“She says she went to church and he wanted to stay home. She says when she got home Josh wasn’t there. His truck was gone, and so were he.
“Gone like a freight train, gone like yesterday … however the song goes.”
“Well, my goodness,” Jeremiah says. “How disturbing. Sounds like Judith needs some prayer. God helps those in need. We’ll get the congregation praying.”
“Yes sir,” says the deputy. “She’s in need all right. Darn near inconsolable. She’s sure Josh is done dead or would have come back for his daughter. Loved that little girl, she says. About the only way he’s dead considering we ain’t found his truck or neary a sign so far today is if somebody killed him.
“But sheriff here says we haven’t had a killing around here in decades. So that don’t make much sense. We’ll have to assume he run off unless something turns up and hope that he turns back up.”
“We’ll pray for that,” Emma’s father says.
“Yep,” the sheriff says, “you might want to get by there and see Judith since she and Josh go to your church. That’s why we came by. Spec you might want to pay her a visit seeing as how she’s doing.”
“Tough for a gal. Got it good with a husband who makes good money then disappears off leaving you and the baby behind. One minute you have. The next minute you have not.
“Don’t know how she’ll make ends meet till she can find her another. She’s still young, and ain’t too bad looking, but leftovers aren’t in demand like a fresh cooked meal, if you know what I’m saying,” the sheriff says, nudging his arm toward Jeremiah with a sly grin on his face.
“Amen,” Emma’s father says. “But don’t worry. We’ll get by the house to see about Judith and her daughter. That’s what we are here for, to serve the Lord and His people.
“I appreciate you gentlemen coming by the let me know. I hadn’t heard anything about it.
“Guess Judith was too ashamed to speak up till she just had no choice,” the sheriff says. “Huh. Neary a sign of Josh. You never know with these things. He may turn up tomorrow. Act like nothing happened.
“But it isn’t looking good right now.”
“No,” Jeremiah says.
Emma's father stands up, as if to see the men out the door. The men keep their seat.
“Let’s hope he fell into a hole, or something like that, and can get back out. If he’s gone to thinking all wrong and done something dumb, he’ll be good as dead anyway. The Bible says, ‘If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.’”
“You sure put it hard. But who’s to argue with the good book.
“Anyhow, Preacher,” says the deputy. “If you don’t mind. We need one more thing before we head out the door.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“We would like to talk to your daughter for just a minute.”
“Emma?”
“Yes, sir. We’re just trying to make contact with everybody who talked to Josh in that past week.”
“Well, I don’t know that Emma has ever talked to Josh. Judith, sure – yes. But not Josh.”
“That’s not what I understand, sir,” the deputy says. “Judith says she and Josh talked to Emma at the Labor Day church picnic. Judith says your daughter was the last person besides herself seen talking to Josh.”
“Oh, sure, well, now. I see. Okay. Let me call her.
“Emma! Emma. Can you come in here dear?”
Emma walks into the room. Her mother follows close behind. The sheriff and the deputy stand up, holding their hats in hand.
“Afternoon ma’am,” the deputy says, tipping his head.
“Howdy Miss,” the sheriff says.
“We are sorry to bother you,” says the deputy. “I understand you are making a pumpkin pie. Sure smells good. But we need to talk with you just a minute. A really short minute.
“Josh has gone missing. Judith’s Josh. You talked to him at the Labor Day picnic, I believe. It’s just a shame, he’s got that little girl and all, and Judith is plum worried. Nobody has seen him in days. Ain't seen him. Ain’t seen his truck.”
Truck? Truck!
Emma gasps internally, turning pale on the outside.
“You okay ma’am?” the sheriff asks Emma.
Emma clears her throat, and gathers herself.
“Oh, yes, sorry,” she says. “It’s just that Josh has a young daughter and all. Why, I did talk to him at the picnic for a moment. Didn’t really know him before. But to think he left that young daughter behind and all, well, it just rattled me.”