Nee. Katie had nothing to do with it. Still...I will keep an eye on her.
Nobody in the community was aware that the bishop would be making the long trip to Goshen, Indiana, beginning that afternoon. And he didn’t see any reason to tell them. He didn’t want word getting back to Katie if word of his plans fell into the wrong hands.
Lovina Lapp joined the mayor. “Mayor Winters, would you care to join us for lunch? It’s simple, but it will be gut.”
Smiling with pleasure at Lovina, Kerry Winters accepted graciously. “I would appreciate nothing more. How is it you handle the large crowds here?” She listened with interest as Lovina explained that the elderly would be fed first, then the men, then the children. “Finally, we get to eat.”
“Well, let me serve as well, please.”
“Ja, denki. Come with me, and I’ll introduce you to the other women.” Bringing Kerry into the kitchen, she introduced her to everyone.
Katie did everything she could to stay away from the mayor. Moving from one corner of the kitchen to the other, she grabbed platters and took them to the benches outside. All her efforts were wasted.
“Hello, Miss...?”
“Katie. Katie Miller. Denki for what you said inside. It has been horrible not knowing what would happen next.”
“I’m sure it has, Katie. But I can assure you, I don’t think there is anything to what has been said.”
“Why? How do you know?”
Kerry’s interest perked at that. Well, this is the first person who asked why I don’t believe this rumor. “Well, simply because the English residents of Big Valley are so welcoming. And you heard the reactions that I read to your neighbors. If you’d like, I can show you my phone, where my assistant sent them to me.” Kerry pulled her phone out.
Katie debated internally whether she should look at the messages. “Well, okay, but only for a few minutes. We still need to serve.”
“Take a look.” Kerry handed her phone to the young Amish woman. “I’ll scroll them up for you.”
Katie read silently. “Well, this doesn’t really mean much. There could still be someone who’s...who’s lying to you.”
“Yes, there could be. It might surprise you.”
The subtle message sailed right over Katie’s head. “Because I saw the painted message. I didn’t hear the person who said they just want us out of here. And that letter? I’m happy I didn’t see that!”
“Oh, I’m sure you are. When your bishop showed it to my staff and me, it chilled our blood. Whoever wrote that...has some problems.”
After Katie ate, she leaned back against her table, exhausted. Today, she was grateful she wouldn’t be going to the singing that night.
Over in the men’s section, Amos and Eli kept their eyes trained on Katie. Amos, seeing how worn out Katie was, felt sorry for her. “Eli, I never knew about that letter!”
“Ja, I heard tell that the deacon and his son saw it. That must be the one the mayor was talking about. I don’t know anything else, but if the mayor was talking about it, then I pray we will soon have an end to this nonsense.”
“Me, too.” Now, Amos was feeling highly conflicted. A part of him knew he’d made the right decision to break things off with Katie. Yet, another part of him was reaching out to her after seeing how lost she looked. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her. He had been thinking of courting with her for marriage, for heaven’s sake!
“Amos, I have an idea. You see how bad Katie looks?” At Amos’s reluctant nod, Eli continued. “Why don’t you get back together with her?”
Amos whipped his head around so fast, he cricked his neck. Massaging the painful muscle carefully, he frowned at Eli. “What are you talking about?”
Eli was looking at him, appearing quite sane and sober. “Nee, I am not. We forgive others. And, I think that if you get back together with her, you might learn something that we can take to the elders.”
Amos had been about to leave their table and sit elsewhere. Hearing Eli’s last sentence had him dropping back onto the bench. “Ja, I do want to see this ending. But Eli, I am afraid that if I do get back together with her, I will begin to believe her lies again.” And he didn’t want to court with her solely to bring her to justice. The worst of it was, he still loved her, in spite of everything.
“You won’t,” Eli said with far too much confidence. “You’re smarter than that. And the more you know about why this started, the better. I’m serious, brother.”
Caleb Yoder, hearing their discussion, sat next to Amos. “Amos, he has a right gut idea. We have to bring this to an end. I understand from my wife that she can’t even go into the English sewing shop anymore because the employees and English customers are just so upset about this. And soon, someone will tell us to skedaddle.”
Amos couldn’t disagree with this. And maybe, in spite of everything, he still held some small hope that there was goodness in Katie. Maybe he could find it. Sighing, he looked at Caleb. “So, you’re talking about doing this for the greater good of our community?”
“Exactly. If it is her, she is destroying us and our gut relationship with the English community. We don’t mingle with them on purpose, but it’s always gut to have easy friendliness with them.”
Amos sighed. He didn’t want to do this, but worse, another, hopeful part of him did. “I’m afraid she’ll notice something is off.”
“Just remember the gut times, brother. You loved her at one time.”
Amos couldn’t argue about that. They had loved. And maybe, he still did. It was also true that if they were to regain a good relationship with the English, he had to do something. “Does your dat support this, Caleb?”
Chapter 10
“Ja. I suggested it to him after the bishop left our house.”
Feeling very much like a sacrificial lamb, Amos stood and walked over to Katie’s bench. Lowering himself next to her, he felt a soft smile spread across his face. It was stimulated by the memory of her soft, flowery scent. “Katie, you look sad.”
Katie had felt the bench move slightly as someone sat near her. She had chosen to ignore their approach. Hearing Amos’s voice, sounding much softer than it had during their breakup, she whirled around. “Amos! What are you doing here? You should be ignoring and avoiding me, just like everyone else.” She moved to stand and leave the bench, but Amos was faster.
Grabbing her arm, he said, “Please, wait. Listen to me, please. I was stupid that last time we saw each other. I was motivated by fear. But we haven’t heard anything from that English person...”
“‘English person?’ Amos, you doubted that anyone was making those threats! You as much as accused me of faking everything!”
“Ja, and I am very sorry for that. I would appreciate your forgiveness, Katie.” Amos’s face was completely serious.
Katie looked into his eyes and saw only warmth and tenderness, not the anger that had been so evident that horrible night. Maybe it had worked. Maybe he did want her back. Or maybe...
Maybe he was just doing this for show. What if he suspected her and was only pretending?
It was like a story, acidic and cruel. And maybe even true. She sighed. “Let me think about it. After all, nobody else, except Annie Yoder, wanted to be seen near me.” Her voice bore a strong note of bitterness.
“Ja, I saw. And I am so sorry. You don’t deserve to be treated this way. I’ll let you think. If you say yes, would you go to tonight’s singing with me?”
Katie shook her head vehemently. “Nee, not that. I forgive you. Does this mean we would get back together?”
Amos nodded, a smile on his face.
Katie sighed. “I don’t want to go to the singing. Maybe something else.”
“I’ll go to your house later this afternoon and see what you’ve decided.” Rising, he returned to his own bench.
Looking around, Katie saw curiosity on many faces. She gauged the amount of time they would still be at lunch. Seeing some of the women heading back into the Yoder’s kitche
n, she rose, knowing she could make a dignified escape soon. She gathered paper plates and silverware. Soon, the cleanup was done, and she was able to get into her parents’ buggy.
“What was that with Amos?” Dat turned around, looking at Katie.
“He asked me to forgive him. He said he was stupid the day he broke up with me, so he wants me to consider getting back together with him.”
“And?”
“I forgave him, but...it’s all so sudden. I want to be with him. I just want to be sure it’s real.He wants to take me out tonight.”
“To the singing?”
“Nee! I told him I don’t want to be around them! They think I’m responsible for what’s been happening.” Katie swallowed the sob that wanted to escape from her throat.
“Daughter, you know we can’t let you go into town! Not now!”
“Mam, I was thinking he could take me to a quiet spot here, so we could just talk. I don’t want to be anywhere near the English right now. Just in case the person is there, you know?” Katie slipped this in on purpose, looking at her parents through lowered, thick eyelashes.
“Mmmm, that’s probably the smartest thing I’ve heard you say in months.” Mary was unaware of the verbal slap she’d just given to Katie.
BACK AT THE YODER HOME, Annie, Caleb, Elisabeth, Mildred, Bishop Lapp and Lovina, sat in the warm kitchen, discussing how the morning’s announcement had gone.
“She looked absolutely stunned,” Elisabeth said. “I was sitting one bench over and just kept my eyes on her.”
“Ja, but was her response out of proportion to what we were saying? And to what the mayor said?”
“Ja, I think it was. I chanced a few looks around, and I saw more relief than shock on other faces.”
“What about Libby King?”
“Oh, ja, she looked relieved, as though this would be over soon.”
Mildred spoke up. “I was watching her when the mayor was talking to her. She was highly uncomfortable—Katie, that is.”
“Ja, Mildred, I agree. She just wanted to escape. And when nobody sat on her bench or joined her for lunch, she was angry and hurt.”
“Who saw Amos Smits join her on her bench at lunch?” As Bishop Lapp looked around, everyone nodded. “Gut. It looks like they are going to reunite if they were dating before.”
“And, how do you feel about that?”
“Well, he is Eli’s brother. Eli and Annie have been spending time together, and Annie has been shadowing Katie. Eli and Caleb suggested that he make overtures to her today, with my approval. When I come back from Indiana, I will resume watching the two of them. Annie, just be careful when you follow her around. Try to allow others to do so a little more often, so she doesn’t catch onto what you are doing. It’s about time for us to leave and get to the train station because a driver should be at our house soon. I hope to have much more news about why the Miller family left their community in Goshen. When I get back, I’ll set up a meeting with all of us here.” Rising, he and Lovina hurried to their buggy and went home.
ROCKING GENTLY WITH the rhythm of the train, John and Lovina Lapp talked quietly about their hopes for their trip. “I hope we find out that it is Katie who’s responsible. At the same time, I feel horrible, because that means she put a wunderbaar family through a terrible time.”
“I feel the same way. From what Mrs. Hoffstetter said, her brother-in-law is an upstanding man who truly loves Gott and his family.”
“Why, John? Why would she do this once, let alone twice?”
“I wish I knew.”
BACK IN BIG VALLEY, Eli was surprised when Sam, the English employee of the mayor, stopped at the house.
“Eli, I’m sorry to disturb you on a Sunday. But the mayor wanted to find out what everyone thought of your bishop’s announcement and her visit.”
“Come in. I’ll introduce you to my parents.” Caleb made the introductions.
Sam smiled widely. “I'm pleased to meet you, sir. I know your community’s been working hard to get to the bottom of this mess. I’d like to find out what people here thought about today’s events at your service and after.”
“Come in! Iced tea or lemonade?” As Sam requested tea, he looked at Emma. Come into the kitchen. Enjoy a dessert as well.”
Sam eagerly tucked into the peach pie that was placed in front of him. He occasionally nodded as Eli and John talked.
“We were looking at everyone. Almost the whole community looked relieved that there might be an end to this mess. Only one person looked as though she was completely surprised by this: Katie Miller.”
“Isn’t she the one the mayor spoke of? The one who may have started a baseless and harmful rumor?”
“Ja, that would be her. Oh, our bishop and his wife are on their way to Indiana right now. It turns out that we have a connection in our community to the Millers’ old community in Goshen.” John slowed down as Sam jotted down notes. “We have a Mennonite fabric store owner whose store is located at the north end of our community. She met Katie when Katie went there for more quilting supplies. All along, she remembered Katie’s name as significant to something, or someone. It wasn’t until days after Katie left that Mrs. Hoffstetter realized that a Katie Miller had falsely accused her brother-in-law of sexual assault.”
“My God! That’s libelous! Oh, but you don’t believe in filing lawsuits. Please, forgive me.” Sam indicated that John should continue.
“She and her husband called the brother-in-law. She told him what Katie looks like and Michael Hoffstetter said that it sounded like the same girl who had accused him. That’s when she came to the bishop, and their trip was arranged. He wants to find out exactly what happened and how Big Mike got the community to understand that he couldn’t have assaulted her.”
Sam was busy writing. “I’ll pass all of this on to Mayor Winters tomorrow morning, if not tonight. Please, go on.”
“If it turns out that the Katie Miller there is our Katie Miller, we will have much more proof that she started a vicious rumor. I should also tell you that my other son, Amos, is Katie’s former boyfriend, and he may have reunited with her today. He is supposed to get together with her this evening and encourage her to begin seeing him again.”
“I thought romantic relationships were kept undercover, so to speak.”
“Ja, they are, but it soon becomes obvious to anyone with eyes and a heart.”
“I get the feeling that Amos has an ulterior motive in reuniting with her.”
“Ja. The bishop, ministers, some of the younger adults and I felt that it would be a big help to us in figuring out everything.”
“Wow. Well, I’ll be reporting all of this to Mayor Winters. I think I’ll stop by her house this evening. I’d better go. Thank you for the pie; it was delicious. And, if you have any concerns, feel free to stop by.”
“Ja, denki. We will.” Eli saw Sam out the front door. “Wait. That’s Amos with Katie. We don’t want her figuring out that you’re here.” Only when Amos’s buggy had gone farther down the road did he open the door for Sam. “Please, let us know if you learn of anything else.”
“We will.”
BACK ON THE TRAIN, John and Lovina Lapp were in quiet conversation with a psychologist who had overheard John’s question.
“Bishop, to answer your question, we won’t know until we find out what has happened to her to make her tell these lies. Some do it for attention. Others have a truth that they need to tell but for some reason can’t. And there are some that can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is not.”
“She’s trying to hide her involvement, so I don’t think it is the latter. As for the former, how would she be getting attention for this? If anything, she’s done all she could to disguise herself as the originator of the story.”
“The attention is indirect but affirming. Every time the rumor grows, she gets an endorphin burst. For some, just that small kick is enough. For others, they can act out in more extreme ways, harming themselve
s and others physically.”
“How?” Lovina was frightened.
“Self-harm is most likely. Cutting, drug abuse, suicidal ideation. Some lash out at their family members or their own children.”
“Mei Gott!” Lovina exclaimed.
“But we won’t know until she has a chance to be assessed. Sometimes the cause can be an early trauma. Is she the only one in her family with these tendencies? Is there a history of depression, schizophrenia or other similar issues in her family history? Even an underlying medical condition like diabetes can lead to irrational behavior. We won’t know until we’ve had a chance to assess her. The important thing to know is that if she is responsible, she needs help from a professional so that she does not further harm herself or others.”
John and Lovina looked at each other. Now their trip was even more urgent than before.
The next morning, they stepped off the train. A tall, muscular Amishman approached them. “Bishop and Mrs. Lapp? I’m Michael Hoffstetter. Or Big Mike, as everyone calls me.”
“Gut morning! We are so grateful you agreed to speak with us.” John explained the new urgency of their visit.
“Mei Gott! Let’s go, and we’ll put you up in our home. You’ll be able to ask us everything you need, and we’ll answer it. Even if it makes us look less than gut.”
“That’s all we ask. We just need to get to the bottom of what she is doing.”
At the house, he took their two bags to a waiting bedroom. “My wife, Betsy, has prepared breakfast for you. We know you must be hungry. Then, we can get started.”
Over the next four days, John and Lovina listened, wrote down notes and asked questions of Michael and his family. They met the Goshen bishop and deacon, learning more about what had happened.
Big Mike said, “She was much too young for baptismal instruction, so all we could do was require her and her parents to sell their home and leave here. We had a sense that she was capable of doing this again. And now, it appears she has. What did this doctor on the train tell you?”
Amish Trust and Betrayal Page 8