The Amish Witness

Thomas nodded. “Many things have passed between us, Elizabeth, and many years. But not so many that we can’t consider each other a friend.”

Did her smile dim when he called her a friend? Was it possible she harbored deeper feelings, too? No. His mind played games with his hopes. If she’d cared for him as he’d cared for her, she would never have left.

She twisted her hands in her lap and gazed off in the distance.

“Elizabeth?”

She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop thinking about the note.”

“The note is keeping you safe,” Mary said. “It’s giving you time to find out what this mystery item is. There is nothing to worry about. Gott will protect us.”

“Mary’s right,” Thomas said. “I’d say the man got what he wanted for now. He frightened you. He put you on edge. He has you looking over your shoulder at every shadow and jumping at every sound.”

Thomas clicked the reins and the horse broke into a trot as their buggy turned onto the dirt path leading to the house.

“This will be over soon, Elizabeth,” Thomas assured her. “The first thing we need to do is search the box.” He pulled the buggy in front of the porch and helped both women down. Mary climbed the steps to the house, while Elizabeth almost ran toward the barn.

Thomas tied the reins to the porch railing then walked toward the barn, where Elizabeth had disappeared only moments before. Could the words he’d offered her for comfort turn out true? Would it be that easy? Give the man what he wants and he’ll leave them alone? What could be so important it was worth killing an innocent woman to get? His curiosity grew with each step as he neared the barn.

Mary cried out. “Thomas. Elizabeth. Kumm quickly.”

Thomas spun back toward the house and ran. He burst inside. The older woman was pressed against the wall, her knees nearly buckling.

“Mary?”

“Mamm?” Elizabeth whooshed through the doorway and came up short behind him. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Mary lifted a trembling hand and pointed.

“Oh, no!” Elizabeth whispered as both of them looked in the direction Mary had indicated.

The house had been ransacked. The cushions of the sofa and chairs had been gutted with something sharp and stuffing covered every surface. The end tables were overturned, some broken.

The destruction spilled into the kitchen. Every cabinet door hung open. Every drawer was pulled out and emptied. Silverware and cooking utensils had been carelessly tossed across the linoleum. Canisters of flour and sugar were emptied onto the floor. Pots and pans had been thrown haphazardly into the messy concoction.

Every nook and cranny had been searched, every chance to destroy something had been taken.

“He was here,” Mary whispered. “That evil man was in our home.”

Elizabeth rushed to her mother’s side and wrapped her arms around her. “It’s okay, Mamm. We’re okay. We aren’t hurt. This is just stuff. We can fix stuff, right?”

Mary nodded, a stunned expression still deeply etched on her face.

Although Thomas knew Elizabeth was doing her best to comfort her mother and ease her fears, she couldn’t hide the tremor in her own voice from him. He knew her too well. She was terrified.

Both women looked at the destruction surrounding them and remained speechless.

Suddenly Mary headed toward the stairs. “He must have gone upstairs, too.”

Thomas stopped her before she could reach the bottom step. “I will kumm back and take care of whatever damage was done. Right now we have to leave.”

“Leave?” Elizabeth threw him a questioning glance. “Where will we go?”

“Home. With me.” Thomas shot Elizabeth a look that let her know he would not take no for an answer. “But not before we retrieve that box and take it with us. It’s time to see what is so important inside.”

FOUR (#u885f5f77-bf10-524b-8be4-42401bc115ef)

Elizabeth couldn’t stop tapping her toe or fumbling with her fingers in her lap. The steady sound of the horse’s hooves clomping up the lane did little to calm her frayed nerves.

“It will be all right, Elizabeth.” Thomas smiled and she assumed he was trying to reassure her. “That man does not know where you are going. You and Mary will be safe with me.”

If he only knew. The stranger wasn’t what made her pulse race and her body tremble with nervous energy. It was seeing his family home, meeting his children. Witnessing a life she’d always wanted but couldn’t allow herself to hope for.

“I’m not afraid, Thomas. I know you will do your best to protect us.”

The buggy turned onto a dirt lane between two white picket fences and her heart stuttered. She could see a two-story white clapboard house in the distance, with a large front porch. Two adults sat in rocking chairs watching a young boy run around the yard. She saw all of them turn their way as the buggy approached.

“Whoa.” Thomas stopped the buggy at the edge of the porch, then leaped out and reached up a hand to help Mary down from the back seat.

Elizabeth stepped down and came around the buggy just in time to see a towheaded boy barrel across the yard and fling himself at Thomas.

“Daed—Daed, kumm here. Hurry. I found a little cat hiding in the barn. Can I keep him? Kumm see.” The boy tugged on his father’s hand.

“Benjamin, mind your manners. We have company.” He tousled his son’s hair. “Say hello. We can go to look at the cat in a little while.”

The boy peered around his father and seemed surprised to see Elizabeth. His enthusiasm for the cat was tempered and he peered at her with the cutest look of curiosity on his face.

“Who are you?” He let go of his daed’s hand and came closer to her. “I don’t know you. Where did you come from?”

“Benjamin. Manners.” His father’s warning tone caused the boy to lower his eyes and stop talking.

“It’s okay,” Elizabeth assured Thomas. She squatted down to be eye level with the child. When he looked into her face, her heart seized. He was the spitting image of his father. “Hello, Benjamin. My name is Elizabeth. I am Mary’s daughter and I am a friend of your daed’s.”

The boy’s eyes grew wide. He glanced at Mary and then back to her. “I didn’t know Miss Mary could have old kinners. I thought all kinners were little like me.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Little kinners grow up. You will, too, someday.” She offered him her hand. She grinned as he placed his little fingers in her grasp and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Benjamin.”

He took back his hand. “Do you like cats?”

Elizabeth stood and smiled down at the boy. “I do like cats. When I was little like you, my daed let me keep a whole family of kittens in our barn. When they grew up to be adult cats they earned their keep by keeping the field mice away from the barn.”

Benjamin grinned and grabbed her hand. “Kumm with me. There’s a cat in our barn. I’ll show you.”

“Benjamin, what did I say?” Thomas placed his hands on his son’s shoulders. “There will be time for that later, sohn. Miss Mary and Miss Elizabeth have things to do right now. You go play in the barn with your cat. We will join you soon.”

Benjamin didn’t need any extra urging. He was off in a flash, running across the yard toward the barn.

“He’s adorable.” Elizabeth smiled at Thomas and the look of pride in his eyes made her heart swell.