by Debby Giusti
“You’re lying, Stoltz. You don’t remember the day you were in that bar talking about your parents and the money they kept in your father’s workshop. I was there. I heard you. You were boasting about how wealthy you were and how special your father was.” He laughed. “Only you made everyone there take note.”
“Especially the Wagner twins, who killed my parents?”
O’Donnell raised his brow. “You know that to be true?”
“So does the sheriff. Tell your friend Larry who works with you that his sons should enjoy their last days before they end up in jail.”
“You do not have proof.”
“Do I not?”
The manager slammed his fist against the table. “So Will did steal information.”
“You are jumping to the wrong conclusions.” Ezra tried to back step. The last thing he wanted was for O’Donnell to go after Rosie. He glanced at the clock. “The sheriff and his deputies will be here soon.”
“Your girlfriend, Rosie, must have the information.”
“She received nothing from William. You do not have to worry about her. Worry more about yourself and what you will tell the authorities when they arrive.”
“You Amish were never good at lying.” O’Donnell pulled out his phone, tapped in a number and lifted the cell to his ear. “Larry...”
He glanced at Ezra.
“The woman’s probably hiding at the Stoltz’s house. Manny gave me the address. Three fourteen Mountain Road. You were right all along. If Will stole information, she’s got to have it. Don’t let her get away.” O’Donnell smirked. “After you take care of her, come to the cabin and get rid of her new boyfriend.”
He disconnected and pushed another button. “Rayleen, it’s Bruce. I’ve got the pills and the money. Meet me at the interstate. A buyer’s waiting for us at the airport in Atlanta. Once we leave the country, the authorities won’t be able to touch us.”
Ezra’s blood chilled. He wanted to scream with rage. His plan to outsmart the criminals had backfired. They knew about the evidence and, even worse, they believed Rosie had it in her keeping.
The thought of what could happen if Wagner found her was too much for Ezra to bear. He had made another mistake, and this time it would cost Rosie her life.
* * *
“What will I tell Ezra when he returns home?” Aaron asked Rosie after she had mounted Duchess and grabbed the reins.
“Tell him I needed to warn my aunt about Larry Wagner.”
“The man with the white streak of hair?”
She nodded. “When I come back from seeing Katherine, I want you to drive Joseph and me to the bus station.”
“You are leaving?”
“Yah. While you are in town, you must find Peter. Tell him to contact law enforcement and share what he knows about the pharmacy. Wagner and the manager of Shady Manor are stealing drugs from the patients. Rayleen and Dr. Manny are probably involved.”
“The local police will not listen,” Aaron said. “They did not help after our parents were killed. Ezra calls them corrupt.”
“That is why Peter needs to call the sheriff in Willkommen. He will listen and act on what he hears.”
Rosie nudged the horse’s flank. “Let’s go, girl.”
Duchess headed down the hill at a good clip. Thankfully, this time, there were no snakes. The mare remained on the path and Rosie stayed in the saddle.
Nearing Katherine’s house, she pulled on the reins. “Whoa, girl.”
Rosie slipped to the ground and tied the horse to a tree branch near the old, dilapidated barn, all the while watching for anything that looked suspicious.
The door to the new barn near the house hung open. Rosie peered inside, relieved to see her aunt. Katherine was petite and well-rounded with rosy cheeks and expressive eyes that now looked worried as she hurried to greet Rosie.
“I did not expect your visit, child. Is everything all right?”
“I wish it were. I have been staying with the Stoltz family. There is a vile man with a streak of white hair who seeks to do me harm. I fear he might hurt you, Katherine.”
“You must be talking about Larry Wagner.”
“You know him?”
Katherine nodded. “Yah, but I have not seen him for years.”
The look on her aunt’s face made Rosie step closer. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“Why do you mean, dear?”
“Larry knows my parents.”
Katherine’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “Why, yes, he does.”
“How could they get involved with someone like him?”
“You should ask your father.”
“Datt would never tell me anything about his past. Nor would Mamm. Therefore you must tell me.”
Katherine nodded knowingly, her eyes filled with understanding. “Your father should have told you long ago, dear, about his past. He left the Amish life in his youth and ran with some wild boys in town. Larry Wagner was one of them.”
“And my mother?”
“She was a pretty girl and liked the things Larry bought her.”
Confused, Rosie stepped closer. “My mother was involved with Mr. Wagner?”
“Only for a brief time. She eventually came to her senses and realized she did not want to leave the Amish community. Your father was interested in her as well. He and Larry sparred often, each trying to earn your mother’s love. When your datt promised to remain Amish, your mother made her choice.”
“And Larry?”
“Supposedly, he left town heartbroken. He reappeared some years ago. You must have been twelve or thirteen. You and your datt were shopping in town. From what I heard, Larry said something to you that bothered your father.”
The man on the street who had wanted to take Rosie’s picture.
“You look so much like your mother, I think your father worried that Larry would take you from him.”
“That is foolish talk, Katherine.”
“Of course it is, but your father always sees himself as the victim. He is right, and everyone else is wrong.”
“I was wrong to get involved with Will MacIntosh.”
“Do not be so hard on yourself.” Katherine touched Rosie’s shoulder. “Mistakes happens. We know that. So does your father.”
“Perhaps, although Datt has not been able to forgive my transgressions.”
“Shame on him after all the problems he caused in his youth. Your father has always been quick to point his finger at others, yet he ignores the three fingers pointed back at him. That is why he was always so strict with you, child. He did not want you to make the same mistakes he did. What he did not realize was that by being hard on you, he was forcing you out of the family. You did not find love at home. Of course you would look for it somewhere else.”
Katherine’s words touched a hole in Rosie’s heart. “I take responsibility for my own actions.”
“Yah, but knowing the reason behind the actions allows us to forgive ourselves as well as those whose lack of compassion set us up to make those mistakes.”
“I cannot blame my father.”
“Perhaps not, child. But I can. Why do you think he isolates himself from the church? He knows he was at fault, yet he is not willing to admit his failings as a father. The pain he carries forces him to distance himself from his family and from his community. I worry about your mother. She is a gut woman to put up with your father.”
“Perhaps when I leave the mountain, he will come back to the church.”
Katherine’s eyes narrowed. “You are leaving?”
“To make a new start for myself and my son. I had hoped Alice would have room for us at least until I can get a job and find a place to stay.”
“I am sure my daughter would love to have you visit, but go only for a short time until L
arry Wagner, who seeks to do you harm, is stopped. Then come back, Rosie. There is a gut man here who could use a strong, sensible woman like you.”
Rosie did not understand.
Katherine took her hand. “You are staying at the Stoltz home, yah? Ezra carries much of the burden for his parents’ deaths. It is time for him to move beyond the past and embrace the present.”
“I did not come here to talk about Ezra. I came to warn you about Mr. Wagner.”
“If Larry stops to visit or to create mischief, he will not find me at home. Just now, I was hitching my buggy to visit my husband’s sister. She has invited me for Christmas. I have locked the house and am ready to go. But first, let me give you my daughter’s address. She and her husband are well-known in Holmes County.”
Katherine drew paper and pen from her bag and jotted down the address. “Tell Alice I will visit soon. You being there gives me another reason to make the long trip. Perhaps your mother will come with me.”
“That would be wonderful.” Rosie hugged her aunt. “Enjoy Christmas, Katherine, and be safe.”
She glanced at the valley and her heart lurched, seeing a vehicle on the road below.
“Someone comes.” She narrowed her gaze. “It is a white SUV.”
Katherine steeled her spine and shoved her chin out with defiance. “I am not afraid of Larry Wagner.”
“He will stop at nothing to find me, including hurting you.” Rosie grabbed her aunt’s arm. “Come with me. You can help with the children.”
Katherine hesitated for only a moment and then hurried up the hill with Rosie. She untied Duchess and, using a large boulder as a step stool, hoisted Katherine into the saddle and climbed behind her aunt.
Heart in her throat, Rosie spurred Duchess on. She had to alert the children and get them to safety.
* * *
Where was Ezra? Rosie had hoped he would be home by now. But his horse was not in his stall as she jumped to the ground and called to Aaron, who was working in the barn.
“Help Katherine from the saddle, then hitch Bessie to the buggy. You and the children have to leave. Katherine is going with you.”
Rosie raced into the house. “Hurry, you must leave now,” she called to the children. “Grab your coats and capes.”
She lifted Joseph from his high chair and wrapped him in two heavy blankets. “Susan, take him. Take my baby and keep him safe.”
Rosie glanced around. “Where is Mary?”
“She is making something for you and Joseph. Aaron said you planned to leave soon.”
Rosie raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time. “Mary?”
She found the little girl sitting on the floor of her room, coloring a picture. Her face was blotched as if she had been crying, which broke Rosie’s heart.
“You must go with Susan and the others, Mary. It is not safe here.”
The girl did not understand. Instead she handed Rosie the picture. It was a drawing of her family with each person’s name written under the various figures.
Ezra was the tallest. Mary had made him stand above the others, looking strong, with a wide smile on his face. His arms were wrapped around an Amish woman holding a baby.
“That is you and that is Joseph,” the child said, pointing to the woman nestled in Ezra’s embrace. “I made you part of our family.”
“Oh, Mary, if only that could be, but right now you need to hurry.”
She ushered the girl down the stairs, wrapped her in her cape and hurried her outside to climb into the buggy. She sat next to Katherine.
“Rosie, come with us,” Mary begged, scooting over to make room on the seat.
“I must stay here.”
“But the man is looking for you,” Susan warned.
“And if he finds me it will give you more time to get away.” She hugged Joseph and kissed his forehead. “Gott protect you all. Now hurry. Head north and then take the turnoff for town.”
Her heart nearly broke with fear that the children and Aunt Katherine would not be able to escape in time.
Rosie would be the decoy. Her own well-being did not matter if the children and her aunt were kept safe.
Ezra! Her heart lurched. Dear Gott, keep him safe as well!
TWENTY-ONE
Rosie ran to the edge of the property, where she could see the car below. Wagner was driving like a maniac, coming much too fast up the mountain road. She could make out his face behind the wheel. If she could see him, he could see her.
His eyes widened. He accelerated even more.
She needed to hide. But where? She ran along the drive and stopped at the entrance to the workshop. Something prompted her to reach for the knob. The door opened. Relieved, she stepped inside, then gasped, seeing the stains on the cement floor that surely marked where the Stoltzes had died.
She closed the door behind her and ran to a row of buggies in various stages of completion. Ezra had probably helped his father build the buggies, yet after his death, the work had never been finished.
Seeing a large, open hole in the flooring, she stepped forward and peered down to where a partially framed buggy sat on a wooden platform. The platform, attached to a hydraulic lift, looked like an elevator of sorts that moved equipment from one floor to another.
Rosie backed away from the steep drop-off, thinking again of the fall she had taken, days earlier. Wagner had shoved her down the ravine; she would not let him shove her down the opening today.
The sound of the car turning onto the drive made her heart pound. Her mouth went dry. She grabbed a wooden mallet off the nearby workbench. The heft of it brought a sense of security—a false sense of security she soon realized. Even with the mallet, she would be no match against Larry Wagner.
Gott, help me.
Needing to hide, she climbed into a buggy that looked ready to sell. The upholstery smelled new. An extra piece of the heavy fabric lay behind the second seat. She crawled under the swatch, just as the workshop door opened and Wagner stepped inside.
Rosie tucked herself into a ball and thought of Ezra. Where was he? Wherever he was, she prayed he was safe.
* * *
O’Donnell had tied Ezra’s hands and feet, but he had not bound them to the chair. As soon as the nursing-home manager left the cabin and drove off, Ezra rocked forward and stood, balancing on his tied legs. He hopped toward the worktable, his gaze focused on a utility knife with a razor-sharp blade.
Leaning forward, Ezra stretched out his hands until he made contact with the knife and nudged it closer. Once within reach, he grabbed the handle and carefully positioned the blade against the rope wrapped around his wrists. With short strokes, he sawed back and forth through the thick hemp.
He glanced at the wall clock, his heart sinking. Time was passing too quickly. His hands cramped from the awkward position, but he would not give up. Rosie was in danger, and he needed to protect her.
He kept slicing the knife against the rope until, finally, with one last forceful thrust, the binding broke free. Relief swept over him. He bent over, freed his legs and raced for the door. He had to get to Rosie before it was too late.
TWENTY-TWO
Hunkered down in the back of the buggy, Rosie was too scared to cry and terrified that Mr. Wagner would see the buggy shake with her trembling. Thoughts of all the struggle he had caused flooded over her, bringing an unexpected swell of determination to outsmart this man who had brought so much pain to so many.
She gripped the mallet, ready to strike if she was discovered. Violence was not the Amish way but neither was quiet acquiescence in the face of evil. She needed to protect the children and stop this heinous creature who would, most surely, do them harm. The longer he remained in the workshop, intent on finding her, the more time they would have to get away.
Please, Gott, she silently prayed.
Wagner’s footste
ps sounded on the cement floor. Slowly, steadily, he moved closer. She imagined him peering into each buggy, trying to find her.
“Rosie?” he called, his voice low. “Can you hear me?”
He knew she was in the workshop. Did he hear her heart pounding and her pulse thumping all too loudly?
She refused to think of what he would do to her. She only knew what would happen to the children if he found them. She had to distract Wagner until the children could get to safety.
“Rosie?” He stepped closer.
She bit down on her lip, trying to focus on that discomfort instead of his nearness.
“Ezra’s hurt and calling for you,” the man taunted. “He needs you, Rosie. I’ll take you to him.”
Lies!
“You know Ezra is a handsome man,” Wagner continued. “He likes you, Rosie. He wants to be with you.”
She longed to cover her ears and drown out his voice.
“You’re hiding from me, only I don’t know why. Surely you’re not afraid of me.”
He stepped closer, then closer still.
The slightest movement would—
In one fell swoop, he threw back the covering and grabbed her arm.
Rosie screamed.
Wagner tightened his hold. “I’ve got you now.”
The mallet dropped from her hands. Unable to pull free, she kicked and gouged her short fingernails into the palm of his hand.
Rage flared his nostrils. “Where’s the information Will gave you?” he demanded. “I need it. Now.”
She shook her head and continued to thrash her free hand against his face. Her feet pummeled his chest.
He yanked her from the buggy. She fell onto the cement floor, landing on her side. “Aagh!”
Pain ricocheted across her shoulder and down her spine. She clawed at the cement to get away. He kicked her side. Air whooshed from her lungs. She rolled to her stomach, drew up her legs and started to crawl.
He grabbed her hair and pulled back her head. She screamed with pain. He loosened his hold, then kicked her again. She collapsed, unable to breathe.