Simple Choices (12 page)

This time after he closed his notebook he put it back in his pocket. “I guess that’s all I need now.” He stood up. “Again, sorry to interrupt your family dinner. I’ll be on my way.”

“Are you sure you won’t eat with us?” my dad asked. “There’s plenty, and this soup is out of this world.”

Pat’s eyes darted toward Sam. “No, but thanks anyway …”

Sam stood to his feet. “Of course you’ll stay. Sit down. I’ll get you a bowl from the kitchen.”

“Sam!” Sweetie hissed.

He ignored her while Pat gazed at him with his eyebrows arched in surprise. “I should have introduced Sheriff Taylor when he first got here,” Sam said. “This is my father.”

“Your father?” my dad said. “Why, I had no idea … Gracie, I thought you told me Sam’s father wasn’t around.”

“Daniel, hush,” my mother said in a loud whisper. “I’m happy to meet you again, Pat,” she said smiling. “Now you
must
sit down and share dinner with us.”

“Yes, sit down, Pat,” Sam said. “Please.”

Pat lowered himself slowly back into his chair. “Thank you. This looks really good.”

“Oh for cryin’ out loud,” Sweetie said. “Sit down, Sam. I’ll get the bowl.” She stood up and stalked out of the room.

“Sam and Pat just recently reunited,” I explained to my mother and father, hoping my brief explanation would satisfy them for a while. I could see the questions in their expressions. I prayed they’d hold them until I could get them alone and fill in the details.

“Well that’s wonderful,” Dad said jovially. “I’m so glad this happened before the wedding. Now we can all celebrate together.”

Grateful Sweetie was in the kitchen during this little announcement, I picked up my spoon and went back to work on my soup. It was a little cold, but I could almost swear it tasted even better now.

“Pat, we’re planning to go into town tomorrow,” Dad continued. “My wife and I haven’t seen Harmony for a long time. Maybe you could join us for lunch?” He looked over at me. “What time did you plan for us to eat?”

I broke open a roll and reached for the butter. “I don’t really care. Whatever works for everyone else. I intend to drive over to Abigail Bradley’s place in the morning, but that shouldn’t take long. I’ll be home in plenty of time for lunch.”

“Then how about meeting us at eleven thirty at the restaurant in town?” Dad said, smiling at Pat.

“I’ll do my best,” Pat said, “but I’ll have to check in to the office first. Why don’t you folks go ahead, and I’ll try to meet you there.”

As Sweetie came into the room with another soup bowl in her hands, my father said, “So I guess you were very involved with uncovering the body of Jacob Glick on our property last year, Pat?”

Before Pat had a chance to respond, Papa Joe jumped to his feet, flinging his arms around wildly, his eyes wide with alarm. His hand hit Sweetie who was nearby, and the china soup bowl in her hands flew across the room and shattered against the fireplace.

“You’ve got to stay away from him, Beverly,” he shouted, staring at me. “I’ve seen the devil in his eyes! Please! You’ve got to stay away!”

T
he air conditioner in my car had a hard time working against temperatures that promised to hit one hundred degrees by the afternoon. Even though it was only ten in the morning, the air outside was already stifling. As I drove down dirt roads to Abigail’s house, the terrible scene from last night’s dinner played over and over in my mind. It had taken quite some time to calm Papa Joe down.

No one had suspected that Jacob Glick’s name would evoke such powerful emotion. Obviously Papa’s long-term memory was still working. He remembered Glick and had been aware of his proclivities toward young women and girls. Last night he’d been reminded of his concern for my mother when she was young and had thought she was still in danger. After my grandfather calmed down, my dad took him back to my house to rest. Papa stayed confused until my parents finally got him to bed. He’d kept shouting something about evil and that he had to protect us.

“This may have been a mistake,” my father had said when he came downstairs. “I expected some confusion, even extreme disorientation from time to time. But I had no idea Papa would come unglued like this. Gracie, I’m sorry if Papa embarrassed you in front of your fiancé and his family. Maybe Mom and I should take him back to the nursing home. We could be back within the week and still have plenty of time to help you get ready for the wedding.”

“I don’t want him to go, Dad. This might be the last chance I have to spend time with him. We’ll all just be more careful and try not to say anything that will upset him.”

After some cajoling, my father finally agreed to give it more time. In the light of a new day, I wasn’t certain I’d made the right decision, but I knew having Papa here on the day I married Sam was extremely important to me.

At breakfast, Papa seemed to have no memory of his outburst the night before. In fact, he was relaxed and happy. The only glitch came when he tried to ask for pancake syrup but couldn’t remember what it was called.

I spotted the road Abigail lived on and turned down it. A couple of miles later, I saw a large white house looming ahead. As I got closer, I could see it was badly in need of paint and upkeep. A screen door on the side of the house hung by its bottom hinges, and an old, rusted tractor sat in the yard. Various items littered the yard including pieces of farm equipment and discarded furniture. Sitting back from the house was an ancient barn and off to its side was a large shed that looked deserted.

I turned into the dirt driveway, being careful to avoid several rusted tools and pieces of lumber lying on the ground. The house appeared to be abandoned. Could Ida’s friend have moved without telling anyone? I stopped my car, got out, and made my way to the rickety front porch, passing a large tree that looked as dead as everything else on the property. The boards on the decrepit porch squeaked and groaned with each step I took. I found myself watching my feet and praying the rotting wood wouldn’t splinter under me. When I finally reached the entrance, I knocked on a screen door that was so loose it jiggled each time I rapped my knuckles against it. After trying several times to roust someone, I decided to make my escape before the entire structure buckled and crashed down around me.

“Can I help you?”

I was already spooked enough by the ghostly look of the disintegrating property, but hearing a man’s voice from behind me caused me to emit a high-pitched shriek that should have toppled the house without any further assistance. I swung around to find a shirtless man about my father’s age standing at the foot of the steps. His reddish-blond hair almost glowed in the sunlight. He was well built and muscular, but his fair skin was turning red from exposure to the elements.

“I’m sorry. I was looking for Abigail Bradley. A friend of hers sent me to check on her … to make sure she’s okay.”

He came up to the steps and held out his hand. “I think you’d better get off that porch before you go right through the boards. I haven’t had a chance to fix it yet.”

I took his arm and held on while carefully making my way back to solid ground. When I got to the bottom, he let go of me but stuck his hand out again. “I’m C.J., Abigail’s son.”

When I shook his hand, I noticed his firm grip. “Oh, I had no idea you were here. Ida Turnbauer told me about you. I understand you live out of state somewhere?”

He let go of my hand and smiled. “Yes, I live in California, but Mom had an accident and broke her leg. One of her neighbors called, so I took some time off work to care for her while she recovers.” He motioned toward the house. “I had no idea this place was in such bad shape. I’m trying to fix it up before I leave.”

“How long has it been since you’ve been back to Harmony?”

He sighed. “Too long, obviously. Mom is very independent and always told me she was fine in her letters.” He shook his head. “I should have checked on her sooner. I feel bad about it.”

“Well, it’s great you’re here now.” I gazed at the house. “Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

C.J. chuckled. “That’s the truth. Two different families who live nearby have already offered to help.” He pointed to a pile of lumber lying next to the house. “One of them brought this by, along with a case of nails, and the other has offered me some white paint when I’m ready for it.”

I laughed. “That’s Harmony. Don’t be surprised if a truckload of people show up to help with the work. No one is an island here.” I put my hand up to shield my eyes from the sun and stared at the house again. “In fact, I’m surprised people haven’t been by before now to help your mother get the house in shape.”

“Oh, they tried, but Mom shooed them off. Like I said, she’s pretty independent.”

The dilapidated screen door suddenly opened. An old woman dressed in black and in a wheelchair appeared in the doorway. She wore a black prayer covering over her gray hair. “C.J., who is that you’re talking to?” she asked in a thin, reedy voice.

“Hello, Mrs. Bradley,” I called out. “I’m Gracie Temple, Daniel Temple’s daughter. Ida Turnbauer asked me to check on you.”

“Daniel Temple,” she hollered, her tone rising. “Benjamin’s brother?”

“Yes ma’am.”

C.J. put his foot on the bottom step. “Mama,” he said sternly, “don’t come out on the porch. It won’t support you and that wheelchair.”

“But I want to talk to this girl,” she whined.

“I told you it’s not safe.”

Abigail moved her wheelchair back and angrily slammed the door shut. C.J. looked embarrassed. “If you have time to visit, you can use the back door. Until I support the porch and replace the rotten boards, she can’t come out here.”

“I totally understand.” I looked at my watch. “I don’t have much time right now, but maybe I could come back some other time for a visit?”

He smiled. “Mom would love that. Give me a few days to make some improvements, then come by anytime. I’d tell you to call, but my cell phone doesn’t seem to work very well out here, and Mom doesn’t have a phone.” He sighed. “Or air-conditioning. I’m not used to this heat.”

“You should come into town. The restaurant has great food, and it’s nice and cool.”

“Sounds wonderful. I’ll do it.” He stuck his hand out once again. “I’m glad to meet you, Gracie, and I hope to see you again soon.”

I shook his hand and smiled at him. “Same here.”

As I headed to my car, I looked back to see Abigail sitting at the front window, watching me. I waved to her, but she just closed the curtain. Ida’s description of Abigail Bradley was right on the button. She was definitely strange, but at least Ida could stop worrying about her now.

The temperature had continued to climb, and the interior of my car felt like an oven. I rolled down the windows, but all I managed to do was let in more hot air. As I headed back onto the dirt road that led to Abigail’s house, I had no choice but to roll the windows up again. Driving on unpaved roads meant dust—and lots of it. The air conditioner blew hot air at first, but after driving a few minutes, a little cool air started to eke out of the vents.

I couldn’t help but think about C.J. and his attempts to fix his mother’s house. Noble sentiments, but in this heat, not such a good idea. When I got home, I’d tell Sam about it, and see if he could find some people to help. Unfortunately, Sam and Sweetie were picking fruit right now and had very little extra time. What few hours Sam could find were being spent with me and my family.

I’d just started to turn onto Faith Road and head for home when something shiny in the road caught the rays of the sun. The light hit my windshield, and the reflection was so bright it made it hard to see for a moment. I pulled over and got out, wondering what it could possibly be. It took me a minute to find it, but when I did, the discovery took my breath away. Lying in the dirt by the side of the road was a silver bracelet with colored beads. A silver heart hung from a chain, and the three inserts were engraved with
Love, Friend
, and
Forever
.

Hannah’s bracelet.

S
am put the phone down and shook his head. “Pat’s been called out on another case, Gracie. It will be a while before he can get here. He can’t make it to lunch today and asked that we explain the situation to your parents. He also said to remind you that he’s got the whole county to take care of and can’t keep running to Harmony for every little thing.”

“Every little thing!” I snapped. “Finding Hannah’s bracelet proves something’s wrong, Sam. We’ve got to find her. She’s in real trouble!”

We sat at the table in his kitchen. Sweetie was out in the orchard working alone. My frantic cries had brought Sam inside to find out what was going on.

He ran his hand through his sun-bleached hair and sighed with frustration. “Explain to me why you’re so convinced this means something. So Hannah dropped her bracelet. In my book, it proves she really did take off on her own. She changed into her new outfit, walked out to the road, and probably found a ride. Her bracelet fell off by accident.”

I started to say something, but he held up his hand and shushed me.

“Before you go off on a tangent, I totally understand that she shouldn’t be out there by herself. There are dangerous people who would be more than willing to pick her up for all the wrong reasons. But at least we know she wasn’t abducted like the girl in Topeka. Hannah left under her own power.”

“You’re missing the entire point!” I held up the bracelet for him to see. “Don’t you notice anything odd?”

Sam stared at the silver jewelry in my hand. Finally he shook his head. “No, Grace. It looks like a bracelet. Nothing more.”

I flung it down on the table. “Would you like to explain to me just how it fell off when the clasp is still fastened?”

“Obviously it slid off her wrist.”

I picked the bracelet up and held it out to him. “Hannah’s tiny, I grant you. But this bracelet is too small to slide off anyone’s wrist—even hers.” I unclasped the catch, put the bracelet on my own wrist, and snapped it shut again. I grasped it with my other hand, showing him there wasn’t any wiggle room at all. “I’m not big either, and even though my wrists may be a little wider than Hannah’s, there’s not that much difference. Look at this. Can you see that there’s no earthly way this bracelet could have fallen off accidentally?”