Simple Choices (7 page)

Ida also stood to her feet. “Ach, I hope I will be able to sleep tonight due to my exhilaration. Do you believe your grandfather will remember me?”

Ida knew my grandfather was battling Alzheimer’s. “I’m not sure, but it’s his short-term memory that seems to be the most affected. I think it’s very possible he will know exactly who you are.”

“I hope so,” she said, a tinge of sadness in her voice. “How awful for him to be trapped in a mind that does not work the way it should. It is so heartbreaking, ja?”

“Yes it is.” I gave her a quick hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,
liebling
. And remember, we have prayed for Hannah and God has listened. I expect everything to turn out right. You must do so, too, ja?”

I nodded. “Thanks, Ida. I always feel better after speaking to you.”

“That means more to me than you know, my dearest Gracie,” she said softly.

I’d already opened the front door when a thought struck me. “Ida, what if I go by and check on Abigail sometime in the next few days. Would that help?”

“Oh Gracie, I do not know. She does not know you, although I did tell her about you.” She considered my question for several seconds. Finally she said, “Perhaps if you tell her who you are and that I sent you, she will receive you.” She looked at me hopefully. “It would be wonderful if you could make certain she is well. And it would save Zeb and me from that long ride.”

“Even if she refuses to see me, at least we’ll know she’s okay,” I said. “Let me get my folks settled in, and then I’ll drive over there. Don’t worry about her, okay?”

“Ja, ja. Thank you, Gracie. You are such a blessing to me.” Her face crinkled up in an angelic smile.

“And you are a blessing to me.” I waved good-bye and closed the screen door behind me.

After I got home, I spent the rest of the evening adding a few last touches to the house. On the way back from Ida’s, I’d picked some of the wildflowers that grew near the large lake behind my property. I placed the flowers in vases and scattered them throughout the house, making certain the upstairs bedrooms had the loveliest arrangements.

Although I climbed into bed early, I had trouble falling asleep. I kept thinking about seeing my family again. It had been awhile since I’d been to Nebraska, and it was the first time they’d been to Harmony in thirty years. Their departure had been under negative circumstances, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d see the differences now. The tyrannical bishop who once ruled the town with an iron fist had been gone a long time. Abel Mueller’s compassionate leadership helped to change Harmony’s complexion—along with the commitment of its citizens to keep the peace they worked so hard to protect. I felt sure my parents would be pleased to find their hometown’s current condition.

Finally, a little after eleven o’clock I fell asleep. It seemed like only minutes later when I awoke to the sound of pounding coming from downstairs. I struggled to sit up and focus my eyes so I could see the numbers on the clock that sat on the dresser across the room. Five thirty? The insistent knocking continued. Dressed only in a pair of boxers and a T-shirt, I grabbed a robe out of the closet and hurried down the stairs, trying to pat my hair into place. I flipped on the front porch light and swung the door open to find Abel and Emily standing there. The looks on their faces sucked the breath out of my lungs.

“She’s gone, Gracie,” Emily said, tears running down her face. “Hannah’s missing!”

B
y seven thirty, my little kitchen was full to overflowing with people. Sweetie and Sam drove over after my frantic phone call. I’d called Pat Taylor, and as he tried to sort out the situation with Abel and Emily, Sweetie glared at him while Sam stayed busy trying to ignore him.

“So you checked on Hannah around five o’clock this morning?” Pat said. “Isn’t that a little early?”

Emily shook her head. Her large brown eyes reflected her fear. Her prayer covering sat crookedly on her head, and stray brown hairs touched with silver peeked out from underneath it due to a hastily pulled-together bun. “I wake up early every morning. It’s my quiet time with the Lord.” She stared at the bleary-eyed law enforcement officer who clearly hadn’t expected to be rushed out of bed at sunrise. Her eyes spilled over with tears. “I—I just felt as if something wasn’t right. When I opened the door to her room, I could see that her bed was empty.”

Pat frowned. “Was the bed messy? Had it been slept in?”

Emily hesitated for a moment. “No. As a matter of fact, it was made up. I hadn’t thought about it. What does that mean?”

He didn’t answer. Instead his eyes darted around the room, studying each of us carefully. I felt like a bug under a microscope. Everyone but Sweetie met his gaze. “Anything unusual happen lately? Any reason this young woman has to be upset or angry?”

I quickly filled him in on Hannah’s desire to stay in Wichita. “But that couldn’t possibly have anything to do with this,” I said. “For one thing, Hannah adores her parents and would never just leave without a word. She knows how much it would hurt them. And anyway, she has nowhere to go. Jim Monahan, the art teacher in Wichita, would never allow her to stay with him without her parents’ permission.”

“I’m gonna need his contact information,” Pat growled. He put his notepad on the table and scowled at us. “Any other place she might go?”

“Not that I can think of. Well, maybe my friend Allison’s since that’s where we stayed. But she doesn’t even know Allison. There’s really no reason she’d head there.”

“Give me the number anyway,” he said, sighing. “You people really don’t think a girl who didn’t want to come home would run off if she’s forced back? Have any of you actually thought this out?”

“Of course they have,” Sam retorted. “Abel and Emily know their daughter, and they’re frightened. Maybe you should pay attention to what they’re trying to tell you.”

Pat locked eyes with his son. “I’m paying attention,” he said, his tone a little softer, “but Hannah hasn’t been abducted. She’s run away.” He turned his gaze to Abel and Emily. “You said there was no sign of forced entry. Her bed was made. Did you happen to check to see if any of her clothes are missing?”

“Of course not,” Abel snapped. “Our minds were a little occupied. Checking out her wardrobe wasn’t our first concern.”

“Look Pat,” I interjected. “Even if she ran away of her own accord, you still need to find her. She could get into trouble.”

“I agree, and I have every intention of looking for her,” he said. “A girl who’s lived the kind of sheltered life she has shouldn’t be out there on her own.” He stopped and studied Abel and Emily for a moment. “She would be on her own, right? Is there a boyfriend in the picture?”

“Hannah hasn’t run off with a boy,” I said.

“There’s no boyfriend,” Abel agreed.

“Well, actually …” Emily said, looking at her husband.

Abel’s eyebrows knit together as he stared back at his wife. “What are you saying? There’s a boy in her life? Why don’t I know anything about this?”

Emily lifted the skirt of the apron she wore over her dress and wiped her eyes. “The boy isn’t actually in her life, but Hannah told me last week she has a crush on Jonathan Vogler. I doubt he even knows it.”

Pat picked up his notebook again and scribbled in it. “Won’t hurt to check it out.”

“What do you intend to do, Sheriff?” Abel asked, skepticism written clearly on his face.

“I intend to look for your daughter. I’d like to come by your place and inspect her bedroom, if you don’t mind. Any clues I can find as to her frame of mind might help me to locate her.”

Abel stood to his feet and held his wife’s arm as she rose from her chair. “That would be fine. We’ll meet you there.”

“Don’t straighten up,” Pat said, his tone serious. “In fact, don’t touch anything. Just wait for me.”

“Yes, we understand. You have our address?”

“I do. You go on. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Abel—Emily,” I said. “If you need anything …”

“I think you’ve done quite enough,” Emily said angrily. “I’d appreciate it if you’d just stay away from us for a while.” She turned and fled out my front door.

Abel waited until he heard the door slam. “I’m sorry, Gracie,” he said gently. “Emily’s nerves are on edge.” He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Please be patient with us.” He quickly followed his wife out of my house.

I put my head in my hands. Emily’s words played over and over in my mind. I could feel tears on my fingers, but I didn’t care. The loudest voice in my head at that moment was the one that criticized me. Was this really my fault? Sweetie’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“That’s just ridiculous,” she sputtered. “Gracie, don’t you pay her no nevermind. You ain’t done nothin’ wrong. You was tryin’ to help that girl. Don’t you let them bad words get into your head, you hear me?”

I nodded but didn’t say anything. Sweetie’s sentiments echoed Ida’s and Pastor Jensen’s, but I still felt responsible.

After a long silence, Pat said, “Guess I better get going.”

“Wait a minute,” I choked out. I picked up a napkin on the table and wiped my eyes. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Abel and Emily, but what about those other girls who have gone missing? Hannah looks just like them.”

Pat looked at me like my brain had just jumped out of my head and run out of the room.

“An unhappy girl running away has nothing to do with that,” he said. “Besides, no one’s sure those cases are even related.”

Without telling him who said it, I recounted Bill’s information. As I talked, Pat’s eyebrows kept rising higher and higher. When I finished he glared at me. “And just who told you all this?”

“I—I can’t tell you. It was said to us in confidence.”

Sam let out a long breath. “Which actually means you’re not supposed to share it with anyone.”

I waved my hand dismissively at him. “This is important, Sam. Hannah’s life could be at stake. I’m not going to risk her safety just to keep a secret.”

“Except that it may not be correct. Word-of-mouth information isn’t very reliable.”

“I don’t care,” I said sharply. I ignored Sam and focused my attention on Pat. “Look, I have a bad feeling about this. I realize it looks like Hannah’s run away. But things are different in Mennonite families. There’s a bond that is too strong to be broken. Hannah would never just leave. She wouldn’t …” Suddenly, something Hannah said before we left Wichita flashed through my mind.
“Maybe you like hiding out in Harmony, but I don’t intend to spend the rest of my life buried there
.” I gulped and stared at Pat with wide eyes.

“What?” he asked.

“N–nothing. It’s just …”

“You might as well tell us, Grace,” Sam said matter-of-factly. “Honesty is always the best policy.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “And a stitch in time saves nine, but overused clichés aren’t helpful right now.”

“Quit stalling,” he said. “You just remembered something. Did Hannah threaten to run away?”

“No. I mean … maybe.” I stared back at the three pairs of eyes fastened on me. “Look,” I said with a sigh, “she said something in the heat of the moment about not wanting to live in Harmony. But she wasn’t referring to
now
. I’m sure she meant after she graduates.”

Sweetie grunted. “I don’t think you know what she meant.” She shook her head. “Time was Mennie kids wasn’t allowed to go past the eighth grade. Now they’re finishin’ high school and goin’ off to college. Seems to me this girl is pushin’ the line. She should be grateful she’s got folks who support her as much as they do.”

I felt my face flush. “I hardly think you’re an expert on child rearing. In fact, none of you have a clue about what a real family should be. You can’t even solve your own problems. I doubt seriously you can figure out anyone else’s.”

As soon as the words left my mouth I knew they were wrong. Sam’s face flushed, and Sweetie’s expression turned almost toxic.

Pat cleared his throat and stood up. “Look Gracie, I’m going to look for Hannah, and I’ll post a missing person’s report. But that’s all I can do unless I find some compelling evidence that makes me believe something else is going on here besides a simple case of a girl who’s left home because she didn’t get her way.” He picked his hat up from the table. “If you find anything that might send me in a different direction, you let me know. I’m going over to the Muellers’ to look around. I’ll keep you updated. Good-bye.”

His last word was directed at everyone in the room, not just me. But I was the only one who responded. Sam and Sweetie’s attitude toward Pat wasn’t going to help us find Hannah. I waited until I heard the front door close. “I am so tired of this,” I said pointedly to them both. “Can’t you two forget your anger for a while? Hannah should come first now.” I stood up and faced them, my hands on my hips. “You both sit in church every Sunday and hear about the goodness and forgiveness of God. But when it comes to practicing it, you’re pretty pitiful.”

Sweetie rose to her feet. “I’m headin’ home. I got work to do.” She pointed her finger at me. “I know the Word says I gotta forgive that man, and I’m tryin’. But it’s not gonna happen overnight. When I do it, it’s gotta be from my heart. And my heart just ain’t in it yet.” She frowned at me. “Besides, maybe you need to quit bein’ Holy Ghost junior. Sam and I will deal with things in our own way—and in our own time.” She dropped her hand to her side and stomped out of my kitchen.

I stood there with my mouth open. “I—I do not think I’m Holy Ghost junior,” I stammered. “Why in the world …”

Sam came over and put his arms around me, covering my mouth with his before I could get another word out. Finally he took his lips from mine. “Listen,” he said gently, “you’re very passionate about the people you love, and I adore that in you. But sometimes you need to leave things alone and let people work situations out on their own. You’ve told me and Sweetie your opinion about Pat more times than I can count. Now hush and let us deal with it in our own way. Your comment about none of us having a clue about what family means was not only unkind, it was untrue. Sweetie and I understand family better than most people. That might be why we’re so careful to protect it. Until Pat proves himself, we have no intention of opening ourselves up to a relationship that might end up being destructive.”