The Healing

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  Samuel leaped out of the buggy. “He’s got to be somewhere. Have you checked with the neighbors?”

  Titus nodded. “I’ve made several phone calls, but no one’s seen Leon.”

  “I’m going down the road to look and call for him. He might be hiding in the woods.”

  Clippety-clop! Clippety-clop! A horse and buggy pulled into the yard. It was Esther.

  “You left this at Bonnie’s,” she said, leaning out the buggy and holding Samuel’s straw hat out to him.

  “Just leave it somewhere,” Samuel said, barely looking at her. “I’m heading out to look for Leon.”

  “Isn’t he here?” she asked.

  Titus stepped forward and explained the situation.

  She gasped. “I hope he’s okay.”

  “Esther, could you stay with the kinner so I can go with Samuel to look for Leon?” Titus asked.

  “Sure, no problem. I’d be happy to stay. I can fix the kinner their supper, too.”

  Just then, Suzanne’s horse and buggy pulled in. She jumped out quickly and dashed up to Samuel. “Is Leon here?”

  Samuel shook his head.

  “He’s missing,” Titus said. “I’ve looked all over for him. Samuel and I are going to search along the road and in the woods if need be.”

  She drew in a quick breath. “I hate to tell you this, but my grandpa just told us that he saw Leon getting into someone’s car.”

  “Whose car?” Samuel asked.

  “He didn’t recognize it, and he didn’t get a good look at the man who was driving the vehicle either.”

  Samuel’s heart pounded like a herd of stampeding horses as he broke out in a cold sweat. “I’m sure Leon wouldn’t have gotten into the man’s car unless he’d been forced.” He squeezed his fingers into the palms of his hands until they dug into his flesh. “I think my boy’s been kidnapped, and I’m the one to blame.”

  CHAPTER 23

  What’d the sheriff have to say?” Titus asked when Samuel stepped out of the phone shanty.

  “He said they’d be searching for Leon, and that we should also keep looking. He wanted me to give him a picture of Leon, but I told him I didn’t have any.” Samuel frowned. “Sure wish I did though.”

  “You gave him a good description of Leon, didn’t you?” Titus asked.

  “Of course, but I’m not sure how much it’ll help.” Samuel moaned deeply. “I can’t believe my boy’s been kidnapped. Makes me think about how everyone in my family felt when Zach was snatched from our yard.”

  Titus placed his hand on Samuel’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “We don’t know for sure that Leon’s been kidnapped.”

  “Suzanne said her grandpa saw Leon get into a stranger’s car. I’ve warned my kinner many times not to go anywhere with someone they don’t know, so I’m sure Leon didn’t get into the car willingly.” Samuel drew in a quick breath and released it with another moan. “I was pretty young when Zach was taken, but I can still remember how upset everyone was, and Naomi blamed herself for it. She felt like everyone else blamed her, too.” He rubbed his forehead, where sweat had beaded up, feeling more anxious by the minute. “I can understand that now, because I blame myself for Leon being taken.”

  “It’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing someone would come along and coax the boy into their car.”

  “What makes you think he was coaxed? Maybe Leon was forced.” Samuel clenched his fingers as he held his arms tightly against his sides in an effort to keep from shaking. “Either way, I’m the one to blame. If I hadn’t gotten angry with him this morning, he wouldn’t have taken off.”

  “He might not have taken off. He may have just gone outside to play.”

  Samuel wrung his hands as he shook his head. “I don’t think so. If he’d been playing, he wouldn’t have been out by the road; he’d have been in the yard or barn.”

  “You’re upset and need to calm down. I think you ought to go in the house and be with your kinner while we wait for the sheriff.”

  “Of course I’m upset. You’d be upset, too, if you had a son who’d gone missing.” Samuel glared at Titus. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d stop tellin’ me what to do. I’m going to get my horse buggy so I can look for Leon by myself.” Samuel hurried away. Lord, help me. I’d never be able to live with myself if anything happens to my boy.

  “I’m glad we’re both here right now,” Esther told Suzanne as they scurried around Titus’s kitchen getting supper ready. “Not only do the kinner need to be fed, but someone needs to be here to watch them while Samuel’s out looking for Leon and Titus is in the shanty making phone calls.”

  “Titus will probably be awhile calling his family back home, and I’m sure they’ll be quite upset when they hear the news,” Suzanne said. “I just hope Leon is found soon and that he hasn’t been harmed. Titus and Timothy weren’t born during the time of their brother Zach’s kidnapping, but from what Titus has been told, the whole family was in a terrible turmoil after Zach disappeared. It took twenty years for him to be reunited with them. Can you imagine that?”

  “That’s baremlich. Sure hope things turn out better for Leon. Samuel’s suffered enough over the loss of his wife and unborn baby. I can’t imagine how he’d deal with losing Leon, too.”

  “Let’s not think about that.” Suzanne took out a loaf of bread and stacked several slices on a plate. “We need to think positively and pray for Leon.”

  Esther nodded. “I have been praying, and will continue to do so until he’s found.”

  The back door swung open just then, and Titus stepped into the kitchen, looking very upset.

  “Did you get a hold of your family in Pennsylvania?” Suzanne asked.

  He nodded soberly. “They took it pretty hard—especially Dad. I think it brought back memories of when Zach was taken.”

  “I figured it might,” Suzanne said.

  “Then when I hung up from talking to Dad, the sheriff called.”

  “What’d the sheriff say?” From the grim expression on Titus’s face, Esther feared it wasn’t good news.

  He leaned against the wall as though needing it for support. “Some English fellow came into his office awhile ago and said he’d seen a young Amish boy walking along the side of the road. Since the boy was alone and appeared to be crying, the man stopped to see if he was okay.”

  “Was it Leon?” Suzanne questioned.

  “From the description the man gave the sheriff, I’d say it was.” Titus moved over to the table and took a seat. “Anyway, the man tried to get the boy to give him his name, but he wouldn’t. When he asked where the boy lived, he said Pennsylvania.”

  “Why would Leon say something like that?” Esther asked.

  Titus shrugged. “Maybe because he’s from Pennsylvania.”

  “Or maybe he was trying to get to Pennsylvania,” Suzanne put in.

  Esther drew in a sharp breath. “Could Leon have been running away from home?”

  “That’s a definite possibility. I heard some raised voices this morning, and Samuel told me awhile ago that he’d lost his temper with Leon.” Titus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anyhow, thinking the boy was lost, the man decided to take him to the sheriff’s office.”

  Hope welled in Esther’s chest. “Is Leon with the sheriff now?”

  Titus shook his head. “As the man neared Hopkinsville, he realized that he was almost out of gas. So he stopped at a station just inside the city limits, and while he was pumping the gas, the boy hopped out of the car and took off down the street.”

  “Did the man catch up with him?” Esther asked, hoping against hope that he had.

  “Afraid not. Leon must have hidden somewhere, because the man lost sight of him real quick.” Titus continued to rub his nose. “So the man went on to the sheriff’s office and reported the incident, and the sheriff called here because the description of the boy fit Leon.”

  “If Leon’s somewhere in Hopkinsville, surely he’ll be found,” Esther said, again
feeling hopeful.

  “I hope so.” Titus frowned. “Trouble is, there are so many places he could hide.”

  “At least we know he hasn’t been kidnapped, and I’m sure he’ll be found.” Suzanne’s voice sounded optimistic, but the look of doubt on her face cancelled it out.

  Esther moved over to the table to stand beside Titus. “You don’t suppose Leon will try to get to Pennsylvania.”

  Titus shook his head. “I don’t see how he could. He’s only six years old and wouldn’t even know where to catch a bus. Besides, he has no money.”

  “Jah, he does,” Marla said, entering the room. “Penny said she saw Leon with Daadi’s wallet earlier. Guess Daadi must have forgot to take it with him today.”

  Esther gasped, and Suzanne’s mouth dropped open.

  Titus pushed his chair back and stood. “I’d better go out to the phone shanty and leave a message for my folks again. They need to know about this latest information, just in case Leon somehow ends up in Pennsylvania. Sure wish Samuel would get back so I can fill him in on all this.”

  “I don’t understand why Samuel went out looking for Leon,” Suzanne said. “He had to know that if someone picked Leon up in a car, there was no way he could catch up to them in his horse and buggy. Especially after so much time has gone by since Grandpa saw Leon.”

  “My bruder’s no dummkopp. He’s just concerned about his son and is desperate to get him back.” Titus shot Suzanne a look of irritation then rushed out the door.

  Suzanne groaned and thumped her head. “Oh, great. He’s mad at me again.”

  Esther put her arm around Suzanne’s waist, hoping to offer some comfort. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to be so sharp. He’s obviously worried about Leon, and Samuel, too. Everything will work out as soon as the boy is found.”

  “If he’s found,” Marla said. “What if my bruder never comes home?”

  CHAPTER 24

  Samuel hated to give up his search, but it was dark and he couldn’t see much of anything. Discouraged, yet trying to remain hopeful that Titus might have heard something from the sheriff by now, he turned his horse and buggy in the direction of Titus’s house. He couldn’t shake the nagging fear that he might never see his son again, and he couldn’t stop blaming himself.

  Dear Lord, he silently prayed, please take care of my boy, and bring him safely back to us. If You’ll grant me this one request, I promise I’ll be a better daed from now on.

  When Samuel stepped into the house a short time later, he found Titus sitting in the living room by himself.

  “Where is everyone?” he asked.

  “Suzanne and Esther were exhausted, so I told ‘em to go home, and the kinner are all in bed,” Titus said.

  “I went a long ways up the highway and stopped at every house I saw,” Samuel said. “No one has seen Leon or the car he was riding in.” He sank into the rocking chair and leaned his head back. He, too, was exhausted. “Have you heard anything from the sheriff?”

  “He said Leon wasn’t kidnapped. The man who picked him up thought he was lost so he decided to take him to the sheriff’s.”

  “Is he here? Did the sheriff bring my boy home?” Samuel leaped out of the chair, feeling truly hopeful for the first time since he’d learned that Leon was gone.

  “No, he’s not here. When the man stopped for gas, Leon hopped out of the car and ran.”

  “Where is he now?”

  Titus shrugged. “We don’t know. The man lost sight of him, but the sheriff and his deputies are out searching for Leon. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he’s found.”

  Samuel’s shoulders drooped as he glanced at the clock on the far wall. It was almost ten. The later it got, the worse he felt. Leon had to be frightened out there by himself.

  Samuel began to pace—praying, thinking, and praying some more.

  “You’re not doing yourself any good by doing that,” Titus said. “We just need to pray.”

  Samuel’s jaw clenched as he whirled around. “I’ve been praying. Not that it’s gonna do any good. God sure didn’t answer my prayers when I asked Him to keep Elsie and our unborn boppli safe from harm, now did He?”

  “God’s ways are not our ways.”

  Samuel dropped into the rocking chair again and let his head fall forward into his hands. There wasn’t much else he could do for Leon right now except pray, so even if he had lost faith in receiving an answer to his prayers, he closed his eyes and continued to plead with God.

  Heavenly Father, Esther silently prayed as she knelt on the floor beside her bed, please be with Leon tonight. He must be so scared out there all alone. Help the sheriff, or someone else, to find Leon and bring him safely home.

  When Esther’s prayer ended, she stood and moved over to the window. It had started raining, and she shivered as she listened to the splattering raindrops hitting the window. It was a chilly spring night—too cold and wet for a little boy to be out on his own.

  I wonder if Samuel gave up his search and came home. If I feel this bad about Leon, I can only imagine how terrible Samuel must feel.

  Esther folded her arms across her chest. She knew Samuel loved his children, even though he often ignored them. Perhaps the pain of losing his wife had caused Samuel to pull so far into himself that he’d forgotten that his children missed their mother and needed their father. During the time Esther had spent taking care of them, she’d seen how needy they were—especially little Jared, who often called her “mammi.” The poor little fellow still sucked his thumb and had a hard time falling asleep unless he was rocked. Not that Esther minded rocking him. She enjoyed holding Jared on her lap and stroking his soft skin. His hair smelled so good after a bath, and his warm, steady breathing nearly lulled her to sleep. She enjoyed everything about caring for Samuel’s children, and the more she was with them, the more she longed to become a mother.

  Heavenly Father, she prayed once more, please, please keep Leon safe.

  Paradise, Pennsylvania

  The sound of heavy footsteps woke Fannie from a restless sleep. In the darkness of the room, lit only by the glow of the moon shining through their bedroom window, she could see her husband’s silhouette.

  “Abraham, what are you doing up?” she whispered.

  “I’m standing by the window.”

  “I can see that, but why?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I’m worried about Samuel and think we ought to go to Kentucky to be with him.”

  Fannie slipped out of bed and made her way across the room to stand beside Abraham. He was in the middle of planting season and never would have considered going anywhere unless it was an emergency. “I’m worried about Samuel and Leon, too,” she said, “but when Titus called to tell us about Leon, he said we should wait until tomorrow to make a decision about going there. By morning, we may have received word that Leon’s been found.”

  “Maybe some stranger will find the boy and take him away. Maybe our family will have to suffer through yet another kidnapping.”

  Fannie could hear the fear and desperation in Abraham’s voice. Even after all these years, the pain of having his own son kidnapped had truly never left him. It was as if Leon’s disappearance had stirred up all the old hurts and doubts from the past.

  She slipped her arm around his waist. “We must trust God, Abraham. He knows where our grandson is, and if it’s His will, then Leon will be found.”

  “And if it’s not?”

  “Try not to think about that,” she said. “Let’s keep our thoughts positive and pray for the best. If we don’t have some good news by tomorrow morning, we’ll call our driver and head to Kentucky.”

  Abraham grunted. “Let’s hope we’re not too late.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Pembroke, Kentucky

  A knock sounded on the front door, causing Bonnie to jump. She’d been lying on the sofa, reading a book, and hadn’t expected any company this late at night.

  She rose from the sofa and padded across the room in
her bare feet. Peeking out the little window near the top of the door, she was surprised to see Allen standing on the porch. Quickly, she opened the door.

  “I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said. “I went by Titus’s place, but it looked dark, so I figured they’d probably all gone to bed. Then when I came by here and saw a light in your window, I decided to see if you’d heard the news about Samuel’s boy.”

  Bonnie nodded. “Esther stopped on her way home from Titus’s this evening and told me Leon was missing, but I haven’t heard anything since then. Have you?”

  He shook his head. “I can only imagine how Samuel must feel.”

  “I know, and I’ve been praying for him, as well as Leon.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or some hot chocolate?” she asked.

  “Hot chocolate sounds good. I could use a little pick-me-up before I head home.”

  Bonnie led the way, and Allen followed her into the kitchen.

  “Have a seat,” she said, motioning to the table. “I’ll heat some water for the hot chocolate. All I have is the instant kind, but with a couple of marshmallows on top, maybe you won’t know the difference.”

  He chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I was just thinking about how Samuel’s brother Zach and I used to get into his mother’s cupboards when we were kids. One of our favorite things to snack on was marshmallows. We’d eat ‘em till our stomachs were nearly bloated.”

  She smiled and tossed the bag of marshmallows on the table in front of him. “Here you go. Take as many as you like.”

  “I’ve got better sense than to eat the whole bag, but I will have one while we’re waiting for the water to heat.” Allen opened the bag, reached inside, and popped a marshmallow into his mouth. “Yum. It’s been too long since I’ve had one of these.”

  Bonnie took two mugs down from the cupboard and emptied a package of hot chocolate mix into each. When the teakettle whistled, she poured the hot water in and stirred it well. The delicious aroma of chocolate wafted up to her nose as she handed Allen a mug.