by Debby Giusti
Turning in his badge had been a necessity, but he hadn’t given up. He’d followed one last lead to Willkommen, where Vipera was said to have had holdings in the Pine Lodge Mountain Resort. An allegation Lucas could never prove.
Thankfully his search had led to the Amish Inn. God had wanted him to accept healing instead of vengeance. Although now Lucas wasn’t sure he had read God correctly.
The back road around the mountain was bumpy and rough. Hannah bounced from side to side.
“Hold on,” he warned. His hands held tightly to the reins when he wanted to wrap his arm protectively around Hannah. She was in another world, a world of memories, probably about the man who had stolen her heart. Lucas wouldn’t interfere. She needed time to work out her past just as he had.
“We’re almost to the lodge,” he finally said. “We’ll be watchful but appear to be minding our own business.”
The buggy crested a small rise and the lodge was visible in the distance. Pretentiously grand, the stone structure rose like a sturdy fortress, and its windows gleamed golden from the reflection of the sun that broke momentarily through the clouds.
The three-story resort had a circular drive that passed under an A-frame portico at the entrance. From what Lucas had heard, many a person of prominence, whether in the sports world, business or entertainment, had visited the resort for a relaxing respite. Their privacy was protected above all else. Security guards wearing gray, down-filled jackets bearing the name of the resort patrolled the grounds to keep unwanted visitors from encroaching on the premises.
“We might be stopped as we near the lodge,” he warned. “Let me do the talking.”
A small security guardhouse stood to the left of the entrance road. A man wearing a gray jacket and metallic, wraparound sunglasses stepped from the protective structure. He raised his hand to stop the buggy.
Lucas pulled back on the reins and nodded to the bulky guy packing heat. “We are making a delivery from the Amish Inn,” he informed the man.
“What’s in your buggy?”
“Produce and baked goods.”
The guard peered at the stack of boxes in the rear of the buggy and then pointed to the narrow road that curved around the side of the large stone structure. “Take that path to the right. It leads to the kitchen entrance. Someone will help you unload.”
“Danke.”
With a flip of the reins, Lucas guided Daisy onto the narrow side road. He glanced at the front entrance where another muscle-bound guy stood guard and wondered whether Hannah realized that both men in the security detail were heavily armed.
They rounded the side of the lodge and stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. In the distance, Lucas spotted a row of cottages nestled in a wooded area beyond the well-landscaped lawn. Although rustic in appearance, each seemed artistically decorated in accord with the resort’s five-star rating. Perhaps guests who wanted a special getaway could rent the cottages to be one with nature, as the brochures for the resort probably stated.
Secluded luxury. But something else was underfoot. Lucas could sense the tension in the air. What was really happening at the lodge?
* * *
“¡Hola!”
A woman opened the door to the kitchen and hurried outside to greet them. “You are bringing us baked goods, yes?” She was short and plump, with a strong Hispanic accent.
“Pies and bread and root vegetables that just came from some of our local farms,” he said with enthusiasm.
“This is good. We are opening soon after our renovation.”
Hannah nodded in greeting and then followed Lucas’s lead and climbed from the buggy.
“My name is Isabella,” the woman said as she quickly reached for one of the boxes. “I will help you unload.”
Lucas handed Hannah a smaller box containing pies and cookies, and hefted the heavier produce box into his own arms.
The inviting smell of a hearty soup, simmering on the stove, greeted them when they entered the state-of-the-art kitchen. Hannah glanced at the pair of stainless-steel refrigerators, the granite countertops and copper pots. If the kitchen was this grand, she could only imagine the ambience in the areas of the lodge open to the guests.
Another Hispanic woman, shorter than Isabella, unpacked the pies and nodded her approval as she placed them on one of the far counters.
“Hurry, Maria,” Isabella encouraged. “There are more boxes to unload.”
The smaller woman had no problem lifting the heavier cartons and the buggy was soon empty.
“I’ll need a signature,” Lucas said, holding out an invoice form.
“Yes.” Isabella nodded. “You have not been here before?”
Lucas shook his head. “You’ll have to direct me.”
“I will take you to the food and beverage director’s office. It is just down the hall.”
She hurried Lucas out of the kitchen, leaving Hannah to enjoy the succulent aromas.
Maria appeared younger and more timid than Isabella, but she smiled sweetly to Hannah and pointed to the coffeepot. “You would like coffee? Maybe tea?”
As much as Hannah appreciated the offer, she declined and stared through the window at the cottages. “It’s beautiful here. So many wealthy people must visit.”
“Sí, is beautiful.” The woman picked up a long-handled spoon and stirred the soup.
Hannah stepped closer. “Maria, I need information. Have you by any chance seen an Amish girl? She’s sixteen and dressed like I am.”
The woman’s neck tensed.
“She’s from the local area but has gone missing.”
The woman dropped the spoon. The utensil clattered on the granite.
“She’s a nice girl,” Hannah continued, “but she got involved with an older man.”
The woman flicked a sideways glance at Hannah and then turned to pull a gallon of milk from the refrigerator.
“Do you understand me?” Hannah asked. “The girl’s name is Belinda?”
“No hablo inglés,” the woman insisted as she poured milk into a large measuring cup.
Hannah doubted the woman’s inability to speak English since she had offered coffee and had readily followed her supervisor’s instructions to unload the buggy.
“My sister is missing, as well,” Hannah continued, unwilling to be deterred. “Sarah is twenty-one and blonde. She disappeared six weeks ago. She might be with a tall, slender, red-haired man who is thought to be holding her captive. Plus, a girl disappeared eight months ago. Her name is Rosie.”
The woman turned worried eyes to Hannah. Then, glancing down, she opened her mouth as if to speak.
At that moment Isabella stepped back into the kitchen.
“Your friend will be here soon,” she assured Hannah. “He is waiting for the director to return to his office.”
Isabella glared at the younger woman. “Maria, you are making pudding?”
“Sí.” She returned the milk to the refrigerator.
Isabella smiled at Hannah. “Perhaps you would like coffee?”
“No, thank you. Maria already asked me.” Hannah touched the younger woman’s shoulder. “Was there something else you wanted to tell me?”
Once again Maria lowered her gaze. “No, senorita.”
Realizing Maria wouldn’t divulge anything within earshot of her boss, Hannah pointed to the door. “I’ll wait outside near the buggy.”
She shivered when she left the kitchen. Not from the cold mountain air but from the sense of foreboding that permeated the setting. Maria had something to say. If only Isabella hadn’t returned so soon.
Rounding the buggy, Hannah gazed at a cluster of cottages sitting on the opposite side of the landscaped lawn. On the far right, a cobblestone path led past a wooded area and then on to one cottage secluded fro
m the rest. Hannah glanced back at the kitchen, seeing both women huddled over the central work island with their backs to the windows.
She peered at the sun peeking through the clouds and decided a stroll to stretch her legs would be good before the ride home.
A breeze picked at her skirt and made her grab her black bonnet before it flew off her head. She again glanced back, relieved that no one seemed to notice her ambling along the path. The stone pavement led through an area shaded by tall pines. A chill settled over her and she pulled the cape tighter, knowing she should turn around, yet her gaze was drawn to the cottage that appeared to be constructed from hand-hewed logs.
Lace curtains hung at the windows and rustic rockers and pots of pansies decorated the wraparound porch. All of which looked inviting.
A flicker of movement behind the curtain on the far right window caught Hannah’s attention. Someone was looking out. Perhaps one of the guests renting the accommodations or a housekeeper tidying up the room.
Before Hannah could turn and retrace her steps, the curtain pulled back ever so slightly and a face peered from the window. A teenage girl’s face.
Even at this distance Hannah could see her wide eyes and sad frown. She could also see the bodice of her blue dress and the ties of a white bonnet that hung around her neck.
Hannah started toward the cabin when a hand grabbed her arm. “What do you think you’re doing, lady?”
She turned, seeing the snarling face of one of the guards. His nostrils flared and the anger flashing from his eyes bored into her.
“You’re trespassing on private property.”
“But—”
Hannah glanced over her shoulder. The curtain had dropped into place. No one remained at the window.
“Are you interfering with our guests?” the man demanded.
Hannah hung her head and pulled in a silent prayer. She needed to appear meek, humble and authentically Amish. “Forgive me, sir. I was waiting outside and the path invited me to walk before my buggy ride home.”
He jerked her forward and growled his frustration. “You folks live by your own set of rules, but we’ve got rules here that need to be obeyed. Now hurry along and get back to your buggy.”
Hannah pulled her arm free and ran, wanting to distance herself from the hateful man.
She also needed to tell Lucas about what she had seen at the cabin.
Not what, she corrected herself, but who.
She had seen Belinda, the missing Amish girl.
FIFTEEN
Lucas flipped the reins, encouraging the mare to increase her pace. Hannah peered back at the lodge.
“I don’t see anyone following us,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“What happened, Hannah? Your face is pale as death and you’re still trembling.”
She quickly explained about the small cottage and the face at the window.
“It was her, Lucas. It was Belinda. She was peering through a window from the cottage on the right, closest to the wooded area.”
“Are you sure about what you saw? I didn’t think you had even met Belinda.”
She straightened her spine. “I haven’t. But the girl was wearing a blue dress. White ribbons hung around her neck.”
“That doesn’t mean it was Belinda Lapp.” As much as he appreciated Hannah’s desire to rescue the girl, Lucas wasn’t convinced the girl at the window—whoever she was—needed rescuing. “Did the guard realize someone had been at the window?”
“I doubt he noticed the girl. He was probably more concerned about the Amish woman—namely me—trespassing on private property.”
She grabbed Lucas’s arm. “We have to go back and try to save Belinda.”
Lucas blew out a deep breath. “We’re not the ones, Hannah. It needs to be law enforcement.”
“Belinda is in the cottage. I’m sure of it.”
“That may be, but she could be there of her own volition.”
Hannah let out a frustrated breath. “She’s sixteen.”
“I know, but we need to be prudent.”
“Prudent I agree with, but I think we’re being foolish to leave her behind. Besides, Sarah could be there, as well.”
“If we go back, the guard will stop us. I know he frightened you, Hannah. He would be even more antagonistic if he realized you had returned.”
“Then what can we do?”
“First things first. You’ll stay with Fannie while I talk to the sheriff.”
“We’ll both talk to the sheriff.” She steeled her jaw and released hold of his arm, then turned to stare at the road ahead.
As much as Lucas wanted Belinda and Sarah and Rosie to be found and brought to safety, he knew going back without law enforcement would be a risky mistake. Plus, the girl at the window could be the teenage daughter of one of the guests or even a worker at the lodge.
Seth and Simon Keim had considered applying for a job at the resort. Perhaps housekeeping used Amish girls, as well. Racing headlong into a cottage because of a nebulous figure at the window, who had made no attempt to signal for help, seemed brash. Although he wouldn’t use that term with Hannah. Her heart was in the right place for sure.
“When I was in the food director’s office, I saw a memo on his desk,” Lucas shared. “Seems a number of important people are arriving late tonight in anticipation of the big opening. Someone from the sheriff’s office needs to pull surveillance and find out who those important folks are and whether they have ties to any illegal operations in other areas of the state.”
“And what about the girl I saw at the window?”
“Surveillance will watch for anyone going or coming, Hannah, including young women in blue dresses.”
Hannah seemed satisfied with his response, for which Lucas was grateful. Feeling a swell of relief when they arrived back at the inn, he stopped the buggy at the kitchen entrance and hurriedly unloaded the boxes.
Fannie met them there. “Did you find anything of interest?”
Lucas looked at Hannah. “Maybe. We’re going to talk to the sheriff and let him decide how to proceed.”
He handed Fannie the signed invoice. “Any news on Belinda?”
“Nothing new. Joseph’s brother is helping at the store but both boys need to go home soon.”
“Lucas?” Hannah rushed toward him and held out a scrap of paper. “I found this stuck in the corner of one of the empty produce boxes.”
His gut tightened when he read the note. I see Amish girl last night.
“Maria wrote the note,” Hannah insisted. “She started to tell me something before Isabella came back into the kitchen.”
“I’ll talk to the sheriff.”
Hannah hurried after him. “Not without me.”
“And me,” Fannie said, following behind them.
Sheriff Kurtz had been reading the newspaper in the easy chair. At least, that was what he told them when he opened the door and invited them into his room, although his eyes were puffy and he appeared to have been napping.
“I’m sorry we had to disturb you,” Lucas said. “But there’s information you need to know.”
Hannah quickly explained what she had seen and about the guard who had stopped her on the path, as well as the note she’d found.
“There are a number of security guards on-site and they’re armed,” Lucas said.
The sheriff rubbed his chin. “Seems strange to have all that protection unless some well-known guest is staying there.”
Lucas nodded. “A few VIPs are arriving late tonight, according to the memo I saw. If we can identify them, we might learn what’s really going on at the lodge.”
“It’s been closed for renovation and opens this weekend,” Fannie shared.
“Security is tight be
cause of the women they’re holding captive in the cottage,” Hannah insisted.
“One woman,” Lucas corrected.
“One that we know about,” she admitted. “Although there could be more.”
“If a couple of your deputies pull surveillance,” Lucas told the sheriff, “we might be able to identify who those people of prominence are and whether they have ties to illegal activity. Tell your guys to watch for any young women escorted by older men who don’t appear to be related.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” The sheriff reached for his cell. “I’ll call Deputy Gainz and pass the information on to him. He’ll check it out.”
Which didn’t seem to appease Hannah, from the way she sighed with frustration. “He’d better hurry before they transport Belinda to some other hideout.”
The sheriff tried to place the call then shook his head. “I can’t get service.”
“You can use the phone in my office,” Fannie suggested.
Even if the sheriff could reach Gainz, the deputy wasn’t the most aggressive officer of the law. Could he amass enough manpower to thoroughly search the resort? Lucas couldn’t stand idly by after reading the note that mentioned an Amish girl, who could be in danger.
“Sir, I’ll go back to the lodge,” Lucas said.
The sheriff nodded. “Make sure you don’t go empty-handed. Take that Glock I gave you yesterday. You know what to do. I could swear you in as a deputy.”
Lucas held up his hand. “That won’t be necessary.”
“I’ll call Gainz and let him know you’ll need backup. I’ll also tell him to have at least one of our guys keeping track of arrivals and departures. Maybe we’ll be able to hook some big fish.” The sheriff put his hand on Fannie’s shoulder and leaned on her as they left the room.
Hannah stared at him. “What’s going on, Lucas?”
“You wanted me to go back for Belinda.”
“But not as a deputy,” she insisted. “You’re not law enforcement.”
“I was in Savannah.”
She took a step back. “What are you saying?”
“It’s the reason I came here. My partner, Olivia Parker, was killed. She was working on a trafficking investigation that could have incriminated a local shipping tycoon. His name’s Vipera and he’s supposed to be connected to the lodge, at least financially. Only nothing materialized until today. If women are being trafficked as that note could indicate, he might be involved.”
