Edenton. Denise's eyes widened when she realized what Judy was doing.
"This is Judy McAden, and I'm with Denise Holton at the hospital. I was calling to find out what's going on out there. . . . No . . . no . . . I'm sure it's very busy, but I need to talk to Mike Harris. . . . Well, tell him to pick up. Tell him Judy's on the line. It's important."
She put her hand over the receiver and spoke to Denise.
"I've known Mike for years-he's the captain. Maybe he'll know something."
There was a click, and she heard the other end pick up again.
"Hey, Mike. . . . No, I'm fine, but that's not why I called. I'm here with Denise Holton, the one whose boy's in the swamp. I'm at the hospital, and it seems that no one's told her what's happening out there. . . . I know it's a zoo, but she needs to know what's going on. . . . I see . . . uh-huh . . . oh, okay, thanks."
After hanging up, she shook her head and spoke to Denise while dialing a new number. "He hasn't heard anything, but then his men aren't conducting the search because it's outside the county lines. Let me try the fire station."
Again she went through the preliminaries before reaching someone in charge. Then, after a minute or so, her tone becoming that of a lecturing mother: "I see . . . well, can you radio someone at the scene? I've got a mother here who has a right to know what's happening, and I can't believe you haven't kept her informed. How would you like it if it was Linda here and Tommy was the one who was lost? . . . I don't care how busy it is. There's no excuse for it. I simply can't believe you overlooked something like that. . . . No, I'd rather not call back. Why don't I hold while you radio in. . . . Joe, she needs to know now. She hasn't heard a thing for hours now. . . . All right, then. . . ."
Looking at Denise: "I'm holding now. He's calling over there with the radio. We'll know in just a couple of minutes. How're you holding up?"
Denise smiled for the first time in hours. "Thank you," she said weakly.
A minute passed, then another, before Judy spoke again. "Yes, I'm still here. . . ." Judy was silent as she listened to the report, and despite everything, Denise found herself growing hopeful. Maybe . . . please . . . She watched Judy for any outward signs of emotion. As the silence continued, Judy's mouth formed a straight line. She finally spoke into the handset. "Oh, I see. . . . Thanks, Joe. Call here if you find out anything, anything at all. . . . Yes, the hospital in Elizabeth City. And we'll check back in a little while."
As she watched, Denise felt a lump rise in her throat as her nausea returned.
Kyle was still out there.
Judy hung up the phone and went to the bed again. "They haven't found him yet, but they're still out there. A bunch of people from the town showed up, so there are more people than there were before. The weather's cleared up some, and they think Kyle was moving to the southeast. They went that way about an hour ago."
Denise barely heard her.
It was coming up on 1:30 A. M.
The temperature-originally in the sixties-was nearing forty degrees now, and they'd been moving as a group for over an hour. A cold northern wind was pushing the temperature down quickly, and the searchers began to realize that if they hoped to find the little boy alive, they needed to find him in the next couple of hours.
They'd now reached an area of the swamp that was a little less dense, where the trees grew farther apart and the vines and bushes didn't scrape against them continually. Here they were able to search more quickly, and Taylor could see three men-or rather their flashlights-in each direction. Nothing was being overlooked.
Taylor had hunted in this part of the swamp before. Because the ground was elevated slightly, it was usually dry, and deer flocked to the area. A half mile or so ahead, the elevation dropped again to below the water tables, and they would come to an area of the swamp known to hunters as Duck Shot. During the
"This is Judy McAden, and I'm with Denise Holton at the hospital. I was calling to find out what's going on out there. . . . No . . . no . . . I'm sure it's very busy, but I need to talk to Mike Harris. . . . Well, tell him to pick up. Tell him Judy's on the line. It's important."
She put her hand over the receiver and spoke to Denise.
"I've known Mike for years-he's the captain. Maybe he'll know something."
There was a click, and she heard the other end pick up again.
"Hey, Mike. . . . No, I'm fine, but that's not why I called. I'm here with Denise Holton, the one whose boy's in the swamp. I'm at the hospital, and it seems that no one's told her what's happening out there. . . . I know it's a zoo, but she needs to know what's going on. . . . I see . . . uh-huh . . . oh, okay, thanks."
After hanging up, she shook her head and spoke to Denise while dialing a new number. "He hasn't heard anything, but then his men aren't conducting the search because it's outside the county lines. Let me try the fire station."
Again she went through the preliminaries before reaching someone in charge. Then, after a minute or so, her tone becoming that of a lecturing mother: "I see . . . well, can you radio someone at the scene? I've got a mother here who has a right to know what's happening, and I can't believe you haven't kept her informed. How would you like it if it was Linda here and Tommy was the one who was lost? . . . I don't care how busy it is. There's no excuse for it. I simply can't believe you overlooked something like that. . . . No, I'd rather not call back. Why don't I hold while you radio in. . . . Joe, she needs to know now. She hasn't heard a thing for hours now. . . . All right, then. . . ."
Looking at Denise: "I'm holding now. He's calling over there with the radio. We'll know in just a couple of minutes. How're you holding up?"
Denise smiled for the first time in hours. "Thank you," she said weakly.
A minute passed, then another, before Judy spoke again. "Yes, I'm still here. . . ." Judy was silent as she listened to the report, and despite everything, Denise found herself growing hopeful. Maybe . . . please . . . She watched Judy for any outward signs of emotion. As the silence continued, Judy's mouth formed a straight line. She finally spoke into the handset. "Oh, I see. . . . Thanks, Joe. Call here if you find out anything, anything at all. . . . Yes, the hospital in Elizabeth City. And we'll check back in a little while."
As she watched, Denise felt a lump rise in her throat as her nausea returned.
Kyle was still out there.
Judy hung up the phone and went to the bed again. "They haven't found him yet, but they're still out there. A bunch of people from the town showed up, so there are more people than there were before. The weather's cleared up some, and they think Kyle was moving to the southeast. They went that way about an hour ago."
Denise barely heard her.
It was coming up on 1:30 A. M.
The temperature-originally in the sixties-was nearing forty degrees now, and they'd been moving as a group for over an hour. A cold northern wind was pushing the temperature down quickly, and the searchers began to realize that if they hoped to find the little boy alive, they needed to find him in the next couple of hours.
They'd now reached an area of the swamp that was a little less dense, where the trees grew farther apart and the vines and bushes didn't scrape against them continually. Here they were able to search more quickly, and Taylor could see three men-or rather their flashlights-in each direction. Nothing was being overlooked.
Taylor had hunted in this part of the swamp before. Because the ground was elevated slightly, it was usually dry, and deer flocked to the area. A half mile or so ahead, the elevation dropped again to below the water tables, and they would come to an area of the swamp known to hunters as Duck Shot. During the
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