Travail

Katie hits the floor. "They saw me." Adam crawls to her. "Where can we hide? Now!" Katie grabs his hand, and they run into her closet. She lifts the heavy rug, revealing a set of dark, narrow steps. "We have to be quiet; it's the wall against the stairway. The tunnel leads to the kitchen or the garage." They go in, one at a time. The narrow area, about two feet wide, smells of stale attic air, and on this hot summer night it’s like an oven. Adam grabs Katie's shirt as they make their way down the steep steps in the dark. She stops suddenly as the footsteps of two men move up the steps inches from them. Drywall is their only protection. Once the men have passed, Katie and Adam work their way down and sit on the two bottom steps and try to be perfectly quiet. They hear the semi-automatic fire of one gun. Don screams, "Carl, you idiot, not inside." "I thought I saw her. We gotta get her.” "We will,” Donald says, his voice confident. “She can't get away.” Adam and Katie would like to look at each other or hold each other, but the single-file stairwell doesn’t permit it. In silence, Adam feels her hand tighten on his shoe. He gently pats her back. Katie commands herself, quiet, calm, quiet, calm and silently recites Bible verses. “Be still and know that I am God. I will never forsake you. I am the light. The Lord is My Shepherd. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Then she remembers where they are, and her cheek muscles pull tight into her aching jaw. She forces herself to remember the next line of the 23rd Psalm. “For thou art with me...” Adam remembers Vietnam, and that darkness. Then he thinks of Nick. He has to call Nick. They hear the footsteps above them. The FBI men are in Katie's closet. Then they hear footsteps run down the other side of the wall. Soon a mismatched panel that connects to the kitchen exit leaks in light. It is scarcely enough for Adam to see that Katie has her hands together in prayer. She can't cry or sniffle. A single deep breath could be their last. The light disappears as Don shuts the pantry door. Katie thinks of her family, and tears trail alongside her nose and drip onto her dry, quivering lips. "Check the master suite again,” Don commands. “I'll check his office.” Katie waits until Carl runs past them, and then she edges forward. Adam trusts her and follows. As they pass through the kitchen wall, he sees the panel that had leaked the light. Katie goes forward. They walk for what seems like forever but actually is only past the kitchen, the mud room, and the breezeway and into the garage. The panel to freedom is two feet by three feet. "This is the garage,” Katie whispers. “It will be noisy getting out because Danny keeps tons of stuff on that shelf." "We'll wait.” They both clear their throats. Enough light leaks in that they can see each other. Adam notes the glistening tears in Katie's eyes. Her face shows courage more than fear and thoughts of survival more than pain. The strangest thought crosses his mind. I love her. Ordinarily he would have chastised himself for straying so far from the present circumstances, but just then the garage door opens. "Check the cars, trucks, everything.” For several minutes, trunks open, then slam. "She's gone," Carl shouts. "Well, we know where she'll go,” Don offers. “Let’s finish here and then plan our discovery of here.” The garage doors close. "What do they mean, they know where I’ll go? Are they going to kill Nick and Breck for real this time?" Adam thinks fast. "Listen, I have to warn your brothers. You heard them, they have to discover this and investigate. We have time, but I have to warn Nick. I want you to stay here for an hour, until it's dark. Then I'll sneak in over the back gate and get you out. Trust me, Katie. I know what I’m doing. " "I don’t trust any of you anymore, and I don't want to stay here with them coming back. I'm coming with you." "You can't. They'll have your picture on the news. Remember, they're the good guys. People will want you to be found. Anyone sees you, and they're going to call the cops. I need time to get to my car. I have to go alone so I can set this up. You're safe here; they'll never find you. Please, Katie, help me. Stay right here? "All right.” She looks away knowingly. Adam forces the garage panel off, which knocks numerous tool-like objects to the ground. The cubbyhole fills with light, and they allow their eyes to adjust. Adam grabs a huge flashlight off the shelf. He tries it; it works. He hands it to Katie. “Don’t let them see it. Don’t use it near the entrance.” He kisses her cheek, puts the panel back on, and sets the items back on the shelf. Then he heads out of the garage into the fancy gardens. Katie waits. She remembers her father’s lessons – first order of business, survival. She will need money. The safe. She heads back through the tunnel to the kitchen exit and out she goes.