“Thanks.”
“Sure. But don’t forget what we talked about.”
“I won’t forget. Thanks.” After grabbing her backpack from a closet near the back, she followed Mark outside.
Though Laura no longer looked as shaken up as she had when he’d entered the store, Mark was still concerned about her. “Where do you want to go?” he asked easily, just as if he were still thinking about nothing but taking her out on a date. “We’d talked about me taking you to our farm. Do you still want to do that?”
“I’d love to do that. But I . . . I think I need to go to the police station first. Will . . . will you go with me?”
The police station? “Of course I will,” Mark replied as they walked out of the parking lot and onto the sidewalk. “But how about you tell me what’s going on first? You’ve got me pretty worried, Laura.”
“I know. I’m worried, too.” She tucked her chin to her chest and sighed, the movement causing a piece of her long, honey-golden hair to cover her cheek.
Mark thought she was so pretty. Before he thought about how she might react, he slipped his hand around hers. When she lifted her chin and met his gaze with a grateful smile, he knew he’d done the right thing.
“Can we go sit over there first?” she asked, pointing to a bench in front of a casual seafood restaurant.
Keeping her hand in his, he led the way.
The moment they were sitting down, she continued. “Mark, Peter Yoder came back today.”
Mark was really surprised that Peter was the source of her anxiety. “What’s wrong about that?”
“He bought a bunch more stuff.”
“Isn’t that why people come in?”
“Yeah, but like I’ve told you before, no one buys that much. It’s usually just a couple of things. Items people don’t want to go to the big markets for. Anyway, Mark bought a bunch of groceries again and then he paid for it all with a fifty-dollar bill. And he looked real nervous the whole time.”
“What did you do?” he finally asked.
Laura grimaced. “Honestly, I shouldn’t have said anything. But, well, I teased him about buying so many groceries here again. And then I said something like, it must be nice to have so much cash. And that I’d have to tell my girlfriends that he’s the boy to like because he could take them out for pizza.”
Mark moaned. “Laura.”
“It was stupid, I know. But I was just teasing.”
“What happened next?”
“He got all nervous and scared. And then he told me that I had better not tell anyone that he’d been spending so much money. He pretty much acted like he’d been shopping at the Quick Stop when I was working because he knew I wouldn’t question him.” She frowned. “I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I know I’m only sixteen, but I’m not stupid.”
Though nothing was funny about their conversation, Mark struggled to keep from smiling. He really liked her spirit, even admired it. Even though she was sweet, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. “You’re right, you’re not stupid, Laura. Peter, uh, sounds like he was really worried about something.”
She nodded. “After he said all that, I just rang up his things and handed him the bags. He took them and left.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“No. He just looked sad.” She took a breath. “About an hour after Peter left, Scott came in. Even though Peter probably wouldn’t have wanted me to, I told him about Peter’s visits.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“Me, too. Well, I kind of am.”
“Because?”
“Because Scott listened. At first he looked kind of shocked. But then he asked if Peter might be the type of boy who would commit a crime for money.”
“What did you say?” he asked slowly.
“I said maybe.” Her brown eyes searched his face, obviously looking for reassurance that she’d done the right thing. “I mean, think about what happened at the Orange Blossom Inn. Everyone says that whoever broke in really only wanted the lockbox. I’m not saying that Peter did it. But couldn’t you see that he might have?”
Mark wasn’t sure. Yeah, everyone knew about the robbery, and because his father was friends with Officer Roberts, Mark even knew that the police suspected the robbers were teens. But that said, Mark felt it was kind of mean for Laura to assume so much about Peter. “I’m surprised you told Scott that. I thought you liked Peter.”
“I do. But he doesn’t have much money, Mark. I’d heard his father doesn’t work, and even takes off for weeks at a time. Like, he leaves him and his brother alone. Plus, you know how his clothes never look like they fit right.”
Even though he’d thought the same thing, he didn’t know if it was right to jump to conclusions like that. “I didn’t know all that,” he said.
“I’m really afraid he stole that money from the inn and is spending a lot of it at my store. It kind of makes sense.”
Though it was painful to admit, Mark had to agree with her. “Does Scott really think you have to talk to the police? I mean, it’s not any of your business.” Of course, the minute he said that, he knew he was wrong. He knew Beverly pretty well. She’d been really nice to him and his brothers when they’d stayed at the inn. She’d even let William help her garden one afternoon. He couldn’t simply pretend that her robbery wasn’t his problem.
“Scott said he could call Officer Roberts and ask him to come to the store but that it might be better if I stopped by on my own. That way I would have more privacy.”
“I’m surprised he doesn’t think it would be scary for you to go to the police station by yourself.”
“He knew I wouldn’t be alone,” she said quickly. “I mean, he knew I’d be with you.” She stared at him with so much trust in her eyes, Mark felt she believed he could do anything. “Please don’t be upset with me. I didn’t know what to do.”
He reached for her hand again. “I’m not upset.”
“I don’t want to accuse Peter of something bad, but I also don’t want my boss to think that I know something but kept it to myself.”
She was still staring at him, still expecting him to reassure her and make everything all right—or at least give her the support she needed.
With some surprise, Mark realized that he was perfectly happy to do that, too. Funny, a part of him had never understood how his brother Ben had fallen in love with Tricia so fast, but now he was starting to realize that things could definitely happen out of a person’s control.
“I think you did the right thing, Laura.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Positive. A hundred percent positive.”
“So, you think I should walk over to the police station?”
He looked in the direction of the station. It was only a couple of blocks away, an easy walk. His first impulse was to take her home and ask his daed and older brother for advice. But if they did that, it would be too late to go to the police station, and Laura would worry about it all night. Plus, he was old enough to help Laura himself.
And that was what she was asking for, wasn’t it? For him to help her take care of it. She wasn’t running home to her parents; she had run to him.
“Jah,” he said at last. “I think we need to go talk to Officer Roberts. He’s a nice man and friends with my daed. I, well, my family knows Miss Beverly pretty well, too. My brothers and Daed and I stayed at her inn for almost two weeks. If we even think we know who robbed her, I could never keep that a secret.”
Laura exhaled. “That’s what I think, too. But I hope it’s not a terrible thing to do.”
“Officer Roberts seems like the kind of man who will listen to you, Laura.” He shrugged. “And who knows? He might say that we’re wrong and that they’ve already arrested somebody else.”
“I hope so. For the first time in my life, I really hope someone tells me that I’m completely wrong.”
Standing, he tried to give her an encouraging smile. “No offense, but I hope that h
appens, too. Let’s go get this over with.”
“And then, if it’s not too late, can we still go by your farm?”
“We can do whatever you want,” he said with a smile. As they walked toward the police station, he realized that was the complete truth.
Chapter 15
December 19
I’m not going to open a single book next week,” Christy Emerson said to Effie as they and the rest of their American History class waited for the bell to ring.
“Me, neither,” Effie replied. “Well, at least not any history books.”
Christy grinned. “Or math.” Looking around at the rest of the kids who were watching the clock, she said, “I’m going to Tampa for Christmas. What’s everyone else doing?”
As Justin, the freckle-faced boy two seats behind them answered, Effie started gathering her books together. She wasn’t missing anything important—for the last couple of days, all anyone talked about was their upcoming Christmas break. During lunch, in between classes, and on the way to the buses after school, Effie’s girlfriends chatted about vacation plans, gifts they hoped to receive, the annual Pinecraft Christmas parade, and how excited they were for Christmas dinner. Some of the Amish girls complained about all the stuff they were going to have to do once break started: cooking and baking, extra cleaning and sorting, all in preparation for visiting guests, huge holiday meals, parties, and gift exchanges.
Though Effie never said anything to the contrary when her friends started complaining, she didn’t dread having to do those chores at all. The truth was that she was grateful to have the chance to get to do normal things. Finally. For far too long, she’d been either in a wheelchair or on crutches. Though she hadn’t exactly been helpless, she’d felt a bit like a burden to her parents and siblings and she’d hated that.
Because of the nature of Perthes disease, just when she’d gotten to the age where she could be of use to her mamm, Effie’s legs and hips had started paining her too much to do anything. Violet, Karl, and Zack had never complained when they’d had to pick up the slack, though. And her mother had told her over and over that she shouldn’t worry about how much she was contributing to the family. She’d assured Effie that her day would come.
Still, Effie had felt the bitter sting of being different from most everyone she knew.
But now, after the surgeries on her hips, months spent in a wheelchair, and continuing physical therapy sessions, Effie was finally getting around well. Every month the pain lessened and her ability to do just a little more increased. Because of that, she was glad she was going to be helping her mother bake and make fleece blankets for the needy. She was also secretly hoping that this Christmas she’d get to be the one who delivered them, just like her sister, Violet, had at her age.
In any case, everyone was counting the days until they were out of school for two full weeks . . . except for Josiah.
Effie knew him well enough now to see through his quiet manner when everyone sitting around him started talking about their holiday plans. Most everyone thought he remained quiet because of his cool nature, but his lack of sharing wasn’t because he thought the conversations were childish or beneath him.
It was because, Effie knew, he was dreading two weeks at home. What, exactly, he was dreading, she didn’t know for sure. She wished he trusted her enough to share more about his home life, but it seemed like that kind of trust—like most everything else—took time.
Because of that, they still had a complicated school relationship. He was Amish and so was she, so it wasn’t uncommon for them to talk. Most kids knew, too, that he had started to walk her out to the bus and was even coming over to her house once or twice a week.
But Effie’s girlfriends had confided that most everybody was sure that the only reason Josiah was going over to Effie’s after school a couple of days a week was because he felt sorry for her. Pitied her. Like she was a sort of charitable project. Josiah himself had never said such a thing. He even told people that they were friends. However, nobody really believed him. The most popular boy in school did not choose to hang out with the awkward, shy girl with braces on her legs.
Effie didn’t refute everyone’s assumptions, though secretly she wanted to. But she didn’t want to mistakenly misrepresent their relationship and somehow end up embarrassing him. The truth was that she did feel especially close to Josiah and she was pretty sure he felt the same way. They were friends. They’d become good friends.
All of this was going through her mind as she walked out of her American history class by Josiah’s side. Not only did he seem a little quieter than usual, he also had a note from the office in his hand. Josiah held that pink slip of paper in a death grip, looking like he would give just about anything to simply throw it on the ground and keep walking.
“Did you get some bad news or something?” she asked as they stopped at his locker. He was a good student and well liked by all the teachers and staff. She couldn’t imagine what the note was all about.
He glanced at her in surprise, almost as if he’d forgotten she’d been standing there. “Hey, Ef, I’m sorry, but I canna walk you home today.”
“That’s all right.” She was disappointed that she wouldn’t get to spend the afternoon with him but she understood. Trying again to bring him out of his daze, she said, “Are you all right?”
Again he sidestepped her question. “Since I can’t help you get home, who would you like me to ask to give you a hand?”
That was Josiah. All she had to do was give him a name and he would pressure anyone in the school to take care of her without a second thought. It made her feel both really special and kind of embarrassed. No matter what he might think, she was definitely not his responsibility. “I can get home on my own just fine.” Giving him an out, she turned to walk to her locker.
But instead of looking relieved that he was off the hook, her statement only made him more stressed. “Come on, Effie. You know I’m not going to let you do that.”
“I’m not injured or helpless, Josiah,” she said as she put her history book inside her locker and placed her math textbook and some spiral notebooks in her backpack. “And even if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been able to get off the bus and walk home pretty well. I may walk a little slower than you but I can do it.”
He shook his head as she slammed her locker shut. “I have noticed that you’re walking better, but you still can’t go by yourself.”
After slipping her backpack on, she sighed. “Why not?”
“Because I promised myself that I’d help you.”
She loved that. She loved that he didn’t say that he’d promised her mother or make up any other excuses about why he was helping her so much. But she couldn’t let him start asking kids to walk her around as a favor to him. She couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing. “Josiah, what do you have to do? Do you have to go right home?”
“Jah.”
“Did something happen? Can I help you for a change?”
He didn’t meet her eyes. “Effie, it’s getting late. We’ve got to get you on that bus.” His eyes scanned the rapidly thinning crowd in the halls. “Who do you want me to ask?” He was impatient now and looking increasingly tense and worried.
So much so, that Effie decided to take matters into her own hands. “How about I go home with you today?”
Every muscle in his body froze. “Nee.”
She started to reach for his hand but remembered they were in the hallway at school and dropped it. “Josiah, please, let me go with you. After you take care of things, you can walk me home and have supper with me,” she added quickly.
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to have to do all that.”
“Why not? It’s no trouble.”
“Never mind why,” he said impatiently. “Listen, just tell me who to talk to. But be fast, ’cause you’re about to miss the bus.” He looked around. It was obvious that he intended to snag someone, anyone, to take care of her.
There wa
s no way that was going to happen. It was time to push a little bit. “Josiah, please let me go with you. I promise, just because I don’t walk real well doesn’t mean I’m helpless.”
He still wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was scanning the halls. “How about Samuel?” he asked. “You seem to get along with him fine. He rides your bus, too.”
“I don’t want to walk with Samuel.”
He sighed. “Samuel won’t tease you. I’ll make sure of it. It’ll be fine.”
“I’m not thinking about myself. I’m thinking about you.” She leaned close enough to whisper in his ear. It was close enough to be a bit too forward, close enough to cause anyone who saw her to gossip. “Josiah, I know you don’t want me to see your house, but I want to go with you. Friends help friends.”
“You’re gonna regret that. My haus, it ain’t like yours.”
Thanks to her mother’s hints, she knew that. She also didn’t care. “That’s okay.”
He started to look a little panicked. “It’s gonna be dirty. My bruder and I haven’t had time to clean up much . . .”
“That’s okay,” she repeated. “I’m real gut at cleaning.” Okay, that might have been an exaggeration, but she had to do something.
“But—” He looked like a caged animal. Lowering his voice, it turned plaintive. “I don’t want you to see how things are.”
The voice on the intercom suddenly blared. “Two minutes until buses depart.”
“Effie, you’ve gotta go. If I don’t get you on a bus, your mamm is gonna worry.”
She knew he was right, but she also was pretty sure her mamm would realize that Effie was with Josiah.
Besides, suddenly she knew there was no way she was going to let him face whatever he had to face at home all alone.
With a shrug, she said, “I’m real sorry, but there’s no way I could make it to the buses in two minutes. I can walk better but not that good. Looks like you’re stuck with me now.” She smiled at him, pleased that she’d gotten her way.
“Yeah.” He didn’t smile back. “I guess you’re coming home with me.”
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