Joshua came to stand beside him. “Do you want help making the coffin?”
“I’m almost finished with it and I’d rather do that myself.” He’d never imagined making one for his sister.
“I understand. Thomas, William and I will start digging the grave.”
“You have my thanks for that.” It would be a hard job with much of the ground still frozen.
“No thanks are needed. It is our way to take care of our own.”
The men left, and Owen went to check on Grace. He found her sitting in the rocking chair beside the bed looking lonely.
“Come down and eat something, liebchen.”
“Okay.” Her voice was small and sad.
He took her hand and they walked downstairs together into the kitchen, where a heaping plate of cinnamon rolls sat waiting for them on the table.
“Do you want to talk about the things I told you yesterday?” he asked gently.
“Nee.” She took a roll, slowly pulled it apart and nibbled at it.
“I have to go feed the animals. Do you want to come with me?”
“Nee.”
He hesitated to leave her, but the chores had to be done. He opened the front door, and Meeka pushed her way in. She went straight to Grace and laid her huge head in the child’s lap. Grace threw her arms around the dog and laid her cheek against Meeka’s soft fur.
“My mamm died,” she whispered. “It’s okay if we are sad.”
Owen went out with a lump in his throat, but he was glad she had someone to talk to.
* * *
RUTH USED ONE of the dresses she had recently made for Grace as a pattern to cut out the black material. She had enough fabric left over from her own funeral dress to piece one together.
The women worked quietly. Grief was a private thing among the Amish. Ruth knew that Owen and Grace would be visited by members of the church soon, and again on Sundays for many weeks to come. She was almost finished with the dress when Grace crept into the room. She scooted her chair away from the sewing machine and held her arms out to the child. Grace climbed into her lap. The other two women rose and left the room.
Grace touched the fabric. “This is for me?”
“It is. Can I have you try it on?”
“I don’t like the color. I like blue better. Did you make it black because I get dirty too often?”
“Nee. I made it black because that is the color of sadness and mourning among our people.”
Abigail poked her head in. “I put the dog out. I hope that’s okay.”
Ruth nodded, and Abigail left.
Grace said, “I told Meeka that my mamm has gone to heaven to be with Gott and her family. Owen says he’s my uncle now. Is that true?”
“It is. Owen would never lie to you. Your mother was his sister, but they were separated long ago when they were children. That’s why we didn’t know you were related to him.”
“Can I go to heaven to be with Mamm? I miss her.”
“Gott will call you to heaven when He knows your time on earth is over. You will not know when that day is coming, but never fear it. We will rejoice, for your mother is safe and happy now. She has no more pain.”
“She’s safe? Heaven is a safe place?” she asked hopefully.
“It is a wonderful safe place. Do you know why your mother wanted you to hide?”
“Because of a very bad man. She was scared he would take me away.”
“Do you know the name of the bad man?”
“I’m supposed to tell you I can’t say, but I saw him once. The night we left in the car.”
“If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. We must forgive the bad man for making your mother afraid. Always we must put forgiveness first.” Ruth realized she was being something of a hypocrite. She hadn’t put Owen’s forgiveness first. She believed he had to earn it and that was wrong.
“How can I forgive him if I never met him?”
“Well, we will just say that we forgive the bad man and we pray that he will become a good man with Gott’s help. No man is all bad. He had a mother. Once upon a time he was a baby and then a little boy. The Lord puts goodness in us all when we are made. We may choose or reject that goodness, but salvation is waiting for anyone who seeks it.”
“I forgive the bad man,” Grace said solemnly.
Ruth knew the child was too young to fully understand what she was saying but it would become the building block of her faith as she grew older. “Goot. Now, we should have you try on this dress.”
* * *
AFTER THE MEN and women who had come to help had gone home, Ruth gave Grace her supper, read her several stories from the Bible and then put her to bed. From the kitchen window she had seen the lights on in Faron’s workshop. She poured coffee into a large mug, took a plate of baked chicken and went out to see Owen.
He was using a plane to smooth the sides of the coffin. He set down his tool. “Is it suppertime already?”
“Long past.”
“I should get Grace and take her home. I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“Perhaps it would be best to leave her here again tonight. You are welcome to stay, as well.”
He nodded. “I would like to finish this. I can use the cot in the room at the back of the barn. That way I won’t disturb you when I come in.”
“As you wish.”
He rubbed a hand across his brow. “How is Grace?”
“Sad, lonely, confused. She was able to tell me that her mother taught her to hide from the bad man who wanted to take her away from her mother.” She handed him the mug of coffee.
He stared into the dark depths. “Did she know his name?”
“I don’t think she does. She said she’d never met him but if anyone asked she was to tell them that she couldn’t say.”
“What a tangled life my sister seems to have led. I wish I’d found her sooner. I wish I could’ve done more to help her. Anything would’ve been better than the way it turned out.” He put the coffee aside without tasting it.
“You did more than many people would have done. You searched for her tirelessly until you found her. How could you have done more than that?”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t punish myself for things out of my control.”
“You have Grace now. Your sister left you a wonderful gift.”
“I promised Grace I would take her home when I find out where my sister was living.” He picked up the plane and began working. Ruth knew he was done talking. He had a huge responsibility that he was grappling with as well as grief. She wanted to help but she knew Grace’s future was something he had to figure out by himself.
“You will make the right decisions, Owen. Don’t be afraid. What a child needs most is love.”
She spared a moment to admit she was suffering, too. Owen would be leaving again, and he would take Grace with him. She turned away before he saw the sorrow in her eyes.
* * *
GRACE WAS SUBDUED the following morning. She barely touched her breakfast. She sat with her hands folded on the table. Suddenly she looked at Owen. “Am I going to stay with you for always?”
“I’m not sure, Grace. We must see if you have other family members. We have to try to find your father. Do you know who he is?”
Grace shook her head. “Mamm told me he was gone before I was born.”
“Maybe we can find a grandmother or grandfather. Would you like that?”
“Maybe. Can we stay with Ruth until you find my home? I haven’t learned to drive Polkadot yet.”
He smiled. “We’re going to stay at Onkel Ernest’s farm for a while until the sheriff finds out where your home is, but we will come over to see Ruth every day. And Polkadot.” It suddenly occurred to him that Ernest and Faron would most likely be returning for the funeral and he wouldn’t be needed anymore. It was
a sobering thought.
Ruth looked at him over the edge of her coffee mug. “Are you going in to see the sheriff alone?”
“Joshua King is coming with me.”
“He may be able to explain things in a way you can understand.”
“I trust he will help all he can. If I can’t return—”
Ruth stopped him by holding up her hand. “We will not consider such a thing. Don’t worry. I know what to do.”
“Danki.”
Owen drove Ernest’s tractor over to Joshua’s farm. Together they drove the twenty miles into the county seat, where the sheriff’s office was located beside the local police station.
“One bit of advice,” Joshua said as they paused outside the door to Sheriff McIntyre’s office.
“What is it?”
“Don’t let your feelings of guilt do the speaking. Only answer the questions they ask you.”
Owen pushed open the door. The sheriff was conferring with a man in a dark suit. He looked up and saw Owen. He broke into a smile when he caught sight of Joshua.
“Don’t tell me you are involved in this case, Joshua.”
“Nope. I’m here for moral support.”
The sheriff gestured to the man beside him. “This is Agent Robert Morgan with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. They are helping with the case. Agent Morgan, this is Owen Mast and Joshua King, both members of our Amish community.”
Agent Morgan extended his hand. “Please accept my condolences on the loss of your sister.”
Owen began to feel better about being under such scrutiny. “I thank you for that. Sheriff McIntyre suggested that I killed my sister.”
The sheriff managed an embarrassed smile. “Sometimes we say things to see how people will react. Not necessarily because we believe what we are saying or because it’s true. Officers of the law are allowed to lie to get information.”
“That may explain why there are no Amish policemen,” Joshua said.
McIntyre indicated two chairs. “You are no longer a suspect, Owen. You have a solid alibi. Please have a seat and I will tell you what we know so far.”
Owen and Joshua sat down. The sheriff sat behind the desk but the KBI agent remained standing by the window. “Our medical examiner has finished a preliminary investigation. Your sister died from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. We were able to recover the bullet and it is a forty caliber. A semiautomatic pistol is most likely the weapon we are looking for. I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, but your sister did not die instantly. The bullet went through the car door and into her. It didn’t come out. She bled to death in the car.”
Owen closed his eyes to squeeze back the tears. “Did she suffer much?”
The sheriff’s eyes filled with sympathy. “It is very likely that she did. It would’ve taken several hours for her to pass out from loss of blood.”
Owen knew he would never forget those words. His fingers clenched into fists. He knew forgiveness should come first before anger. He prayed that God would remove the anger from his soul.
Agent Morgan crossed one foot over the other as he leaned against the windowsill. “It’s possible she could have driven the car for an hour or two, maybe more. We have video from a traffic camera in Ottawa, Kansas, that shows her running a red light at 1:31 in the afternoon. There’s no way you could have gotten to Ruth’s place ahead of your sister.”
“Why didn’t she stop and get help?” Owen knew he might never have that answer.
“We haven’t figured that part out yet,” Agent Morgan said. “We think we have located Grace’s birth certificate. The age is right. The father is listed as unknown. The mother’s name is listed as Rebecca Stoltzfus. I understand you believe your sister voluntarily moved frequently. That might indicate she was afraid of being found by someone.”
“I searched for her for many years. When I finally found her, she seemed afraid of me and did not remember that I was her brother. She was only three when we were separated. When I went back to see her the next day, she had packed up and left.”
The sheriff and agent looked at each other. “That fits with our theory that she was on the run,” Morgan said. “Now all we have to figure out is where she came from and where she was shot. Given the timeline the medical examiner estimated, I think we have about a two-hundred-and-fifty-mile radius to narrow down. That’s a lot of countryside to cover.”
Joshua turned to the sheriff. “Owen’s sister was dressed in Amish clothes, as was Grace. You should start looking in Amish settlements.”
“Grace told me they lived on her grandmother’s farm. If her father is listed as unknown that might mean my aunt Thelma Stoltzfus was the farm owner before she passed away five years ago.”
Agent Morgan rose and went to a map on the wall. He made a quick circle around Cedar Grove with a pencil. He looked over his shoulder at Owen. “We will find who did this and bring him to justice.”
Owen shook hands with the sheriff and left. He wasn’t paying attention when he walked out into the bright sunlight. There were several people standing on the lawn nearby. They rushed toward him. “Are you the Amish man who discovered the lost child?”
“What is your connection to the woman found murdered?”
“Sir, can you give us a statement?”
He took off his hat and held it in front of his face as they pointed cameras at him. “I can’t answer your question. Leave me be.”
“Where is the child? Is this some kind of Amish cover-up?” a woman shouted.
CHAPTER TWENTY
OWEN TOOK A longer route back to Joshua’s place but there were still two cars of reporters following him when he turned off the county road onto Joshua’s lane. The road dipped down over a low water bridge and then climbed steeply to end at Joshua and Laura Beth’s farm.
Laura Beth and Sarah came out of the house but stayed on the porch. Joshua got down from the tractor. “Don’t worry, Owen. I know how to speak to them.”
Owen stayed where he was. Joshua approached the two cars where both drivers were quickly getting out. One held a microphone, the other a video camera. Joshua held up one hand. “No pictures, please. My friend’s grief is private. We kindly ask that you leave us in peace.”
“This is an unusual human-interest story. We’re just trying to find out the truth,” the woman with a microphone said.
“I will be happy to grant you an interview for... let’s say one hundred thousand dollars.”
She almost dropped her microphone and juggled it a moment. “A hundred thousand dollars! Are you kidding? I didn’t know the Amish were so greedy.”
“It’s not greedy to ask. It’s only greedy to accept. I have requested that you leave my property. Please do so or I will summon the sheriff.”
“I can’t see how. The Amish don’t use phones,” the man with the recorder quipped.
Sarah sashayed off the porch to stand beside Joshua. She pulled a cell phone from her apron pocket. “Unbaptized members of the community don’t have to abide by church rules during our rumspringa. Sheriff Marty McIntyre is a friend of ours. I have his personal cell phone number if you wanna discuss trespassing laws with him?”
The reporters exchanged looks and returned to their cars.
Owen got down off the tractor. “I couldn’t believe my ears, Joshua. Why would you ask for money?”
“To give them pause for thought. Because the Amish are gentle, simple people, some outsiders think we aren’t smart. I would not do an interview for any amount. If they trouble you, let Sheriff McIntyre know. Marty will see that they leave you alone.” Joshua exchanged a high five with Sarah. “Way to go, sis.”
Laura Beth approached the grinning pair with a stern face. “Sarah, where is your daymoot?”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “I knew you were going to say that. I will practice humility in the future. I beg y
our forgiveness for my bold behavior.”
“You have my forgiveness.” Laura Beth leaned back and crossed her arms. “It was very quick thinking, but I don’t want to see anything like that from you again.”
Owen watched the cars turn around and go down the lane, across the bridge and up the road on the other side. “Do you think they are waiting at the county road to follow me?”
“I wouldn’t put it past them. Now, if you want to go home and not be followed there is a cow path that goes across the stumbling blocks. Your tractor could make it. A car couldn’t. You can see where it starts just beyond the end of the stone wall. You’ll end up at the Troyer farm.”
“Danki, I appreciate all your help today.”
“It was nothing. Sometimes I think about my old life and I miss things like television and rock ’n’ roll music. Today was just a reminder that I am glad not to be a part of that world anymore. There are many, many good people of all faiths in the world. Some I call my friends, but a few believe that goodness is weakness and they try to take advantage of that. We will see which group those two reporters fall into.”
Owen started his tractor again, waved at Joshua and followed the stone wall to the path his friend had indicated. It was a rough trip. At one point he feared he would become stuck in a muddy gully. The hillsides were steep and strewn with boulders, but he made it out the other side without tipping over. The Troyer twins were busy cleaning out the barn when they heard him coming and ran to greet him.
“Wow. Did you come all the way across the stumbling blocks? You’ve got mud everywhere,” one twin said.
Owen smiled at him. “I did. Which one are you?”
“I’m Andy, and he’s Peter.” He pointed to his brother. “Daed is in his shop if you want to talk to him.”
“I do. Danki. As for crossing the stumbling blocks on tractor, I don’t recommend it.”
He drove on to the steel building where Thomas had his engine repair shop. The large front door was open. Thomas came out, wiping his hands on a red rag. “Did you just come from that way?” He pointed toward the pasture.
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