Danger in Amish Country: Fall from GraceDangerous HomecomingReturn to Willow Trace (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Perry, Marta

  Sara pulled out the drawers in her desk, her face sober. Finally she looked up.

  “Only one thing is missing,” she said, her pallor seeming to intensify. “The school register. The book that lists all the scholars with their ages and addresses.”

  Silence reined. Everyone must be thinking what Caleb was.

  This was the proof, wasn’t it? The man knew a child from the school had seen him that day. How long would it take him to figure out who it was?

  EIGHT

  Sara leaned back in the rocking chair, her aching head against a pillow. How much longer could this endless day last?

  The farmhouse living room seemed crowded with Daed, Chief O’Brian and Caleb all here. She had been surprised when Caleb had been set on coming back to the house for this conversation. She’d have expected him to rush home to Rachel.

  But Chief O’Brian had dispatched an officer to sit quietly outside his uncle’s house, alert for any whisper of an intrusion. That seemed to allay some of Caleb’s fear, although his strong face still showed strain around his eyes.

  Small wonder. At the moment Caleb was recounting all that Rachel had told her. Daed shook his head, murmuring as if in prayer, his face filled with sympathy.

  “Do you have anything to add, Sara?” O’Brian asked.

  “No, I don’t think so.” She’d learned the inadvisability of shaking her head when pain stabbed her the last time she’d moved it. “Caleb heard everything from the hallway.”

  “And you’re sure the little girl said Kovatch wasn’t pushed?”

  “Positive. I asked her that, and she said the ‘Old Man’ just pointed at him, and he fell.”

  O’Brian looked dissatisfied. “The thing is, if Sammy didn’t push Kovatch, why is he going to so much trouble to find out who saw him?”

  “It does not make sense.” Daed pronounced the words in a tone which said that much of what he saw in the Englisch world didn’t make sense.

  “I agree with you there, Eli,” O’Brian said. “Still, Sammy’s not the brightest bulb in the pack. He could figure he’s on the hook for threatening his pal and causing him to fall, even if he didn’t push him.”

  “If his actions caused the man’s death,” Caleb began, but the chief interrupted him.

  “The district attorney might come up with some charges in the accident, I guess, but with the only witness a seven-year-old child, I doubt he could make it stick. But now we’ve got Sammy on assault, theft, breaking and entering... That’ll ensure he’s not around to bother anyone for a good while. Then you folks can stop worrying about him.”

  “You must catch him first,” Daed said.

  “There’s no problem about that. I’ve put out an alert to the surrounding jurisdictions. That old pickup of his is pretty easy to spot.”

  His words penetrated the fog in Sara’s mind. “Pickup?”

  “Sure, why?” Chief O’Brian glanced at her. “We have the license number and a description. He won’t get far.”

  Sara shook her head and instantly regretted it. “I heard his vehicle start up. It was a motorcycle.”

  The certainty slid from the chief’s face. “You sure of that?”

  She thought of the roar she’d heard when she got into the buggy. “Ya. I couldn’t mistake it.”

  The chief muttered something under his breath. “Guess he’s smarter than I gave him credit for. I’ll have to amend the alert.”

  Sara shivered a little. Maybe Sammy was not smart, but he was sly. And mean. It wasn’t pleasant to think of the man on the loose. Still, surely he’d run away now that he knew he’d been identified. Wouldn’t he? A flicker of panic stung her.

  “The kinner must be protected. We’ll have to cancel school for tomorrow.” She started to rise, but Daed put a restraining hand on her arm.

  “You are going to bed. We will take care of canceling school.”

  “Why don’t I stop by the bishop’s place?” Chief O’Brian said. “It’s on my way back to town. I’ll explain there’s been a breakin, and we’re not finished with the crime scene yet.” He looked at her. “Nobody can blame you for that, Sara.”

  Like the bishop, the chief seemed to know everything that went on, probably including her clashes with her board president.

  “That’s wonderful kind of you, Chief. But I have to accept responsibility.”

  “Not all of it,” Caleb said firmly. “And not tonight. Tomorrow, when you’re better, will be time enough to meet with the board members. When you do, I’ll be there.”

  His support warmed her, but Daed looked a bit ruffled. “It’s not needed. Sara will have her family to back her up.”

  “Sara is protecting my daughter.” Caleb’s tone was firm. “It’s only right that I be present to explain it.”

  Daed studied him for a long moment, as if judging his intentions. Then he gave a short nod. “Ya. Gut.”

  Nobody asked her what she thought of it, but at the moment, Sara was too weary to care. As Caleb said, tomorrow would be time enough to tackle all of her problems.

  *

  The next morning found Caleb back at the Esch farm again, with Rachel this time. Caleb touched his daughter’s head lightly, not wanting to let her go after all the worries of the previous night. But she would be safe with Sara’s family today, and he didn’t want to leave her with just Onkel Josiah to watch over her while he was working, and Sara’s mamm had suggested he bring her over.

  “It’s wonderful kind of you to have Rachel visit today.”

  Sara looked better for a night’s sleep, and her smile seemed to banish the stress that he’d seen in her eyes. “We love having her here. My brother brought Becky over, so the two girls will keep each other amused. They’re not used to being at loose ends on a school day.”

  Now the tension was back in her face, and he couldn’t be surprised. “You’re worried about the effect on the kinner of canceling school.”

  “I don’t want them to be afraid.” She glanced at Becky pushing Rachel on the swing that hung from the branch of an oak tree. “But it would be far worse if they were at school and something bad happened.”

  “Ya.” He couldn’t let himself dwell on that subject, or he’d never let Rachel out of his sight.

  “You’re afraid for Rachel,” Sara said, her voice soft. “I am, as well. But the chief seems convinced that Moore has run away now that he’s been identified.”

  “Running away would be the sensible decision. But I’m not so sure he’s one who thinks things through,” he said.

  Sara rubbed her arms, as if the thought chilled her. “Even so, he has no way of knowing it was Rachel who saw him.”

  He didn’t find that thought much comfort. “I guess the school board agreed with the chief’s suggestion of giving the kinner the rest of the week off, did they?”

  Sara nodded, her lips tightening. “They didn’t like it, that’s certain sure, but the bishop spoke to them, and they agreed.”

  “Sara, it would be ferhoodled for anyone to fault you in all this.” He spoke to the worry that lay behind her words. “Surely everyone can see that you did nothing wrong.”

  “You’d be surprised if you think that.” She managed a smile. “I’ve already heard from Silas Weaver. The board wants to meet with me.”

  “When and where?” he said instantly.

  Her eyes met his, and the sunlight seemed to bring out gold flecks in the deep green. “Caleb, you don’t need to get involved in this.”

  “I am the parent of a child in the school, so it would be my concern in any event. And everything you’ve done has been to protect my child. The board members need to hear that from me.” He waited while Sara thought on his words.

  “Ya, all right,” she said finally. She gave a little gesture of giving in. “Silas wants to meet at the school tomorrow morning at eleven.”

  “I’ll be there.” He said it firmly enough to forestall argument.

  But Sara didn’t seem inclined to argue. “Danki, Caleb.” She ga
ve a shaky laugh. “I’ll go over a little early to clear things up. The schoolroom is still a mess, and I don’t want anyone to see it that way. After all, it’s still my school, at least for the moment.”

  “They would not dream of replacing you. Where would they find a teacher who cares for the kinner more than you?” He touched her hand, wanting to reassure her, and couldn’t seem to stop his fingers from encircling her wrist. Her skin was warm against his palm, and he felt the flutter of her pulse, light as the wings of a butterfly. His gaze met hers...met and clung. Her eyes were wide, questioning.

  He let go, taking a swift step back. “I...I should get going. Danki.”

  He drove away, not letting himself look back. What was wrong with him? He couldn’t allow himself to continue like that. If anyone had noticed the way he was looking at her...

  Sara was an attractive woman. A good woman. But they didn’t know each other all that well, and he certain sure didn’t know what his future held. He wasn’t even sure if he could love again. Maybe those feelings had been deadened during the long years of Barbara’s illness.

  Clicking to the mare, he turned into the lane that wound up into the woods. Onkel Josiah earned a little money by looking after some of the hunting camps when their owners weren’t using them. He’d been fretting about not having made his rounds since he’d been laid up, so Caleb had promised to do that today.

  He smoothed out the roughly sketched map his uncle had drawn for him. Most of the cabins were along the lane that led up into the woods, easy enough to drive the buggy to. The ring of keys was carefully marked, so that he could go inside and check each one.

  The lane wound around the curve of the hill, and he had a fine view of the valley spread out below. The farmhouses looked like toys from here, surrounded by golden fields of corn not yet cut for silage. There was the schoolhouse, and in the distance down the valley he could see the scattering of houses that marked the beginning of the town.

  Beaver Creek Valley was a good place. If not for all that had happened, he and Rachel might have settled down and been happy here. Of course, Onkel Josiah hadn’t said anything about them staying on at the farm. Once he was well, he might expect them to leave.

  He could buy a small place here, Caleb supposed. Farmland wasn’t as expensive as it was some places. But not if it meant that Rachel was going to go on being afraid.

  Before he could explore that notion further, he came to the first cabin on his list. Stay-a-While, the signboard read. He’d noticed the Englisch seemed to like giving names to their hunting camps.

  Stopping the mare, he sorted through the keys to find the right one and slid down from the buggy seat. Onkel Josiah had said to check that the windows and doors were secure and that all was as it should be inside. Some of the cabins were furnished in a way that the Amish would find fancy, as if the owners didn’t want to leave their luxuries behind even when they were roughing it.

  Key in hand, Caleb reached the door, and then he realized that the key wouldn’t be necessary. The door stood ajar, and the lock was clearly broken.

  He hesitated, as one thought took hold. Sammy Moore was running from the police. He might think this a fine place to hide out. Chief O’Brian wouldn’t thank Caleb if he set the man running again, but still, he had a job to do.

  He pushed the door open cautiously, not sure what to expect. He was greeted with nothing. No sound, no movement. He stepped inside and paused, looking around.

  Moore wasn’t here, as far as he could tell without a thorough search. But someone had been. Several pieces of furniture lay overturned on the floor, and the gun cabinet on the wall was broken.

  Caleb spread out the list his uncle had given him of the cabin’s more costly contents. Even a quick look convinced him. The cabin had been stripped of its valuables. It looked as if he’d discovered what Kovatch and Moore had been doing in the woods.

  NINE

  Sara was at the schoolhouse well before her meeting the next day, eager to set things to rights. She didn’t want anyone else to see her schoolroom in such disarray.

  Her schoolroom. Would it be that much longer? Possibly not, if Silas had his way. Teaching had filled all the voids in her life. What would she do if she lost that?

  Ach, don’t be so foolish, she scolded. Daed would be here for the meeting and her brother also. He’d talked of asking some other parents to come, as well. And Caleb would be here. She wouldn’t have to confront the board on her own.

  She bent to pick up several primers from the floor, forcing down queasiness at the thought of someone handling them with evil in his heart. Smoothing out the pages, she restored them to the bookshelf. It shouldn’t bother her so much. No one had been hurt, other than the bump on her head. She must thank God for that and let the rest of her feelings go.

  The door creaked a bit as it opened. Sara whirled, heart pumping, a pencil falling from her hand. Caleb and Rachel stood in the doorway, and he seemed to take in her reaction at a glance.

  “See, Rachel, I told you Teacher Sara would be cleaning up this morning. She’ll be glad of our help, ain’t so?”

  His cheerful voice seemed to dispel the lingering shadows in the room.

  “Ya, that’s certain sure.” Sara tried to match his casual tone. “Rachel, do you think you can find all the pencils that were spilled? That would be a big help.”

  “I will.” Rachel let go of her father’s hand. She scurried along the row of desks, crawling under them to retrieve the scattered pencils.

  “I didn’t know you were coming so early.” And I’m sure glad to see you. But she wouldn’t say that. Caleb seemed to be successful at pretending she was nothing to him but his child’s teacher, maybe because that was what he actually felt.

  “We didn’t have a chance to talk when I came for Rachel.” He began straightening the tipped-over desks. “I thought you’d want to know the latest from Chief O’Brian.”

  “Does he think Sammy Moore was the one who robbed that cabin?” Caleb’s discovery surely had something to do with all of this trouble.

  “Not just that.” He set a visitor’s chair against the wall. “The chief had his men searching hunting camps. He says every one they checked had been broken into. And they found both Sammy’s and Kovatch’s fingerprints, so they were both in on it.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand how they dared. Surely they knew it would be discovered soon, with hunting season starting.”

  “I don’t suppose they thought that far ahead.” Caleb frowned. “Onkel Josiah is feeling bad about it, thinking it’s his fault for not checking the cabins sooner. Though how he could have done it with a broken leg I don’t know.”

  “He’s not responsible for other people’s evil deeds. I suppose, if the two of them were in it together, they might have been quarreling that day up on the cliff.”

  “That’s what the chief thinks. He’s called in some volunteer help to be sure all the hunting camps in the township are checked. He says they probably have most of the things they stole hidden someplace. They couldn’t sell them locally—they’d have to take them to a bigger town.”

  “Ya, I guess that makes sense.” She bent to pick up a book at the same time Caleb did, and they bumped heads. She couldn’t help letting out a gasp as the impact seemed to ricochet through her skull.

  “Easy does it.” Caleb took her elbow, helping her to straighten, and the warmth of his hand penetrated the fabric of her sleeve. “You...” For an instant he seemed to lose track of what he was saying. “You probably shouldn’t be bending over at all. Let Rachel and me get things off the floor.”

  “Danki.” She was light-headed, all right, but she wasn’t sure it was entirely due to her injury. “I guess that is a gut idea.”

  “Sara...” His grip tightened for a moment. Then he let go and took a step back. “I just wanted to say that Rachel has been sleeping better.”

  “That’s gut.” Was that really what he’d intended to say? She might never know. Caleb wa
sn’t one to open up easily. His daughter must get that trait from him.

  Rachel was absorbed in fitting the pencils back into their box, and she didn’t seem to be paying any attention to them.

  “Maybe talking about what happened was enough to ease her mind,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Sometimes talking about things helps.”

  “Sometimes.” Caleb seized the broom and began sweeping the dirt that had been tracked in, both by the intruder and by the police, most likely.

  Obviously he wasn’t convinced. Maybe he was right, but she couldn’t help feeling that talking about Rachel’s mother’s death would do much to resolve the gap between them.

  She didn’t have the right to press her views, and maybe she never would. But she couldn’t help caring, for both their sakes.

  The sound of a vehicle in the lane distracted her. If it was Chief O’Brian, she could only hope he’d be gone before the school board members arrived. It wouldn’t help her position for them to find the police in the schoolhouse.

  Sara walked to the door and stepped outside, shading her eyes against the sunlight. The approaching vehicle wasn’t the township police car. The pickup from the hardware store pulled up, and Mitch Foster got out.

  “Good morning, Teacher Sara. I didn’t think anyone would be here this morning.” He glanced toward Caleb’s buggy, probably thinking it was hers. “I heard about school being canceled.”

  “I suppose everyone is talking about it.” She could hardly expect it to be otherwise. She went down the steps to join him.

  “Nothing to worry you,” Foster said quickly, his smile kind. “Folks are glad to see the last of Sammy Moore. And Jase Kovatch, for that matter. All these burglaries—” He shook his head. “Hard to believe they weren’t caught before this.”

  “It is too bad. I hope folks are able to get their belongings back.”

  “Most of them are probably well insured.” He seemed to shrug that off. “In any event, I brought the materials over for the playground repairs. Okay if I unload?”

  “Ya, that’s fine. It’s wonderful kind of you. I’m sure the school board will set up a workday soon.”