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!”
Chapter Six
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
“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!”
Chapter Six
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
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