by Nancy Mehl
John stood to his feet again and stepped over to the locked front door. He turned the lock and held the door open. “I’m glad we got the chance to talk, Gracie. And thanks for keeping my secret.”
“You’re welcome.” I stepped outside onto the boardwalk. The air had cooled considerably and the myriad of stars overhead had begun their nightly spectacular display. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The scent of honeysuckle wafted around me like a sweet perfume. As I crossed the street, I replayed parts of my conversation with John in my head. Although I still didn’t trust him completely, I doubted he was the person who took Ruth’s vase or set Benjamin’s house on fire. I also knew now why Emily was so uncomfortable around him. Subconsciously, when she looked at him, she saw his father. Someday when the truth came out, I wondered if her reaction to him would be better or worse. There was no way to tell. I slowly walked up the steps to the café and stood at the door for a few moments, screwing up my courage. Finally, I pushed it open. Ruth sat at a nearby table with her back to me. Just my luck, Mary stood next to her. The two were engaged in a conversation. I had a strong urge to hurry out before the women saw me, but I wanted Ruth to know I’d escaped John’s market unscathed.
I walked up quietly and touched Ruth on the back. She cranked her head around and smiled at me. “Oh, Gracie. There you are. I take it everything went okay?”
“Yes, very well. Thanks, Ruth.”
I patted her on the back and turned to go.
“I—I guess some of the men will be working at your place tomorrow.”
Mary’s statement was said as fact, but I responded as if it were a question. “Yes. I mean, that’s what I heard. I’m very appreciative.”
Although nothing in her expression softened, her next words took me by surprise. “I’ll bring lunch by around one fifteen. Have to get through my midday rush first.”
“Wh–why, thank you, Mary. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear...”
The rest of my sentence was useless since she turned and ambled off as soon as I opened my mouth. She engaged a couple at the next table in a discussion about the weather. But it was progress. I shrugged at Ruth whose cheery response would have been more appropriate if Mary hadn’t walked off and left me standing there with my mouth open.
“Oh wonderful!” she said, rather breathlessly. “I knew she’d come around!”
I nodded without much conviction, thanked Ruth again, and left the café. I headed back toward Benjamin’s house, but just as I got to Faith Road, I saw Sam’s truck coming my way. I stopped and rolled down my window.
“We’re done for the day,” he hollered, trying to make himself heard over the noisy truck engine. He pointed in the direction of his house. “Let’s go home.”
“I’ve got to check on Ida first,” I yelled back. “I’ll be there shortly.”
He nodded, put the truck in gear, and took off down the road while I turned my car the other way and drove to Ida’s. It only took a few minutes for me to find out she was feeling better and didn’t need any help. After promising to check on her again the next day, I drove back to Sam’s.
When I turned into the driveway of the magnificent red house, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever have a home like this. Until I’d seen this place I’d never thought much about what my own home might look like someday. Frankly, I’d always imagined it as much more modern. Most of my designer friends were into clean lines and contemporary styling. They’d laugh at me if they saw this house I’d fallen in love with.
I parked behind Sam and got out of the car. He sat on the front porch steps waiting for me.
“No rain predictions tonight or tomorrow,” he said as I reached him. “But just in case, we have everything buttoned up tight. Tomorrow we’ll start making actual repairs.” He got up and put his hand on my shoulder. “The refrigerator, the stove, and the table are ruined. Sorry. But they can be easily replaced.”
“I don’t know why I’d do that,” I said, more sharply than I meant to. “Whoever buys the property can bring in their own furniture and appliances.”
“I guess you’re right.” Sam’s tone was soft, but there was something in his voice that made me realize my attitude was inappropriate.
I grabbed his hand as he took it from my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I have no idea why I snapped at you. I guess I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”
He smiled. “Yes, that it has. Let’s grab something to drink and sit on the back porch. I have a few things to tell you.”
“I have something big to tell you, too.”
A few minutes later we were comfortably settled in the beautiful enclosed porch. I almost emptied my entire glass of iced tea in one gulp. I hadn’t realized I was so thirsty. Sam got up and refilled our glasses. Then he sat back down next to me in the love seat. The only illumination in the room came from the kitchen behind us. I suddenly became aware of how tired I really was. Sam yawned deeply. Although my weariness was probably more emotional than physical, I realized that he had to be absolutely exhausted.
“I need to tell you what I found out today,” I said. “But we can get into it more tomorrow. I’m sure we could both use a good night’s sleep.”
Sam closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the seat. “Sounds good. Go ahead and tell me your big news.”
I took a deep breath. “John Keystone is Jacob Glick’s son.”
His eyes shot open like they were hooked to an electric circuit that had just been switched on. He sat up straight. “He–he’s what? What did you say?”
He looked so shocked I laughed. “I said John is Glick’s son.”
He turned to stare at me with his mouth open. “How ... I mean ... how...”
I patted him on the leg. “Okay, settle down. How did I find out?”
He nodded dumbly.
“It was the picture of Glick. I know he’s not an attractive man, but he has such distinct features. His narrow aquiline nose. His long face and bushy eyebrows. His coloring. John Keystone is a lot better looking than Glick, but the features are the same. When I met him, I kept thinking I’d seen him somewhere before. Today I finally put it together.”
“But—but there are other people in Harmony who actually knew Glick. Why didn’t they put two and two together?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s my artistic side. I study shapes and contrasts. I remembered the structure of Glick’s face and matched it to John’s.”
“Well, Emily was an artist, and she’s known him longer than you. Wonder why she didn’t see it?”
I shrugged but didn’t say anything. If she had noticed the similarities between father and son, I was certain her mind had blocked it.
He shook his head slowly. “His son. That’s incredible.” He frowned. “But you’re just guessing, right?”
“No. I talked to John. He admitted it.”
“Grace Temple!” Sam exploded. “You confronted him? I hope you weren’t alone.”
I nodded. “Sam, it’s all right. He...”
He grabbed me by the shoulders. “It’s not all right at all. What if he’d attacked you? He could have killed you.”
“Ouch,” I yelped. “You’re hurting me. Let me go!”
Sam released me and jumped to his feet. “I’m sorry, but that was stupid. This means John was the person who took the vase and set the fire.”
I sighed deeply. “Yes, Sam, that’s it. You’ve figured it all out. You’re Sherlock Holmes in the flesh. You see, as a baby John Keystone crawled to Harmony all by himself. He grabbed a rock and hit his father on the head, killing him. Then he crawled back to Council Grove, where his mother lived, climbed into his crib after washing off all the incriminating evidence, and waited until adulthood to come back to Harmony in case a graphic designer from Wichita showed up to accuse him of murder.”
“Okay, that doesn’t actually make sense,” Sam said sheepishly. “So why does John want you out of town?”
“He doesn’t. He’s not even awa
re Glick is dead. Now if you’ll just sit down, I’ll tell you the whole story.”
He came over and plopped down next to me. I filled him in on everything I’d learned. When I finished, he was silent for a while. “Wow. I sure wouldn’t want to find out my father was someone like Glick.”
“I think it’s the reason he’s been so defensive.”
Sam laughed softly in the semidarkness. “I wouldn’t have characterized it quite so nicely, but I guess I can understand his attitude. I have to say he really pitched in and helped today.”
“You said you had something to tell me?”
Sam shook his head. “You kind of stole my thunder. My news isn’t as startling as yours.”
I reached over and ruffled his hair. “I’m sure it will be quite interesting. Go ahead.”
“You’re talking to me like a child again.”
“Sorry. Tell me what happened today, or I’ll beat you senseless.”
He snorted. “That’s much better.” He turned toward me. I could see the outline of his face illuminated by the kitchen light. “This may not mean a lot to you, but if you’d lived around here as long as I have, you’d find what I’m about to tell you nothing short of amazing. Gabriel Ketterling worked with us all day. I heard him tell Mary he’d hang in there until the work was completed. Even better than that, he seemed to enjoy being with us. He even laughed a couple of times.”
I started to tell him that John had mentioned the very same thing, but before the words popped out of my mouth I sucked them back in. Male ego being what it is and all. “Now that is big news.”
“Don’t make fun of me. This is a major step for him. When I left, he and Abel were sitting on your front porch talking. They’d been at it for almost an hour.”
“Oh Sam. That is wonderful. Really.” I’d been teasing him up to now, but knowing that Gabriel and Abel had spent that much time together was encouraging. I thought about Sarah and how much it would mean to her if her father began to reenter the community. “I’m going to pray over this situation,” I said quietly. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if...”
“Yeah,” Sam said before I finished. “It would definitely be wonderful.”
“Hey, you spent some time around Mary today. How did that go?”
“Surprisingly well. It’s not like we had an emotional moment when we wrapped our arms around each other and forgave everything, but she was civil to me. I’d say it was a step forward.”
“She’d better keep her arms to herself.” The sentence burst out before I realized what I’d said. I’d spoken in jest, but my words were still badly chosen.
“Why?” Sam said in a low voice. “Do you really care if someone else puts their arms around me?”
“I’m gonna plead the fifth here,” I said lightly. Being so near him in the semidarkness, I felt my resolve to keep some distance begin to melt. Time to change the subject. “Hey, we need to talk about our discussion with Levi before the whole fire thing erupted.”
Sam leaned back in the seat and sighed. “Oh yeah. With everything else, I kind of forgot.”
“Basically we got nowhere. Levi doesn’t know anything that can help us.”
“So what now?” Sam asked. “I have no idea where to go from here.”
“Me either, but someone set that fire, Sam. We find our firebug, and we find our answers.”
“Did you check with Ida to see if she noticed anything?”
“Yes, but she slept all afternoon and didn’t see anyone at the house.”
Sam sighed deeply. “Well then, I have no idea what to do next.”
“Me either. I guess we think about it for a while. To be honest, my mind is exhausted.”
Sam yawned. “My mind and my body are in agreement. They’re both ready for bed.” He stood up and held out his hand. I reached out for him, and he pulled me up. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine. I was too tired to resist.
“You know this is only going to make it harder when I leave,” I whispered when his lips left mine.
“I don’t care.” His voice was heavy with emotion. “I only know that right now I want to kiss you more than I care about what happens next week. Can you understand that?”
I didn’t trust myself to answer. As if my hands had a mind of their own, I reached up and pulled his face close to me. Although our second kiss was as tender as the first, a feeling of sadness washed through me. I pulled away from him and walked toward the door to the kitchen.
“I–I’ve got to go to bed. I’m so tired I can hardly stand it.”
Sam stepped around me and swung the door open. Light flooded in, and I saw his eyes sparkle with unshed tears. I quickly turned my head. Seeing his pain hurt me deeply inside.
“I’ll be going out early in the morning to Ben’s,” he said in a controlled voice. “I won’t see you before I leave. In fact, I may not see you much at all in the next few days.”
“I understand. Good night.” I’d wanted to say so much more, but instead I fled to my room, confused by the emotions coursing through me. Ever since coming to Harmony, my thoughts and feelings had been jumbled and confused. In Wichita I’d felt that I knew who I was—what I wanted. But here ... Here everything was different. It was like someone had torn me into little pieces, gathered them up, and thrown them into the air. As they drifted back to earth, all the parts that were Gracie fell into a different picture—one I didn’t recognize.
In the hallway outside my room I found Buddy waiting for me. I opened the door, and he ran up on the bed, turned around a couple of times, and curled up in a ball. I changed my clothes, crawled into bed, and pulled him up close to me. Then I stared up at the ceiling for quite a while, feeling strangely unsettled. Besides my jumbled emotions about Sam, something else nagged at me. Something I’d missed. I chewed on it for quite some time without success. Eventually I fell into a troubled sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
The next few days passed quickly. As Sam had predicted, I hardly saw him. When he came home late at night, he was so tired he didn’t feel much like talking. I spent the large part of each day giving Sweetie a hand in the orchards. We pruned the trees, which was difficult work, and placed small balls of nitrogen around the bottom of the trunks to fertilize them. By the time we came in for supper, I was exhausted. After we ate, I’d sit in the rocking chair on the front porch and wait for Sam to come home. Usually, I fell asleep before he finally pulled into the driveway.
I’d gone over to my uncle’s several times, but each time I’d been told there was nothing I could do there. It didn’t take me long to realize that God was doing a special work, and I needed to leave the men alone so He could complete it. In only a few days, Gabriel Ketterling seemed like a different person. Sam and John had bonded as if they were old friends. It wasn’t unusual to hear them all laughing together. By Wednesday afternoon I’d completely abandoned my daily visits. Even Mary seemed to realize that something unique was happening. She’d drop off lunch and leave immediately, hardly speaking to anyone.
Thursday afternoon I picked up Hannah and we drove downtown. I brought along a couple of sketch pads that I’d thrown into the car in case I found time to draw while I was in Harmony. I remember thinking my short vacation would be boring and I’d need something to do. Boy, I’d sure missed the mark there. Together Hannah and I sketched the outside of the café, Menlo’s Bakery, and Ruth’s shop. Hannah wanted to add someone sitting on the empty bench in front of the café, so I roughed in a figure we could detail later, talking to her about how to add dimension to her drawing. I also taught her about using proper perspective. She soaked up my words like they were water and she was a dry sponge.
We had a wonderful time even though we were interrupted so many times it was a miracle we got anything done. Mrs. Menlo brought us warm macadamia nut cookies straight from the oven, along with a cup of coffee for me and a glass of chocolate milk for Hannah. Ruth ran across the street to see what we were doing. She oohed and aahed over our sketches until Esther
Crenshaw stuck her head out the front door of her shop and hollered, “If you don’t mind, Ruth, I’d rather not live the rest of my life waiting for you to check me out!”
Hannah and I giggled as Ruth jogged back across the street yelling, “Esther, why don’t you just keep your silly wig on? I’m not on the earth just to serve you, you know!” Two of Hannah’s friends stopped by to find out what she was up to. Hannah introduced Leah, a vivacious young girl with milk-chocolate brown hair, rosy cheeks, and a glint of mischievousness in her deep doelike eyes. The second girl, Jessica, hung back and stared at me as if she’d never seen anyone like me before. Her dishwater hair hung in thin strands below her dingy prayer covering. One of the ribbons from her cap was missing, and the ill-fitting dress she wore stretched tightly across her chubby body. Leah’s face sparkled with life while Jessica’s features seemed lost and faded in her sallow skin. Hannah treated both girls with the same enthusiasm, which seemed to help Jessica come out of her shell a little. The two girls stayed only a few minutes. A rather large woman I’d never seen before stepped out of the café across the street and called for them to hurry up if they wanted pie. That was all it took for the girls to say good-bye to Hannah and take off across the street as if the pie would disappear if they didn’t eat it right away.
