Tracie Peterson - Dawns Prelude

"This blanket was found. Do you recognize it?"

Kjcll took hold of the piece and immediately recognized it. Despite the mud, it was clearly the blanket Zerelda had given Dalton for Christmas. "Yes. Its his. Lydia 's aunt made it for Dalton and gave it to us at Christmas."

And what about this The captain took another object from the man and held it up. "We found this knife not far from the blanket."

"That belongs toAnatolli Sidorov," Kjell replied. "I've seen him with it a hundred times if I've seen it once. He carved the handle, and you'll find his initials etched in at the top of the blade."

The captain nodded and handed the knife hack to the soldier. "We assumed as much. The initials are there, just as you say. It would seem we have good proof that at least Anatolli Sidorov was involved in the attack."

Kjell balled his hands. "And if he's involved, his brother, Ioann, is involved. They always work together."

"I had my men tear apart the Double-Decker, but there was no sign of them. One man told us they had departed some weeks hack. He thought they had taken up living with someone on the far west side of the island. We've sent men to investigate."

"I'll go, too," Kjell declared.

"We'd rather you not," Captain Briar responded. "It's better if you leave this to us. Believe me, Kjell, we're leaving no stone unturned."

"There's more you should know," Kjell said. He thought carefully for a moment. He needed to explain Marston Gray's part in this. At least what he presumed the man's part to be. "Is there somewhere we can sit and talk privately?"

Twenty minutes later, Captain Briar rubbed his chin and considered the details of Kjell's explanation.

"If what you say is true-if this Gray fellow took your sonthen we need to get word to the authorities in Kansas City. We can wire the information from Seattle or San Francisco. It might even heat Gray hack if we act quickly. I'm going to speak to General Tidhall. Since this is now his post, he needs to he notified and kept apprised."

"Whatever it takes. Whatever it costs." Kjell met the man's gaze. "This man will stop at nothing. He's a danger to everyone, but especially to my son. I wouldn't put it past him to have the child put to death rather than see him returned to Lydia."

"I believe you, Kjell. Let me talk to the general. We'll decide how best to get word to Kansas City Meanwhile, we'll continue to search the island."

Kjell nodded with a heavy sigh. Here was yet another situation where all he could do was wait. It made him feel helpless. He couldn't help Lydia recover, and he couldn't search for his son. If he didn't have some task to keep his mind on, he would go mad.

Zerelda held Lydia 's hand and stroked it gently "Liddie, I do wish you would wake up. We miss you, dear heart. I know you've suffered greatly, but we need you. Dalton needs you."

She hesitated to say more. Looking at her niece, Zerelda could see no sign that she'd heard or understood. She wanted to have hope that Lydia would survive but felt her faith beginning to falter.

Oh, Fathej, she prayed silently, I don't want to give up. I know you have the power to bring life back from the brink of death itself. I ask you to do that with Liddie. Bring her back to us, Fathei Tears streamed down her face. Please.

Hearing the ward door open, Zerelda wiped her face and turned. It was the doctor. He nodded at Zerelda and went immediately to Lydia 's side.

"Have you seen any change?" he asked her.

"No. I've been talking to her, but there hasn't been any response-no sign that she hears."

Dr. Ensign frowned but continued to examine his patient. "I had hoped to see her regain consciousness by now."

Zerelda knew the longer a patient remained unconscious, the less hope there was of their recovering. And while it had not been that long since the attack, it would have boded better had Lydia shows signs of awakening.

"She feels feverish." He checked her breathing. "I'm worried about pneumonia setting in."

"I can keep an eye on her," Zerelda said. "I can keep turning her."

The doctor nodded. "Just don't overdo it. You're recovering, too. I'll send my orderly to check on her in an hour."

As he left the room, Kjell returned. He stopped and talked briefly with the doctor, then joined Zerelda at Lydia 's bedside. "I need to talk to you."

Giving Lydia 's hand a squeeze, Zerelda leaned over. "I'll he right hack, Liddie. You just rest."

Kjell's expression told her this would most likely be had news. Zerelda squared her shoulders and drew a deep breath. "What is it".~

"They found Dalton 's blanket by the water. Apparently, the Sidorovs took him out in that storm probably to meet up with Gray. He was probably on a larger boat waiting for them."

"Do you think he already left the island?"

"That's my guess. Gray didn't have many friends here. Someone at the Double-Decker thought the Sidorovs had moved out to live with someone on the west side of the island. The army has men checking this out even as we speak, but I doubt they will find anything."

"So you are confident that it was Marston and the Sidorovs?"

"I am. Especially now. Captain Briar showed me Anatolli's knife. Apparently he had dropped it near the baby's blanket by the water. There was no other knife like that one. The Sidorovs were known to have been paid to burn my mill, and the only one who would have benefited from that would have been Gray He held me a grudge for my interference and marriage to Lydia."

Zerelda felt a hit lightheaded and reached for Kjell's arm. "I should sit."

"I'm sorry, Zee. What was I thinking?" He led her to the bed and helped her to sit.

"So now all we can do is wait." It was more statement than question. Zerelda knew that there was little else to he done. Besides that, she didn't want to leave Lydia 's side.

"And that's the part I'm no good at," Kjell admitted. "I feel like I should he doing something more." He glanced across the room to where Lydia slept. "I can't help her, and I can't help Dalton. I offered to go search, but the army doesn't want me in the middle of it. They feel they have the investigation under control, but I would feel better if I had a hand in it, as well."

"We can have a hand in it by praying," she suggested. "I know it seems like such a small thing, but it's not. Jesus promised we could bring our needs to Him. God already knows what they are anyway.

"I've been praying, Zee. As best I can. It seems sometimes the words just won't come."

"But God understands that, too. He hears the unspoken prayers of our hearts through His Spirit. He knows our longings, even when we can't form the words."

With a sigh, Kjell sat in the chair beside her bed. "Don't you ever struggle in keeping your faith?"

She smiled. "Of course I do. But I know that there is no one who could possibly love me more than God does. I trust Him, even when I don't understand Him. Of course, I wish He would see things my way more often."

This brought a hint of a smile to Kjell's face. "Me, too. Especially where Lydia is concerned."

"I'm glad you love her so much. She deserves that. She's had such a hard life, and the one thing she always longed for was love. You've made her a very happy woman over the last couple of months."

"I just want to go on loving her. I want to have a future with her and more children. I can't even imagine her happy, though, unless Dalton is returned to her."

"Then we have to pray that he will come home. God alone knows where he is and who is caring for him. God alone can bring him back to us."

Kjcll awoke the next morning to the sounds of rain against the window. He had taken the doctor up on his offer of a cot and had pulled it close to Lydia 's, just to be near her. Many times through the night he had awakened to check on her. He just needed to know that she was still breathing still with them.