by Dana R. Lynn
Ach. How much should she say? Not only did she not want to sound foolish but Lilah was also a private person. She wasn’t comfortable telling near strangers about the coldness that had developed between herself and Hannah. Nor did she want their sympathy for what she’d been through.
What choice did she have? Her brother had wanted her to find something. It was important. If only she knew why.
“What’s your problem, Lilah?” Fannie questioned when the silence had stretched into nearly a minute, her voice kind and motherly.
There it was. She could deny having a problem. Her privacy would be protected, but she would still be without a place to stay, and with questions building up inside. Questions that she needed answers for, not only to honor her brother’s request but also because she didn’t know if she’d ever be safe again until she found out what was happening.
Swallowing her pride, she drew in a deep breath. Her stomach was quivering inside her like the Jell-O molds she sometimes made for her students as a treat. She crossed her arms over her belly to hold the trembling inside. Where to begin?
Her eyes flicked upward. Levi nodded at her, his face calm. And kind. Something in his expression anchored her, gave her courage. She had to tell someone.
Outside on the road, a vehicle passed. Was that the person trying to kill her? She fought not to cringe. No one could see her inside the haus. She was safe for now.
But how long would she remain safe if she didn’t find out who was after her and why?
What could be worth murder?
* * *
Levi took a single step toward her before he pulled himself to a stop. The struggle on her face tugged at his heart. But he knew there was nothing he could do for her. He kept hearing her saying someone was after her, but he didn’t know anything more. He needed details, which only she could give.
Settling back into his at ease stance, he deliberately caught her gaze, trying to impart his support to her without words. When the tension dancing across her shoulders quieted, the knot inside him settled. Mentally, he prayed for peace. Then he waited.
“Three nights ago,” she began in a voice just barely more than a whisper. He leaned forward to hear better. “I was asleep when my brother yelled for me. Our haus was afire. I couldn’t get out fast enough. Jacob, he had gotten Hannah out. His wife. Then he came back for me.” A tear slowly tracked down her cheek, but Levi didn’t think she was aware of it. “When we got outside, he collapsed. He’d inhaled too much smoke.”
He could see it in his mind. Blended with that was a scene of a comrade falling after saving his life. He wrenched his mind away from that, sweat beading on his forehead. With effort he refocused on Lilah. He couldn’t afford to let himself get trapped in those memories. It was bad enough that he couldn’t escape them while he slept.
Lilah had fallen silent. “Lilah?”
She jerked slightly. “He said it wasn’t an accident. That I needed to find something in his office.”
A chill swept through him. “What wasn’t an accident?”
Her fearful gaze rose to meet his. “I don’t know. I’m scared to find out.”
Was it the fire? Did Jacob suspect arson? Or worse?
Or had he been involved in something else?
Levi recalled the last time he’d seen his farrier. Jacob’s easy smile had changed. He’d been cagey. His hands had shaken. He’d dropped tools twice. Jacob had never dropped a single tool in the years he’d known him.
Something had changed. Something that had put him on edge.
“Did you talk to his wife about it? You’re staying with her family, jah?”
As he asked, he frowned. Why hadn’t Lilah returned to Ben and Waneta’s haus when she got scared?
A current of red swept up Lilah’s neck and pale face. Her gaze dropped. “I can’t go back there. Hannah, Jacob’s wife, asked me to leave.”
Silence followed her words. Broken when Fannie sniffed, the sound loud in the quiet room, reeking of disapproval. Lilah stiffened.
“I don’t blame her.” Lilah’s chin rose, though there was still a tremor in her voice. “Nee, I don’t. She lost her husband. I’m a reminder of why he’s gone. She needs time to heal. We all do.”
“Jah, but to ask you to leave...” Fannie shook her head. “You were mourning, too. Soon, the community will get together to rebuild her haus. Maybe you could go back then, ain’t so?”
Lilah didn’t argue, but Levi saw the doubt flicker across her face. Levi wouldn’t let himself get distracted. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he knew there was more. “What else happened?”
He winced as his mamm glared at him. If he’d been next to her, she would have elbowed him. But he wouldn’t give in. He needed to know if there was a danger to his family that he needed to watch for. He had already decided that she would have refuge at his haus if he could provide it.
“I took the buggy to Jacob’s office. I didn’t know what he had there, or if I would recognize what he wanted me to locate, but I had to try.”
He nodded. He would have done the same thing.
“When I got there...” She stopped and buried her face in her hands for a moment, shuddering. He waited. She dropped her hands, her expression resolute. “When I got there, his office had been messed up. His things thrown everywhere. I heard someone else in the barn.”
“The barn is attached to his office, jah?”
“Jah. I ran to the buggy. He must have seen me. He shot at me.”
Fannie gasped.
“Did you see him?” Levi demanded. When she flinched at his harsh tone, he could have kicked himself. “Sorry. I’m not yelling at you. But if you could identify him...”
Would they go to the police? He knew his parents wouldn’t recommend involving Englisch law enforcement, but in a case like this, it was most likely an Englischer who’d been shooting at her.
“Nee. I heard an engine and knew I had no chance of escaping in a buggy. So, I abandoned the buggy and ran through the woods. When I saw your haus, I thought of coming to the door for help. But someone was driving on the road...”
“You thought it might have been the man who’d been shooting at you.” He finished her thought, frowning. “That’s why you were hiding in the barn.”
He couldn’t get the image of her huddled down, pale and shaken, out of his mind.
“Jah.”
“We have a busy road here.” Fannie lifted a hand to gesture toward the front window. A pickup truck was passing. Two seconds later, a small sedan passed the haus from the opposite direction. “We’re on the tourism route.”
Lilah made an alarmed sound. Levi moved closer to her. “We’re not part of the tourist attractions,” he clarified. “No one stops here. Two doors down, the family runs a store from their haus. The tourists stop there.”
“Jah. My Levi drives tourists around in a buggy,” Fannie said.
He hadn’t planned on mentioning that. Some folks didn’t like the tourism. His parents didn’t agree with it completely but had accepted that it was the way things were. Lilah blinked in surprise, but other than that, he could discern no reaction. He didn’t allow himself to linger on why her disapproval would have bothered him. He was earning an honest living. He wasn’t ashamed of it.
“Well, you’ll stay with us tonight, jah?” Fannie struggled up from her seat, waving away Lilah’s offer of assistance. “Nee, I’m fine. I’m going to start dinner. Lilah, you stay here and rest. You’ve had a rough day.”
Levi knew better than to try and coddle his mother. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis but didn’t like to let it slow her down. Some days were worse than others. Today was a good day.
“Just a moment.” Levi followed his mother to the kitchen. He pitched his voice low to keep Lilah from hearing him. “Are you sure, Mamm? I want to help her, but this is your haus.”
&nb
sp; He hated adding to her workload. Fannie Burkholder had the gift of hospitality. She’d go out of her way to make Lilah feel welcome. Nor would she complain of pain, even if she had trouble walking or completing simple tasks.
Fannie patted his cheek. “Ach. You worry too much, my sohn. Gott brought that young maidal here. We will not turn her away.”
He nodded his head. It never failed to amaze him, the strength of his mother’s faith. He had been questioning his for so many years. Even after he had repented and returned to the community where he was raised, he struggled to turn things over to Gott. Levi had gotten used to handling his problems on his own.
Returning to Lilah, he sat in the chair his mother had vacated. “My daed and my two younger brothers will be home within an hour. Do you need to rest before dinner?”
His father was the one person who might object, but he didn’t think he would. David Burkholder was a gut man. Despite the issues that had driven a wedge between them, Levi respected his father and believed he’d try and do the right thing.
She leaned forward. “I don’t need to rest. I need to plan. Levi, I think the person who shot at me wants whatever my brother had hidden in his office. I have no idea what it might be, but I need to find it. I have to know what happened and why.”
“It’s too late to do anything today.”
“Maybe so. But tomorrow, I will go back to the office to look around.”
He shook his head. “Nee. Tomorrow is Sunday. On Monday you can start your search.”
Although, not by herself she wouldn’t. Levi ignored the stray thought that he should mind his own business. Too many people in the community knew about his past and doubted his commitment to the Plain way of life.
Nee, he couldn’t back away. Jacob was his friend. But more than that, Levi was not a man who would allow a young woman to walk into danger alone.
She hissed between her teeth. It didn’t go over well to be told she had to wait. She didn’t argue. The Sabbath was a day of rest. She’d have to wait. Whether she wanted to or not.
“I’ll go with you.” He hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that.
She frowned at him. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m already inconveniencing your family enough.”
He shook his head. “It’s no inconvenience. You’re my friend’s sister. I want to find out what happened to Jacob.”
And stop whoever was coming for Lilah. He’d put whatever fascination he had with the pretty blonde aside and help her. For her brother’s sake. Whoever was after her, they’d have to get through him.
THREE
David Burkholder arrived home as Fannie was putting the finishing touches on their supper. Her happy chatter filled the room, supplemented by Lilah’s soft responses. David’s glance shot to the young woman in a black mourning dress setting the table. Lilah had persuaded Levi’s mamm to allow her to help, claiming it would take her mind off her troubles to keep busy. Levi appreciated her easing his mamm’s burden. He kept out of their way. While they worked, he had gone to the front window several times. He wasn’t sure who or what he was watching for, but he couldn’t ignore the gut instinct warning him that danger was coming. In his experience, if someone had shot at Lilah once, there was nothing stopping them from shooting at her again.
He returned to the kitchen to find that his mamm and daed had stepped outside onto the steps. Shallow trenches lined Lilah’s forehead.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered.
She tossed him a tight smile but didn’t relax. When his parents returned to the kitchen five minutes later, she hid her hands in the folds of her apron. Not before he saw the way they trembled. The urge to go to her and take her hand startled him. His daed greeted her solemnly. When his brothers walked into the haus and hung their hats on the hooks lining the wall, his mamm introduced her as a friend of Levi’s. A very brief description of her troubles was given to Abram and Samuel. Abram at twenty-three was almost four years younger than he was. He’d recently started walking out with a young woman, and the family was confident they’d be announcing plans to marry in the fall. Levi had his doubts. Abram didn’t strike him as a man in love. Samuel was nineteen and hadn’t started courting anyone seriously yet. Levi also had two sisters, Esther and Barb. They’d both married and left home.
Levi turned his head in time to see his youngest brother sneaked several peeks at their guest. Levi caught his eyes and frowned.
Sam shrugged as if to say, “What do you expect?”
Levi understood. Lilah was lovely, even in mourning.
As he’d expected, his father didn’t make a fuss about having a houseguest for a few days. What Levi didn’t expect was how well his family accepted the fact that he was going to go with her to search the office on Monday morning.
“Would you like me to come?” his brother Abram offered. Samuel quickly followed suit.
“Danke, nee.” He declined the offer. Abram and Sam both had other responsibilities. Besides, Jacob had been his friend. Not to mention, he had made a promise to Lilah.
Levi always kept his promises.
The conversation at dinner was muted. Lilah left to go to bed as soon as the meal ended. Levi headed to his own room later that night, his mind whirling with questions. What had Jacob gotten himself into?
Whatever it was, it was bad enough to cause someone to want to kill. His sleep was uneasy, interrupted by dreams of explosions and shellfire. After jerking awake from a particularly disturbing nightmare, he gave up on sleeping.
Sunday passed in a quiet haze. Their community held church every other week. It moved around to a different family’s haus each time. Last week had been a church week. Off weeks were typically for visiting or courting.
After breakfast, Levi’s mamm, daed and brothers left to go visit his aenti and onkel and their children.
“Are you sure you won’t cumme?” Mamm picked up the pie and the fresh bread she’d made for her sister. Her knuckles were swollen this morning.
Levi kissed her forehead and swiped the baked goods from her arms to carry them to the buggy. “Nee, Mamm. I don’t want to leave Lilah alone. She needs some quiet time to grieve and to think.”
Mamm cupped his cheek with her hand. Only she could treat him like a kid and not be irritating. “Jah. You are a gut sohn.”
Levi stood on the porch and watched the buggy turn out of the driveway. He went back into the haus to find Lilah. She was standing in the front room, staring out the large picture window, her arms crossed over her stomach. Stepping up close to her, he squelched the sudden urge to run his fingers over the faint lines digging into her forehead to try and smooth them out.
That would not be appropriate.
“Lilah...” He stopped, not knowing what he could say.
The corners of her lips tilted in such a pitiful attempt at a smile, his chest ached.
“I’m fine, Levi. I just can’t believe he’s gone. You know?”
He nodded. He knew the feeling well.
“He’s all the family I had left. My mamm and daed had moved here from Illinois nearly thirty years ago, before either Jacob or I were born. I’ve been to Illinois to visit family twice, but I haven’t seen any of them for years. Then five years ago, we were in a van, driving somewhere—I don’t remember where—when a drunk driver hit the vehicle. Our driver, Mamm, Daed were all killed. Jacob and I survived, but both of us had severe injuries. After we left the hospital, our haus was too big, until Hannah moved in. Now it’s all gone.”
He knew the emptiness she was feeling. There was nothing he could do but listen. In time, she’d heal. Hopefully. It was in Gott’s hands.
* * *
Thunder was rumbling close by. As the minutes ticked by, he could hear it growing closer and closer. Levi gave up trying to sleep. His rest had been disturbed by echoes of the story Lilah had told him yesterday.
He might
as well get up and watch the coming storm.
Levi had always been fascinated by weather, its power and its quicksilver changes. Well, he wasn’t sleeping, so he might as well go watch. Leaving his room in his socks, he strolled to the kitchen. It was still pitch-dark out. Turning the natural gas lantern on low, he started some coffee, then dressed and put his boots on while it percolated on the stove. When it was ready, he poured himself a mug and took a sip of it. Just the way he liked it. Strong and black. Lilah padded into the kitchen as he was grabbing his hat. From the pinched look around her eyes, she hadn’t slept much, either.
“Coffee, if you want it.” He gestured toward the pot with his mug.
Nodding, she grabbed her own mug and poured herself a cup.
“I’m going out on the porch to watch the storm. Join me?”
“Might as well.”
He watched as she pulled her bonnet on, hiding the bit of honey-blonde hair that wasn’t covered by her prayer kapp. She had beautiful hair.
He shook his head to clear it of such irrelevant thoughts. He had no business noticing that.
When she had her coffee, they moved to the porch. Sipping the bitter liquid, they stood side by side, without speaking, as the fierce storm moved overhead. Thunder crashed, so close the wooden floor beneath their feet vibrated. Lightning flashed, illuminating the darkness for a brief moment before flickering out. In the distance, there was a creak and a resounding crack as a tree branch broke under the driving force of the wind.
“Let’s leave as soon as morning chores are done,” he said.
Another flash of lightning showed her lips flattened into a straight line for a moment. She didn’t want to wait. Would she argue?
“I don’t want to go over until the storm is through, anyway,” he continued. “It will be easier to leave in a hurry if the roads aren’t all wet.”
A sigh escaped from Lilah. “Jah. You’re right.”
He grinned in the dark. She sounded as though the agreement had been wrung from her. As long as she agreed, though, he wouldn’t complain.