Rachel's Rescue

by Serena B. Miller

  “You got home so late from working on the restaurant, and you were so tired. I didn’t want to worry you unless I just had to.”

  “You’re what, nineteen weeks now?”

  Rachel nodded.

  “Isn’t the second trimester supposed to be the safest time in a pregnancy?”

  “It is. The doctor also said that it is not unusual to have a little cramping as the baby grows and your body adjusts. The cramping stopped completely last night. I’m fine now. There’s nothing I have to do today, so I’m just being extra cautious.”

  “Good.” He sat down on the side of the bed beside her. “I was planning to leave right after early service to drive to Detroit to pick up that commercial grill Darren found on Craigslist. Do you want me to take Bobby with me?”

  “He would hate being in the car that long. Would you mind taking him to Naomi’s after the service? I called her last night and she’s expecting him. She said they’re hosting church today and he will be no bother with so many other children running around.”

  “Darren and I will drop him off on our way to Detroit.”

  “That would be helpful. Thank you. Darren is going with you?”

  “Yes. He wanted to take a good look at that grill before we bought it.”

  Rachel pulled herself up against the headboard. “How are you going to pay for it? I thought you’d already nearly exhausted Darren’s funds from the sale of the Lamborghini.”

  “I’ll use my credit card.”

  “We’re going into debt now for this venture?”

  “I can’t run a burger place without a good grill.”

  “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.” She pulled off her wedding and engagement rings and handed them to him. “I don’t know what you paid for these, but if you want to sell them somewhere, I’d guess they would bring at least a few thousand to cover the grill and whatever other supplies you need.”

  “You’re giving up your rings for the restaurant?” Joe said. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  Rachel’s hands already felt freer. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Joe, but we’ve been married long enough that I have to be honest about these rings. Grace might have wanted something like this, but I don’t. I never did. I worry about losing something so valuable. I worry about catching them on something. I come from Plain people, and these rings embarrass me in front of my Amish friends.”

  “You’ve felt that way all this time?” Joe said.

  “Yes. I’d much rather you turn them into cash you can use for the restaurant.”

  Joe looked down at the two rings he held in his hands.

  “Don’t you even want to keep the wedding band?”

  “Frankly, no. It’s encrusted with diamonds and you’ll get more money if they’re kept as a set. Bring me back what I really want, Joe—a plain, gold wedding band. The thinnest one you can find.”

  “If you’re sure…”

  “I’m very sure.”

  He rolled the rings around in the palm of his hand. “I’ll probably only get half of what I paid, or less, but even that will make a huge difference.” Leaning over, he kissed her. “Thank you, Rachel.”

  “Have a good trip, Joe.”

  “We will. You take care of yourself. Don’t go anywhere and don’t do anything. Just keep our baby safe.”

  In a few minutes, Bobby came in to say good-bye.

  “I’m sorry you’re sick,” he said.

  She brushed his hair off his forehead. “I’m not sick. I’m just being careful for the baby’s sake.”

  “Daddy says the baby isn’t done yet and needs to bake awhile longer.”

  “Kind of.” It wasn’t the analogy she would have chosen, but she supposed it would make sense to a six-year-old. “You have a good time with Ezra today. I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too,” he said.

  “Bobby!” Joe called.

  “Coming!” Bobby gave Rachel a kiss and hugged her neck. “I love you, Rachel.”

  “I love you too, son.”

  They had chosen to break the good news about the baby to Bobby earlier that week. She was glad they had waited. The little guy was so wound up and excited about having a brother or sister that she could already tell it was going to be a long four months of answering questions. In two days she was scheduled for an ultrasound to find out whether they would have a little girl or another boy.

  As Bobby left the room, she noticed that he was in need of some new church clothes. His pants were a little too short and the long sleeves of his dress shirt were not quite long enough.

  As she heard Joe’s truck pulling out of the driveway, she reached for the notepad she kept by her side of the bed, wrote down “church clothes,” and underscored it. Bobby was growing so fast.

  It felt luxurious to be in bed, alone in her home, with plenty of time to daydream about the baby. She had some yogurt for breakfast then watched an old movie. She flipped through a parenting magazine and fixed a simple lunch of cheese and crackers. There were no more twinges or cramps, so she was pretty sure her body had gotten past whatever it was that had been going on inside her yesterday.

  Actually, things were going pretty good. She was trying harder not to let Carl’s existence affect her as much. Bertha was not happy with her right now, but she’d get over it eventually. Rachel knew she would because Bertha’s forgiveness extended to her as well as others. And she and Joe were getting along pretty well too, although she still wasn’t convinced that going into business with Darren was wise.

  With the exception of Carl Bateman living only eighteen short miles away, her life was almost perfect.

  There was a poem in one of Bobby’s books about a little girl who was never satisfied. The recurring refrain was the little girl saying, “Almost perfect…but not quite.” That refrain was running through Rachel’s mind as she settled down for an afternoon nap. “Almost perfect…”

  Perhaps if Carl made it through his mandatory year of living in Ohio, he’d move away and she could start feeling normal again. The fact that he lived so close dimmed the happiness she should be having.

  With no responsibilities to tend to, she slept deep and hard until her cell rang.

  Chapter 49

  “Rachel here.” Years of police work had taught her how to come completely awake in an instant. She glanced at the clock. It was a little after five. She had been asleep for three hours.

  “Rachel?” Naomi’s voice was strained. “Do you have Bobby and Ezra with you?”

  “No…” Fear clutched at Rachel’s heart. “Don’t you?”

  “No. The church families left about a half hour ago. Luke was not feeling well, so he laid down. I was putting away some leftovers from lunch. Bobby and Ezra were playing in Ezra’s pony cart, going up and down the driveway. I warned them not to go out into the road, but sometimes small boys do not listen well… I—I hoped you had come and gotten them for some reason.”

  “I would never take Ezra or Bobby without telling you first, Naomi.” Rachel’s hand started to tremble. She gripped the phone tighter.

  “Could Joe have come and gotten them?”

  “Joe is on his way to Detroit,” Rachel answered. “He’s probably already there by now. When did you first notice the boys were gone?”

  “The pony brought the cart back empty a few minutes ago,” Naomi said. “I saw it coming up the driveway without them.”

  “Could the boys just be playing in the barn or in one of the outbuildings?”

  “I’ve been running everywhere, looking and calling for them, but I haven’t heard an answer.” Naomi’s voice shook with fear. “Ezra would come to me if he heard me call. He would not pretend he did not hear me. My son is not that unkind, and neither is Bobby.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Rachel threw back the covers, threw on her clothes, and was out the door in under three minutes.

  It was a fifteen-minute drive to Naomi and Luke’s house. Rachel made it in ten. She kept tel
ling herself that the two little boys would already be back at the house by the time she got there, with an explanation of how the pony had somehow gone home while they were someplace they shouldn’t have been. There were some deep woods around Luke and Naomi’s house, and boys loved to explore. Children also had no sense of time when they were playing.

  She would have to be careful not to overreact if that was the situation. Bobby was energetic and curious but he was also kindhearted and would not knowingly frighten her or Naomi.

  Joe would want to know, but she hated to scare him if this turned out to be nothing—which she was pretty sure it was. Nothing. It had to be nothing. Her mind shied away from anything else. Bobby and Ezra were fine. Of course they were fine. An empty pony cart did not mean anything. Children were often thoughtless, giving their parents unnecessary worries.

  The moment Rachel drove in, she knew from the expression on Naomi’s face that the boys had not shown up yet. Luke was standing on the porch, looking pale and supporting himself with the railing. She was disturbed by his changed appearance. She knew he was fighting leukemia, but he was sicker than she’d realized. He did not look strong enough to be out of bed.

  “They are still gone?” Rachel slammed the door of the squad car and strode across Luke and Naomi’s yard as she spoke.

  “Yes,” Luke answered. “We’ve looked everywhere.”

  “Did you go down to the creek?” Rachel asked. “If they were playing beside it, they might not hear your voice from here at the house. You know how little boys are once they start playing…”

  “I’ve already checked the creek,” Naomi said. “I’ve looked all over the house and barn. Luke called our bishop while you were on your way here. Samuel has begun to spread the word to our people. Many will be praying for our sons soon.”

  “How did you get hold of Samuel so quickly?”

  “Samuel is a carpenter,” Luke said. “He is allowed a basic cell phone for business calls, as are the other business owners in our church. This was decided at our last Ordnung meeting. Picture phones like the Englischers use are still forbidden, of course. One way or another, word will spread fast.”

  Rachel saw the pony and pony cart tied up at the hitching post near the Yoders’ kitchen door. “Did you try to follow the wheel tracks?”

  “I tried.” Luke sounded as fatigued as he looked. “But many buggies have gone in and out of our road this morning. It is impossible. Church Sunday is not a good time to search for specific buggy tracks.”

  Rachel suddenly became aware of hoof beats and steel wheels spinning down the dry dirt road. She turned to look and saw a black open buggy coming faster than any sane Amish person would normally drive. The horse’s head was low and it was running flat-out, its black coat glistening from sweat. The buggy almost tipped over as it swung into the driveway. Their young bishop, Samuel Yost, leaped out and came running toward the porch.

  “The others are coming,” he said. “My wife is calling those with telephones, and I sent the oldest Miller boy to get word to the rest. He has the fastest horse.”

  While Samuel questioned Naomi and Luke about the missing boys, Rachel called Joe.

  “Hi, sweetheart!” His voice sounded happy and upbeat. “How is the most beautiful girl in the world doing today?”

  “I’m at Naomi’s and Luke’s,” she said. “We’re having trouble finding Ezra and Bobby.”

  The cheerfulness fell from Joe’s voice. “What do you mean, ‘having trouble’?”

  “They were driving Ezra’s little pony cart and it came back to the house empty. Naomi’s looked everywhere and called for the boys, but we haven’t found them yet.”

  She heard Joe’s ragged breathing as he tried to process what he had just heard.

  “Have you looked in the outbuildings?”

  “Naomi says she’s looked everywhere.”

  There was another pause while Joe tried to absorb the terrifying news. “We’re leaving. Now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  She knew that as upset as he was, he would take chances on the road as he tried to get home, things he wouldn’t do under normal circumstances. “Please be careful.”

  Joe had already disconnected.

  Nearly frantic with worry, she glanced up and saw a sight she would never forget for as long as she lived. A covered buggy had topped the rise and the horse was trotting toward the Yoder house—and a steady stream of buggies just like it were directly behind. Dozens of Amishmen on saddled horses were riding near the line of buggies. To have riders hunting on horseback for the children, in addition to those searching on foot, would be quite valuable, a conclusion to which she was certain the practical-thinking Amish had already arrived.

  She tried to hold it together, to keep her panic in check and think calmly like the experienced cop she was, but as she watched these sober-faced Amish men and women, many still dressed in their black, formal church clothing, pouring into the driveway willing to help, tears of gratitude began rolling down her face, dripped off her chin and fell onto her shirt.

  The physical and spiritual strength of her Amish neighbors was solidly behind her, and she was beyond grateful.

  “Just tell us what to do,” Peter Hochstetler said quietly beside her, pulling a clean, white handkerchief from a pocket inside his coat and handing it to her to mop up her tears. “We’re ready.”

  Joe had been getting ready to help Darren load the commercial grill into the bed of his truck when Rachel’s call rang in.

  “Hold on,” he told the phone while he took off his work gloves. The grill was used and needed a good cleaning as soon as they got it home, but it was functional and Darren had negotiated a good deal on it with the owner, who was closing down his restaurant. Craigslist could sometimes be very helpful. The owner, not so much. He kept telling them that new restaurants were doomed to failure.

  Joe had dredged his phone out of his pocket and said hello, and then his world fell in.

  His terror was so great that his brain couldn’t entirely grasp the reality of what Rachel was saying. If he were still in LA, his first thought would be an abduction, but things like that didn’t happen in Sugarcreek. Bobby was safe in Sugarcreek. Or at least Joe had thought he was.

  This was probably nothing more than two little boys who had somehow gotten lost, he rationalized. There would be an explanation.

  For now, all he knew was that he had to get back there. His son needed him, and his wife needed him too. Rachel might be a cop, but she was probably just as terrified.

  “What’s up?” Darren had been waiting and listening. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

  “They can’t find Bobby,” Joe said. “We need to go.”

  Darren didn’t hesitate. “I’ll drive.”

  “Good. I don’t trust myself right now.”

  As they pulled out of the parking lot of the old restaurant where they had purchased the grill, Joe was vaguely aware that his brother was trying to say something comforting, but he couldn’t hear Darren over the roaring in his ears.

  Chapter 50

  Samuel, who knew all the people in his church by name and also the terrain of the area, took over forming and directing the various search parties. Rachel was grateful to give him the job. Everyone there was used to obeying their bishop. No one argued or questioned his judgment, just gave quick nods of affirmation as they received their assignments.

  The people spread out, ready to search every dip and cranny of the fields and check behind every tree and clump of brush in the surrounding woods. Others were assigned to go over the outbuildings again and to leave nothing to chance. Naomi had been a terrified mother when she had run around opening doors and climbing into hay lofts. There was a chance she might have missed something.

  Samuel instructed two of the younger women to do a thorough examination of Naomi’s house and cellar. He told them to look beneath every bed, every staircase, and in every closet and trunk.

  “Children like to play hide and seek,”
Samuel told the assembled group. “And sometimes if they think they might be in trouble for something, they can hide like quiet little mice.”

  Rachel wanted to believe that was all that had happened, but deep down she knew that although the bishop’s words might be true for Ezra, they did not hold true for Bobby. The child simply couldn’t sit still and be quiet for that long.

  She wanted to start charging this way and that, frantically searching for her son, but there were already about a hundred men, women, and older teenagers doing exactly that, set on covering every inch of the surrounding countryside.

  Was that another small cramp she felt?

  It was probably nothing. She forced herself to calm down and think like the experienced cop she was. The first person she needed to call was Ed. His wisdom and advice would be invaluable in this situation. But when she called, his wife answered.

  “Is Ed there, Sally?” Rachel said. “I really need to talk with him.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “Ed’s up in Canada on a fishing trip. Don’t you remember? I can’t even get him on his cell phone. Is everything all right?”

  “Not exactly,” Rachel said, “but I can’t talk right now. Thanks, Sally.”

  Her next call was to Nick. Sugarcreek was proud that it had been able to raise the funds to purchase that drug-sniffing dog. He was also skilled at finding lost people. The black Lab had already found one elderly Alzheimer’s patient who had wandered off from a family picnic and gotten lost. There had been a write-up in The Budget about it.

  When Nick answered, she told him what had happened and asked if he could bring Ranger out to try to track the children.

  “I can’t,” Nick said.

  She didn’t understand. If there was ever a situation in which Ranger was meant to shine, it was this one. “Why not?”

  “Ranger and I are at the vet’s right now. Somebody tried to poison him.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately, yes, I’m dead serious. I found some meat in his kennel that I hadn’t put there. He must have realized something was wrong with it after a few bites, because he didn’t eat all of it, but he got enough in him to do some damage. Doctor Mike opened up the clinic for us. He’s pumping out Ranger’s stomach right now.”