Web of Deceit by Peggy Slocum Page B

he jogs back to his car.
     
    *   *   *
     
    Standing close,
Beth watches as Frank handcuffs the sudden mute, reads him the Miranda rights,
and takes him to his squad car. A gnawing sadness eats away at Beth. They
kidnapped Sarah for who knows what. So two people died. They brought it on
themselves. All we need is, one, to find out what’s going on. Why do I … feel
so awful inside?
    Elliot comes near
to Beth who is leaning up against her Jeep and reaches for her long, auburn
curls that are covering her bright green eyes and pushes them away from her
face. “You all right, hon?”
    “Yeah, I’m OK,”
she says, lying.
    Elliot leans
against the Jeep next to her. “First time seeing something like this?”
    “Yeah,”
    “It’s OK. The
shrink at the police force said those feelings are normal, and they make little
pink pills for ’em,”
    “Oh really? How’s
that working out for you?”
    “Why don’t you go
check on Sarah and let her parents know we got ’em.” Elliot avoids the
question.
    “What are you
going to do?”
    “Frank will send
some investigators over, and we’ll go through the garage and apartment. I’ll
let you know what we find.”
    “You sure?” Beth
asks.
    “Yeah, I’ll either
have them drop me off or I’ll call you when I’m done.”
    Beth stares at the
ground and then upward at the sky, lost in thought. Hell? Heaven? Scary; wonder
where those guys went? “OK, but keep me informed. I want to know what’s
going on.” She gets in the Jeep and rolls the window down halfway.
    “I promise,”
Elliot says. “Let me know how Sarah’s doin’.”
    “I will.”

Chapter
9: Recovery
     
    Beth rounds the corner
in the hallway leading to Sarah’s room. As she approaches her room, she hears
laughter. Beth opens the door a crack. “Excuse me,” she asks a nurse. “Can you
tell me where they moved Sarah Perkins?”
    “Oh, we didn’t
move her. She’s right over there.” The nurse points to the bed surrounded with
people.
    Irritated, Beth
snaps, “Sorry to be blunt, but do Sarah’s parents realize this has become a
nurse’s lounge?”
    A familiar voice
pipes up. “Stop being so serious and come over here and say hi.”
    “Sarah? How can
this be?”Beth hurries over to the bed and reaches around her friend to
give her a gentle hug. “What’s goin’ on? This doesn’t make sense. The doctor
explained you were in a deep coma. How could you wake up so soon?”
    Sarah and the
nurses laugh. “It’s the power of prayer,” Sarah says. “God woke me up!”
    The nurses leave.
    “With everything
that’s happened to you today, you’re either the luckiest person I’ve ever met
or maybe you are on to something. And … this God you’re always talking about is
real, and he’s got your back,” Beth says.
    Tears well up in
Sarah’s eyes. “Oh Beth, he loves me, and he loves you too. Jesus tells us in
John 3:16 that ‘for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.’
”
    “But if he loves
you so much, why would he let all this stuff happen to you?”
    “We can’t see it
at the time, but God has a reason for everything that happens. Romans 8:28
tells us ‘we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ ”
    Beth sighs. “I
don’t know about that, Sarah. I just don’t see anything good coming out of this
mess. If I could’ve stopped all this from happening and protected you, I
would’ve in a heartbeat.”
    “Yes, but that’s
because you can only see a small picture of what has been shown to you at that
moment. You see the short-term pain it has caused. Where God sees the big
picture.” Sarah explains with her arms wide apart to illustrate. “Like a puzzle.
In order to finish the puzzle, every piece must be placed. Blessed is the name
of the Lord.”
    Beth glances at
the IV in Sarah’s arm. “What