Fresh flowers, including some early sunflowers, were set out in five-gallon buckets on rough wooden boards separated by cement blocks to form display shelves. In between the large round flower clusters of some pink hydrangeas, Adam watched the van drive slowly on until it was out of sight. He needed to hurry everyone on to the next vendor so he could keep the van in sight.
The sweet cinnamon aroma of the roasted nuts at the next booth met Adam as he led Katie and Timothy forward. An older man stood behind the high counter made of a couple of two-by-fours, and he nodded at Adam as he walked past, holding out a sample of the nuts. As delicious as they smelled, Adam couldn’t afford distraction. Not when lives were on the line. He murmured a no thanks and continued on.
At a table of tomatoes and cucumbers, he turned to seek Katie’s advice as to which way to go to begin to head back to the hospital parking lot and his Tahoe. “How do we—”
He cut himself off when he saw Katie but not Timothy. His training kicked in to mask his concern, although his heart began a wild thumping beneath his Amish-made blue shirt. Without showing any reaction, he began to scan the many customers walking behind and around them.
“What is the problem?” Katie’s voice was low but controlled.
Without ceasing his visual survey of the crowd, he asked, “Where is Timothy?”
“Timothy?” She spun in a complete circle and then grabbed his arm. “Where is he? Did they get him?” Her breath hitched and when breathing resumed, it was shallow and staccato.
“I don’t know. Would he have left us voluntarily?”
“No. They got him.” Her breath came in short spurts now, and her grip on his arm tightened. “Timothy!” Her voice carried across the crowd, a tinge of panic in it. Several customers turned to look at the loud Amish woman.
“Shh. We can’t draw attention to ourselves, or they will find us and not just Timothy.” He pried her hand off and grasped her upper arm to steer her past the garden produce and into a walkway created by the divide between two booths.
With no idea how to find Timothy in the crush of customers, Adam was determined to get back to his Tahoe and drive to the sheriff’s office. But at the end of the walkway, as they neared the parking lot, a tall, burly, bearded man stepped into their path, blocking their exit.
It was Vic, Timothy’s handler, with a malicious sneer snaking across his face.
THIRTEEN
“Gotcha.” Vic stepped forward, a menacing grin on his red face.
He was not what Adam was expecting at the end of the walkway, and Adam reeled backward, his hand grasping Katie’s arm even more tightly. Katie whimpered, although whether it was from fear of Vic or Adam’s pressure on her arm, he could not tell. There wasn’t time to figure it out either.
Adam quickly double-stepped them both backward, but there were only a few feet before they would run into the crowd of customers.
“He was at the cabin.” Katie’s voice was low as she turned her head toward Adam but didn’t take her eyes off the man.
“That’s right, sister.” Vic grabbed her free arm with his meaty hand and pulled. Katie finally broke her staring contest with Vic to toss a frightened glance at Adam.
“Let her go, Vic.” Adam refused to let loose of Katie.
“Vic? I don’t know anyone by that name.” Maliciousness spread across his face like a rash. “Come on, Super Agent, aren’t you going to fight for her?”
Vic pulled on her arm, nearly tugging her out of Adam’s grasp.
“I have been fighting for her.” Adam nearly growled through his clenched teeth. “You haven’t gotten her yet.”
“Got her now.” Vic pulled again as he gruffed out his commands. “Come with me.” He pulled back his open button-down shirt to reveal a Glock in a holster.
Whoever this guy really was, he wasn’t fooling around with his firepower. Even though Adam still had his piece, he couldn’t reach it without calling attention to it. And then Vic would surely take it away.
Katie relaxed her arm in his grip, staring at him until he looked at her. “Adam.” She appeared as if she had a mighty struggle to remain calm, which would only be human. But her voice was composed and somehow, with just her tone, she had taken command of the situation, or at least of Adam. “I will go. Danki for your protection.”
“Not just you, sister.” Vic nodded in Adam’s direction. “Him, too.”
There was nothing more to argue. Vic had the upper hand, and the best Adam could do was to go along and search for an escape.
With his hand still clamped firmly around Katie’s upper arm, Vic forced them to cross the parking lot with strict orders to look normal. The white cargo van was idling along the curb, with a second thug sitting behind the wheel. The nondescript vehicle truly was unnoticeable in the parking lot full of other cargo vans and trucks, the vehicles of the vendors at the farmer’s market.
With all of the busyness of the market behind them, the parking lot was surprisingly empty of people. Adam’s mind reeled with possible scenarios of escape, but every one of them ended with Katie getting hurt.
Could they make a run for it, hiding behind other vehicles until they got to his Tahoe? But as he scanned the parking lot, it seemed that all of the other vehicles were too far away. They would surely be shot before they could make it ten feet. Besides, Vic still had a hold on Katie’s arm.
Could Adam get his weapon out before Vic could react? But Adam’s weapon was tucked in a holster at the small of his back. With Vic right next to him, the man would surely be able to retrieve his Glock even before Adam could reach his arm around enough to grab his gun.
Could Adam lunge for Vic and acquire his Glock? But the driver was watching their approach from the van, and professional thugs, as Vic seemed to be, didn’t usually travel with only two. There were most likely more standing guard nearby and ready to come to Vic’s aid in an instant.
No, escape was impossible.
As Adam mentally ticked off the scenarios, they arrived at the van.
Vic held out his hand to Adam. “I know the Amish don’t have phones or weapons, but I’m sure you’re packing, Super Agent. Hand over the phone first.”
Vic grabbed it when Adam held it out, threw it on the asphalt and ground the heel of his military-style boot into the screen. Even if Adam could still retrieve the phone, it certainly wouldn’t work now.
“Now the weapon. Slow and careful.”
Adam saw in his peripheral vision that the man behind the wheel held his own Glock low, just below the edge of the open window. He retrieved his weapon from the holster and handed it to Vic. With a sneer, Vic took it and stuffed it into a cargo pocket in his pants.
“All right. In you go.” Vic pushed around to the back of the cargo van, where he pulled open the doors to reveal Katie’s brother. Timothy was handcuffed and guarded by a third thug.
Adam heard Katie suck in her breath at the sight of her brother, but she wisely kept quiet. Talking would come later, and antagonizing Vic would only make things worse for them all.
Katie stepped up into the cargo van, and Adam followed. His chest clenched at the discouraging thought that they were now hostages. Vic pulled out a second pair of handcuffs and fastened Adam and Katie together. Even as the van doors closed, Adam scanned the parking lot, but there was no one nearby they could holler to for help.
Adam helped Katie get comfortable on the floor of the van and then sat next to her, across from Timothy and their guard. Katie stared at Timothy, her façade of strength cracking a little as she gazed at her brother, who was being held captive in his own set of handcuffs. A tear fell slowly down her cheek, and she lifted her free hand to swipe it away.
“Timothy, what happened?” As Adam asked his question, he watched their guard to see if he would stop them from talking. But the man only glared at him.
“A family with little children steppe
d right in front of me, and I got separated from you two. Then I was grabbed from behind. I guess I was not careful enough, and the noise of the market covered my words.” He shrugged, a gesture of resignation and acceptance of what he probably thought was inevitable. “Ach, I am an Amish man. I do not know, like you do, the intricacies of watching out for danger.”
The driver nodded to someone Adam couldn’t see and then pressed his foot down on the accelerator. The van jerked forward, and Adam ended up leaning into Katie. But when he straightened, Katie continued to lean into him, as if seeking solace and comfort.
“You did nothing wrong.” Adam did his best to reassure Timothy. “We’re here also, so I didn’t do so well watching out for danger either.”
Adam was glad they had been able to have a private conversation earlier in the hospital. Would Timothy have been willing, or even allowed, to share all of those necessary details as they rode in the back of the cargo van? It was certainly all information that would be helpful in bringing down this ring of smugglers.
Timothy leaned forward and nodded toward the driver, who was wearing a T-shirt, cargo pants and military-style boots. “That’s Little Joe, my Amish employee.” Timothy’s voice carried a hint of disdain. “When I was forced to switch woodworking suppliers, he came along to make sure I did what I was supposed to with the social security cards and passports that were hidden in the boxes and packages of supplies. He was also the one who supplied the customer names.”
Little Joe glanced in the rearview mirror, with a scowl stretched across his face. “That’s enough talking.” His voice sounded like tires on gravel.
Timothy shrugged again and focused on a spot above Adam’s head. Apparently that was all the information he would get.
The van turned to the right and then sped up along what seemed to be a winding road. Since Adam was in Northern Indiana on assignment and didn’t know the area well, he couldn’t identify many of the roads they might be traveling. Speed and curves and the sound of the tires meant nothing to him. Even if he were allowed to talk to Timothy or Katie, they probably wouldn’t be able to name the streets either. Surely each lane, drive and road felt and sounded different in a buggy than in an automobile. He stared out the front windshield, desperate for some idea of their location. But from his position on the floor of the van, all he could see was blue sky with a few clouds and, every now and then, the top of a tree. That wasn’t any help at all.
He tried to lift his hand to run it through his hair, a habit he had when he was anxious. But a few inches up, the handcuffs bit into his wrist. Katie whimpered, and Adam whispered an apology as he lowered his hand. If he could whittle, that might help him think. But he hadn’t had his pocketknife since he changed into the Amish clothing.
Was an escape possible? He hadn’t been able to come up with a plan before they were forced into the van. Discouragement settled heavily on his shoulders as he looked around the inside of the vehicle, their prison.
Could they buy some time to figure out an escape plan by offering to work for Vic and his minions? Maybe a federal special agent and an Amish woman and man would be helpful in their ring? A bump in the road jostled them about, just enough to shake sense into Adam. Their usefulness would not last long, even if they were accepted into the scheme. Eventually they would be eliminated. And why was he trying to kid himself anyway? He would be completely unwilling to join in any criminal activities, and he knew without a doubt that Katie and Timothy would also be unwilling, no matter what the benefits of the deception might be.
God would protect and provide, and Adam knew that Katie would trust in His sovereignty.
“Are you okay?” He bowed his head to whisper to Katie, praying that he wouldn’t be noticed by the thug at the wheel.
Katie turned to look at him, her eyes wide, her eyebrows raised. It was a look of forlornness, of weariness, and Adam’s heart twisted within his chest at how he had failed her. She simply nodded, but Adam also saw a hope, or at least a peacefulness, that shone through her.
He longed to put his arms about her and absorb that peacefulness. For as long as she would let him.
It made his palms sweat to think of how he had come to care for her in such a short time. Could he imagine a lifetime with her? With every minute that ticked by, the answer became a more resounding yes.
He broke the eye contact and looked out the windshield again. His throat felt thick and he swallowed hard with the thought of his desire of a family to call his own, a wife and children. He had no standing, no authority, to want that. A man in his position, with his training and experience, couldn’t afford a family. A wife and children would only pull him off course. Loving and raising a family wouldn’t make a difference in this evil world anyway.
He may be a failure at his job, as evidenced by his and Katie’s current predicament, but his job was what defined him. It gave him a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It assuaged his grief over his father and brother and the way they had wasted their lives, at least for the moments that he was working.
Changing the world for the better was a good goal, but was his job truly accomplishing that? And if it wasn’t, then what else was he supposed to do?
Thirst pulled at him. He swallowed hard but it didn’t help much. He didn’t have much experience trying to gauge speed while riding in a moving vehicle, especially when he couldn’t see the road and surroundings. But if he had to guess, he would figure they were moving at about forty miles per hour. The stops and starts had ceased, so they didn’t seem to be in town any longer. And the road sounded smooth, like asphalt. But overall, none of that information helped him much.
He glanced back at Katie to see that her eyes were closed and her full lips were moving slightly. Praying again, no doubt. But suddenly that made a lot of sense to Adam. His own resources hadn’t helped in this particular case. The way he was choosing to live his own life hadn’t brought the fulfillment and satisfaction that he had hoped. But Katie’s steady faith in the face of adversity was something he wanted.
It was a faith he needed and a faith that had been ebbing back into his life through the past few days.
Katie, too, was something he needed. He savored the feeling of her arm against him as she leaned into him for comfort and strength. It seemed that every nerve ending on the outside of his arm was acutely aware of her touch. And then a thought struck that forced him upright with the realization of it.
He was falling in love with her.
Katie shifted against him, and he glanced quickly at Timothy across the van, as if the man could read his thoughts about his sister. But Timothy also had his eyes closed as if praying silently. The thug sitting with Timothy made eye contact with Adam, a smirk splayed across his face. Adam quickly looked away, checking the windshield again to see if he could see anything more, but there was nothing new.
What more was there to do but pray? His resources, his strength and his control of the situation were spent. This case had beaten him, and all he had left was God.
He closed his eyes to shut out distraction and began to whisper a prayer. But would the Lord hear him after all his years of trying to live life on his own?
Lord, I need You. With those simple words, a peace Adam had never known seeped through his soul.
* * *
Tears dampened Katie’s cheeks, but she didn’t try to swipe them away this time. The tears, just like her grief, would have to run their course. She glanced at her brother, feeling grateful that he had not left the Amish faith and was now returned to her, but also grieved at all that he had gone through in the past couple of months. Being forced into criminal activity, yet powerless to fight back, must have felt crippling. Jah, the Amish were pacifists. But being forced to disobey the law of God seemed to be an entirely different situation, and one where he had no choice but to comply.
How could Gott have allowed this situation? Her brother was a fine, upstand
ing Amish man, who loved God and obeyed His will.
Another tear fell from her cheek and onto the bodice of her white starched apron. Ach, but how could she question the sovereignty of Gott?
Gott, help my unbelief!
A lull had fallen over their little group, and she used the silence to try to listen to the sound of the road. Could she hear anything that might help her to know where they were going? Jah, she had traveled by bicycle or by horse and buggy over most of the roads in the surrounding countryside, but those modes of transportation only made her feel the bumps and dips even more. Perhaps if she could speed up those bumps and dips, she would have a better chance of determining what road they were on. From her angle, as she sat on the floor of the van, she could tell that evening sunlight was slanting in through the windshield, but she couldn’t get much of a view of the outside.
The driver had not stopped for a while and the speed seemed fairly consistent now, so they were probably on a country road. She had been on the interstate a couple of times, a road where the speed had become absolutely dizzying. So she probably wasn’t a good judge of how fast they were traveling. But it didn’t seem fast enough for the highway. Did that mean they weren’t going too far?
But wasn’t this line of thinking truly a lesson in futility? If she could figure out their destination, what could she possibly do about it? They were guarded by two men who were armed and in control. Surely this was her darkest moment.
She sighed more heavily than she intended, and Adam leaned farther into her, lending her his strength and comfort. At least she wasn’t facing this alone.
If she had decoded Timothy’s message correctly—and that seemed to be a big if—they could possibly be going to the sawmill. But could a criminal mind even be understood, let alone predicted? They could be going anywhere, like someplace where they would be held for a while or where they would be killed. But there was no way she could ask her bruder if she had interpreted his message right. That communication would reveal their knowledge to the thug currently guarding them. And if that thug knew that Katie and Adam and Timothy knew about the meeting, then the criminal gang could be on the lookout for Adam’s team coming. That would ruin all possible chances for survival.
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