for thread to mend a costume, and …” I began.

  “You were looking for thread in the infirmary?” Philip interrupted.

  “It doesn’t matter. I found a lock box that had been sawed open. It was full of gold coins. I

  thought they were the campers tokens they use in the reward store. Shirley and Daniel came in and I showed them. The next day Shirley confided to me that they were real gold coins worth at least a million dollars that she suspects Daniel stole from the apartment he is staying in. The coins came from a glass topped table that her father owned. It was full of money from his missionary trips abroad.”

  I finished and sat down in a chair. Suddenly, I was exhausted. My brain felt fuzzy and I didn’t know what to think anymore.

  “Did she know? Did she know the coins were real?” Philip asked.

  “She thought they were just foreign coins. It was an heirloom, a reminder of her father. She couldn’t bear to part with it. You remember how close she was to her father. He came and preached out here for a few years after he came back to the states. He and John got along famously. Richard helped out here with the construction of the new buildings before he retired,”

  I said.

  “Didn’t he die last year? Had cancer?” Ken asked. “Yes, he did.” I replied.

  “So she thinks Daniel stole the coins from the table?” Ken asked.

  “Yes, she checked and the coins in the table are tokens. Listen, I feel really bad telling you about this without Shirley’s permission,” I said.

  “Where is Shirley anyway? She’s usually racing around here with a whistle around her neck

  and a clipboard.”

  “She’s sick. I didn’t want to bother her until she is better. We went to lunch yesterday and she was really upset.”

  “Ok, I am going to talk to Hodge about this. We will keep the details quiet and do some background checks. You both need to get on the phone and notify your extended families. The Amber Alert for Grace will be issued at 6 pm. If we don’t hear anything from her by 9 pm, I want to get it on the 10 o’clock news. Philip, I will want you to make a statement,” Ken said,

  stepping from friend back into police officer mode.

  The door closed behind him, and Philip pulled me to my feet. I looked at him and he hugged me.

  “Ok, now we need to get those calls made. Do you want me to do it?” he asked.

  “Where is she? Where could she be?” I began to cry again. Philip held me close and waited. When I got myself together he asked if I had eaten anything. I told him I didn’t th
ink I could swallow anything. He made me eat a piece of fruit and then we went down to Shirley’s office to make our calls.

  Philip called his parents in Tennessee. They were alarmed but said they would be praying every second until they heard Grace was safe. He called his sister and aunt in Austin. His sister was still at work but his aunt said she would pray and start canvassing the Sixth Street area. We didn’t think this was a very good idea but we couldn’t discourage her.

  Now it was my turn. I had grown up on the coast in Port Aransas. My parents had been killed in a car accident while I was in college. After that, my Aunt Ruth moved in with me while I finished my degree. She was my mother’s only sister and we had coped with our grief by cooking. While we cooked, she would tell me stories about our family. She still lived in the little house I grew up in. I spoke with Ruth and told her not to panic, that an Amber Alert would

  be issued but we really thought she had just had a late night out with friends and would be in any minute. I don’t think she believed me but I promised to call her the very second we saw Grace. She ended her call with, “God Bless you” just like I have always said to Grace.

  When we had finished making our calls, Philip said he needed to get some air and wanted to check and see how the search was coming. We walked back up the stairs and I ran into Bette. She opened her arms to me and gave me a fierce hug. No words were necessary. She sat with me in the kitchen and after an hour we began to work on dinner. The 6 pm deadline was coming fast. Grace, where are you? My mind stayed mostly numb. I had not let myself wonder about where she could be or what could be happening to her.