Chapter 3The Morning After
Lovi had breakfast ready the next morning when the men and boys, wet and tired, shuffled in. They had walked both sides of the Elk Creek to New River and into the woods on both sides. They had then traveled upstream about ten miles above the Jones Ferry where they had taken the Ridge Road north. There they had followed the valley road back to Elk Creek. They had found no signs. They hungrily devoured the breakfast and the Joneses, for the second time in twenty-four hours, headed home.
“Oh James,” she said after the neighbors had ridden off. “What are we to do?”
“Don’t give up hope. If someone has her, they’ll not be able to travel very fast,” James said, hoping his voice was convincing. “Wake me up in three hours and I’ll start a new search.”
By mid-
