Where could the boy have gone?
Molly’s heart jumped into her throat as adrenaline immediately coursed through her. Helen’s expression was sheer panic, so Molly knew it was serious.
“Mom,” Logan said calmly and firmly as he took his mother’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. “What do you mean? Judah is supposed to be with you.”
Helen let out a tiny sob. “I know. I’m so sorry. I was supposed to be watching him while the two of you talked. I didn’t think—He said he had to go to the bathroom and would take Rufus with him. I was right in the middle of something on the computer and I—I should have gone with him.”
“To the bathroom?” Logan asked. “Mom, he’s seven. He can go to the bathroom by himself.”
“I know, but—after about five minutes, I realized he hadn’t come back. I wondered if he might be having some kind of problem, so I checked on him, only to find that the bathroom was empty.”
“Okay. So, let’s think this through. Maybe he saw a toy or something and got sidetracked. He does that sometimes.”
“That’s what I thought, too. But I’ve looked all over the house and there’s no sign of Judah or Rufus. He’s gone, Logan. He’s gone, and it’s all my fault. Oh, I wish Garrett was here instead of off the grid with his fishing buddies.”
“Mom.” Logan pressed her into the swinging chair. “Breathe. There has to be a logical explanation for this. If he isn’t in the house, he must be around here somewhere. Molly?”
“I’m on it,” she said, dashing into the house, praying under her breath as she ran. Surely Judah was in here somewhere. Maybe he’d gotten spooked and was hiding in a corner of a closet or something—although Helen would have known to look for such behavior.
“Judah?” she called. “It’s Miss Molly. Are you here?”
Then she had a second thought. “Rufus? Rufus, with me.”
Nothing.
“Oh, Lord Jesus, protect that little boy,” she prayed aloud.
Where was he?
Forcing herself to take long, deep breaths to keep from hyperventilating, she started a methodical search from the bedroom closest to the bathroom.
“Judah?” she kept calling gently. “Rufus?”
It was just too quiet. Her voice echoed in the empty hallway. She knew in her gut Judah wasn’t here, but she kept up her search nonetheless—inside closets, underneath the beds. Anywhere a little boy could squeeze or scramble.
Rufus is with him, she reminded herself. Rufus won’t let him get hurt.
It was true the dog would protect him, but why were they gone in the first place? What would have caused Judah to bolt out of the house?
She checked every kitchen cabinet and underneath the desks in the home office.
Still nothing.
Finally, she admitted to herself that Judah would not be found inside the Maddoxes’ house and she went outside to see if Logan had fared any better.
Helen was still on the porch swing, sobbing in earnest now. Logan had a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. When he looked up, his eyes met Molly’s, and his jaw tightened as he gave his head a slight shake.
He hadn’t found Judah out here, either.
“We should call the police,” Helen said.
Logan threaded his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, Mom. I don’t think the police can do anything until a certain amount of time has passed. It hasn’t even been an hour.”
“Maybe not officially,” Molly said, “but it wouldn’t hurt to give them a ring. I know the police chief personally. I’ll let him know what’s happening. In the meantime, call Sharpe and tell him to gather my family together. Judah is out there somewhere not far off from here, and we’re going to find him.”
Molly didn’t know where her strength and confidence came from all of a sudden—no doubt from the Lord. She was sure she’d crash later and have a good cry. But right now, there wasn’t time to break down. They had a little boy to find.
It would have been bad enough with any other child, but with Judah—he could easily run into situations that would cause him intense anxiety. Loud traffic. A crowd of people. She had to believe Rufus was with him and was taking care of him.
Within ten minutes, Molly’s family had gathered at the Maddoxes’ house. Everyone was looking to her for guidance, so she continued to play point person.
“Let’s not run off half-cocked,” she suggested, crossing her arms and glancing from sibling to sibling and then at Logan, who’d sat down by his mother and was comforting her as best he could.
“We can definitely cover most of the town fairly quickly if we split up,” Avery said.
“And talk to everyone we meet as we go,” Ruby added. “That way we’ll have even more people looking for him.”
“The town is not my biggest concern,” said Logan. “What if he—” His voice broke and he had to pause for a moment. “What if he wandered off into the woods?”
There was a wooded area behind the Maddoxes’ small house, but there was an eight-foot privacy wall between the house and the woods and Molly wasn’t sure Judah could have scaled that fence even if he’d wanted to. Rufus certainly wouldn’t have been able to do it.
“It’s possible, but I don’t think so,” she said. “I believe Rufus is with him. He wouldn’t have been able to get over the fence. Besides, we were in the backyard, Logan. We would have seen him if he’d come out this way.”
“Which only leaves the front.”
“Right. So it’s much more likely he’s right here in town, and if so, someone’s probably seen him. Everyone knows where they’re going, so let’s get started. Also, Judah knows Logan’s cell phone number, so he’ll keep his phone on him. Logan and I will stay here and be the point people in case he wanders back in.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Logan said after Molly’s siblings had split up to look for Judah. “I feel like I should be doing something more. Go out there somewhere and try to find him.”
“It’s very possible he just went out for a walk or something. It will be much better for him and for you if you’re here to greet him when he returns.”
Logan blew out a breath. “Okay. I know you’re right. I trust you. I just pray that God is keeping my little boy safe.”
Logan felt as if someone had wrapped barbed wire around his heart.
He pictured his innocent little boy walking out the front door of his house and going—where?
Why would Judah do such a thing? He knew better than to run off on his own, even with Rufus by his side.
Questions churned through his mind as painfully as a combine churned through his guts. In his panic, he could barely put two words together, and here he was trying to calm down his frightened mother when he was every bit as anxious as she was.
He didn’t blame her. Whatever had gotten into Judah’s head that had caused him to leave, Logan was absolutely positive it had nothing to do with his mother.
They just needed to find him, bring him home and talk to him. Discover what could have possibly entered his head that would make him walk out the front door on his own—even with Rufus by his side.
Surely among all the Winslow siblings, they’d find him and return him quickly. Molly said the police had been informed and were keeping an eye out for Judah and Rufus. A little boy with a Great Dane puppy wouldn’t be hard to spot.
But after another fifteen minutes, everyone had checked in—and not one person had seen Judah.
By this time, Logan was pacing back and forth like a caged tiger. He couldn’t just remain here waiting while his son was who-knew-where. He needed to be out looking for him.
Molly was constantly on her phone playing point person. Every so often she’d cast him a worried glance. He straightened his shoulders and clenched his teeth, giving her a curt nod the next time she looked over. Molly didn’t need to be worried about him, as well. He would hold it together, because that’s what fathers did in a crisis.
Between phone calls, Molly sat down on the bench next to Helen and absently rubbed her back.
“I think maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” she said at length.
“How do you mean?” asked Logan.
“I’ve been going back and forth in my mind wondering why he ran away. I’m not sure we’re going to get that answer until we find Judah. What we really need to be asking ourselves is where he would go if he was looking to find some comfort.”
“But this house is his safe place.”
“Let’s assume for a moment that for some reason it’s suddenly not. He needs to get away and think. Where would you go if you were Judah?”
“He might go to your farm,” Logan suggested.
“Yes. You’re right. He really seems to like it there. And if...” She trailed off for a moment and then exclaimed loudly. “Logan, you’re a genius.”
“What?” he said, his brain muzzy from worry.
“I think I know where we’ll find Judah.”