Copyright © 2010 by Earl Martin and Jesse MuehlbauerPublished by Sonship Press

Spring!eld, MO 65807

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever or stored in any database or retrieval sys-tem without written permission except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews. Any resemblance in this book to any real person place or situation is purely coincidental.

Requests for permissions should be addressed to:Sonship Press2131 W. Republic Rd.PMB 41Spring!eld, MO 65807

ISBN 978-0-9824428-4-5

Cover: Keith LockeBook Design: Zach Dyer

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Kidnapped....................................................... 92. Inside the Room ............................................ 213. Jack Milton ................................................... 334. Dead End ...................................................... 455. Keith DuMont .............................................. 536. Midnight Call ............................................... 657. Confrontation ............................................... 758. Look Again .................................................... 859. Full Circle ..................................................... 9310. Voices .......................................................... 10111. One Last Chance ......................................... 11112. Showdown................................................... 121

DEDICATIONFrom Earl Martin:

I dedicate this book to two individuals. First, to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him there would be

absolutely no reason to write a book like this.

Secondly, to my wife and best friend, Amy. Outside of my salvation, Amy is the best thing that ever happened to me. She has stood by and supported me for over twenty years. She is a great wife and a great mother. And she gives good

counsel too. I wish you all could meet her.

From Jesse Muehlbauer:

I dedicate this book to the Lord Jesus Christ. His faithfulness far exceeds anything I can boast. It is my

prayer that everyone may desire to be pleasing to Him.

Special acknowledgement must also be given to my parents, Chuck and Pat. !anks for everything you’ve

done and for sticking in there with me through thick and thin!

Also to my good friend Seth Stevenson. !ank you for the encouragement you’ve been.

May God richly bless you all.

PROLOGUE

THE MOON’S metallic glow was suddenly interrupted, as a beam of light streaked across the

sky. Momentarily, all attention was diverted from the beauty of nighttime. Alarms began to sound. Footsteps echoed o" of the pavement that surrounded the prison facility. Searchlights arced back and forth.

Someone had escaped.Armed guards with trained attack dogs paced the

compound ferociously. #e entire prison was put under lockdown as supervisors, security personnel and other sta" assessed the situation.

Meanwhile, one hundred yards away, Vincent “Jack” Milton was trying to catch his breath. As soon as he had worked his way through the barbed-wire fencing that surrounded the prison complex, he started for the woods at breakneck speed. But his quick burst of energy subsided almost as soon as it had begun. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as he peered through some foliage. Several guards were already heading in his general direction. If escape was going to be possible, he had to keep moving. #e plan was easier said than done however—especially since Jack Milton was already

7

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exhausted. Doing his best to control his raspy panting, Jack suddenly ducked down as one of the blinding searchlights lit up the trees and shrubs around him. Waiting for the beam of light to pass over his area, he slowly turned and headed deeper into the wooded darkness. Jack Milton could hear the blaring sirens, the dogs and many armed security o$cers not too far behind him. A renewed sense of determination pulsed through his body.

He ran, and would keep on running…until he got what he was after.

Revenge.

9

1

KIDNAPPED

IT WAS mid-afternoon in the city of Echo when Earl Martin walked out onto his back porch and

breathed in the fresh summertime air. Youth pastor and evangelist at Echo Community Church, “Mr. E,” as the kids referred to him, stared at the Willow tree that dominated a majority of his scenic backyard. Towering high above the ground, the Willow tree’s hanging branches swayed back and forth with the blowing east breeze. Mr. E glanced at his watch.

2:58PM“Better get up there,” Mr. E said, and strode over to

the base of the tree. Brushing away a few dried up leaves revealed a slab of wood nailed into the bark of the tree. He then proceeded to climb up several other slabs of wood that laddered all the way up to the top.

#e !nal piece of wood stopped short of a horizontal platform just inches above Mr. E’s head. Pushing against a square section of paneling opened up into a bright

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and spacious tree house which was a"ectionately called the MysTree House. “MysTree” was a play-on-words for “mystery,” which was the quick pronunciation of Mr. E. #e MysTree House was not just any usual treehouse. Its main purpose was to serve as a meeting room for an elite group of young people. #ey belonged to the Straight-Up Club; a break-o" section of the youth group at the church. #e group of kids that were initiated into club membership showed over-and-above dedication, Bible knowledge and leadership abilities. All of which made them noticeable, both to the church’s senior pastor and to Mr. E.

Sitting contentedly at a medium sized table was Marshall Bennett. Age 16, Marshall had often times been accused of being a bookworm. Research, chemistry and forensic science devoured a good chunk of his free-time. Yet he never allowed his busy schedule to rob him of spending some time each morning with the Lord in Bible reading and prayer.

Next to him sat Nels Holt. “Comic relief ” described Nels well, especially in situations where humor was the farthest thing from anyone’s mind. A slim built 14 year-old, Nels had a knack for contorting his body into small places that would make a cat claustrophobic. His spare time was usually enveloped by video gaming, software programming and making web sites for churches.

In the center of the room, leaning against the trunk of the tree, was Faith Martin. Oldest daughter of Mr. E, the thirteen year old was sort of a tomboy. Faith fought

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a continuous battle between avoiding the extreme girly tendencies of her peers, and harnessing her own desire to compete with any boy, any time, any where. Violin, good literature and classic movies were on her list of likes; while math, snakes and Nels’ lame jokes would pretty well describe her dislikes.

Last but not least, sat Gracie—Mr. E’s younger daughter. Age 10, she could usually be found playing her %ute or singing...never at the same time of course. For the most part, Gracie successfully tagged behind her older sister Faith without causing annoyance. #e two were very close, a reason why she was allowed to attend the Straight-Up Club meetings, though o$cially not a member.

Mr. E smiled as he surveyed the team awaiting his big announcement.

“So, where is she?” asked Gracie with excitement in her eyes.

“Yeah Mr. E,” chided Marshall, “where’s our newest member?”

Mr. E’s cheshire grin betrayed his pretend confusion. “What new member? I don’t recall anything about a new member.” #e club laughed. “Okay, okay, I surrender. Yes, there is a new member being admitted into the Straight-Up Club today! And her name is...”

“Parker,” came a voice from underneath the entrance panel. #e club members all looked as she stepped up onto the %oor and lowered the MysTree House door below her. “You all already know that though,” she said

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with a twinge of embarrassment. Parker walked over by Mr. E. “You all know Parker

Cullen from the youth group at church, right?” #ey nodded. “Well, she is about to become our newest member here at the Straight-Up Club. But !rst, as you all remember, she has to be initiated.”

#e club smirked gleefully as Mr. E went to grab something from a desk drawer. Parker quizzically tried to see what Mr. E was doing.

Mr. E then revealed a small box. “See this? In this box is something you will have to keep with you from now on. It is very important, and must never be lost.” #e excitement in Parker’s eyes grew, as a multicolored wristband was removed from inside the box and handed to her. It had the wordless Gospel colors in a swirl combination circling the band. “Parker Cullen, as president of the Straight-Up Club, I hereby initiate your membership and declare you an o$cial part of this team. May your dedication and love for the Lord Jesus and your deep desire to serve Him be witnessed by everyone you meet.”

At that point, Parker wrapped the band around her wrist and looked at Mr. E. “I thank you for this honor, and I am looking forward to helping this club in any way that I can.” She lifted up her wristband for all to see. “I thank God for the opportunity to be a teammate with you all.”

#e club burst out in applause as they welcomed in their newest member. Parker, having just turned

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!fteen, was the interviewer in the group. Having the gift of gab, talking was just as important to her as breathing. More of a girly girl than Faith, Parker was often teased for two reasons. First, whenever her name would be read o" on a list, people who hadn’t met her often assumed that she was a boy. And second, because of her uncanny attention to her appearance. She wasn’t vain by any stretch of the imagination, just particular of small details such as, which clothes went with which shoes, what make-up clashed with her complexion, and what order things should be arranged. In short, Parker focused on the details.

Faith leapt over to her new club member in joyful delight and slapped Parker on the shoulder. “It is so nice to have another girl on this team,” she said. “I mean, someone closer to my age.”

Parker smiled, returning Faith’s slap-on-the-back with a soft squeeze on the hand. “Right on, Faith. We’re gonna have hours of fun talking and studying together! Oh, and, by the way, I found the coolest pair of shoes at the mall the other day. #ey are pink with white overtones across the sides! You’ll like them!”

“I don’t like pink,” said Faith, staring through her narrow rectangle-lensed glasses.

“#ey’re actually not pink,” Parker noted. “Magenta would describe them better.”

Faith looked confused. “Well I never met Magenta, but if you run into her, ask her to describe them to me in detail.”

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Parker paused momentarily as she recalled the tomboy she was talking to. “Ah, we, we’ll talk later.”

#e two girls sat down as Mr. E turned to face the group. #e tangible excitement in the room slowly softened. #e club fell silent. Mr. E’s happy countenance seemed to melt away and be replaced by a look of grave concern. “Straight-Up Club,” he began solemnly, “although this is a joyous occasion as we celebrate Parker joining the group, there is something I just learned a little while before I came up here that weighs heavy on my heart.” Mr. E folded his hands in front of him and slowly walked the MysTree House %oor. All eyes were !xed on him. “Do any of you remember a teenager named Joey Hathaway?”

“I met him once I think,” said Marshall. “Doesn’t he go to our sister church across town?”

“He does,” Mr. E responded. “In fact his dad, Frank Hathaway, is one of the deacons over there. Anyway,” Mr. E looked down for a moment, as if to create a dramatic e"ect, “it appears as though...” his voice became hushed, “Joey has been kidnapped.”

Several in the room gasped. “What?” asked Nels. “Kidnapped? Why?”

Mr. E shrugged. “No one knows why, Nels. Mr. Hathaway told me he’s just as shocked as anyone. Joey had no enemies as far as he knew. He did well in school; he wasn’t a troublemaker as far the teachers told him. Mr. Hathaway didn’t know many of Joey’s friends, but he said Joey appeared to hang out with mostly teens

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from the youth group. By the way, I’m only speaking of Mr. Hathaway because Mrs. Hathaway died earlier this year.”

Parker’s eyes grew wide. “She died? How?”“It was a tragic car accident. Someone ran a red light

and slammed into her vehicle. Very sad for the family.” Mr. E slid his hands into his pockets and again began to pace the %oor while relaying what he knew of the situation. “Apparently, on Friday at around 5 PM, after coming home from work, Mr. Hathaway walked into an empty house. Joey wasn’t back from a soccer game some of his friends had coordinated. #at is, that’s what Mr. Hathaway thought at the time. Later, he found out the game had ended two hours earlier, and that Joey said he was heading home.” Mr. E pulled his hands out from his pockets and crossed them against his chest. “Well, around six that evening, Mr. Hathaway began wondering where Joey was. He had been under the assumption that his son was still at the park playing soccer. However, once six-thirty rolled around, Mr. Hathaway knew that something was not right. It was not so much the fact that he knew what time Joey was usually at home, since he himself was always home after Joey was. But if Joey was going to be late for dinner, he always called home. Dinner was typically at 6 PM or so, and because Joey would have had no reason to think dinner would be late that night, there was no reason for Joey to be late. #at’s the thought-process Mr. Hathaway went through before he started calling

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around at quarter-to-eight. Mr. Hathaway told me that he ran into a snag at that point though, since he didn’t really know who in the youth group were Joey’s friends. It was sort of hit-and-miss.”

“So what did he do?” asked Gracie. “He called the police at nine, after !nally contacting

one of Joey’s friends from the soccer game and discovering that Joey had headed home at three that afternoon— Six hours earlier.”

Mr. E shook his head. “Anyway, the point is, Joey never showed up last night, or this morning. Mr. Hathaway is distraught over this, of course, and is begging anyone to help if they have any information the police could use. Unfortunately, due to the fact he had only been gone 24 hours, the authorities were hesitant to begin an all out search for Joey until now. I just called Mr. Hathaway before coming out here, and he told me that the hunt for his son is !nally underway. #is case is being treated as a kidnapping, that is, unless new info indicates that it’s not.” A pin-drop could have been heard as Mr. E rubbed his hand against his chin. “We have a missing member among us, club.”

“A missing member?” asked Nels. “But, Joey wasn’t in our club. He’s not a member.”

“No?” asked Mr. E. “Are you sure of that?”Faith slowly nodded as she realized what he was

talking about. “Oh, I get it. Joey is a member. Just not of our club. Joey is a member of our sister church, and more importantly, of the Body of Christ. Is that it?”

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Mr. E pointed his index !nger at her. “You got it.”His statement of Joey being a missing member hit

the club hard, since they knew the Bible described Christians as being parts of one whole body. If one part of the body was missing, then it would a"ect the group as a whole. And because a member of the body was missing, the club realized something had to be done.

“But doesn’t it take, like, a while for things to start rolling with a missing-person case?” asked Parker.

“She’s right,” said Marshall. “You have to !rst generate a pro!le of him—You know, height, weight, description of clothes last seen in, and stu" like that.”

“Yeah, but once they have that all together,” said Nels, “you can !re o" his photo clear across the earth and back on the internet.”

“#at’s one thing we can do,” said Faith, “but the old fashioned way of posting missing-person %yers on light polls and in shopping centers is a better way. #at way people in the community who may have actually seen something will !nd out Joey’s missing.”

Mr. E nodded. “See, this is the reason Mr. Hathaway asked me to let you, the Straight-Up Club, know about what exactly happened. He requested that all of you come to his house tomorrow afternoon after church. He said he’d like to talk to you and show you Joey’s bedroom.”

“Why his bedroom?” asked Marshall.“He feels the police and others are missing

something. He doesn’t know quite what it is, but Mr.

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Hathaway thinks that if you as teens Joey’s age could take a peek into Joey’s world for a few moments, you may just !nd some missing piece of the puzzle others aren’t noticing.”

Nels sighed heavily. “I wish we could go over there tonight. Time is of the essence, as they say.”

Marshall smiled. “I know how you feel, Nels. Often times we want to jump into a project immediately, especially when it involves something as crucial as Joey’s kidnapping. But as you know, it’s so important to spend your Saturday night in such a way as to avoid fatigue Sunday morning. We’re all shocked at this tragic news.However, jetting o" in our own strength before taking this very serious matter to the Lord would be futile. Remember, He knows where Joey is right now. We don’t.”

Several in the room exchanged glances. Mr. E nodded in full agreement. He was always glad to hear the club members not only study and learn good Bible doctrine, but put it into practice. If they were going to be able to help locate Joey Hathaway, they would have to trust the Lord’s guidance—His ways and His timing. Not that it would be easy. Restraining their impulses to charge forward would take patience. But Mr. E had taught them through the Word of God that patience was a good thing in the life of a Believer. #e more they practiced patience, the better they would be able to be led by the Holy Spirit. And a lead was exactly what they needed right now!

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“We should spend some time praying for Joey and Mr. Hathaway,” said Faith.

“And for guidance for tomorrow when we go see Joey’s room,” added Nels.

Two thumbs shot up. “Now that’s what I love to hear from you, club,” said Mr. E. “Why don’t we put our faith to work and pray right now?”

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21

2

INSIDE THE ROOM

MARSHALL, Parker, Nels, Faith and Gracie left the MysTree House that afternoon and headed

to their homes. #e club members all lived within a short distance from each other, making their close-nit bond with one another tight. On one occasion, when Nels had fallen down a %ight of stairs and broken his leg, Marshall, Parker and Faith all took turns bringing him a favorite dessert each night while he was laid up in bed. In return, he would tell them a score of new jokes he had made up while staring at the ceiling all day.

#e Straight-Up Club was an ‘all for one and one for all’ kind of group. If one member was dealing with an issue in their lives, it a"ected the unit as a whole. #ey tried to model the club based on 1 Corinthians 12, in which Paul the Apostle told his readers to remember that the Body of Christ was made up of more than just one member. #e illustration Paul used, and that

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Mr. E had taught a thousand times, was that the foot complained it was not as important as the hand. Or the ear complained that since it wasn’t the eye, it was not part of the body. Both the foot and the ear were just as important as the hand and the eye; they just served di"erent functions inside the body unit.

Joey Hathaway was not a member of the Straight-Up Club. Yet, as far as the teens knew, he was a member of the Body of Christ. His kidnapping concerned their lives just as much as anyone else’s. Marshall, Parker, Nels and Faith took his disappearance very seriously, and !nding him was on the top of their to-do list.

<><><>

“All done,” said Marshall as he closed the hood on his 1975 Volkswagen bus. #e van had become somewhat of a legend in Echo...mostly due to the fact that it was the only vehicle of its kind in town. Scrimping and saving his wages from his part-time job at Vinny’s Grub-to-Go, Marshall had acquired the van in only eight months from a neighbor who was only too happy to sell it. #e ‘bus’ seated eight uncomfortably and seven just as uncomfortably. #e fact was, it was just uncomfortable. But Marshall didn’t care. His Volkswagen bus was his pride and joy. He had worked hard to obtain it and now it was his. Rust around the rims didn’t bother him; neither did the weird sound it made only when making left turns. Nope, his lime green and white van was a

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symbol of how hard work and wise savings could reward a teen his age. His vehicle served another purpose as well...transport for the Straight-Up Club.

“Hey Marshall,” said Faith as she bounced over to the van. “Are we all set to go to Mr. Hathaway’s house?”

“Sure thing, Faith. We just have to wait for Parker and Nels.”

“Did you tell them what time to be here by?”“Yeah, but Nels isn’t the most prompt person in all

the earth. And as for Parker, she’s-”“Always right on time!” she snapped, while running

up to Marshall and Faith.#e two teens grinned. “Okay, Parker,” chided

Marshall. “I’ll give it to you this time. My satellite watch, which has a 24/7 connection to the atomic clock, must be o" today.”

Suddenly, Nels paced up to the group. “I’m here too!” he gasped. “Not...even...asphyxiation, can...can...” #e other members watched as Nels swallowed hard and placed his hand on his chest.

“A little winded there, Nels?” asked Faith.“...can stop me. Whew! #ere, I said it.” Nels

breathed deep and regained his composure.“You okay?” asked Marshall.“Yeah I’m good,” Nels said %atly.Parker swung her light blue purse around her shoulder

and pulled out a note pad. “I brought this and a pen so we can take notes on anything we think is pertinent to the case. I’m also hoping I can talk with Mr. Hathaway

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a little. Maybe he can clue us in on some areas.”“Just remember guys,” said Marshall, “whatever

you do, whatever you say especially, be kind and compassionate. Mr. Hathaway is going through an ordeal here. We’re there to learn and observe, not get in the way.”

<><><>

#e Volkswagen bus rambled up the driveway to the Hathaway home later that afternoon. #e !rst thing the Straight-Up Club noticed was the size of the estate. #e Hathaway house was far larger than any of the other residences in the town. Lush greenery decorated the front yard from the sidewalk right up to the entryway. Massive marble columns greeted the guests, while a statue of a golden retriever sat in the foyer window. Adjacent to the house was a three car garage with a Mercedes-Benz parked just in front of it.

Marshall and Parker’s eyes met with comical expressions plastered on their faces. “You have got to be kidding me,” Parker said.

Nels began laughing. “#is is too good!” he exclaimed. “Can you imagine what Mr. Hathaway is going to think when he sees this thing sitting here. Right next to his Benz! And the neighbors! Oh man, they may call the police on us for trashing the neighborhood.”

“Nels, zip-it,” said Faith rolling her eyes. “Dramatics is not what’s needed right now.”

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“Who’s being dramatic? I thought I was being funny! You thought I was being dramatic? Boy, I better work on my performance. I’m slipping.”

Faith squared her jaw, while Marshall and Parker shook their heads laughing. “You know what I meant Nels Holt.”

Nels smiled. “I’m sorry, Faith. I don’t really mean to irritate you. It’s just that you’re so easy to irritate.”

“Look,” said Marshall stepping out of the van, “I know this could go on all day. We all know it has, but can we get back to business here?”

#e two were silent for a second. Faith glanced over at Nels. “I believe he was talking to you.”

<><><>

Frank Hathaway answered the door as the Straight-Up Club stood, feeling like midgets in the entryway. Even the sound of the doorbell resembled the hourly chime of Big Ben in London. “Are you the members of that club Earl Martin spoke so highly of?” asked Mr. Hathaway.

“Yes sir,” answered Marshall. “My name is Marshall Bennett, this is Parker Cullen, next to her is Faith Martin and he’s Nels Holt. We all belong to the Straight-Up Club.”

“Right,” said Mr. Hathaway, recalling the club title. “Please, all of you, come in.”

Stepping into the mansion made them wonder if it

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was possible to build a house bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. Nels’ eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw how high the ceiling was. He leaned over to Faith and whispered, “I wonder if he has to hire a crane company to change the light bulbs.”

Mr. Hathaway ushered them into the giant living room and o"ered the group some pop. Marshall declined for the club and explained their eagerness to examine Joey’s bedroom. “It’s just that we are so honored that you asked us to help, I think we all want to get started.”

Mr. Hathaway’s stature was quite imposing. Even Marshall, the tallest in the club, had to bend his neck to lock eyes with him. Yet there was a certain gentleness about the man that overrode any intimidation caused by his height. Gentleness was one aspect of Mr. Hathaway; another more interesting part of his demeanor was his sudden absent-mindedness. As he walked the group down the corridor to Joey’s bedroom, he stopped momentarily and asked what the club name was again. #en, once they reached the door to the bedroom, Mr. Hathaway asked if he had o"ered them something to drink...again. Parker took note of his soft spoken nature and his detached sort of personality. Maybe it was just all that had happened in the past few days. Stress can do that to a man...she thought.

“Here’s Joey’s bedroom,” Mr. Hathaway said in a quiet sad tone. He opened the door. “I think he spent a lot of time in here.” He paused. “But, I don’t know that for a fact.”

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#e Straight-Up Club held their breath as they entered the missing member’s room. Faith swallowed hard as she thought how eerie it was to be in one of the last places someone was seen before they disappeared. #e air in the room seemed stale—Lifeless. Two windows were covered with half-open blinds that created strange line-shadows on the walls and furniture. Everything appeared like it had only recently been used. Even a CD spun round and round inside a storage carousel.

Parker looked up at Mr. Hathaway, as he seemed to drift away from the scene. “I think I’ll leave you teens be...” His voice quivered as if he was tearing up. “Just, just let me know if you need anything. #e police already checked the room, so...feel free to look around.” He paused again. “Maybe...maybe you all will see something. Notice something. I, I don’t know.” And with that, Mr. Hathaway left the club members alone.

Surveying their surroundings, they did notice several things right away. Sitting atop Joey’s cherry-colored dresser was a 42-inch %at screen TV. Next to it sat a state-of-the-art stereo system complete with subwoofer. As they walked deeper into the massive bedroom, Nels almost knocked over a disc rack that stood about as tall as he was. CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays lined all four sides from top to bottom.

“Look at this,” said Parker to Faith, as she stared at a shelf packed with video games.

Nels walked over as well. He quickly examined the contents. “Man, some of these are really expensive, and

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really rare. I know that some of these sold out the day they were released.”

Marshall narrowed his eyes at the stereo system with the spinning CD inside. He slowly pressed play and adjusted the volume.

Music began to play. “#at’s interesting,” Marshall said in a monotone

voice. Rubbing his hand against his chin he turned his head sideways at the player.

Parker noticed. “Joey must have forgotten to turn o" the player before he left.”

Marshall slowly shook his head. “Or he never had a chance to turn it o" before he left.”

Faith and Parker looked at each other nervously. Investigating a kidnapping was creepier than they had anticipated. Marshall turned o" the CD player and walked over by Nels.

“He didn’t make his bed,” said Nels. “Of course, neither did I this morning, but...”

Marshall nodded. “Yeah, I’d say that’s worth jotting down in light of what else we’ve found. Parker...”

“Already on it,” she said writing intensely. “Got that and what you found, Marshall.”

Faith studied Joey’s hot-o"-the-market computer system sitting on yet another desk in the huge bedroom. “Wow, I saw this exact system at the mall for thousands of dollars.”

Nels walked over. “You’re right, Faith. #is monster is not only expensive, but incredibly high-tech. It has

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an amazing memory capacity and it’s processors and servers can outdo anything out there. You know, I saw a motherboard on a demo once, and the circuitry was-”

“Nels,” interrupted Faith softly, “I know that means a lot to you, but I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

Nels smiled. “Let’s just say, this is a cool computer.”Marshall looked around the room in wonder. “I

cannot believe the stu" this kid has. I couldn’t imagine owning all of this in a million years.”

“Well Marshall,” said Nels, “you did happen to notice the mansion we walked into earlier, right? It’s obvious Mr. Hathaway is wealthy to say the least. In fact, I think he’s the president of a bank.”

“Sure, but this is simply amazing. Joey has everything a teen could want...and more.”

Parker thumbed her way through a stack of papers on one of the tables. Most were prints o" of product websites, photos of cool cars, tech help for his computer, a map of the area, and an email from a friend telling him about a soccer game. Parker pulled the printed email from the other slips and handed it to Marshall. “Look at this. I wonder if that was the soccer game Joey was last seen at.”

Marshall scanned it quickly. “Could be. #e dates coincide. Parker, jot down this guy’s name and email address. He may have some helpful information for us. At the very least he may know some of the other boys on the team.” So, she scribbled some notes and then

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returned the paper back under the stack.Meanwhile, Faith stared at the foosball, air-hockey

and ping pong tables all lined up next to each other against one wall. #e games seemed empty. With all of the entertainment in the room, no one was having fun. #ere was no laughter. No happiness. It was all dead. Faith lowered her head for a moment and sighed. #e reality of Joey’s disappearance was becoming all too real—all too fast. Where was he? Was he okay? Lost? Hurt? Something worse? Faith blinked hard, trying to rid her mind of the last thought.

Marshall noticed and walked over to her. “Faith, I know exactly what you’re feeling right now. It’s weird, even scary to be here under the circumstances. But we’re not alone. Jesus is right here with us. He knows where Joey is. He knows where we are too. Remember what Psalm 56:3 says about trusting God?”

Faith nodded. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”

Marshall smiled warmly. “Pretty simple verse, huh? But so true. Whenever we fear anything, whether for ourselves or for someone else, we need to exchange that fear for the Lord’s faith. He promises to give us the grace we need to do what He tells us. Just ask Him to take your fear and give you peace. For Christians, He’ll do it. But you already know that, don’t you...Faith.”

Faith smirked and glanced over at Parker and Nels. “He’s right. My own Dad set that verse to music, and Marshall’s the one to think of it.”

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Marshall cleared his throat. “Well, I, I did happen to recall it from the song. Mr. E’s Scripture memory songs have a way of sticking in your head.”

#e group laughed. And the laughter felt good. Even the room seemed a little less gloomy.

#e Lord would help them, and they knew it, even if the reason for Joey’s kidnapping seemed all too clear.

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33

3

JACK MILTON

FAITH AND PARKER walked amidst the large crowds at the shopping mall the next morning.Although they were there to buy some supplies

after posting two dozen missing-person %yers and then running out of materials, no one said they couldn’t make a pit-stop at the Cinn-A-Bun bakery. Parker’s mom had dropped the two o" and would not return for another !fteen minutes; so as they waited in line, Parker double checked her list to be sure they got everything.

“Let’s see, printer paper, extra ink cartridges, staples, laminating sheets...”

“And two cinnamon rolls to go,” added Faith.Parker pulled out her purse. “Well, we won’t charge

the club treasury for these.”Just as the two were about to order, the mall music

stopped and a voice came blaring over the intercom. “Ah, would a Mr. Parker Cullen please come to the

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service desk? Mr. Parker Cullen, thank you.”Parker rolled her eyes and turned to Faith who had

bursting out laughing. “My parents might as well of named me Ralph.”

Faith shrugged. “I don’t know, but you’d better get over there, Mr. Cullen.”

<><><>

Parker paced up to the service counter and was greeted by a friendly-faced receptionist. “How can I help you?” the woman asked in a slightly southern accent.

“I was paged a few minutes ago.”“Okay, and what is your name?”“Parker Cullen. Miss Parker Cullen.”#e woman shu&ed through some notes and then

handed one to Parker. “Here is the one for you, dear. A Marshall Bennett called and left this phone number and asked that you call immediately. Am I to assume this Marshall is a young lady too?”

Parker prayed for mercy and smiled. “Ah, no. Marshall is a guy. But thanks for the note.”

“Have a good day, dear.” Parker walked on toward the pay phones. #e woman shook her head. “Poor girl. To be named after her father like that...”

<><><>

“Hey Marshall, it’s Parker calling you back. Sorry I

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left my cell at home, but-”“Parker! #is is incredible!” exclaimed Marshall.“Yeah, I know. My cell phone is like a third arm to

me.”“No, no! I’m talking about what I just saw on the

news! #ey think they’ve made a connection between Joey’s kidnapping and some guy that just escaped from prison last week!”

“What? Who?”“His name is Milton. Jack Milton. He broke out of

the state penitentiary last week, only two days before Joey’s disappearance!”

“O-kay, but that evidence sounds kind’a weak Marshall.”

“Not when I tell you why Jack Milton was in prison in the !rst place. He was...”

#ere was a pause. “He was what?” asked Parker. Silence.“Hello? Marshall?”We’re sorry, came a recorded voice, but this phone is

experiencing technical di#culties. Please use another pay phone until this issue has been resolved. !ank you for your patience.

“I don’t believe this!” exclaimed Parker slamming the phone onto the hook. She quickly hit the return change button on the machine but to no avail. Parker whirled around to the next phone and reached for her purse. She wrestled with the many things inside until she found a quarter. But one was not enough. Almost

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panicked with excitement, she dropped her purse to the %oor and emptied its contents in front of her. A woman standing next to her stared quizzically at Parker as if she were out of her mind. Come on, Parker thought. !ere has to be more quarters here...oh, why did I forget my cell phone!?

Suddenly a man walked up to her. “Ah, Miss, are you okay?”

Parker looked up. “Sir, I, I left my cell phone at home and I need to make a call really quickly. Can you loan me a few quarters?”

#e man stared down at Parker and then looked over at the woman. He frowned. “Poor girl. #ese kids now-a-days can’t even function without modern technology,” and with that he walked on.

Parker immediately tossed all of her belongings back into her purse and raced for the service counter again. #e same lady with the southern drawl sat happily as Parker stopped at the desk breathless. “Ma’am, I was just here. #e pay phone didn’t work and I need to call someone back. It’s urgent! Can I give you a dollar for some quarters?”

#e lady smiled. “Why sure. But if it’s that urgent, maybe I should just let you use this phone right here.”

Parker’s eyes lit up. “Really? Oh thank you so much!”

“Well, I don’t do this for everybody you know. But, for a pitiful girl like yourself with so much going against you...this time I’ll make an exception.”

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Parker smiled graciously. #e lady handed the phone over the counter and Parker dialed Marshall’s number. After one ring, he answered.

“Hello?”“Marshall, I am so sorry! I got cut o", I’ll explain

later.”“No problem, but here’s what I was going to tell

you. Jack Milton was put in prison four years ago for one reason and one reason alone. For robbing Mr. Hathaway’s bank at gunpoint!”

Parker’s face froze. #e shock of the connection suddenly became crystal clear. “Oh, wow.”

Marshall nodded. “Yep, Jack Milton is the number one suspect for kidnapping Joey Hathaway. I think we have our man.”

“And motive,” added Parker trying to pull her purse strap up higher onto her shoulder. “We know that Mr. Hath...” Parker looked around her. “Ah, his dad is very rich.”

“Exactly,” said Marshall. “And if I’ve ever heard of a de!nition for revenge, it’s someone robbing a bank, getting caught, going to jail, escaping from jail, kidnapping the bank owner’s son and then demanding-”

“Ransom.”“Right.”Parker glanced nervously at the lady sitting in front

of her. She knew her time on the phone should be short. “Ah, Marshall, we’ll talk more later. Why don’t we meet

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at the clubhouse as soon as possible. Faith and I better go. Mom’s probably waiting outside already.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you and Faith there. I’ll call Nels and Mr. E in the meantime.”

“#anks for the info, and keep praying for Joey.”Marshall sighed. “#at’s for sure. His situation has

not improved.”

<><><>

“It all adds up,” said Nels sitting next to Mr. E in the MysTree House.

“It really seems to, Dad,” interjected Faith. “Without a doubt,” stated Marshall matter-of-factly.

“I mean, the robbery, the kidnapping, Jack Milton’s revenge motive. I’d say it’s an open and shut case.”

Mr. E’s smile revealed a calm composure. “It is all very interesting guys. One problem. Why hasn’t there been a ransom call yet?”

Parker jumped in. “Marshall and I talked about that just before you got here, and we think it’s because Milton is waiting for the right moment. In order to get the most amount of money he can, he has to disappear for a while. Make the police and everyone searching for him lose the trail. Once the heat has simmered down some, then he’ll make his move.”

“You sound like you’ve thought this through,” said Mr. E, “and it all sounds plausible. Let me just give you one word of warning.” He straightened up in his chair

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and addressed the group as a whole. “Often times, when something big like this pops up out of nowhere, we can be tempted to rush into things without !rst seeking God. What I mean is...”

Marshall’s cell phone suddenly began ringing. Mr. E grinned and nodded. “#is is Marshall.”

“Ah, yes,” came an elderly lady’s voice that he didn’t recognize. “Are you the young man that posted a %yer here at the supermarket a couple of hours ago?”

“Yes, ma’am.”“Okay, good. Just wanted to let you know that, oh,

forgive me, my name is Margie #ompson. I work the registers here at the store and I got your number from o" the %yer you left here. I hate to bother you, but I felt it was important and I mentioned it to my friend here and she thought it was a good idea too, so now I’m calling.”

Marshall ran his !ngers through his hair. “No problem, Miss #ompson. How can I help you?”

“Well...I don’t know for sure...so if I’m wrong I don’t want to be held responsible, okay? But, just so you’re aware, I saw a young boy about your age that looked like that boy on the poster...walk in here a little while ago.”

Marshall lurched forward in his seat. “What? You mean Joey?”

“Well I don’t know, that’s the thing. I was hesitant to call the police on account of just one little sighting I don’t even know I saw. But he walked in here alone

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about ten minutes ago. I think he still might be here somewhere. I can’t go and look for him though; I’m on borrowed time now just using the work phone to call you. Do what you will with the info. I gotta get back to work. You take care, okay?”

Marshall thanked her profusely and then told the club what she had said. “We should get down there now!”

“I agree,” hurried Nels. “He may still be there, and the supermarket’s only !ve minutes away.”

Parker and Faith got up immediately and everyone began climbing down the treehouse. Mr. E warned them to be careful before they piled into Marshall’s van and headed down the road.

#ey had no idea what awaited them upon their arrival.

<><><>

“He just left!” said Margie in panic. #e club had barely walked in the store before the cashier waved down Marshall and informed him of what she saw.

“When did he leave?” asked Marshall.“Oh, goodness, less than sixty seconds ago.”“What was he wearing?” asked Parker. “A red shirt and a pair of blue jeans I think.”Parker frowned. “Bad combo. A dark green would

have worked better with-”“Parker, not the time! #anks for your help, ma’am!”

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Faith blurted and yanked Parker o", with Marshall and Nels leading the way.

#e four raced outside and quickly scanned the parking lot. Marshall led the charge forward, and they all headed down the street toward a museum to their left and an old abandoned warehouse to their right. #ey slowed down as they reached the intersection. “Anyone see anything?” asked Marshall.

“Lots of things,” said Nels, “but no kid in a red-”“Over there!” exclaimed Faith, pointing toward the

old warehouse.#e four looked just in time to see a boy in a red

shirt disappear into the building from a street-level door. Marshall looked left and right. Tra$c was clear. “Let’s go!”

#e club ran down a slight curve in the massive driveway before reaching the door the boy had entered. Marshall reached for the grimy door handle, but then hesitated. He blinked a few times while thinking about going in or not.

Nels leaned in. “What’s wrong?”Marshall looked back. “Ah, nothing. We’ll, we’ll just

take a quick peek and leave right away. Got it?”#ey agreed and Marshall opened the door. Once

inside, they noticed how stale and dusty the air was. Darkness was everywhere. #e only light that shined in the building was from the cracked glass windows that lined the top of the walls.

When Parker, who was the last one to walk inside,

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closed the door behind her...it clicked.Marshall’s heart stopped. I didn’t hear that...please tell

me I didn’t hear that, he thought. Marshall slowly turned around and pressed against the horizontal handle bar. “Yep,” he said %atly. “It’s locked.”

“Oh-man,” complained Faith. “How could it be locked? It opened from the outside.”

Nels whispered in Faith’s ear. “Because they want you to come, but don’t want you to leave! Mwah-ha-ha!” Faith narrowed her eyes at him. Nels raised his hands in surrender. “I’ll be quiet.”

“Now what do we do?” asked Parker.Marshall examined the door. “Well, maybe there’s

a way to, to unlatch it from the inside, or...something. I mean, this looks like it used to be a regular employee door that would be used often. #ere must be some kind of-”

“Did you hear that noise?” asked Faith.Marshall and Parker turned. “What noise?” #ey

asked in unison.All was quiet.Faith shrugged. “Never mind. I thought I heard a...

wait...no, there it is! Listen.”Marshall walked forward a few feet and tuned his

ear to the sound. “Yeah, I do hear something.”Parker froze. “Like, what kind of something?”Within the thick blackness of the inside of the

warehouse came the sound of heavy-set breathing. Not just one breath, but two. As the club walked forward

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a few more feet, the invisible sounds were suddenly revealed as two vicious Rottweiler dogs slowly growled toward them.

#ey all stopped, eyes wide with terror. Marshall glanced over at Nels who then looked at Parker who was already locking eyes with Faith. Marshall swallowed hard, and under a hushed voice gave the command to the club.

“Run.”

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45

4

DEAD END

THE STRAIGHT-UP CLUB raced for their lives down a corridor heading deeper into the warehouse.

Empty metal storage racks towered high along the aisles creating a maze, as grizzly barks echoed o" of the walls. Marshall, Parker, Nels and Faith banked a hard left and tried to separate themselves from their canine pursuers. #e dogs followed quickly, but turned one corner too soon. #erefore, as the club members ran down the long dark rows, the dogs ran parallel to them on the other side of the metal racks.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the warehouse was pretty much empty, all of the racks were bare. So as the members pulsed forward as fast as they thought humanly possible, one of the dogs aimed for an opening between two conjoined sets of racks and jumped through to the other side.

Parker looked back and screamed. “Marshall!” she

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exclaimed as they continued to run. “One of them is behind us!”

#e Rottweiler lurched forward and almost caught hold of Faith’s leg. Jerking its head in anger, the dog slowed ever so slightly and yet continued to keep a close distance. Marshall led the other three down another corridor, immediately followed by a chain-link fence. Separating one half of the enormous complex from the other, the fence served as a partition, blocking entrance beyond that point. Eyes wildly darting left and right to locate an opening, Marshall spotted a chain-link gate within the fence. Unlatched and partially open, the gate provided the only way of escape for the club...and they knew it. Sliding to a stop passt the open door, and just seconds before the dogs would reach them, Marshall swung the gate all the way back and allowed Parker, Nels and Faith to race through. No sooner had Faith cleared the opening then Marshall, using all of his might, propelled the chain-link gate forward and slammed it shut on both dogs.

Gasping for breath as the metallic clank sound slowly began to subside, everyone watched as the dogs barked ferociously at them. One of the Rottweilers even stuck his snout through the chain-link holes while scratching his sharp teeth at the lower hinge. Marshall looked around. #is was de!nitely not a room. He ran his arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat. “We can’t stay here,” he gasped. “#is fence is only a partition for part of the building. I can tell. Once those dogs get

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bored, they’ll start searching for another way in. We’ve got to !nd an exit on this side somewhere.”

Parker and Nels scanned their surroundings. Faith did as well. Whirling around in circles in an attempt to spot some external light where a door might be, Faith paused for a moment and peered back through the chain-link fencing to see what the dogs were up to.

But they were not there.“Marshall,” she snapped, “the dogs are gone!”Marshall whiplashed around to discover that Faith

was right. #ey had become uninterested with waiting and paced down another hallway. Marshall pointed ahead. “Let’s go now!”

#ey all hurried along the fence, dodging some broken crates and even an old forklift. #ey had no idea where they were going, much less where the two Rottweilers were. Every turn caused them to wonder if the canines sat ready to pounce and attack.

Just then, they came to another long dark hallway. Marshall was hesitant to take it; he knew that running into the dogs at a dead end would mean ending up dead. He paused momentarily. Lord, please, please help us. Help me. Guide me so I can guide them. !is was so stupid. Please forgive me and help us get out of here alive.

Suddenly, a huge bang sent a shockwave through their nervous systems as both dogs had found a cracked portion of fencing and, while contorting their way in, knocked over a metal table. #e four club members all looked back simultaneously to see the Rottweilers racing

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toward them from a distance. Marshall chose to trust the Lord with all of their lives and charged forward. “Come on!” he yelled. “#is way!”

As the dogs chased them down a dark hallway, the four teens disappeared into the thick unknown blackness. Nels realized that he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. #ey all slowed to a stop. As bad as the dogs were, ramming into a brick wall wasn’t that appealing either. Beads of sweat reappeared on Marshall’s face as he reached out ahead. #e growling canines were seconds away when Marshall’s right hand made contact with a wood panel. It was a door! He groped down until he found the doorknob and then pulled back.

It too was locked. Dead end.#ey were trapped.Marshall sighed heavily. Yet his adrenaline pumped

anew. It was !ght or %ee, and in this particular situation, %eeing was not an option. As the Rottweilers charged at them with their teeth moist and sharp, Marshall stood in front of the group and prepared for the battle of his life against foes he couldn’t even see.

Just before the dogs leapt onto them, the club heard the scratching of paws coming to a halt. Both Rottweilers ceased growling and slid to a stop right at Marshall’s feet. #e Straight-Up Club all held their breath as a shadow illuminated the front of the hallway. It was a person. A young person.

“Get over here, you two!” came the male voice from

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down the hall.#e two dogs obediently turned around and headed

back toward the unidenti!ed person. Marshall tapped Parker’s arm and whispered, “let’s start walking.” #e club members slowly started forward as their heart rates settled down. When their eyes adjusted to the light, they realized who was standing there and why the dogs had retreated so suddenly.

It was the teen with the red shirt, and he was holding an inaudible dog whistle.

But he was not Joey Hathaway.Marshall itched the back of his neck. “#anks,” was

all he could mutter. #e teen tilted his head and raised one eyebrow.

“You got my dogs pretty upset. What are you all doing in here?”

Marshall looked at Nels. Nels shrugged. “We’re playing hide-and-seek.”

“Nels,” scolded Marshall clearing his throat. “We’re actually looking for someone. You may have seen the %yer we posted around this area. His name is Joey Hathaway.”

“So?” said the teen rather annoyed.Marshall let out a mild laugh. “Well, believe it or

not, you actually resemble him a little.” #e teen was not amused. “Just...just a little.” He simply stood there. “Not, not that much actually.” Marshall felt like an idiot.

#e teen folded his arms against his chest. “#is

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warehouse is a meeting place for a few friends of mine who will be showing up very soon. So I’d say you’d better get going. #ey aren’t nearly as friendly as I am.”

Nels thought of a wonderful comeback and opened his mouth, but Marshall slapped his hand over it. “Zip it, Nels.”

<><><>

“So I told Nels to zip it and that’s what happened,” said Marshall to Mr. E as the club sat in the MysTree House.

An amused smile etched Mr. E’s face while he thought about everything the club had told him. After a moment he leaned back in his chair and addressed the group as a whole. “Well, at least it wasn’t a boring afternoon.”

Faith, Parker and Nels laughed. Marshall shook his head. “I’ll tell you Mr. E, when those dogs were charging our way, for a moment, I thought we were all goners. And what made it worse was the fact that the mess we were in was my fault!”

“No it wasn’t Marshall,” interjected Faith. “All of us had the choice to go into that warehouse. We’re all to blame. Right guys?”

Parker nodded. Nels paused. “No, I’d say it was all Marshall’s fault.”

Marshall laughed hard. “#anks Nels.”Mr. E patted Marshall on the back. Marshall rubbed

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his hands together. “You know Mr. E, when we were running through that maze of shelves and hallways, well—it’s actually kind of funny—but, one of your Scripture memory songs came to mind.”

Mr. E raised his eyebrows. “Really? Which one?”“Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thine

heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.”

“When did that come to you?” asked Faith.“Sometime right before we reached that last corridor.

I was trying to decide whether or not to take it. I knew that if I was wrong about there being a way out, we’d all die. But when that Scripture came to mind, the Lord gave me the strength to keep going. Now understand, I didn’t know for sure that there was a way out, but I knew that somehow Jesus would rescue us. And He did.”

“Yeah, through the teen we were searching for, no less!” exclaimed Nels. “Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

Faith nodded. “Yep, that argument was put to rest the day you were born Nels.”

“No, seriously,” Marshall said, gesturing with his hands. “I know that those verses aren’t necessarily talking about literal paths, but look. We had no idea where we were going. Yet when I chose to put my trust in God’s protection, He literally guided our steps. Amazing!”

Faith looked over at Mr. E. “What do you think, Dad?”

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Mr. E scanned the club and then grinned. “I think God was true to His Word. #e Bible can be trusted, and God is so faithful to those who have placed their faith in Him for salvation. All we need to do is be patient and wait on Him. #at was what I was going to tell you all before Marshall got that call from the supermarket. Sometimes the enemy of our souls tries to deceive us and get us o" course. But like the old hymn says: Oh what peace we often forfeit and what needless pain we bare, all because we do not carry everything to who?”

“To God...in prayer,” the club answered. Mr. E gave them all a thumbs up. “You got it. Trust

in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.”

<><><>

Vincent “Jack” Milton cracked his knuckles while watching the TV set in his hideout. #e news media was obsessed with the Joey Hathaway kidnapping story. A twisted grimace contorted his scarred face. #is was perfect. #ings were going just as he had planned.

Much better actually.

53

5

KEITH DUMONT

FRANK HATHAWAY did not want to do another interview. #e previous four had drained the energy

out of him. Morning, noon and night Joey Hathaway’s photo graced the television screens of the citizens of Echo. Dozens of calls came in each day with people saying they either saw a teen that looked like Joey, or someone they knew thought they had seen him. #e police began to grow weary of having to sift through all of the so-called leads that led nowhere.

Equally irritating and yet unnerving was the numerous sightings of Jack Milton in Echo. Several individuals noted having seen the escaped convict in the general area. However, no one was able to agree on a description, a location, or if he was with someone or alone.

#e local news media devoured the story: Milton robbing Hathaway’s bank years before. Hathaway

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presenting the evidence that sent Milton to prison. Hathaway’s only son disappearing the same time Milton escapes from jail.

It almost !t together perfectly. #e only glitch to an open and shut case was the fact that there had been no ransom call from Jack Milton. #at’s what worried the investigators the most.

And so, the interviews went on. Station after station booked time with not only Hathaway, but with the sheri" andthe police, and even reserved one session with a friend of Joey’s—Someone who was on the soccer team with him. His name was Keith DuMont. A polite teen, but very shy. Not one to feel at home sitting in front of a camera. He hemmed and hawed throughout the entire interview until the anchorman decided to cut it short. He graciously thanked Keith and let him go. No one was impressed with how Keith DuMont had performed on live television.

No one except for one.Parker Cullen. She had seen the interview and

had many questions the anchorman had not had the opportunity to ask. Parker was convinced that Keith had info. But scaring him to death with a situation he was not comfortable with was not the way to extract it. Compassion was the key.

She read through her notebook to see if the email contact she had found in Joey’s bedroom was the same name as the teen interviewed on television. It was. #at meant Joey and Keith were at least acquaintances...

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maybe even close friends.Parker called Marshall.

<><><>

“#ank you so much for coming to the clubhouse today, Keith,” said Parker to the teen while Marshall sat reading a book in the corner. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

Keith shifted in his seat uncomfortably for a moment before answering. “Yeah, yeah it’s okay.”

Parker smiled and opened up her notebook. She prayed silently while clicking her pen. Beyond anything else, showing Keith some Christian compassion was top on her list. “Do you enjoy playing soccer, Keith?”

He rubbed the back of his neck while thinking. “Ah, yeah. It’s cool.”

“What position do you play?” asked Parker.“Goalie.”“I bet that’s tough, especially when the soccer ball is

heading straight for you.”He responded humbly. “Sometimes. I do okay.”“Are you friends with anyone on the team?”Keith nodded. “Yeah. #ree or four of us go out for

pizza sometimes. Or we shoot some hoops.”Inside Parker cringed. “Is it correct to say you know

Joey Hathaway?”“Sure,” he said without incident. “He’s been on the

team for about a year.”

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Parker started to write quickly but then remembered to be calm. She took a breath and relaxed. “Was Joey ever included when you guys went out for pizza?”

“Oh yeah. He liked hanging out with us a lot. Joey’s cool.”

“Recently, did it seem like Joey had any trouble in his life?”

Keith shrugged. “Not really. He didn’t really talk much except for like, you know, sports stu" or what was goin’ on at school or whatever.”

Parker !nished writing and paused for a moment. “Umm, did he ever mention anything to you about anyone bullying him around?”

Keith tilted his head while thinking. “Not that he ever told me. I don’t know for sure, though.”

Parker nodded and glanced over at the clear blue sky as if pondering her next approach. #is question would be most important. “Keith, last Friday, just after the soccer game, did Joey seem in a hurry to leave or was he in a relatively normal mood.”

Keith leaned back in the chair as if trying to recall the scene from memory. “Right after the game was over, I asked Joey if he wanted to go get some custard, but he said something like he was busy or had to do something or, something.”

Parker pressed the back of the pen against her lips while thinking. “#at’s interesting. Did he leave immediately after your conversation with him?”

“Yeah,” said Keith. “I didn’t push or anything. I

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!gured he was busy.”“Did he leave alone, or did someone pick him up?”Keith paused for a moment. #at question seemed

to stump him. “Ah.”Parker jumped in. “Do you remember Joey leaving

in a car with someone or did he walk-”“Oh-yeah,” Keith said suddenly. “Now I remember.

He de!nitely left in a car.”Parker’s eyes widened. Marshall looked up from

his book. #at was not the answer either of them were expecting. “Ah,” fumbled Parker, “you, you mean Joey did leave with someone?”

Keith seemed uncomfortable all-of-a-sudden. “Is that a problem?” He asked %atly.

Parker swallowed hard. “Ah, no. Not necessarily. It’s just a piece of information we didn’t have before now. So, just so we’re clear, ah, Joey !nished talking with you and then got in a car with someone?”

Keith appeared unsure, and Parker and Marshall’s intense stare was making him nervous. “I, I’m not exactly positive about that, but I think-”

“Keith,” said Marshall from behind Parker, “do you recall if Joey was waiting for someone to pick him up or was someone already waiting there for him by the time you two were done speaking.”

“I don’t know,” Keith said matter-of-factly. “I’m not really sure.”

Parker looked over at Marshall. Marshall gently waved at her as if to say “just be cool.” He would ask

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the next question. “#is info is only for our perusal you understand.”

“Our what?” asked Parker.Marshall laughed. “Sorry. Our interest. It’s just for

us to look over. No need to be freaked out about this, Keith. We’re your friends too. Okay?”

Keith nodded and smiled. “#at’s cool.”Marshall thought quickly about how to pose this

very important question in a very calm and collected manner. “When you and Joey !nished talking about going to get custard, I assume you turned around and walked back toward the soccer !eld. Is that right?” Keith indicated that was correct. “When you did that, is there anything in your memory bank that says there was a vehicle sitting close by?”

It felt like a whole minute passed while Keith sat there. #at was !ne as far as Marshall was concerned. He knew time was often the trigger to bring back fuzzy memories. Parker sat patiently waiting also. In her mind, she was praying for the Lord’s grace.

Keith !nally opened his mouth. “I remember a car...” Marshall and Parker looked up at him. “But, I don’t know if he got in it or not. Like you said, Marshall, I pretty much turned around and walked the other direction after Joey and I said goodbye. Know what I mean?”

Marshall smiled and looked at Parker. “Got that?”She nodded while writing down the new information

in the notebook. “Got it.” Keith sighed in relief. “Just

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one more question.” Keith sighed in fatigue. “Do you recall what the car looked like?”

“I think it was like, yeah, I think it was red. Blood red.”

Parker and Marshall locked eyes. In this particular situation, blood was not a popular word choice. But they ignored it. “#ank you so much, Keith,” said Parker sincerely. “We really appreciate your time and patience with us.”

Keith shrugged. “Hey, no problem.”Parker folded the notebook and thought for a

moment. She then reopened the book, tore a page out of the back of it, and jotted something down. Handing it to Keith, he looked quizzically at her. Even Marshall wondered what she had written. Parker smiled graciously. “Feel free to visit our youth group sometime, Keith. Our youth pastor, Mr. E, is totally awesome. You’d enjoy coming.”

Keith instantly handed the page back to her and shook his head. “#anks, but no thanks,” he said bluntly. “Religion isn’t my thing.”

“Oh, mine either. I hate it,” Parker said honestly. Keith gave her a double-take while Marshall grinned.

“You what?”“It’s true,” Parker replied. “Not only to I hate religion,

but so does God. #at is, when people use it as a way to get to Him.”

Keith appeared to be utterly confused. “I...don’t follow.”

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“Well, it’s like this. Religion is man’s lame attempt to make himself right with God. I mean, we all know we’ve done bad things in our life. Right?”

Keith suspiciously nodded. “Yeah.”“God calls it sin. We’re all sinners. We have broken

God’s Law. So, some people try to please God by doing religious things like: going to church so God won’t be mad at them, asking a priest to forgive them of their sins, praying the same prayers a certain number of times a day...none of those things impress God. #is sin of ours separates us from God. So the only way we humans can mend our relationship with God is to have our sins forgiven. Not by another man though—how much sense does that make—but by someone Who never sinned at all! #at man was God’s Son, Jesus Christ. See, 2,000 years ago God stepped out of eternity and into time in the form of His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life as a human being because He was fully God and fully man. And since He never sinned, Jesus was able to take our punishment on the Cross. #ink of that! God punished Jesus Christ for what you and I should have been punished for!” Keith said nothing. He simply stared as if trying to understand. “#e Bible says that Jesus became what we are, sin, so that we could become what He is, righteous. Righteous means sinless and perfect. So anyone who confesses to God that they are guilty of sin, and puts their faith in Jesus to forgive their sin is covered in God’s righteousness and receives eternal life.”

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Keith raised his hand in protest. “Whoa, wait a minute. How am I suppose to put faith in something that I can’t even see or know exists?”

“#at’s a good question,” said Marshall leaning in. “But if you ask a pilot of an airplane that question, he’ll probably tell you that he puts faith in something he can’t see. Air. He believes that when he takes o" for a %ight, the air will be there for him to create lift under his wings so he can %y.” Keith was silent. “Or how about radio waves? Ever see them? Whenever you tune into a radio station, you’re hearing the announcer’s voice from miles away carried by transmissions over the airwaves. You can’t see them, nor can you see the announcer...but there’s never any doubt that both the announcer and the radio waves exist, right?” Keith nodded slowly. “#e same is true of God. We know he exists based on several factors. But here’s only two. One is creation. I mean, Keith, do you honestly believe that living beings like you and me evolved from slime?”

Keith laughed. “No way. I may not be sure about God, but I never believed that stu" about evolution. I mean, when has anyone ever seen a rock slowly turn into something living? It’s just not gonna happen.”

Marshall agreed. “Exactly. But because mankind doesn’t want to be responsible for his sin, he pretends that there is no God. And as a result, he invents stupid and biologically impossible ideas just so he can say ‘no, there’s no creator, we all evolved from the Big Bang.’”

“And did you ever wonder,” added Parker, “where

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the particles of this so called ‘Big Bang’ came from? I mean, in order for there to be an explosion, you need something to make one. Where did the chemicals come from for the !rst ever explosion? And why hasn’t it happened more than once.”

Keith thought for a moment. “Yeah, that’s true. Wow, that’s really somethin’.”

“Here’s one other thing,” said Marshall. “We know that what God says in the Bible is true because the Bible is historically accurate. #e Bible has already been con!rmed by history. In fact, many have discovered amazing things centuries later that had already been written in the Bible for thousands of years. #e Bible is God’s Word. And it can be trusted. It says that God created the universe in six literal twenty-four hour days. I believe that. #e Bible also says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” I believe that too, Keith. And God forgave my sin and made me a new person when I placed my faith in what Jesus did on the cross for me, and I stopped believing in myself for salvation. In fact, that’s the Biblical de!nition of repentance. To turn from putting your faith in your own dead works, to placing your faith in the perfect work Christ already did for us.”

Keith looked down. Marshall and Parker could tell he was thinking hard. Finally Keith spoke. “So, faith is kind’a like, I don’t know, like sitting in this chair? I’m not really believing in it until I sit down. Yet, I’m not

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actually doing anything to sit. I just make a choice to sit down and the chair does the rest of the work by holding me up. Is that sort of right?”

#e two smiled. “You got it, Keith,” said Parker. “Salvation is not religion. It is a choice. God created humans, not robots. We must choose to accept Him on His terms. He doesn’t make anyone go to Heaven or go to Hell. We as humans choose by either trusting Jesus Christ for salvation, or ignoring His free gift to us. But either way, we choose.”

#e silence in the room was thick. Inside, Marshall and Parker were praying for Keith. He seemed to be trying to accept what now made sense to him. #e battle within Keith raged. He looked up at Marshall. “I know I’m a sinner. I’ve done some pretty lousy stu" in my life. Are you telling me that God will forgive me and !x me up inside if I just believe what the Bible says and put my faith in Jesus?”

Marshall nodded. “If you trust in Jesus to save your soul as much as you’re trusting in that chair to hold you up, He will give you salvation. But the choice, Keith...is yours.”

64

65

6

MIDNIGHT CALL

MARSHALL, PARKER, Nels, Faith and Gracie sat silently in the spacious living room of Parker’s

parents’ house. #ey had talked themselves out. Back and forth, theory after theory, debate and suggestion...it had landed them nowhere. #e room was silent, except for the constant ticking of the grandfather clock. Every passing second made the likelihood of !nding Joey seem a little more distant. Nels stared out the window, while Faith and Gracie watched the ceiling fan whirl around. With his hand plastered against his cheek, Marshall slouched in his chair and glanced over at Parker who was %icking a pencil at the knickknacks on her bracelet. He sighed heavily.

Initially after the meeting with Keith DuMont, the club discussed the new info that had been uncovered with excitement—especially the part about Joey leaving the soccer !eld in an unidenti!ed red car. However, their

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excitement wavered upon realization that a mysterious red car, with no known year, make or model, wouldn’t help them much—not to mention that Keith didn’t really seem all that sure if the car was waiting there for him, or if it suddenly pulled up. Another problem Nels thought of was that if the car was waiting at the curb, as if it was scheduled to pick Joey up, there was no way Joey would have gotten into any car with Jack Milton at the driver’s seat. Although Joey did not have anything to do with sending Milton to prison for robbing his dad’s bank, he certainly would have known not to go anywhere near Jack Milton. So, they assumed that the car may have pulled up suddenly, in which case Joey may not have had a chance to escape before possibly being forced in somehow.

Marshall admitted that by this point, they were getting into speculation. No one but Keith DuMont appeared to come forward with any info regarding any red car. #e club discussed telling the police about the vehicle, but decided against it since no one but Keith had seen it, and Marshall confessed that he wasn’t so sure about Keith’s foggy recollection. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Keith, but they had to be honest. One red car that may or may not have pulled up at a certain time that Joey may or may not have gotten into didn’t motivate the club much. Until they discovered more information, it most likely wouldn’t motivate the police either.

Marshall clapped his hands together. “Well,” he said

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to the group, “I think the next step is to see if we can somehow !nd out if Milton has ever been seen driving a red car at any of the places people have claimed they spotted him.”

“I collected all of the reports released in the newspaper about him Marshall,” said Nels leaning forward. “None of the reports agreed on much, but one thing they all had in common was that he was on foot.”

“You sure about that?” asked Faith. Nels nodded. Faith shrugged. “Good thought Marshall; so where does that leave us now?”

Marshall shook his head. “I’m not sure, Faith. It kind’a seems like we’ve hit a snag.”

#ey fell silent again. #is hunt for Joey Hathaway was harder than they !rst anticipated. #e whole case appeared to be dead in its tracks. It was like there was no next step.

Slowly lowering his head, Marshall closed his eyes. His heartfelt prayer began even before his lips started moving. “Oh Lord,” he whispered just loud enough for the club to hear him, “please help us.” Faith wrapped her arm around Gracie while the rest of the club joined in the prayer. Marshall’s words came from deep within him. He had not felt this burdened for someone in a long time. “We’re stuck, Lord. We’ve tried to be faithful to search for Joey and do everything we could think of to !nd him. But there seems to be nowhere left to turn, and no more clues to follow. Even the news media is coming up short with new leads. It would appear that

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there is no more hope.” Marshall paused and clenched his !st under his lower lip. “But the Bible says that You are the God of hope. #at when there is nothing left to hope for, we can put even our very hope in You. You asked in Your Word, ‘Is there anything too hard for the Lord?’ And in faith, we say the answer to that question is no. You know exactly where Joey is right now. By faith we believe that You will somehow work this whole mess out. #at in the end, Joey will be found, and everyone will give praise and thanks to You alone, Lord. #ank You for being our best friend always. Even when we do dumb stu" and get in the way of Your will. Please give us Your grace at this time, and we ask that in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

“Amen,” responded the club. Gracie opened her eyes and looked up at Faith. “Will

Jesus show us what to do now?”Faith smiled. “He will. Somehow, someway, He’ll

show us what the next step is. Our job now is just to have faith and believe.”

<><><>

Marshall tossed back and forth that night. Inside his deep slumber, the dream he was having turned into a nightmare. What began as a walk in the park morphed into a hideous rerun through the dark shadowy warehouse. Faint images of canines chasing after him %ashed across his memory. Weaving in and

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out of shelving that appeared to continue on for eternity, Marshall scrambled to climb up a %ight of stairs to escape. But to no avail. In the dream sequence, the steps dissolved into air, causing Marshall to free-fall into the blackness. He heard himself scream before awaking in a cold sweat. It took a moment for him to realize he had been dreaming. Placing his hand on his chest, his raspy panting slowed and his heart no longer felt as if it would beat through his ribcage. He swallowed hard as he looked over at his alarm clock. It was just passed three in the morning. Marshall closed his eyes again. Let’s try for sweet dreams this time, he thought. Resting back against his pillows, Marshall tried to relax. His peace was about to end, though.

His eyes jerked open with a start as a bizarre, yet familiar jangling !lled the bedroom. Once, then twice...then...

My cell phone! Marshall sat up quickly and groped for the device on his nightstand. When his hands made contact with a cool metallic object, he %ipped open the earpiece and said hello. #e other end was almost silent except for a distinct breathing sound. Marshall waited a second before repeating the hello. Still no answer. Marshall narrowed his eyes. “Nels, if this is you-”

“Marshall you gotta help me,” came a voice.Marshall froze. #at wasn’t Nels’ voice. “Who is

this?”Click! #e call went dead. Marshall attacked the

keypad with his thumbs so he could !nd the redial

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option. He redialed the out-of-town number and prayed the person would pick up. Although it had been a while since he had actually heard Joey Hathaway’s voice, the guy on the phone sounded young. It was possible.

“Yeah...” came a fatigued teen’s voice.“Joey! Is that you?”“Marshall, you, you just gotta help me...I...I...”“Is this Joey Hathaway?” demanded Marshall.Silence.“Hello? Joey? Where are you?”“Marsh...I, I hate myself! I hate myself!”Marshall’s mind reeled as he tried to calm down.

“Joey. Just tell me, where are you? Are you okay?”He could hear the person whimpering, followed by

more sporadic breathing. “Marsh, help me. Someone needs to help me. I blew it all. I got what I deserve man! My life is over!”

“What?” exclaimed Marshall. “Joey where are you? What are you talking about!”

“You gotta help me escape man!”“Joey, please tell me! Where are you? Are you hurt?”“Please help me! Get me out of here! Get me out of

here!!”“Joey I-”Suddenly there was a loud thump and the call ended.

Marshall looked down at his phone. He hit redial again but got a recorded message saying the number was currently unavailable. Marshall slapped the earpiece shut and dropped the phone onto his bed. He fell to

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his knees and clasped his hands together desperately. “Dear God,” he pleaded, “I believe that was Joey. I can’t...I can’t help him...” Marshall began to cry. “But You can, Lord! Please, I beg You, help Joey at this very moment!” His tears ran down his face as his trembling !ngers made his knuckles white. Never before had he felt such emotion for someone he knew so little. Yet it didn’t matter. Marshall knew that when someone is born again, or is made a new person in the Lord Jesus Christ, he develops a heart for others and is !lled with compassion for people that was not there before. #e grace and ability to have Christian love toward others comes only from God, once someone is saved from their sins. Marshall discovered that it was not hard to forgive someone when the Lord had forgiven him of everything that he had done wrong in his life.

Now this missing member overwhelmed Marshall as he prayed. He knew that the Bible says in John 1:12, and elsewhere, that those who place their faith in Christ for salvation become a child of God. Marshall felt con!dent that his all powerful Heavenly Father heard his prayer. #e rest was up to God. Either way, Marshall prayed God’s Will would be done.

As soon as he !nished praying, Marshall slowly climbed back into bed. When he stretched out across the mattress, he felt an object press against his side. #en he remembered. “Ouch, my cell phone.” He grabbed it and was about to put it back on top of the desk when he stopped cold. It was like a light bulb %ashed bright

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inside his mind. An idea! “Of course!” he exclaimed out loud. Sitting up again, Marshall %ipped on his desk lamp and reopened his cell phone. He wondered...

Was it possible...?“#ere it is,” he exclaimed triumphantly. Marshall

immediately thanked the Lord for giving him the thought. Staring him right in the face was quite possibly the best clue found so far in the hunt for Joey Hathaway...and he had almost missed it!

<><><>

“Do you know what time it is?” grouched Nels, while yawning into the mouthpiece of his cell phone.

“I’m sorry Nels, believe me I am, but I’ve got to tell you something!” Marshall exclaimed.

“Maybe no one ever told you Marshall, but when the moon is at its brightest...you’re suppose to be sleeping!” Marshall rolled his eyes. Nels looked at the clock. “It’s quarter after three, man. My parents aren’t really too keen on me taking calls at this time of night, know what I mean?”

Marshall laughed. “Nels, please. Just give me a moment. You know I wouldn’t be calling you this late, or, this early...ugh, I wouldn’t be calling you right now if it weren’t really important.”

Nels paused. “Well, that’s true. You wouldn’t. Now me on the other hand...that’s di"erent.”

“Nels listen. Guess what just happened!”

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“Besides you calling me at three in the morning?”Marshall rolled his eyes again. “Yes.”Nels shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea...but I

know what’s not happening. Sleep!”“Nels, really. Listen to this! It’s about Joey

Hathaway.”Nels stopped yawning again and perked up a bit.

“Joey? What, what’s going on?”Marshall continued to explain what had transpired.

When he !nished, he told Nels the idea he felt the Lord gave him. Nels was suddenly wide awake. “Marshall, that’s brilliant. I’ve always heard that police can trace phone numbers to a location. Did you do it? Did you call them?”

“Just got o" the line with the sergeant himself.”“Did you wake him up too?”Marshall shook his head. “Still sharp even when half

asleep, huh? Anyway, he thanked me and said he’d send a squad car out to that area right away.”

“Do you think he believed you, I mean, that the teen was really Joey?”

“I hope so. #ere’s no reason not to believe me.”Nels thought for a moment. “It’s so weird what Joey

said to you. About his life being over and him blowing it all. What does that mean?”

Marshall looked down. “I’m not sure, Nels. It seems like the more that’s discovered in this case, the less any of it makes sense. I’m starting to wonder about some things too. Some things that maybe we’ve been overlooking.”

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“Overlooking?” asked Nels.“Well,” paused Marshall, “no, that’s not the word

I’m searching for. Assuming is more like it. I think we need to have a meeting pronto, !rst thing tomorrow morning.”

“It is tomorrow morning,” sighed Nels, “so if you want I’ll call Parker and the Martin girls and we can get this thing over with right now.”

Marshall slapped his hand to his forehead. “What would life be like without you, Nels?”

“A lot less fun, that’s for sure. But we’ll wait until after breakfast to call everyone, lest we test the patience of our dear club leader Mr. E by surprising him with a phone call at this despicable hour. What do ya say, chief?”

Marshall laughed. “Okay. Sounds like a plan. Besides, we’ll all be more awake by then anyway. #is is important. We all need to take another look at a few things we’ve been assuming this whole time. #ings that may or may not be true.”

7

CONFRONTATION

THE DECISION HAD been made. Everyone in the club, including Mr. E, were in agreement.

What must be done was evident. Ignoring the facts was no longer an option. #ere was one possibility they had all overlooked the entire time. Now they needed to address it.

Driving down the road in Marshall’s legendary Volkswagen bus, Mr. E, Parker, Nels, Faith, Gracie and Marshall sat together cramped, but on a mission. #eir destination: the Hathaway house. #eir target: Frank Hathaway.

Pulling up to the mansion, Marshall parked the van and turned to those in the back seats. “Before we go inside, let’s pray. If we ever needed the Lord’s guidance...it’s right now.”

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<><><>

#e Straight-Up Club slowly made their way to the massive entrance. Fighting o" a sense of doom at what they might face, Faith pulled Gracie a little closer. Gracie looked up at her sister quizzically. Faith didn’t think she could muster up a reassuring smile, so she continued staring straight ahead. Parker nervously !dgeted with her bracelet while Nels tried to stop biting his !nger nails. Marshall glanced at Mr. E before ringing the doorbell. Mr. E’s face read concern, but not panic.

“Maybe you should be the one to talk to him, Mr. E,” Marshall said stepping back.

But Mr. E gently waved his hand toward the door. “I think it’s okay if you handle this one, Marshall. If you need help or guidance, I’m standing right here. Just let me know.” He turned back to the group and whispered: “remember, have faith in God, not yourselves.”

Suddenly the door opened.“Yes,” said Mr. Hathaway rather abruptly.He seemed as if they had interrupted him in

something. He appeared almost upset. #is was certainly not the demeanor Mr. Hathaway had showed them the !rst time they visited. Marshall cleared his throat. “Ah, Mr. Hathaway, I, I hope we’re not intruding, but we were wondering if we could have just a few minutes of your time.”

“Why?” came a quick and trite answer. Marshall was not expecting this. Mr. E stepped in.

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“Frank, the club here has a few more ideas on what may have happened to Joey and they’d like to discuss them with you.”

Mr. Hathaway shook his head. “#ere’s nothing more to discuss. It’s been hard to come to grips with, but we all have to realize now that Joey’s not coming back.” Marshall and Mr. E nearly toppled over in horror at what was just said. “I’ve had to accept that Joey is dead...and the sooner you all come to that conclusion, the better o" we’ll all be.”

“No no!” exclaimed Faith. “Mr. Hathaway, you don’t understand, last night Marshall-”

“Save yourselves the trouble,” he interrupted. “#e police have basically given up, and if you have any sense, you’ll do the same. Could you please just leave?”

Mr. Hathaway turned around and began closing the door behind him before Marshall jumped up one stair and shouted out loud. “Joey’s not dead! He called me last night!”

Frank Hathaway stood frozen in the foyer; the door creaked slightly in the breeze behind him. His eyes shifted left then right. Swallowing hard, he slowly and methodically turned back toward the group standing on his front porch. #e ghastly look on his face betrayed what he was feeling inside. With trembling lips he formed his words. “Joey...called you?”

<><><>

#e Straight-Up Club sat with Mr. Hathaway inside

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the living room while Marshall began speaking. Mr. Hathaway appeared more nervous now than ever before. Gracie especially seemed to study him. Marshall spoke !rmly, yet with respect. “Mr. Hathaway, last night, or rather early this morning, I got a call on my cell phone. It was Joey.”

“How do you know it was Joey?” he asked.“Well,” began Marshall, “!rstly, he never told me he

wasn’t. I asked time after time during the call if this was Joey Hathaway, and he never said yes or no. However, everything he said indicated he was Joey. For instance, he called me Marsh over the phone. Now I only met Joey once or twice at a church function across town, but I distinctly remember him calling me Marsh.” Mr. Hathaway’s eyes narrowed in deep concentration. “Another thing, he said he needed help three or four times. He was begging me to help him. When I asked what he needed help with, he wouldn’t tell me. Joey did say that he needed me to help him escape.”

“Escape?” asked Mr. Hathaway. “Escape from where? From whom?”

“He wouldn’t say. Before we could talk any longer we got cut o".”

Mr. Hathaway looked down and slowly shook his head. Everyone held their breath. He glanced up at Marshall and Mr. E for a brief moment before pointing at the phone. “Did any of you call the police?”

“Yes sir,” said Marshall matter-of-factly. “And what did they say?”

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“#e sergeant said he would look into it.”Mr. Hathaway sco"ed. “Ha! And what time did they

call you back young man?”Marshall shifted uncomfortably in his seat while

Mr. Hathaway gave him a piercing stare. Even Mr. E wondered why this man had suddenly become so belligerent.

“Well?” pushed Mr. Hathaway.“To be honest, sir,” Marshall began, “they haven’t

yet, but I’m sure that they-”“#at’s all I need to know. Like I said Marshall, the

police have already given up and so have I. Let it go. #ere’s nothing more you can do.”

“But there is!” exclaimed Gracie. “Please listen to Marshall for a minute. He has something very important to say!”

Mr. Hathaway appeared annoyed. He was about to address the little girl but Marshall spoke up. “Mr. Hathaway, I need to ask you a very crucial question. It’s imperative that you listen. Please.” He said nothing, but sighed heavily. Marshall prayed in his mind and went for it. “Sir, Joey did say one more thing on the phone that we all found very interesting...yet we found it very confusing at the same time. Maybe you can !ll in the blanks. Joey mentioned that he hated himself a couple times. #en he said this, and I asked Parker to write it down so I wouldn’t misquote him.”

Parker had her notepad ready and read out loud for all to hear. “Marshall recalls Joey saying this: ‘I blew it

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all. I got what I deserve man! My life is over!’”Beads of sweat formed on Mr. Hathaway’s forehead

and he suddenly looked nauseous. A frozen trance etched his face while he stared at the wall. #e club was dead silent. Marshall continued to pray for strength. Faith clamped her hands together tight, then realized she was not blinking. After blinking a few times she scanned the room quickly through her narrow-framed glasses. No one else was moving or speaking. She wondered what would happen next.

<><><>

Vincent “Jack” Milton cracked his knuckles one-by-one while sitting inside his makeshift hideout. His plan for revenge was all but complete. Only one last obstacle stood in his way...and that would be taken care of soon.

Suddenly, there was a noise behind the door. Milton jumped, but then remembered who it was. Rolling his eyes he yelled toward the door. “Listen kid, I told you to be quiet!”

<><><>

Marshall slowly rubbed his hands together nervously. Mr. Hathaway still appeared stunned by something. Mr. E patted Marshall on the shoulder and gave a reassuring nod.

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“Mr. Hathaway,” Marshall whispered, “there’s something extremely important I must ask you.” He still said nothing. “Sir, we need to know. Is there even the slightest possibility that Joey was not kidnapped after all...but he instead ran away from home?”

All of a sudden, Mr. Hathaway jerked out of his blank stare and turned to Marshall red-faced. “No,” he said through clenched teeth. “#at is most certainly not possible young man.”

Marshall remained calm. “Sir, did you happen to give Joey some money right before he disappeared?” Mr. Hathaway’s eyes widened. His lips parted to speak but no words formed. “Sir, is it possible that Joey took the money you gave him and ran away for some reason?”

“I said no!” the father exclaimed. “#at’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard! Why would Joey run away from home? Since his mother died I gave that boy everything he could have ever wanted! I mean I gave him everything I thought he wanted! I even topped it o" with a car and to think that-”

“You what?” asked Parker.“A car? Joey had a car?” Nels questioned. Marshall leaned in closer to Mr. Hathaway. “Sir, you

bought Joey a car? When? What color was it?”Mr. Hathaway slowly shook his head. It looked like

the weight of the world was coming down on him. After a moment he started to cry. “I...I didn’t buy him a car. I...gave...him the money...to go and buy a car himself.”

#e club sat in amazement at what they were

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witnessing. Marshall swallowed hard, yet tried to focus. “Mr. Hathaway, I...” Marshall fought tears also as his heart went out to this man. “Mr. Hathaway, how...how much money did you give Joey to buy a car?”

His face now in his hands, they heard Mr. Hathaway’s mu&ed response. “A lot.”

Marshall let go of the breath he didn’t even realize he was withholding. #at was it. #at’s what the club was waiting to hear. Marshall squared his jaw. “Now it all makes sense.”

Mr. Hathaway’s tear-drenched face arose from his hands and turned toward Marshall again. “What are you talking about?” he snapped. “What makes sense?”

“Mr. Hathaway, everyone here has been working hard to try and piece together some sort of scenario that !ts with a kidnapping. And each time we seemed to come to a dead end. Never until this morning did we all unexpectedly come to the conclusion that Joey running away was also plausible.”

“Plausible?” asked Mr. Hathaway. “As in, possible? As in, reasonable? You all think that Joey running away makes some sort of twisted sense? Well please !ll me in, because I just don’t think I follow.”

Mr. E gestured with his hands. “Frank, listen. I know you either don’t believe it’s possible or don’t want to believe it’s possible that Joey may have run away from home. But what the club-”

“It doesn’t make sense!” he stressed. “Why would he want to leave? What did I do to him? Was I some

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kind of tyrant? No! I bought him everything I could to...to...”

“To prove you love him?” Mr. E said !nishing Frank Hathaway’s sentence.

Silence !lled the room. Mr. Hathaway slouched in fatigue. He said nothing

but nodded in agreement. Mr. E smiled warmly. “Frank, don’t you know that you can’t buy your child’s love? A child must know he’s loved based on a father or mother expressing that love through time spent with them. Not through buying them expensive toys.”

Frank Hathaway looked up at Mr. E and sco"ed. “Time? Now that was something I couldn’t a"ord. Running a bank, sitting on the church deacon board, loosing a wife, trying to manage a house as a single parent, sending that crook Jack Milton to jail...I was not blessed with as much time as other parents were, okay? Maybe if God had decided not to take my wife away from me I may have had more time to spend with Joey. But it didn’t happen that way. So I thought if I couldn’t spend time with him, I’d try to give him everything he could want.”

“But did he ever ask for any of the things you gave him, Frank?”

Mr. Hathaway paused, as if reviewing Joey’s life through his mind. “#at’s the part I never could understand. Joey never asked for anything from me. So the less he asked for, the more I gave him.”

“What about the money for the car?” asked Parker.

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“I !rst mentioned the car when it looked like he was becoming depressed for some reason. He seemed excited, so I told him I would go with him to the car dealer and he could pick out what he wanted.” Mr. Hathaway shrugged his shoulders and then slapped the arm of the chair. “Well, life happened and I got busy as usual. So, I did something that I now see was really stupid. I gave Joey a lot of money and told him to go and get himself a nice car.”

“When was this?” asked Mr. E. Frank Hathaway spoke in a monotone. “#e

afternoon he vanished.”Mr. E closed his eyes. #e club members stopped

themselves from gasping out loud in amazement. Mr. Hathaway seemed to melt in shame. #e picture as a whole was becoming clearer, though. What the Straight-Up Club, and everyone else in the city of Echo, had initially thought to be a kidnapping case...was transforming into a search for a runaway teen.

How Jack Milton !t into the situation, no one was quite sure of anymore.

8

LOOK AGAIN

“THERE MUST BE something else here,” stated Marshall as the club marched into Joey’s

bedroom. Mr. E and Frank Hathaway remained seated in the living room talking, while the rest of the group searched for new clues.

“Last time we were here,” said Faith, “we were looking for indications of a kidnapping. Now, we all need to act as if this were the very !rst time we’ve ever stepped foot in this place.”

“Faith’s exactly right,” Marshall added. “Everyone check in places you have already checked, but with a new mindset. Remember, this time assume Joey ran away.”

And with that the club was o". Each member took a corner of the massive room and began hunting for anything that would point them in the right direction—the direction of where Joey may have gone.

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<><><>

#e ticking of the Grandfather clock next to the Hathaway foyer was the only sound emulating from the room. #e midmorning sun pushed back the shadows inside the mansion while casting its rays on Mr. E and Frank Hathaway, who were sitting on the sofa.

Mr. Hathaway appeared to have aged beyond his years—even in the past !fteen minutes. Staring at Mr. E with weary eyes he poured out his heart. “Pastor Martin, I have needed to talk to someone for a while about this. I realize I have been bitter at God since He chose to take my wife. I know it was His choice to make and all things work together...or, how does that Scripture verse go again?”

“Romans 8:28: And we know, that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,” quoted Mr. E. “#at’s a verse believers can take con!dence in, Frank. #ose that love God can know for certain that anything that happens to them in life does work together for our ultimate good. Yes, even the losing of a loved one. #e verse says all things. And, as you know, the rest of the context is speaking of those who choose to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, and who are called to be conformed to His image, or likeness. We will one day be just like Jesus!”

“But until then...” Mr. Hathaway said drifting.Mr. E nodded. “But until then, we treat every

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situation that comes our way with the mind of Christ. We believe God has a good purpose in it for us. We trust Him to guide and teach us through the situation, and we keep our faith strong when the situation becomes intense by reading His Word daily and praying often.” Mr. Hathaway did not respond. “Frank, the Lord uses tough circumstances to build faith and character into His children. Now, I cannot tell you why God chose to take away your wife. Only He knows why that was best. But you must remember that all things work together for our ultimate good—not necessarily our immediate good. Does that make sense?”

Mr. Hathaway shrugged. “I guess. Does that also include Joey deciding to run away from home? Is that suppose to be for my ultimate good too?”

Mr. E patted Frank Hathaway on the back and gave a half-smile. “Is that under the category of ‘all things’, Frank? #en yes. Even Joey running away from home can work for not only your good, but his as well. Trust God. He knows what He’s doing. I believe there’s a reason the Straight-Up Club is so heavily involved in this case. #e Lord could do amazing things in all of our lives, Frank. We just have to keep our focus on Him and not what’s going on around us. It’s time to put that faith we say we have into practice.”

Mr. Hathaway thought for a while before responding. His bitterness at God had caused him to harden his heart. Yet, he knew that the Lord still loved him and was working for his welfare. #e guilt he felt

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was almost overwhelming. Since the death of his wife, he had consumed himself in his business. As a result, his relationship with his son deteriorated into that of buying o" his love with things. But as he was painfully now learning, things don’t last. And the true test of love is what one is willing to sacri!ce in order to spend time with those that mean the most.

<><><>

“Man, this kid has the stu"!” exclaimed Nels, rummaging through one section of the bedroom. “I mean no wonder Joey became bored with life. #ere’s nothing left to want!”

“#at’s the real sad part,” said Faith while %ipping through a CD carousel. “Mr. Hathaway said Joey seemed to be getting depressed. I think the only thing left he didn’t own was a car.”

“Now, how does that play into what Joey’s soccer teammate Keith DuMont told us?” asked Parker.

“Well,” said Marshall lifting another heavy box of photo albums and setting it down on the %oor, “Keith recalled Joey either getting into or getting picked up in a red car of some kind. It’s hard to imagine that Joey could have possibly bought a car that afternoon, but then again...stranger things have happened.”

“Like Nels,” Faith chided with a smirk. “I heard that,” scolded Nels.“I know, that’s why I said it,” joked Faith.

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“Okay people,” Marshall interjected while taking a breath, “let’s recap. Anything new or odd uncovered so far?” Gracie stood alone and was shu&ing through some papers on one of Joey’s desks as the group corroborated.

“Nothing over here,” shrugged Parker.“Not much in this zip code,” Nels added. Faith adjusted her glasses. “Nope.”Marshall sighed. “Boy, I really thought we’d be able

to discover at least one new insight into this case.” Gracie continued to stack papers while humming some tune in her head. “I really thought something new would pop up.”

“So did I,” said Parker with a frown. Marshall folded his arms across his chest. “I mean,

you would think with all of the stu" in this giant room, Joey may have left behind something important. Some kind of clue. Something to indicate where he was headed...like...well, I don’t know...like...”

“Like maps?” came Gracie’s voice from the other side of the room.

“Yeah, like maps,” stated Marshall. “Exactly. You’d think that...” Suddenly everyone’s eyes widened. #e club members whirled around toward Gracie and the desk.

She slowly turned around to see their piercing stares at her. “What?” she asked nonchalantly. Like Olympic runners they all dashed toward the desk, making Gracie bolt out of the way for safety. “Hey, watch it!”

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Marshall attacked the !rst !le folder he came across. “Gracie, this is it! You found the clue! #ank you!”

“You’re welcome,” she said with a grin of accomplishment.

#e group squeezed together as Marshall paged through sheet after sheet of downloaded online maps. “#is is incredible!” he said in wonder. “How on earth could we have all missed this?”

“I didn’t,” Gracie said proudly.Parker appeared more stunned than the rest. When

Marshall !nished thumbing the pages she gasped. “Oh wow! I can’t believe it!”

“What?” asked Nels.“#ese maps, they...I knew they looked familiar! I

saw these maps the very !rst time we were here!”Marshall turned to her. “You did? Here on the

desk?”“Yes!” Parker slapped her forehead in frustration.

“How dumb could I be?”“Don’t worry Parker,” comforted Nels, “we won’t

answer that.”#e arrows and multicolored directional lines on

the printouts thrilled them. Like a gift from the Lord Himself, the pages gave them new hope that !nding Joey Hathaway was possible. #e club quickly sat down on the %oor and spread out the papers between them.

“Seven pages,” Faith said shaking her head, “and they’re all di"erent? Which one is it?”

“Maybe they all have something to do with him,”

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Nels responded. “Let me see a couple.” Several were handed to him and he studied each one. “I know this website well. I use it a lot to !nd directions to places. You punch in your destination on this line, and put your starting point here. Two of these have directions to the ballpark downtown, although one is an alternate route. Let’s see...” Nels continued to decipher the printouts one-by-one. “Here’s another for the downtown area, and this one he printed out a while ago. I can tell by the date. It’s for the soccer !eld. Most of these he printed three or four months ago.”

“What about these, Nels?” Parker asked, handing him a few more.

Nels felt his body tighten immediately upon receiving the last page. #e direction line was much longer than the rest. “What’s wrong?” asked Faith.

“Oh no,” Nels whispered. “What?” Pressed Marshall.Clenching his teeth in disappointment, Nels %ipped

the page over and showed it to the group. Tilting their heads ever so slightly they read the !nal printout.

Print date: Five days earlier. Starting point: #e soccer !eld. Destination: #e warehouse.

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“GOOD GRIEF!” exclaimed Faith, grabbing the page to examine it closer. “You’ve got

to be kidding! #e day Joey vanished he went to the warehouse! Why would he go there?”

Marshall snatched it next. “I don’t know, Faith, but listen. No matter what, we are not going back inside that warehouse! Got it? We’ll call the police and-”

“Wait a minute,” said Parker reaching underneath the !le folder. “What about this one? We missed this one. Here Nels.”

Nels looked it over eagerly and digested its contents in his mind. After a moment, a cheshire smile crossed his face. “If you thought that was interesting, look at this. At least we won’t have to worry about roaming our way back to the warehouse.”

“No?” asked Marshall, appearing relieved. He reviewed the paper and then narrowed his eyes. “Nels, this sheet has him going to the next city. How is that

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better?”“Who said it was better? I just mentioned we didn’t

have to go back to the warehouse.”#ey all sighed. Parker picked up the two printouts

and held them in each of her hands. She looked at one, and then the other. “Interesting indeed. Both pages were printed the day he disappeared. One sends Joey to the abandoned warehouse. One sends him to the huge city just north of Echo.” She lowered the sheets. “What do you say all?”

#e room fell silent as the Straight-Up Club sat thinking. #e printout to the next city had the destination as the city itself. #at would mean even if Joey went there, !nding him in the enormous city would be next to impossible.

On the other hand, the club had already been through the warehouse—at least some of it. #ey realized that if Joey was either hiding or trapped inside the building at one time, he may have moved on or escaped since. However, if the call Marshall received that morning was from Joey Hathaway, a similarity was that the area code on the caller ID was from the city north of Echo.

“So you think Joey headed north?” Nels !nally asked.

“Could be,” stated Marshall. “Maybe he went to the warehouse !rst, then, upon discovery of our canine friends, hitched a ride to the next city.”

“Or hitched his own ride,” interjected Faith. “Maybe after visiting the warehouse as a hideout, he bought a

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car somewhere and drove there himself.” “True,” added Parker, “except most of the dealerships

in Echo told the police and the media that no one with Joey’s description bought a car the week he vanished.”

“So maybe he bought a car after he got to the next city,” said Nels.

“Which leaves us with the same problem,” frowned Marshall. “Even if Joey got there somehow, we still have no way of knowing where on earth he was heading.”

Again...the room fell silent. Faith and Nels began silently praying. Parker jotted

through her notepad of clues as Gracie watched over her shoulder. Marshall closed his eyes while trying to put all the pieces together. #e gears in his head turned as he ruled out one idea after another. Replaying the events of the past week through his mind, he imagined Joey, Mr. Hathaway, Jack Milton and Keith DuMont as parts of a puzzle. Like a twirling maze of confusion the pieces rotated. Clues that should have had links to other clues were left dangling. Connections didn’t seem to !t. #e whole investigation appeared to be on the brink of collapse.

#en suddenly, Marshall’s eyes reopened. In a slow and systematic way, he glanced over at the printouts.

“Hmm,” he muttered. Parker looked up. “What?”Marshall paused, as if making sure the theory that

dawned on him just seconds before made sense. Faith and Nels also turned to him. Marshall shrugged. “What

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if...” he began, “what if we’re looking at this scenario backwards?”

“What do you mean?” asked Gracie.“Well,” Marshall started, feeling like an attorney

about to wrap up a courtroom case, “what if...Joey’s intention was always to make it look like a runaway?” Everyone appeared confused, but Marshall ignored them and continued his idea. “I mean, this shouldn’t have been hard to !nd, these printouts. If he was trying to run away and never be found, why would he leave these pages sitting here?”

“Maybe he just forgot them?” Said Nels.“No,” disagreed Marshall. “Joey wouldn’t be that

careless. If you wanted to run away for good, you’d be certain to leave no trails. Besides, if he needed to know how to get there, why would he leave his directions at home?” Everyone froze. #is was starting to seem logical. Marshall went on, seeming as if he was putting it all together as he spoke. “Now, we know that Joey wanted some attention from his dad, right? Maybe, in some weird way, Joey thought that if he ran away from home, he would get his father’s attention—which he did, but something overshadowed it. Know what that was?”

“Jack Milton escaping from prison?” Faith asked intensely.

“Exactly. #is whole time we assumed Jack Milton had something to do with Joey disappearing. What if him escaping from jail the same week Joey vanished was

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nothing more than a coincidence?” #e club thought. “Although the two occurrences happened within a couple days of each other, they may be totally unrelated.”

Parker snapped her !ngers. “I see what you’re saying. It’s as if Joey was planning to run away, Milton escapes, Joey’s plan back!res when the whole city thinks he was kidnapped instead, he escapes to another city for a while—either in a car or not—and then...then...then what?”

Marshall smiled. “#en, early one morning, Joey calls someone who he knows from our %yers is involved in the case, namely myself, and in agony tries to !nd some help—not help escaping from Jack Milton, but help in coming home to his father.”

“And, just like the story of the prodigal son in the Bible,” added Nels, “Joey blew all of the money his dad gave him in the city, and now wants to come home. But he’s too scared right now.”

Marshall pointed at Nels. “You got it! Remember Joey said that he blew it all and his life was over? #at sounds more like the cries of a sorrowful son than a kidnapped teenager. And after he called me, of course in despair that his plan went wrong and terri!ed that the police think he tried to pin his runaway on Milton, he most likely is taking the !nal step in his plan.”

Marshall paused for dramatic e"ect. #e club waited. “Which is...?” #ey all said in unison.

Marshall snatched up the warehouse printout. “Which is to hideout at the warehouse, which is fairly

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close to home, to see when this will blow over! Don’t you see? Joey is just like the prodigal son! He’s trying to come home! But he’s too afraid. He’s probably headed to his hideout now! We need to !nd him and stop him!”

Faith gasped. “Especially before he runs into the dogs!”

Marshall gave a grave look. “Yeah, or the not-too-friendly club that one teen warned us about. Come on, grab the sheets and let’s go tell Mr. Hathaway and Mr. E!”

<><><>

Mr. Hathaway lowered the printouts down to the co"ee table and revealed a face full of hope. With trembling hands he reached over to Marshall and embraced him in a tight hug. “#ank you, Marshall, thank you so very much,” he whispered in tears.

Marshall fought getting choked up himself, but ended up losing the battle. “Sir, I’m not the one to thank. #e Lord gave us all insight.”

“And just in time too, it looks like,” said Nels.Mr. E nodded. “Right Nels. Frank, I can’t believe

I’m saying this, but I think we all need to drive over to the warehouse and check this out. Now.”

Mr. Hathaway raised his hand in disapproval. “No, no, not me. You all go, and God be with you, but I can’t.”

“Why not?” asked Faith.

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Mr. Hathaway tried to !nd the words. He wanted to go beyond anything. But fear was a barrier. How would Joey feel toward him? Would he be angry? Would he run away again? Would he be ashamed of him? Would he...

It was then Mr. E broke Mr. Hathaway’s train of thought. “Frank, I know what’s invading your thoughts. Let me promise you something. Joey is more afraid of you right now, than you are of him. As his father, you need to go and meet with him. Remember the story of the prodigal son?”

Frank Hathaway was silent for a moment. He longed to see his son...oh how he longed to see him! #e bricks on the wall of fear slowly crumbled. Faith %ooded in. #e grace to go and !ght—to have his son with him again—was starting to build up. #e timid nature he was holding onto disgusted him. He had !nally had it! #e time to go and !nd his prodigal son was now! He turned to the club and grimaced. “Let’s go rescue my son...all of us.”

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VOICES

THE STRAIGHT-UP CLUB with Mr. E, Gracie and Frank Hathaway drove down the road toward

the old abandoned warehouse. Images of sharp teeth and sinister teens forced many inside Marshall’s vintage van to worry. As desperate as they were to !nd Joey safe and secure, discussion !rst revolved around their own safety.

“Anyone bring any puppy chow with them?” asked Nels.

Parker shifted in her seat nervously. “Does anyone have a plan on how we get in and out, you know, alive?”

Mr. E spoke up. “Listen everyone, most of you have been here before. You have a very limited idea of the layout of the building, but none-the-less, you have been inside. Do any of you recall a portion of the warehouse you did not cover that well?”

Marshall completed a right turn and nodded. “Yes, Mr. E. Just before we got cornered in the hallway, there

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was another corridor that appeared to lead to the other half of the complex. I believe if we follow that instead, we’ll have access to the rest of the warehouse.”

“Marshall’s right,” added Parker. “I saw that too. It was just left of where we were. I remember it well because it was the most drab color gray I’ve ever seen. Simply wretched! Personally, I would have painted it Chartreuse.”

Marshall and Mr. E glanced at each other. “Ah, so anyway,” continued Marshall, “if we enter the premises the same way as we did before, and keep the door propped open this time, we should be !ne getting in.”

“But what about the dogs?” pressed Faith. Mr. E turned around to address his daughter. “I’m

not as concerned about the dogs Faith, as I am about that teen and his friends you told me about. It sounded like the dogs belonged to the boy. If they only meet there for club meetings, we shouldn’t run into the dogs.”

Suddenly, a warning bell sounded in the van. Marshall looked down at the dashboard. “Oops, I guess I’m low on gasoline. Well, that’s okay, we’ll pick some up on the way back.”

“Do we have enough to get to the warehouse?” asked Mr. E.

“We’re already here,” answered Marshall as the van pulled into the parking area.

#ey all watched through the windows as the loading ramp running to the door came into sight. Bad memories tried to attack their faith, but the faith they

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had in God was stronger than their fear. He was on their side. #ey chose to trust the Lord and leave the rest in His hands.

Marshall parked. “Okay people, we’re here.”Mr. Hathaway took a long deep breath and prayed

hard. “Please help me, Lord,” he asked quietly, “I can do all things through Christ. You strengthen me. You give me grace to do Your will. Please help us !nd Joey. And please help me know what to say to my son when I meet him again. No matter what happens, I thank You in advance, Lord. I love You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

“Amen,” the club responded. Mr. Hathaway opened his eyes and slapped his hands

down on his knees. “Alright. Let’s go.”One by one the group !led out of the van; Mr. E

stopped Gracie, though, before she could exit. “Honey, I want you to stay here.”

Gracie momentarily frowned, but then shrugged her shoulders and gave a half-smile. “Okay Daddy. I’ll stay here.”

Mr. E kissed his ten-year-old daughter on the forehead and winked. “Good girl. Besides, I have a very important job for you to do while we are gone.”

“What’s that?” she asked.“Pray.”Gracie’s eyes lit up and she plopped back down in

the back seat. “You got it!”Mr. E pointed at her. “It’s a very important job. Can

I count on you?” Gracie instantly folded her hands and

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shut her eyes in prayer. Mr. E turned to the club. “I think we can trust her.”

<><><>

#e warm summertime breeze seemed to turn sharply cooler the closer the group came to the old grimy door. Upon reaching it, Mr. E grabbed a loose piece of wood that was laying next to a beat up trash can and looked at Marshall. “#is should work in keeping the entrance open.”

With e"ortless ease, Mr. E laid his hand on the latch and opened the loose but very squeaky door. He then placed one end of the board against the horizontal handle bar and the other end up against the door frame. “#at should hold,” declared Mr. E, and everyone began !ling inside the warehouse.

Marshall, Parker, Nels, Faith, Frank Hathaway and Mr. E all stood still a few feet into the building. #e midday sun cast its eerie shadows through the broken fragmented ceiling level windows. Bits of dust and polluted particles %oated through the air, seeming to follow the lines of light. If any word could be used to describe the environment around them, lifeless would be it.

Nels cleared his throat. “Here doggie doggie.”“Nels,” scolded Marshall. “Now’s not the time.”“Sorry. Just trying to add a little humor to a stressful

situation.”

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Mr. Hathaway patted Marshall on the shoulder. “Marshall, which way do we go from here?”

Marshall, surprised by Mr. Hathaway’s courageous spirit, pointed him in the right direction. “We headed that way, although it was because we were running for our lives...”

Mr. Hathaway started walking forward. Mr. E pointed at Frank Hathaway and mimicked that everyone should follow him. As each step echoed o" of the discolored walls, they prayed hard that the Lord would work a miracle and allow them to !nd Joey. Certain that the Straight-Up Club’s theory was correct, they pressed on in search for any indication of someone living in the building.

Turning down the long rows of empty shelving, nightmares of the Rottweilers chasing them pounced on their faith yet again. But choosing to trust the Lord, their faith fought back and was victorious. #at would not be the last assault, however, faith would have to battle against fear that day.

Suddenly, the club came to a halt. It was a voice. #ey all heard it. #ough mu&ed, everyone could plainly make out a low masculine sound resonating o" of the walls.

Quickly ducking low to the %oor, they strained to listen. Marshall placed his !nger against his lips to remind everyone to be silent. On all fours, Marshall, Mr. Hathaway, Parker, Faith, Nels and Mr. E ever so slightly inched forward.

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Scu" sounds, like that of shoes on cement, gave evidence of more than one person walking around. As the club moved in closer, the voices became clearer. “If I told you once I told you a thousand times,” echoed the low gravely voice from not too far away, “I wanted this !nished by today! Didn’t I tell you that? Didn’t I say that?”

Marshall glanced at Mr. Hathaway whose eyes were locked forward in terror. A ghastly look of familiar horror etched his face. #e group dreaded hearing what they already knew to be the case. Methodically, Mr. Hathaway turned back and mouthed out the words: ‘Jack Milton’.

#eir blood ran cold as they started to wonder if they had been wrong after all. Maybe Milton did kidnap Joey and was holding him hostage only a few feet away! Perhaps the theory about Joey running away from home wasn’t correct.

But their questions were soon answered.“So what’s your excuse?” shouted Milton in extreme

anger.#e Straight-Up Club listened to hear a response

from Joey. Instead, they heard a di"erent voice. “Look man, we were trying to do you a favor, okay? We didn’t have to do anything! Let’s get that squared from the get-go.”

Parker shot a look back at Faith and Mr. E. “#at sounds like the teen we met here...” she whispered.

Faith nodded and whispered back, “You’re right.”

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Jack Milton slammed something metallic down on another hard surface and yelled. “No, no-no. We had an agreement! Your club was suppose to get me some wheels by tonight. Tonight! Why tonight? So I can !nally complete my plan and get my revenge! Remember that? Does that ring a bell to you in any way, shape or form?”

#e teen snarled. “Man, we didn’t agree to anything. Look, just because the car we got for you isn’t exactly what you had in mind doesn’t mean it won’t work for your plan. It’ll work !ne!”

“It won’t work !ne!” responded Milton. “I needed exactly what I told you. Not that piece of garbage sitting outside. It doesn’t even start!”

“It does if you do it right.”#e club listened as Milton sighed in frustration.

Mr. Hathaway appeared terri!ed that he was crawling only twenty feet away from a man he helped send to jail. Marshall looked back at Mr. E for instruction. But before he could get any, the conversation continued.

“Look,” Milton said a bit calmer, “you and your club knew why I needed the kind of vehicle I needed. When I escaped and found this place as a hideout, and was so wonderfully fortunate to have found you and your friends here having a club meeting, I let you in on what I was doing. You knew that I needed a pickup truck. You knew why I needed a pickup truck. So I could stash the stu" I get from that backstabbing traitor and get away quick. #is whole plan of revenge, carefully thought out in prison I might add, has been hanging on the results

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of this one night. You all promised me that you could get me a pickup truck for one night. How did a pickup truck turn into a twenty year old two-door coupe?”

Mr. Hathaway stared at Marshall for a moment. “Traitor?” he whispered. “Why would he call me a traitor?”

Marshall shook his head. “I’m getting the feeling he’s not talking about you.”

As the teen and Jack Milton continued to argue, the Straight-Up Club moved in closer.

<><><>

Gracie Martin was praying inside the van when she suddenly heard some people talking. Opening her eyes she peeked out the back window and saw a group of seven young people walking together. Next to them were two Rottweilers. #ey were all heading for the warehouse door.

In panic, Gracie leapt o" of her seat and reached for the van door, but paused. Remembering her dad’s orders not to leave, her mind whirled as to what she should do. #inking quickly, Gracie dove between the two front seats and reached for a cell phone she saw lying there.

<><><>

Marshall, Mr. Hathaway, Parker, Nels, Faith and Mr. E were slowly making their way to a corner where they

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could still hear the conversation but be better shielded from sight. #at corner, however, was in the direction of the area where Jack Milton and the teen were arguing. Keeping low so the shelving and a few crates would cover them, they crept forward.

Parker’s heart rate pulsed faster the closer they came to the corner. Swallowing hard, she prayed for strength. #ose around her, not surprisingly, were praying the same thing.

With only another !ve feet left to crawl, more voices began !lling the warehouse. Marshall turned around and saw more shadows gathering in the distance. Mr. E did the same. A group of young people with two dogs had entered the building.

“Uh-oh,” said Nels, “anyone got a spare bone?”Just as their situation had gone south, it was about

to get even worse. #e jangling from Mr. E’s cell phone echoed out loud and clear throughout the warehouse as Gracie called her father. Gritting his teeth, Mr. E snatched up the phone and turned it o".

Marshall and the rest turned back toward Mr. E with faces that read ‘now what’?

Mr. E smiled nervously and laughed. “Ha-ha. Run.”

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ONE LAST CHANCE

WITH MARSHALL leading the way, the group bolted up from the %oor and raced down the

hallway. By that point, Jack Milton, the teen and the other gang of young people quickly congregated together. “What was that?” snapped Milton.

“Who was that is more like it!” said the teen. “I heard a cell phone ring,” added one of the other

teens in the group. “Go !nd them, boys! Go!” the teen commanded his

two Rottweilers. Immediately the dogs ran o". “Let’s follow them.”

“Not me!” exclaimed Milton. “I’m out of here.”#e teen he was arguing with slid to a stop and turned

back. “Oh no you don’t,” he said angrily, and ran over to the table where they had been talking. Snatching up the metal key Milton had tossed on the table, he waved it in the air. “Like you said, we had an agreement! You don’t get the car until we see the money you promised us!”

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Milton reached over the table to grab the key, but the teen jumped back a few feet. Milton growled. “I’m not playing with you, kid! Gimme that key now!”

#e teen’s friends were about to step in, but Milton whirled around with a small hand gun pointed in their direction and narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t try it.”

“Whoa man,” said one of the other teens. “No, no need to get serious or anything. Cody was just fooling with you. Right Cody?”

#e group leader, whose name was Cody, shook his head. Key still in the air, he made his demands. “Look Milton, you promised us some money you said you still had stashed from that robbery of the Hathaway bank. No money, no car.”

Milton turned back to Cody. “All deals are o". You failed on your part. I told you I needed a pickup truck. Nothing else! You lose. Now you have exactly !ve seconds to gimme that key!”

<><><>

Hearing barks and growls coming from behind, the Straight-Up Club dashed through the fenced partition and headed into the unexplored portion of the warehouse. With the dogs delayed behind them due to the fence, the club took a moment to catch their breath.Mr. Hathaway especially wheezed. “I’m a little out of shape,” he joked.

Mr. E examined their surroundings and then turned

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to Marshall. “#is is incredible. Never in a million years did I think we would run into Jack Milton. Had I known, we would have called the police.”

“Too late now,” said Marshall. “#ose dogs and his owner are probably not too far away. What are we going to do?”

#ey all quickly scanned the room again. Most of this portion of the warehouse appeared the same as the !rst half. Empty shelves, broken crates, even a lone forklift in the corner. But it was Faith who spotted one major di"erence. “Dad, look!”

Up above the shelving on the opposite side of the complex was a second level observation deck. Most likely used to store !les and paperwork, a metal staircase led up to the enclosed o$ce space.

Mr. E nodded. “#at’s good. Let’s go.”

<><><>

#e key made a clink sound as it fell to the cement %oor. Cody had shrugged at Milton’s threat and tossed the key over the table. Picking up the key, Milton stu"ed it inside his shirt pocket and grabbed his du"el bag. “Now, all of you just forget you ever met me, and I’ll take that lousy excuse for a car outside and drive into the sunset. Turn around.”

“Why?” asked Cody.“Because I said so, now do it!”Cody and his friends turned around and Milton

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bolted for the door. After a minute, Cody began chuckling to himself. His curious friends looked at him quizzically.

“What’s so funny?” one asked.“#at car,” he smirked. “It’ll be amazing if that thing

makes it out of the parking lot.”His friends suddenly looked afraid. “Cody, that, that

guy could come back for us. Just ‘cause you’re sore about losing out on the money-”

Cody laughed harder. “#ere’s no money man! Didn’t you watch the news? Milton never got away with any money from that bank. I knew that. #at’s why I found him a junky car!” His friends stared wide-eyed at him. Cody wrinkled his eyebrow in sarcasm. “What? I didn’t trust him, why did you?”

<><><>

Racing up the metal stairway, the group reached the o$ce door and came to a stop. “How do we unlock this?” asked Marshall.

“Here, use this,” said Parker handing him a hair clip.

Marshall looked at what Parker had placed in his hand. “What do I do with this?”

Parker stared at him. “Well I don’t know. I just heard that’s what you’re suppose to use to unlock doors.”

Marshall sighed and leaned against the door. “Parker, I’m not a locksmith. What do I...whoa!”

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#e door suddenly swung open and Marshall fell into the o$ce room. “Oo"!” he said, hitting the %oor.

Standing a few feet inside the room...was a boy. A teen. A familiar looking teen. Marshall blinked a few times before !xing his eyes on the person standing over him.

Mr. Hathaway, who was several steps down on the staircase, gasped in shock. No one moved. No one breathed. No one spoke.

Except for Mr. Hathaway. “Joey...” he said with a shaky voice and tears in his eyes.

Joey Hathaway stood frozen inside the room. Utterly stunned at what he was witnessing, his mouth opened but no words formed. He just stared at his father.

Mr. Hathaway slowly placed his hand on the guard-rail and stepped up one stair. Mr. E, Faith, Nels and Parker moved over to the side. Marshall sat up and also moved back.

With love over%owing in his heart and tears now streaming down his face, Mr. Hathaway bolted up the remaining steps and embraced Joey shamelessly. Arms wrapped around his son, he kissed Joey on the head and squeezed him tight.

Joey, arms around his father, began crying too. In mu&ed waves of sobs and tears, the two embraced as if they were the only ones in the world. Joey gasped for air over his weeping and stared into his dad’s face. “Dad, dad I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry...”

Mr. Hathaway shook his head. “Son, son I’m sorry

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also. I was wrong. So very wrong. I love you son.”“I love you too, Dad,” said Joey. #ere was not a dry eye in that room as they watched

a replay of the prodigal son story right in front of them. Amazed by not only what was unfolding before them, but what the Lord had allowed them to be a part of, each member of the Straight-Up Club gave thanks to God in their hearts. #is truly was remarkable.

“Joey,” Mr. Hathaway said while cupping his son’s face in his hands, “thank God. #ank God you’re safe.”

“When did you !nd this place?” asked Mr. E.“I got back in town this morning,” responded Joey

wearily. “After the car I bought was stolen,” he paused, “it’s a long story...and the rest of the money ran out, I decided I would hideout here.”

Marshall gently rested his hand on Joey’s back and whispered with emotion. “#ank God He led us to you. #ank the Lord.”

Joey slowly turned back toward Marshall. Marshall was desperate to ask Joey just one question. But he restrained himself. Now was not the time, he thought. Yet Joey could read the look on Marshall’s face. Catching his breath from his intense weeping, Joey gripped Marshall’s shoulders tightly. “Marsh, thank you. #ank you.”

Marshall shook his head. “But Joey, why me? Why did you call me?”

Joey smiled in fatigue. “Marsh, I saw one of your missing person %yers. #at’s where I got your number. I

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only met you once, about a year ago, but I knew I could trust you. I just knew it.”

“But why?” pressed Marshall. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Joey shrugged. “I could ask the same thing, Marsh. Why did you care about me? Why did you put so much into searching for me? You barely know me.”

Marshall surrendered the point. “You’re a member of the Body of Christ, Joey. #at’s far more important than any club membership.”

Joey nodded as a half-smile crept across his face. “#at’s why I called you...Marsh.”

With his son still in his arms, Mr. Hathaway turned back to the group on the metal stairwell. “We’ll have time for long stories later I guess. Right now, we’d better get out of here.”

No sooner had the club agreed, though, than the two Rottweilers suddenly whiplashed around the corner and charged for the stairs while barking ferociously. Instantly, those still on the stairwell dashed up the remaining steps and into the o$ce room. Slamming the door behind them, Marshall whirled around. “We’re trapped, and those dogs will give away our location in no time!”

“We’re not trapped!” interjected Joey. “Next to that bookcase is a window. It’s small, but it will do. I used it to get up here.”

“Where does it lead?” asked Marshall.“Down.”Nels nearly choked. “Ah, is it a direct trip down or

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can we look forward to a ledge along the way?”Joey shook his head. “No, there’s an old iron ladder

that leads all the way down to the parking lot.”“How old?” asked Parker nervously. But then the

dogs began scratching and pawing at the door. Parker waved her hand. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Joey and Marshall paced over to the window, opened it, and then peered down. “Yikes,” said Marshall. “If there’s one thing in this world I hate, it’s heights.”

Joey shrugged. “Don’t worry Marsh. It’s not that bad. I estimated it’s only !fty feet to the pavement.”

“At what speed?” Marshall joked as he pushed one leg out the window and prayed. His mind reminisced back to when the youth group learned Philippians 4:13 as one of Mr. E’s Scripture memory songs. As the tune played in his head, Marshall recited the verse out loud. “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me. I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me,” he repeated. Staring down ever so slowly, Marshall felt his heart rate begin to gallop. Tightening his grip on the iron bars, he took a quick breath, blinked a few times, and began descending the ladder. Marshall thanked the Lord with each step for the grace to overcome his fear of heights in that moment. Faith had once again defeated fear by Marshall’s choice to trust God’s Word no matter what.

Carefully, one-by-one, each made their way down the iron ladder, until Mr. E placed his feet on the ground and turned to the group. “Okay, praise the Lord we’re

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all safe, but not out of the woods yet. What do ya say we get to Marshall’s van and get out of here?”

“Sounds like a plan!” exclaimed Nels, and everyone started for the opposite side of the building.

Racing quickly beside the long end of the warehouse, the group continued to run until they neared the corner. Taking a sigh of relief, several of the club members pointed at Marshall’s van o" in the distance.

“#ere it is!” said Faith.“Good, let’s go,” added Joey.With a renewed sense of excitement pulsing through

their bodies, Mr. E, Frank and Joey Hathaway and the Straight-Up Club could taste freedom the closer they came to Marshall’s van. Right around the corner was their ticket home. Escape was just within grasp!

But their euphoria was suddenly shattered as Jack Milton jumped out from around the corner with his gun pointed and yelled, “Freeze!”

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121

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SHOWDOWN

SLIDING TO A STOP and with eyes wide in terror, everyone stared at Jack Milton with unimaginable

shock. Unable to even blink due to the magnitude of the situation, Frank and Joey Hathaway simply trembled in fear.

Holding a tight grip on his weapon, Milton grimaced while narrowing his eyes at the father and son. “Well well well,” Milton mocked, “Frank Hathaway...we meet again.”

Marshall’s eyes quickly darted from Milton to Mr. Hathaway and back to Milton. For a split second, he thought he read more anger on Mr. Hathaway’s face than fear. He would soon !nd out.

Milton kept talking. “Of all people, I never would have expected to see you here. Who’s this carnival you dragged along?”

Mr. Hathaway swallowed hard. “#ese? #ese are

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my good friends. #ey’ve been helping me !nd my son, Joey.”

Milton looked down at Joey. “Oh yeah, so you’re the kid everyone thought I kidnapped this whole time. Man alive! If you had any idea what good timing this whole thing was, you’d never believe it!”

“Good timing?” asked Mr. Hathaway, surprised by his own boldness.

“Sure,” responded Milton. “With the police and all searching for an escaped convict with a kid tagging along, no one ever really knew for certain if they spotted me on the loose or not. And when I found this place, it made for a perfect hideout to plan my revenge.”

Frank Hathaway’s heart skipped a beat, but he tried to calm himself. “Revenge to whom?”

Milton let out a hearty laugh. “Not to you! #at’s for sure! Boy did the news guys get that one wrong. Everyone thought I was out to get even with you! Ha-ha!”

Mr. Hathaway squared his jaw. He prepared for his biggest comeback yet. “Well, aren’t you?”

Milton’s laughing slowly subsided. Resorting back to his contorted smile, he shook his head. “Hathaway, you were nothing more than the bank owner. All you did was testify at the trial and con!rm what everyone already knew. To think that they say you single-handedly sent me to prison is, well, it’s funny.”

“Funny?” questioned Mr. Hathaway.“Yes, funny! You, Frank, had absolutely nothing to

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do with me going to jail. Nothing! By the time I was caught, everyone knew I did it. #at wasn’t the issue. I was upset that I got caught at all! And I wouldn’t have been caught except the guy that was suppose to rob the bank with me never showed up!”

Mr. E and Mr. Hathaway looked at each other in confusion. Mr. Hathaway gestured with his hands. “You mean, originally there was suppose to be two guys in the bank?”

Milton appeared as if he was getting bored. “Yes, me and another guy had agreed to go in on it together. #e only problem was that he never showed up in the getaway car like he was suppose to! So, since he was the one who got me caught, not you, I’ve been planning on how I would get back at him this whole time. And my plan was almost complete. All I needed once I came here was a vehicle...a truck to be more speci!c. But as you can see from that piece of junk sitting out there, all those dumb kids could rack up was that! !at!” Milton pointed out toward the parking lot at a tiny car sitting by the curb. He was about to turn back to the group but paused.

For a brief second, Marshall wondered how hard it would be to wrestle the gun away from Milton. He didn’t need to wonder. #at option vanished as Milton turned back around and pointed at Mr. Hathaway. “You, is that your van parked out there?”

Marshall felt his muscles tighten. Mr. Hathaway shook his head. “No...I, ah...”

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“It’s mine,” stated Marshall. “It belongs to me.”Milton cocked his head and sco"ed. “Not anymore,

kid. Sorry. I’m gonna need to borrow it for tonight. Maybe longer. It’s no pickup truck, but it’ll do. Gimme the keys.”

To Marshall, it felt like time stopped. Milton’s words hung in the air like a vapor. To imagine his van being taken from him was a brutal thought. In the next instant, Marshall decided what he would do. Yet, getting a word in edgewise was going to be a challenge.

“You can’t take Marshall’s van!” exclaimed Faith. “He worked all summer for it!”

“Faith...” said Marshall, but she continued her spiel.

“Do you know how many tables he cleaned, people he waited on, food he prepared?”

“Faith, it’s okay, I...”“No! It’s not okay! Look mister, I don’t know who

you think you are, but if you think we’re going to just walk over to that van and-”

From behind, Marshall pressed his hand over Faith’s mouth and tossed Milton the keys. “Here, go ahead and take it. It’s yours.”

Milton caught them in midair and smiled. “#anks, kid. You’re alright. You’ll go far someday...except, not in that van, ‘cause I’m taking it.”

“My other daughter is still inside the vehicle, sir,” said Mr. E.

“Yeah yeah, don’t worry. I’m not a kidnapper as you

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can plainly see. I’ll send the little girl out as soon as I get over there. You all stay put! Got it? Adios!” And with that, Jack Milton ran o" toward Marshall’s van.

Mr. Hathaway turned to Mr. E. “Should we follow him? What if he drives o" with Gracie?”

Faith shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it. She’ll talk so much he’ll have her back in two minutes.”

Marshall was silent. Mr. E looked at him sadly and patted him on the shoulder. “Boy, Marshall. I, I’m really sorry about this. I know how much work and e"ort you put into that van. But you’re sure taking this well.” Mr. E was very surprised when Marshall turned to face him with a large grin. Mr. E appeared puzzled. “What is it Marshall?”

#e van’s engine came to life as Gracie exited the vehicle and began running back toward the group. Marshall’s grin slowly formed into a chuckle. #en a laugh. Mr. E shook his head. “Marshall, what?”

Marshall could barely contain himself as everyone stared at him in confused wonder. Finally, Marshall spoke. “I, I wouldn’t praise me too much, Mr. E.”

It was then, as Marshall’s van began pulling out of the parking lot, that an odd engine noise started echoing out. #e van also began to slow down. #en it would speed up...then slow down again.

Mr. E and Marshall’s eyes met in a slow purposeful glance. Mr. E was shocked. “Marshall, just how low on gasoline were we?”

Marshall fought o" tears due to laughing so hard.

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“Basically, we were running on fumes.”With amazement written all over their faces, they

watched as Jack Milton, in Marshall’s van, revved and then chugged and then crawled to a halt.

By that point, Gracie reached the group and leapt up into Mr. E’s arms. “Daddy! Are you all okay? I stayed in the van like you told me.”

Mr. E kissed Gracie on the cheek and smiled. “You did just !ne honey. Even your slightly inconvenient call turned out for the best.”

“What’s that noise?” interrupted Parker.Nels listened carefully. “It sounds like a siren.”#e club turned back and suddenly saw two police

vehicles racing toward the van with lights bright and sirens blaring. #e squad cars slowed the closer they came to the Straight-Up Club. Windows rolled down, one of the o$cers yelled out, “Do you all need some help?”

Mr. E and Mr. Hathaway both pointed together in the direction of the van. “Jack Milton is escaping in that van!” they exclaimed in unison.

Almost as quickly as they appeared, the police vehicles sped o" for Marshall’s van. Not having too far to chase Milton, however, they slid to a stop right behind the Volkswagen and exited their squad cars.

Marshall spun back toward Mr. E. “Who called the police?” he asked intensely.

Everyone looked at each other, very befuddled, until Gracie caught their attention. With a giant grin

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and a little shrug, Gracie closed her eyes. “Well, when I couldn’t get Daddy on the phone, I did the next best thing.”

“You called the police?” Nels asked. He then hesitated for a moment. “Ah, never mind, I think I know the answer to that.”

Gracie clung tight to her father as she continued. “After I couldn’t get ahold of Daddy, I prayed and asked the Lord to help me know what to do. #en I got the idea to call the police and tell them you all were trapped.”

Eyes wide in humored astonishment, everyone turned from Gracie, to each other, to Jack Milton being dragged out of Marshall’s van and then arrested.

“Just think,” said Nels, “Jack Milton probably thinks we planned this whole thing! Can you imagine what’s going through his mind right now?”

Marshall nodded with a smirk. “Yep, revenge.”#e group broke out in hysterical laughter, half

fatigue induced and the other half brought on by genuine relief.

Relief that the case was !nally over.

<><><>

It was standing room only that next night. #e sister church of Echo Community decided to hold a celebration in honor of Joey’s safe return, and everyone in town was there. Business people, local political leaders, friends, family and especially the Straight-Up Club stood in the

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fellowship hall talking and enjoying refreshments.With a look of overjoyed glee on his face, Frank

Hathaway held his son close to him. Conversing with the parents of Marshall, Parker and Nels, Mr. Hathaway expressed his sincerest gratitude to them.

“Your children are simply exceptional. Beyond exceptional in fact. #ey embody everything teamwork and friendship is meant to be. I cannot ever tell you how grateful I am for your children’s deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ...which gave them the grace to tackle a situation like my son’s. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

Marshall’s dad, Sean Bennett, slapped his hand on his son’s back and smiled happily. “It’s good to hear that Marshall is doing so well.” #en he winked at his son. “Although I knew it all along.”

Over by the bu"et table, Mr. E and the youth pastor from the sister church, Scott Lindsman, stood talking. “Earl, all I can say is thank you. #ank everyone in your club for what they did. #e dedication was simply incredible. To spend that much energy on !nding someone who wasn’t even a member of their church is really touching.”

Mr. E smiled warmly and stu"ed his hands in his pockets. “Well Scott, that’s the thing. Joey may be a member of your youth group, but as a member of the body of Christ, he’s all of our responsibility. #e kids in my club just wanted to be sure every member was accounted for.”

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Scott nodded slowly. “#at’s neat, Earl. Maybe I could work on instilling something like that in the kids at my youth group.”

“Okay now,” came a voice from across the room, “let’s get him over here where the light is better.” Shu&ing through the crowd, one of the local TV stations paced over to Joey and his father. Setting up the tripod and camera, the female news reporter turned to Joey and clipped a small microphone on his shirt. “We just wanna get a few words Joey. When the red light on the camera goes solid, we’ll be live on the air. Speak directly to me and tell the viewing audience how it feels to be home again. You got that?”

Joey swallowed the suddenly formed lump in his throat and said okay. Glancing over at Marshall who was standing behind the cameraman, Joey nodded slowly. Marshall said nothing, but smiled and nodded back. Before any further communication could be made, the reporter straightened her posture and looked over at the television monitor. Two seconds later, they were live.

“Good evening, Stacy Sullivan here for Channel 7 in Echo. I’m standing here with Joey Hathaway, the teenager whose been missing up until yesterday. In a dramatic rescue, Joey was not only found, but his rescuers also discovered the whereabouts of escaped convict Vincent Jack Milton. Joey,” Stacy said, swinging toward him with her microphone, “tell us how it feels to be home after such a tense week.”

Joey stared at her for no more than a second or two

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before taking a quick breath and parting his lips to speak. “I ah...I just want everyone to know...that, that I am extremely grateful to everyone who was searching for me. And that, I am very sorry for all the trouble I caused.”

Stacy cleared her throat and turned back toward the camera. “Well, that was Jo-”

“I’m not !nished yet,” Joey interrupted.Stacy turned back nervously as Joey gathered his

courage. “I want everyone to know that this will not happen again. And the reason why, is because I know much more now than I did when I ran away a week ago.” Stacy smiled and turned back to the camera but Joey continued talking. “I want everyone to know what I know now, that I didn’t know a week ago, and that’s how much my father really loves me.” Mr. E’s eyes widened in joy as Mr. Hathaway looked over at him.

“How nice,” Stacy commented, while trying to end the segment, but Joey pressed on.

“See, I’m a Christian. Yet, for a long time, I didn’t really understand that being a Christian was more than just having my parents’ religion. Of course I heard it explained many times by di"erent people, yet it never seemed to sink in. But some time ago, I !nally understood that it’s not my dad’s religion that saves me, or the church that saves me, or even the pastor that saves me...it’s Jesus Christ that saves me...and He did! All I had to do was believe that what He did two thousand years ago on the cross was enough to pay for

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my sins and accept it for my own. #at was it. In that moment, I had assurance that God no longer was angry with me, because Jesus took my place and had the anger and punishment put on Him. Very unfair for Jesus, but wonderful for me. Anyway, I seemed to have forgotten that fact during this time, and I became depressed. I began to believe a lie and think that no one loved me, not even the Lord...or my dad.” Mr. Hathaway looked down in shame. “But now I remember what I use to know, and it’s far more real to me that it ever was. My father does love me...and he always did love me.” Mr. Hathaway gripped Joey’s shoulder in love and fought back emotion. It was amazing how much his son had learned in such a short time. Even more so...how much he himself had learned. Gifts were no substitute for time. He would never make that mistake again. God was so good.

Stacy again tried to wrap things up, but Joey’s words came in a torrent. “I believed and trusted Jesus alone for my salvation from Hell. #at’s the Gospel, and I will never again forget that. Jesus was cruci!ed, buried and resurrected and now lives forever. He did that because He loves us and wants all people to be saved. Anyone who chooses to trust Him for salvation will be saved. And I know that I will live with Him forever some day. I know it not because some man told me...but because the Bible tells me so.”

Not a word was uttered in the entire room as Joey’s last statement hung in the air. Mr. Hathaway, tears

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streaming down his cheeks, embraced his son tightly while giving praise to God in his mind and heart.

Stacy Sullivan, stunned by what she just heard, %ipped o" her mic volume and watched as the station cut away from the scene and back to the newsroom.

Mr. E and the Straight-Up Club all gathered together on the opposite side of the room. Parker and Faith mirrored each other’s expressions. Marshall and Nels replayed what they had just witnessed over and over in their minds.

“Wow...” Faith said breaking the silence, “that was really amazing.”

“And to think that...that...” Nels struggled to !nd the right words.

Marshall !nished his sentence. “#at God decided to use us to be a part of something so powerful—so life changing.”

“Yeah,” added Parker, also stunned. “We’ve like been on this roller coaster ride the past week, and only just this moment did I realize everything God has done. And He let us be a part of it.”

Nels shook his head. “You’d think that I would feel proud, or privileged or something. But actually, I feel pretty unworthy.”

“Man, Nels, you hit the nail on the head,” responded Mr. E. “#at is exactly the way we should feel. But maybe we should focus on feeling grateful instead of unworthy, then our thoughts will be on the Lord and not ourselves.”

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Nels smiled. “Well, let’s thank Him right now. You all want to join me?”

In silent prayer, they bowed their heads and gave thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for everything He had done. Grateful that God would choose to use them in such an unforgettable way, the club’s faith in the Lord grew enormously.

#ey trusted, and would keep on trusting in Jesus and God’s Word in every situation they were yet to face.

And so would Joey.He was no longer lost.#e missing member had been found.

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