Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper

by Amy Lillard

  Edie nodded. “If that’s what you want.”

  “Perfect. Danki.” Kappy turned and looked at the window.

  It was far from perfect. But it was what it was. It had been an interesting couple of weeks, but now that time was over. Jimmy was out of jail. Edie would make a decision on what to do with Ruth’s farm. And she would go back to being oddball Kappy King.

  Like it or not, her real life was back.

  She couldn’t say she actually wanted to go home . . . alone . . . but at least she had Elmer.

  Who was at Edie’s house.

  “On second thought, I left Elmer at your house.”

  Edie turned down the driveway leading to Kappy’s. “Me and Jimmy can walk him down later. That way you can get a jump start on your kapps.”

  “Kapps. Right.”

  Edie pulled to a stop, but left the car running.

  Kappy grabbed her purse and opened the door, stopping to lightly touch Jimmy’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re home, Jimmy.”

  He half turned in his seat. “I’m glad I’m home, too, Kappy.”

  She gave him a quick smile, and somehow managed to fight back her tears.

  “I hope you’re not mad about your door,” Jimmy said.

  The tears that threatened clogged her throat. She gave a small cough to clear it. “I love my door,” she said. “And I’m thinking of leaving it that color.”

  The smile on Jimmy’s face was worth any teasing she would receive about her door. She would keep it that color forever.

  She got out of the car and waved good-bye as Edie backed down the drive. It was another beautiful Pennsylvania day, so why did she feel so melancholy? It was one word from her word-a-day calendar she’d hoped never to use. Yet here she was.

  She let herself into her house, kicked off her shoes, and headed for her sewing basket.

  * * *

  “Kappy! Kappy! Kappy!”

  Kappy jumped at the pounding on her front door and pricked her finger with her needle. Thankfully, she didn’t get any blood on the delicate organdy kapp.

  Was that Jimmy?

  She flung her sewing to the side and jumped to her feet. Then she raced to the door and wrenched it open. “Jimmy? What’s wrong?”

  He tugged at her hand. “You have to come quick! The dogs are out!”

  “What? Again?”

  Jimmy continued to pull her out the door. “Edie said to get you. We need help! Please, Kappy!”

  “I’ll be right there. Just give me my arm back so I can put my shoes on.”

  He gave her a sheepish grin and released her hand. “Okay. But you are coming, right?”

  “I’m coming,” she said, stuffing her feet into her shoes.

  Her agreement must have satisfied Jimmy, for the urgency was gone now.

  “Don’t we need to hurry?” she asked.

  “Oh. Right. Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the porch steps.

  “Jimmy,” she exclaimed. “You’re going to pull my arm out of socket if you don’t stop.”

  He immediately released her and rubbed her shoulder. “I’m sorry. But you need to hurry. Edie says.”

  So much for a boring, peaceful, typical-Kappy afternoon. She’d gotten two kapps made and was working on the third when Jimmy knocked on the door.

  “Hurry!” Jimmy skipped on ahead, stopping every few steps to remind her to come quickly.

  “I’m coming as fast as I can.” Who in the world would have let the dogs out? Or maybe she was still in mystery-solving mode. “You didn’t leave the gate open, did you?”

  Jimmy shook his head in an exaggerated way that would’ve made Kappy dizzy. “No. You must always shut the gate when you’re done with the dogs. You shut the gate when you go in, and you shut the gate when you come out. That’s a rule.”

  They had to have gotten out somehow. And with Jay Glick behind bars, who could be responsible for this round of excitement?

  “Come on,” Jimmy urged. He shot her that irresistible grin of his. He sure was happy to have the dogs out. Or maybe he was just happy to be out of jail. She knew when she got to the house that Edie wouldn’t be nearly as happy about the turn of events.

  Jimmy ran up the short drive. Kappy watched him go, expecting him to be chased by dogs all the way to the porch. But there were no pups running around the front yard.

  “Jimmy,” she called. “You said the dogs were out.”

  He ran up the porch steps and wrenched open the front door. “They’re in here.” He motioned for her to join him, then dashed inside.

  They were in the house? How was that even possible?

  Or maybe just a few of them had somehow gotten in. There were still some in the pen. She could see their wagging tails as she made her way up the porch steps.

  She inched cautiously inside, expecting a friendly “attack by a dog” at any moment.

  “Surprise!”

  She jumped back as people seem to pop out of everywhere. Edie jumped up from behind the sofa. Hiram stepped out from the kitchen, and Jack came out from behind the rocking chair.

  Jimmy jumped up and down in place, clapping his hands in excitement. “It’s a surprise party!”

  Kappy slapped one hand over her heart. “What for?”

  “Because we can!” Edie said with a smile.

  Kappy shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Well,” Edie said, “we’re having a party because the real murderer was found, and Jimmy is now back home where he belongs.”

  “And I wanted to have a surprise party. I read about it in a book while I was in the slammer.”

  In the slammer?

  Kappy shook her head and chuckled. “It’s a very nice surprise party.” And she felt honored to be a part of it. “I guess it’s also a going-away party.”

  Jimmy grinned, his eyes sparkling like jewels in his face. “Nope.”

  It took a moment for his words to sink in. No? It wasn’t a going-away party?

  Jimmy bounced on his toes once more. “That’s the surprise! Edie’s staying!”

  “What?” she asked. “In Blue Sky?”

  Edie nodded, happiness and excitement lighting up her face. “For a while anyway.”

  “Cut the cake! Cut the cake! Cut the cake!” Jimmy chanted.

  Jack chuckled. “I’ll get it.” He ducked into the kitchen, leaving Kappy to stare after him.

  “What’s he doing here?” she asked Edie in a quick whisper.

  “I invited him.” She gave a quick shrug as if it were no big deal, lightly fingering the red button hanging from a cord around her neck. The clue that wasn’t a clue at all.

  “Oh, jah?”

  “Stop.” She lightly tapped Kappy on the arm. “It’s nothing.”

  “That’s what they all say.”

  Edie wasn’t able to respond as Jack came back into the room carrying a white sheet cake. On the top Welcome home, Edie and Jimmy was written in letters made of blue icing.

  Kappy leaned in close. “I thought you didn’t like blue.”

  Edie shrugged again. “Jimmy does.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Can I cut it?” Jimmy asked. He grabbed a plastic knife and begin hacking away at the party cake.

  “Hiram is here,” Edie said.

  Kappy was well aware. “Oh, really?” She shot Edie an innocent look.

  “I know you saw him.”

  “Just why is he here anyway?” Kappy asked, dropping any pretense that she wasn’t aware of his presence.

  “Jimmy wanted to invite him. I think he feels bad about your door.”

  “I meant what I said. I love my door.”

  Edie leaned in close. “Do you love it enough to leave it blue even after you and Hiram get back together?”

  Kappy’s heart gave a hard thump in her chest. “Hiram and I are not getting back together.”

  “All I’m saying is if he wants to talk, you should give him a chance.”

  “Bu—” Kappy started.<
br />
  Edie just gave her a look and sashayed away.

  The last thing Kappy wanted to do was talk to Hiram. She had been strong and held her position these last couple of weeks, but her resolve was thin. And she wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up. The best thing to do was to avoid him altogether. That was exactly what she did as they ate cake and drank punch and made plans for Edie and Jimmy’s future in Blue Sky.

  Kappy was thrilled that her newfound friend was staying. She knew in her heart that Edie would never give up her Englisch ways, but Jimmy needed to remain Amish. He needed the support and understanding he got from his community and his church.

  Yet the miracle of it all was that somehow Edie had fallen in love with the farm. She had fallen in love with the dogs, and the ducks, and the gerbils, and she wanted to continue her mother’s business. Kappy knew she had a long way to go, but with all of the meticulous records that Ruth had kept, Edie had a better chance than most.

  * * *

  Sometime after three, Kappy knew it was time to be getting back home. She found Elmer’s leash and whistled for the pup.

  But her stomach dropped when Hiram stood as well.

  “Let me walk you home,” he said.

  Kappy didn’t miss the nudge Jimmy gave his sister.

  She had been royally set up.

  “That’s not necessary,” she said as politely as possible. “But danki anyway.”

  “I think it’s entirely necessary.” Hiram shook hands with Jack and Jimmy, and even tipped his hat toward Edie. She might be under the Bann, but he saw her value as a member of the community even if she wasn’t a part of the church any longer.

  Kappy led Elmer down the porch steps and across the yard at a brisk pace. The best thing to do was to get this over with as quickly as possible. When would Hiram realize that she meant what she said? That they weren’t meant for each other, and they couldn’t get over their differences?

  “I want another chance.” His words were so softly spoken that the wind almost immediately carried them away. She turned to see if he had spoken them at all.

  Only the expectant look on his face let her know that the words were there.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” Kappy asked.

  Elmer stopped to sniff at a particularly interesting rock, giving Kappy no choice but to stop as well. Really, the tiny pup was as strong as a mule when he set his mind to it.

  “I’m doing this because I know we were meant to be together,” Hiram said. “But I can’t prove it if you won’t give me a chance.”

  Heaven help her, she wanted to give him another chance. But she was so concerned about her own heart that fear had her shaking her head.

  “Just hear me out,” Hiram said.

  They began walking once again as Elmer took off after a butterfly.

  “I did everything wrong with you. I forgot you haven’t been married before. I jumped steps, and I shouldn’t have done that. I want to go back—if you let me—and start over. We’ll take it slow this time. And when you’re ready, we’ll talk about getting married. Not a moment before.”

  Kappy shook her head. She wanted to tell him the real reason, that she didn’t believe he could ever love her the way he loved Laverna, but the words wouldn’t come. And even if she spoke them, would they change anything? They surely wouldn’t change his feelings for another. “I don’t know, Hiram.”

  He took her hands into his own, Elmer’s leash tangling with their fingers. “Just promise me you’ll think about it. Can you do that much?”

  What could she do but nod? “I’ll think about it.” They were almost to her drive. Hiram stopped and picked a bunch of bachelor buttons, presenting her with the purple flowers as if he had given her the moon.

  Together they walked up the porch steps. She stopped at the front door.

  “Think about it,” Hiram said. He traced the line of her prayer kapp where it lay against her hair. “Promise me.”

  “I promise.”

  He smiled and made his way back across the yard. She watched him until he disappeared down the road.

  She couldn’t say that thinking about it would change even one thing, but she had to do that for him. After all, it was a new day in Blue Sky. And on a new day anything could happen.

  Please turn the page for an exciting sneak peek of Amy Lillard’s next Amish mystery

  KAPPY KING AND THE PICKLE KAPER

  coming soon wherever print and e-books are sold!

  A car horn honked outside. Well, honked was a kind word. It was more like the driver pressed the wheel and didn’t stop.

  “I’m coming!” Kappy called, though there was no way Edie could hear her.

  She let Elmer, her beagle pup, out the back door. “And stay in the yard this time,” she called, but the puppy didn’t even break his stride.

  The day before, Kappy had filled in all the holes that Elmer had dug, even the ones around the small fence that she and Edie had put up to keep Elmer from roaming across the valley. The dog liked to dig. And get out of the yard. Hopefully, today he would behave, but she wasn’t counting on it.

  Kathryn King, otherwise known as Kappy since as long as anyone could remember, grabbed her purse, checked her prayer kapp in the mirror in the living room, then locked the door behind her.

  Finally, Edie took her hand off the horn and silence filled the air. For about a second and a half.

  “Kappy, would you hurry? You know how Jimmy gets when I’m late to pick him up.”

  Kappy grumbled to herself and hustled to the car. “Is it my fault that you’re late picking me up?”

  Edie barely made sure the door was closed before putting the car in reverse to back out of the drive. “You were supposed to be ready.”

  “I was ready. Fifteen minutes ago.”

  Edie waved away her protests. “It’s okay.” She turned the car onto the main road and headed toward the Peachey Bait Shop.

  “Tell me again why you thought Jimmy should go to work at Mose’s shop.”

  “He needs to get out more. I worry about him. I mean, the only time he goes anywhere is church.” She shrugged, her off-the-shoulder top slipping a little farther down her arm. “And sometimes to the grocery store. He needs to socialize.”

  “I’m not sure working at the bait shop can be considered socializing.”

  Edie cast her an exasperated look. “It’s a start.”

  “Jah.” Kappy turned to face front, the glare of the sun off Edie’s bright pink outfit almost more than her eyes could take.

  If anyone saw her, they would never know that Edie Peachey had once been Amish. Or that she had only recently returned to take care of her special-needs brother. Edie looked carefree, bohemian even. At least Kappy thought that was the word. Or maybe it was eclectic. That one was on her word-a-day calendar and she knew it applied.

  Edie seemed to wear whatever was at hand. Kappy wasn’t sure if the clothes actually went together or not, but one thing was certain: Edie didn’t dress like the other Englisch women Kappy knew. Not that she knew that many.

  “It gets him out of the house a couple of days a week. And I think it gives him a sense of importance.”

  “He can’t get that from taking care of the puppies?”

  After her mother died, Edie had inherited more than the care of her brother. She had also gained her mother’s beagle-breeding business. For a while, it seemed as if Edie would return to her life among the Englisch, but after working side by side with Kappy to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death, Edie had decided to stay. For a time, at least. She hadn’t wanted to take Jimmy away from his friends and support system. Not after just losing their mother. But Kappy wondered if Edie was as unhappy with the Englisch as she had been with the Amish. Not that Edie would ever admit such a thing.

  “No,” Edie finally said. “Taking care of the puppies is not a challenge for him. This way he’s learning all about bait and fishing poles and a whole bunch of other sportsman things like that.”
/>   Kappy nodded. “I see. So this is about a father figure.”

  Edie sent her a shocked look. “Of course not.”

  Then why would Mose, who had a fifteen-year-old son who helped him, need the help of a twenty-something special-needs man?

  Unless he was just doing this as a favor to Edie. Back in the day, Mose had been a part of their youth group. And those ties were strong. “So how did you get Mose to talk to you?”

  Edie sniffed. “He didn’t actually talk to me.” She gave another of those shirt-slipping shrugs. “Jimmy went in and talked to him.”

  “Alone?”

  “I was with him, of course.”

  “Of course,” Kappy murmured, hiding her smile. All that meant was Edie had been behind Jimmy feeding him lines while Mose pretended she wasn’t there. Oh, the joys of being shunned.

  And Edie was shunned. She had joined the church then left the Amish. Now she was back and unwilling to join the church. But at least she was providing a steady home for her brother. In light of his trouble after their mother’s murder, Kappy was glad that Edie had decided to stay.

  “What in the world?” Edie slowed the car, drawing Kappy’s attention to the road. Normally, she didn’t like to watch where they were going. Edie’s driving was a little . . . well, scary. She drove too fast as far as Kappy was concerned and seemed to take too many chances on the road. Anytime Kappy said anything, Edie scoffed and laughed, leaving Kappy to pretend that they weren’t hurtling down the road in a dangerous car with an inattentive driver. No, that wasn’t the case as all.

  A line of cars stretched in front of them as far as Kappy could see. They all had their back lights on, brake lights she thought they were called, indicating that they had all stopped for something. Hardly any traffic came from the other direction, and Kappy wondered if the two were connected. Were there cars backed up on the other side of the road, just farther down and out of sight?

  “What’s happened?” Kappy asked.

  Edie stuck her head out the window and looked ahead. “I don’t know. An accident, I guess.” She reached for the radio knob, then pulled back with a sigh. “I guess we can’t listen to the traffic report and see if there’s any news.”