“Of course I will.”
“Do you think that’s wise, Hannah?” Jenny asked. “If it is like the picture in Berlin, it’s inappropriate.”
“I know, but I survived many people seeing that photo before. If it’s another like that, I’ll survive it again. Also, Isaac is older. I won’t worry about him being upset.”
“I’m not that young. I want to see them, too.”
“I’ve made up my mind, Jen.”
Before her sister could argue again, Sheriff Brewer interrupted. “I think it might be best if Isaac stays. If only Isaac stays.”
“We’ll wait out here, then,” Ben said. Though her sister looked disappointed, she followed him and Sam out of the room. Hannah didn’t like seeing Jenny upset, but resolutely pushed that worry away. This wasn’t a time to worry about whether her siblings were sad that they were missing out on a special show-and-tell.
After the door closed, Hannah approached the desk. “I’m ready now.”
New respect lit the sheriff’s gaze. “Yes, I can see that you are.” Since he still had on his gloves, he opened the envelope and without any fanfare, he placed all four items in front of her and Isaac, setting each out like playing cards.
The note was much like the others, except the size of each letter was bigger. Much bigger.
Together, the six letters sent a chilling message.
NO MORE
Hannah’s mouth went dry as she forced herself to look at the three photos placed next to the note. They were in black-and-white, and five-by-seven in measurements.
But instead of photos of just herself, they were of her and Isaac. One was when they were walking; she was smiling up at him. Obviously amused by something he had said.
The next showed Isaac staring at her when they were outside Maggie’s house. He looked serious and thoughtful. And she had her back to him, talking to Maggie.
When she finally allowed herself to gaze at the last photo, she understood why Sheriff Brewer hadn’t wanted her to see the photos. It was taken when Isaac had hugged her. But instead of leaving the photo alone, Trent had drawn dark X’s all over it, along with the words YOU WILL PAY at the bottom.
She gasped. The effect was dark and disturbing. In many ways, even more disturbing than the picture he’d taken of her in her bedroom.
She could also feel Isaac tense beside her.
Sheriff Brewer looked from one person to the other. “You didn’t mention writing on the previous photos. Was there any?”
“Nee. They were only photos of me.”
“I guess he’s not pleased that I’m seeing Hannah,” Isaac murmured.
“I’d call that an understatement,” the sheriff said.
Hannah didn’t speak. She couldn’t seem to do anything but look at the photos. She was both creeped out by the photos . . . and caught up in the way she and Isaac looked. There was something soft, sincere, and intimate about the way they were gazing at each other.
They truly were a couple. It was like she’d been in a relationship but hadn’t actually realized it. The photos showed the growth in their romance that she’d been ignoring.
While she continued to stare, Isaac spoke. “Is this enough to get a restraining order issued for Hart County?”
“I’m not sure if it is. Since there’s no name or address and none of you have seen him well enough to identify him without a doubt, it might be difficult to do.”
“What can you do, then?”
“I’m going to call your sheriff in Berlin and get some more information,” he said. After glancing at Isaac and Hannah again, he gathered up the photographs and slipped them back in the envelope. “After I talk to them and we see if we can find any fingerprints on any of this, I’ll stop by and speak with you, Hannah. Okay?”
She nodded.
As he stood up, he said, “Is there any special reason you were so adamant about your parents not coming here today?”
“There are a lot of reasons,” she said softly.
Holding out his hand for her to shake, Sheriff Brewer said, “I know this is difficult, but I want you to keep your faith. I’m not going to sit back and let you be terrorized anymore.”
“Do you want Hannah to stay inside from now on?” Isaac asked.
“Hannah, that’s up to you. However, I’m of the mind that you need to live your life. The worst thing that can happen to you is to be held captive by this creep and his camera.”
That made her smile. “I suspect you are right.”
“Don’t give him any more encouragement, Hannah. Live your life. Walk with your boyfriend. Hang out with your friends. Smile. If you do all that, then all his pictures are going to be of you being happy.”
Isaac wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m going to be honest. A part of me likes that he took photos of the two of us. I like that he knows we are a couple, and I love that he knows you are no longer alone. It’s not just you against him anymore, Hannah.”
Both the sheriff’s words and Isaac’s comments made her feel a lot better. They were right. She needed to have faith . . . and she needed to revel in the fact that she wasn’t alone.
She’d made a choice to stop hiding, and she felt stronger than ever before.
CHAPTER 17
Wednesday, August 3
Do you two think Mamm and Daed will be home when we get there?” Ben asked after the three of them said goodbye to Isaac and Sam at the halfway point between their two houses.
While Jenny simply shrugged, Hannah said, “I hope so, but your guess is as good as mine.” She hoped they were. She wanted to get this news—and their reaction to it—over with.
They walked further along. The sky was a pale blue and the last chill of the weather had finally passed. It was a perfect day to spend outside. Hannah noticed that more flowers had bloomed over the last week. She especially loved the daffodils and the tulips. Anything that was merry and bright. They lifted her spirits and reminded her that something beautiful could always be found around every corner, if one waited long enough.
She was just about to point out a particularly pretty grouping of pink daffodils when Jenny spoke up.
“Hey, Hannah?”
“Yeah?” she asked, thinking about her mother’s garden, that maybe Mamm should plant some pansies or snapdragons, or something new and bright outside the kitchen windows. Something to bring a little beauty into our home.
“You really like Isaac, don’t ya?”
“Jah. I like him a lot.”
“What if things between you get even more serious?”
Hannah looked at Jenny curiously. “What if they do?”
“What happens then?” Her bottom lip trembled. “I mean, what do you think will happen to us?”
All thoughts of spring and rejuvenation faded away. “You mean if I marry him?” She pushed away the knee-jerk reaction of saying that she wasn’t going to marry Isaac any time soon. Jenny’s feelings were more important. “Why worry about what is going to happen to you?”
“Because you look after us,” Jenny said, for once looking vulnerable instead of bulldoggish. “If you leave, then we’ll be home alone.”
Hannah paused, half waiting for Ben to say that Jenny was worrying about nothing. But instead, he appeared to be just as worried.
“Not really. Mamm and Daed will be there. They are occupied now, but they haven’t given up being our parents.”
“But if Daed dies, Mamm might not want to stay here,” Ben said. “She probably won’t.”
“And I just got used to being here,” Jenny blurted. “I don’t want to go back to Ohio.”
“You don’t?” Hannah asked.
Jenny shook her head. “I’m different now. Aren’t you?”
“I guess I am. I’m stronger.”
“I think you are a lot stronger,” Ben said. “And I’ve made friends here. But Mamm ain’t all that happy.”
Hannah felt as if this day’s events were accompanied by a steamroller. Each topic was exhausting and felt like a mi
nefield. “If Daed dies, then Mamm will stay here. Don’t forget, that’s why they bought this house in the first place. So Mamm would have a home where she didn’t have to worry about the bills and the mortgage.”
But instead of looking reassured, Ben exchanged glances with Jenny. Then he spoke. “We’re pretty sure Mamm won’t want to stay.”
“Why would you say such a thing?”
“Mamm is lonely here.”
“No, she isn’t,” she protested. “Mamm has that new job.”
“Mamm has a new job that she doesn’t like,” Jenny corrected. “There’s a difference.”
“I know that.” Stumbling around her words, she said, “Are you sure? I mean, she just got those flowers. And she mentions work a lot. She acts like she’s happy about it.”
“She’s only acting happy because she knows Daed feels guilty, about being so sick.”
It seemed like every conversation turn was a tangled maze of secrets and disclosures. “I didn’t realize Daed felt that way.” Feeling guiltier than ever, she said, “I’m sorry, you two. I didn’t mean to make you feel so alone. I’ll try harder.”
After exchanging another look with his sister, Ben said, “If Mamm moves back and you marry Isaac, can I live with you instead of moving back to Ohio? I promise I won’t be a lot of trouble.”
“Don’t talk like that. We shouldn’t be talking about Daed dying or Mamm wanting to leave. It’s not right.”
“So is that a no?”
Growing more flustered by the second, she shook her head. “Of course it’s not,” she said quickly.
“Oh,” he said. His voice was filled with dejection.
Realizing that Ben needed her to give him an answer, she gave him the only one she could. “Ben, if I do marry Isaac, and if our father does die, and if Mamm really doesn’t want to live here and moves to Ohio, then yes, of course, you may move in with me and Isaac. Jenny, you too. Neither of you ever have to ask about something like that. I’ll always want you near me.”
“Okay, then,” Ben said.
“Danke, Hannah,” Jenny said.
They had been really worried. Goodness, but this conversation was awkward. She felt like she was already being their parent, and felt completely unprepared to be a good parent for them. “We should probably keep this conversation between the three of us,” she said. “I don’t want Mamm and Daed to know we talked about such things.”
“Of course we’re not going to mention it, Hannah,” Ben said. “But things happen even when we don’t want them to.”
How did her siblings get so wise? She couldn’t dispute anything they said. But even though they were growing up quickly, she knew they still needed reassurance and support.
“Ben, Jenny, please remember that it ain’t a good idea to go around worrying about the future. One never knows what will happen. Ain’t so? Therefore, all that worrying simply becomes a waste of time.”
“Don’t you get it, Hannah?” Jenny asked as they approached their house and saw that the front door was open. “We have to worry about the future. Everything is going to happen sooner or later. A person can either be ready for it . . . or not.”
Walking up the driveway, Hannah said, “If what you say is true, Jenny, let’s hope that all this talking has prepared us for what is about to come.”
Jenny heaved a sigh. “I don’t think any of us is going to be ready for this.”
AN HOUR LATER, as the five of them sat around the kitchen table, Hannah reflected that Jenny had been exactly right. Her parents were not pleased.
Not about anything that had happened.
“You shouldn’t have gone to the sheriff’s office, Hannah,” their father said. “You certainly had no right to drag your younger brother and sister along. That was irresponsible.”
“First of all, there was no way I was going to wait to contact the authorities again. Secondly, I didn’t drag them. They wanted to go.”
“There was no way we were going to let her go alone, Daed,” Ben said.
Her father glared at Hannah. “You are supposed to be shielding Ben and Jenny from activities like that.”
“Going to the sheriff’s office wasn’t an activity. I went to report that Trent was sending me photographs again.”
Her mother fussed with the silverware that was left on the table. “I don’t think I can handle moving again.”
“Sheriff Brewer is going to take care of things,” Jenny said.
“He said he’s going to stop Trent,” Ben added. “He said Hannah shouldn’t have to be so scared all the time.”
Looking exhausted, their father nodded. “He is right. Hannah certainly does deserve to live a more peaceful life.”
“Where were you today?” Jenny asked. “None of us knew.”
After a slight pause, Mamm said, “We went to a new doktah.”
“Are you going to get treatment now, Daed?” Hannah asked hopefully.
“Nee. But I did want to get some medicine and talk to them about what I might be facing in the next couple of months. And what your mother needs to expect.”
“You’re only worried about Mamm?” Jenny asked.
“Jenny, don’t,” Hannah said as she stood up. “We don’t need to go there.”
“I believe we have all said enough today,” Daed said. “I need to rest.”
Jenny stood up as well. “I’ll help you with the dishes.”
Hannah felt their parents’ relief that the conversation was over. It was just as well. Nothing that could have been shared would have made any of them happier or more at ease with what was going to take place.
It seemed Jenny was right. The future came, whether one wished for it or not.
CHAPTER 18
Monday, August 8
For some reason, being back at the library studying didn’t feel as hard as it had when Jenny had been so angry at her sister. She no longer resented studying geography and history. She no longer ignored Hannah’s advice about learning to speak and write English properly.
Actually, now that several days had passed, Jenny was starting to think of the time she had to study as a gift.
Talking honestly with Hannah had helped Jenny become more settled. Because she and Ben had a better understanding of all that their older sister had endured, Jenny wasn’t constantly fighting all the changes that had taken place. Coming clean about her communication with Trent had helped, too.
Even knowing that the sheriff, Sam, and Isaac were concerned helped Jenny’s frame of mind. Her family wasn’t trying to tackle every problem by themselves now. They were part of a larger group.
At last, she was starting to feel like herself again. It was nice to remember that the world around her wasn’t as dark or as dreary as she’d been imagining it was.
Munfordville, Kentucky, wasn’t Berlin, Ohio, but it was filled with good, caring people who were willing to accept her. They’d wanted her to join their community and be her friend, too. Even when their first impression of her had been that she’d had a giant chip on her shoulder.
In the two hours that she’d been at the library that evening, Jenny had smiled at several girls and even talked to a few of them. When others had noticed her smiling in a friendly way, they’d joined in conversation, too. It had been fun to feel so carefree.
Jenny could hardly remember the last time she’d felt so optimistic about the future. Months, most likely. Even back in Berlin, she’d had the feeling that something wasn’t quite right in their lives.
It was ironic that now that so much was wrong with their lives, she felt happier than ever. She could only guess that it had to do with the fact that none of them were harboring a collection of dark secrets anymore.
She would have never guessed that knowing what was truly bad was actually a whole lot better than pretending that something was good.
After studying her geography terms for another ten minutes, she closed her notebook and smiled. And almost giggled.
Cole noticed. “What are you laugh
ing about?” he asked as he took the seat next to her.
Today, Cole was wearing a short-sleeved light-green cotton shirt. She tried not to notice that it set off his eyes under his tortoiseshell frames. “Hello to you, too,” she teased.
His eyebrows rose. “Hello.”
Realizing he was still waiting for her to answer his question, she said, “I’m sorry, I forgot what you asked.”
Cole was looking more puzzled by the second. “I asked what you were giggling about. I mean, if you want to share.”
“It wasn’t anything specific. I was just thinking that I was happy.”
He smiled slightly as he squinted. And continued to give her a look like she was a confusing puzzle he was trying to piece together. “You seem different.”
After making sure that they weren’t being overheard, she nodded and smiled. “I guess I am.” Straightening her shoulders a bit, she said, “Actually, I feel different. Almost like a new person.”
“What happened?”
“I finally ironed some things out with my family.”
He nodded in an understanding way. “You mean you talked with your sister?”
“Jah. Me and my sister finally talked about some things that had been bothering me,” she said. “Hannah shared some other things, too. Now that I understand her better, I realize that I shouldn’t have been so hard on her. It wasn’t fair of me to fault her for acting the way she did.”
“What happened to her?”
Though she ached to talk about everything that had been going on with someone, she hesitated. “I don’t think I should share exactly what happened,” she admitted slowly. “It’s a pretty private thing. All I can say is that someone who used to be out of her life is back in. We’re all going to rally around her and stop him from bothering her this time.”
“Him?” He exhaled. “So, she’s just having man troubles.”
“It was way more than that.” Deciding to share a little bit more because she couldn’t bear the idea that Cole thought Hannah was overreacting because of a simple romantic squabble, Jenny said, “She’d made friends with a man who wouldn’t leave her alone. He stalked her. It wasn’t good.”
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