Chapter 116

Christine's resolve was going to be tested far more than she could have dreamed. The weather turned bad with a blizzard blowing through the mountains to the north. It was bad enough to drop eight inches of snow in Highland and make travel difficult. Sunday wore on with no word from the police. By Sunday night, the Leonard were too weary to stay awake, so they went to bed hoping for better news the next morning.

School was cancelled because of the snow-covered roads, so Christine spent the day with her family again, waiting for the police to call with news. Governor O'Leary called around noon to speak with Christine and promised that every asset of the state would be pressed into service to find Mitchell. By afternoon, the roads were cleared, and Melissa's parents arrived to offer their support.

The Leonards’ with Donna's family and Christine's grandparents, were seated in the living room quietly talking when the phone rang. Melissa was sitting near it and answered. She listened for