Echo Of Danger

Benjamin grinned. He wasn’t too fluent in English yet, but the two of them chattered together in a scrambled mixture of English and Pennsylvania Dutch. “Me and Mamm brought whoopie pies.”

“Wow!” Obviously that was far more important than the hospital stay. “Can we have one now, Mommy? Can we?”

Deidre glanced at Judith and got a smile and a nod in response.

“Okay, you two. One each. Kevin, don’t run.”

Heedless, the two boys raced to the kitchen. Judith chuckled. “I wonder how many times you’ll say that in the next few days.”

“I might as well save my breath, but I have to try. The doctor said to keep him quiet.”

“Does the doctor have a five-year-old boy?” Judith asked innocently. “Might as well try to stop the wind from blowing.”

“True.” Dropping the bags, she gave Judith a hug. “Thanks for the treat. Maybe we’d better see if there’s any milk for them before they choke on mouthfuls of chocolate.”

“No need. I already poured it. And made sure you have what you need in the refrigerator. I knew you wouldn’t want to run to the store first thing. Your cousin Anna dropped off chicken potpie for your supper, so all you have to do is heat it up.”

Deidre had a ridiculous urge to cry. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Everyone has been so kind, coming to sit with Kev, cleaning the house, running errands...”

“Everyone wants to help.” Judith hesitated, and her serene oval face actually looked troubled. “That makes me think of something I must tell you.”

“Something bad?” She was instantly apprehensive.

Judith considered. “Maybe not. It bothered me, is all. The other day when I came over I found somebody here. That Mr. Glassman. He said you’d asked him to pick up some things for Kevin.”

Deidre’s tension slid away. “Actually he offered, but it was really helpful. Kevin was just about bouncing out of the bed, and I needed something to entertain him. It’s okay that he was here. I had lent him my key.”

“Ja, that’s what he said. But I found him upstairs in your bedroom.”

“In my room?” Odd, but she could easily see reasons why that would be. “Maybe he was just trying to find the things on the list. And he hadn’t ever been upstairs before.”

“Maybe.” Judith didn’t sound convinced. “But I’d think he’d have seen that Kevin’s toys were in his room, not yours.” She hesitated a moment. “He is a stranger.”

He was. She kept forgetting that. Natural enough, since he’d been with her through one of the most traumatic experiences of her life. But how much did she know about him?

“You’re right to tell me. Thank you, Judith. Denke.” She used the Pennsylvania Dutch word for thanks automatically.

“What will you do?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll have to decide soon.” She glanced at her watch. “He’s coming over so he can be here when Chief Carmichaels talks to Kevin this afternoon.”

“Ach, that man and his questions.” Judith looked exasperated. “He even talked to Benjamin, and what could Benjy tell him? Benjamin was in bed and asleep, and he hadn’t even seen Kevin since the morning.”

“I guess if they didn’t ask questions, they wouldn’t be able to find out what happened.” She tried to be fair, although her sympathies were with Judith. She glanced at the boys, sitting at the kitchen table and chattering around mouthfuls of chocolate and cream filling. “But I hope it doesn’t upset Kevin to have them asking him about that night. Maybe it’s wrong of me, but I hope he never does remember.”

They stood for a moment, watching their sons. Even though their lives were different in so many ways, she and Judith valued the same things: home, family, tradition. Judith would say that she was content in the place God had put her. It was a good place, despite what had happened to Dixie.

“We should go, since you’re expecting people.” She swept into the kitchen. “Ach, look at the two of you. Such dirty faces. Let’s get clean, and then Benjamin and I must get home.” She smiled at the expected outcry. “Benjamin can visit tomorrow, if your mamm says it’s okay.”

While Judith supervised the cleanup, Deidre put the milk away, noting that the refrigerator was filled with dishes she hadn’t put there. Obviously the neighbors were intent on seeing they didn’t go hungry.

By the time the front doorbell rang, Judith and Benjamin had already gone out the back. “Somebody’s here!” Kevin started to run to the door, but Deidre was close enough to grab him.

“You’re not supposed to run, remember? Just for a few days.”

Kevin nodded. “I know. But it’s hard to remember.”

“Try,” she said. “Okay, let’s answer the door.”

Jason had arrived before Chief Carmichaels was due, as they’d arranged. At first the judge had insisted that he be personally present for this interview, and he hadn’t taken kindly to her obvious negative reaction. Imagining the tension that could so easily develop any time her father-in-law was present, she’d been relieved when he’d given in to Jason’s reminder that he was representing her and Kevin. It had been hard enough running interference between the judge and the doctors, let alone trying to referee between him and the chief.

Jason came in, giving Kevin a friendly smile. “So, you’re home at last. Bet it feels good.”

Kevin nodded, instantly at ease. After a couple of visits with Jason at the hospital, Kevin had decided, apparently for reasons that made sense to a five-year-old, that Jason was an okay guy. “The hospital wasn’t bad. But being home is better.”

“Right.” He sent a questioning glance to Deidre. “Did you tell him about Chief Carmichaels yet?”

“No, I was just about to.” She reminded herself that she ought to ask him about what Judith had said. But not now. She touched Kevin’s shoulder. “Kev, Chief Carmichaels is coming over in a few minutes. He wants to ask you about your accident.”

“You mean when I fell out of the tree?”

Obviously she should have cleared that up for him before this, but she’d wanted to let him hold on to his comfortable story for as long as possible.

“You didn’t fall out of the tree, sweetie. It was later when you fell. During the evening. You fell down the stairs.”

His small face crinkled, and he shook his head. “But the tree...”

“You’ve forgotten some things from that day. That happens sometimes when a person gets a bad bump on the head.”

Kevin seemed to digest that. “Okay. I remember Chief Carmichaels from when he came to kindergarten to talk to us about safety. He let me wear his hat. Remember, Mommy?”

“Yes, I remember.” Kevin had been so proud, standing there in the cap that was way too big for him.

“But why does he want to know about me falling?”

“Well...” How did she explain that without getting into the thing she didn’t want to say?

Jason squatted down to Kevin’s level. “See, Kev, it’s this way. Sometimes the police look into accidents to see what caused them. Like if anyone was to blame.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “Okay.”

Jason rose, opening the attaché case he’d carried in with him. “I hear you like trains, and I thought maybe you’d like this one.” He held out a new locomotive for Kevin’s train set.

“Wow.” Kevin’s eyes widened. “Wow. It’s for me?”

“For you. In honor of coming home from the hospital.” Jason grinned. “Think it’ll work?”

“It’s great.” Seizing the train, he raced for the stairs. “I have to put it on the track.”