Free Wings of Refuge by Lynn Austin Page A

Abby said. “Are we allowed to use all these facilities?”
    “Yes, but don’t be surprised if you are too worn out after a day of digging to take advantage of them,” Hannah said. Her bungalow was the first one in the row, with Ted and Ramona Voss’s room next door. Abby’s was farther down the path with Ari’s room adjoining it.
    He glanced at his watch as she unlocked her door. “Give me fifteen minutes and I will have the computer ready to send your email message.”
    Ari sat outside on the front step while Abby typed a long letter to Emily. After apologizing to her daughter for hanging up last night, Abby described her flight, her impressions of Israel, and as many of today’s sights as she could remember. Once again she decided not to mention Benjamin Rosen’s death. The idea of terrorists still disturbed her, so she added a postscript: If you want your father to stay with you for a few more nights, it’s all right with me .
    “I’m ready to send this,” she called to Ari when she finished. He pushed a few buttons and her message disappeared into cyberspace. “Thank you so much, Ari.”
    “It’s time for dinner,” he said. “I will show you the way.”
    Abby hoped she wouldn’t have to eat with him. His abruptness made her uncomfortable. So did trying to converse with him as they walked up the flowered path to the dining room.
    “I want to thank you and your wife again for the clothes,” she said. “Will I have a chance to meet her? Will she be joining you here this summer?”
    “No.”
    He didn’t seem to mind the strained silence that followed, but Abby did. “Listen, I meant to ask . . . is there something I should be doing to help retrieve my lost luggage?”
    “I took care of it.”
    “Thank you. I haven’t flown much—and never overseas like this. How long does it usually take for them to find lost baggage?”
    “A few days.”
    “Umm . . . did that horrible man, Agent Shur, say anything more about questioning me?”
    Ari shook his head.
    The walk back to the bungalow with Hannah after dinner was much more pleasant than the walk with Ari. “I recommend you get a good night’s sleep tonight,” Hannah said. “Morning will come very early tomorrow.”
    “I’m so excited about my first day of digging, I may not be able to sleep!”
    Hannah laughed. “I hope Dr. Voss warned all of his volunteers that real archaeology isn’t like Hollywood. What is that popular movie series called?”
    “You mean Indiana Jones?”
    “Yes, that’s the one. Real digs aren’t nearly that glamorous. They’re mostly a lot of hard work in the hot sun, moving a ton or two of dirt.”
    “You mean I’m not going to find the lost Ark of the Covenant?” Abby said, laughing.
    “Don’t we both wish!”
    “Oh well, I don’t mind. It’s thrilling just to be here.” Hannah’s arm circled Abby’s shoulder for a quick hug. “Good night, Hannah.”
    “Good night, dear.”

CHAPTER 4
    THE GOLANI HOTEL, ISRAEL—1999
    A bby’s room was dark when the telephone rang. She bolted out of bed, her heart pounding. The digital clock read 4:00 A.M . It was her wake-up call.
    “Have mercy!” she said, groaning. It felt like the middle of the night! She dressed sluggishly, then applied a thick layer of sunscreen, found her hat and her water bottles, and stumbled down the path to the dining hall for a quick cup of coffee.
    She was still yawning and trying to rub the sleep from her eyes as she walked to the rented vans that would transport them to the dig site. Hannah was there already, looking wide awake as she instructed the drivers and ironed out last-minute details with Dr. Voss. When she saw Abby, she limped over to greet her.
    “You look like you want to crawl back into bed,” Hannah said, laughing.
    “I do. I’ve never started work this early in my life.”
    “You’ll understand why we do once you feel how hot it gets by quitting time. But God gives you two rewards for rising so early. Look up,