the time being." Abram ordered Samuel, dislodging her hand and placing it in Samuel's. The words came without thought, as though given directly from the mouth of God. Samuel nodded, and lead Sofia from the room.
Abram walked to the door to confront the police officer, hopeful that the Lord would continue to guide his steps, that he might say the right thing to keep Sofia safe. Whatever had happened to her was brutal enough to leave her bruised in flesh and hollowed in spirit, and her fears, whether rational or not, deserved proper consideration.
Officer Maglione was whipcord thin with stringy light brown hair that brushed the top of his ears. He wore a badge, and a billy club and holstered gun hung from the belt at his hip. His walkies-talkie was silent, possibly turned off out of respect for Amish custom. He looked up as Abram approached, his eyes at first shining with the same anticipation of a cat stalking a mouse before blinking, a flash of confusion crossing his features, "Where's the girl?" he asked, looking over Abram with narrowed eyes.
"Ruth," Abram said, waving towards the girl who had opened the door. "Annie needs you in the kitchen to help with arranging the breads for after the circle, please."
Ruth thankfully left without questioning how Abram had come to know this.
"The girl," the officer said again, a bit louder.
Lying was a sin under the Ordnung, the vow by which Abram had chosen to live his life when he was baptized before his marriage. While he had often failed to measure up to the task in spirit as well as letter, he had not, until this point, deliberately chosen to defy it.
Dear God, Abram prayed, please guide my path and my tongue that I might be a vessel for Your will. He took a breath and said, "I don't know where she is. She seemed agitated. I think she left."
Officer Maglione's eyes widened and his lips parted in obvious disbelief. His collar shifted, and Abram caught glimpse of a fresh scab on his neck, as though some animal had scratched the officer just last night. A vein throbbed in his neck as he asked in a very controlled voice, "Where did she go?"
Abram shrugged. "I don't know. It's Englischer business. We choose not to involve ourselves in Englischer business."
"I'll need to search the premises," the police officer said.
He attempted to push past Abram, who stood firm. "Has this woman committed a crime? Annie said her family was looking for her."
"They are.
"Then I suppose she's decided to return to them. Or not." Abram shrugged again, schooling his expression to stoic blandness. "It's an individual's choice whether or not they return to their parents' world, ja."
The vein in Officer Maglione's neck pulsed faster, and he gripped the base of his club with white knuckled fingers. His knuckles were scratched, with fresh scabs where someone or some action on his part had recently drawn blood. "We have reason to believe Sofia may have come to harm. This is obstruction of justice."
It was perfectly reasonable that the police officer be upset if he believed Sofia to be in danger, and Abram should have simply allowed him to speak with the Englischer girl, if nothing else so she could assure her family that she was safe. Yet something about this man had awakened a fear in the Englischer woman so strong, she had been literally shivering in her chair. And the scratches, only on Officer Maglione's hands and neck, where he might have struck someone who in turn had been struggling to escape, roused suspicion in Abram. There was something off about this police officer. He certainly wasn't local, and his uniform didn't exactly resemble the Philadelphia officers he'd seen either. He should not be allowed within sight of Sofia, and certainly would not have opportunity to take her away if Abram have anything to do with it.
"You have to let me search your house, it's the law."
"This way, officer." Abram said. Not waiting for a reply, Abram started towards the room where all of the
Abram walked to the door to confront the police officer, hopeful that the Lord would continue to guide his steps, that he might say the right thing to keep Sofia safe. Whatever had happened to her was brutal enough to leave her bruised in flesh and hollowed in spirit, and her fears, whether rational or not, deserved proper consideration.
Officer Maglione was whipcord thin with stringy light brown hair that brushed the top of his ears. He wore a badge, and a billy club and holstered gun hung from the belt at his hip. His walkies-talkie was silent, possibly turned off out of respect for Amish custom. He looked up as Abram approached, his eyes at first shining with the same anticipation of a cat stalking a mouse before blinking, a flash of confusion crossing his features, "Where's the girl?" he asked, looking over Abram with narrowed eyes.
"Ruth," Abram said, waving towards the girl who had opened the door. "Annie needs you in the kitchen to help with arranging the breads for after the circle, please."
Ruth thankfully left without questioning how Abram had come to know this.
"The girl," the officer said again, a bit louder.
Lying was a sin under the Ordnung, the vow by which Abram had chosen to live his life when he was baptized before his marriage. While he had often failed to measure up to the task in spirit as well as letter, he had not, until this point, deliberately chosen to defy it.
Dear God, Abram prayed, please guide my path and my tongue that I might be a vessel for Your will. He took a breath and said, "I don't know where she is. She seemed agitated. I think she left."
Officer Maglione's eyes widened and his lips parted in obvious disbelief. His collar shifted, and Abram caught glimpse of a fresh scab on his neck, as though some animal had scratched the officer just last night. A vein throbbed in his neck as he asked in a very controlled voice, "Where did she go?"
Abram shrugged. "I don't know. It's Englischer business. We choose not to involve ourselves in Englischer business."
"I'll need to search the premises," the police officer said.
He attempted to push past Abram, who stood firm. "Has this woman committed a crime? Annie said her family was looking for her."
"They are.
"Then I suppose she's decided to return to them. Or not." Abram shrugged again, schooling his expression to stoic blandness. "It's an individual's choice whether or not they return to their parents' world, ja."
The vein in Officer Maglione's neck pulsed faster, and he gripped the base of his club with white knuckled fingers. His knuckles were scratched, with fresh scabs where someone or some action on his part had recently drawn blood. "We have reason to believe Sofia may have come to harm. This is obstruction of justice."
It was perfectly reasonable that the police officer be upset if he believed Sofia to be in danger, and Abram should have simply allowed him to speak with the Englischer girl, if nothing else so she could assure her family that she was safe. Yet something about this man had awakened a fear in the Englischer woman so strong, she had been literally shivering in her chair. And the scratches, only on Officer Maglione's hands and neck, where he might have struck someone who in turn had been struggling to escape, roused suspicion in Abram. There was something off about this police officer. He certainly wasn't local, and his uniform didn't exactly resemble the Philadelphia officers he'd seen either. He should not be allowed within sight of Sofia, and certainly would not have opportunity to take her away if Abram have anything to do with it.
"You have to let me search your house, it's the law."
"This way, officer." Abram said. Not waiting for a reply, Abram started towards the room where all of the
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