A Home for Lydia (The Pebble Creek Amish Series)

by Chapman, Vannetta

  “So you’ve caught the person who did it?” This from an older Englischer who was tall and thin. “We rather enjoy it here and were thinking of coming back with our grandchildren.”

  “Rest assured. It will not happen again if I have to sleep on the floor of the office every night the cabins are full.”

  But he didn’t plan on doing that. He planned on getting to the bottom of this matter and soon.

  He couldn’t go back to Indiana as long as the cabins’ success was in jeopardy, and he certainly couldn’t leave Lydia if there was any danger to her or her sister. As he walked toward the office to speak to the police, he vowed he would make this right, and part of doing so meant speaking to Lydia’s parents and assuring them that Lydia and Clara would not be in harm’s way.

  He would take care of that tonight.

  Chapter 30

  Gabe arrived at the cabins as the police cars were leaving.

  The parking lot was incredibly full—not only with Englisch cars from the guests but with buggies as well.

  “What’s happened?” he asked Seth as he tied Chance to the hitching rail.

  “Burglarized.” Seth rammed his hands into his pants pockets and glared across the cabin area toward the river.

  “Is everyone okay?”

  “Ya. The girls arrived and found the office door open.” Seth looked as if he were going to add more, but then he shook his head and clammed up.

  “Do they have any idea who did it?”

  “I heard Officer Tate say there had been some burglaries on the other side of the county. They might be able to match the prints…” Seth shrugged, as if the situation were hopeless.

  Gabe thought it wasn’t completely impossible. There was a chance they could catch the person responsible.

  Seth added, “Now the newspaper woman is here.”

  Looking over toward the office, Gabe caught sight of Rae. “Excellent!”

  “Since when do you like folks who put our business in the paper?”

  Pulling in a deep breath, Gabe reminded himself to be patient. Seth was only seventeen, and he didn’t know Rae Caperton’s history, how she was an advocate for Amish communities, how she had lost a very close friend who was Amish. Few people knew those details, but they were the things that had convinced Gabe and Miriam to trust her.

  “I do if the person is Rae Caperton. Few burdens are heavy if everyone lifts. Rae is one of those persons who helps to lift burdens.”

  Seth shook his head, unconvinced. “What do you have there?”

  Gabe glanced down at Grace’s drawing. It wasn’t much, but it could be a clue. At least it proved that the person might be someone they knew. “Something I want Aaron to see. Where is he?” He held up the piece of drawing paper. “This might help catch whoever robbed us.”

  Seth’s eyes narrowed. “How—”

  “Let’s find Aaron, and then I’ll only have to explain once.”

  But Aaron was busy.

  While Lydia was checking out guests, or attempting to, and Clara had moved from writing cards to cleaning the cabins as they prepared for the next group of guests, Aaron was left to deal with restocking the shed. Filling the shelves with a new collection of Amish goods was proving to be quite a chore.

  The buggies Gabe had seen in the parking lot belonged to the line of folks waiting outside the Plain Shop. Many of them were the same people Gabe had visited not so long ago. They were from the whole Pebble Creek community—both the east side and the west side. The line stretched from the front door of the shop, down the steps, and out along the path.

  The gathering of Plain folk was causing the guests to stop and stare, which in turn was making Lydia’s job of checking anyone out difficult.

  “What’s going on here?” Gabe asked Clara, who was standing and leaning against the broom she was supposed to be using to sweep off the porch of cabin two.

  “You heard about the burglary?”

  “Ya.”

  “Apparently they did too.”

  Gabe recognized nearly everyone in line. Many were from families who attended his church on the east side of Pebble Creek, and everyone else seemed to be from the west side—families David and Lydia and Aaron would know. The men tended to be older gentlemen who Gabe knew didn’t have fields to plant because their sons would be doing that this morning. His own fields were ready for the seed, but he needed to take Grace’s drawing to Aaron if he could get past the crowd.

  “Everyone just showed up?” he asked.

  “Ya.”

  “All of them are bringing more goods to sell?”

  “Looks that way. Aaron explained he didn’t know when he’d be able to pay them for what had been stolen. They only nodded and said it wasn’t a problem.”

  “So they’re replenishing his stock.”

  “For free.”

  Now Gabe understood why the Englisch guests were standing and watching. By now they all knew about the burglary, but what they hadn’t seen before was what many in the Amish community took for granted—the way each person fell in and helped one another when adversity struck. The guests probably were not aware that Aaron didn’t have insurance. They might not understand that business owners often didn’t purchase insurance because Amish considered insurance a form of gambling. Rather, they depended on one another.

  The line continued to grow in front of the small building with the sign reading Plain Shop. The people patiently waiting for their turn to help were proof of a system that worked. In their community, showing up to lend a hand when someone was struggling was as natural as rain or accidents or hard times. It was the biblical way, and to Gabe’s way of thinking, it was the Plain way.

  As Gabe watched he saw Rae making her way down the line. She’d told Miriam she planned on doing a story about the cabins, and it looked as if she’d found the perfect opportunity.

  “I’m going to help Aaron,” Gabe said to Seth. “When the line is gone, I want you to join us. There’s something we need to talk about.”

  It was an hour later before he was able to sit down with Aaron, Lydia, and Clara at one of the picnic tables and show them Grace’s drawing. He asked Rae to join them as well. Seth had either forgotten or become too busy.

  “Grace drew this last Saturday?” Lydia asked.

  “Ya. It doesn’t prove anything,” Gabe admitted. “It might not even be related to the burglary.”

  “Seems too big of a coincidence.” Aaron gazed off toward the woods. “If someone were watching us—”

  “Casing your place,” Rae said. “I’ve been following this string of burglaries, and though they seem to be amateurs, they are taking some precautions. They only hit when the place is empty. They choose places with no video surveillance, and they’re getting sloppier—like with the footprints in the mud.”

  “If they were casing us…” Aaron tapped the drawing, “Why did they wait until last night?”

  “Or this morning.” Clara moved closer to Lydia on the picnic bench.

  Aaron nodded. “Could have been this morning. Why did they wait nearly a week to break in?”

  “Because they knew you wouldn’t be here, Aaron.” Lydia turned the drawing so she could study it better. “Whoever this is, he knew you weren’t staying at the cabins last night. He waited for the perfect opportunity.”

  Gabe combed his fingers through his beard. “All right. So it probably wasn’t one of your guests unless you announced you weren’t going to be here.”

  “Nein. I checked in on every cabin last night and planned on being back before they were up this morning. Plus, if it was someone who has been watching us, it couldn’t have been a guest. None of them were here last week.”

  “Could we make a list of possible suspects?” Rae asked.

  Lydia held up her right hand. “The number of men who know Aaron’s comings and goings are few—you, Gabe, but we know you were with your family last night, and we trust you wouldn’t do this.”

  “Danki.”

  Lydia tic
ked off her first finger. “David.”

  “He was home all night. Remember? I stayed there.”

  “What about Seth?”

  “Lydia!”

  Ignoring her sister, Lydia looked at Aaron. He shifted on the bench before admitting, “I don’t know where he was last night. He snuck out after I went to bed and came in late.”

  “Same as Stephen.” Lydia held up another finger.

  “You’re suggesting our own bruder might have done this?”

  “He knew no one was here. We mentioned it while we were preparing dinner. And he was also out last night, remember? I went to speak with him and couldn’t find him.”

  “Anyone else?” Gabe asked. “I hate to point fingers at our youth. It could have been anyone.”

  “It could have been the Englischer you’ve been teaching farming to,” Lydia said, looking at Aaron.

  “Tim Elliott? He’s harmless. Why would you suspect him?” Aaron crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Did you mention to him that you were staying at David’s?”

  Aaron stared at the table, his head bobbing up and down in agreement. “Ya. I told him if he had trouble with the plow, I’d be staying with David for the night.”

  “So he knew,” she said.

  “He did, but he also offered to let me sleep over at his place. Would he have done that if he were going to rob me? We shouldn’t distrust a man merely because he’s an Englischer.”

  Lydia crossed her arms. “Gut point, but you also mentioned he has a teenager. Perhaps he mentioned to his son…”

  Silence fell around them as they considered their list of suspects.

  “I’ll run the story in the paper tonight,” Rae said. “If anyone saw something, maybe they’ll come forward. As far as the drawing, I think it could point to your being watched. I’d certainly be more careful, and perhaps you should mention it to Officer Tate.”

  Gabe hated that Grace’s drawing was arousing suspicions, but he also didn’t like the thought of someone being hurt by whoever had done this. “Let’s pray about this, and speak with the bishop before we turn names over to Tate. We don’t have any real proof.”

  “Gut idea.” Aaron slapped the table with his hand and stood. “In the meantime, we don’t leave the cabins unprotected.”

  “How are we supposed to do that?” Clara asked.

  “Seth and I will take shifts.”

  “But if Seth is the one—” Lydia frowned, staring at the drawing which still sat in the middle of the table.

  “Think about it, Lydia. If I leave him in charge, a burglary can’t happen on his shift.”

  “I suppose not—”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be here most of the time. I have one errand tonight. After that, I plan to be here until we catch whoever is responsible.”

  Gabe left Grace’s drawing with Aaron. It wasn’t proof of anything, but at least they were working together toward resolving the crime. And from the comments he heard from the Englischers as he was leaving, instead of scaring guests away, what they had seen had only raised their curiosity. He had the distinct feeling the cabins were going to be busier than ever. If all of them continued to remain full, Aaron was quickly going to need a room to sleep in off the office. Until that could happen, his plan was to sleep on a cot in the Plain Shop.

  Miriam sat in the hospital’s waiting room. Her dat was holding Rachel, and she was working on a crochet project. The problem was that she kept dropping stitches, which meant pulling out the row and starting over. She’d added very little to the baby blanket she was making when the door to the back room opened and her mother walked out, followed by the radiation tech.

  Abigail wasn’t smiling, but she held her head high, and there was a determination in her step. Or was Miriam imagining that? Was she seeing what she wanted to see?

  “I’m Roger, and I’ve been assigned to take care of Abigail.”

  Roger didn’t look old enough to take care of anyone, in Miriam’s opinion, but she held her tongue. He had short spiky hair and dark glasses. He waited until Abigail had sat down, leaving two empty chairs between herself and everyone else.

  Everyone introduced themselves, and then Roger leaned forward. “I’d like to explain what we did today, what we still need to do, and what some of the symptoms might be.”

  Miriam pushed her crochet work into her bag and sat forward on the edge of her chair. Reaching for Rachel, she nodded as her father said, “Ya. We want to know how to help.”

  “That’s good. Not everyone has family to support them. I’m glad Abigail will have people with her. I’ve given her typed instructions of everything I’m going to tell you.”

  Miriam met Abigail’s glance and then both of them looked down to the sheets of paper clutched in Abigail’s hand. Her mamm had yet to say a word, but she seemed fairly relaxed considering the worst part was over. At least Miriam hoped the worst part was behind them.

  “I like to verbally explain the instructions in case patients have questions, especially when my patients are Amish. I realize you have access to phones, but it’s not always convenient for you to use them. So let’s see if there is any confusion we can clear away from the beginning.”

  Roger started to explain what would happen after Abigail swallowed the single dose of radioactive iodine.

  “You mean she hasn’t already taken it?” Miriam looked from her mother back to Roger. “I thought that’s what we came here for.”

  Roger made eye contact with Abigail, who nodded slightly. “The plan was to take the dosage while she was here, but because she has a long car ride back, and because you came along, Miriam, with the baby, we decided it would be best to wait until she’s at home.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Once Abigail takes the iodine, she shouldn’t sit in a car next to someone for more than an hour. It’s a two-hour drive back, at best. Abigail didn’t want to put her driver at risk or either of you. Miriam, since you’re still nursing, you especially should not be in close, confined proximity to Abigail for the next week, and she shouldn’t be with the baby at all.”

  Miriam stared at Roger. She thought she was prepared for a lot of things, but not this. Rae’s printouts had discussed the side effects and the success rates, but not these precautions.

  “Another option would have been to have an ambulance transport Abigail back home—”

  “Nein. I won’t be needing an ambulance. I can take a pill on my own.”

  “Should Doc Hanson come out and check on her?” Joshua asked.

  “Yes, and his nurse, Virginia, will be there when she takes the dosage this afternoon. Please don’t feel that your visit today was a waste. I still needed to conduct some tests, and I needed to see Abigail before I could release the dosage to her. Abigail technically has Graves’ disease, a type of hyperthyroidism. This is why her doctor has recommended treating her with the radioactive iodine.”

  “But not surgery?” Miriam asked.

  “Surgery is rarely recommended in these cases.”

  He went on to explain that the medicine would in theory destroy part of her thyroid gland without harming any other parts of her body. The list of side effects was long, but Doc Hanson had already warned them of those, so there was nothing alarming there. If neck tenderness, nausea, and swollen glands was the worst Abigail had to deal with, and the result was she eventually would be her old healthy self again, they were all for it.

  More alarming were the precautions they would have to take for the next week.

  “So she can’t see Rachel at all?” Miriam asked.

  “It’s better that she isn’t near any children or anyone who is nursing or might be pregnant.” Roger waited until Abigail met his gaze. “We’ve talked about this at length. I realize you all have a large family and this will be difficult for her, but it’s only for a week, and I know she doesn’t want to make anyone else sick.”

  “I have plenty of sewing to do,” Abigail said.

  “Ya. S
he likes to sew.” Joshua ran his right thumb under his suspenders. “The grandkinner, they can write her letters for a week. It will be all right. What else?”

  “The rest is fairly straightforward. She needs to sleep alone, use separate towels and eating utensils—”

  “Sounds like a shunning, ya?” Joshua looked at Miriam and winked.

  “And she can’t prepare your food.”

  A hint of a smile appeared on Abigail’s face. “I’m grateful it’s only for a week, Joshua. Otherwise you might starve.”

  Roger talked about the follow-up exam she would have in four weeks and reminded Abigail that in most cases one treatment was sufficient. By the time they were finished, Miriam was sorry she had questioned his youth. There was no doubt he knew all about hyperthyroidism and how to care for his patients.

  Abigail stood. “Danki, Roger. You’ve been very helpful.”

  “If you have any questions at all, or if you have any side effects that aren’t listed on this sheet, call myself, Dr. Hanson, or nine-one-one from the closest phone.”

  She nodded, or it could have been that she waved him away.

  “Abigail, I do want you to contact Dr. Hanson at the first signs of inflammation, and be sure to go in for your follow-up visit. In rare cases, we need to administer a second dose—but it’s important in those cases that we do so in a timely fashion.”

  “You made that clear before. I understand.”

  “I know you do, and I appreciate your patience with me. I’m used to repeating myself.” Roger stood and shook hands with Joshua. He squatted down so that he was on eye level with Rachel.

  “You have a beautiful boppli,” he said.

  His use of the Amish term surprised her. Miriam couldn’t help laughing when Rachel smiled at him. “Danki.”

  “Safe travels on your way back to Cashton. If you need a telephone to call your driver, there’s one at the information desk for your use.”

  They waited until he’d gone behind the door marked “No Admittance” before they started talking.