When midnight came, the temperature had dropped to thirty-two below, and there were now both helicopters and rescue dogs involved in the search. Nobody said so, but Jade knew everyone was thinking the same thing.
A five-year-old in this cold could never survive until morning. A soft blanket of snow fell, diffusing the search lights so it looked like Jade was looking at the world through an eerie haze.
Where was Dez?
Aisha was still outside, but most of the original volunteers had gone home, replaced by others ready to search through the night if necessary. Jade watched the snow falling with a forlorn resignation, knowing that in another hour or less, any tracks that might have led the rescue teams to her daughter would vanish forever. Then again, maybe the snow was actually a blessing. Maybe it would provide Dez with a blanket to keep her warm through the night.
No, she wouldn’t think like that. Dez wasn’t out in this cruel winter climate. And she hadn’t been kidnapped or harmed by anyone from Morning Glory, either. She was still inside the church, warm and safe and sleeping peacefully. Jade would be so relieved to find her daughter perfectly unharmed that she wouldn’t even dole out all the punishments she’d been daydreaming about earlier.
Was it really possible that this was the same night she’d stood in front of her church and shared her testimony? Just a few hours ago, being abused, pregnant, and shunned by everybody but her parents was the most traumatic experience Jade could imagine, the most challenging trial she’d ever have to endure.
Until now.
Dez was born out of despair, hurt, and humiliation, but Jade had loved her from the beginning. Throughout the pregnancy, even with those chaotic hormones and that relentless confusion, Jade had been protective of her baby. Her love for her child was no small miracle considering Jade had never been overly fond of children. She wasn’t like other girls who dreamed of nothing but marriage and motherhood. Jade had goals too, but hers involved feats like winning the Nobel Peace Prize, working relentlessly to help the nation achieve racial equality, and earning her law degree before her twenty-fifth birthday.
At first, she convinced herself that her teenage pregnancy did nothing but put those plans on hold. The older Dez got, the more Jade had come to accept that her prior ambitions would have to go unrealized. As a single mother working for minimum wage at a daycare, Jade was lucky if she managed to pay her heating bill every winter. How was she supposed to put aside money for education, let alone find the time to take any classes?
Some days, Jade was depressed at the way life had derailed all her prior dreams, but now she hated herself for ever wanting anything more than to have her daughter by her side, safe and sound.
She longed for a kind word from her mother, a friendly hug from her father, but they were both gone. Her father met his end shortly after attacking Pastor Mitch with that baseball bat, and Mom’s high blood pressure and failing heart couldn’t hold up to the stress the family endured in the aftermath of the assault.
It wasn’t fair. Because of Pastor Mitch, Jade had lost both of her parents.
“Here you are. I thought maybe you’d gone back inside the church to warm up.”
Jade turned to see Mrs. Spencer, Dez’s Sunday school teacher, and said, “I thought you went home hours ago.”
“I did but just long enough to drop the twins off with their mom and grab warmer clothes.” She looked down at her snow boots. “I’m so sorry about what happened. I was sure she was upstairs with you.”
Jade didn’t want to be angry with Mrs. Spencer. She wanted to accept her apology. But how different would this evening have looked if the old woman had just followed Dez upstairs instead of sending a five-year-old up to the sanctuary by herself? In a town as small and safe as Glennallen, with a church where everybody knew everybody else, Dez should have been fine. But the night was so dark, and the temperatures were still dropping.
Jade ignored Mrs. Spencer’s apology, prayed that God would forgive her for her bitterness, and continued tramping through the snow in search of her daughter.