The conversation started with talk about Joey and how he had handled his first visit.
“He’s fine, but something has to be done.” Molly sounded upset, the way she would’ve felt if they didn’t have the plan to leave the country. “Tomorrow morning we’re calling a list of politicians.”
“That’s a great idea.” Beth was still ready to fight on their behalf. “I’ll make calls, too. Whatever I can do to help.” She exhaled hard. “This is ridiculous, Molly. That boy belongs with you.”
“I know.” She kept her tone sorrowful. At Jack’s direction, she left out details of the bruises on Joey’s arm. No reason to give Beth cause to suspect they were crazy with fear. She steadied her voice. “Jack’s going through a new list of attorneys tomorrow, too. Someone will help us. I have to believe that.”
“I’m so sorry, Molly. I can’t even imagine going through this.” Beth hesitated. “It may not make you feel better, but everyone in our Sunday school class is praying for you. No one can believe a judge could order a child back to his biological parents almost five years later.”
“That means a lot.” This was her opening. “Hey, that reminds me. You won’t believe this. Jack and I were talking today at the park.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. She’d never lied to Beth before. Even now, everything in her wanted to share the details with her sister, but she couldn’t. Not a word of them. “Anyway, Joey’s been talking to God.” She uttered a sad laugh. “I guess Jonah taught him.”
“Really?” Beth sounded like her heart was melting. “That’s so sweet.”
“We thought so.” She forced herself to take the next step. “Jack wanted me to tell you . . . we’d like to go to church with you next Sunday.”
Beth’s gasp was quiet, but it was a gasp all the same. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Molly made a sound that was part laugh, part cry. “We need all the help we can get.”
“Molly . . . I’m so glad.” The happiness in Beth’s voice was pure and complete. She had no suspicions whatsoever. “God has a plan for Joey, I mean that. No matter how things look now, if you seek God . . . if you really trust Him, I know He’ll make those plans clear to you.”
Molly hated this, hated lying to her sister. “That’s what we’re starting to believe.”
“Well, let’s not wait until Sunday. That’s a week away. Bill and I can meet with you a few times this week so we can all pray. There’s power in prayer, I tell you, Molly. I’m just so glad you’re seeing it now.” Beth’s words ran together, her excitement and fervor tangible. “Talk to Jack about that, okay?”
“Okay.” The words felt like acid on Molly’s tongue. And this was only the beginning. “Hey, Beth, I have to go. But thanks. I’m not sure we would’ve thought about turning to God without you.”
“Oh, Molly.” Beth’s voice cracked. “I love you so much. It’s only because I love you that I’ve always wanted your family to find faith.”
“I know.” Molly clenched her fists. She had to get off the phone, had to end the conversation before she burst into a confession about all she was doing. “I love you, too.”
Beth went on a little longer about the benefits of having a strong faith. Molly wasn’t really listening. Instead she did something Joey would do. She talked to God—just a little.
It’s not a complete lie, God. . . . I do want to know more about You, and I do think it’s better if people are praying for us.
Beth was winding up. “Okay . . . so talk to Jack and we’ll figure out the details later.”
“I will.” They said their good-byes, and Molly hung up the phone.
The week played out just as they’d planned. Twice they met with Beth and Bill and talked about God, about His plan for all of them, His salvation. They looked at Bible verses, and Molly couldn’t help but find herself really listening, really finding truth in the things Beth and Bill were sharing with them.
“It makes sense,” Molly told Jack one night that week.
“It makes our plan work.” Jack smiled at her. “That’s all.”
She didn’t push the matter. Sunday came and Beth was sweet and tender. She gave Molly an envelope with her name written across the front. “It’s a little card I found.” Beth gave her a hug. “Don’t open it until later today.”
Molly didn’t know what to say. With every heartbeat, she could hear a voice shouting at her,
Liar . . . Liar . . . Liar!
She returned her sister’s hug. “It feels good to be here.”
“It feels wonderful.” Beth held onto her shoulders and studied her face. “I think God’s about to work a miracle, Molly. I can feel it.”
The four of them checked the kids into Sunday school classes and took seats together in a pew halfway back. Jack purposefully opened his bulletin and began reading it. Then, as if on cue, he leaned around Molly and spoke to Bill. “You and Beth and the kids taking this work trip to Haiti?”
“We are.” Bill’s expression was a mix of genuine friendliness and pure awe. Molly understood. Beth and Bill had probably prayed for this day ever since they became Christians. Bill opened his bulletin and pointed to the blurb about the trip. “There’s an informational meeting about it today after service.”
Jack gave Molly a pointed look. “Did you tell Beth?”
Beth was sitting between Molly and Bill. She looked curious. “Tell me what?”
It was Molly’s turn. She plunged ahead, hoping the entire conversation didn’t sound like a poorly acted script. “About the work trip.” She looked at Bill and back to Beth. “We’re thinking about going, too.”
“You’re kidding!” Beth said the words a little too loud. “I’m just getting used to the idea myself.” She giggled and lowered her voice. She looked around, sheepish about being too noisy in church. Then, just as fast, her smile faded. “What about Joey?”
Jack squeezed Molly’s knee. “We’re believing that everything will work out. We have to believe that.” He shot a sad smile at Bill. “But at this point in our lives, we need a distraction, something positive we can do with our son.”
Bill nodded. “I understand.”
“I went online a few nights ago and read about the work trip. It seems, well”—he looked at Molly—“like a good idea all the way around.”
“It’d be a chance for our two families to be together.” Beth sounded helpful. No question she liked the idea. She stopped short of saying that it would be their last time to travel together with Joey, if he were taken away. Instead she nodded. “We’d love it if you came.”
“Do you think they’d let us—I mean, since we’re new?” Jack kept his tone tentative.
“I think so.” Bill looked at Beth, and then back to Jack. “You’d be with us. People bring friends or family on these trips all the time. It’d be different if it were a mission trip. But work trips aren’t as regulated by the church staff.”
“Right.” Beth’s eyes sparkled. “This trip’s different. They’ll run a background check on you, but other than that . . . if you can swing a hammer, you’ll be welcome.” She looked at Bill and then at Molly again. “Can you come to the meeting after church?”
“I think so.” Molly met Jack’s eyes. There wasn’t a hint of duplicity there, and she was amazed. Maybe Jack had missed his calling. He was proving to be an amazing actor. “Do we have time?”
“Definitely.” He directed his next question to Bill. “We can bring the kids on this trip, right? So we can bring Joey?”
“Yes.” Concern slipped into his tone. “You think they’ll let you take him? With all this custody stuff going on?”
Jack appeared as innocent as their son. He exchanged a look with Molly. “I don’t see why not. We’ll tell the social worker about it, of course.” He breathed the lie as if he’d been telling lies all his life. “She’ll have to give the okay.”
Molly gave a look that confirmed their innocence. “We’ll still have joint custody of him, no matter what.”
Beth reached for Molly’s hand and squeezed it. “Maybe by then it’ll be permanent custody.”
“Yes.” They all settled back against the pew. A group of people were playing music up front. The service was about to begin.
“We’ll talk more at the meeting after church.” Beth whispered.
“Okay.” Again Molly convinced herself it wasn’t a lie, but still she hated herself for what they were doing. Beth and Bill believed their intentions completely. She smiled at Beth. “Thanks for everything.”
Her sister slipped her arm around her and gave her a side hug. “I told you we’d be here. We’ll do whatever you need us to do, Molly. I mean it.”
During the service, Jack filled out a prayer card. Molly watched as he turned it over and scribbled, “Pray for our family.” On the front he filled out their names and address and phone number. The church Bill and Brenda attended was a large one—several services, six thousand members. Molly guessed no one was keeping close tabs on the infrequent attendees. At the bottom of the card, Jack had the choice to check “Visitor” or “Member.” He checked the Member box, folded the card, and dropped it into the offering plate.
And just like that, the plan was in motion.
T
he prop plane was just about to land in Grand Cayman. Jack could hardly wait.
The trip to the Cayman Islands was something Jack had to do every few years. He had a fairly large account there, and most of the time business could be handled by telephone. But every so often the company smiled on his decision to take a trip to the island, further goodwill, meet with the account executives, host some high-end dinners, and strengthen relationships.
Trips like that kept the competition at bay and the accounts loyal.
It had been fourteen months since his last trip to Cayman, so when Jack went to his boss and suggested a trip to the islands, there was no hesitation. The man looked at his calendar. “Great idea.” He grinned at Jack. No question his boss saw him as the most-favored officer in the company. “You taking Molly and Joey with you?”
“No, sir. Not this time.” He gave the man an easy smile. At least this part was honest. “Maybe next time.”
No one at work knew about the custody battle Jack was facing. From the beginning, he’d thought it better if he said nothing. Now he was relieved he’d kept quiet. He didn’t need people in every area of his life feeling sorry for him and wondering about the moves he was about to make.
The plans for the trip came together in a few days, and now Jack was minutes from landing in Grand Cayman. He looked out the window and let the scene wash over his weary conscience. Every now and then it occurred to him that what they were about to do was illegal. If for some reason they got caught, they would lose everything—their freedom, their reputation. Worst of all they would lose Joey.
Jack was careful not to let those thoughts come up often. It wasn’t that he and Molly had accepted the idea of being criminals. In his gut, he believed that what he and Molly were about to do was wrong—people shouldn’t take the law into their own hands. But if it meant saving Joey from a life of abuse, if it meant holding onto his son, Jack could justify it. He would do anything to keep his son safe. Absolutely anything.
It made him think about fathers who stole money to feed their families during the Depression. He’d never given much thought to the idea, never taken sides on the issue until now. In light of what was happening with Joey, he knew for certain what he would’ve done. If his family needed to eat, he’d find a way to feed them. Even if it turned him from an upright citizen into a common thief.
Whatever it took to save his family.
Below the plane, the ocean water grew pale where it splashed up against the land. The beaches in Cayman were beautiful, nothing short of paradise. He felt calmer just looking at them. He would buy an old guitar once they got settled and write songs on the beach. Just like he’d always dreamed of doing. Yes, he was taking the law into his own hands, and yes, it went against his nature. But the plan was a good one. It would work. And no one would be hurt in the process.
Joey’s birth parents didn’t deserve the child. His mother hadn’t wanted him in the first place, and his father was a violent criminal. If they could figure out how to live a normal life, let them have more kids down the road.
Joey belonged to Molly and him. Period.
Jack pressed his forehead against the window and shifted in his cramped seat. No one was going to hurt Joey or take him away, not while Jack still had breath left in him. He closed his eyes and let the warmth of the sun calm his heart. His love for Joey was fierce, more intense than anything he’d ever known or experienced. It was proof that the judge was wrong. The Porters weren’t the boy’s parents.
He and Molly were.
After another few minutes, the plane circled and landed. Once he was off the plane, carrying his single bag across the tarmac, Jack took in his surroundings—the palm trees waving in the mild ocean breeze, the sky so blue it almost hurt to look at it, and the salty smell of the nearby ocean.
He pictured how life would be. Molly helping Joey with his lessons, making sure he was ready for school when it felt safe to move to Europe. Jack would be in charge of venturing into town for food and supplies, and on lazy summery afternoons, he would sit on the beach and play his guitar. They would take long ocean swims and run along the sand. At night there would be a million stars overhead, and endless hours of conversation and time together.
It wouldn’t hurt Joey to live that sort of life for a few years. And when the search for them had blown over, they could start again in England or Ireland or Germany—enroll Joey in a private school so he would have the very best education and the chance to meet wonderful children in the process. Two years in the Cayman Islands wouldn’t be a burden. If life as they’d known it had to end, there could be worse places to start over.
Jack picked up his pace. He had a busy three days ahead of him. Business meetings with account executives, and high-powered lunches and dinners for the first day and a half. After that he would hop a plane to Little Cayman, where remote rental properties were plentiful. If things went well, he would find a beach house for rent and make a deposit under his new name: Walt Sanders.
The first day went as planned, and over lunch and dinner, Jack resisted the urge to prod the locals for details about which beach was the most remote. He wouldn’t do anything that could come back to hurt them. Once the authorities realized that they’d run, certainly his boss would be interviewed, and that could lead investigators to Grand Cayman. It was crucial that he did nothing to give himself away during this trip.