Levi was the oldest, confirmed by the whiteness of his beard. The other three were probably the age of her onkel, though perhaps Luke Hershberger was younger by a few years. Her mind flashed back on all the boys at the Hershberger place. Were there eight? No nine. Nine boys and the only girl, who had died. She’d caught Sally staring at her a few times during the service. Perhaps, as Chloe’s mom had suggested, she was resentful that her prayers for a miracle had gone unanswered. What was it she had said exactly? “Some will be hopeful. And others? They will probably remain bitter.”
On Anna’s side of the table were Samuel and Erin, her mother, Mammi, and Jacob. No one disputed Jacob’s right to be there. They didn’t actually fit around the table. Extra chairs were brought over to encircle the ends.
Levi began the meeting with a time of silent prayer, and then he said, “We appreciate your all staying late so that we can discuss this matter.”
“What is the matter we’re discussing?” Samuel asked. “Anna’s healing? Or the guards at the end of our lane?”
“Both. I believe we should discuss both. Actually, one is a product of the other, is it not?”
“One is a gift from God. The other—” Samuel’s hand flattened against the table. “Not so much.”
“How do you know it is a gift from God?” Luke frowned as he studied Anna. “This thing that has supposedly happened. How do we know the truth of it? Perhaps she was never really injured.”
Anna couldn’t pretend to be surprised by the accusation, but she also didn’t know what to say. Mammi had cautioned her about this very thing before they had left for the church service. “Some people long to believe, Anna. And some people will refuse.”
Instead of arguing, she watched Levi, who sighed and chewed vigorously on his ever-present bubblegum.
“I have visited with Anna once a week since the accident, Luke. In fact, I was there when the paramedics first arrived. She was grievously injured, of that you can be sure.”
“Then how do you explain this?” Luke shook his head, as if to ward off any possible logic the bishop might use.
“God’s miracles have never been explainable,” Joseph said.
“So you believe?” Luke turned on the man sitting next to him. “You’re willing to stake the integrity of this church on something a young girl claims, a young girl who only moved here a little over a year ago?”
“I’m willing to do so.” Martha’s voice was calm.
Anna was surprised she spoke up. Women as a rule remained silent in church as well as in such meetings. Not that she’d ever attended one before, but she’d heard about them.
“Anna’s father couldn’t be here. As you know, we have a farm in Goshen that required his attention. But he has called and spoken with her.”
Anna smiled at that. She had been able to feel the love of her father radiating through the phone as they talked, and she’d promised to return home—to visit or to stay—soon.
“Since he can’t be here, I will speak to Anna’s character. She’s a gut girl. She never attended the parties our youth are now famous for. Never owned one of the smartphones many of our sons and daughters keep hidden even after they are married.”
“How would you know?” Daniel asked. His tone was less argumentative than Luke’s. He seemed genuinely interested as he waited for an answer. “We can try to enforce the rules of our Ordnung, but we can’t know for certain what our children prefer to keep hidden.”
“Ya. At times it is hard to be certain,” her mother agreed. “But a parent? A parent knows. We may occasionally look the other way, or pray that a particular sin in our children’s lives will pass, but we know. I can tell you that Anna was never one to rebel. She… she had trouble finding her place in our community and so asked to spend a year with Samuel and Erin.”
“And we have been blessed to have her,” Samuel said. “In spite of all we’ve been through the last year, I wouldn’t change the fact of Anna’s coming into our lives, our community, and our family of faith.”
“So she hasn’t rebelled before.” Luke sat back and crossed his arms. “That still isn’t proof that what has happened is real. Perhaps she longs for attention. There’s certainly enough of it now at both your lane and Levi’s.”
“I believe we’re a little off track.” Levi popped his gum and smiled at Anna. “We’d like to hear your version of what has happened, Anna. Some of it you shared with me the first day, but these men who are the leaders of our church would like to hear it from you.”
Anna drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes for a few seconds to gather her thoughts, and then she told her story—simply, directly, and without embellishment. She didn’t tell about the dreams because they hadn’t asked specifically about those. She described the initial accident and diagnosis, her rehab, the illness she had endured the last few weeks, as well as waking in the night and weeping. She described Mammi’s prayers.
“I am not surprised about Ruth’s praying.” Levi nodded toward Anna’s grandmother. “She has been a faithful member of our congregation for many years. Often she has prayed for me and my family—for each person here, no doubt. The prayers of a righteous man, or woman, availeth much.”
“You quoted that Scripture from James this morning, but I’m not sure I see how it applies here.” Daniel frowned at his hands. “Haven’t we all prayed for loved ones?”
He paused and ran his thumb under one of his suspenders before continuing. “I myself have prayed for my son many times since his leg was broken. For whatever reason, Gotte hasn’t seen fit to heal him completely from that accident. The doctors say he will walk with a limp the rest of his life—a limp that will limit what type of work he can do. No disrespect intended, Levi.”
“None taken, but I would remind you that Gotte’s ways are not our ways. I, too, know a bit about answered and unanswered prayers, but what we must remember is that every prayer is answered—though not always in the way we would wish and not always as soon as we would like.” He paused, glancing slowly around the table before he continued. “I have no doubt that all of Anna’s family prayed for her from the moment the accident happened—and it did happen. There’s no dispute there. So why was she healed now, nearly a year later? Why was she made to endure the months of rehabilitation and life as a paraplegic?”
Daniel leaned forward as if to offer an answer, but Levi stopped him with a raised hand. “I don’t want answers from you right now. What I’d like is for us all to take this up as a matter of prayer, that we might understand and know Gotte’s will for us, for Anna, and for her family.”
Anna thought the meeting might break up, but Luke wasn’t done. He waited a moment for Levi’s instructions to fade into the night. Then he said, “We need to talk about the money.”
“The love of money is the root of much evil,” Mammi murmured.
“I’m talking about our money, and the money of the families who donated to Anna’s cause.”
“What about it?” Joseph asked. As a deacon, he helped to distribute funds given in hardship cases. Anna remembered that Samuel had insisted he be a cosigner on the account set up for her so that he could ensure all funds were handled properly.
“A balance remains?” Luke asked.
“Ya. We received donations from across the country that totaled a little more than half a million dollars. We had anticipated that Anna’s needs would stretch far into the future. People have been faithful—both within our congregation and the community of Cody’s Creek.”
“Even farther than that,” Levi murmured. “We received donations from all over the United States, and from many different groups and individuals.”
“But she’s no longer handicapped,” Daniel said.
“Not handicapped, and so not entitled to the monies.” Luke studied her as if he was waiting for a response.
Suddenly Anna realized that Daniel and Luke had spoken of this before they sat down to talk. They glanced occasionally at one another, and their comments sounded rehearse
d.
Her uncle leaned forward, his forearms resting on the table. He’d rolled up his sleeves and his arms looked like rope to her—aged but muscular from years of working in the fields. He was a simple man. A good man, and it hurt her to see him having to endure this type of interrogation.
“We will gladly return any remaining funds to the general benevolence account.”
“Yes, but what of the money you’ve already spent? It’s paid for your help.” Luke cast a pointed look at Jacob, who had remained silent throughout the meeting. “I would have been happy to have an extra hand—a free hand—on my place.”
“The monies spent to date were done so in good faith and in a time of need.” Levi’s tone brokered no argument. “They will not be returned. I agree with Samuel’s suggestion to return the balance of the funds to our general benevolence account.”
After that they spoke for a few moments about the governor’s task force, but Anna’s attention wandered. She couldn’t believe that what had happened to her—a lovely, beautiful, miraculous thing—had been turned into a discussion about money. She didn’t want to believe that the two men sitting across from her would imply that her uncle may have behaved dishonestly in regard to the donated funds.
She tuned back into the discussion when Levi suggested they close with a silent prayer. When she raised her head, she found Jacob watching her. She could tell by the set of his mouth and the lines between his eyes that the entire meeting had been as painful for him as it had been for her.
“I will get the buggy,” Samuel said as they stood and began gathering their things.
Anna said, “I think I’d rather walk home.” She shook her head when Jacob offered to go with her. “I’d like some time alone, but danki.”
Her mother patted her hand. “All right, dear. Don’t be long. It’s late already.”
She could have cut straight across the field. The roofline to her uncle’s barn was clearly visible even in the waning light. But suddenly she longed to be away from it all—the stares, the comments barely heard, even the guards at the lane. She wanted to walk around the pond and enjoy the fact that she was able to do that very thing, something they had barely talked about.
Anna made her way toward the back of the property, walking through knee-high grass and pausing to study the occasional wildflower. She brushed her dress down with her hands and tried to still her mind, listening intently to the rustle of the summer breeze in the trees. She’d made it to the pond and was sitting on the bank when she heard footsteps. Thinking it was Jacob, she turned.
Before she could scream, before she could even think to call out, a rough hand was clamped over her mouth and she was being pulled back, away from the pond, and into the surrounding woods.
CHAPTER 57
Chloe answered the phone as soon as she recognized the number. After Anna’s accident she had added the phone shack in Cody’s Creek to her list of favorites. She hoped it was Anna calling. She’d missed talking to her the last few days, but the response to her article had been overwhelming. She’d been fielding phone calls and returning emails since the paper had run the piece featuring “Anna’s Healing”—which was what everyone was calling it now. Eric was beside himself with glee, which for some reason only served to irritate her.
She was surprised to receive a call so late in the evening. Until now, her Amish friends had walked to the phone shack during daylight hours.
“Chloe? This is Jacob.”
She instantly understood that all was not well. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Anna. She’s missing.”
“What?” Chloe had been lying on her couch, reading through the email on her tablet. Now she sat up, knocking the device to the floor. “What do you mean missing?”
“She’s gone! She stayed late at the bishop’s, her entire family did, and then she said she wanted to walk home alone. I think the meeting… I think it upset her.”
Chloe checked her clock again. Nine twenty-eight. Not so late.
“Maybe she needed a few hours to herself. I wouldn’t panic.”
“The meeting ended three hours ago. The bishop lives next door to Samuel’s. There is no way she would stay out that long. She would know… she would understand that everyone would worry.”
“Have you looked—”
“Ya. We’ve all looked. Even the governor’s people. They have scoured the place. There’s no sign of where she’s gone.”
Chloe was tugging on her shoes as he spoke. She snatched up her keys and purse and hurried out her apartment door. “I’m leaving now, Jacob. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Chloe had spent the last year becoming reacquainted with the faith of her childhood. She understood, now that she was an adult, that somehow those beliefs and those people had rooted her and helped her grow into the woman she was. She understood that the God they worshipped cared about them on a personal level. Perhaps she had doubted that when her father was ill, but she didn’t any longer.
As she drove toward Cody’s Creek, she petitioned her heavenly Father. She prayed for Anna’s safety. She prayed for the people who were searching for her friend. And she prayed that somehow she would be able to help.
Turning down the two-lane road that led to Samuel’s farm, she was surprised to see so many people camped outside of his property. She’d assumed they went home each evening and returned in the morning. Perhaps some did. But others pitched tents or simply slept in their cars.
Why? What were they expecting to happen? And how long would it take until their attention turned elsewhere?
The cars parked on both sides of the road barely left enough room for passing, and the scarcity of streetlights didn’t help. The last thing she needed was to have a fender bender. She slowed her car to a crawl. When someone tapped on her window, a small scream escaped her. Stomping on the brake, she peered out of her window and could barely make out the camera crew from one of the Tulsa television stations. The population of Tulsa had grown over the last decade, but still most of the reporters knew one another.
“Justin, what are you doing here?”
He looked like a typical cowboy—wranglers, pearl-snap shirt, and either a cowboy hat or baseball cap. Today he wore a cap with his television station’s logo.
“Hey, Chloe. There’s a rumor that Anna is missing. Can you confirm that?”
Chloe stared toward the farmhouse. A glow of light rose above the trees. It looked odd to her, like a beacon in the middle of a group of Amish homes. It reminded her how unnatural all of this was. “I can’t confirm anything. I just got here.”
“Why are you here, though? Why are you visiting so late in the evening?”
Chloe glanced left and right. No one else was close enough to hear their conversation. She’d known Justin for years, and she thought she could trust him. “Look, this is between us. Okay? You cannot report this until someone releases an official statement.”
“Sure. You have my word.”
“I did receive a call that Anna’s missing. No one knows what happened, and I’m worried. She’s my friend. You know? She’s more than a story.”
“I get that.”
“Keep your ear to the ground, and if you hear anything—anything at all—call me.” She reached into her purse to grab a business card with her cell phone number. Finding one, she handed it to him.
Justin accepted the card and tucked it into a pocket. “I’ll work the crowd out here. See if anyone is saying anything new about it. There was some activity at the gate a few hours ago with the governor’s people, so we thought something was up. I’m sorry about your friend. I hope they find her and that she’s okay.”
“Me too, Justin.” Chloe rolled up her window and pulled forward to the makeshift barricade.
The guard there checked her ID and consulted a list on his clipboard. Then he called out, “She’s good. Let her pass.”
Chloe drove toward the house. The area around the home and barn was ablaze with light—much more than t
he gas lanterns Samuel and Erin used. As she approached the place where she usually parked, she saw that the task force had set up emergency lights. She could make out the front porch, where several people were standing in a huddle—including the head of the governor’s task force. Lacretia was speaking with a Cody’s Creek police officer and Anna’s uncle.
Chloe took a moment to text her mom. She briefly explained what had happened and asked her mom to alert the prayer group at their church. She knew she could count on them to be discreet, and she believed that their prayers could make a difference. Something told her they were going to need all of the help they could get.
CHAPTER 58
Anna figured she must be in shock. That was the only thing that could explain the calmness she felt. After all, she’d been abducted. She should have been afraid for her life.
Studying the man beside her, the man driving the old Dodge truck, she didn’t think he looked so dangerous. He seemed more desperate to her, though she supposed that sometimes desperate people could become dangerous.
He caught her staring and glanced over at her. “Won’t be long now.”
He gripped the wheel harder, causing his knuckles to turn white in the glow of the dashboard lights. She guessed him to be about Samuel’s age, possibly in his sixties. He was thin but had a bowling ball belly, and his hair was thin on top. His face and hands were marked with sun spots. Anna thought she could give a good description to the police if she ever had a chance.
The truck smelled of cigarette smoke, but he hadn’t lit up since he’d pulled her away from the pond, through the woods, and forced her into the battered truck. She didn’t know how long they had been driving, but it felt like several hours. Her family must be worried sick.
No doubt they would have contacted Jacob by now and maybe the police as well.
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