names, but that was all. She didn’t want to appear stupid, so she tried to change the subject. She held out her water bottle. “You want a sip?”
“No thank you,” he declined, waving his hand. “As I said, I’m fasting. I can drink water, but only at specific times. So I’ll have to wait.”
“Must be tough.”
“It is.”
They sat in silence for a moment. While Maria finished her water, Levi bowed his head, folded his hands in his lap, and closed his eyes. His breathing grew shallow. She wasn’t sure if he was praying or just resting, but decided not to disturb him in either case. Instead, to occupy herself, she looked around the buggy’s floor. It was messy. Levi had road maps, emergency flares, a flashlight, assorted wrenches and screwdrivers, a pack of tissues, and even an empty soda cup from a fast-food restaurant. The buggy contained everything a regular vehicle would have. She considered this. Levi had said he was no longer Amish, so it shouldn’t be that surprising, and yet, Maria couldn’t help but be amazed. She was surrounded by hints of normalcy from someone who was anything but normal. She was no longer wary of him. She’d been honest with him about that. He wasn’t crazy, at least, not in a violent, harmful way. She liked to think she had a pretty good sense for such things. Eccentric, certainly, but not crazy. The buggy’s interior seemed to reinforce that.
A car pulled into the parking lot and drove slowly past them. The driver glanced their way. His gaze lingered on them for a moment. Then he drove on, finding an empty space several rows away. She saw brake lights flash. A moment later, the driver got out of the car and pointed his key ring at it. The car’s alarm system chirped. The man looked at the buggy one more time and then walked toward the building.
For a few seconds, Maria felt paranoid. The driver had seemed awfully interested in them. Technically, she was trespassing. The parking lot was private property, and she’d been asked to leave by the staff. How would she explain her presence here, if discovered? But after she’d thought about it, she decided her fears were unjustified. The guy was probably just looking at Dee. Or maybe he’d recently moved to Central Pennsylvania from Mary land, as had thousands of other residents seeking a break from higher taxes. He might be unaccustomed to seeing an Amish buggy. After all, they were far less common in York than they were in Lancaster.
Before she could consider it more, Levi opened his eyes and sat up straight. Maria drained the last drop of water from her bottle.
“All set?” he asked.
She nodded. “I feel much better, thanks. Where should I put this bottle?”
“Just throw it in the back. I’ll get rid of it later.”
She tossed it over her shoulder and turned back to him. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, first of all, we should probably get out of here before we attract attention.”
He grabbed the reins and flicked them. Dee trotted forward on command. The buggy started to roll.
“Where are we going?” Maria asked.
“I’ve got to get a few things. If you want to catch a nap or get something to eat, now would be a good time. We’ve got several hours to kill.”
He pulled alongside her car. “You should probably move your car, as well.”
“What’s the plan?”
Levi shrugged. “Like I said, you’ve got some free time. I’ve got to go home and retrieve a few things we’ll need. We’ll meet back here after dark. See that line of trees behind the hospital?”
Maria nodded.
“We’ll meet there,” Levi said. “Let’s say ten o’clock. It should be dark enough by then.”
“It’ll be dark by six or seven.”
“But the facility will have quieted down by ten, as well. The night shift will be on hand.”
“Okay. And then what?”
“Then, we meet with Adam Senft.”
“But how?”
“Simple,” he said. “We just open the door and let him walk through it.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Russ and Tina Farnsworth finished lashing together a stack of dried cornstalks and then stood back to admire their handiwork. The air was cool in the shade between the trees, but their clothes were soaked with sweat. They’d worked hard all morning on last-minute preparations. The visit from the police, and the subsequent delay while they were questioned, had set their schedule back an hour, and now they rushed to complete everything.
“I wish some of the others would get here,” Russ complained. “Seems like we’re doing all the work.”
“Wait until tonight,” Tina said, wiping her hands on her jeans. “We’ll take a break while everyone else busts their ass. We’ve earned it.”
“Yeah.” Russ fished a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket and lit up. “Still, it seems quiet today. Hard to believe tomorrow is opening night.”
“I know.”
“Wonder what happened with those kids?”
“Rhonda and Sam? They probably just skipped town. Ran away together.”
“Maybe,” Russ said. “Or maybe something else happened to them.”
