Katie is Missing!

On the way back to camp, I tried everyone's phones again without luck. Where the heck was everyone? "Deb, I can't reach anyone at camp. Something isn't right. Mike should be picking up."

"Maybe cell phone coverage is out. It happens," she reminded me.

"The camp phone is a landline and no one is answering that one either," I complained.

"We'll be there soon. Don't worry."

Beanie was fast asleep in the safety seat, face smeared with rice pudding remnants and chocolate ice cream. I wondered about the long-term effects of the trauma she'd just been through. She might shrug it off now, as an adventure she can tell stories about but, what will happen in the future?

Deb pulled the cruiser into the camp parking lot and Janie ran out from the camp store to meet us, worry etched on her face. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! I thought I'd never see you two again. We were terrified!"

As Deb opened the backseat doors, Janie hugged me first, then caressed Beanie's smudged, little face. Tears running down her face she excitedly told me, "Oh, boy. I don't know how to tell you this after all you've been through--"

"Tell me what? Janie, what's wrong?"

"It's Katie."

"What? What about Katie?" I demanded.

"We can't find her and Tyler. He was supposed to be watching her and his truck is gone."

"Hold on. Hold on. The Godfrey's don't know where he lives? He's their grandson."

"Should I call in a missing child report?" Deb asked.

"The Godfrey's are at the hospital. Gordy had a heart attack."

"Oh, No! What is going on? This is crazy!" I moaned, my mind racing a mile a minute about all the terrible possibilities with Katie and feeling guilty because I couldn't give poor Gordy an ounce of thought right now.

As Deb touched the radio on her shoulder to call in a report for Katie being missing, an old pickup truck turned into the camp driveway. Janie ran to it, yelling, "Where the hell have you been? We've been trying to reach you for hours!"

Katie hopped out of the passenger seat, looking like a grease monkey, and dashed over to us, hugging me fiercely and peppering us with questions. "What happened? Tyler said the van got in the water. Were you and Beans in it? How did you get out? Is my little Beanie beans okay? Are we still going to Gigi's?"

"Whoa! Yes, Beanie and I were in the van when it went into the water. We got out and she swam to a dock and saved herself."

"Beanie! I'm so proud of you!" she squealed.

"Where were you and Tyler all this time?"

"He and I fixed a compressor and went to the hospital to see Mr. Gordy," she said.

A sheepish-looking Tyler ambled over and said, "I'm so sorry. My phone was off. You have a real Miss Fix-it there, Karol. She's very smart. We tried to get in to see Gramps, but they wouldn't let Katie in, so we came back. Hope it's okay that I took her to Burger King. We were starved."

"Oh, it's more than okay, Tyler. We were all so worried, with everything that happened to us I thought maybe those men had taken Katie. No. You're sweet to watch out for her today and she looks like it was fun."

"No shit. They pushed the van into the lake? What kind of assholes would do that with a little kid and a woman? What's this fucking world coming to?" he said angrily.

I would probably be washing Katie's mouth out often this week. But I was glad Tyler stepped up to the plate to help out.

"Tyler, did they tell you what Gordy's condition was?"

"He'll be fine. They put a stent in and said they'll bust him loose after the weekend."

"Scary times today," Janie said.

"Well, you seem to be in good hands, so I'll take off. Here's my card with the station's number on it. Call us if you need anything at all, and don't forget to get in touch with the victim's advocacy center," Deb said, climbing into her cruiser.

"Thank you for everything, Deb. I don't know how we would have gotten through the day without you."

"Hey, protect and serve and all that," she said before swinging out of her parking spot and heading toward town.