Then she looked at the woods surrounding the community.
A wolf howled in the distance.
Chapter Ten
The expanse of the ceiling stretched above the congregants’ heads as if attempting to reach the heavens. Given what happened in Genesis when man built a tower to reach God, Eliana had always wondered if cathedrals and other high-ceiling churches should have been built with lower ceilings. Still, the way the sound of the choir resonated from the rafters of the old stone building made it worth it.
Eliana closed her eyes as she stood listening to the words of this ancient hymn. She adored all worship music, no matter who wrote it or when, whether it was modern or had stood the test of time. If it was praise to God, she wanted to hear it. Especially today.
After yesterday.
After the nightmares she’d had over and over last night.
Eliana hugged her jacket tighter around her, making her elbow hurt where she’d been stuck with a needle. She squeezed her eyes shut.
Only You know what happened. And why.
Only You have the words of eternal life.
She repeated snatches of verses she remembered. Letting the notes of the hymn wash over her with a kind of familiarity that felt like family.
Someone patted her arm, and she opened her eyes, glancing aside at Patience on the pew beside her.
The older woman leaned over. “Everything okay?”
Eliana hadn’t told her about the compound or what happened there. “I’m good.”
When the worship time concluded, the pastor came to the pulpit and gripped the sides. He bowed his head and prayed a blessing over the Word as they heard it.
“Amen.” Eliana sat, which put her close to Patience. So close they were practically pressed together, but there was no room to scoot the other way on the pew because the sanctuary was packed. Eliana looked around the room and her gaze snagged on dark hair, so brown it almost looked black.
She couldn’t see the man’s face, but it might be Carlos.
Despite getting hardly any sleep, she’d dragged herself out of bed, knowing good and well that she needed to be here. She tuned out the pastor’s explanation of the new schedule for children’s classes, thinking about the day before. What they’d found—and what they hadn’t. Those missing hours.
Luci was still unaccounted for, just like the hours between when they’d been “zapped” in that doorway and waking up after it was dark, and they had no way to find the memories or Carlos’s sister. Eliana said another silent prayer about it right now, because she didn’t know how they were supposed to find Luci.
And where else was she supposed to go for answers, anyway?
He’d called in the state police as soon as they’d left the building and the cops showed up an hour later, first two and then more. Then followed a team of forensic technicians and some detectives. More and more officers with their questions,talking and talking while the others collected evidence, or tromping through the resort—compound—place and looking over every inch of it.
No sign of anyone.
Carlos had answered a lot of their questions, running interference for her. Not that she couldn’t have answered herself. She was glad he’d taken the lead because he knew what he was doing in that situation and why the cops asked the questions they had.
Talk about being out of her element. She hadn’t wanted a medical examination. All she knew about that place was the scriptures the community seemed to be based on, but none of it made any sense or lined up with what she believed. It seemed more like borrowing phrases for another meaning.
Which reminded her of Patience’s questions the other day, about her parents. Fundamentalism itself wasn’t a bad thing. At its simplest, it meant a person was devout, with strong beliefs. What people did in the name of fundamentalism was something a lot different, though. Like using the tendrils of truth mixed with lies to draw people into a community and then…
She didn’t know what Luci had fallen into. Or even if she really was missing. Maybe she’d never gone there, or she had, but then left shortly after and didn’t stay.
Yesterday, in the middle of all the chaos with the police and evidence collection, Carlos had put his hand on her right shoulder, and she’d leaned into the comfort of his presence beside her. She’d needed the familiarity of their friendship even while her heart still nursed the pain of his rejection all these years later. Maybe she should be adult enough to have let go of it by now, but the savage way he’d torn apart her heart—and her trust in him—left her broken in a way she would always carry.
“…exciting announcement.”
Eliana blinked, trying to focus a little less on her thoughts and a little more on what the preacher was saying. Family was family. She and Carlos would be in each other’s lives for the rest of theirs. She needed to set aside the hurt for Luci’s sake. Otherwise, Eliana would be facing this situation alone with no idea what to do.
“Just yesterday, there was a meeting of Chicago-area pastors, preachers, and church clergy members. All denominations gathered in one place for the purpose of joining together in fellowship and unity as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
