Searching for Jeremy Bolt

"Jason! Jason! Wake up!" Joshua shouted from the front room.

"What's going on, Josh?" Jason ran in from his bedroom.

"I found this note from Jeremy." Joshua handed him the note.

Jason read: Brothers, I love you very much. I am leaving and I am not coming back. Please don't be angry at me. Everyone will be happier including me. Remember me, please. I will remember both of you. Love, Jeremy.

Jason was stunned. "What in the world, Josh?"

Joshua shook his head. "I don't know, Jason. I noticed he was a little quieter than usual when he got home from his walk with Candy last night, but he didn't seem upset."

"Well, obviously Jeremy was very distraught about something and both of us failed to see it. I didn't even realize he was quieter than normal." Jason spoke.

"We had better get to searching for him because something or someone has hurt him deeply." Jason swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Yeah." Joshua said softly. "Jason, you don't think Jeremy would harm himself, do you?"

"What?! Oh, no! Joshua, no! Jeremy wouldn't do something like that. I'm sure of it." Jason stated emphatically. "Just get that horrible thought out of your mind, brother." (Reader, Jason is right.)

"You are right, Jason. I'm so worried about our brother, that I let my imagination run away with me." Joshua replied.

The two Bolts got dressed and left their cabin to search for Jeremy.

They walked to the dormitory to talk to Candy. She was sweeping the front porch.

"Good morning, Candy." Joshua said.

"Good morning, Joshua, Jason. Where is Jeremy?" She asked.

"Well, Candy, we were hoping you could tell us." Jason answered.

"I don't know what you mean, Jason. I haven't seen Jeremy since last night. Just what is going on with Jeremy, please tell me." Candy was worried.

Jason and Joshua glanced at each other. "Let her read it, Jason."

Jason took the note from his coat pocket and handed it to Candy.

She stared at Jason and Joshua briefly. Then she unfolded the note and read it.

"Leaving? Never coming back? He doesn't say anything about why or where he is going. I'm so confused. I don't know what happened. Jeremy didn't seem upset during our walk last night." Candy sat down on one of the porch chairs.

Jason and Joshua took seats on the porch as well. Candy returned the note to Jason. He put it in his pocket.

"Candy, may I ask what you and Jeremy talked about last night? I'm not saying that you did anything wrong. Perhaps Jeremy said something that could shed some light on why he left." Jason questioned.

"We talked about the usual everyday things we always talk about. Oh, there was one thing different, but I don't think it would affect Jeremy like this." Candy answered.

"What did you and he talk about, Candy?" Joshua wondered.

"Well, I told him that an old friend and I have been writing to each other and I got a telegram from him yesterday that he is coming to Olympia on business, and he wants to stop here for a visit." Candy frowned.

"I see. Miss Pruitt, is this old friend a young man? I realize I have no right to pry into your personal life. However, our brother is missing so to speak, and this information might have some bearing on that." Jason gazed at her intently.

"I know what you mean, Jason. Yes, this old friend is a young man. He is just a friend. He has never been anything else to me and I explained that to Jeremy." Candy bit one of her fingernails.

"I'm not doubting you, Candy. Did Jeremy believe you?" Joshua held his mouth in a thin line.

"He seemed to. I thought he did. Jeremy didn't argue. He didn't appear upset last night. However, now I'm wondering if he was angry. Something obviously has him seriously upset." Candy said.

"That's what Jason said. Jeremy is hurt or angry over something." Joshua sighed.

"When is your friend coming for a visit, Candy?" asked the oldest Bolt.

"He was coming next month. I'm going to wire him and let him know that it would be improper for him to visit. I'm also going to tell him that we can no longer correspond." Candy explained.

"Jason let's go talk to Lottie. Maybe she knows where Jeremy is." Joshua spoke.

Please let me know when you find him. I will be praying." Candy told them.

"We will let you know. Don't worry." Joshua responded.

When Lottie found out that Jeremy was missing, she rushed upstairs to see if he had come in during the night or very early morning without her knowing it. Jason and Joshua followed her. Jeremy was not there.

The three went back downstairs and continued talking in front of the bar.

"Lottie has Jeremy talked to you recently about being sad or angry about anything. Ordinarily, I wouldn't ask you to break a confidence, but we are seriously concerned about our brother." Jason advised.

"I understand, Jason. The answer is no, Jeremy has not talked to me about being sad or angry lately. But you know, Jason, Jeremy doesn't always tell someone when he is upset. That sweet boy tries to keep his feelings bottled up a lot of times." Lottie sighed and wrung her hands.

"Yes, we know, Lottie. Jeremy has kept his feelings to himself many times when he needs to talk to someone. However, this is the first time he has ever left planning not to return. Except for the time he ran away when he was ten years old." Jason replied.

Corky was sitting at a table alone eating breakfast. He heard the conversation between Lottie and the Bolts. Corky got up from the table and went to the stove to get another cup of coffee.

On his way back to the table, Corky caught Joshua's attention. He motioned for Joshua to come to his table. Joshua walked over.

"Hey, Josh, I couldn't help but overhear Jason and Lottie talking about Jeremy. There's something I need to tell both of ya."

"Okay, Corky." Joshua said. "Jason, Corky needs to tell us something."

Jason thanked Lottie for talking to them and then he walked over to Corky's table.

Jason took a seat. "What did you want to tell us, Corky?"

"Yesterday, up at the camp some of the men got to talking during lunch. Some of the guys grew up with Jeremy and went to school with him, ya know. Somehow, the subject of Jeremy stuttering came up and the men mentioned that back when they were kids, people sometimes called Jeremy the little backward Bolt boy. And some of the guys laughed. We thought Jeremy had gone into town to see Candy. He had talked about doing that during lunch. But he didn't go. When the guys were laughing, some of them turned around and Jeremy was standing there. He heard the whole thing. Jason, Josh, we tried to apologize. We really did. Jeremy didn't say nothing. He looked hurt and turned around and walked away." Corky told them.

Jason leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Joshua leaned his elbows on the table and put his face in his hands. Corky waited for them to speak.

After a short interval, Jason and Joshua frowned at each other.

"Corky, you said somehow the subject of Jeremy stuttering came up. Tell me why the subject came up, please." Jason leaned toward him.

"It came up because that morning when Jeremy was giving the crew their work assignments, he stuttered some." Corky replied.

"When Jeremy stuttered, did anyone laugh?" Joshua inquired.

"A few guys in the back chuckled a little, but they got poked in the ribs and told to shut up." Corky answered. "I'm really sorry. I hope Jeremy comes home soon."

"He said he was never coming back! Be sure you tell those jackasses at the camp so they can have another belly laugh at lunch today at Jeremy's expense!" Joshua shouted.

Corky hung his head as he went out the door.

"Oh, Jason!" Lottie came and sat at the table. "No wonder Jeremy left. He thinks Candy has a new man and the loggers laugh at him and bring up painful childhood memories."

"Yeah, we need to find him soon. I hate to think about how hurt he is. Come on, Josh." Jason spoke.

As the two men were getting up from the table, Reverend Adams came through the door. He wanted to speak to Lottie about getting the wine for Sunday's Communion Service.

Lottie told the Reverend what was going on with the Bolt brothers.

"Oh, I am so ashamed. I thought about this last night. I never thought it would disturb him this badly." Reverend Adams said.

The two Bolts and Lottie looked at each other. Lottie shrugged her shoulders.

"Reverend, we are confused. Please explain to us what you mean." Jason requested.

"Yes, of course. Yesterday afternoon, I walked into the sanctuary and Jeremy was sitting on the front pew. He said he was taking a break from work. He looked as if he had been crying and I asked if he wanted to talk about something. He said no thank you. I went back to my office. In a little while, there was a knock on my door. I said come in and Jeremy came into the room. He had a flyer in his hand. One of those that I had placed in the Narthex inviting anyone in the congregation to bring the Message on a Sunday next month. Jeremy said he would like to do that. He offered to take any Sunday." The Reverend paused and looked down at the floor.

Joshua put his face in his hands. Lottie bit her lip, and blinked back tears. Jason looked up, shook his head and closed his eyes.

Without moving, Jason asked, "Reverend Adams, you told Jeremy that he couldn't bring the Message because of his stuttering, didn't you?"

"Yes, I told him exactly what you said. I am so very ashamed." The minister answered.

"You weren't ashamed yesterday when you told him that he couldn't participate because of his stuttering were you? You weren't ashamed when you told him that anybody in the congregation meant anybody but him, were you? You weren't ashamed to hurt him terribly even though you knew he had been crying and upset about something, were you? How about it, preacher, were you?" Joshua lashed out.

"No, you are correct, Joshua, I wasn't ashamed yesterday. I am truly sorry that I contributed to his pain and that I am partially responsible for Jeremy leaving. I hope that he returns soon and that the three of you can forgive me one day." Reverend Adams left the saloon.

"Jason, I am frightened for Jeremy. He took three serious emotional blows yesterday. We all know how sensitive he is." Lottie teared up.

"Yeah. And two of those blows pertained to his stuttering." Jason sighed deeply.

"We have to get going, Jason. I'm getting more worried by the minute." Joshua gulped.

The two brothers left the saloon. They went to see Clancy aboard his ship. Jason and Joshua showed him the note Jeremy left. Clancy had not seen or heard from Jeremy. The crew helped the brothers search the ship. The youngest brother was not there.

Next, Jason and Joshua went to the logging camp and told the men that work was cancelled so they could all search for Jeremy. The camp and the outlying areas were combed. No sign of the youngest Bolt was found.

Jason and Joshua went to the old Bolt family home place. They searched all over. Jeremy was not there and had not been there in some time. They visited their parents' graves. Jeremy had not been there because there were no new flowers on the graves.

"Let's sit down a minute, Josh." Jason suggested.

"Okay." Joshua said as he sat down on the ground close to the graves.

"Mom, Dad, we have misplaced Jeremy. We can't find him and we are scared." Jason lamented. "Before Dad died, he told me constantly that he was depending on me to take good care of you and Jeremy. Now look what's happened! "

"Dad meant when we were kids, Jason. Jeremy and I are adults now." Joshua reminded him.

"Certainly, Josh, but both of you are still my brothers and I feel responsible for you two."

"That's understandable. Old habits die hard." Joshua smiled. "Let's ride up to Maggie's Peak. Jeremy could be up there."

"I hope so, brother." Jason replied.

Along the way up the mountain, they searched and called out for their youngest brother.

"JEREMY! JEREMY! Answer us, JEREMY!" Both brothers shouted.

On Maggie's Peak, the highest point on Bridal Veil Mountain, there was no sign of Jeremy. Jason and Joshua gazed across the valley in silence for a few moments.

"Joshua, I'm afraid, deathly afraid that we have lost Jeremy forever." Jason and Joshua cried.

TBC