“And you didn’t ask?”
“Rachel—”
“I know. I understand,” she said, feeling bad for having pushed him. She knew the police followed procedures and there was, undoubtedly, a procedure as to how information on a case this new was disclosed. Because of the Amish belief that a body needed to go into the ground as soon as possible, preferably without embalming it, the case had already been rushed. Now that they suspected foul play, it made sense that they would take their time.
“Look, Rachel,” Evan said, not seeming to be annoyed with her. “The real investigation is just starting now. Even if the victim died at the hands of another person, it could have been accidental. It’s too early to make the determination that he was murdered.”
“But Sharpe said Daniel was murdered.”
Evan motioned with one hand. “Just give us a few days. Okay? We’ll find out what happened.”
She hesitated. “Okay.” He looked as though he needed a hug, but this wasn’t the time or the place. “Will I see you after you get off work?”
“I’ll call you,” he promised. “It all depends on what happens on the road.” He flashed her a genuine smile. “Love you, babe.”
“Me, too,” she answered. “Be safe out there among the Englishers.” She blew him a kiss and dashed back toward the warmth of the house, her head full of unanswered questions.
* * *
“You’re sure you don’t mind staying long enough to handle the check-ins this afternoon?” Rachel asked her neighbor, Hulda Schenfeld. “I don’t want to put you out.”
Hulda glanced up from the computer screen. She was settled into a leather office chair, her sheepskin-lined boots resting on a footstool. Her white leather jacket with the silver trim and her designer jeans would have been perfect for a skiing weekend at some resort, but Hulda, in her nineties, was long past such strenuous sports. “Sorry, dear,” the elderly woman said. “I was checking out Coach purses. Christmas isn’t too far off, you know.” She tapped one hearing aid. “Say again.”
Rachel repeated her question. Hulda filled in for her or Mary Aaron in the office several half-days a week. Hulda was a whiz on the computer, and she was perfectly capable of handling any routine guest reservation, check-in, or checkout. And if anything went wrong, she had no trouble solving the issue.
“It’s just that I don’t know how long the fitting will take,” Rachel explained. “It’s in State College, that little bridal shop off Main. I think the street is Redwood, Red something.”
“Redwick,” Hulda corrected. She removed her round wire computer glasses, put on her regular glasses, and regarded her with bright, intelligent eyes. “What time is your fitting? You don’t want to be late. You’ve already missed how many? Three fittings.”
“Two,” Rachel argued. “Only two. That time you fell—”
“Could have taken myself for the X-ray.”
“You could not have,” Rachel countered. “And the other time I missed it when that pipe broke.”
“Your final fitting,” Hulda mused. “I know the gown will be lovely. You’ve kept that nice boy waiting far too long. If you’d married him the first time you agreed to, you might have a baby in the stroller by now. You’re not getting any younger, Rachel.”
Rachel chuckled. “Thanks for reminding me.”
Hulda patted Rachel’s hand. “Don’t take it as an insult, dear. You know I want the best for you. But I call it as I see it.” Hulda’s snowy hair was close-cropped in a stylish pixie cut, a change from her normal finger waves. Tasteful diamond studs twinkled in her earlobes. “You aren’t to worry about a thing here at Stone Mill House. Two couples expected: the DeSalvos and the Martins. The Martins are repeat guests and they always get the second-floor corner suite.”
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. You know I like to greet incoming guests, but I want to be certain they fixed the neckline on my dress. If I showed myself in that, my mother would stop speaking to me again.”
“You’ll make a beautiful bride, no matter what you wear. But, yes, I do see you in a traditional white gown, none of this peekaboo, see-through nonsense. Why any young woman would like to show her bosoms and her belly to the world in a house of worship is beyond me. You cannot believe the dress my grandniece Rebecca wore last spring. Fifteen thousand dollars for an ugly gown that didn’t cover half of what it should have.” Hulda shrugged. “She called it blush, but it was purple, if you ask me. But what would you expect from a bride who dyed her hair blue and wore high-topped sneakers under her dress?”
Rachel nodded sympathetically. She wasn’t about to dive into the rough seas of Hulda’s relative’s sense of fashion. Smiling, Rachel changed the subject. “Ada just left, and the girls have finished cleaning. Mary Aaron’s not back yet, but I expect her soon, and she can take over when she gets here.”
Her cousin had been living on and off at the B&B for the last year. Mary Aaron had a natural head for business and was wonderful with the guests, but lately, her heart hadn’t been in her job. The time for deciding whether she’d leave the Amish faith or be baptized into the religion was growing short. Rachel didn’t know what Mary Aaron was going to choose, and she didn’t think Mary Aaron knew, either.
It was a serious bone of contention between her and the Amish community, not to mention her relatives. Uncle Aaron and a lot of others believed that she’d put ideas into Mary Aaron’s head. She’d tried to explain to her cousin how difficult the decision was, and even now, after so long among the English, she sometimes longed for the Plain life she’d known as a child. Maybe some could walk away and not look back, but Rachel wasn’t one of them. And she didn’t believe Mary Aaron was, either. Once an Amish girl, always an Amish girl, Rachel thought. You could put on the jeans and the
