Dead Ends

Eugene searches desperately for his missing father, telephoning even people whose names only resemble Meltsner. Every lead ends without anyone recognizing Leonard. Katrina urges him to share the burden with Whit, whose contacts in archaeology and mission work may uncover something Eugene cannot find alone.

Eugene finally tells Whit what happened in Africa and shows him the fax that sent Eugene and Katrina to the Ashanti village. Its handwriting resembles Leonard's journal, and the initials at the bottom are L.M. Most astonishingly, the top appears to request Eugene by name, suggesting that Leonard knew exactly where his son was and deliberately guided him toward the village.

Whit agrees to investigate, and Eugene feels immediate relief at no longer carrying the search alone. While waiting, he distracts himself by recreating a laundry-cleaning formula he invented at six. The childhood version ate through the family bathtub and ceiling, one of many failed experiments Leonard had to repair.

Katrina wonders why Eugene must search so hard when his intelligent father should be able to locate him. Her question raises a frightening possibility Eugene has avoided: perhaps Leonard could find him but does not want to. The renewed chemical experiment boils over and eats through a table, but even the familiar disaster cannot distract Eugene from that fear.

Whit contacts the mission board and learns that Leonard did not write Eugene's name on the fax. A staff member added it because Eugene's technical skills fit the need for a communications tower. The organization had received reports about the village from several sources and treated the anonymous fax only as one reason to investigate.

The discovery destroys Eugene's belief that his father specifically summoned him. He knows Leonard escaped from the African mine, yet months have passed without contact. Since Eugene's own information can be found easily, he concludes that Leonard has chosen not to seek him. Whit cautions that they do not know Leonard's resources or circumstances, but Eugene feels abandoned all over again.

Searching for answers about his childhood, Eugene visits Frank and Maddie Burnette, his former foster parents. They welcome him warmly, prepare the healthful food and cool room temperature he preferred as a boy, and reveal how carefully they still remember his unusual habits.

The Burnettes joke about the difficulties of raising a brilliant child, but their attic holds proof of steady love. They preserved Eugene's academic trophies and once kept him from a competition because he had neglected his chores. Though he would probably have won, they considered responsibility more valuable than another prize.

Among Eugene's childhood belongings is a broken soap dish from the bathtub his experiment destroyed. On it, Leonard wrote that Eugene, son of Lenny, created it as a necessary casualty in the pursuit of knowledge. The inscription shows that his father did not merely tolerate the disaster; he valued the curiosity and learning behind it.

The Burnettes have no new clue about Leonard, but Eugene realizes the visit was not wasted. They loved him like their own son, kept him humble, and taught him responsibility. He returns to Whit with gratitude rather than the answer he expected to find.

Working beside Whit on a holographic device, Eugene recognizes a pattern in God's care. Leonard nurtured his intellect and creativity, the Burnettes shaped his character, and Whit guided him into adulthood. Eugene tells Whit that during those important years, Whit has been his father. Knowing God consistently placed him among people who loved him leaves Eugene feeling less abandoned even while the search continues.

Elsewhere, an unnamed newcomer says he has spent twenty years in Africa as a hostage at an archaeological dig and that his wife died there. When asked whether he has children, he answers no.