From Pharaoh's Hand (24 page)

             
              “We’re headed out to the area where the baby was found.  There was a name on the canoe.  Catfish.  Catfish Jones lives in this area.  We hauled him and his truck out of the riverbed last night.  He says Beth ran off before the storm, and he went after her in the truck.”

             
“What!  You talked to the man who has my daughter!  Why didn’t you tell us?”

             
     “Because he is at the hospital in bad shape.  I didn’t want you trying to get to him.”

             
“Get to him -- I’ll kill him!”

             
              “That was my thinking.”

             
“What did he say?  Has she been with him all this time?  How did she get out here?”

             
              “We didn’t get that far in the questioning.  The minute I realized that Beth had been out in the storm in the canoe with the baby, and was probably still out there; I knew there was no time to lose.  That’s when you and Mrs. Merriweather arrived.  There’ll be plenty of time to question him after we find her.”

             
“My little girl.  In a canoe.  In an F-4 tornado... She didn’t have a chance, did she?”

     “
You’re forgetting the baby survived the storm. That’s one miracle.  You got enough faith for another one?”

             
John closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.  His eyes filled with tears. 

     “
Beth is our only child.  It hurt so bad when she disappeared.  I had almost given up hope of ever seeing her again alive.  Now God has brought me to her.  She has to be alive...she has to be.”

             
              Sheriff Wright pulled up the long drive that led to Catfish and Inetha’s trailer.  The devastation that met them left them speechless.   The spot where the trailer had set was now a dark, muddy, grassless patch of land.  Several yards away lay the wreckage, barely recognizable.  Insulation and metal and wooden beams were twisted in an awful, unnatural configuration.   Underpinning was scattered about the yard, along with odd items including the box springs from the bed.  The ground was littered with debris; some of it hanging from nearby trees.  A pitiful, skinny dog lay dead to one side.

     “
Well, so much for searching the trailer for clues,” said Rus.  “No sign of his wife either.”

             
“You mean he had a wife?”  John asked incredulously.  “No one could have survived that.” John stated flatly.

     “
We’ll check the wreckage, but Catfish said she had taken off before the storm.”

             
“Bethhhh,” John yelled.  “Beth!” 

     “
He thought she had taken off walking down the main road, but somewhere between the trailer and the river, she had to have given birth.  The baby wasn’t over a day old.  Still had the umbilical stump.  Let’s check the woods and then on down by the river.  The rest of the search crew will be here shortly.  The deputies and rescue squad all went home to see about their damage.  Shorty was having to round them up.”

             
The two took off in opposite directions with John yelling out Beth’s name every few seconds.  They spread out through the woods, several yards apart.  Sheriff Wright drew in a sharp breath when he came upon the marijuana crop.  He whistled a low whistle. 
He was doing more than just growing it for himself and a few poker buddies.  There’s fifty thousand dollars’ worth here. 
The sheriff scratched his head.  He was willing to bet that there was a larger cartel paying Catfish big money to produce.  This was big.  Perry County would be all over the news this week.  But for all the wrong reasons.  

     “
You found any clues?” he yelled over to John.

             
“Nothing.  I’m heading on down towards the river.”

     “
Wait for me.”  But John was already running off down the hill.  He had to find Beth.  A sense of urgency was bearing down in him. 

             
“GO NOW!” the Voice said.  “She’s down past the river bend.  HURRY!”

             
John was running blindly now, screaming her name as loud as he could.  Running through the tall grass, running, nearly tumbling over his own feet. 

             
“BETHHHHH!  Beth! Where are you?”  he called.

             
From the dark recesses of her mind, Beth thought she heard her dad calling her name.  She tried to open her eyes.  She tried to move. 
I’m here, Daddy.  I’m over here.  Wake up, Beth.  You’re dreaming.  WAKE UP!

             
“
Beth!  Are you out here?   Beth!”

             
Finally she managed to get her eyes open.  She was still lying on the ground.  The buzzard was gone.  She hadn’t imagined the voice.  It was coming closer.  It was daddy; it was!  She opened her mouth and tried to yell, but her mouth was dry, and no sound came out.  She swallowed, tried to form some saliva, swallowed again.

             
“Daddy,” she croaked weakly and tried to sit up.

     “
Daddy,” this time a bit louder.

             
“Daddy!  Daddy, over here.  I’m here....oh Daddy... oh God.  Oh God.  Thank you God.  You sent my daddy!”

             
John spotted movement in the grass at about the same time he heard her voice.  Yes! It was her.  And she was alive.  His Beth was alive.  Yes, Yes, Yes.  Oh God, thank you.  Thank you.  He was running and crying.  She was sitting up, trying to get to her feet when he finally reached her.  John knelt down to her and scooped her up in his arms effortlessly.   She was his little girl again, and she was safe in his arms.  He was sobbing into her hair.

             
“You’re alive.  You’re alive.  Do you know how much your mother and I have prayed to find you?”

             
              “I’m sorry, Daddy.  I’m so sorry.  I messed up.”

             
“Your mom and I know about the baby, honey.  It’s okay.  Everything’s okay now.”

             
“The baby’s gone,” she sobbed. “ I put him in the river before the storm.  “He’s gone...” Her voice trailed off in sorrow.

    “
The baby is fine, honey.  He’s fine.  A couple found him in the canoe this morning and took him to the hospital.  Your mom and I saw it on the morning news.  We knew it had to be you.  We just knew it.  Oh, your mom is going to be so happy.”

             
“What?  My baby ... he’s fine?”

     “
He’s fine.  But look at you.  You need a hospital.  Don’t worry, baby.  Daddy’s going get you out of here.”

             
John looked up to see Sheriff Wright and five other men come running down the hill towards them. 

             
“I found her.  I found my baby!” he shouted as they approached.

    “
Let’s get you to the hospital young lady and get you checked out.  You gave us all quite a scare.”

             
“How did you find me?”

     “
The canoe.  It had Catfish’s name painted on the side.  Catfish said you took off right before the storm hit.”

             
“You
talked
to him?  Beth’s eyes widened in fear.

     “
Only briefly.  He’s in bad shape in Perry County Medical.  His truck went off the road during the storm.”

             
“He’s crazy.  He wouldn’t let me leave, Daddy.  He killed her...he killed his wife.”  She was blubbering now.

     “
What did she say?  Wait...Beth...what did you say about his wife,” the sheriff asked.

             
“He killed her.  I found her grave.  It’s around the bend.  No telling what he did to her.  Oh Daddy, get me out of here.  Please get me out of here.”

     “
We’re going honey.  We’re going.”  He carried her as he walked back up the steep hill.  “He won’t hurt anyone else, honey.”

          “
Catfish is going to jail for a very long time.  If that is Inetha in that grave, then he faces murder charges along with federal drug trafficking.  Not to mention theft of the Tut treasure.  Beth, where did you get the box with the rings? Did they come from Catfish?”

     “
I found them hid in a closet with the truck keys.  I tried to escape, but he caught me. I knocked him out with a beer bottle and ran.”

             
“How in the thunder did an old river rat from Perry County end up with the Tut treasure, I wonder.”

     “
The Tut treasure?” said John.

             
“Yes, it was stolen in a robbery in Memphis back in January.  Probably about the same time Beth disappeared.”

     “
Memphis.  That’s where I was...I was in Memphis when he offered to drive me home.  Oh God, if I had known.  If I had only known...”

             
“It’s okay, honey.  We all make mistakes.  Let’s get you to your mama.  And your son.”

     “
Mama’s here?”

             
“Yes.  She’s with Moses.”

     “
Moses?”

             
“That’s what the couple named him that found him, because they drew him out of the water.”

             
“Moses,” Beth repeated faintly as she collapsed in exhaustion on her daddy’s shoulder.

Chapter 32

Trouble Brewin’

             
              “What a precious bundle you are.  Yes you are,” cooed Carolyn as she held the tiny newborn in her arms, rocking him back and forth in the nursery’s cherry wood rocker. 

             
              “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do with your mama.  But I promise you, you’re going to be one spoiled little boy.  Oh, I love you so much already.  Look how bright those eyes are.  You’re listening to me, aren’t you?”

             
Carolyn looked into the face of her grandchild.  She stroked the blonde fluff on his head and whispered to him about his future.  She did not hear the door open behind her.  She only heard it slam shut.  Startled she looked up to see the charge nurse who was stiff with fear as she was pushed into the nursery by a tall, thin patient with a cast on his leg. 

             
Carolyn was so shocked by the interruption that she stood up, holding the baby close to her chest to protect him.  Her first thought was that a disoriented mental patient had gotten unruly. But then she caught the glint of metal in his hands.  What appeared to be a pair of surgical scissors were opened and pointed toward the nurse.   When the thin man spoke, his voice was gruff and sharp.

             
“Get over there woman.  And don’t make a sound.  Don’t make me cut your tongue out.”

             
The nurse, though shaken, managed to get to crawl over to where Carolyn stood.  Catfish’s eyes narrowed.

             
              “Don’t go gettin’ any ideas. You,” he said nodding at Carolyn, “you sit back down nice and slow.”

             
Carolyn hesitated for just a second too long.

             
              “Now! Do as yer to told,” he bellowed in a voice that was unnatural for such a small frame.  The demon inside him had taken over. 

             
Startled, she jumped and then nearly lost her balance backing toward the rocker.  Her eyes darted around the room to find the nearest telephone, which she noted with disappointment, was directly behind Catfish on the wall near the exit. 

             
“What...do you want...” began the nurse.

     “
I come for PJay.  Give him to me,” he ordered as he hobbled toward Carolyn -- the scissors in one hand, the other arm flailing out to his side for balance.  She automatically covered the baby with her forearm. 

             
“No.  I won’t.”

             
The charge nurse was crouching on the floor at the foot of the rocker.  At Carolyn’s refusal, he grabbed the nurse by her auburn bob and yanked her to her feet one-handed.  He held the scissors against her jugular.