A Dark Amish Night

by Jenny Moews

  A Dark Amish Night

  (book one of the Dark Amish Series)

  Copyright © Jen Gentry 2015

  All rights reserved. This book or parts

  thereof may not be reproduced

  in any form without written

  permission from the publisher

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,

  and incidents either are a product of the author’s

  imagination or are used fictitiously, and any

  resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

  business establishments, events or

  locals is entirely coincidental

  Author: Jenny Moews Gentry

  jengentrysbooks@gmail.com

  Editor: Sarah Smith writing as Precarious Yates

  Cover Designer: Fury Cover Designs

  www.furycoverdesign.com

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  Author Forward

  A special thank you to some of the wonderful friends I have made on this journey to be a published writer. You are my go to people for encouragement when I am discouraged, advice when I am lost, cheers when I am accomplished, and a fire under my butt when I grow dim. So to all of you Samantha, Darlene, George, Sarah, Cindee, God Bless You!

  To my team at the Christian Women Writers Club (CWW), You all are truly an inspiration. Your dedication to our cause is so much more than appreciated. I wish I could name you all out here but alas I only have so much room. You all know who you are.

  To my Family who has to put up with all the nonsense a writer brings into the home. The crazy hours, the strange questions about guns and bullets and such, and those moments when you find me talking to myself as I try to work out a plot in my head. I love you all so very much.

  Derek, Cory, Anna, Jarod, Heather, Emily, Kimberlee, Koll, and Killian, you all forever hold my heart.

  To all my readers, God Love Ya! Because he knows I do.

  And to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am not worthy of You, but Praise be to You that You are mine and I am yours.

  A note to my Readers

  Thank you for purchasing my book A Dark Amish Night. That is the highest compliment a writer can receive is to have their work read by readers like you. A little known fact about me is that I am descended from German immigrants. My maiden name Moews is German for white seagull and is pronounced Maze. I have done a ton of research for this book in regards to the Amish (plain folk). What I learned was fascinating. The Amish are such dedicated and loyal people. They work hard and take joy in the simple things in life. Much to my surprise I learned that there are many many different sects of Amish and each sect has their own Ordnung (rules and bylaws). So each sect is unique and special in their own ways. The Amish here in Oklahoma are different from their cousins in other parts of the country. They have had to adapt to the difficult living conditions here. For example the Amish here use tractors because the land here is clay and is almost impossible to plow with horses. I have included some of what I learned about the Oklahoma Amish in this story. I pray you enjoy my work and please feel free to drop me a line anytime at jengentrysbooks@gmail.com.

  A Dark Amish Night

  A Novel

  By

  Jenny Moews

  A Dark Amish Night

  Chapter One

  “Ma, Pattie Sue’s comin’ up the road.” Ten-year-old Timothy knew his mother would not be pleased by another of Pattie Sue’s impromptu visits. For some reason, Pattie Sue always put his mother on edge. It was one of things he did not yet understand about adults, especially the womenfolk. He jumped off the slat wood porch and headed for the barn. His father was there and Timothy liked nothing better than to be in the barn working with his father doing menfolk work.

  Hannah Hershberger watched her son head off to the barn through her front screen door. It’s just as well. The boy should be with his father and let the women talk of women’s things, she thought as she noticed Pattie Sue’s black carriage pull into her front yard. With a heaving sigh, she put on her most welcoming smile, straightened her prayer cap over her dark blonde locks and smoothed down her pinafore black apron over her gray dress, then went to invite her unannounced guest in.

  Ruth Anne, Hannah’s three-year-old, was playing in the corner with wooden blocks her father had handcrafted and smoothed to a polished finish for his little girl.

  “Ruth Anne, you stay here in the house while I go speak to Pattie Sue, all right?”

  “Yes, Momma.” Ruth Anne looked up adoringly at her Momma and Hannah’s heart caught in her throat. At age three Ruth Anne was the most adorable toddler in the whole county. With her Daddy’s red curls and infectious smile everyone loved her. Hannah loved both her children with a passion that other Amish would consider ungodly. Shaking the awful notion from her head she opened her screen door and stepped out into the bright sunny spring day.

  “Pattie Sue, we weren’t expecting you till next week. What brings you all the way out here and on Good Friday eve? Surely you must be swamped at the store today.”

  “Milo’s covering for me. His wife is off visiting relatives and he needs something to do. I decided that today is just too fine a day for me to be cooped-up in the store. So I thought I would pay my dear friends, the Hershbergers, a visit and get some fresh air in the process. Besides, I got your flour and yeast order in early and I brought it with me.”

  “Oh, that was nice of you, but really, you didn’t have to go through the trouble. Eric was planning on a trip to town later this afternoon to pick up some feed for the horses before the Easter weekend begins.”

  Pattie Sue jumped down from her buggy. Even though it was an unseasonably warm spring day, the Amish matron was dressed in a full-length, long-sleeved black cotton dress complete with a black shawl and solid black pinafore apron. Her head was covered with a full black bonnet. As both women gathered the large bags of flour and yeast from inside the buggy, Hannah realized that Pattie Sue was planning on coming into the house. That meant she was here for an extended visit. So much for getting all my laundry done today, Hannah thought. Oh well, maybe if it stays warm out I can hang it out to dry this evening.

  Pattie Sue caught the unmistakable smell of fresh bread baking as she entered the house.

  “Hannah, are you baking bread on Good Friday eve? Surely you and Eric are planning to honor the fast tomorrow?” There was that chiding tone that Hannah abhorred.

  “Yes, Pattie Sue, Eric and I will honor the Good Friday fast. I’m baking bread to sell to the English. I have several orders and Eric will be taking them into town this afternoon.”

  “Well, I must say I am glad to hear that you and Eric continue to honor the old ways. I would think that given your precarious financial situation that you would want to have the Lord’s favor in this matter.”

  Hannah would like nothing better than to tell Pattie Sue to mind her own business, but that was not the Amish way. Instead she remembered that Pattie Sue was a lonely widow woman who had not only lost her husband, but her only son as well. Her two daughters had married and moved into an older sect of Amish up north in Ohio. And it was kind of her to bring out the much needed baking supplies.

  Hannah scolded herself for being so ungracious. “Pattie Sue, sit down and let me fix you a cup of coffee. Ruth Anne, come greet Pattie Sue.” Hannah poured a cup of fresh hot coffee and sliced a generous portion of her famous apple strudel. She honored the matron by serving it with her best wedding china.

  Pattie Sue stayed the rest of the morning, and despite the pleasant conversation, Hannah was relieved when she l
eft. Eric came in for the midday meal with exuberant Timothy not far behind.

  “So what did Pattie Sue have to say for herself? She must’ve had quite a bit to say as she wasted away your entire morning.” Eric sounded gruff and angry, but Hannah knew he was only teasing her. Eric understood exactly how Hannah really felt about Pattie Sue’s unannounced visits.

  When Eric offered up the blessing over their meal, Hannah silently repented for her ungracious thoughts of Pattie Sue. She vowed to make the matron one of her special fruit and cream pies. Pattie Sue loved pie. If she hurried, Eric could drop off the pie when he went into town.

  After a hearty lunch of baked chicken sandwiches served with Hannah’s thickly sliced fresh bread and loaded potato salad Eric declared himself full then went out to hitch the horse to the buggy for the ride into town. Hannah quickly threw the ingredients for the fruit-cream pie together and was glad she already had pie crust cooling on the counter. She topped the pie with fine crushed black walnuts and placed it in the freezer to set before she gave it to Eric to take with him.

  Hannah’s parents along with Eric’s father remodeled the old farm house as a wedding gift for Eric and Hannah. The electric range and double door refrigerator were the only modern appliances in the house. As New Order Amish the family was allowed to have electricity and running water in the home, but Hannah insisted on doing her laundry and dishes by hand. She and Eric considered this their chosen way, the Amish way. She would always be thankful for what she had and happy that she and Eric continued to be content with their chosen lifestyle. Even if times were trying right now with the continued droughts throughout the Midwest, especially in Oklahoma, the Lord always provided. Hannah’s little family never lacked for necessities. Money was tight, though, and every penny Hannah made selling her baked goods was used to help put food on the table.

  Eric had a real talent in woodwork and his handcrafted furniture sold well at the showroom in town. Still, Eric was a farmer at heart, and even though he hid it well, Hannah knew he worried. Each harvest for the last four years, their crops withered on the vines in the harsh drought each summer. Dearest Father in heaven let the drought cease and bless our crops this season. Hannah prayed quietly to herself as Eric brought the buggy around to the front of the house. She would hold onto hope, always.

  “Be sure to drop that pie off at Pattie Sue’s first thing, Eric. I packed it in ice, but I don’t want it to melt, okay?” Hannah finished loading the fresh loaves of bread for Eric to deliver to her English patrons in town and placed the pie on top to remind him to take it to Pattie Sue first.

  “Woman, I give you my word I will not let your pie melt.” Eric lifted Hannah up in a strong embrace and kissed her full on the mouth. Hannah blushed; despite having been married to Eric for ten years he could still make her feel like a love-sick school girl.

  “Eric, put me down the children are watching.”

  “I love you, Hannah Hershberger, and don’t you forget it. I’m blessed to have you for a wife and I wish you didn’t have to slave away baking for the English. What if I’m never able to provide for you the way a good husband aught? I pray daily for this drought to end, but what if it never does?” Eric still held Hannah close, but lowered her to the ground. These displays of affection between them were kept strictly at home away from the prying eyes of the other Amish who frowned upon any one of the plain folk behaving in this manner.

  Hannah gripped her beloved around his waist. “Eric, you’re a fine husband. A woman couldn’t ask for better. And really, would you deny the English a taste of your wife’s fine cooking?”

  Eric laughed a full rumbling belly laugh. “No, my humble wife, it would surely be a sin to deny the English your fine cooking.”

  Both of them laughed together at Eric’s obvious sarcasm. Hannah felt her husband’s love most acutely. The Lord knew she loved him with every fiber of her being. More than she should was her thought and she pulled away.

  “Now off with you. It’s getting late and it’ll be dark before you get back. Maybe Timothy should stay with me so you two don’t get sidetracked.

  “Awk, woman, you shame me. I’ll have your son back by nightfall.” Timothy was already on the front seat of the buffy when his father lumbered up beside him.

  Hannah shook off the uneasy feeling that crept up on her as she watched the buggy drive away, kicking up red dust down the dirt road.

  “Stop lollygagging, Hannah, you’ve still got the laundry to do,” Hannah said aloud to herself, picked up Ruth Anne, and went inside to finish her chores.

  After Hannah put Ruth Anne to bed, twilight descended. She ran outside to gather what was left of the laundry hanging on the clothes line in the fading sunlight. Eric had promised to be home by nightfall. It looked like he and Timothy had gotten distracted after all. Most likely Eric was in the town square visiting with the menfolk that tended to gather there when the weather was nice like it was tonight.

  “Hmmm, if I didn’t love that man so much…” Hannah’s musings trailed off as that uneasy feeling returned, and she said a silent prayer for the Lord to watch over her and her family.

  Hannah fell asleep on the divan in the front room waiting for Eric and Timothy to come home. At midnight she woke with a start. Something was not right. She looked in on Ruth Anne who was still sleeping soundly on her little cot. It was so late. What could be keeping Eric? Surely something had gone wrong. Eric would never keep Timothy out so late. Maybe the horse had thrown a shoe or something. It was time to make some phone calls. One thing that Eric insisted on with them living so far away from any neighbors was an emergency phone in case something happened to her or the children while he was out in the fields. He’d had to get special permission from the Bishop and church deacons for it.

  The phone sat on Eric’s bedside table in their room. Hannah had never actually had to use it before, but she did keep a list of emergency phone numbers in Eric’s drawer close to the phone. She pulled out her list of numbers and went down the list until she found the one she wanted. She sat on the side of her and Eric’s quilt covered bed and carefully punched in the number.

  The phone rang for what seemed like forever to Hannah until a gruff voice answered. “Well, somebody better be dyin’…”

  “Sheriff Ramsey? I’m so sorry to wake you, but this is Hannah Hershberger, you buy baked goods from me.” A few seconds passed before the man answered.

  “Yes, Hannah, is something wrong?”

  “Oh, I hope it’s nothing, and I am real sorry to wake you, but my husband Eric is not back from town yet and it’s after midnight. He never stays out this late. He has our son Timothy with him. It’s probably nothing, but I’m afraid something may have happened. I’d go out looking for them myself, but I have our little girl, and Eric has the buggy and the horse.” Hannah trailed off and let the Sheriff fill in the blanks.

  “All right, Hannah, you sit tight. I’ll take a look around town. If I don’t find him I’ll take a drive out to your place. I got your phone number on my phone here now and I’ll call you if I find anything, okay?”

  “Okay, Sheriff, I’ll be right here waiting to hear from you.”

  Hannah hung-up the phone and went back downstairs to put on a pot of coffee. When Eric did return, he was sure to want coffee.

  Sheriff Quinn Ramsey had a bad feeling about this. It was not likely that an Amish man like Eric Hershberger would be out skirting around at midnight, and especially not with a young boy in tow. No, it was more likely Eric’s horse was injured or some kind of buggy accident was to blame. Living in Amish country, he’d seen his share of buggy accidents some of them caused by cars not paying attention to the buggies that kept to the shoulders on the paved roads.

  After driving around the town square in his patrol car, the Sheriff decided nothing was out of order so he turned onto the highway that would take him to the road that led to the Hershberger farm. About a mile onto the dirt road something flashed in the headlights. Quinn did not mistake the triangle
shaped reflector. It was a buggy off to the side of the road just sitting there in the dark. That feeling of dread he always got when something was not right took over as he pulled the squad car up behind the buggy and got out.

  Using his flashlight, Quinn examined the outside of the buggy. The horse was still attached and nickered softly as he walked up to peer inside. Something dark on the ground caught his eye and he lowered the flashlight to get a better look. He crouched down and put two gloved fingers into the dark wet spot and rubbed them together in front of the flashlight. There was no doubt that something was really wrong. He was standing in front of a pool of blood.

  A Dark Amish Night

  Chapter Two

  After pouring herself a third cup of coffee Hannah was debating on calling Sheriff Ramsey again before she noticed headlights coming up the road. It was now past three in the morning. Ruth Anne would be awake in a couple of hours. Hannah thought she should be really tired but she was wired with coffee and worry.

  She stepped out on the porch to wait for the Sheriff to pull-up. When he parked the car she walked up to the driver’s side window. She hoped to see Eric and Timothy in the backseat, but only Sheriff Ramsey got out.

  He took off his hat as he exited the car. “Hannah, I need you to brace yourself. I found your buggy a few miles down the road. One of my deputies has Timothy down at the station. He’s fine, but I’m so sorry to tell you that Eric… Well… I’m afraid it looks like Eric fell down a ravine and he didn’t make it. He’s dead. Oh God… I’m so sorry, Hannah, but I need you to come down to the office with me right now.”