“Tanner?” she asked, trying to keep her emotions together. “Tanner?”
“He can’t talk. He has tube. He in great pain.”
“Yes…yes,” Mrs. Tillman responded, trying to be upbeat, positive.
The nurse again handed Tanner the pen and replaced the notepad under his right hand.
“Tanner, can you write where Elizabeth is? There’s a pen in your hand, sweetie. Just write down where she is. Tanner, are you with us?”
His eye rolled again. Mrs. Tillman thought he understood, but his hand never moved. Tanner couldn’t stop the heavy curtain of drowsiness from being pulled closed. Elizabeth’s image, every date, every kiss replayed in fast-forward. He silently screamed. The questions about Elizabeth hurt his soul. No one knows where she is!
“Tanner? Please!” Olivia Beasley begged.
His hand slowly scribbled as everyone in the room watched intently. He desperately tried to write but couldn’t.
“That’s it, Tanner…just write it down!” his mother said, encouraging him.
Tanner’s hand twitched again, and then his eye closed. It stayed closed.
“Sorry, ladies. He out now,” Dr. Sarhan explained. His primary focus was on his patient.
“Who is Elizabeth?” Dr. Sarhan asked as an afterthought.
“She was with Tanner on a date, and now she’s missing,” Tanner’s mother explained. “We have no idea where she is…the sheriff doesn’t even know where to look.” She began to sob.
“I see. I alert you when he wakes up,” Dr. Sarhan said, preoccupied, looking down at Tanner’s chart.
Dr. Sarhan had not been apprised of the circumstances surrounding Tanner’s injuries. Had he been, he would not have ordered that last surge of morphine. He quietly left the room to search for Narcan to reverse the effects of the morphine. He didn’t know if the hospital had any.
Tanner had heard every word.
Mrs. Tillman again covered her mouth while she looked at him. Her right hand brushed the hair over his forehead as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Olivia Beasley took the piece of paper but couldn’t make out anything legible. Maybe a “g” or a “9,” and the second letter might be an “a,” she thought. Two letters…what are they? She walked out of the room and stopped at the nurse’s desk to study the scribbling. It didn’t make any sense.
A huge county map was spread on the table when Ollie walked in. Marlow had four Hale County deputies, three Sumter County deputies, the Sumter County game warden, and Zach Beasley all standing around the table. Ollie thanked everyone for being there, then quickly ran through the story, explaining in detail what they knew and what they theorized might have happened. He was careful not to paint a picture of Jake Crosby’s innocence. The deputies were attentive, anxious. This was the rush for which they lived.
“What we want to do is contain this area around the gate, and then set up a perimeter that will stretch out to these points,” Ollie explained, pointing to the map. “The good news is that there are only a few ways to exit the property by vehicle. The bad news is we have no idea if they are actually on it.”
“That’s a real problem,” Marlow interjected. “And the guys we suspect are behind this, Johnny Lee Grover and crew, will damn sure be armed, and believe me, they are as crazy as car-struck dogs-really dangerous.”
“That’s right, so nobody try to be a hero. Get on the radio and get some backup, OK?” Ollie said, looked at each of them, then took a sip of coffee. “We have a helicopter that will be here at daylight. That’ll be a big help covering the area. Keep that in mind.”
Ollie set his cup on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Staring at each deputy again he said, “All right, everybody, before we make assignments, I wanna emphasize the importance of this search and ask that you stay away from the media. Don’t let your excitement cloud your judgment or your training. There’s a seventeen-year-old girl out there who needs us. Job One is to find her. Got it?”
Everyone nodded or said, “Yes sir.”
Ollie continued. “Miz Martha’s prepared some fact sheets on Elizabeth. Grab one on your way out.”
“Any questions?” Marlow interjected.
“It’s turkey season…will there be other hunters in the area?” a deputy asked.
“I don’t have a clue. It wouldn’t surprise me,” Ollie added.
“I vote we don’t let ‘em go in…if we run into any hunters wantin’ to enter the property,” the same deputy responded.
“Agreed. We don’t need the added confusion,” said Ollie. “Turn ‘em around if any show up. But don’t tell ‘em anything.”
The group nodded in unison.
“Good,” Ollie continued. “One other thing: We just got word that Tanner Tillman woke up briefly; he couldn’t speak, but when they asked where Elizabeth was, he scribbled what appeared to be a G and an A before he passed out again.”
“That could mean gate,” one deputy commented.
“And it could mean Gainesville,” another added. “That’s not but fifteen miles away.”
“It could mean gang…or even garbage…you know the big dump is right up Highway Seventeen!” a deputy blurted excitedly.
“All true, but let’s not let our imaginations run wild. This information is not really helpful at this point. It simply adds more confusion. I believe we will eventually determine that it means the gate,” Ollie explained. He loved the group’s enthusiasm but needed them to focus.
“Everyone knows R.C., right? He and Steve Tillman have gone to look around on the property where we believe the kids were tonight. If we hear anything, we’ll pass it along. I expect a report from them soon,” Ollie added as he stood.
“One last thing…I have a man named Mick Johnson that may show up to help. He knows Crosby, and he knows the property, so let him through,” Ollie explained, watching them all write down the name.
“Zach, do you have anything?” Ollie asked kindly.
This caught Zach by surprise. He wasn’t prepared to talk. The men watched him with compassion. Ollie hoped to inspire the group with Zach’s presence.
“Please find my daughter. Please find her and bring her home,” he said with a quiver in his voice. All were clearly touched by his emotion.
“All right, gentlemen. Here is what I want everyone to do.” Ollie ran his hand over the map and began laying out his plan. The group listened to every word. Even Sheriff Marlow paid attention. For Ollie, it was like his football days when he would take over the defensive huddle and rally the team for a fourth-quarter, red-zone stand.
Jake stopped to check his map when they came to an intersection of two logging roads. He was out of breath. He knelt down, letting Katy slide off his back. He hid the light as he got his bearings. He now knew for certain where they were. The field was not very far. He clicked off the light and looked at the girls.
Elizabeth was trying to catch her breath. Katy simply studied Elizabeth.
“OK, ladies, we don’t have much farther. There’s a perfect place for us to hide and rest. Can y’all make it for ten more minutes?” he whispered.
They both nodded. Jake could tell Elizabeth was numb, mentally and physically. Katy was subdued but definitely more upbeat since her focus and concerns were now on Elizabeth. Thank God she doesn’t understand how serious all this is. He gently rubbed the top of her head reassuringly before he picked her up, grunting lightly.
Jake consciously thought about where to walk in an effort to leave the least amount of tracks. He even thought of splitting up, but that was no good. Jake didn’t want the guys chasing Elizabeth by herself, and they might not ever be able to get back together. No, they were a group and needed to stay a group, he decided. He had to protect her as well. It’s my fault she’s in this mess. Jake decided to stay on this higher ground, in the pines, and hope for the best as he made his way toward the field.
“Katy, you’ve turned into a chunk. How much do you weigh, girl?” he whispered, readjusting her weight.
“Only fifty-two pounds, Dad. Less than the dog,” she whispered back.