Fiction

---

Chapter 1

Nathan Mathews sat at his desk in Arlington, Virginia just outside Washington, D.C. He was a federal marshal currently assigned to the Witness Protection Program (WITSEC). Nathan had been spending the better part of a week catching up on the mounds of paperwork he had neglected while he, Anthony Spaulding and Jessica Nelson protected Andrew and Emily for the last 9 weeks. Andrew was a witness to the murder of Ron Miller by Warren Stephens. Mr. Stephens had Emily abducted in an attempt to coerce Andrew to recant his statement. Emily nearly died at their hands. Warren Stephens, his daughter, Denise, and Willie Knight would be going to trial in another few months. And Andrew’s testimony was the key to locking them away for life. About 3 weeks ago, Nathan had seen Andrew and Emily marry finally. Even more satisfying than seeing them marry, was that Emily and Andrew led him to Christ.
Since he returning to the office last week, he had been thinking of asking to transfer from the WITSEC. He enjoyed the work but felt he need a break from spending 24/7 at a safe house protecting witnesses. He would like to have a little more regularity to his schedule.
A knock on his open door broke his train of thought. “Nathan, do you have a minute?” Brad asked.
Nathan responded, “Sure, have a seat.”
“It looks like you’re about caught up.”
“Yeah, after a week, I think I’ll have it cleared up by mid afternoon today. But I don’t think you came to talk about this paperwork.”
“No, I have a couple of things. First, Peter recommended Jessica, Anthony, and us for a letter of commendation for the protection of Andrew (The recommendation did not include Emily because for her protection they made it appear that she died following the car crash.) They have set up a private ceremony for Wednesday at 4 p.m. afterward I would like to take the 3 of you to Stella‘s”
“We were just doing our jobs.” He paused to think about Jessica. She had given her life trying to protect Andrew and Emily. With a sigh, Nathan asked, “And the second thing?”
“Well, not that I want to lose you. You are great with the WITSEC, but Anthony called and asked to borrow you for some work with the fugitive division.” Brad explained, then continued when he saw Nathan smiling, “What?”
“I have been thinking of asking for a temporary transfer. I feel it would do me good to take a break from the 24/7 of WITSEC. And before you ask, no, I did not talk to Anthony about it.”
Brad chuckled, “God opened the door before you asked. I‘ll have Anthony call you with the details and I‘ll work on the paperwork. Oh, Jessica’s sister, Katie is flying in to receive the commendation posthumously for her. Would you mind picking her up at the airport tonight and just be there for her? You know they lost their mom a couple years ago. From what I understand Katie was planning to move here to be closer to Jessica before she died.”
“Sure, do you have the flight info?”
“I’ll email you the info.” Brad answered then added, “Once you finish up with the paperwork I want you to talk a couple days off. You did a great job on this case - like always.”
“Thanks.” Nathan said, then Brad left him to complete his work.

Katie Nelson finished packing the last of her things. She had been planning to move to Washington, D.C. to be close to her sister. Some of her friends had tried to convince her to stay in Indianapolis after her sister was killed in the line of duty. But she decided to follow through with her plans. She had already sold the house and resigned from her job and she would start her new job at the hospital in Arlington, Virginia in 2 weeks.
Katie’s cell phone rang. “Hello.”
“Katie Nelson, please.”
“This is she.”
Brad introduced himself, “This is Brad Robertson, Jessica’s supervisor. How are you doing?“
Katie answered, “I’m okay. I miss her. You know, it was just the two of us after mom died 2 years ago. I still pick up the phone to call her and then remember.”
“I know, it will take time to work through the loss. We will really miss her, too. She was very good at her job. Please remember that we are here and let us know if we can do anything for you.”
“Thank you, sir. Is Jessica’s friend still able to pick me up? I’ll be arriving on US Air 345. It should land around 6:00. ”
“Nathan, will be there. I‘ll give you his number so that you can call him if you need to.” Brad replied.
“I’ve got a pen. Go ahead.” Katie said, wrote the number down, and said good-bye.

After the movers left, Katie had an hour or so before she needed to head to the airport. She decided to walk to the neighborhood park. She reminisced. She and Jessica played here growing up. When they were teenagers, and babysat the neighbors’ little ones, they brought them to this park. So, many memories were here. Her mother and Jessica that is why she needed a fresh start. She knew that there would be memories in Washington, D.C. but those would be what if memories. She had never actually visited Jessica there. Jessica always seemed to come back to Indiana when they got together.
In the next 2 weeks, she planned to get settled in Jessica’s condo. She had thought about it and would at least try it. If the memories overwhelmed her, she would sell it and find another place in the D.C. area. She would unpack this week. She planned to go to the ceremony honoring Jessica on Wednesday. Brad had told her about it. They were honoring her with the medal of valor and a commendation posthumously.
After that she would visit some of the historical sites. She had minored in American History in college and looked forward to seeing the Capitol and White House, walking The Mall. But the first stop would be the National Archives, she wanted to see the actual documents that this country was built upon.
She looked up. Her friend, Sue was walking toward her. Sue was driving her to the airport. Sue said, “I thought I would find you over here. How are you?”
Katie smiled, “You know me. I’m fine. I needed a few minutes to reflect on the past before I start the next chapter in my life.”
“I’ll miss you. Just don‘t forget your friends back here.” Sue said giving her a hug.
“Never, never Sue. I’ll write and call.” Katie replied.
They walked to Sue’s car and left for the airport.

Nathan walked over to Brad’s office. He had completed the paperwork and had a couple of things to give Brad. Brad was in the hall and said, “Did you get finished, Nathan?”
“Yes, sir.”
Brad asked, “I was heading to the lounge to get a bottle of water. Would you like one?”
“Sounds good. I have a couple things to turn over to you, if you have a few minutes after we get the water.”
“Sure. Why don’t you head in to my office and I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later Brad returned and handed a bottle to Nathan. Nathan began, “Thanks. I emailed the files that will need some follow up this week. And here is the application for the National Law Enforcement Memorial for Jessica.”
“Thanks for doing that. I’ll get it signed and sent off. I talked to Anthony. You and he can hook up next Monday and start rounding up fugitives. Also, here is the flight information. Thanks again for picking Katie Nelson up at the airport.”
“You’re welcome. Jessica and I were good friends. It’s no big deal.”
“Go ahead. Get out of here and enjoy the next few days.”
Nathan left the office and went home. He had time to shower and change before heading to the airport to pick up Katie. Nathan pulled into the airport parking lot about 5:30. The traffic was not too bad - considering rush hour traffic in D.C. He strolled to the US Air gate. When flight 345 began deplaning about 6:15, he recognized Katie immediately. She had the same honey blonde hair as Jessica and was about 2 inches shorter than her. When she came closer, he noticed her beautiful hazel-green eyes. He smiled, “You must be Katie. I’m Nathan.”
She smiled backed, “I know. Jessica has written me about you before, before she died. She said you were cute. She wasn’t kidding.”
She made him blush with that statement. His jet black hair and dark brown eyes were melting her. But even more than that she felt his gentle, warm spirit. She said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
He cleared his throat, “No harm done.” Changing the subject, he added, “Do we need to pick up any checked bags?”
“Yes, I have 2 bags. The rest of my things should be hear tomorrow afternoon.”
Not knowing she was actually moving here, it took a moment to understand what she meant. “I thought you were just visiting for the award ceremony.”
“No, I was already planning to move here this week. Jessica has been trying to get me to D.C. for a couple years now. When Jessica died, I had already resigned my job in Indiana and accepted a job here. Our house sold and closed Friday. So, I’m actually coming home.”
“Well, welcome. Let’s get your bags and I’ll take you out for a welcome to town dinner. That’s if you would like that?”
She smiled as he took her carry-on bag, “It sounds great.”
The two retrieved her 2 suitcases and went to his car. They chatted as they drove to the restaurant. After they finished he took her to the condo. Jessica’s old condo - her new condo - was only a couple of miles from his house. He volunteered to help her unpack on Tuesday. “You don’t have to” Katie protested.
“No, I want to, Katie. I have the rest of the week off except for the ceremony on Wednesday. And I would like to show you a little bit of the town. See the sooner you are settled, the sooner I can do that.”
She smiled. She felt so comfortable around him. And she did want to see the city. “Well, I’ll expect to see you bright and early then. Because I have a whole list of places to see in this city.”
“Jessica told me that you minored in history. I thought you might enjoy sightseeing. I double majored in college. Care to guess.” Nathan was enjoying the flirting they were doing.
“Ah, criminal justice and history.” she teased, “Jessica told me too.”
“American history, actually.” Nathan then added after seeing her yawn, “You have had a long day. I’ll let you get some rest. See you in the morning.”

As Nathan drove home, he prayed, “Lord, this morning I was thinking how dull my life was. Work and well work. I haven’t had much free time lately. I know I just met Katie but we are so comfortable together. It seems that we have known each other for years. Please be with us and bless this new friendship. Amen.”

Both thought that Tuesday was perfect. The truck arrived early. Giving them time to actually have the house unpacked and organized by late afternoon. They then grilled some burgers and watched a movie. Before Nathan headed home it was agreed that he would pick her up around 3 to go to the ceremony the next day.

“The last three agents we are honor for outstanding service today proved to be an effective team in the protection of a key federal witness. Their assignment lasted about 9 weeks. The three agents are:
First, Nathan Mathews. He is a four year veteran of the US Marshal Service. He has been assigned to the witness protection program. During this assignment, he not only transitioned the witness, but also demonstrated leadership and fast action when the safe house was breached.
The second one, Anthony Spaulding has been with the US Marshals for 5 years. His primary responsibility has been in the organized crime division. Marshal Spaulding had been on the team investigating the defendant since joining the service. During the breach at the safe house, he was wounded but was still able to successfully end the standoff.
Jessica Nelson is being honored posthumously. She had been a FBI Special Agent for over 10 years who also worked with the Marshal Service on occasional. She demonstrated her versatilities regularly for the agency. She had a unique dual role of agent and nurse. On this assignment, she was ambushed and killed during the breach protecting the witness. Her sister, Katie Nelson, is with us to accept Agent Nelson’s commendation and the medal of honor. Thank you for coming Miss Nelson. Please accept our deepest sympathy. She will be missed.
Marshals Mathews and Spaulding and Miss Nelson please come up.”
The three stepped up on the platform and received their certificates and medal.
“Thank you for your service to the United States.” Brad concluded.

After the ceremony ended, Brad, Nathan, Anthony and Katie went to eat at Stella’s. Brad had reserved a private dining room. After they were served, he had the waiter close the door for privacy. He had received approval to tell Katie the details of the case that cost her sister her life.
Katie said, after hearing about her sister’s last assignment, “Brad, thank you. It helps me understand Jessica better.”
Nathan drove Katie home when the dinner was over. She was quiet. Nathan knew it had been an emotional day for her. He interrupted her thoughts, “Would you like to talk? I spent the last 8 weeks with Jessica.”
With a deep sigh, Katie replied, “Not tonight. I am drained. But I plan to take you up on that later, if that’s okay.”
“Anytime. Just call me.”
“Thank you. Nathan, I really appreciate that.”
The two drove in silence the rest of the way home. As Nathan walked her to the door, he asked her, “Are you still up for some sightseeing tomorrow?”
“I’ll be ready early. The first stop will be the National Archives, right?”
“Just for you. I’ll be here about 9 o’clock.” He said with a smile and then headed to his place.

Nathan and Katie did make their first stop the National Archives. The two history buffs were in awe of the historical documents housed there. After they left, they picked up a couple of sandwiches and drinks and picnicked on the lawn. While eating Nathan asked, “What was your favorite piece?”
“That’s a hard one. I guess the notes from Dr. Robert King Stone, Lincoln’s doctor. Being a nurse, the medical history aspect interested me. How about you?”
“I would have to say the Bill of Rights and Constitution. I think about the documents in that building. They represent the birth of this nation over 200 years ago.”
“That is one of the reason I enjoy history so much. It gives you insight on the personality of the country or person or whatever you are studying..”
They continued talking as they finished eating. They then cleaned up and spent the afternoon at the National Museum of Natural History exploring the many exhibits. Nathan took Katie to a local restaurant for supper. Katie expected they would then head home. Nathan surprised Katie by taking her on the Washington After Dark Tour.

As they drove home, she said, “Nathan, this has been a wonderful day. I haven’t had such a fun time in forever.”
“Me either. What was the best part of the day?”
“The After Dark Tour. The architecture at night was so...” She wanted to say romantic but settled for “So beautiful. And you?”
“My favorite part was being with you.”
Katie blushed, “I couldn’t imagine this day without you.”
The next 2 days were much of the same. The two explored the Mall on Friday touring the Capitol, Library of Congress, the White House, and the area memorials. On Saturday, they went to the National Arboretum.
After leaving the Arboretum, they went to the grocery store and got the ingredients to make chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice. Once back at Nathan’s house, Katie chopped the tomatoes and peppers while Nathan browned the chicken. “Katie, I really needed this week. I have been so wrapped up with work I had forgotten to how to have ‘fun’.”
“You’re welcome. I kind of know how it feels. Before arriving Monday, I had been so busy with packing and moving preparations. Not to mention Jessica’s funeral. I barely had time to breathe. I can definitely say I never anticipated such a wonderful welcome to my new home.”
Nathan smiled and stole a kiss on her cheek, “You’re welcome, too.”
They finished the preparations and put the dish in the oven to bake. While it was baking, they played a game of gin rummy.

Once finished with supper, they loaded the dishwasher, Nathan asked, “Would you like to come to church with me tomorrow?”
Katie paused before answering, “I have never been. I just don’t know.”
“How can I help you feel more at ease? You do not need to be nervous.” Nathan responded putting the last dish in the dishwasher as Katie wiped the table off.
When Katie did not respond immediately, Nathan added, “Why don’t we go sit on the couch on talk.”
Katie agreed. Once they were sitting on the couch, Nathan began, “Services begin at 9:30. Brad actually leads the Bible Study that I go to. It is a small class of about 10-12 people. We are studying Romans.”
“But I haven’t read it. I don’t even own a bible.”
“It is okay. We are all new Christians, except Brad in the class. Anthony is in the class, too.” Nathan hoped to ease her anxiety.
“Really?”
“Yes. And during the worship service after class, we are in an auditorium. All you have to do is sit and listen.”
“Nathan, would you mind if I think about it? Maybe next week.”
“Sure. I understand.” Nathan outwardly did not sound disappointed but inwardly he was already falling in love with her and knew he wanted more than a friendship. Why was God bringing someone only to say no because she was not a believer?
Nathan changed the subject. “What movie would you like to watch?”
“What do you have?”
Nathan showed her his movie collection and went to slice them a piece of chocolate chip cheesecake. When he returned she was putting the DVD in. “Which did you pick?”
“Left Behind.”
“I like that one.” Her choice surprised him. But he did not say anything more.
“I read the synopsis.” she said, anticipating his thoughts, “Is that our cheesecake?”
“Yes, here” He handed her one of the plates.
They sat back and enjoyed the movie. After it was over, Nathan knew she was thinking about the story plot. Katie said, “It’s getting late. I need to get home.”
“Can I call you tomorrow?”
“You better.”
They said good night. Nathan was not ready to go the sleep. He opened his bible. Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him…” “Lord, I am committed to you. Please show me your plan. Give me the right words. Your words to share with Katie. Amen.”

Chapter 2

Nathan walked into the office early Monday morning in late November smiling. Anthony was already at his desk. “Nathan, how did she like the ballet at Kennedy Center.”
“Good morning. She loved the surprise. I enjoyed seeing her so excited.”
“You must have it bad for her. Enjoying the ballet - man.”
“One of these day, Anthony. You will know the feeling. Let’s get to work. Who are we chasing today?” Nathan changed the subject, before Anthony could bring up Katie’s hesitation to attend church services. He was still hopeful that she would accept his faith as her own.
Don walked in, “Anthony, Nathan, good job Friday. I’m quite impressed. In the 6 weeks that you have been partnered, you have 4 collars. Are you trying to make the others look bad?”
Anthony and Nathan laughed, knowing he was joking about upstaging the others. Anthony added, “I bet you have been easy on us with patsy cases?”
Don played along, “Well, maybe. But seriously, you really have proven to be an effective team. You work very well together.”
Both thanked him for the compliment. Nathan then asked, “Now, that you have stroked our egos. What is our next assignment?”
Don handed them the files, “I actually have a couple of gangs. The first is a husband and wife team - the Bakers - for child porn. They were sighted on a surveillance video at the Lincoln Memorial last night. Intelligence says that Amber loves Christmas and tends to do the annual Christmas events. Maybe we can get lucky and they can spend Christmas locked up.”
“And the other gang?”
“They are a vicious group - Gray and Garrett Summers, Cody Collins, and Thomas Williams. They have multiple charges - from guns and drugs to murder. I want you to familiarize yourself with them. Their jackets are very thick. Take you time. Get to know them.”
“Who takes priority?”
“The Baker’s. We have the video of them here. But be ready on the others.”
“Got it.” Anthony replied.
Nathan started checking the Christmas event schedules in the D.C. area. Anthony review the files and the video feeds from the Mall. Over that week they checked area shopping malls and Christmas exhibits.
The night of the National Christmas Tree Lighting on the Mall, the pair coordinated with the security team. They succeeded in apprehending the Bakers that night.
When Nathan was not busy at work, he spent time with Katie. He took her ice skating at the Mall and enjoyed New Year’s Eve celebration and fireworks. Katie surprised Nathan on the way home after the fireworks. “Nathan, I truly enjoyed that. May I ask you something?”
“Katie, you can ask me anything.”
“I know. I don’t know why I asked. I guess I’m nervous.”
“You’ve piqued my curiosity now. Whatever it is, its okay. Go ahead when you are ready.”
Katie took a deep breath, “It’s not anything real big but it is a decision I have come to. I would like to come to church with you.”
Nathan rubbed her arm. He knew she had been contemplating God much the same way as he had. She actually had made quicker progress toward believing than he did. He had dodged Brad’s efforts for 2 years. Katie had taken only a couple of months. “Katie, I would love for you to join me. I want it to be what you want. Not to please me.”
“Thank you. It is for me. I have been re-reading Jessica’s letters about Christ. I even looked at Christmas differently this year. I have decided to be more open to His Word.”
“Good. I’ will pick you up in about 8 hours.” Nathan smiled and silently thanked God.
In January, Anthony and Nathan began tracking Williams and his cohorts. They got a great tip toward the end of the month. During the raid gunfire was exchanged. Nathan killed Garrett Summers after being grazed by a bullet. The other fugitives evaded capture. That did not deter Nathan and Anthony. They continued to work the leads to capture the fugitives.

One Sunday in March while the two had lunch after church one Sunday, she asked, “Remember when we first met. You said we could talk about Jessica. Is the offer still open?”
Nathan, sensing this was about more than Jessica, put his fork down. “What would you like to know?”
“Well, before she died, Jessica wrote me three letters about her new relationship with Christ. Brad talked about ‘if God is for us who can be against us.’ But God let Jessica die. Why would He take away the only family I had left?”
“Kate, do you remember the rest of the verse?” She shook her head and he continued, ‘He did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give all things.’ God lost his Son. More than that He made a conscious choice to give up his Son because without that, we would be lost forever. God wants us to commit to Him and trust Him.
Jessica is with Jesus now because of Emily’s courage. Emily was such a source of strength, even in her death. Andrew believed in God. Emily died as a part of God’s plan to bring Andrew to himself. And Andrew shared with us -Jessica, Anthony, and myself. God had the big picture. When we look at things, we can only see one piece of the puzzle. And because we can’t see it all, it can confuse us.” Nathan paused to let that sink in.
“So, Jessica’s death has a bigger purpose.”
“God is in control. Bad things happen. You see that in the ER every day. I see it as a Marshal. But no matter what, God’s plan will withstand. We may never know the full extent of Jessica’s part in His plan but God does.”
“It’s hard to think He cares for us individually.”
“Oh, but he does. God’s plan is for good to overcome evil. We are too weak to overcome sin on our own, so he sacrificed His Son to save us - even if only one person accepts Christ, He was willing to do it.
Think about this country. Many people sacrificed for the good of the whole. Not just their life, but time and money, etc. to build this great nation. If it wasn’t for their courage, we would not be an independent nation. Christ sacrificed everything for us. Christians before us - some died for Christ as martyrs and many more fought to pass on the good news.
Do you know remember the Gutenberg bible at the Library of Congress? It dates back a few centuries. We have over 5300 copies of old scrolls with the new testament on it - all the same. God’s hand. The Iliad only has just over 640 copies.”
“That’s impressive. So, God made sure we had a way to overcome sin and documentation of His law. Jessica believed in Him. Did she have a hard time with it?”
“Andrew an-. He led us in a bible study each night. We all worked together in learning the bible. It didn’t take her long to accept Christ. I am a different story. It took Andrew and Emily’s story for me. Brad had been trying to show me the truth for a couple of years.
Take your time. It is a personal decision. Christ wants to be your friend.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.” Katie began but was interrupted by Nathan’s cell phone.
“I’m sorry. Please excuse me, Kate.” Nathan said as he answered the phone. “This is Mathews.”
“Nathan, I hate to bother you on a Sunday afternoon but it’s important.”
“Anthony, what’s up?”
“We got a lead on Thomas Williams. Don wants us to head to New Mexico to follow up on it. We fly out in 3 hours.”
Nathan checked his watch and looked at Katie, “Thomas Williams. Good I’m ready to get him behind bars after he winged me a couple of months ago. Do you want me to pick you up on the way to the airport?”
“No, I’ll swing by for you. I know your probably with Katie and could use the couple extra minutes. I’ll be there about 3.”
“Thanks. I’ll be ready.” Nathan finished the call and turned back to Katie.
“You need to go.” Katie said.
“Yes. We have a good lead. It’s in New Mexico. I have to be ready by 3.” Nathan was reluctant to leave in the middle of this conversation.
“We can finish this talk when you get back. You gave me a lot of ‘meat to chew on’. Thank you.” Katie said understandingly. ”I’ll follow you to your house and help you. I’ll get your key, so I can get your mail and water the plants. That’s if, you would like me to.”
“Come on. You are too good to me.” Nathan said putting his arm around her waist.

At Nathan’s, Katie turned the stereo on as she took the dishes from the sink and put them into the dishwasher and wiped the countertop off. “Katie, why don’t take the pizza in the refrigerator home with you? I don’t know how long I will be gone and I wouldn’t want it to go to waste.” Nathan called from the bedroom where he was packing.
“Okay. I‘ve got the kitchen cleaned up. What would you like me to do now?”
“Um, I left my laptop in the car. Could you get it and swap the battery for the one on the charger? My keys should be on the table by the door. Thanks.”
“No problem.” Katie replied and went to the car. She got the laptop and his briefcase. He would need that too. The briefcase was not latched and some papers dropped before she realized it. They were some fugitive bulletins. She looked at the one on top. Cody Collins. She thought that she had seen him just a couple days ago. It couldn’t be. Where would she see a fugitive? She read it. For gun smuggling. She looked at the next one it was Thomas Williams. That’s the name Nathan mentioned on the phone with Anthony. It said Cody and Thomas worked together. No way she had seen this Cody Collins. Nathan and Anthony were heading out to New Mexico on a credible lead.
Katie headed toward the house. Nathan opened the door, “Thanks, I realized I left my briefcase out there too. I see you got it.” Nathan took the briefcase.
“Sorry, some of your papers may be out of order. I didn’t notice it was not latched good before I picked it up. Only a couple of papers dropped out.” she apologized.
“That’s curious.” Nathan said thinking out loud. Realizing the comment puzzled her, continued, “I always lock it before I leave the office. Confidentiality issues. I don’t know why it would be unlock much less open.”
Before he could ponder it any further, Anthony was pulling in his drive. “I need to go, Katie. Do you mind setting the security system and locking up for me?” Nathan said as he grabbed his overnight bag from inside the door.
“Sure, no problem.” she then remember the laptop battery. “Wait, I didn’t get the fresh battery for you.” she ran inside, grabbed it and handed it to him.
“I’ll call you later. Thanks again.” Nathan said as he headed to the waiting car.
Katie waved bye to Anthony and Nathan as they pulled away. She then went back in to make sure everything was set before locking up. The song on the stereo was Above All by Michael W. Smith. She listened to the words.
Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all


Katie sat on the couch and continued to listen and think. Jessica wrote her about Christ being above all in heaven but choosing to come to earth. Did he really do that for her? She would re-read that letter and look at the scriptures in the bible that Nathan had given her when she got home. But right now all she wanted to do was listen to these songs some more. She had just missed part of that last one. She did catch the chorus ‘Oh no, You never let go, Through the calm and through the storm, Oh no, You never let go, In every high and every low, Oh no, You never let go, Lord, You never let go of me.’ The DJ said that it was called You Never Let Go by Matt Redman.
She got up and went to Nathan’s desk to get a piece of paper and pen to write those titles down. She wanted to look them up on the internet and read the words. As she sat down she noticed Nathan had not shut off his computer. He had an urgent message flashing. She decided to forward it to her computer and then resend it. So he could retrieve it on the laptop.
She did not mean to read it. It was just impossible not to. It was in big bold letters. “That last shot was just a warning. Next time I won’t miss.” It frightened her to actually see a threat directed at Nathan. She loved him. That thought startled her. “Did she love him?” She said it out loud to herself. “Yes, I do.”
She then began praying, “Lord, protect Nathan on this assignment. I want to tell him. I want to tell him face to face not on the phone. Lord, one of Nathan’s favorite scriptures is in Psalms 37:5+. It talks about committing to you and trusting you. I want to trust you. Help me understand and believe. Amen.”
As she finished, the phone rang. She just let the machine pick it up. She turned the computer off. The caller was Brad. He said, “Hey, Nathan, just wanted to see if you wanted to go play some tennis later. I’ll catch you later.”
Katie picked up, “Hey, Brad. It’s Katie.”
“Oh, hi. Did I call the wrong number?”
“No.” she laughed, “I was locking up for Nathan. He is on his way with Anthony to the airport for an assignment.”
“I didn’t realize.”
“Anthony called Nathan about it a couple of hours ago.”
“Okay.”
“Brad,” she paused, “I didn’t mean to read something confidential. I noticed it when I went to turn Nathan’s computer off.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about. What is it?” Brad could tell that Katie was anxious about it.
Katie continued, “He had a threatening email marked urgent. I sent it to my email so I could forward it back to him on the laptop.”
“We get threats occasionally. Was it to his personal email address?”
“I think so. I wasn‘t trying to snoop. It just frightened me.”
“Can you forward it to me?”
“Well, I have to reboot his computer. I have already shut it off.”
“Don’t worry about it. How about I meet you at your house and look at it? I can be over in about 20 minutes.”
“That is fine. That will give me time to finish up here and get home.”
“See you soon.”
Katie turned off the lights and set the light timer. As she left she keyed in the security code to activate the system. As she walked to her car, she saw a blue SUV with tinted windows drive by.

Chapter 3

Twenty five minutes later Brad knocked on Katie’s door. “Hi”
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
“I have my computer up.” She showed him to her desk.
He read the email and did some other things. Before saying, “I’ll look into this. It was sent from a public domain so it can’t be tracked. Just standard stuff. The only thing unusual is it was sent to his private email.”
“Okay. Nathan has mentioned to me that it happens occasionally. It just scared me to actually see it in writing like that.”
“Are you okay now? I know you’re not used to it. The first time is always the hardest. But you don’t have to worry we do investigate any and all threats.”
“I’m fine. I actually was praying about it when you called.”
“God can comfort you. Are you enjoying services? I know you have been coming with Nathan for a couple of months.”
“I am enjoying them. Nathan and I were talking about Christ when Anthony called. And I have been thinking about it over the last few days.”
“Do you have anything you would like to ask me?” Brad said sensing that she was struggling with Christ.
“Well, I was listening to the radio after Nathan left with Anthony and a couple of songs caught my attention. I was going to reread a couple of Jessica’s letter that mentioned something like the words in the song. Could you help me understand them?”
“Sure. What song lyrics?”
She pulled the note from her pocket. “The first was Above All by Michael W. Smith. The song talked about Christ being above all kings and nature. Basically everything. But God created the world before Christ was born.”
“The bible tells us in John chapter 1 that Christ was there in the beginning - when the world was created. Christ, God and the Holy Spirit are all apart of God, the trinity. I can explain that more later.
The song tells us that God and Christ thought about you first before anything and everything. Christ chose to live and die on the Cross for me and you and anyone that chooses to accept Him. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it does. Nathan talked about the sacrifice Christ made for us.”
“Was there another song or question?”
“I only caught part of song. I was going to look it up later. Let me see. It was You Never Let Go by Matt Redman.”
“I don’t think I have heard that one. Let’s pull it up on the computer.” Brad said. They went to the computer and found the words and listened to it.
“What do you think now that you can see the words?” Brad asked.
“Well, it is like the passage you talked about today in Romans, “If God is for us who can be against us.” She chuckled.
“What?”
“I asked Nathan about that earlier. He reminded me about the trials - the storm that Andrew faced and how God saw him through it.”
“God will be there and like the song ‘he will never let you go.’ But he never forces Himself on you or anyone. You have to accept Him first and then you are stuck with Him forever.” He paused, “Think about it.”
“I will.” Katie looked at her watch. “I hate to cut this short but I am scheduled go into work at 7 p.m. tonight and I need to get ready.”
“I understand. I’ll get out of here. Call me if you have any questions or need anything.”
“Thanks, Brad.”

When Katie arrived home after her shift ended around 4 a.m., she saw a blue SUV. It was late and after the threatening email, she dismissed it as being paranoid. It couldn’t be the same one by Nathan’s place. She went in and showered and went to bed. The phone woke her. “Hello.”
“Katie, did I wake you?” He then remembered she had worked until 3 a.m. “I’m sorry. I did wake you.”
“It’s okay. What time is it?”
“About 11. How was your shift?”
“Nothing unusual. And it is okay. I need to get up so I’ll sleep tonight. How about your work?”
“We haven’t found out anything yet.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. It happens a lot. Oh, I talked to Brad. He told me you talked yesterday after I left. Don’t worry about the email. I get one about once a month. I think the one you saw is from the guys we out here looking for.”
“Do you think you will find him out there?”
“I think this trip will end up being a wild goose chase. I should be back on Wednesday, if nothing pans out.”
“Nathan,” she started to tell him about the blue SUV, but stopped. It was probably her nerves.
“Yes, Katie.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Still trying to wake up. I miss you.”
“Me too. I got to go. Anthony is waving me over to check out something. I call you later.”
Katie ate a bagel and got dressed. She had a few errands. After she finished the errands, she stopped by Nathan’s and checked the mail. When she unlocked the door and stepped in, she heard someone leaving a message, “Welcome home. I see that you are off chasing your tail. And I see you have a girlfriend now, Mathews. This could prove beneficial for me.”
Katie got chills. Another threat and this time it included her. She started to call Nathan. But thought better of it. He was four hours away by plane. He could not do anything except worry. So she decided to go home and get Brad’s number and call him. They could come back and listen to the message.

“Robertson here.”
“Brad. It’s Nathan.”
“How is the lead panning out?”
“Another wild goose chase. The reason I called is I‘m a little concerned about Katie. She doesn‘t answer at home. She told me she would be home by 4 o‘clock.”
“It’s 6 now. Did you try her cell phone?”
“I haven’t gotten an answer on it either. It’s probably nothing. But I just can’t shake this bad feeling.”
“Hey, I trust the gut. We’ve talked about that before. I am on my way home now. I’ll swing by your place and then hers. I’ll call you back.”
“Thanks. Since you’ll be there, why don’t you check inside my house? See if she’s been by. ”
While he waited, Nathan checked his messages. He had one message on his home phone. Cody’s voice. His heart stopped - he knows about Katie. ‘Lord, please let her be safe.’
He told Anthony about the message. Anthony immediately began arranging a flight back.
Nathan started to call Brad but Anthony stopped him. “Let him check out both places first. He will call. Let’s head to the airport.”
As Brad drove to Katie’s place from Nathan’s, he called Nathan, “She was at your house. Nothing looked out of place. I should be at her house in a couple of minutes.”
“Brad be careful.” Nathan said, explaining the phone message.
Brad interrupted him, “Nathan, I see her car in the drive.”
“Good she’s home.” Nathan sighed with relief.
“No, Nathan. Hold on a sec.“ Brad paused as he parked the car and walked to Katie’s “Her car is in the drive the door is open and her keys and purse are on the ground. I’ll call you right back. I’m going to look around. Get me some back-up.”
Anthony say Nathan’s face pale and him hang up the phone. “What?”
“Brad needs backup at Katie‘s. Call Don, please. They got to her.” Nathan needed a minute to gain his composure.
Anthony called it in as he drove. “We will find her.” He said when he got off the phone.
When they arrived at the airport, they chartered a private jet instead of waiting for the commercial flight. When they arrived in Arlington, they drove straight to Katie’s. The forensic team had just finished. They did not find anything useful. Brad met them at the car before he could get out. “Let’s go to your house and check your email and phone messages.”
Nathan nodded in agreement. Forensics took the answering machine tape to analyze the message. Brad asked, “When the last time you called her cell?”
“Just before we landed. I been trying hourly.”
Anthony tried to reassure Nathan, “They will call. Trust God to be with her.”

Katie arrived home. She saw the blue SUV out of the corner of her eye. She reached for her cell phone. “I’ll take that.” Someone snatched it from her hand. It was Cody Collins, she recognized him from the fugitive flyer Nathan had. She started to run but he grabbed her arm.
“Oh, no. You are coming with us.” Cody had a gun jammed in her ribs. He pulled her into the SUV and bound her hands behind her with duct tape and put a strip over her mouth and eyes before pushing her to the floor board.
As she lay on the floor of the car, she kicked herself for not telling Nathan about this vehicle earlier. She couldn’t do anything about that now. Katie thought about the feeling Jessica described in the three letters she wrote her between becoming a believer and dying. And Nathan, he spoke of it too. That feeling of being able to trust in God no matter what was happening or where you are. They both talked about never feeling alone.
At that moment, Katie realized she wanted that feeling - the feeling she now had. She believed that she could see Jessica again in heaven. God would take her to heaven too. He had come for Jessica - she was waiting for Katie to commit and join her in heaven one day. But most importantly Christ was waiting with open arms. Katie mentally prayed, “Thank you for allowing Jessica to find the time to tell me of You in the letters. Thank you for the gentle, yet firm, encouragement that Nathan has given me regarding You. Please, accept me. I am a sinner and need You. More than that, I want You. I pray and plead with you to stay with me. I don’t know what will happen to me. I don’t know what will happen with Nathan. But please if it is your will. Please let me have a chance to tell him I love him and You. And to thank him, too. He gave me the greatest gift - You.”
As she was praying the car stopped and the men roughly dragged her from the car. She stumbled a couple of times entering the building. Once inside they forced her into a chair. Another voice said, “It’s about time you got here.”
Someone snatched the tape from her eyes and mouth. Katie blinked, adjusting to the light again. Cody said, “Here’s her cell. It’s rung a couple of times. It was Mathews. I didn‘t answer it. Let him sweat a little.”
“Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves.” One of them said.
Katie spoke up, “I saw your pictures yesterday, Thomas Williams and Cody Collins.”
“I’m Gray Summers and you would be Nathan Mathews‘s girl - K. Nelson. What does the K stand for.”
When she didn’t immediately answer, Cody grabbed her hair, snatching her head back and putting the gun to her head, “He asked a question. Answer him. NOW.”
“Katie.”
“Now that wasn’t hard, was it?”
“What do you think you are doing? Nathan will hunt you down.”
“Oh, we call this sweet revenge. Your boyfriend killed my brother Garrett.” Gray said as he walked over to her and grabbed her throat, “You will pay for Garrett’s death. You and Nathan both will pay.“
Thomas said, “Gray.”
“Thomas, I’m in control. What’s the plan?” Gray replied as he let go of Katie.
“First, we will stage this place with her blood and a note from her. We then move to the other location and then tip them off to this place. Her blood will drive him crazy.”

Thomas pointed his weapon at her. “You will write him a nice love letter. You understand. In fact, Cody take her to the back room and let her work on it while we continue this plan?”
Cody stood and took her to a small, windowless room. “Here.” he gave her a pad of paper and a pen after cutting the tape from her wrists. He left, locking her in.
The room had a small couch and end table. She sat down and rubbed her wrists. They were chafed and sore from the tape. Before she began the letter she prayed for guidance. She wanted this letter to convey to Nathan her love and comfort him.
She began to write,
“Nathan, I’m okay and I love you. Yes, you read that right. I love you. When I read that emailed threat, I realized I did. I was looking forward to seeing you and telling you in person. But now I don‘t know if I will see you again so I have chosen to write to you.
You have told me that God could and would be with me in any and everything, if I just let him. How many times did you quote Psalm 16:8-10,
‘I have set the Lord always before me,
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will let your faithful one see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’
Yes, I did memorize it. I am glad we talked yesterday about Christ. When Brad came over, we talked some more. I realized that the joy you feel was because God was faithful. I feel it myself. I have chosen to believe and trust in Christ.
God is the only one who knows how this crisis will end. Please let God comfort you. I pray that He will give us more time together but if His plan is different - be comforted in the fact that I truly believe in Christ.
Nathan, I love you. And by the time you read this letter, I feel you will be overwhelmed by the search for me. I know Thomas and the others are wicked and they are planning to torture you by hurting me. They were talking about it in front of me.
When they do contact you, please use your head and not your heart. Don’t risk your life for mine.
Remember I love you, Katie

After she finished the letter she placed it in the envelope and put it on the table. She waited and prayed. It wasn’t long and Gray opened the door and dragged her out to a bedroom up the hall. “No.” She cried anticipating he was going to attack her. Cody and Thomas were waiting on them. Gray pushed her on the bed and the three took turns beating her. The next thing Katie remembered was waking up. She was bound with duct tape and gagged. She mentally assessed her injuries. Her right eye was nearly swollen shut and felt like there was cut above it. Her left jaw felt swollen too. Her shoulders ached because they had tied her hands tightly behind her back. And the pain in her ribs, she probably had a cracked rib.
She shifted trying to get comfortable. She looked around the room. It was dark. It had to be late. Did Nathan realize they had her? Did anyone realize she was missing? A cell phone rang. It sounded like her ring tone.

“Answer the phone.” Nathan said frustrated. It was 1 a.m. Katie reset the alarm at his house at 3:47. She had said that would be her last stop. They meant they had grabbed her around 4 p.m. Nine hours ago.
Anthony took the phone, “Nathan. This is their game. Each time you call they realize how worried you are. Stop. Wait for them.”
Brad agreed, “Anthony is right. And we have no proof that Williams and Collins took her. And before you say anything, I know that they are the prime suspects. But we need to keep an open mind for Katie‘s sake. Go try and get some rest. I want you fresh in the morning for the news conference and the update meeting.”
“I can’t think about resting. I love her.” He fought back tears.
Brad walked over and sat beside him, “I know. Or at least suspected it. Look, if you let your feelings overwhelm you, Don will pull you off the investigation. Now at least lay down for a while.”

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE