by Debby Giusti
“That Miriam was observant?” he asked.
“That Miriam understood her,” Hannah clarified. “They were cut from the same cloth, so to speak. Two peas in a pod.”
“I think that’s usually in reference to siblings. Perhaps you and Miriam were the two peas in a pod.”
Hannah shook her head. “We were opposites. Growing up, I always wondered how we could be so different.”
He glanced at her but she failed to divulge the reason behind her statement.
“The Zook farm’s about ten miles from town,” she offered after checking her phone again. She tried to appear upbeat, but he knew she had to be stiff and sore after the attack this morning and lack of sleep.
The rain eased and he turned off the wipers.
“It’s pretty out here,” Hannah admitted. “I can see why Miriam would have liked this area. She was more of a free spirit and loved animals and the outdoors.”
“And you’re a homebody?” Lucas asked.
“I’m content wherever, even a small apartment. Open a window and I have fresh air. I don’t need to live on a farm to feel free.”
“You think Miriam loved the freedom she found at Zook’s place?”
“It’s hard to say. Maybe she just loved Zook.”
Lucas nodded. “You’re right. Love can strike at the strangest times and places.”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed. She turned to gaze out the side window as if unsure of what to say.
He felt equally confused. Sometimes it was better to remain silent.
* * *
Hannah had said too much. Lucas had that effect on her. He made her see beyond herself and reveal details that had been buried for too long.
She jammed her fingernail into her hand, hoping to keep her focus on anything except the man behind the wheel. His eyes were too pensive as he stared at her and his questions too insightful. If she answered any more of his queries, he would know more about her than she had known about herself for all those years.
Why did it still hurt? She should be able to move on. Maybe it was her concern for Miriam and especially for Sarah that made her feel so despondent, as if she was wearing her heart on her sleeve. She needed to tuck her heart back in her chest, under her ribs and away from Lucas’s penetrating gaze.
She didn’t want anything to interfere with her quest to find her sisters, especially not a handsome almost-Amish guy who dug too deep and had a knack for making her reveal more than she should.
Glancing at the road ahead, she saw the farm in the distance. “That’s got to be the Zook place.” A white fence circled the property. A barn and a number of outbuildings clustered in the rear.
“Looks nice,” Lucas said. “Zook’s got a good amount of land. His pasture slopes up the rise where those horses are grazing.”
He pointed at the other side of the main roadway. “Another farm sits farther down the road. That’s probably Beiler’s dairy. We’ll stop at Zook’s place first.”
The gate was open. Lucas turned onto the gravel drive and parked close to the house. The home was newly painted and well maintained. Front and rear porches gave a welcoming touch to the two-story structure.
Hannah climbed from the car and hurried to the back door. Shielding her eyes, she peered through the window and into the tidy kitchen. “There’s a woodstove, a table and dry sink.”
Oil lamps sat on wooden wall stands, no doubt providing light for the entire kitchen. “It looks neat and clean and inviting.”
Miriam loved to bake and, for a moment, Hannah envisioned her sister flitting around the kitchen, peeling apples and pulling pies from the oven, filling the house with the rich smells that made her mouth water.
Hannah was better with numbers. She’d kept the books for her family and paid the bills. That had been the problem.
Turning from the window, she stared at the pristine landscape, inhaling the fresh air mixed with the smell of earth and nature. She could see Miriam here, finding happiness and giving her heart to a good man.
“I’ll check the barn.” Lucas started toward the outbuilding.
“Don’t leave me behind.”
He turned and smiled. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, coming up beside him. “Maybe a little on edge after everything that’s happened.”
He held out his hand. “We’ll go together.”
She slipped her hand into his, feeling a warmth. Her anxiety eased and again she searched the landscape, seeing none of the threats and only peace and serenity.
“I can imagine that Miriam loved this environment.”
“Can you see her in an Amish dress and bonnet?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure about her joining the faith, although she always begged our mother to let us attend church wherever we were living.”
“You didn’t share that desire?” he asked.
“Actually, I liked the services, the prayers, the sense of being part of a faith community.” She smiled. “Plus, the people usually reached out to the little girls who came alone or with a neighbor.”
“They probably tried to get your mother to join you in the pew.”
“No doubt, but she always objected. Evidently her parents had been strict in their faith. She left home to get away from their control. Maybe their faith, as well.”
Together they neared the barn. A rustling sound floated through the open doorway. Lucas stepped protectively in front of Hannah. Her heart pounded as she peered around him and stared into the dark opening.
“Well, look who came to say hello.” Lucas laughed.
Hannah glanced down at a large dog with doleful eyes who stepped gingerly toward them, his tail wagging.
“You look like you’ve got a lot of Labrador retriever in you, boy. Are you all alone?” Lucas turned to Hannah. “Stay here. I’ll check the barn.”
Which made her concern return. “Be careful,” she said as he disappeared.
She stooped to pat the dog. “You’re a nice dog. What’s your name, pooch?” She couldn’t help but smile as he sidled closer and rubbed his head along her leg.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” Lucas called to her as a second dog scurried out of the barn. The beagle’s coat was gray with age, but he was equally as friendly and enthusiastic as the Lab.
Hannah patted her leg to encourage the smaller dog to come closer. Tail wagging, the beagle looked up with big eyes as if begging for attention.
“You’re as lovable as the big guy who shares the barn with you.”
The beagle barked and then scurried toward the woodshed.
Lucas stepped from the barn and pointed to the dairy on the opposite side of the road. “We might find someone at home at Beiler’s place.”
As they hurried to the car, Hannah looked back at the Zook house with its wide porch. “In spite of what the deputy told us, I had hoped to find Miriam.”
“We can come back,” Lucas assured her once he settled behind the wheel and started the engine.
What would Hannah say to her sister if they found her? Their parting had been a painful memory she’d carried for the past three years. Coming face-to-face with Miriam would bring back the hateful words they’d both spoken needlessly. If only Hannah could go back and undo what was already done.
The drive to the dairy took only a couple minutes. Lucas turned onto the property and parked next to the house.
“I don’t see signs of anyone.” His voice was low and cautious.
“Two families couldn’t just disappear.”
He looked at the dairy cows grazing in the pasture. “Someone’s milking his cows. The deputy mentioned the Amish twins who were helping Zook. The teens might be working the dairy, as well. Let’s take a look around.”
Hannah opened her door and stepped fr
om the car.
Lucas headed to the house and knocked on the door. He glanced back at Hannah and offered an encouraging smile that she appreciated.
He knocked again then peered through the window for a long moment before he returned to the car.
“I’ll check the barn.”
A sharp wind blew from the west. Hannah shivered and glanced back at the Zook farm.
A buggy appeared in the distance. “Lucas?”
He peered from the barn. “Is something wrong?”
She pointed. “We’ve got company.”
The buggy turned into the Zook property.
“It might be one of the Keim twins.” Lucas motioned her toward the car. “Let’s drive back to Zook’s place.”
The Lab barked as they once again parked by the house and hurried toward the barn. The young Amish man was pumping water that sloshed into the horses’ trough, covering the sound of their arrival.
“Excuse me,” Lucas said as they approached the youth.
The teen startled, surprise written on his narrow face.
“My name’s Lucas Grant.” He stuck out his hand.
The kid hesitated for a moment and then accepted the handshake. “You are not from around here.”
Lucas nodded. “Not originally, but I’ve been working at the Amish Inn for the past eleven months. You might know Fannie Stoltz. She owns the inn.”
The teen shrugged. “Perhaps my mother knows her.”
“Are you one of the twins caring for Abram Zook’s farm?”
“Yah. I am Seth Keim and my bruder is Simon.” The slender youth gazed at the hillside. “You have seen my bruder?”
“We’ve seen no one,” Hannah volunteered.
“I brought him here earlier before returning to town to help our mamm at the Amish Market. We have a stand. Usually my bruder and I both help, but the farm requires work.”
“When will the Zook family return?” Lucas asked.
“This I do not know.”
“I need to contact Abram,” Hannah stated. “Do you have his address or perhaps a phone number?”
“The Amish do not have telephones.”
“But you write letters?” she pressed. “Can you give me information about his whereabouts and whether a woman named Miriam Miller is with him?”
“I do not have an address. Isaac Beiler owns the dairy.” Seth pointed to the neighboring farm. “You can see it from here. He would know how to contact Abram Zook.”
“But Mr. Beiler is not at home. We stopped there briefly. Do you know where he and his family might be?”
“Simon knows. He talked to Isaac before he and his wife and son left for some type of a family gathering.”
Hannah glanced at Lucas. “I guess we need to find Simon.”
The big Lab trotted toward them. “What’s the dog’s name?” Hannah asked.
“Bear. He is Abram’s dog.”
“And the other pup?”
“The beagle is Gus. He belonged to Ezra Jacobs.” Seth pointed to the road that passed the dairy and headed up the mountain. “Jacobs had a cabin not far from the road that leads to Pine Lodge Mountain Resort.”
The deputy had mentioned Ezra.
Lucas stepped closer. “Have you been to the lodge?”
Seth shook his head. “Simon and I planned to look for work there, but it was closed for renovation. Instead we got this job. It is better to work the land than to clean hotel rooms.” He glanced at Lucas. “I do not mean to insult your work at the inn.”
Lucas smiled. “I handle the grounds and security, and agree with you about the benefits of working outside.”
The young man glanced at the car parked near the house and the keys Lucas still held in his hand. “You are not Amish, but an Englischer dressed like an Amish man? This is what is done at the inn?”
“I’m learning about your faith, Seth.”
“I have heard it is hard to leave your world and come to the plain life.” The Amish lad narrowed his gaze. “Yet you look like a man who knows what he wants.”
Gus raced up the hill, stopped on the rise and started to bark. Bear’s ears perked up.
The Amish lad turned at the sound. “The dog has found something that causes him upset.”
Lucas held up his hand. “Continue your chores. I’ll see what’s troubling Gus.”
Hannah tagged along beside Lucas. Bear followed close behind. She inhaled the clear fresh air and glanced back at the pretty Amish home and barn, imagining Miriam walking along this same trail.
Approaching the rise, Lucas paused and patted his leg to divert the beagle’s attention. “Come on, Gus. Let’s go back to the barn.”
“He wants you to see what he’s found,” Hannah said.
“Probably a dead animal. Maybe a squirrel or a rabbit.”
She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun. Something lay on the grass. Larger than either animal Lucas had mentioned.
Her stomach roiled.
Not a rabbit or a squirrel or even a deer. Gus barked to warn them, not about what was lying on the dried winter grass, but who.
A young man. He looked almost identical to Seth.
Without doubt, they had found Simon.
SEVEN
Hannah gasped at the blood oozing from a gash to the teen’s forehead. Lucas bent over the young man and touched his neck, checking for a pulse.
He turned to Hannah. “The kid’s alive. Get your cell from the car and call the deputy. We need an ambulance and law enforcement. Now.”
Heart thumping wildly, she ran to her car, passing Seth on the way.
She grabbed her cell from the console, tapped in 9-1-1 and tried to explain what had happened to the operator. “Send an ambulance and notify the sheriff’s office. I’m at the Zook farm, about ten miles from Willkommen.”
Hannah’s head pounded and a roar filled her ears. What was happening to this idyllic Amish community? First her sisters had been captured and her mother murdered. A man had attacked Hannah, and now an Amish youth had been left for dead.
Bear had followed her down the hill and now trotted to the rear of one of the outbuildings that, from the lumber stacked outside, appeared to be a workshop.
The dog growled then started to bark as ferociously as Gus had earlier. Seemed everyone, even the animals, was tense.
“It’s okay, Bear,” she called.
The Lab continued to bark. Edging closer to a pile of lumber, he showed his teeth and growled.
“What is it, boy?”
She neared, hoping to calm the distraught dog. “Did you see a chipmunk?”
Hannah patted her leg. “Let’s go to the edge of the road and flag down the ambulance so they know where to turn.”
Again she patted her leg. “Come on, Bear.”
The dog wasn’t dissuaded and continued to focus his attention on the lumber.
She stepped closer. A rustle sounded from behind the pile of wood. Fearing what she might find, Hannah turned, but not in time. The man in blue flannel raced toward her.
Her heart stopped, seeing his raised hand.
She screamed. The blow sucked air from her lungs. Her knees gave way. She heard Bear bark and then darkness took her to a place of silence.
* * *
Hearing the scream, Lucas ran down the hill. “Hannah!”
A man—the same man who had grabbed her this morning—was hefting her, like a sack of flour, over his shoulder.
“No!” Lucas cried.
Bear nipped at the guy’s feet.
He yelled at the dog, dropped Hannah and ran toward the woods.
Lucas raced to where she lay, fell to his knees beside her and rolled her over, fearing what he wo
uld find.
His fingers touched her neck. He let out the breath he was holding once he felt a pulse.
“Hannah, it’s Lucas. Can you hear me?”
A lump formed on her forehead near the gash from last night. She was taking a beating.
Her eyes fluttered open.
“Can you hear me?” He leaned closer, needing reassurance. “Tell me you’re okay.”
She grimaced, raised her hand and gingerly touched her head. “The guy’s persistent.”
Lucas almost laughed, feeling a swell of relief.
She lifted her head.
“Easy does it,” Lucas cautioned. He placed an arm around her shoulders and helped her to sit up. “I’m not sure what the guy’s after, but it includes you.”
“He thinks I have information about Miriam. I wish he’d realize how little I know about my sister and her whereabouts.”
She glanced up the hill. “Is...is Simon...?”
“He’s alive. His pulse is weak and he’s lost some blood. Seth is with him.”
“What happened to the guy in flannel?”
“Bear nipped at his heels. When he saw me charging down the hill, he decided to make a run for it.” Lucas pointed to the wooded area. “Last I saw of him, he was headed into that densely wooded area. Probably has a car parked nearby on one of the back trails.”
“Help me to my feet, Lucas.”
“Sure you feel up to it?”
She nodded. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Lucas wrapped his arm around her and helped her to stand. “Easy does it.”
She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry to be such a problem.”
He pulled her closer. “And I’m sorry I haven’t been able to protect you.”
The faint but shrill wail of a siren sounded in the distance.
After he got her into the car, Hannah squeezed his hand. “Flag down the ambulance. I’ll wait here.”
Lucas raced to the road and waved his arms once the ambulance came into sight. Two cars from the sheriff’s office in Willkommen led the caravan and turned onto the property. Deputy Gainz and another officer of the law sprang from their vehicles.
