Chapter Twelve
A Shot in the Dark
Bo
Gentle tapping on my shoulder woke me the next morning. I opened my eyes and smiled at the sight of my uncle until I remembered that Luke was missing. I quickly jumped up from the porch swing, almost losing my balance.
"Easy, boy," Uncle Jesse said as he grabbed hold of my arm to steady me. "Did you sleep out here all night?"
When I nodded, he added, "It's a might chilly. Come on in and have a hot cup of coffee and some breakfast. We need to figure out how to go about looking for Luke today."
"Maybe he just went off somewhere to think. You know how he is when something is bothering him," I said.
Uncle Jesse shook his head. "I guess I know how Luke is better than anyone since I raised him since he was a little tyke. He needs his space sometimes but he wouldn't go off without letting me know where he is. That ain't like him at all."
"I know, Uncle Jesse," I agreed. "I guess it was just wishful thinking."
"It ain't likely," he insisted. "If that boy did run off somewhere without letting me know, he'll be mighty sorry. I wish that were all there was to it."
"Me too, Uncle Jesse," I said.
My muscles were aching some from sleeping on the porch swing all night. Uncle Jesse held the front door open for me. He said, "Come on, boy. We should eat a little something before we head back out again. We'll need our energy."
We made our way to the kitchen where Daisy was making breakfast. Daisy and me silently hugged each other, not needing to voice our feeling. We both felt the same. We were worried to death about Luke.
We all jumped when the phone rang. I grabbed for the receiver but Uncle Jesse beat me to it. I was disappointed when I heard him say good morning to Mrs. Jacobson. I listened absently to the one-sided conversation.
Uncle Jesse said, "I'm sorry, dear. I can't come by today. I'm afraid, we've got a problem here…..We're worried about Luke. We haven't seen him since Friday night and we don't know where he is."
Uncle Jesse paused and then exclaimed, "You saw him! You saw Luke! Where? When?"
Daisy and I both hurried over to our uncle to listen more closely to their conversation. We kept asking what Mrs. Jacobson was saying while Uncle Jesse waved us off and shushed us as he listened. He finally said, "Thank you. You've been very helpful…Yes, I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything…No, no it's not your fault. Thank you again."
When he hung up, I asked anxiously, "What'd she say, Uncle Jesse?"
"She saw Luke walking on Highway 36 near the Boar's Nest a little after eight on Friday night. She was heading over to her sister's house. She said Luke was hitching a ride home so she stopped and picked him up. She left him off on the highway out at Little Creek Road. She was sorry she couldn't take him all the way home but she can't see well driving at night, especially on dirt roads without lights. Luke told her he'd be fine walking the rest of the way home from there."
"That's only a couple of miles to the house. He should've been home in a half hour at the most," Daisy said. "What could've happened to him?"
"I drove that road out to the highway yesterday. I didn't see any sign of Luke," I said. "Something must've happened to him between here and there. He was on his way home. It doesn't make a lot of sense."
Uncle Jesse took command. "The three of us are gonna walk that road from here back out to the highway and then back again if we have to. We'll keep our eyes open for Luke or any sign that he was there. We'll find him."
Hearing Uncle Jesse say those words was reassuring. We would find Luke. But if Luke was out here on the farm all this time, he must be hurt or he would've come home. I knew we needed to find him fast.
The three of us walked Little Creek Road out to the highway. We covered the two miles slowly but we didn't see any evidence that Luke had been there. I had such high hopes of finding him. I was overwhelmed with the disappointment. Daisy was doing her best not to cry either.
Uncle Jesse pulled both me and Daisy into a tight hug. He said, "All right, now. I don't wanna see such glum faces. This here is where Mrs. Jacobson said she dropped Luke off. He told her he was going home so he must've started down the road right here. We just need to figure out exactly where he went and what happened. With all the rain we had, there won't be any footprints but there may be something else. So, let's take it slower this time. Keep your eyes open."
We walked down the dirt road again, this time more slowly, searching the sides of the road more carefully. We still didn't see anything. I was getting frustrated. As we came to the wooden bridge that crossed the creek, Daisy said to Uncle Jesse, "It ain't no use, Uncle Jesse. It was raining Friday night, hard at times. We're not gonna find any sign of Luke or any clues to where he might've gone. The rain would've washed it all away."
We stood on the bridge trying to figure out where Luke might've gone. Daisy said, "Maybe he decided not to come home. Maybe he went to one of the still sites to be alone."
"I suppose it's possible," Uncle Jesse said. "But I don't think it's likely. The boy knows better than to make us worry like this."
I kept looking down the road hoping that Luke would miraculously appear like nothing was wrong. I glanced over at the creek. As I was looking at the running water, I could've sworn I heard Luke call my name. "Did you hear that?" I asked anxiously.
"Hear what?" Daisy asked. "I didn't hear nothing."
"I didn't hear nothing either," Uncle Jesse said.
I listened intently but didn't hear nothing else. "I could've sworn I heard Luke call my name. You didn't hear it?"
Both Uncle Jesse and Daisy shook their heads. Uncle Jesse asked, "Where did it come from?"
"I couldn't tell. I don't know, maybe it was my imagination. Maybe it was in my head, wishful thinking," I answered disappointed. But I was sure I heard him even if it was only in my head.
"Now, maybe you heard something," Uncle Jesse said. "We need to search harder. Let's get going down the road and look more closely."
I couldn't take my eyes off the creek. "Luke might've taken the shortcut," I said hopefully.
"What shortcut?" Uncle Jesse asked.
"Along the ridge. Luke and me always took it when we were late before we were driving. It'd save us some time getting home and kept us out of trouble for being late. He might've taken it if it was raining and he wanted to get home quick"
"There's not much of a path there along the ridge," Uncle Jesse said. "I'd think that Luke had more sense than to walk up there in the rain and dark, but then you boys ain't got a whole lot of sense sometimes."
"He was upset. He might've taken it if he got caught in one of the downpours and wanted to get home fast," I said.
"All the more reason not to go that way but it's worth a try," Uncle Jesse conceded. "You head that way and me and Daisy will keep on the road. Be careful. The ground it still wet and slippery. I don't want you falling down the hill. One boy in trouble is more than enough."
"I'll be careful," I told Uncle Jesse as I started off the road. It occurred to me that Uncle Jesse might be right about the ridge being slippery. The idea that Luke might've fallen got me moving a little faster and looking down the hill to the creek below. It was a steep drop in places and a good distance down.
I saw something on the ground up ahead and rushed over to see what it was. I reached down and picked up the muddy handkerchief. It could've been Luke's. I yelled, "Luke. Luke, where are you?"
When I didn't get any response, I started searching the area. I walked a little further along the ridge but I didn't see any other sign of Luke. I headed back to the spot where I found the handkerchief. I looked down the steep hill but I didn't see nothing besides the trees. I decided to climb down the hill and get a better look along the creek. It was so slippery and steep that I had to grab onto the trees to prevent myself from slipping and falling.
When I was about half way down, I saw Luke sitting on the ground leaning against a tree by the creek. His head was nodded to his chest. I was relieved beyond description. I called his name but he didn't respond. He didn't even move. He was too still, unnaturally still. My heart practically stopped. I was frozen, unable to move or think. I've never been more scared in my life.
