“I worry about that child,” Hulda said. “Mary Aaron. I don’t know if she’ll ever be happy out here, among us Englishers.” The older woman smiled wryly at her own quip. “She’s such a special girl.”
“I know,” Rachel agreed. She loved Mary Aaron like a sister. She was so full of life, overflowing with joy. And her faith was bedrock deep and sky high. If Mary Aaron asked her, which she hadn’t, she would have told her that she believed she was well suited to the Amish way of life and that abandoning it would be a grave mistake. For her own part, she’d come too far to go back, but Mary Aaron was different. Most Amish young people experimented during their rumspringa, their running around time. Most got their rebellion out and adhered to tradition and remained solidly in the faith.
It was Rachel’s hope that her cousin would be the same, even if it took her a while to figure things out. But Mary Aaron could be stubborn. Rachel had decided months ago that the harder she pushed her toward baptism, the harder Mary Aaron fought against it. Until then, Rachel was glad to offer her cousin a place to stay and space to make her own life choices.
“Will you go, already,” Hulda urged. “Look at the time. You’ll be late for your fitting, or worse, driving too fast on that twisty road over the mountain.”
“You’re sure I’m not imposing,” Rachel said. “Asking you to cover things here and borrowing your car.” Mary Aaron had borrowed her Jeep, but Rachel had expected her back an hour ago.
“Pfff.” Hulda grimaced. “I offered. And what would I do at home? Watch one of the shopping channels on TV? My sons have forbidden me to set foot in Russell’s this week. They say it’s inventory, and I make the new manager nervous.” She peered over her jeweled glasses again. “And just because I want things done properly. Barred from my own store.”
Rachel patted the desk. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Oh, Bishop’s shut upstairs in my apartment. Don’t let anyone let him out. One of the guests is afraid of cats, and she says Bishop is stalking her.”
Hulda chuckled. “That Siamese is too fat to chase a mouse, let alone a guest, but he does stare at people, I’ll give you that. And he’s just a little cross-eyed. That probably makes them nervous.”
“He’s just watching over the house,” Rachel defended as she tugged on her good coat and gloves. “And Ada left you a dinner plate. Roast beef.”
“Go, already,” Hulda ordered.
Rachel made it as far as her back porch. She was just about to step out into the yard when Mary Aaron pulled in and jumped out of the Jeep.
“Rae-Rae!” Mary Aaron called. “I was afraid I wouldn’t catch you before you left. You’ve got to come!”
Rachel noticed that her cousin was wearing Amish clothing, down to the kapp. She’d been sure Mary Aaron had been wearing jeans and a sweater when she’d left the B&B after breakfast. “I can’t go anywhere,” Rachel protested. “I have a dress fitting. Remember?”
“You have to come,” Mary Aaron insisted. “That police detective is at the Studer farm. He’s trying to question Moses. And it’s not going well.”
Chapter 3
Mary Aaron slowed the Jeep when they turned onto the gravel road that snaked up the mountain to the Studer farm. Because her cousin was driving, Rachel had been able to change her clothing. Matters always went more easily with the Old Order Amish if Rachel dressed modestly, and she kept a long denim skirt and one of Mary Aaron’s tops in the vehicle, along with a navy wool head scarf and a traditional women’s coat. Rachel wasn’t attempting to disguise herself as Amish. Everyone knew who and what she was, but if she wore her English clothing, some of the Plain people would refuse to talk with her. And in a delicate situation like this one, Rachel thought she needed all the help she could get.
She’d tried to reach Evan on his cell phone, but he didn’t answer. She knew he was on duty again today, but his not picking up meant that he couldn’t talk. He might be in the middle of a highway stop, or he could be in the presence of superiors. Unless he was already here at the Studer farm . . . She hoped he was here, but she wasn’t counting on it. And if he wasn’t here, since he hadn’t asked her to come, she might be in trouble with him for interfering in official police business again. They hadn’t argued about that hot potato in a while, and she’d like to keep it that way. Of course, Evan had asked for her help two days ago, so maybe this would be all right with him. She doubted that Evan would ever grasp why she felt so compelled to help the Amish in dealings with mainstream authority, a world they didn’t understand.
The Jeep hit a buggy wheel rut and both Rachel and Mary Aaron were thrown against the seat belts. “It might be better if you slow down a little,” Rachel suggested.
“The person who called me said that there was one police car already at the house and a second coming up the road with lights flashing and sirens blaring.” Mary Aaron shifted into first gear to take a particularly steep incline and gripped the steering wheel as if it were trying to escape. Mary Aaron wasn’t a bad driver, considering this road and the short time she’d had a license, but from her expression, Rachel suspected that her cousin still thought of a motor vehicle as an adversary rather than transportation.
The Studer farm sprawled on a relatively flat section of land on the side
