by Debby Giusti
“Find out if anyone has seen a young blond woman with a thin, red-haired man. Also don’t forget my aunt. Inquire about Annie Miller.”
“I will ask at the sheriff’s office and at some of the other stores around the square.”
She grabbed his hand. “Thank you.”
His gaze narrowed. “Serpent’s focus was on the road when he passed us at the intersection. He did not notice who was in the buggy, but you need to be careful. The road he was on eventually leads to Petersville. Perhaps he has left Willkommen, but we cannot know for sure. You must be vigilant. The Amish clothing provides some cover but—”
“I’ll stay out of sight,” she quickly assured him.
With a nod Abram turned and strode out the back door of the market. Staring through the open doorway, she watched him for a long moment, expecting Abram to glance back and raise his hand in a wave or to at least offer her a smile of reassurance.
Instead he turned the corner and disappeared from sight. She wrung her hands and stepped into the shadowed alcove, knowing all too well that Abram was immersed in a world that didn’t include her.
Breathing out a deep sigh of regret, she peered from her hiding spot to see a full-figured Amish woman approach Emma.
“What is it with your bruder?” the woman asked. “I had hoped my daughter, Abagail, would catch his eye, but he does not seem interested in finding a wife.”
“Eva Keim.” Emma straightened her shoulders. “You know I cannot speak for Abram.”
“No, but perhaps you could invite Abagail to visit.”
“I will think on this,” Emma said diplomatically.
“She would make a good wife for your bruder.”
“I’m sure she would.”
When the woman returned to her own stall, Emma slipped behind the alcove. “I am worried about Isaac. Usually he has arrived at the market by this time of day.”
“Perhaps Daniel has delayed him,” Miriam offered.
Through the open rear doorway and, as if on cue, Miriam saw a buggy pull to a stop. Daniel jumped to the sidewalk and ran inside. He quickly found Emma, who had moved out of the shadows.
“Why are you running so fast, Daniel?” she asked. “You look upset.”
“Yah, a car passed us too quickly on the road. It nearly ran us into a ditch. I was frightened.”
Emma laid her hand reassuringly on the boy’s shoulder. “Who was it that caused you such fright?”
“I think it was the man who ran after me yesterday.” The boy pointed to his neck. “He wore a scarf and he screamed at us as he passed by.”
Emma hugged the boy and turned her gaze to Miriam.
Her stomach roiled. She had no right holding back information that allowed the killer to roam free. She had to tell the sheriff as soon as possible about everything that had happened. Serpent had to be stopped before he hurt someone else.
Not Daniel. Dear God, don’t let anything happen to the sweet child or to his father or to Emma.
Or Abram.
Her mother had been killed and her younger sister taken. How would she find the strength to go on if something happened to Abram?
“Keep him safe, Lord,” she prayed aloud. “Keep them all safe.”
SEVENTEEN
Upon entering the market, Isaac had confirmed the scare with the black sedan and his own concern for his son’s safety. Now he and Emma were talking in hushed whispers so as not to let Daniel hear what they were saying. They were probably worried for the safety of both the Beiler and Zook households since Miriam had brought a killer into their midst.
She regretted her hesitation in notifying the authorities. Surely, Samuel Kurtz was back in town by now. Abram trusted him. She needed to, as well.
Needing to rectify her mistake, Miriam pulled the bonnet even closer to her face and the cape around her shoulders, and slipped out the back door, following the route Abram had taken to the end of the block. There she turned left and continued along the alleyway that led toward the center of town. Approaching the end of the second block, she spied the sheriff’s office directly across the street.
Gathering her courage, Miriam headed to the corner crosswalk, but what she saw stopped her in midstep.
Her heart ricocheted in her chest. The sheriff had exited his office and was deep in conversation with another man in law enforcement. Miriam didn’t need to see the man’s face to know who he was. She recognized the scarf around his neck.
The sheriff was talking to Serpent.
She turned, needing to distance herself from both men. Seeing the sheriff so actively engaged with her hateful captor meant Samuel might be corrupt, as well. Did the sheriff know about the cabin and the way Serpent and his accomplice hunted women on the mountain road?
Memory of that fateful hijacking flooded over her again. Tears filled her eyes. She wiped her hands across her cheeks and tripped over her skirt as she turned to flee.
A man stood in the alleyway, blocking her escape. She flicked her gaze down the street. Where could she go?
“Hey, lady. Is something wrong?” the man said as she ran past him.
He raised his voice. “Do you need help?”
She shook her head and lifted her hand, hoping he would understand her need to hurry away.
“Sheriff,” the man called out. Was he an overzealous Good Samaritan or part of Serpent’s ring of corruption?
Fear grabbed her throat and wouldn’t let go. All she could do was run. Except she couldn’t run fast enough. The sound of footfalls followed her. Was it the man in the alleyway or Serpent?
She turned left at the next corner then made a fast right down another alley. At the intersection of a side road, she turned left and then right again.
Although unable to catch her breath, she was afraid to stop, knowing at least one man, if not more, was chasing after her. As much as she wanted to collapse in fear, she had to keep moving forward.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Miriam had learned the scripture when she’d attended church and Bible study in Tennessee. Too soon, she had turned away from the good people who had wanted to help her. Was it due to fear of their admonition after she told them about her nomadic life and her unstable mother?
Or was she still ashamed of her mother as she had been growing up? Ashamed of her inability to keep a job or to create a loving home or face life’s adversities? Her mother always ran away, which was exactly what Miriam was doing now. She was running from Serpent and the man in the alley and from the sheriff who might be involved in the corruption.
She needed to run away from Abram, too, and head to Atlanta. But what if Hannah wouldn’t accept her into her home? Her sister had left three years ago and she’d never looked back or called to inquire about their health or their well-being.
The terrible truth was that Hannah wasn’t interested in Miriam or her life. She was focused on other things that didn’t involve her younger sisters and a dysfunctional mother.
Tears streamed from Miriam’s eyes. She turned another corner and screamed.
Standing in front of her was Serpent.
His beady eyes widened. “It was you all along dressed in those stupid Amish clothes.” He lunged for her.
Pulse racing, she turned to flee. Her foot slipped on one of the uneven pavers. She lurched forward, catching herself in time.
He grabbed her bonnet and ripped it from her head.
“No!” She ran, forcing her legs to move faster.
He chased after her, all the while cursing and calling her vile names.
Nearing the street corner, she heard the clip-clop of a horse’s hooves and hesitated for half a second.
Serpent caught up to her. He grabbed her cape. She shrugged free and ran into the street, directly int
o the path of an oncoming rig.
The Amish driver screamed a warning, but she couldn’t stop. Serpent was on her heels and she would rather be run over than be captured again.
* * *
Abram hurried back to the market, expecting to find Miriam. He peered into the alcove and around the various stalls, searching for the Englisch woman who looked Amish with her tresses pulled into a bun and the kapp tucked securely on her head.
She was slender and tall and moved with a grace he found fetching. As he peered at the various plain women arranging their wares and selling to the customers who happened through the large common area, he saw no one that came close to Miriam’s poise or beauty.
Emma was chatting with Isaac. He touched Emma’s arm and smiled, causing a tug at Abram’s heart. Why had he not noticed before now how Isaac leaned close to his sister as they talked, his attention totally focused on her?
She seemed equally smitten by the Amish man who placed his arm on the support beam against which she leaned. If Abram did not know better, he would expect Isaac to pull Emma into his arms and kiss her on the spot.
As much as Abram wanted to walk away and give them time together, he needed to find Miriam. Clearing his throat to get their attention, he stepped closer.
Emma looked up, startled. She pushed away from the support beam and tugged at her apron. Isaac dropped his arm and took a step back.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Abram said.
Emma shook her head. “There is nothing to interrupt.” But her flushed cheeks and dropped gaze said otherwise.
“Where is Miriam?”
Emma glanced around the warehouse as if she only now realized Miriam was gone. “She went to the buggy to get more supplies.” Emma turned to Isaac, her gaze beseeching him to share what he knew about their houseguest.
He peered into the vacant alcove. “It has been some time since I have seen her. At least fifteen or twenty minutes.”
Abram was already heading to the back door. Various scenarios played through his mind and none of them was good.
Once outside, he raced to the buggy but found it empty except for a carton of homemade pies. Hurrying past the Amish men who were enjoying a bit of socialization while the womenfolk sold their wares, he peered into the next buggy and the one after. Fear grabbed his throat. He wanted to scream Miriam’s name and raise his fist in frustration, neither of which would bring her back to him.
Abram started down the street, but seeing no one in the distance, he turned into the alleyway he had taken earlier. If Miriam was hoping to talk to the sheriff, she would have gone this way.
Please, Gott, let my concern be for naught. Surely she was close by. Perhaps she had grown tired and was curled in the rear of a buggy. He turned and glanced over his shoulder to make sure he had not skipped over one of the carriages, then, realizing he had checked each of them, he continued along the narrow alley. At the intersection he peered right and left. Shoppers ambled along the thoroughfare. Some carried bags of baked goods from the Amish market. Others held baskets filled with items they had purchased.
The faces became a blur. The one face he searched for eluded him. Where was Miriam? Had Serpent found her?
Abram’s heart tripped in his chest. Sweat dampened his brow and the back of his shirt, even though the day was cool.
At the next intersection he spied the sheriff’s office. Earlier, Abram had stopped to inquire about his uncle. Ned Quigley had told him that Samuel had returned to town but was out of the office. Art Garner, the deputy injured in the vehicular accident on the road leading up Pine Lodge Mountain, remained on a respirator, unresponsive, with his wife at his bedside. The accident had occurred the morning after Miriam had appeared on Abram’s porch and before he had realized the extent of the danger that surrounded her.
He hurried on to the next corner and studied the street. His gut knotted, his hands fisted and the thoughts that raced through his mind would have him confessing before the bishop if he acted them out.
Why had Miriam left the market? The woman was headstrong and determined to contact Hannah. Finding her aunt was another need. Abram had tried, but no one knew of an Annie Miller who had ever lived in Willkommen.
Hearing someone call his name, Abram turned to see Daniel running toward him. His blond hair blew in the wind. He clutched his wide-brimmed felt hat in his right hand and in the other hand he held something close to his chest.
“What do you have, Daniel? You’re running faster than the wind.”
“A bonnet and cape. I found them.” The boy held them up for Abram to see. “Why would an Amish lady leave them on the street?”
“Where were they, Daniel?”
The boy placed the items in Abram’s outstretched hand then pointed to the end of the next intersection. “At the corner by the traffic light.”
Abram’s stomach tightened. “You must go back to the market before your father starts to worry.”
“But he said I could go into the alleyway and check on the horses,” the boy insisted.
“Did he now?” Abram pointed him to the market. “You are farther than the horses. Hurry back, Daniel, and do not stop to talk to anyone. Stay with Emma and your father. I will return to the market soon.”
The boy nodded and hurried along the alleyway. Abram watched until he turned a corner and disappeared.
Gripping the two clothing items, Abram hurried to the intersection Daniel had mentioned. He had to find Miriam. But looking up and down the street at the various shops, he wondered where she could have gone. Then an even darker thought filled his mind.
Had Serpent captured her again?
EIGHTEEN
Miriam huddled in the corner of a tiny church where she had found shelter. “Thank You, Lord, for the buggy that knocked Serpent to the pavement and allowed me to escape. Thank You, too, for this open church that provided a place to hide.”
Looking up, she stared at the small cross hanging at the side of the altar. “Oh, Lord, I was wrong—so wrong—in coming to Georgia. Forgive me and protect my baby sister.”
She dropped her head into her hands and cried.
“Miriam?”
Raising her head, she wiped her hands across her cheeks and turned to see Abram standing at the rear of the church. A ray of sunlight broke through one of the windows and washed him in light.
“I didn’t know where you were.” He hurried toward her and touched her shoulder. “Daniel found your bonnet and cape.”
He placed both items next to her on the pew.
“Serpent chased after me. I barely got away. Then I saw the church.” Miriam smiled weakly. “God provided a refuge.”
Like the refuge of Abram’s house.
He raised his thumb and dabbed at the tear still on her cheek. “We will talk to the sheriff.”
She shook her head, adamant to stay clear of law enforcement and eager to tell Abram what she had learned about his uncle. “Serpent was talking to someone in front of the sheriff’s office. An older man, receding hairline, thick glasses.”
“That sounds like Samuel.”
“That’s what I feared. I refuse to talk to him, Abram.”
“The two men aren’t working together, Miriam. You can trust my uncle.”
Could she?
She stared into Abram’s eyes, willing him to understand her concern. Perhaps he wanted everything to end and felt the easiest way to be rid of her was to turn her over to his uncle.
“Did you find any information about my sister or my aunt?” she asked.
His eyes clouded. “No one knew of either woman.”
“And my mother’s family?”
He shrugged. “Miller is a common name.”
Was Abram making excuses?
Miriam glanced again at the cross. Oh
, Lord, help me to see more clearly so I know what to do. Abram trusts his uncle, but I saw him with Serpent. If only Abram would understand my concern.
“My mother couldn’t have made up a town named Willkommen,” Miriam said. “She was slipping into dementia, but she could remember things that happened years ago. It was the more recent events that eluded her.”
“Perhaps her family lived deep in the mountains,” Abram offered as explanation for not finding information about her kin. “Some folks keep to themselves and rarely come to town. Or they could have moved away long ago.”
The explanation sounded plausible. Not that she felt any better about the situation. Miriam had come to Willkommen specifically to connect with her mother’s family. Now, that seemed impossible.
“Stay here, Miriam. I will bring the buggy to the alley. I do not want you walking along the street where Serpent could see you.”
She didn’t want Abram to leave her, but he was right. She would be safer in the buggy.
He squeezed her hand. “I will not be long.”
Her spirits sank as she watched him leave the church, knowing she would soon be heading to Atlanta, leaving Willkommen and leaving Abram. They were worlds apart, which broke her heart.
* * *
Abram parked the buggy in the alley behind the church. He tied the horse to a fence pole and turned his gaze up and down the narrow path, alert to any sign of Serpent. The back of the church was nestled in a cluster of oaks interspersed with magnolias. Their wide, waxy leaves provided thick cover from any passersby. At least, that was Abram’s hope.
He hurried toward the church and double-timed it up the side stairway. After easing open the door, he slipped into the darkened interior. His heart stopped. The church was empty.
He glanced at the small cross, his heart hardening in his chest. Don’t take another woman from me, Gott.
“Abram.”
He turned, relief sweeping over him. Miriam sat huddled in a back pew.