by Dana R. Lynn
Jennie nodded. Her arm was falling asleep where LJ was leaning against it, but she wasn’t ready to put him to bed. She wasn’t going to let him out of her sight anytime in the near future.
Trooper Carter returned. “The car hasn’t been located yet, although there’s been a possible sighting. It’s being checked out.” He promised to let them know if they found either Morgan Griggs or the car. “There’s still a widespread search for Steve Curtis through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There’ve been three sightings near Philadelphia. None of them have panned out into anything useful at this point. If he is that far away, it puts some doubt on the theory that he’s behind your troubles.”
“Who else could be behind it?” Jennie drummed her fingers on the table. Did no one see how odd it was that her attacks coincided with his escape?
Trooper Carter raised his hands. “I know. It probably is him. I believe it is, but at this point, the evidence trail is rather thin.”
“You can connect him and Morgan,” she argued.
“We can put them both in the same prison, yes.” He shook his head as she opened her mouth. “The guards have been questioned. Curtis and Griggs were rarely in each other’s company, that they can recall. If they had been planning something, it was very discreet. Look, Jennie, I’ll keep searching. Maybe it does all lead back to him. All I’m saying is we have little to go on.”
Soon after delivering that disappointing news, Trooper Carter departed, promising to keep her informed. Luke took LJ and laid him on the couch in the front room.
“He’ll be more comfortable, and we’ll be able to see him.”
She nodded but didn’t respond, anger still churning and bubbling. “I don’t think I can stay here any longer,” she blurted.
Luke plopped down on the bench across from her, his eyes going flat at her announcement.
“Where would you go?”
“I don’t know.” She dropped her head in her hands as the impossibility of it all washed over her.
“If you leave, I’m going with you.”
Startled, she raised her head to stare at the man watching her. He was the Luke she remembered, but not. Her Luke had been so easygoing, almost carefree. She recalled being irritated at times in their marriage by his lack of decisiveness. This older, more mature version was resolute. The carefree youth had been obliterated by life.
She found herself approving of the changes she witnessed. Even though some of those changes were creating a wedge between them ever having a real future together.
She had turned to God. But she was still not part of Luke’s world. That would never change.
Or could it?
She turned away from the question. It was impossible to think through now. Nor did it matter when lives, namely hers and LJ’s, were at stake.
“I’m serious, Jennie. If you want to leave, we’ll leave together. Find somewhere else to hide.”
The smile that started in her heart seeped onto her face. Just a little. She didn’t want him to know how relieved she was. Until he insisted, she hadn’t realized that she had expected him to join her. Doing this without him was not something she wanted to consider.
“Where would you go?” Eleanor set a loaf of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the center of the table, gesturing that they should help themselves. She went to the stove and lifted the coffeepot she’d set there to brew. Jennie watched as she efficiently gathered mugs and set them on a plain serving tray.
When she set it on the table, Jennie murmured her thanks and reached out a hand for a roll. They were warm, soft and sticky. Her mouth was watering before her teeth sank into the first delicious bite.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead.” Jennie hated not having a plan. “I don’t know that many people that I trust or that would have the capability to shelter us. Only my brother, and he won’t be home until the day after Christmas.”
That was still four days away. A new thought occurred to her. Trooper Carter had previously said that Steve might search for her at Aiden’s house. She didn’t want to bring trouble to her brother’s family. Nor could she stay here.
“I know.” Luke spoke around a mouthful of cinnamon roll. His aunt smacked his shoulder lightly. He ducked his head and swallowed like a kid. Jennie bit back a smile.
“What do you know?” Jennie asked.
He washed the roll down with a gulp of coffee. “I know where we can go. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Well? Don’t keep me in suspense. Where?”
“We’ll go to my parents’ haus. No one will think to look for you among the Amish communities in New Wilmington.”
She raised his eyebrows at him. “They found me here.”
He shrugged. “You thought we were being followed. Plus, you spent time with us here. People in the area know you. Someone could have identified you. But in New Wilmington, you’d be a stranger. There are nearly twenty districts there. The Amish aren’t ones to talk about their business to outsiders, so I don’t think they’d have much chance of ferreting out your location.”
Ferreting out? He might not remember his years as an Englischer, but there were moments when he sounded like one.
It wasn’t a bad idea. They talked, making plans for how to make the journey.
“We could leave first thing in the morning,” Luke remarked. “As soon as breakfast is done.”
“New Wilmington is what? An hour and a half away?” Jennie asked.
“I think it would take us almost two hours to drive there.”
* * *
Jennie had no appetite at dinner, but she tried to do justice to the delicious meal Eleanor served. Afterwards, she stayed to assist Luke’s aunt to clean up. Luke stood near Jennie at the counter, finalizing plans.
“Luke,” Jed said, wandering back into the kitchen. “That trooper that was here earlier just pulled in.”
Trooper Carter was back? The knot that seemed to perpetually sit in Jennie’s belly immediately grew. The coffee she’d been drinking sat uncomfortably in her gut. Trooper Carter could have good news, but she doubted it.
She was right.
“Jennie, Luke,” he greeted them, but his stern expression put them on alert. “I wanted to inform you that we found Randi Griggs’s car an hour ago.”
“Did you find who was driving it?” Jennie wrapped her arms around her waist like a shield.
“We didn’t find the driver. We found Morgan in the car. He’d been shot point-blank.”
Lights danced briefly before her eyes. Luke pushed her gently into a chair, then positioned himself behind her.
She drew in a deep breath. “Morgan was murdered? Why? What would be the point?”
“My guess? Whoever was giving the orders was upset that he failed to deliver you according to the plan.”
That took a second or two to sink in. The horror that bled through her spirit at Steve’s willingness to kill his own partners solidified her decision.
“We can’t wait anymore.” Standing, she faced Luke, tense and waiting. “We have to leave now. This minute. Steve knows we’re in this area. We can’t put your aunt and uncle in danger by staying.”
Trooper Carter broke in. “I know you’re anxious, Jennie. But the snow is falling down hard out there. And it’s only going to get worse through the night. Leave early in the morning as planned. If you leave now, you might end up stuck on the side of the road and become an easy target.”
ELEVEN
Jennie was ready to leave the moment the breakfast dishes were cleared. Trooper Carter arrived to tell them that there had been no additional sightings during the night. The weary look around his eyes told her he’d been on duty most of that time.
The longer they lingered, the greater the chance someone would sneak up on them again. And this time, maybe one of Luke’s cousins
or his uncle and aunt might get hurt. She refused to be the reason for his family to suffer, especially in light of how gracious and giving they’d been.
She also needed to put some space between LJ and this place. She had no idea who else was helping Steve. She could easily picture Pete Walsh being on his payroll. It was the kind of thing the man would do. The memory of his bitter smirk when he saw Luke all but clinched him as a viable suspect in her book.
No one was going to harm her family again. Not if she could stop it.
Luke put a single bag in the trunk of the car. When she tilted her head at him, he shrugged. “My jacket is ruined. Onkel Jed is lending me one of his. I have more clothes at Mamm and Daed’s haus. We’ll also find you more clothes.”
Jennie glanced down at the pink dress she was wearing. It was in good condition, although she would be happy to wash it. “Your cousin said I could borrow several of her dresses. She outgrew them.”
Mary Alice Beiler was a good six inches taller than Jennie.
Luke made a face. “Jah, I know. But her dresses are all pink.”
She waited, not understanding the point. She liked pink.
“New Wilmington is more—ah—traditional than Spartansburg and the surrounding areas.”
“So?”
He shrugged. “Our rules are different. The woman usually wear dresses in any shade of blue or purple.”
“Oh.” There were rules about what colors she could wear? That had never crossed her mind. “Well, I guess I’ll be changing clothes when we get to your parents’ house.”
There was no mistaking the look of relief that crossed his face. Did he fear she would protest or cause a fuss? She would do whatever she had to, wear whatever was necessary, if it would keep her son safe. “Color doesn’t matter. All I care about is getting LJ out of this alive. Nothing else is important at the moment. I can wear any color I choose when this is all over.”
A shadow passed over his face, but he didn’t say anything more.
Trooper Carter was on his phone when they were ready to get underway, holding an intense conversation. She didn’t want to interrupt but was itching to move before anything else happened. It took all her will to stand still and wait.
The moment he disconnected, he started toward her. As soon as he gave the all clear, she would gather LJ from Eleanor and they’d be off. Hopefully within the next five minutes.
“Jennie,” Carter addressed her. “That was the Erie City Police Department. Oliver Deets has been picked up and is being held in the Erie County Jail.”
Luke stepped up to her side. She grabbed on to his hand and held tight. Her sense of relief was short-lived. “Wait a minute. When was he picked up?”
“Early this morning. His alibi checks out. He was nowhere near here when Morgan attempted to kidnap your son.”
“Which means...”
“Which means someone else was driving the car.” Luke finished the words she was unwilling to say.
One more suspect crossed off the list.
Pete Walsh was looking more promising to her.
Trooper Carter wasn’t convinced. “I’ll keep looking into the guy, but as of now, he appears to be clean. Creepy, maybe, but nothing that would allow us to arrest him, or even issue a search warrant.”
She needed to move before she crawled right out of her own skin. “Can we go now?”
When Carter agreed, she took off to gather her son. Eleanor handed him over with a smile, then she handed Jennie a basket. Jennie didn’t need to lift the lid to tell it was filled with goodies. The aroma wafting from the basket was enough. The caring gesture touched her. She was so used to taking care of herself, it surprised her when someone tried to take care of her.
“Thanks for everything, Eleanor. I’m sorry we disrupted your house so much.”
“Ach.” Eleanor waved her apology aside. “Luke is family. We were happy to help. I will continue to pray for your strength and safety.”
When Jennie started to turn to leave, Eleanor called out to her, “Remember, Jennie. Gott can do anything. He can make an impossible thing possible.”
What did that mean? Jennie was still pondering Eleanor’s words as she buckled LJ into his booster seat. Unlike the day before, he was not smiling.
“I don’t wanna go for a ride.” That bottom lip stuck out as far as he could stick it. “I wanna go home.”
So did she. She held in her smile. “Don’t you want to go on another mission, LJ? Meet your grandparents?”
That made him pause. “I have a grandma? Like Noah?”
“Noah’s a friend from preschool,” she informed Luke, who was settling into the passenger seat. “Noah stays with his grandmother while his mom works.”
“Jah, you have grandparents, LJ. But in an Amish haus, your grandmother is called Grossmammi, and grandfather is Grossdawdi. Can you remember that?”
LJ’s little face scrunched up. “I don’t know. It sounds strange.”
Luke chuckled. “Maybe so. But you’ll get used to it.”
The little boy thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. Jennie could see that he had dismissed the subject already. When his stomach started rumbling, she knew why. Before LJ could start complaining, she told Luke about the basket his aunt had sent with her.
“Why don’t you open up the basket and see what she sent?” She glanced back in the rearview mirror at her son. “Daddy is looking for something for you to eat. Be patient just a moment more.”
“Aha!”
Luke’s shout had her jumping in her seat.
“What?”
He looked sheepish. “Sorry. She packed some of her cinnamon rolls for us. Those are my favorites, and she knows it.”
Shaking her head, Jennie laughed. “You scared me. You know that? But as long as we are talking cinnamon rolls, I’ll forgive you. Hand one over.”
Grinning, he passed the treats around.
“There are wet wipes in the glove compartment.”
Content and no longer hungry, LJ drifted off to sleep in the back seat. Jennie sighed, grateful for small favors. They drove through Meadville.
“Look at all the decorations,” she mused. “Christmas is only a few days away. I can’t believe it.”
“I hope that the danger is passed by then.”
She couldn’t have agreed more. Except, she didn’t want to think about what that meant for them after the danger was past. But she knew.
It would all be over.
* * *
Jennie had gone quiet. Her face had lost the animation displayed while they were eating. What was going through her mind? Luke knew that look.
When she bit her lip, he gasped, his mind flooded with an overload of memories. So many, so fast. Jennie was in many of them. He saw her in her wedding dress. Her on the beach. Laughing. Crying. The memories were flashing in his mind so fast he grew dizzy.
Squeezing his eyes closed, he pressed his hands to his face, trying to slow the onslaught. It was futile.
He was barely aware of the movement of the car as it came to a stop.
A warm hand on his arm jerked him out of his reverie. He raised his face to see Jennie, barely aware of the tears on his own face.
“I remember. I remember everything.”
The ache at what he had lost tortured him. His bride. He remembered how much he loved her then. And he knew that he was falling in love with her again. Now that it was too late. Letting her go would destroy him, but he couldn’t see that he had a choice. He couldn’t go back to live in her world. It wasn’t who he was anymore. But at the same time, he couldn’t ask her to move to his permanently.
When he could finally breathe again, he leaned his head back against the headrest. “I’m okay. Go. We can’t sit here.”
She waited a moment, her eyes scanning his face with laser precision, as if
to catalog each line and tear. Finally, she nodded and flipped on the blinker before smoothly merging back in with the traffic.
Sighing, he moved his head to look around. His eyes were raw, his emotions drained. In five minutes, he’d come to face everything he’d lost.
Out the window, he saw the signs for I-79. He sat up straighter, pushing his own small problems to the side. “Get on 79, head south like you’re going to Pittsburgh.”
Without comment, she did as he asked. Once on I-79, his eyes widened.
“I don’t recall the traffic being this heavy when I headed north to find you.”
“It’s two days before Christmas. People are traveling. Just be glad we’re making the trip today and not tomorrow. Tomorrow we’d be packed in like sardines in a tin.”
He shuddered. “I hate feeling closed in.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” She changed lanes to pass a slow-moving car. “So, if you have your memories back, do you remember what happened to you?”
He paused, pulling the threads of that day together in his mind. “I think so. I was at work, and my shift ended. I’d forgotten to put gas in my car that morning.”
She laughed softly. “You did that more than once. Always waiting to the last moment.”
“Well, this time, I waited too long. When I went to start my car, it turned over and died. No gas. I wasn’t worried. The factory I worked at was only a mile from a gas station and it was a nice day. I left my car and grabbed the gas can, figuring I’d go get a gallon, enough to get going. I was halfway there when I heard the explosion.”
She sucked in her breath. “Did you know what it was?”
“Jah, I knew. My plant was a chemical plant. What else would have exploded? I turned to run back. I must have been hit by a car. Whoever hit me obviously didn’t stick around to see if I was alive. When I woke up, I had no idea where I was. Or how old I was. I thought I was only seventeen. I hitched a ride to my parents’ haus.”
And lost so much.
“I always wondered what had happened to you,” she mused. “Your phone was in your car, which suffered some damage from falling debris. The police never found any other evidence of you. It didn’t make sense to me, but my whole life came apart that day. All I had was the knowledge that I was pregnant. I hadn’t even told you yet.”
