Precedent: Book Three: Covenant of Trust Series (39 page)

She studied it several minutes, then she smiled. “She looks like you, like you looked when you first came.”

“
I thought I looked like my dad.”

“
You do, but I can see a lot of your mother in you, too. Especially at that age.” She handed the photo back. “Is that the only one you have?”

“
I have two old ones now, and the one from Penner Hewitt. The rest of ’em are up here.” Jack pointed to his temple. He stuffed the letter back in the envelope. “It’s like he doesn’t want to associate with me.”

“
He’s spent his life alone. We can’t expect him to take up with a family overnight.” Jack frowned and shook his head. “Can I say one more thing that won’t help?” she asked.

Jack smiled. “Sure.”

“
He’s right. You are a great man. Now.”

He grinned. “Well, coming from a great woman, I reckon I have to believe it.”

“
Smart boy.”

* * *

Shannon collapsed on her bed after her shift in the hotel’s restaurant. The Gideon Bible peeked out of her bag. “Not tonight,” she mumbled. She knew if she closed her eyes, she would sleep until morning. Esther would understand. One night wouldn’t make that much difference.

But . . . Esther would ask her first thing tomorrow morning. She sighed and rolled over, then yanked out the Bible. Joel chapter 2, as promised. “I hate the Old Testament,” she grumbled, wading through the verses in the King James. “This doesn’t even make any sense.” Then, a verse caught her eye and she sat up on the bed.

Therefore also now, saith the L
ord
, turn ye 
even
to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 
a
nd rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the L
ord
your God: for he 
is
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Then farther down almost to the end of the chapter, she read a verse that made her smile.

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

“
Esther’s locusts,” she said.

And ye
shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the
L
ord
your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the
L
ord
your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. . . . And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the
L
ord
shall be delivered.

* * *

Thursday, January 1

Chuck slapped at the clock before he roused enough to realize it was the doorbell ringing and not his alarm. He blinked several times, forcing his eyes to focus on the clock. Two thirty. Who . . . ? He felt Bobbi throw off the covers on her side of the bed. “Honey, just stay here. I’ll handle it.”

“
No way, mister. What if it’s Shannon?”

“
Ringing the bell? Why wouldn’t she come on in?” He pulled on a robe, slid his feet into a pair of sneakers he kept by the bedside.

“
Who knows?” She yawned and pulled on her own robe.

Jack staggered out of his room and met them at the top of the stairs. “Who’s at the door?” He squinted and tried to mash his hair down.

Chuck flipped on the porch light and peered through the side panel. “Good grief, it’s John.”

“
John Isaac?” Bobbi said.

“
Yeah.” Chuck disarmed the security system and opened the door. “John, come in. What’s wrong?”

“
Nothing!” John said with a grin Chuck would remember for the rest of his life. “I found Shannon!”

Chapter 24

Homecoming

Found. Shannon. Bobbi grasped the console table in the entry hall as that hope, once given up, now transformed itself into tangible reality. John . . . found Shannon. He knew where she was.

“
Found her? Where?” Chuck asked, already reaching in the hall closet for his coat.

“
Hang on.” John took Chuck’s arm. “You can’t go get her right this minute.”

“
Why not?”

“
I know where she works. I don’t know where she lives.” He pointed toward the living room. “Can we sit down?”

Bobbi managed to nod and stumble backwards out of his way. She switched on the light and motioned John to the recliner while she sat on the edge of the sofa. Chuck slid in beside her and took her hand. He rubbed his hand across the back of hers gently, trying to warm it and ease the tremors. Jack leaned against the arm of the sofa.

“
Where is she?” Bobbi asked. “How’d you find her?”

“
Dumb luck,” John answered.

“
Providence,” Bobbi corrected.

“
Right,” John said, nodding. “Durham Chemical hosted a big New Year’s Eve party at the Palladium downtown—”

“
One of the big casino hotels?” Chuck asked.

“
Yeah,” John admitted, dropping his eyes. “Anyway, I was in there this evening checking on the arrangements when I saw Shannon working in the restaurant.”

“
What’d you say to her?” Bobbi asked.

“
Nothing. I was afraid to approach her, you know? I was afraid she might take off again.” He shifted in his seat. “Should I have said something?”

“
No, you did the right thing,” Chuck said.

“
I asked the hotel people about her. She works in housekeeping, too. She’s due back at eight in the morning.”

“
I’ll have her home in time for breakfast,” Chuck said quietly, hugging Bobbi tightly to him.

“
Finally,” she whispered, and relaxed into tears. Chuck held her, then kissed her and hugged her again. The siege was over.

“
John, I don’t know how we can ever pay you back,” Chuck said after letting a long deep breath go. He stood and shook hands with John.

“
I’m just sorry I didn’t get out here sooner. That party was kinda my baby. I couldn’t get away.”

Bobbi stood and gave him a hug. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

“
No, but I have an idea what it means to get back someone you love.” He grinned and held his left hand up, showing off his wedding band. “Kara and I . . . we’re . . . we did the courthouse thing the day after Christmas.”

Bobbi hugged him again. “That is wonderful, John. I’m thrilled for you and Kara and the girls.”

John smiled again. “Glen and Laurie said they’d help us out.”

“
I love Glen and Laurie. They’ve meant so much to us over the years.”

John nodded toward the door. “I’m gonna get going. We’ll be praying.”

“
Thank you,” Chuck said. He closed the door behind John and swept Bobbi into his arms. “She’s coming home today!”

“
Can it really be? After all this time?”

“
I think you can let yourself believe it.”

Bobbi did. She collapsed against him, letting her emotion, her fear and anxiety give way to joy, relief and blessed anticipation. Six hours. That was less time than she labored to bring Shannon into the world, and now after six bleak months they would bring her home again. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.

Chuck laughed through his own tears, kissed her and rocked her in his arms until Jack cleared his throat. Jack. She had completely forgotten Jack was in the room. She turned to him and smiled. “We’re getting her back.”

He nodded and grinned. “Since we’re all up, I’ll, uh . . . I’ll go make your coffee.”

* * *

Shannon put the key in the ignition and gripped the steering wheel. “Now Hondas are supposed to be extremely reliable. Lately, you seem to be forgetting that. Next payday, we’ll go get a nice oil change and make you feel all better, but today you need to hold up your end of the deal.”

She turned the key and the engine growled, then turned over. “See, I knew you had it in you. Now we’ll drive to work and you can take the rest of the day off.”

She, on the other hand, would work and try her best not to think about her mom, or her dad, or her brothers. Last night, watching that stupid ball drop, surrounded by the drunks in the hotel bar, she felt so isolated and forgotten. But then she got angry. She was here, alone, because she chose that. Nobody threw her out. She left. She refused to call home even. She was the one hiding. It was her own stupid fault.

Her plans made so much sense that Saturday morning. Dealing out punishment for her injustice. Giving her dad what he deserved. Right. How stupid.

Last night, when sleep wouldn’t come, she kept trying to imagine what it was like when her dad had to come home and face her mother after he cheated. Or when he confessed it all in front of the church. What was it like to stand there alone and face all the people he’d hurt, the very people he loved most? He always said Phil Shannon told him what to say, but still. He had to say it. If only she had a Phil Shannon.

The downtown was dead, but the red lights still directed the nonexistent traffic. “Of course,” Shannon muttered as she eased to a stop. When she moved to lower the sun visor, she caught sight of her own name in her peripheral vision. Her name. On a billboard.

SHANNON

IT’S OKAY TO COME HOME!

LOVE, DAD

She clamped a hand to her mouth. How many other Shannons could there be in the city? Was there anyone else that message was aimed at? Or was her dad that nuts? She smiled as tears spilled onto her cheeks. He was totally nuts.

The driver behind her tapped his car horn. “Green light, right,” she muttered. She couldn’t wait to tell Esther. If her dad really put up that billboard for her . . .

* * *

Chuck kept a close eye on his speedometer, fighting the impulse to blast his way downtown, but he promised Bobbi he would obey the speed limits. That was the first of her conditions for letting him come alone. She also made him tell her what he planned to say. He’d rehearsed that since June. He was going to beg for Shannon’s forgiveness and ask her if she would come home. Finally, he agreed not to mention the cancer. She wanted to handle that once Shannon was settled in back at home. He went along with her wishes immediately. He had to. He needed to bring Shannon home himself.

He checked the scribbled sheet of directions he held against the steering wheel, but he couldn’t make out the street names. Grabbing his glasses from his shirt pocket, he used his teeth to open them up. “Here we go,” he whispered as he double-checked the streets and exited the highway. Ten more minutes and he’d be at the Palladium.

* * *

Jack watched his mother pace, alternating between wringing her hands and hugging herself each time she passed. “Can I do anything for you?” he asked.

“
No, sweetheart.” She smiled and patted his knee. “I’m afraid this is how it’s going to be until I hear from them.”

“
You wanna read the paper?”

“
No.” She peeked out the front window again, and Jack shook his head. His dad wouldn’t be back for at least an hour.

“
Do you care if I read it?” he asked.

“
Of course not.”

Jack slouched against the arm of the sofa and read through the sports section first, catching all the updates from bowl games and the last games of the NFL season. To kill a little more time, he began reading through the local section, the part he usually skipped. “Mom, you better take a look at this.”

She took the folded paper from him and visibly flinched when she read the article.

SLU student arrested on four counts of sexual assault

St. Louis University freshman Dylan Aaron Snider, 19, was arrested Tuesday evening on charges he sexually assaulted four females. Two of the victims are under eighteen and two are college students, all of whom may have been involved in a relationship with Snider. St. Louis police filed the charges after an investigation prompted by a 15-year-old victim coming forward. The complaint alleges that Snider offered the girl marijuana in exchange for sex and when she refused, engaged in nonconsensual sex. The other victims’ complaints are similar. If convicted of felony sexual assault, Snider faces a maximum seven years in prison.

* * *

Chuck screeched to a stop in the registration lane at the Palladium. He flipped his emergency blinkers on and breathed a quick prayer. “Dear God, please let this be it.” He slipped his glasses back in his pocket and got out of his car. He intended to go floor by floor until he found her. If that failed, then he’d get the hotel management involved.