Assaulted Pretzel

by Laura Bradford

  “I shouldn’t have come,” Jakob muttered in her ear as they made their way through the center of the festival, all thoughts of Schnitz and Knepp on hold. “My being here just put Isaac and Martha in a bad position.”

  “But if he was pulled aside for something completely different—like maybe to help a friend or…I don’t know…give some advice—then all of this is a moot point, Jakob,” she pleaded. “Why do you assume it’s a slight on you?”

  Jakob stopped, midstep, and peered down at her, his eyes hooded. “I’m not saying it’s a slight on me. I’m saying that Isaac came inches away from making a mistake that could have had him shunned and it would have been my fault.”

  “You’re his brother.”

  “I’m also his brother who made a commitment I quickly broke.”

  She touched his shoulder with what she hoped was an understanding hand. “You were their brother first. Not even the Ordnung can change that fact.”

  Before Jakob could respond, her whole body lurched forward only to be anchored back to her original spot by a pair of strong, yet callused hands. “I am sorry, ma’am, I did not mean to bump you.”

  The deep voice, along with the telltale fluttering in her chest, told her who was behind her even before she turned. “Benjamin, how are you?”

  She felt Jakob stiffen beside her but opted not to let that rattle her. The issue between Jakob and Benjamin was theirs to deal with, not hers.

  “Claire. I did not see you standing there.”

  “It’s a festival, Ben,” Jakob snapped. “There are people everywhere. Which means looking in a direction other than the one you’re walking isn’t exactly advisable.”

  Benjamin paused, clearly torn on whether to engage Jakob, but in the end, he merely took Claire’s hand in his and held it gently, his deeply penetrating blue eyes trained squarely on her face. “I was looking down, troubled by the news, and I did not see you. I am sorry.”

  Jakob held up his hands. “Look. This was not Isaac’s fault. I shouldn’t have—”

  “It is no one’s fault,” Benjamin said as he grasped his clean-shaven chin between his thumb and forefinger. “There was no reason to think Mr. Karble was not honest.”

  “Mr. Karble?” Claire echoed. “You mean Rob Karble, the toy guy?”

  Benjamin’s black hat moved with his nod. “That is the one.”

  “But isn’t he teaming up with Daniel Lapp to design an Amish line of toys that will be made here in Heavenly and sold nationwide?” Jakob stepped closer to Benjamin, tightening up their conversational circle. “That’s got to be good for everyone, no?”

  “If that is what happened, yes. But plans have changed. Now we learn they will make Daniel’s toys on an assembly line far from here.”

  Claire sucked in a breath. “But I thought Rob Karble was here for meetings with Daniel.”

  “It was during the meeting in Daniel’s workshop this morning that he got what he needed.”

  “Got what he needed?” Jakob shifted his weight across his widened stance, crossing his arms as he did. “What does that mean?”

  “It means he took pictures of Daniel and Isaac’s work so his company can make their toys. Isaac even showed the plans for his roller tracks.”

  “But he’s going to pay them for their ideas at least, isn’t he?” Claire insisted.

  “That is not what I have heard.”

  “Did you just say Isaac?” Jakob stammered. “What’s he got to do with Daniel’s toys?”

  “Isaac works with Daniel in his toy shop. It is one of his toys that brings Mr. Karble here. He is not happy at the news. No one is.”

  For a moment, Claire simply stood there, soaking up everything she was hearing against the mental soundtrack of a predawn wake-up call that brought any and all unease it had originally caused back to the surface.

  Was this what Rob and Ann Karble had been fighting about during the night? And if it was, why did it sound like the toy guru himself was in favor of the project if this was what he’d planned all along?

  It made no sense.

  “Is it possible Daniel misunderstood?” Jakob finally asked.

  “Daniel did not know. He came here happy. But the letter changed that.”

  Claire forced her focus onto the present—one that included the handsome Amish man in front of her, and the handsome detective beside her. “What letter?”

  Stretching his head upward, Benjamin scanned the crowd around them before motioning to someone off to their right. “There are many copies. I know Eli has one.”

  Eli Miller, Benjamin’s younger brother and the object of Esther’s affection, quickly joined them, his hand clutched tightly around a rolled-up piece of paper. His smile at Claire was followed by a nod at Jakob. If Eli’s acknowledgment of the detective bothered Benjamin, he didn’t let it show.

  Progress…

  “Eli, please show Claire the letter.”

  Eli quietly unfurled the paper and handed it to Claire, his quick-to-boil temper that had gotten him into trouble so many times in the past quickly rising to the surface. “Karble is a crook!”

  “Eli!”

  At Benjamin’s reprimand, Eli clasped his hands behind his back and stood ramrod straight, his posture pulling taut on the suspenders that held up his pants. Claire flashed an understanding smile in the young man’s direction and then turned her attention to the interoffice memo in her hands.

  Good afternoon, Karble employees,

  In Karble Toys’ ongoing effort to be a trendsetter in today’s marketplace, we are going back—to a simpler time when toys were about playing and laughing and engaging one’s mind, hands, and imagination.

  That’s why we’re on the cusp of rolling out a brand new line that will bring kids back to the kind of playing they should do.

  Wooden kitchen sets, wooden jigsaws, wooden rocking ponies, and so much more. Authentic wooden toys designed by those who never lost sight of what playtime should mean.

  We’re calling it our Back to Basics line and it will be manufactured at our Grand Rapids facility.

  Although we have much to do before the first toy rolls off the assembly line, I’d like to celebrate this new endeavor with a day off for all Karble Toys’ employees next Friday.

  With regards,

  Rob Karble

  Jakob released a long, low whistle beneath his breath. “Where did you get this?” he asked Eli.

  “I do not know. But there are many copies here. This one came from Samuel Yoder, after he took Isaac aside and showed him.” Eli swiped the back of his hand across his forehead, narrowly missing the brim of his hat. “Isaac is very upset. Esther said he did not return to the pretzel stand again after he showed them the letter.”

  Claire pulled her focus off Eli long enough to take in her immediate surroundings. Sure enough, the smiles on the Amish vendors seemed more forced than they had when she and Jakob had first arrived. The Amish who weren’t working behind a booth were still milling about, but they were confined to clusters with at least one member of each group holding a copy of Rob Karble’s memo in their hand.

  “I do not think the people of Heavenly will buy such toys.” Eli tucked his thumbs behind his suspenders and rocked back on his heels. “They will know what Mr. Karble does is not right.”

  Swinging her gaze back to the men, it took every ounce of restraint she had not to dispute Eli’s claim, the young man’s innocence a blanket of protection she wasn’t willing to rip away at that moment. When people lived in such an insular world, they couldn’t truly comprehend the big picture. And in Eli’s world, greed was a foreign concept.

  At least that’s what she tried to tell herself. But she knew better.

  So, too, did Benjamin and Jakob, and the hatted men wearing an uncharacteristic worry on their faces. They knew the truth. They knew that having Amish-inspired toys mass-produced by a huge company with shelf space in every big-box toy store across the country would virtually annihilate any mail-order business Daniel Lapp current
ly enjoyed.

  Did Eli truly not get that?

  “We must go, Eli. It is time to check in on Ruth.” Benjamin clapped his hand atop his brother’s shoulder and gestured his chin toward their sister’s pie booth in the distance. Then, with a quick nod to Jakob, he smiled at Claire. “It is good to see you, Claire. Very good, indeed.”

  She felt Jakob’s eyes studying her as the Miller men walked away, and she prayed her mixed-up feelings for the Amish man weren’t visible to the naked eye. If he detected anything, though, he didn’t let on, and for that she was grateful. If she didn’t understand what was going on inside her heart where Benjamin and Jakob were concerned, how could she expect anyone else to understand?

  Eventually, Jakob spoke, his words bringing a welcome diversion from a topic she wanted to avoid at all costs. “In any other place and with any other person, Karble would be facing charges right now. But the Amish won’t do that even if they should.”

  Her shoulders slumped under the weight of Jakob’s words and the memory of Eli’s face. “Do you really think Eli is oblivious to the damage mass production will wreak on Daniel’s business?”

  Jakob shook his head. “No. Eli gets it. He’s just trying to keep his temper in check and that’s a good thing.”

  Claire couldn’t help but agree, even smiling a little at the obvious pride in the detective’s face. For although he would probably never have a real relationship with his niece, Esther, his quiet words of encouragement toward the young man who would surely be Esther’s husband one day helped—even if neither man would ever admit to the other’s existence.

  They fell into step once again, the pervasive mood around them taking the joy out of a festival Claire had been anticipating for months. “I guess the decision to ship the jobs to Grand Rapids could have been worse,” she mumbled.

  “How do you figure that?”

  “If Karble had the Amish making the toys first and then took the work away, the disappointment would be even higher, don’t you think?”

  “I guess. But even now, with this, Daniel and Isaac and all of the other men have to be upset. Work like that could have meant so much. But even if they are upset, they won’t show it for long. It’s not the Amish way.” Jakob stopped beside a booth devoted to bread and lowered his voice. “But it’ll be there. Trust me on that.”

  She tried to nod, to acknowledge what he was saying, but it was hard. The smell of freshly made bread was a killer. “Mmmm…Do you smell that?”

  He laughed. “I do. But you can’t have any bread or it’ll fill you up so much there’ll be no room for your Schnitz and Knepp.”

  Jakob was right.

  “So where is this must-try food booth I’ve heard so much about?” She looked to her left and then her right before turning a questioning eye in Jakob’s direction. “Do you know?”

  He straightened up tall and looked over the heads of the people around them. Seconds later, the dimples she adored so much were in place beside his heart-stopping smile. “I see it. C’mon.” Tucking her hand inside his arm, they set out across the festival grounds to a series of booths that dotted the northernmost border, his running commentary about the Amish delicacy making her mouth water. When they were mere steps away, though, he stopped, turning to her, wide-eyed. “What happens if they’re all out?”

  “All out?” she echoed. “Does that happen?”

  “All the time.”

  She looked back toward the booth they just left and sighed. “I suppose I could have some bread then…”

  “Nah, I’m just kidding. The Amish don’t run out. Not at this festival, anyway.”

  She pulled her hand from its spot inside the crook of his elbow and used it to swat at him. “Hey…now that’s not nice. Not nice at—”

  A loud scream from somewhere behind the Schnitz and Knepp booth cut her off midsentence, its bloodcurdling pitch chasing all signs of mischievousness from Jakob’s demeanor.

  “Jakob? What is that?”

  He didn’t stick around to answer. Instead, he took off running in the direction of the sound, with Claire hot on his heels. Step by step they wove their way through the unending sea of wide-eyed festivalgoers, the sound of their feet on the hard-packed earth impossible to hear over the terror-filled shrieks.

  Moments later, he stopped, his hand shooting out to his side in an effort to keep her from going any farther. Peeking around his solid frame, she sucked in her breath as Esther—who stood hunched over the fully supine and lifeless body of Rob Karble—finally burst into tears.

  Chapter 6

  Claire hated to see people cry. It didn’t matter who, when, or why. Simply seeing another person’s sorrow bothered her. It always had.

  But sitting there, on the steps of Heavenly Treasures, as tears streamed down Esther’s cheeks and onto her pale blue dress and white apron, Claire knew she’d never felt more helpless. The every-few-breaths hitch to the young woman’s head only made it harder.

  “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Claire reached out and tugged the strings of her friend’s head cap until they dangled free, hoping against hope the move would unleash the fiery, determined side she knew was hiding just below the surface. “There’s nothing you could have done, Esther, to change what happened.”

  Lifting her head ever so slightly, Esther turned her puffy and red-rimmed eyes on Claire. “B-but h-he w-was d-d…d-dead.”

  There was nothing she could say to dispute Esther’s words.

  Ron Karble was dead—the victim of what appeared to be a fatal blow to his right temple. A half-eaten pretzel found inches from a blood-soaked rock gave both a glimpse of the man’s final bite of food and the weapon that likely took his life.

  The who behind the crime, though, was still a mystery.

  She moved her hand still higher and tucked a wayward strand of Esther’s brown hair back under the simple cap, her heart twisting at the overwhelming sadness that had replaced shocked horror on her young friend’s face. “Jakob will figure out who did this, Esther. I know he will.”

  “B-but who…who w-was that man?” Esther swiped the back of her hand across her damp cheeks and sniffed. “And why w-would some…someone h-hurt him like that?”

  Claire looked out at the autumn sun as it began its slow descent over Heavenly, the calm and peaceful October in stark contrast to the scene she knew was playing out in the field behind the shops on the other side of Lighted Way. The discovery of the toy manufacturer’s body behind the Schnitz and Knepp booth had brought a quick and definitive end to the festival.

  Within moments, the Heavenly PD swarmed the grounds and began dividing necessary tasks designed to clear the area around the victim’s body, interviewing any and all people who may have been in the vicinity of the crime, and assisting in the investigation, including directing the medical examiner’s van around the temporary booths that dotted the surrounding area and removing the camera the victim had worn around his neck.

  When it became apparent that Esther knew nothing beyond the heart-stopping fear of having stumbled across a dead body, Jakob had urged Claire to take his niece somewhere where she could cry it out.

  And cry it out she had, twisting Claire’s heart more and more with each subsequent sob.

  “His name was Rob Karble and he was the president of Karble Toys—a great big company that makes just about every kind of toy you can imagine and then sells them in stores from coast to coast.”

  Esther sniffled again, her voice shaky between hitched breaths. “H-he was the man who stole Uncle Isaac and Mr. Lapp’s plans, wasn’t he? Th-the one who was going to have the Amish make his toys and then ch-changed his mind?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “B-but who would want to…to kill him?” Esther whispered.

  Claire propped her elbows on the step behind them and stared up at the sky, the faces of potential suspects standing in for the stars that were still an hour or so away. “Who wouldn’t want to after he pulled the stunt he pulled?”

 
; The second the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could recall them. Not because they weren’t true but because the vast majority of the men parading their way through her thoughts were Amish.

  Pulling her upper body straight on the step beside Claire, Esther jutted her chin outward. “But killing is wrong! For any reason!”

  Oh, how she hoped Esther’s fellow Amish had the same depth of conviction. But Amish or not, they were human. And humans could only endure so much before they snapped. The question was whether that snap would take the form of mental chastising, clenched fists, angry words muttered within the walls of an empty barn, or a moment of haste that would change a person’s life forever.

  To Esther, she simply agreed. Any speculation to the contrary would only start the tears again.

  The clip-clop of an approaching buggy made them both look to the right, the identity of the men behind the horse making Claire perform a quick check on the status of her ponytail while Esther hastily retied the strings of her head cap.

  “Eli will see I have been crying,” Esther whispered. “I do not want him to know.”

  Reaching to her left, she rested a calming hand on her friend’s arm. “Eli will understand. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal and you handled it as well as you, or anyone else, could. You’ve nothing to be ashamed of, Esther.”

  Eli’s horse released a snorted exhale as the open-top wagon came to a stop in front of Heavenly Treasures. Holding his hat atop his blond hair, Eli jumped down from his seat beside his brother and ran over to Esther.

  “Esther. You are okay.”

  For the first time since finding Rob Karble’s body, Esther’s young face broke out into a smile, the woman’s eyes trained on nothing but those of the man she loved. “I am okay, Eli.” Then, pulling her right hand from his protective grasp, she wiped at each of her eyes before forcing her smile to go still wider. “I am sorry you have to see me this way. I…I must look silly.”