by Debby Giusti
“You’re talking about foul play?”
He nodded.
“That’s what the television reporter mentioned. They said law enforcement is looking anew at her disappearance.”
Hannah lowered her fork. “I wish someone had information about my youngest sister. If what people have said about Abram Zook is true, Miriam may no longer be in danger. But Sarah? She’s only twenty-one. I haven’t seen her for three years. At that time she was so sweet and too naive. I don’t know if she would have the stamina to survive.”
“Yet you said your upbringing was not good,” Fannie added. “She survived growing up, which may give her the stamina and determination to survive other challenges.”
“I hope you’re right, Fannie.”
The older woman patted Hannah’s hand. “We will trust Gott, yah?”
Hannah nodded and then turned to Lucas. “Take me with you when you talk to the Glick family. They might know something that could help me find Sarah.”
“The man came after you, Hannah. Stay here where you’ll be safe. I’ll let you know what I learn.”
She shook her head and grabbed his hand. “The attacker is looking for a woman in jeans and a jacket. He won’t be looking into Amish buggies.”
“He saw me run toward him yesterday,” Lucas reminded her. “I don’t want to draw his attention, especially if we’re together.”
Hannah smiled. “But he wouldn’t be looking for an Amish couple. You’ll be safer with me than if you went alone.”
“I’m not worried about myself. I’m worried about you. Besides, it’ll be a cold trip,” he cautioned.
“Surely Fannie has a coat I could wear.”
“A cape,” the older woman volunteered, “and a large black bonnet with a brim that will hide your face if anyone happens by who seems unfriendly.”
She patted Hannah’s hand. “You are right. The man in flannel will not be looking for an Amish couple riding in a buggy.”
“But—” Lucas didn’t like putting Hannah in danger, even if she was hiding undercover in Amish clothing. He didn’t know much about the attacker, but he knew that the man kept coming after Hannah. Would he follow them to the Glick farm? If so, would Lucas be able to keep Hannah safe?
He had left law enforcement and didn’t want to return to that way of life, but everything had changed when he’d found Hannah on the deer stand.
She needed to find her sisters, especially Sarah. If the local deputy wasn’t able to carry out the investigation, Lucas couldn’t sit by and do nothing. Even if returning to police work was the last thing he wanted for his life.
A young woman was missing. An Amish girl had disappeared. Lucas needed to determine if there was a connection.
Fannie was right. The attacker wouldn’t recognize Hannah in the blue dress and white apron. He was looking for an attractive woman of the world instead of a pretty Amish gal with a scrubbed face and piercing blue eyes.
“All right. We’ll go together. I’ll hitch the mare to the buggy. Be sure to wear the bonnet and cape when you step outside. I’ll bring the buggy to the kitchen door.” He glanced at Fannie. “No one is to know about your visitor.”
“She’s a niece from Tennessee, if anyone asks.” Fannie patted Hannah’s hand. “I’m accepting you as kin right here and now. You are family to me.” The older woman glanced across the table to Lucas. “You are family, as well, Lucas.”
The words touched his heart.
She glanced back at Hannah. “And this sweet Amish woman is the niece I never knew who has only recently come into my life.”
Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. Evidently she was as touched as Lucas. Fannie had a big heart. She should have had a houseful of children and grandchildren, yet that was not the path God had chosen for her life.
“I’ll get the buggy.” Lucas rose from the table and, without saying anything else, shrugged into his waistcoat, situated his hat on his head and left the warmth of the kitchen.
A cold wind whipped around the house and tugged at his jacket. Lucas lowered his face into the wind and walked toward the barn. What would they find today at the Glick house?
He didn’t know. The only thing he did know was that a man was after Hannah. And Lucas—even though he had left law enforcement—needed to keep her safe. He touched his hip where he had carried a weapon for years. Unarmed and wanting to be Amish didn’t make for a good combination when evil prowled. Lucas would have to be extra cautious and use all his skills to make sure Hannah didn’t end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Gott help me,” he quietly prayed. Perhaps if the Lord realized his desire to live the plain life, He would keep them both safe.
That was Lucas’s hope. He glanced back at the kitchen and saw Hannah gazing at him through the window. What was she thinking? Was she thinking about her sister Sarah or about the wannabe Amish man who didn’t understand his own heart?
* * *
Hannah slipped into the black cape and bonnet that Fannie offered, grateful for the older woman who adjusted the bonnet and tied the ribbons under Hannah’s chin.
“No one will recognize you,” Fannie assured her. Then, peering out the kitchen window, she motioned her toward the door. “Lucas is bringing the buggy.”
Hannah stepped onto the porch, feeling the warmth of the heavy cape and enjoying the way the dress moved with her. The clothing she thought would be encumbering turned out to be freeing. She also liked the smile of appreciation Lucas flashed her way before he helped her into the buggy.
He sat next to her and flicked the reins, urging Daisy forward.
Once they passed the Amish Store and turned onto the main road, Lucas settled back in the seat. “Belinda Lapp is the young woman who works at the store. She gave Hector the note yesterday that he passed on to you. The Lapp farm isn’t far. I want to stop there first.”
But no one answered the door when Lucas knocked. He checked the barn and the pastures before returning to the buggy.
“Seems all the families in this area have left their farms,” Hannah mused, hoping to deflect his frustration.
“They might be in town,” he admitted. “Many of the folks sell produce and baked goods at the Amish Market in Willkommen. Lydia is known for her jellies and jams as well as the quilts she stitches. Too frequently, the Amish around here need to supplement their incomes. I’m sure the Lapps could use the extra cash.”
“We’ll come back again,” Hannah suggested.
He nodded and hurried Daisy along. They rode in silence while Hannah thought of the young Amish women trying to find their way and be true to their faith in a world filled with enticements.
“I don’t have a good feeling about Rosie Glick.” She finally shared what had been bothering her, knowing Lucas and Fannie felt a similar unease. “Why would an Amish girl run off with an Englischer?”
Lucas shrugged. “The grass looks greener, as the saying goes. She might have struggled with her own parents. The Amish life isn’t easy and the lure of the world can be enticing, especially for a teenager. The Glick farm isn’t far. Let’s stop there first and then head to the boyfriend’s place after we talk to Rosie’s parents.”
“That sounds good.”
“But we need to be careful,” he added. “The guy in blue flannel is still on the loose.”
Lucas seemed genuinely concerned for her safety, which made Hannah feel special. A feeling she’d never experienced around men. Initially the guy she had dated in Atlanta had been considerate of her feelings, but he’d soon changed and put his own desires first. Thankfully, she’d found out the truth about who he really was before it was too late.
“You’re quiet.” Lucas interrupted her thoughts. “Everything okay? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
She shook her head. “I’m just musing ov
er what’s happened. I never thought a fast trip to Willkommen to reconnect with my sisters would put me in danger.”
“Nothing like this has happened before?”
She didn’t like his question. “Are you suspicious?”
“Of you?”
“That I might have brought this upon myself.”
He shook his head. “The thought never crossed my mind. I’m just wondering if something in Atlanta—”
“Macon. I moved there about six weeks ago.”
“Then did something or someone in Macon follow you here?”
“Negative, as they say in law enforcement.”
He smiled, which relieved some of the tension.
“I haven’t lived in Macon long,” Hannah continued. “I’ve got a job working retail, a small apartment, and the only folks I know, other than a few people at church, are the ladies at work. Most of whom are in their fifties and early sixties. Not a guy wearing blue flannel in the bunch.”
“And in Atlanta?”
She studied the passing countryside. “I lived there for three years and had a number of friends. Perhaps I stepped on a few toes, although I couldn’t say for sure.”
“Anyone give you a hard time?”
“Meaning what?”
Lucas tilted his head but kept his eyes on the road. “Maybe a guy who came on to you but who you didn’t like. Someone who tried to get a bit too close. Anything like that?”
She turned her head, grateful for the wide brim of the bonnet that hid her face lest he read something from her expression. Brian Walker. He would fit Lucas’s profile of a person to watch.
“You’ve turned quiet again,” Lucas said.
“Just sorting through all the guys I knew and coming up empty-handed as far as your parameters. I’m sure Mr. Flannel is a local problem. I told you he was in the filling station when I turned off the highway. I’d never seen him before that moment.”
“Yet he followed you.”
“Because of my sister. The news video was playing on the television. The older man commented on my resemblance to the woman in the news clip.”
“Do you and Miriam look alike?”
“Some say we do. I’m taller. Bigger boned. I take after my father.”
“And Miriam?
“In looks, she’s her mother’s daughter.” So very much so.
“Yet the old guy at the gas station saw enough of a resemblance to comment about it?”
“He was speculating and probably trying to drum up a little excitement. It was the middle of the night. I doubt much happens in this part of the country that’s exciting.”
Then she thought of what had happened—her mother had been killed and her two younger sisters kidnapped.
“Look, I’m rambling.” She waved her hand in the air. “And not thinking straight. Forgive me. Let me assure you I haven’t seen anyone in the area who reminds me of the folks I knew or had business dealings with in Atlanta. This guy in blue is a home-grown problem who wants information about Miriam for whatever reason.”
He also wanted Hannah, which she wouldn’t mention. Not when she was riding in a buggy in plain sight. Would Lucas be able to save her if the guy came after her again? That was a question Hannah didn’t want to voice.
* * *
Lucas kept his eyes on the terrain around them, watching for anything that spelled danger. He flicked a quick glance into the rear of the buggy where he had stashed his rifle. Not that he wanted to use it, but some precautions were necessary, especially if he wanted to keep Hannah safe.
She hadn’t spoken in longer than he would have liked, but he wouldn’t interrupt her thoughts with idle chatter. A lot had happened recently that she needed to ponder. He hadn’t told her about his former life as a cop and wondered if that would make a difference. At first, she had seemed hesitant to talk to Deputy Gainz when they had stopped at the sheriff’s office in Willkommen yesterday. Some people struggled with law enforcement. He hoped that wasn’t the case with Hannah.
Although having her mother murdered and her two sisters kidnapped was reason enough, especially when at least one of the men who had stopped Miriam’s car had been law enforcement. A rotten apple could spoil the whole bushel, as folks who grew apples in this area of Georgia knew all too well.
Olivia. His hands tightened on the reins. She hadn’t been dirty; she’d been set up. Lucas had tried to track down the culprits responsible. Someone had planted the marked bills in her apartment just as sure as two guys working for Vipera had killed her on that fateful night. The memory of finding her body sprawled on the dock struck him like a rock that tightened his gut and made him gasp.
Hannah turned to him. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry.” He struggled to find his voice. “I must have been daydreaming.”
“I’d call it more of a nightmare from the sound you made.”
He fisted his right hand and tapped it against his chest. “Probably indigestion.” He smiled, hoping she would buy his explanation. “Or too much coffee.”
“Do you know the Glick family?”
“Fannie does. She said they’re nice folks.”
“What about the daughter?” Hannah asked.
“Amish children are seen and not heard, as the saying goes. Fannie knew who Rosie was, but I doubt she had any interaction with the girl.”
“What about Belinda, who works at Fannie’s store? Were she and Rosie friends?”
“A good question and one I can’t answer. Fannie might know.”
He flicked the reins and considered Hannah’s question. The girl at the inn had given Hector the note that led to Hannah’s confrontation with the attacker. Belinda had been seen talking to a man earlier in the day. Could both girls have been involved with men who were in some way tied in with the hijacking of Hannah’s mother and sisters?
Lucas rubbed his right hand over his aching leg that often acted up in the cold. Not that he would complain. His injury had been minor compared to what Olivia had endured. Some days he wondered if he’d let her down since he’d left Savannah. His career in law enforcement had ended because he’d gotten too close to someone. Had it been Eugene Vipera?
His eyes left the road momentarily to stare at the mountain. Over the rise and on the other side was the Pine Lodge Mountain Resort, one of Vipera’s many assets.
Lucas had traveled to the North Georgia mountains in the hope of uncovering dirt on the wealthy tycoon who he was convinced had played a role in Olivia’s death. But the trail that had led him here had dried up and made him realize he was following a false lead. As far as he could determine, Vipera had never even visited the lodge and left the operation to a number of managers and a board of directors.
For the last eleven months, Lucas had pushed anything to do with law enforcement aside to let his body and his psyche heal. The wound to his pride had been harder to deal with than the gunshot he’d taken.
Fannie had provided a balm for both. Her motherly ways had brought him from the brink of darkness and allowed him to live again. The clear air and wholesome lifestyle had soothed his pain and made him realize there was more to life than crime and corruption.
Now he felt the pull back to his old ways and his former life. Mentally he drew a triangle between the two Amish girls and Vipera. Then he placed Hannah’s sisters and her mother in the center and circled them with a bull’s-eye before he glanced at Hannah.
If her family had been in the bull’s-eye, she might be, as well.
“I’ve got a brother, but no sisters,” Lucas stated. Seeing her surprise made him realize his mistake.
“Sorry,” he said, hoping to clear up her confusion. “I must have thought you could read my mind. Let me backtrack a bit. I don’t know much about girls, but they like to share secrets, right?”
Hannah shrugged. “I guess they do, although I’m not a good person to ask.”
“But you’re a girl. You know how women think, even teenage women.”
Her mouth tugged into a weak smile. “How very astute of you to realize that I’m a girl. The truth is I never had many friends growing up.”
“Really?”
“We moved too often. My mother never stayed anyplace more than a few months. Children adjust, no matter the circumstances, so early in life I learned the folly of making friends only to leave those friends behind. Some would call it a protective mechanism. Maybe it was but, for whatever reason, I kept to myself.”
“You and your sisters must have been close.”
Hannah tugged at a strand of her hair that had escaped the bun and the bonnet.
Had she heard him? Before he repeated his question, she sighed. “Miriam and I were sisters. I wouldn’t call us friends.”
Lucas turned his gaze back to the road. “What about Sarah?”
Hannah’s expression softened. “Sarah was different.”
“Because she was the baby?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. It probably sounds strange, but for the last few years—in fact, most of our teen years—Miriam and I seemed to be competing with each other. I never felt the need to prove myself when it came to Sarah.”
“You and Miriam were closer in age?”
“Two years apart, which could have had bearing on our relationship. I don’t know when the competition with Miriam started or why.”
“Did your mother recognize the struggle between you two?”
“It’s hard to say. She and Miriam were always close. I never felt like I fit in.”
“Usually the oldest is the favorite. I’m the middle child and never felt that I measured up.”
“I’m sorry, Lucas. It’s not easy growing up without feeling secure.”
“It may have helped me succeed.”
“Meaning?”
“College, to get ahead in my job.”
“You mean you haven’t always worked at the inn?” Sarcasm was evident in her comment.
