Wind on the Sand (The Winds of God) Read online

  "I'm fine. I drove out to the beach, prayed, it started to rain so I collapsed into a chair and fell asleep. How are your parents?"

  "A rock. They refuse to accept defeat. They've been staying after our State Department and the Honduran government. Now that Dad's got that radio, he calls the missionaries any time he thinks of something. I don't see how they can get anything done with Dad calling all day. They're still trying to run the clinic. The villagers came back."

  "Had they left?"

  "No, I meant they're visiting the clinic again. They quit coming right before Jack disappeared. According to Brad, they seem ashamed. They've all been apologizing. But nobody knows where he is."

  "I bet Pedro does." Lauren said forcefully.

  "Probably. Did you send that picture? I know you have more important things on your mind, but it would mean a lot to my folks."

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll send an email first thing."

  "Well, don't go to any special trouble, but thanks. I know it would cheer them. And I sent that letter from Jack to your parents' address. You said you were staying there."

  "Yes, that's where Jack would look for me. I want to be available…"

  "I understand. We weren't sure if you might not want to come out here…We'd pay your way, of course."

  "No, I couldn't impose. Your parents have enough to worry about. They don't need to entertain me."

  "I think they're more concerned that you're alone there."

  "But I'm not, really. If I want company at any time, I have the Jamiesons, very strong Christians, or my boss and his wife, they've been taking care of me since my parents died."

  "Lauren, I didn't mention it this morning, because I thought you had enough to think about. I believe Jack's coming back, so that's not why I'm about to say this." He paused, and Lauren felt on tenterhooks. "I thought you might be interested to know that Jack went to see the family lawyer before he left. He made you beneficiary of his will."

  "Why? I don't understand. Why are you telling me now?"

  "I went with Jack as a witness. He said as far as he was concerned you were his wife, in his heart and in his life. He was committed to taking care of you."

  Lauren remained silent as huge tears welled in her eyes and spilled over, trickling down her cheeks.

  "Lauren? Are you crying? Now, don't cry. You should be happy. As soon as Jack gets back, my parents want to have the biggest wedding anyone has ever seen. I think that's why they want you here. It's sort of like having part of Jack with them, and they feel responsible for you now."

  "I don't know what to say. Your family is so…different. You're all just like Jack."

  "Well, Lauren...they were serious about having you come. Think about it. I'll call again later. Try and go back to sleep. It was probably just what you needed." Chris rang off.

  Lauren cradled the phone against her chest. Oh, Jack, I'd give anything if I could see you right now. Lauren began to pray again.

  Jack had been walking for hours. They had tied his hands in front of him today so everything was easier. He could mop the sweat from his brow, swat mosquitoes, and keep his balance when he tripped over vines and stumps. Altogether, he felt much better. Somewhere along the way, the pain had receded somewhat from his shoulder. He didn't know if it was just completely numb or whether he was too out of it to feel anything. Whatever the reason, he didn't care. He was able to keep up better than he had before. But he needed water. The soldiers didn't stop for water, and Jack hated to draw attention to himself by asking.

  They walked in single file. He never had an opportunity to speak with anyone or establish some kind of rapport that would enable him to escape. He prayed continuously for wisdom and opportunities.

  His mind often wandered to Lauren. She would have been notified of his disappearance by now. How long would his family wait before they contacted her? He had told them repeatedly that if anything happened to him, they were to take care of Lauren as if she'd been his wife.

  Would Chris send the letter he'd left or wait for him to turn up somewhere? He didn't care. He was alive, and he intended to stay that way. If they did send it, Lauren would be embarrassed. He'd have a lot of explaining to do. Like how could he say he loved her and not want to marry her?

  But I do, Lord. Work it out. Get Lauren saved so I can take care of her all the time. What am I saying? I can't even take care of myself. You'll have to completely take care of both of us for awhile, Lord. I can't even help You. I feel so weak. Don't let me give up, and if you make some of those guys thirsty so I can have a water break, I'd appreciate it.

  They had already crossed to the other side of the mountain, and they were making their way down. Until they got to the border of El Salvador, they would continuously climb up then down as they went through the hilly countryside. Very little of the land would be cultivated, and Jack didn't expect to see any signs of civilization.

  He was absolutely shocked when they hit a trail and followed it into a compound. It had high fences with barbed wire around the top. It was apparent that they didn't want anyone getting in who wasn't supposed to. After they entered the compound, the gate closed behind them, and the soldiers headed for water. Jack was motioned to get water, too. No wonder they hadn't stopped for water. They knew they were headed here. They might have been out of water. Each soldier was filling his canteen and taking long draughts from the faucet.

  Jack soaked his head and let the water pour over his face until he was pushed out of the way. He kept his eyes on that faucet. When it was not in use, he went back and drank deeply.

  The soldiers didn't seem to be paying much attention to him, but that was because they knew he couldn't get out that gate. As much as possible, Jack tried to appear small, weak, and beaten. He wanted them to underestimate the amount of power left in his body. If the right moment presented itself, he would take it. And woe to anyone that got in his way.

  Jack seated himself on the ground near the water-spout. The soldiers were beginning to discuss the situation among themselves.

  There was one that seemed to be the leader, at least, his voice was the loudest. He was all for pushing on the rest of the day in case the federales were on their track. His men were tired of the constant marching and more interested in an afternoon's siesta. They also wanted to spend the night in their bunks.

  Jack was all for resting. He was tired, and the more they walked, the farther they got from where he wanted to be.

  The leader compromised. "You can have a few hours rest, but we can't stay overnight. We have to get further away from the village in case that loudmouth Pedro runs his tongue. He drinks too much. There's no telling what he'd say."

  The men started complaining about Pedro.

  "Why are we making deals with a nobody like that? We don't need him."

  "No, we don't. As soon as the villagers are completely dependent on the drug crops, we get rid of Pedro, the middleman."

  Several men laughed.

  So, Pedro was going to get what was coming to him. In a way, Jack felt sorry for him. He was a wicked little man grasping for straws, building a straw house that was going to fall in on his head. Jack really felt sorry for Juan. The boy had been so close to believing. Jack could see it in his eyes, just like Lauren. He knew what held Lauren back. What about Juan?

  Could every person's inability to follow God come down to the same thing? Pride. We can't relinquish our own will because what God wants might not be better than what we can provide all on our own. But Jack was the same. He wanted Lauren to believe so that his life would be settled. He could have his Christian wife and his Christian life. What if this was the end for him? What if it would serve some higher purpose that God hadn't chosen to reveal to him?

  He wasn't ready to die. He wanted a life with Lauren. He wanted to see her face when he told her for the first time that he loved her. He wanted to hear those words from her mouth, and look into her eyes when he kissed her.

  Until there was absolutely no way for him to go on,
he was going to believe for deliverance. He settled against the side of the house to sleep. If everyone else was going to rest, he should too. He had a better chance of escaping in the jungle than trapped inside this armed stockade.

  When Lauren woke the next morning, she was disappointed she hadn't dreamed about Jack. She had hoped the Lord would tell her something else. I guess You're not going to make it that easy for me, are You, Lord?

  She found the pictures she and Jack had made the night he had taken her out for a fancy dress dinner. She had brought them back with everything else from the Jamieson's and forgotten to have one framed. She looked at the expression on Jack's face. He photographed so well. It was almost like a prom picture. She was wearing the gold dress, and Jack was wearing an impressive black suit. He looked handsome, suave. Actually, he could be put on the cover of a magazine. He was that dreamy.

  She sent an email to the Wheeler family and took the pictures with her to work. She could keep one on her desk. She'd meant to set one out anyway. It made her feel like she was thumbing her nose at the devil.

  "What are you doing here?" Ryan asked when she walked through the door.

  "I can't sit, doing nothing, until Jack shows up. You said it yesterday. Keep my mind busy." She breezed past him to her new office.

  "Let me know if it gets too much for you."

  Lauren put her picture in a frame and set it on her desk then sat, drumming her fingers. She couldn't concentrate. What she wanted was something that would keep her so busy she wouldn't stop until the end of the day. She walked into the hallway and headed for Peter's office.

  "Peter, I need something to do. Something overwhelming. Is there anything you need to know that you haven't been able to find anywhere else?"

  "Yes, who owns the beach frontage in Destin and Ft. Walton Beach and why is the city allowing all of the beaches to be bought out by private investors? See how much frontage is left open to the public and how much of it is free." Peter was ticking off his fingers as he recounted. "Do they have any plans to set aside any protected areas?"

  Lauren rolled her eyes. "What has that got to do with making that developer look like the best developer on the beach?"

  "Think about it, Lauren. If there aren't going to be any public beaches left, our developer is going to start looking really attractive to anyone that wants access to the beach."

  "You're absolutely right. I don't know why I didn't think of it. Where's my mind?"

  "Honduras." Peter's comment was sympathetic.

  "I'll get right on it."

  "Take your time."

  Lauren sat down and pulled out her computer keypad. In no time, she was perusing the public records on file at the County Courthouse. She became deeply immersed in data, and the morning dwindled away. She ignored hunger pangs and extraneous sounds. Nothing existed beyond her computer monitor.

  The shrill sound of the phone beside her intruded on her solitude. "Hello?"

  "Lauren, it's Chris. There's been a break." Words came tumbling out as fast as Chris could talk. "Before Juan ran away, he wrote a confession. He described the area where the drug- runners keep a base. He also said his father told the drug- runners to kill Jack in El Salvador so he couldn't be linked to what they were doing in Honduras. This base is in the direction of El Salvador. The government is hoping the kidnappers stopped at their base before going on. They would have to walk the whole way or run the risk of discovery. There is a real possibility they could catch them. Unfortunately, there are very few populated areas that way. If Jack did manage to escape, he'd have nowhere to go."

  "When did they find out?"

  "Early this morning. Juan had given his note to a little girl that was crazy about Jack. He gave her a lollipop or something. Juan told her if she wanted to save Jack, she had to give the gringos the note when no one else was looking. They found her sitting outside their door this morning. She had watched them all day yesterday, but they were always with villagers or the federal soldiers. She thought it was important that they be alone, so she waited."

  "Oh, the time we've lost." Lauren groaned.

  "That's not true, Lauren. God knows what He's doing. Don't give up, we're so close."

  "Yes, thanks for calling. I needed that. Please tell your parents I appreciate the updates."

  "Sure thing."

  Lauren hung up, staring at her monitor without really seeing anything. There was no way she could concentrate now. She looked at her watch...two o'clock. She'd been working straight through for five hours. Time to break for lunch.

  She barely tasted the sandwich. It seemed nothing could hold her interest. Would Jack really be free soon? What if he was hurt during the attempt to rescue him? Was his life as important to the federal soldiers as stopping the terrorists? If all they cared about was making an arrest, they might not come up with the best solution for Jack's extraction.

  She tried to concentrate on the information Peter had requested. At this point, it was beyond her to draw conclusions from the extensive material. It wasn't as if the county had a map that said this land is free to the public, this land has been privately developed. She was really having to dig deep, and the county's zoning laws were extensive. She had also realized that you had to know what section of land the county was referring to. The terminology was deceptive. They didn't come right out and say, this land is frontage on the beach.

  Lauren downloaded as much information as she could find and shut down her computer. She would leave the analysis to another day. Thankfully, the next day was Saturday; she could do whatever she wanted.

  She didn't intend to sit around watching the clock and wondering if they had managed to find Jack. But she would deal with that in the morning.

  Waiting and not knowing was like standing on the edge of an abyss. She wanted to jump, but there was nothing to catch her. Were the Wheelers having as much trouble? She really wanted to trust God...to lay that burden down. Doing it was proving somewhat harder than she had expected. She wasn't even sure what that meant. If you laid a burden down, did that mean you couldn't think about it anymore? She knew the Lord expected her to continue praying. She could feel that urgency. But was the thought of Jack supposed to consume her every waking moment?

  When Lauren got home, she went to bed. She was too tired to eat. Waiting was an exhausting pastime.

  Chapter 10

  Juan looked up at the barbed wire curling around the top of the fence. Even if he could find some way to climb to the top of a ten-foot fence, he could never find a way through that barbed wire. All he'd brought was a small pocketknife. He had hoped to cut the bindings from Senor Jack and escape with no one the wiser. He should have known it was a stupid idea. Wasn't his father always telling him how stupid he was?

  He was smarter than they thought. He had waited a whole day and still been able to track them through the jungle. His father had talked about this place so many times Juan had been sure he could find it. Thank goodness they had come here on their way to El Salvador. He hoped the missionary gringos would know what to do with the note he'd left. Anna surely would have given it to them by now.

  Little Anna, at least there had been one other that loved Senor Jack besides him. Where had that thought come from? He didn't love anyone. His father said love made a man weak.

  That wasn't what Senor Jack said. He said love made a man stronger. Juan remembered the look on Senor Jack's face when he realized Juan had betrayed him. He hadn't even been angry. Senor Jack had still looked at him as if he loved him. How could he do that? Love hadn't made Senor Jack look weak. To Juan, he had looked stronger than all the terrorists and his father combined.

  His father was the one who was wrong. The drugs wouldn't help the villagers. They would only give his father more power over them. And that was a scary thought. He was cruel enough now. If he got more power, there would be no stopping him.

  Juan couldn't let that happen. He would stop the terrorists even if every man in the village was too afraid. It was his fault, an
yway. Senor Jack would never have left the village and gone into the jungle if Juan hadn't called to him. Senor Jack had trusted him completely. And Juan had betrayed him completely. But no longer.

  He got as close as he dared to the edge of the fence. There were dogs on the other side. If he got too close, they would start barking and alert the terrorists to his presence. He tried looking through the cracks in the fence, but none was large enough to reveal what lay on the other side. If he climbed a tree, would he be able to see without revealing himself?

  He crept around the entire perimeter of the compound, looking for a tree. Not one gave him a better vantage. Still, he would probably attract less attention if he were further away from the gate. He finally chose a tree that would be the easiest to climb. It had an enormous trunk, but it was pitted and would afford solid footholds on the climb up. The branches, too, were large enough for him to lie down. Juan began his climb.

  When he made it to a spot even with the height of the fence, Juan crept slowly out on a limb. There was complete silence below him, adding to his stress. He felt every breath he took was a gale force wind that everyone was sure to hear. His heart beat so loudly it sounded more like a hammer pounding on the side of the tree. He collapsed against the length of the tree limb and concentrated on breathing regularly. He closed his eyes for a minute.

  When he opened them, he peered over the side of the branch. There were two buildings in the compound. One was probably a warehouse for their drug crops and weapons. The other more closely resembled a house. The courtyard around the house was nothing but dirt or mud. A few scraggly dogs lay sleeping in the dirt. One lay on the porch of the house under a hammock. Inside the hammock, one of the drug-runners was sleeping. Juan looked quickly all around the compound. Several of the men were sleeping. They had chosen siesta. It would be a good time to get Senor Jack out, but night would be better. Besides, he could think of no way to get inside the compound.