by Debby Giusti
“We changed that after you were attacked. Now the staff has to come to me to get a key.”
“But he got in here somehow.”
Lucas went to the bathroom and saw the open window. “He climbed in through here. The screen’s been removed.”
“That’s my fault,” the sheriff admitted. “The rehab facility was so warm. I always sleep better in a cold room. I opened the window to enjoy the fresh county air.”
Lucas pointed to the wall. “From now on regulate the heat with the thermostat and keep the windows shut and locked. The open window was an invitation to him. With the curtains drawn and the lights out, he probably thought he could surprise Hannah if she was in the room or wait until she returned.”
Although still shaken, Fannie excused herself and hurried to the kitchen to help with the evening meal. Deputy Gainz arrived soon after the sheriff notified him of the attack, and he and Lucas walked outside to survey the exterior of the inn.
“Removing the screen wouldn’t have been difficult,” Lucas admitted after they found the screen discarded in the bushes. “The open window allowed an easy entry, although the sill is about eight feet off the ground.”
Gainz pointed to something in the underbrush.
Lucas neared and bent low. Two wooden boxes had been shoved under the bushes.
“My guess is the guy piled the boxes one atop the other,” the deputy said. “That would give him enough leverage to hoist himself into the bathroom.”
“Check the boxes for prints?”
“That’s a good idea. If he’s ever been arrested, we’ll have him on file.” Gainz glanced at the driveway and main entrance to the property. “Any idea where he could have parked his car?”
“He drives an SUV,” Lucas reminded the deputy. “There’s a back road that runs along the rear of the property. Easy enough to cut through the woods to get to his car and then head into Willkommen.”
“Did you hear a vehicle leave the area?”
“No.” Lucas shook his head. “But at the time, I wasn’t listening for a car. I was trying to make sure the sheriff was all right.”
“We’ve got a BOLO out for a dark Tahoe, although the guy could have more than one vehicle. I’m just glad the sheriff is okay. We’re ready to have him back at his desk. I didn’t sign on to be the head of the sheriff’s department. Samuel was elected. Folks trust him. They know he’ll do his best to keep them safe.”
“You’re doing a good job, Deputy Gainz.”
He shook his head and laughed. “I can warm the seat of his chair, but that’s about all. Ned Quigley’s the expert. He’s young and smart. He’s got the ability and desire to run the sheriff’s office, but he’s at GBI headquarters, which I believe I mentioned when you stopped by the office. I had hoped Ned would be back by now.”
“Does he know what happened?”
The deputy shook his head. “He’s got enough on his plate without me calling and talking about our problems here.”
“You might want to contact him in case he has the choice to stay or come back to Willkommen.”
“I’ll do that in the morning.”
Lucas wondered if the deputy was truly interested in the new, younger deputy being called in. From what Lucas had been told, Gainz had worked for the town as long as most folks could remember. Sometimes a newcomer was hard to accept.
“We’ll lock down the inn tonight and rig up some type of security on the main door,” the deputy shared. “Everyone will have to go through the front entrance. It might be inconvenient for the staff, but we’ll know who’s coming and going. I don’t want anyone else injured.”
Especially not Hannah.
“You’re certain Miriam is safe?” Hannah asked the sheriff as Lucas and the deputy returned to the guest bedroom.
“About as certain as I can be,” Samuel said with a nod. “Abram won’t let anything happen to your sister.”
“And he’s a good man?”
The sheriff smiled. “I’ve known him all his life, Hannah. Abram will protect your sister.”
“You’ve known him all his life?” She repeated his comment, her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“Abram’s my nephew.”
“You’re Amish?”
The sheriff laughed and shook his head. “No, but I grew up Amish. Ethridge, Tennessee, was my home.”
Hannah glanced at Lucas. He saw the question in her eyes.
“If Abram needed a safe place to hole up,” she said to Samuel, “would that safe place be Ethridge?”
The expression on the sheriff’s face was enough to make Lucas realize that Hannah may have uncovered Miriam’s whereabouts.
“Ethridge would be a safe destination,” the sheriff acknowledged with a knowing smile. “If someone needed a place to hole up. I’ll rummage through my things and try to find that address just as soon as my head clears a bit more.”
Lucas’s heart melted at the relief he read on Hannah’s face. He glanced at the deputy, who was studying the window in the bathroom and hadn’t heard the discussion. Just as well. Although the deputy was trustworthy, the fewer people who knew how to find Miriam, the better.
“What about Sarah?” Hannah asked.
The sheriff shook his head. “The new deputy who took over while I was having my surgery did everything he could to find her.”
“He’s the guy at the GBI now?” Lucas asked.
The sheriff nodded. “That’s right. Ned Quigley. He briefed me on what he had found before he left for Atlanta. I’m sorry to say nothing has materialized on Sarah.” The sheriff’s eyes were heavy with regret. “No one has information about a red-haired man and no one has seen your sister.”
“Did Quigley have a picture of her?”
The sheriff nodded. “One of the guys involved in the carjacking had pictures of both women on his smartphone.”
“He also had a picture of Miriam?” Lucas asked.
The sheriff nodded again. “It appeared their hands were bound. The women were seated on a chair, their hair was disheveled and they looked upset.”
“Had the criminal sent the photos to someone else?” Lucas asked.
“All text and email messages had been deleted from the phone. Quigley took the mobile device to GBI headquarters. Their tech folks will try to uncover any contacts that might have left a cyber trail.”
“Could you contact Quigley and check on the GBI’s progress?”
The sheriff stared at Lucas for a long moment and then nodded, no doubt making the connection. “You’re hoping they might find a trail that incriminates the shipping magnate in Savannah?”
“That would make everything fit together, don’t you think?”
The sheriff nodded. “You never know what the GBI might be able to find.”
“I don’t understand,” Hannah said.
Although Lucas didn’t want to go into his past, Hannah needed to know. “I lived in Savannah. A shipping company there was thought to be involved in trafficking. I told the sheriff that it would be a huge coincidence, but the two operations might be connected.”
“Although Georgia’s not that big of a state,” Samuel mused.
“Still,” Hannah said, “it does seem unlikely.”
“Let me know if you find out anything,” Lucas said to the sheriff.
“I’ll post a guard tonight.” Gainz stepped back into the room.
Samuel groaned. “Do we have anyone to spare?”
The deputy jabbed a thumb at his chest. “You’ve got me. I may be getting close to retirement, but I can still pull surveillance and keep guard.”
“Do you need help?” Lucas asked. “I can take a shift.”
Gainz nodded. “I’ll cover the first two hours. If you want to spell me at midnight, I’ll cat
ch a few winks then come back on at two a.m. Knowing the Amish, I’m sure some of your folks will be up by four. I’ll wake you close to that time. That will get us through the night.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” the sheriff complained.
“No, sir, but there are other folks to think of at the inn.”
“Of course there are.” Samuel nodded. “I’m not thinking rationally.”
He wiped his hand over his eyes.
“You’re tired and need to rest.” Lucas stood. “The kitchen chores should be done and Fannie will probably be ready to return to her house. I’ll walk her home.” He glanced at Hannah. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “What about you, Sheriff? Are you feeling okay?”
“After everything I’ve been through, a little scuffle and a jab to my chin isn’t going to do any significant damage. You go on. We can talk tomorrow.”
“How’s Samuel?” Fannie asked when Hannah and Lucas entered the kitchen.
“He seems to be all right,” Hannah assured her. “Although he’ll probably have a sore jaw in the morning. I...I’m still so sorry.”
Fannie patted Hannah’s shoulder. “Stop thinking that way. You’re not to blame. Is that clear?”
Fannie’s stern gaze softened. “The sheriff has had worse happen to him. If he survived a gunshot to the stomach, he can survive a blow to his chin.”
“Still—”
“No stills allowed, my little cabbage.”
Hannah laughed at the older woman. “Little cabbage? Is that how you think of me?”
“It is a term of endearment.” Fannie smiled. “A nickname of sorts.”
“I’d rather be a brussels sprout,” Hannah teased.
Fannie laughed and Lucas was relieved that both women were allowing a bit of levity to lighten their spirits.
“Ladies, your escort is ready when you are.”
“Give me one more minute, Lucas. I want to ask one of the girls to take a sandwich to Samuel. I know he wouldn’t feel like eating a large meal after all the excitement, but he needs something before bed.”
She soon returned and Lucas helped both women with their capes.
Opening the kitchen door, he surveyed the landscape, searching for any sign of danger. Once satisfied, he motioned Hannah and Fannie forward. “Let’s hurry. We’ll take the rear path. Stay close, and alert me if you see anything that doesn’t look right.”
Overhead the moon peered between the clouds. The night air was cool and Hannah shivered. Lucas wanted to put his arm around her shoulders and draw her close, but he didn’t want to embarrass her in front of Fannie. Hannah was a private woman. Plus, he needed to keep his attention on the surroundings instead of her pretty face.
Lucas had to admit that he was acting like a cop again, an undercover cop who dressed Amish. Was this why he had come to Willkommen? To protect a woman with expressive blue eyes and a sweet mouth that turned into an enticing smile?
He had to keep her safe, whether he embraced the Amish faith or not. Her life was more important than his future. Although if things worked out, his future might have bearing on her life. At least, that was his hope.
* * *
The next morning Hannah hurried down the stairs of Fannie’s home and entered the kitchen just as a rap-tap-tap sounded at the door.
“Would you see who that is?” Fannie asked as she leaned over the stove and pulled a tray of golden muffins from the oven.
Hannah peered out the window and saw the young teen who worked at the Amish Store. His black waistcoat hung open and his felt hat sat low on his head. Shaggy blond hair curled around his neck and stuck out around his ears.
She opened the door. The cold morning air swept into the kitchen. “Come in before you let out all the heat.”
The teen stepped inside, dutifully removed his hat and nodded to Fannie. “Belinda Lapp’s mother said to tell you that Belinda is gone. Something happened in the night.”
With a heavy sigh Fannie placed the filled muffin tin on the top of the stove. Wiping her hands on a towel, she turned to Joseph. “Do they know where she could have gone?”
The lad shrugged. “Mrs. Lapp did not tell me and I did not ask.”
Yet it seemed to Hannah that the teen was holding something back. “Does Belinda have a boyfriend? Perhaps an Englisch boyfriend?”
The boy’s shoulders slumped. “Belinda does not talk to me about boyfriends.”
“Perhaps not,” Hannah said. “Yet often we know more than what we’ve been told. Is that not right?”
Fannie nodded her agreement. “You must tell us what you know, Joseph. Belinda’s well-being depends on finding her. She could be in danger.”
“Danger?” The teen took a step back. “I do not think that could be.”
“If this boyfriend is not a gut man—” Fannie stepped closer. “You remember Rosie Glick?”
He nodded. “She was my sister’s age. Someone said they saw her riding in a truck last summer a few weeks after she went missing.”
“A truck?” Hannah looked at Fannie. “What kind of truck?”
“The kind that makes deliveries.”
“Who told you they had seen Rosie?” Fannie asked.
The teen shrugged.
Fannie leaned closer. “You are not to hold back information when asked, Joseph. This you know to be true.”
He fingered his hat and glanced over his shoulder at the door as if ready to bolt. “I need to go back to the store. Mrs. Lapp tried to work, but she was worried about her daughter. Her hands could not move as fast as her mind, so she went home.”
“I’ll send someone to help you,” Fannie assured him. “But first, tell me the name of the person who saw Rosie.”
“His name is Levi Raber.”
“I do not know the family. They have a home nearby?”
“On the other side of the mountain, but I do not know where. I met him at the lake last summer. He is a good fisherman. I asked him to show me the bait he used.”
“And your discussion turned to Rosie Glick?”
“He asked me if I knew an Amish girl named Rosie who had left the area.”
“Levi knew Rosie?” Hannah asked, trying to put the pieces together.
“He had heard about her when she first went missing. He was in town, selling his fish at the market. People were talking. He could not help but overhear.”
“If he did not know Rosie, then how did he recognize her when he saw her?” Fannie asked what Hannah had been thinking.
“He had seen an Amish girl with an Englisch man at the lake. They were arguing. The man called her Rosie.”
Fannie’s brow furrowed. “What were they arguing about?”
“Levi did not tell me.”
“The sheriff or one of his deputies needs to talk to Levi,” Hannah said. “Does he still go to the lake?”
“I have not seen him during the winter. Perhaps he will return in summer.”
“You said he saw Rosie in a truck?” Hannah prompted.
“Yah, but another man was with Rosie that time. He had a skinny face and pale skin and red hair.”
Hannah’s heart lurched. “You’re sure that’s what he said?”
The boy nodded. “I would not tell a lie.”
“I didn’t think you would.” Hannah needed to find Lucas. “Did Levi say where the truck was headed?”
“It was going up the mountain toward the lodge.”
“You’re sure?” Hannah asked.
“That is what he said.”
Hannah needed to go to the lodge. If Rosie had been seen there, Sarah might be there, as well.
Once the boy left, she turned to Fannie. “Tell me about the lodge.”
“It is a resort for the wealthy. O
ur kitchen supplies them with fresh produce and baked goods. They often bring in guests from Atlanta and the Carolinas. Florida, too. There is hunting. They fish on the lake. There is much to interest Englisch men in the area.”
“Meaning what, Fannie?”
“Meaning I think there may be more than hunting and fishing that attracts them now, from what Joseph has said. We must tell the sheriff.”
“Lucas also needs to know.”
Both women grabbed their bonnets and capes and hurried out the door, heading to the inn.
Hannah wanted to visit the lodge. Would Lucas go with her? Or would she have to go alone?
Her first priority was her sister. Hannah had to find Sarah. She had to find her now.
THIRTEEN
“Lucas!”
He turned. Hannah was running toward him, waving her arm to get his attention. She was breathless, her cheeks flushed. She grabbed his hand and could hardly get her words out when they met.
“Joseph knows someone who saw Rosie.”
“When?”
“Last summer. On the mountain road that leads to the lodge. She was in a delivery truck.” Hannah explained what the boy had shared. “The driver of the delivery van had a slender face, but here’s the thing, Lucas...”
She paused, catching her breath. “The driver had red hair.”
Hannah gripped his hand even more tightly. “Don’t you understand? The man who took Sarah was red-haired and slender. It’s the same man. The girls might be at the lodge. I’ll get my car. Go there with me.”
“I need to talk to Joseph before we do anything.”
Together they hurried to the store. Joseph looked worried when he saw them.
“You need to tell me everything you said at Fannie’s house,” Lucas told the teen.
“I spoke the truth.”
“I believe you, but I need more information.”
Lucas took the boy into the rear of the store. Hannah joined them there. “Tell me what you learned and who told you,” Lucas insisted.
