No one was in the haus. Odd. Where was everyone? The barn? Abby raced to the barn and threw open the door.
“Daed, where are you? I need your help.”
“In here, Abby. Kume. We have a new foal.”
The sound of her daed’s voice brought little comfort as she ran to the inner part of the barn where her familye sat watching the miracle of life unfold before their eyes. She hated to ruin such a beautiful moment with such tragic news, but it couldn’t be helped.
Abby pushed the note she’d found at the bakery into her daed’s hand. She was out of breath from running, and her face was drenched with tears.
“This note says Rachel’s been abducted. The kidnapper is demanding one million dollars, and he thinks I have the map that leads to it. He says I’m to bring him the map or we’ll never see her again. Does that mean he plans to…?” Abby couldn’t push the unspeakable from her lips. She didn’t want to think about the possibility that her schweschder could be harmed.
She should have known something was wrong when Levi seemed to know things about Abby’s past. Things about Eddie, her real father. She wrote it off as gossip when Levi had said he heard that Eddie had buried a million dollars and left the map to its whereabouts to his only child. That would be her, and she had no such map. She’d not even admitted to Levi that Eddie was her real father.
“Daed, I think Levi knows something about this, or he could be in on it. We have to get over to Grossdaddi’s haus to see what he knows about this. He was asking all sorts of strange questions about Eddie and a million dollars he supposedly hid before he died. Levi said there were rumors around town that he’d left me a map to its whereabouts. I don’t have a map to any stolen money.”
Caleb jumped into action readying the buggy.
Jacob showed the strain in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell us about this sooner, Abby?”
Abby began to cry all over again. “I didn’t think it meant anything. You know how small-town rumors can be. I just didn’t think. I’m sorry, Daed.”
Lizzie hugged her dochder as she wept. “Abby, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine. If I’d done a better job covering our trail, none of this would have happened. I also knew that she’d been sneaking out late to meet Levi. I didn’t think it was a problem since it’s her time of rumspringa. I was trying to give her some space so she wouldn’t leave the community like you and I did, Abby.”
“Mamm, what if they know about us because I stayed in Ohio all that time? I can’t believe it took them this long to catch up to us.”
Jacob fought back tears. “We don’t know for certain that the two are connected, but if they are, we might have to call the local police to help us find her if we can’t get any answers out of Levi.”
Hearing that her daed thought the police should be called suddenly made it real, and that frightened Abby to her very core. “I’m going with you, Daed. This has something to do with me, I just know it.”
Jacob didn’t argue with his dochder. He could see she was determined to go, and she would find a way if he didn’t give his consent.
Abby couldn’t help but feel guilty for not heeding the warning signs as she climbed into the back of the buggy. Levi had come from a small Amish community in Ohio, just outside of the small town where Abby had grown up. He’d come early for harvest season, and no one had questioned him. He looked Amish, and his story had seemed realistic enough. Her grossdaddi had no reason not to bring him on as a hired hand. He was one of their own. Wasn’t he?
Chapter 33
Blake feared he was probably walking into a beehive at the motel. Bruce was already angry and what he was about to say to him was going to add fuel to the fire. He spent the better part of the walk into town praying and practicing his speech. His legs were sore from all the walking after a long day of farm work, and he wished he’d had a water bottle. The night was balmy, and the Amish clothing was very warm. The only relief he felt was from the slight breeze that cooled his sweaty neck. He pulled off the straw hat and used it to fan his face. If Bruce hadn’t given him an ultimatum, he’d have waited until the morning to make this trip into town.
Eager to see Main Street, Blake picked up his pace, kicking up stones along the side of the road. He wished he’d thought to take the buggy and park it on the far end of Main Street because now he would have to walk all the way back, and he was already tired. He hoped that Bruce would take the bait and leave town, but he would have to put on his best poker face to fool the man.
As he approached Main Street, Blake was happy for the street lamps to light his path. All of the stores were closed, and the only traffic was further down where all the fast-food places could be found. The smells coming from them was making him hungry after such a long walk, and he was tempted to keep walking and get himself a burger. It had been a month since he’d had any fast-food. Part of him missed it, but he had to admit Nettie was a fine cook. He had not left the table hungry since he’d been there. He’d suffered hunger too many times with Bruce. As a child, his only saving grace had been the free lunch he got at school.
Blake passed the hardware store, and as he fixed his gaze forward, he saw something that looked out of place. An Amish buggy was parked in front of the motel. Did the Amish ever take a room in a motel, or would they stay with someone in the neighboring community if they were traveling? His heart beat faster as he realized the horse looked a lot like Rachel’s.
Blake took off running toward the mare. She recognized him, tipping her head when he approached. He opened the door of the buggy and discovered it was empty. Placing his bag on the seat, he wondered if Rachel had decided to take matters into her own hands and confront Bruce. Not knowing what he would find when he walked into his father’s motel room, he walked slowly toward the door. He listened at the door, thinking he heard muffled cries.
“Shut up,” he heard Bruce yell.
Shaking, Blake slid over to the window and peered through a small slit in the drapes. His heart slammed to his feet when he saw Rachel bound and gagged. She had been tied to a chair and Bruce had a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a gun in the other.
Blake backed away from the window, fearing he would be seen. Then he remembered he’d put the cell phone in the knapsack when he’d packed his things at the Miller’s house. He ran over to the buggy, grabbed the phone, dialed three numbers, and then held it to his ear with a shaky hand.
“911, What’s your emergency?” the operator on the other end asked.
“My d-dad,” Blake stammered. “H-he’s kidnapped my girlfriend. He has her tied up in his motel room, and he has a gun! You have to send someone right away.”
Chapter 34
“What’s this all about?” Hiram asked his son-in-law and grandkinner.
“We came to see Levi,” Jacob said. “Rachel’s been kidnapped, and we think he might know where she is.”
Hiram nearly fell over at the news. Jacob and Caleb assisted him into the nearest chair.
“Levi went out a little while ago. I thought I heard the door close, so I went upstairs to check on him, he was gone and so were all his things. I looked out the second-story window and saw him walking up toward the main road carrying the same knapsack he showed up here with. I don’t know where he could have gone.”
“Caleb, go out to the barn and call the police,” Jacob ordered his son. “He couldn’t have gotten far if he was on foot. Hopefully, they will catch up to him.”
“Tell them he was headed toward town,” Hiram called after him.
Jacob turned to Hiram. “Will you be alright then? I think we’re going to ride toward town to look for Levi. The kidnapper left a note saying that we were to wait for further instructions, but I don’t think we can wait. I have to find my dochder. When the police get here, give them this note from the kidnapper and tell them we went to look for Levi.”
When they left, Hiram took to praying for Rachel’s safety. He found it hard to believe that Levi would be involved with kidnapping her.
> ****
Blake hung up the phone after being assured by the operator that there was an officer already in the area they could send. Knowing the police were probably around the corner, Blake decided he would make an attempt to reason with Bruce. He went to the door of his room and tried the doorknob. It was locked, so he knocked with a shaky hand.
He heard Bruce tell Rachel to shut up again, and then he heard him lean against the door to look through the peephole. The door swung open quickly, and Bruce stood with the gun pointed at his son.
“Well, look who decided to join the party! Get in here before I shoot your girlfriend.”
Blake rushed to Rachel’s side and knelt down beside her, smoothing her hair. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Bruce went over to Blake, picked him up by the back of his shirt, and shoved him across the room.
“Where’s my money, Boy?”
Blake held his hands up in surrender. “I don’t have it and neither do they. There is no map. There never was one. My cousin never knew her real dad, so there was never an opportunity for him to give her anything.”
Bruce cocked the gun in his hand and pointed it toward Rachel. “Don’t lie to me Boy, or I’ll shoot your girlfriend.”
Rachel squealed around the tape that was coming loose on her mouth.
Blake took a few steps closer to Rachel. “I promise you I’m not lying.”
Bruce staggered closer, waving the gun carelessly. “I think the two of you planned to run off with my money. I’ve waited a long time for that money, and I ain’t leaving here without my money. If I don’t get it, I’ll shoot the girl.”
Blake took another step toward Rachel, keeping his eyes locked on Bruce. “I wish I could give it to you so you’d go away and leave me alone. I don’t want to be your son anymore. I haven’t for a long time. The truth is, the money doesn’t exist, so why don’t you just go back to Ohio and let her go.”
Bruce gritted his teeth. “You leave me no choice, Son. I have to shoot her.”
Bruce aimed the gun at Rachel’s head, and Blake dove across her, pushing them both to the ground. The gun went off with a deafening crack, and Blake could feel the hot sting of the bullet piercing his shoulder. Agonizing pain assaulted him just before the room went black…
Chapter 35
Blake’s ears were ringing, and noises seemed muffled as though he was under water. He blinked a few times, meeting Rachel’s eyes as they both lay on the floor. They were face-to-face until someone picked her up, chair and all. His eyes closed uncontrollably. Someone had taken her away from him.
****
Rachel looked at Blake, trying to get him to keep his eyes open, but he wouldn’t. She wanted to yell his name and tell him to hold on, but her mouth was still taped shut. She could hear Bruce laughing on the other side of the room until the door burst open.
Police officers took the gun from Bruce, handcuffed him and hauled him out of the room in one quick movement. One of the officers called for an ambulance from his two-way radio and then approached her.
“Are you okay, Miss?” he asked her.
Rachel looked at Blake lying on the floor, blood pooling around them. He closed his eyes just as the officer lifted her from the floor. She watched as another officer pressed a hotel towel against Blake’s wound, while the other removed the tape and ropes that bound her.
As soon as she was free, Rachel collapsed onto the floor beside Blake. She picked up his hand in hers, held it to her lips and kissed it.
Please, Gott, let him live.
Sirens drew near, and as she looked into Blake’s face, she feared he was already dying. He had saved her life, and she might never get the chance to thank him or tell him how much she loved him.
The officer moved Rachel aside as the paramedics lifted Blake onto a stretcher.
“I want to go with him,” Rachel said slowly.
The paramedics motioned her to come along.
The officer stopped her. “We’ll need a statement from you about what happened here.”
“Can it wait? I’m all he has. I need to be with him.”
The officer shook his head. “I can give you a ride to the hospital after I get your statement. They’ll be taking him directly to surgery, so he won’t know you’re there.”
“He’ll know I’m there.” Rachel stepped away from the officer and followed the paramedics. She turned her head over her shoulder. “You can meet me at the hospital and take my statement while I wait for him.”
As Rachel climbed into the back of the ambulance, her familye rode up in their buggy.
Abby jumped out and ran to the back of the ambulance. “Rachel, what happened? Is Levi alright?”
“Get the book, Abby. The Velveteen Rabbit. Give it to the police. I think the map is hidden in it somewhere.”
****
Blake groaned, trying to open his eyes, but his lids felt like they were glued shut.
“Blake, can you hear me?” a sweet, angelic voice asked him.
It sounded like Rachel. If only he could open his eyes. Was he dreaming? Or was he dead? He tried to move, but felt a burning pain in his shoulder that radiated down his arm and across his back.
Dead people don’t feel pain, do they?
Blake groaned with pain that seemed to pulsate through his whole upper body. His lips felt dry and his mouth felt pasty. A beeping noise blipped steadily, and the smell of fresh, clean air roused him to wakefulness. Something pinched his nostrils, but he couldn’t move his arms to see what it was. A swooshing sound mixed with the beeping. What was that noise? He was sure he’d heard such noises before.
“Blake, are you awake?” the dreamy voice asked again.
Blake fluttered his eyelids. Light peered in through the narrow slit, but he just couldn’t seem to pull them open any more than that.
Lord help me. I think I’m dying. Please don’t let me die. I have to save Rachel.
Blake moved his head slightly from side to side, testing his eyelids once more. Gradually the light brightened, and the grogginess lifted a little more. A shadow stood over him. It looked like Rachel.
“Rachel,” he struggled to say.
He felt the warmth of her hand in his. “I’m here.”
Her voice sounded shaky, and he heard her sniffle. Had she been crying?
“Where—am—I?” he managed around the pain.
“You’re in Elkhart General Hospital. Can you open your eyes?”
Blake tried his eyes again. They fluttered several times until they focused on Rachel. He blinked, wondering if he was dreaming.
“What happened? I hurt.”
Rachel smiled sympathetically. “Your daed shot you. Don’t you remember?”
“Where—is he?” the struggle to speak sent waves of pain through him.
Rachel looked away. “They took him to jail.”
Blake pursed his lips. “Good.”
Rachel squeezed his hand lightly. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not—your fault.” Blake reached up slowly and grabbed at the nose clasp that fed oxygen through his nose and tried to remove it.
Rachel reached up and replaced it. “Leave this on until the doctor tells you that you can take it off. You just got out of surgery a few hours ago, and I’m sure you need it.”
A nurse walked into the room just then. “I see you’re awake. You are one brave young man taking a bullet for this young lady. How are you feeling?”
Blake tried to smile, but gave up. “Not—so—brave anymore.”
“You had a bullet wedged in your shoulder. I imagine it will be a few weeks before you’ll be ready to save any more damsels in distress.” The nurse turned to Rachel. “Be careful. He won’t be there to save you if you get yourself into any more trouble.”
Rachel smiled at the nurse, hoping she was kidding. “When can he have visitors? Mei familye has been here all night waiting to see him.”
Blake became nervous. Were they going to reprimand him for
lying to them? Or would they be so pleased that Rachel was now safe that they would welcome him? Were they really as forgiving as Rachel had told him when they’d sat on the dock together?
“They can come in one at a time.” The nurse said.
“Danki,” Rachel answered.
Rachel left the room and came back with Abby.
“My schweschder tells me we are cousins. I’m very pleased to meet you, Blake. Danki for saving Rachel.”
Blake nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Abby looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I know. I’m more sorry that we didn’t get to grow up together. We are familye, and since you just lost part of yours, we will be your familye, if that is what you want.”
Blake felt a tear roll down his cheek. “Yes.”
Abby looked at Rachel. “Should we tell him now, or wait?”
Blake strained to look at the two of them. “Tell me—what?”
Abby smiled. “The map was in the inside flap of the book Eddie left me. The police found the money an hour ago. All one million dollars of it. The best part is, they sent an officer here to tell me there is a reward. We each get fifty-thousand dollars, cousin.”
Blake tried to shake his head. “You can—have it.”
“I won’t hear of it, dear cousin. I hear you plan on staying in the community. You will need to buy a piece of land if you plan to be an Amish farmer.”
With that, she left the room.
Blake didn’t know what he’d done to deserve such a nice cousin. She was the only family he had now, and she had welcomed him as his real self. Not to mention, she’d thought of him with regard to the reward money. Though a part of him felt he didn’t deserve it, he would welcome it if it meant he would be able to own a piece of God’s green earth and work it as his own. God had truly answered his prayer.
Amish Summer of Courage: Book Six Page 10
