The Crow’s Call: Amish Greenhouse Mystery Book 1

by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Kristin Billerbeck, Kristy Dykes, Aisha Ford, Birdie L. Etchison, Pamela Griffin, Joyce Livingston, Tamela Hancock Murray

  Belinda left the kitchen and walked down the hall to her bedroom. Upon entering the darkened room, she felt around and clicked on the battery-powered light by her bed. She took a drink of water and set the glass on the nightstand.

  Tomorrow would be a day of goodbyes before Ezekiel and his family headed back to Clymer. She hoped anything Ezekiel had said to Henry while he was here had left an impression and would help in some way. Belinda wanted her youngest boy to have the right priorities.

  She removed her head covering and placed it on the dresser before changing into her nightclothes. Next, she took out her hairpins from her bun, reached for her hairbrush, and brushed out the long, coiled strand. Once that was done, it felt good to climb under the cool sheets after an eventful day. Belinda then clicked off the light and closed her eyes.

  As Belinda lay in bed, she reflected on the conversation she’d had with Ezekiel earlier this evening. It had been hard not to tell her eldest son about the problems they’d had over the last few months. If she’d said anything about the vandalism though, he would surely have decided to make the sacrifice and move back to Strasburg.

  Belinda felt relieved that neither Henry nor his sisters had said anything to Ezekiel either. It was bad enough that her youngest son had told him about Monroe.

  Belinda bunched the pillow in an attempt to find a more comfortable position for her head and neck. Now my son has one more thing to worry about. Hopefully, I put his mind at ease concerning Monroe and his possible intentions toward me.

  Belinda stared into the darkened room and sighed. The house would sure seem quiet after Ezekiel and his family left in the morning. She dreaded saying goodbye but clung to the hope that they would return to Strasburg for Thanksgiving, which was only two and a half months from now. Last year they had stayed in Clymer and entertained Michelle’s brothers, as they had done two years previous to that. Maybe this year Ernie and Jack would have other plans. If that were the case, then Belinda saw no reason Ezekiel, Michelle, and the children could not join them for the holiday meal.

  Would it be selfish to pray for that? Belinda readjusted her pillow. Guess I’d better try and get some sleep. Before I know it, the sun will rise and it’ll be time to start breakfast.

  “Oh, look at the time.” Mom turned away from the clock and frowned.

  Amy could tell her mother felt overwhelmed, what with her brother and his family so close to leaving. Breakfast had been good, and visiting with one another had used up a lot of time.

  Ezekiel sipped on his cup of coffee. “We tried to make sure everything we came here with is going back home with us.”

  “You could leave my grandchildren here, and I wouldn’t mind.” Mom chuckled.

  Ezekiel winked. “One of these days, you’ll get your wish.”

  “You movin’ back?” Henry asked.

  “No, little brother. I meant when the kinner are older and want to spend a week or so here without their parents.” He poked Henry’s arm. “You can put ’em to work helping you with chores.”

  Everyone laughed.

  A few minutes later, Ezekiel’s driver pulled in and honked his horn.

  “Hank’s here,” Michelle announced from where she stood in front of the kitchen window, drying the last of the breakfast dishes.

  “Why don’t you invite him for a cup of kaffi?” Mom suggested.

  “That’s right,” Amy agreed. “It’ll be a few minutes before you’re all ready to go.”

  Ezekiel shook his head. “I can offer, but if I know Hank, he will say that he’d rather wait in the van till we come out.”

  Amy looked at her mother, raising her eyebrows in question.

  Mom merely shrugged and said, “We can send a thermos of coffee with you.”

  “That’s really not necessary. We’ll be stopping along the way, and Hank no doubt had breakfast and coffee before coming here this morning.” Ezekiel stepped over to Michelle. “If you’re fully packed, I’ll start hauling suitcases out to the van.”

  Michelle nodded, and Amy saw tears in her sister-in-law’s eyes. “All I need to do is change the baby’s windel and we’ll be ready to go.”

  A short time later, they were all on the front porch saying tearful goodbyes. Amy especially felt choked up at the moment, as she held little Vernon one last time and kissed his soft cheek. What an adorable baby he was, and the fact that he had been given such a special name made her feel even more emotional.

  “Guess we’d better not keep Hank waiting. If we don’t go out to the van soon, he’ll be honking again.”

  Final hugs were given, and as the van drove out of the yard, Amy, Mom, and Sylvia waved goodbye.

  When Rachel began to cry, Sylvia went into the house with Allen and the baby. Amy and Mom remained on the porch, waving until the van was clear out of sight.

  Tears spilled out of Amy’s eyes and rolled onto her cheeks.

  “It’s okay, Daughter.” Mom patted Amy’s back. “We’ll see them again soon. If not for Thanksgiving then maybe Christmas.”

  Amy sniffed. “I will miss them terribly, but something else is bothering me.”

  Mom motioned to the porch swing. “Why don’t we have a seat over there? You can tell me about it.”

  “Okay.”

  Mom seated herself on the swing, and Amy sat beside her. “Whenever I have an opportunity to spend time with a boppli, I’m reminded that I’ll probably never have any of my own.”

  “Why not, Amy? You’re bound to get married someday.”

  Amy shook her head and wiped her eyes. “I’m still in love with Jared, and he is the only man I’ll ever want to marry, but it’s not meant for us to be together.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “If it was, that horrible accident would never have occurred.”

  Mom took hold of Amy’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ve told you this before, but you haven’t been listening. Just because you’re helping me in the greenhouse doesn’t mean you can’t have a relationship with Jared.”

  “But Mom, courting couples go places together, and I have no time for courting.”

  “You can make the time. I’ve never expected you to be chained to me, the greenhouse, or household chores. Sylvia does most things in the house, and Henry does chores around here too.”

  “I realize that, but—”

  “There are no buts about it, Daughter. Instead of trying to do multiple chores every evening, sometimes you need to go and have a little fun with other unmarried young people—Jared included. Your life should not be only about working, and neither should Jared’s.”

  Amy sighed, leaning her head against the back of the swing. “But it may be too late for us.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I think he and Lydia might be courting, and if they’re not, they probably will be soon. They sat with each other at Lydia’s party and had their heads together most of the evening, talking whenever they could. Besides, I’ve seen them together and heard rumors that …”

  “You won’t know if he cares for Lydia unless you ask. If you find out that they’re not courting, you need to speak up and tell Jared you still care for him and would like to resume your relationship.” Mom spoke in strong sentences.

  Amy’s chin dipped slightly. “I’ll give it some serious thought.”

  Virginia had said goodbye to Earl before he’d left for work but not before she’d complained about their yard again. Although he mowed the lawn once a week, she thought the place needed some sprucing up.

  She’d been sitting out on the front porch looking at all the work that needed to be done. She certainly wasn’t up to it, that was for sure. And with Earl so busy at his job, he’d probably never do much more than mow the lawn. All the bushes needed trimming, the grass should have been edged weeks ago, and a tangle of weeds had taken over most of the flowerbeds. Virginia had pulled some of the weeds, until her lower back began to hurt. Some days she felt worthless, especially when it came to doing strenuous tasks. Virginia�
��s past mistakes had taken a physical toll on her.

  Her thoughts changed course as she watched a passenger van pull out of the driveway across the street and onto the road. She’d seen from a distance a couple of new people she hadn’t noticed before milling around the Kings’ yard for the last few days and wondered if they had company. Maybe some relatives or close friends had come to visit.

  Virginia leaned back in her chair and brushed her long bangs aside. She’d colored her hair yesterday with an auburn shade of henna, but her bangs still needed to be cut. The salon she’d gone to when they lived in Chicago had done a decent job with her hair, but she hadn’t looked for anyplace here yet and wasn’t sure which salon might be best.

  Maybe I can cut my own bangs. Virginia got up and ambled into the house. She stood in front of the hall mirror and made pretend cuts on her bangs with two fingers. Nope, it shouldn’t be too hard at all.

  In the bathroom, Virginia located the pair of scissors Earl used to trim his moustache. Then, picking up her comb, she dampened it under the faucet, pulled the comb through the ends of her bangs, and cut. Virginia liked the bangs shorter and out of her eyes, but now they were crooked. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll just trim away till they’re straight.

  A few minutes ticked by along with more attempts at trying to make them look even. Her bangs were nearly dry, but they’d shrunk too. Virginia was in a panic. “I haven’t had bangs this short since kindergarten! What am I going to do?”

  She put the scissors and comb away and stood staring at herself in the mirror. “Wish I could glue the hair back on, but now, because of my stupidity, I’m stuck with how ridiculous I look. I will never cut my own hair again.”

  Virginia headed to the kitchen and poured herself some coffee. I wonder what Earl will say when he sees my trim job. Sure hope he doesn’t get mad.

  After some serious prayer and Bible reading, Amy decided to approach Jared and see if he might be interested in courting her again. She wasn’t sure yet when she might get the opportunity, but she thought perhaps after they had supper this evening, she might take a ride over to his place.

  In need of some reassurance, Amy went to her sister to share the news. She found Sylvia in her bedroom changing the baby. “I know you’re busy, but I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  Sylvia turned her head in Amy’s direction. “Sure, come on in.”

  Amy entered the bedroom and took a seat on the edge of her sister’s bed. “I’ve decided to talk to Jared and see if there’s a possibility of us getting back together.”

  “Really? I thought you believed that you didn’t have time for courting.”

  “It’s true, but after Mom and I talked, she convinced me otherwise.” Amy shifted her position on the bed. “I’m mostly concerned about whether Jared will want to start over, because I believe he and Lydia have been courting.”

  Sylvia slipped Rachel’s little dress over her curly head. “It hasn’t even been six months since you broke up with Jared. I can’t imagine that he’d move on so quickly or forget about what the two of you had together. And if he were going to court someone else, I doubt it would be your best friend.”

  “So, you think I should go ahead and talk to him about it?”

  “Jah.”

  “Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll talk to him soon.” Feeling a bit more confident, Amy rose from the bed. “Right now though Mom asked me to go out before the greenhouse opens and check for phone messages, so I’d best get to it.”

  As Amy approached the phone shed, she glanced across the street and saw Jared in their neighbor’s yard talking with Virginia’s husband. His horse and buggy was in the driveway, and she noticed that Dandy had been secured to a fencepost. Seeing Jared made her heartbeat quicken. She remembered when the two of them had been seeing each other regularly and how she’d felt every time they were together. Amy had felt a connection with Jared and wanted to have that same bond again.

  I wonder if he went over to the neighbors’ to bid on a roofing job. I suppose he could have stopped by for some other reason.

  Amy was tempted to walk over and talk to Jared but didn’t want to interrupt their conversation. If he was in the middle of conducting business, which she suspected, an interruption would be rude, and he might not appreciate it.

  So instead, Amy tried a different approach. She walked close to one of the shrubs and plucked some dead leaves off then waited a few minutes, hoping Jared might look her way. But he kept his attention focused on the English man.

  This is so frustrating. If he would just glance over here, I could at least offer a friendly wave. Maybe then, once Jared’s business was done, he’d come over and say hello.

  Amy looked up at the crow flying overhead, emitting its irritating cry as it swooped through the air. “Probably after some poor bug,” she mumbled. “Go away.”

  Amy stepped away from the shrub and brushed off her apron where some debris had stuck. She looked across the road again and realized that Jared and Virginia’s husband had disappeared. They’d either gone into the house or around to the back of the home.

  Amy figured it would be best if she went to the phone shed now, before any customers showed up at the greenhouse. It was disappointing not to have at least made eye contact with Jared. Perhaps by the time she came out, he would be finished with his business across the road and there might be another chance to get his attention.

  As Amy approached the shed, she spotted Henry in the yard throwing a stick for his dog. I do hope Henry will eventually get over his anger toward God and become a pleasant young man again.

  She entered the phone shed, and a short time later, holding a slip of paper with a list of messages, Amy stepped out of the building. Much to her dismay, Jared’s horse and buggy were gone.

  I suppose I should stick to my original plan and go over to his place this evening.

  “Are you sure we can afford to get the garage roof redone?” Virginia asked after Earl came inside. “It seems like a waste of money to me.”

  His face tensed. “We can’t afford not to reroof the garage, Virginia. It’s in bad shape, and if we let it go, we’ll probably have more than one leak to deal with.” He pointed a finger at her. “Do you want that?”

  “Of course not. I just thought …” She moved over to stand in front of the hallway mirror.

  “You need to relax and let me do the thinking.” He grabbed the lunch she’d prepared for him that morning. “I’ve got to go now or I’ll be late for work.” Earl paused and kissed her cheek. “I’ll bring a pizza when I come home this evening. How’s that sound?”

  She smiled up at him and played with her tiny bangs. “That’d be nice. It’ll save me from wracking my brain to come up with something to fix for tonight’s supper.”

  “Exactly. And your hair looks fine, dear, so quit worrying so much. Those bangs look kinda cute so short in the front.” Earl gave Virginia a thumbs-up and went out the door.

  “Yeah, right.” She left the mirror, picked up her cup of lukewarm coffee, and poured what was left of it in the sink. That husband of mine always seems to know the right thing to say. And I’m thankful he’s considerate of my needs. Even when I mess up on things here in the house or with myself, he’s kind. Sure hope he stays that way.

  Amy was surprised when Lydia’s mother came into the greenhouse that afternoon. She hadn’t seen Darlene since Lydia’s birthday party, and because she rarely came here for anything, Amy had to wonder what her reason was now.

  Mom had gone into the house to get them more water and a snack, and Henry was busy loading plants into the back of a customer’s van. That left Amy alone for a short while to wait on customers, so she smiled at Darlene and said, “May I help you with something?”

  “I came for a few jars of honey,” the woman replied. “I know where they’re located, and I’ll be back soon to pay for them.”

  Amy waited behind the counter until Darlene came up with the items she wanted. “How’s your quilt
ing business going?” she asked, wanting to be polite.

  “It’s doing well. We’ve had a lot of orders lately.” Darlene fingered the jars of honey, sliding her thumb around the rim as though inspecting them. “Lydia’s a big help to me. I’m hoping she’ll keep quilting after she and Jared are married.”

  Amy’s whole body felt numb. She breathed deeply through her nose, hoping she wouldn’t faint. “I—I had no idea Jared had asked Lydia to marry him. She’s made no mention of it to me.”

  “No, she wouldn’t have. I only heard my daughter talking about it yesterday when her friend Nadine dropped by to pick up a quilted table runner for her mother.”

  Amy hardly knew what to say. She was aware that Lydia and Jared had been seen together, and the rumors going around all pointed to the fact that they might be courting. But Amy had no idea their relationship had progressed that quickly to a marriage proposal.

  Her jaw clenched, despite her best efforts to appear relaxed. For goodness’ sakes … it hasn’t even been six months since I broke things off with Jared. He sure managed to forget about me quickly. I should never have believed him when he said he loved me. No man who supposedly loves a woman should move on to another so quickly. Guess it’s a good thing I found out what he’s really like now.

  “Ah-hem!” Darlene cleared her throat. “Did you hear my question?”

  Amy blinked a couple of times as her mind came back into focus. “Sorry. What was it you asked me about?”

  “I wanted to know if you’ll be closing the greenhouse for the season early this year.”

  “No, we’ll be open through the week after Thanksgiving, as usual. We’ll want to make our poinsettias available to customers who like to buy them before Christmas.”

  “I see. Well, I may come back sometime between now and then. I might buy some more honey or a plant to give my sister as a Christmas present this year.”

  Amy nodded, still reeling from the news that the man she loved would be marrying her best friend. She was tempted to ask if the wedding date had been set, but in all honesty, she didn’t want to know.