Martha turned back to the sheriff. “Did Dad tell you about Gary Walker?”
“Who?”
“He’s that reporter who’s been hanging around Holmes County doing stories about the Amish,” Cleon explained. “He used to date my wife when she was going through her running-around years.”
Sheriff Osborn nodded. “Ah, I remember now. He’s the one who wrote that article some time ago that included a picture of Grace and told about some of the acts of vandalism that had been done at your place.”
“That’s right,” Dad said. “We were afraid the article might make things worse by giving someone the idea that they could get away with doing such a thing.” He grunted. “And maybe it has, because things sure have gotten worse since that article came out.”
“Might be good for me to speak to this reporter.” The sheriff scribbled something else on his tablet. “Find out what he knows and feel him out.”
“I doubt he’s going to admit anything,” Martha said. “I was with Grace one day when she confronted him, and he was real arrogant and denied knowing anything about our problems.”
“He might be willing to talk to me.” Sheriff Osborn looked over at Dad. “Were any clues left after these recent attacks? Something that might point to the one responsible?”
“Just a pack of cigarettes I found on the ground after the toilet-papering was done,” Dad said. “I suspect the culprit’s a smoker.”
“Do you still have the cigarettes?”
Dad shook his head. “Threw them out that same day, just like I did with the empty spray can I found on the ground near our barn this morning. Martha could get that for you.”
“If there are any more attacks and you find any clues, I don’t want you to touch them—and certainly don’t throw them away.” The sheriff frowned. “I might be able to check for fingerprints.” He started for the door but whirled back around. “Let me know if you see or hear anything suspicious.”
Dad nodded, and Martha hurried out the door after the sheriff. After she showed him where the can of spray paint was, she said, “You will let us know what Gary Walker has to say after you speak to him, I hope.”
The sheriff nodded. “If there’s anything worth repeating, your dad will be the first to know.”
Do I have to go to school, Mama?” Anna whined as she sat at the table, poking her scrambled eggs with the tip of her fork.
Grace nodded and took a sip of her tea. “This is your first day of school, and you should be happy about attending the first grade.”
Anna’s lower lip protruded. “What if I don’t like my teacher? What if the work’s too hard?”
“Clara Bontrager is a good teacher, and I’m sure you’ll do fine. Your friend Esta will be there, and you know most of the other children, so you won’t be alone.”
Anna’s forehead wrinkled. “I wonder if Esta will miss her puppy while she’s in school. Winkie makes Esta laugh, you know. He helps her forget she lost her mamm.”
“I’m glad about that. I’m also pleased that you and Esta have become such good friends.” Grace gave Anna’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Now hurry and finish your breakfast so I can take you to school.”
“Can’t I walk? The schoolhouse isn’t far down the road.”
Grace shook her head. “If you had older brothers or sisters to walk with you, I might allow it, but it’s just you, and I want to be sure you get to school safely.”
Anna shrugged her slim shoulders. “Jah, okay.”
A short time later as Grace directed their horse and buggy down the driveway past her folks’ place, she was shocked to see the writing on her father’s barn. She halted the horse and climbed out of the buggy so she could get a better look at the words that had been painted in bold black letters.
Her heart pounded. “Gary’s at it again,” she fumed. “That man won’t rest until he’s made me pay for breaking up with him and marrying Wade.”
Mom rushed up to her. “I hated for you to see this, and I was coming up to tell you about it,” she said, motioning to the barn. “Your daed and Cleon won’t have time to paint over it until they’re done working for the day. They promised to dig a new garden plot for me, too.”
Grace’s forehead wrinkled. “You already have a garden plot. Why would you need a new one?”
“Whoever painted those threatening words on the side of our barn also put weed killer on my garden.” Mom slowly shook her head. “Everything’s dead—including the new shoots of celery we planted for the creamed celery dish we were going to serve at Ruth’s wedding.”
Grace glanced at the buggy. She was grateful Anna hadn’t gotten out. She didn’t want her daughter to know what had happened. Anna was already nervous about her first day of school; she didn’t need something else to worry about.
“I’m so sorry, Mom,” Grace said, clasping her mother’s hand. “If there was something I could do to make these horrible attacks stop, I surely would.”
“There’s nothing we can do but pray. Things will ease up. We just need to hold steady and trust God, like your daed has said many times.”
Grace stared at the ugly words written on the barn until they blurred before her eyes. “I don’t think things will ever ease up unless Gary Walker leaves town for good.” Without waiting for Mom to comment, Grace climbed into the buggy, grabbed up the reins, and headed down the driveway.
As they traveled to the schoolhouse, all she could think about was the latest act of vandalism. By the time she pulled into the schoolhouse parking lot, she’d developed a headache.
“Oh, there’s Esta,” Anna said, clambering across the seat and hopping out of the buggy.
“Don’t you want me to walk you inside?” Grace called after her.
Anna shook her head. “I’ll walk with Esta.”
The child scampered off, and Grace took up the reins. She didn’t feel like going home and looking at the words on Dad’s barn, so she decided to drive over to Abe Wengerd’s place to see how he was getting along and maybe visit with Sue. Focusing on someone else’s problems might help take her mind off her own.
As Martin hauled a piece of leather over to a tub of black dye, his thoughts went to Ruth and how interested she had seemed the day he’d shown her the harness shop. She’d said she liked it here, and that was a good thing since they would be getting married in a few months. He would probably come home from work every night smelling like leather, neat’s-foot oil, or pungent dye.
Martin remembered how nervous he had felt when he’d proposed to Ruth, and how relieved he’d felt when she said yes. He could hardly wait to make her his wife.
Martin’s thoughts were halted when Abe’s youngest boy, Owen, burst into the room, shouting, “Molly won’t let me play with her wooden blocks!”
Abe stepped away from the oversized sewing machine where he’d been working and lifted the boy into his arms. “Molly’s only two, son. She doesn’t understand yet about sharing.”
Owen’s lower lip quivered. “I always have to share with her.”
“I know.” He patted the child’s back. “Did you speak with Aunt Sue about it? Maybe she can convince Molly to share the blocks with you.”
Owen shook his head. “Aunt Sue’s busy bakin’ bread.”
“I’m sure Molly will take a nap after lunch.” Abe placed Owen on the floor. “So while she’s asleep, you can play with the blocks. How’s that sound?”
“Okay.” Owen hugged his father around the legs.
Abe opened the door and ushered the boy out. “You be good now.”
Martin was impressed with Abe’s patience. He could only hope he would be that patient when he and Ruth had children someday.
“Sorry about the interruption,” Abe said, smiling at Martin. “Sometimes family business comes before work.”
“No problem. It was nice to see the way you handled things with Owen. Sure hope I’ll be as good a daed as you when Ruth and I have kinner.”
Abe thumped Martin on the back. “I’m sur
e you’ll do just fine.”
“Guess I’d better get this hunk of leather dyed. Then I’ve got some straps that need cutting,” Martin said, turning back to the tub of dye.
“I’d better get busy on those straps I was stitching, too.”
Except for the steady hum of the air compressor, the men worked in silence.
When the door to Abe’s shop opened again, Martin was surprised to see Grace Schrock step into the room.
“Wie geht’s?” Abe called, turning off his machine. “What can I do for you this morning?”
“I just came by to see how things are going here and to tell you about some vandalism done at our place during the night.”
Martin’s ears perked up. “Is Ruth okay?” He’d been consumed with worry ever since Ruth’s family had come under attack.
Grace nodded. “No one was hurt, but someone wrote the words ‘You’ll pay’ on the side of my daed’s barn. They also put weed killer on Mom’s garden—which means the celery that had been planted to be served at your wedding meal was ruined.”
Martin sucked in his breath, and Abe released a groan.
“I was hoping there would be no more attacks at your folks’ place,” Abe said.
“So were we.”
Martin could see by the expression on Grace’s face that she was frightened. Well, he was scared, too. Scared for everyone in the Hostettler family. Ruth most of all.
He turned to Abe. “Would it be okay if I take my lunch break a little early so I can go to town and speak with Ruth? I know she’ll be upset about the celery.”
“Jah, sure,” Abe said with a nod. “You can head to Berlin right now if you like.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Nope. We don’t have much work today, so take all the time you need.”
“Danki.” Martin grabbed his straw hat off the wall peg and dashed out the door.
After Martin left the shop, Abe turned to Grace. “I’m sorry about the things that have been done to you folks. Nobody should have to live in fear.”
“You and your family have been through a lot lately, too,” she said.
“It helps to know we have the prayers and assistance of others in our community.”
She nodded.
“Maybe you’d like to go up to the house and say hello to Sue and my two little ones,” Abe suggested. “Sue would probably enjoy a chat with someone closer to her age. She looked kind of frazzled this morning, and I think she’s having a hard time keeping the house running smoothly and taking care of my six raubels kinner.”
“Your children aren’t so rowdy from what I can tell,” Grace said. “In fact, they seem pretty well behaved compared to some I know.”
“They did real well when Alma was alive, but since she’s been gone, they’ve been kind of unruly and moody.” He grimaced. “Never know what Gideon will say or do next. I’m a little concerned about how he’ll do in school this year.”
“We’ll continue to pray for all of you.” Grace smiled. “Guess I’ll go see Sue now.”
After Grace left the shop, Abe turned the air compressor on again and resumed work at the sewing machine. It was good to keep busy. It kept his mind off missing Alma. If he didn’t keep busy, he might want to sleep, and that wasn’t a good thing during working hours.
Abe had sewn only a couple of straps together when Ivan Schrock entered his shop.
“What can I do for you, Ivan?” he asked the young man.
Ivan shuffled his feet a few times. “Just dropped by to see if you might need any help.”
“Help with what?”
“Here, in the harness shop.”
“Have you had any experience with harness making?”
Ivan’s face flooded with color. “No, but I’m sure I could learn.”
“Don’t you have a job working for your daed on his farm?”
“Did have until last night.”
Abe tipped his head in question.
“Pop announced during supper that he was getting out of the farming business. Said there wasn’t enough money in it anymore and that he’s planning to sell off some of our land. Guess he got an offer to work at the lumber store in Charm. My brothers, Delbert and Willard, may work there, too.”
“I see.” Abe drew in a quick breath. “The thing is, I’ve barely got enough work to keep me and Martin going right now, so I can’t afford to hire another man.”
Ivan’s gaze dropped to the floor, and he made little circles in the dust with the toe of his boot. “Guess I’ll have to look elsewhere for a job. I can’t expect to live at home and not pull my share of the load. The only money I’m making is what Cleon gives me whenever I make a few honey deliveries for him. So unless something else turns up, I may end up applying at the lumber store, too.”
“Sorry I can’t help,” Abe said. “If things change and I get real busy, I’ll let you know.”
“I appreciate that.” Ivan pulled the door open and stepped outside.
“Everyone has their troubles these days,” Abe muttered as he returned to his work. “Some more than others, but each has his own.”
“It’s nice we’re both working today,” Sadie said to Ruth as they stood behind the bakery counter, slipping fresh pastries inside. “Don’t get to see you much when we have different hours.”
“We see each other every other Sunday during church,” Ruth reminded her friend.
“That’s true, but there’s always so much going on before and after preaching that it’s hard to visit.”
Sadie placed a tray of banana muffins in the case. “Anything new at your place these days?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” Ruth replied. “This morning we woke up to find a threatening message painted on our barn.”
Sadie squinted. “What kind of message?”
“It said ‘You’ll pay.’ ”
“That’s baremlich!”
“I know it’s terrible, and that’s not all. Mom’s garden is dead; someone sprayed weed killer all over the plants.”
Sadie’s eyes grew wide as she slowly shook her head. “What about the celery you planted for your wedding? Did that get ruined, as well?”
Ruth nodded. “Every last plant is gone, and now we’ll have to start over.”
“Any idea who did it?”
Just then the door to the bakeshop opened, and Martin stepped in.
“I heard about what happened at your house this morning, and I wanted to see if you were okay,” he said, rushing over to the counter.
“I’m fine. Just upset over losing our garden and all the celery we’d planted for the wedding.”
“Grace dropped by the harness shop a while ago and told Abe and me what happened.” Martin’s eyebrows drew together. “She said someone had painted ‘You’ll pay’ on the side of your daed’s barn.”
“Whoever did that has to be sick in the head,” Sadie put in. “I hope the sheriff catches the crazy fellow and puts him in jail.”
Martin turned to Sadie. “How do you know it’s a man? Could be a woman who’s been bothering Ruth’s family.”
Sadie snorted in an unladylike manner and wagged her finger. “No woman I know could think up all the horrible things that have been done to the Hostettlers.”
“Whether it’s a man or a woman doesn’t really matter. What counts is keeping Ruth safe.” Martin leaned across the counter. “Now do you see why I wanted us to get married right away? I want to be there to watch out for you every day.”
“I’m okay,” Ruth assured him. “No harm came to any of us—just our garden.”
“Maybe not today, but what about next time?”
“Let’s hope there is no next time,” Sadie said.
Deep wrinkles formed in Martin’s forehead. “I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”
Ruth smiled. It was nice to know Martin was concerned about her. Luke never seemed to care so much. “God will watch over us,” she said with a nod. “We just need to trust Him and try to not wo
rry.”
It’s nice to have things back to normal again,” Mom said to Ruth as the two of them hung out the wash one Monday morning in early fall.
Ruth nodded. “I’m glad they are, and I’m hoping it’s because the sheriff’s been keeping an eye on our place.”
“Now we can keep our focus on getting ready for your wedding.”
“I’m glad I have today off,” Ruth said. “It gives me a chance to wash and dry the material I bought for my wedding dress.”
Mom reached into the basket of clean clothes and withdrew a towel. “Have you and Martin decided where you’ll live once you’re married?” she asked, clipping the towel to the line.
“We’d talked about staying with his folks for a time, but Martin found a little house to rent near Abe’s place. It’s owned by the Larsons, and Martin plans to talk to them about renting it soon.”
“It makes sense that he’d want to live near his job.”
Ruth nodded. “And since we’ll be living close to Abe’s, I can stop in more often to see how Esta and the other kinner are doing.”
“Speaking of kinner,” Mom said, reaching into the basket for another towel, “Grace says Anna’s adjusting well in school, and she seems to like her teacher.”
“I figured she would. She’s smart and gets along well with others.” Ruth smiled. “Even though she’s a couple years younger than Esta, they’ve become best friends. You should see how much fun the girls have playing with Winkie.”
“That was a thoughtful thing you did when you gave Esta the puppy.” Mom squeezed Ruth’s shoulder. “You’ll make a fine mudder someday.”
“I hope so. I’m also hoping Martin and I will be blessed with kinner right away.” Ruth clipped the piece of blue material that would soon be her wedding dress to the clothesline. “I love Martin, and I’m sure he’ll make a good daed.”
“I think you’re probably right about that.” Mom reached for the empty basket. “Now that our wash has been hung, I guess I’ll head back inside and see about baking some bread.” She smiled. “Oh, and speaking of bread, I just want to say that I think Martha’s gotten pretty good at baking since she started working for Irene.”
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