Simple Choices (17 page)

Pat sighed. “Gracie, I’m not giving up on Hannah. That’s ridiculous. But my years of work in law enforcement tell me this girl ran away. I can’t just ignore that.”

“I’m not asking you to,” I said emphatically. “All I want you to do is open up your mind to the possibility that something else
could
have happened to her. Share what you know with me. Let me in, Pat.”

He scowled at me. “You’d make a great interrogator, you know that? I swear, if you breathe a word of this to anyone else …”

I held up my hands in mock surrender. “I won’t. I promise.”

Pat scanned the area around us, looking to see if anyone else was in earshot. When he seemed satisfied, he leaned in closer. “It would be nice to find the truck. No one is completely sure what the bumper sticker says, but there’s a bear on it.”

“A bear? So the killer is a hunter?”

“Or he loves the zoo,” Pat said sarcastically. “I have no idea why there’s a bear on his bumper sticker.”

“Okay, but at least that helps. Is there anything else?”

Pat blew his breath out slowly. “Well, there’s the way that he kills his victims, but you don’t need to hear about that.”

I didn’t argue. He was right. I didn’t want those kinds of images in my head.

Pat put his hat back on his head and stuck his finger in my face. “If you tell anyone else what I just told you, I’ll find something to charge you with and lock you up until the day of your wedding.” He shook his finger several times for emphasis. “And I mean that.”

I pushed his hand down. “So is that it? A bear on a bumper sticker? You put me through all that for something so insignificant? How are we going to find Hannah with nothing more to go on than that?”

Pat shrugged. “Believe it or not, I’ve had cases with even less. At least it’s a start.”

“So the FBI is investigating every man with a red truck?”

“No, of course not. But they are tracking the ones with violent criminal records who have attacked women.” He sighed and shook his head. “The problem is that his truck’s been mentioned in the media. Chances are he’ll dump it.”

“That means authorities wouldn’t have anything to tie him to the murders.”

“That’s not true. They have solid DNA evidence.”

“Oh great,” I said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of my tone. “Don’t they actually have to find a suspect before they can test for DNA?”

Pat rubbed his eyes, and I realized for the first time how tired he looked. “I know. It’s not much, but right now it’s all we’ve got.” He pointed at me again. “You stay out of this, understand? If you think you have any more
evidence
, you come to me and me only. All the KBI needs is some little red-haired girl sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Seems to me they need all the help they can get,” I retorted. “We have no idea how much time Hannah has left.”

“I’ve told you from the beginning that Hannah isn’t part of this,” Pat said in a low voice.

“But the bracelet. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Look, could you trust me just a little? Hannah ran away. She’ll find out she can’t make it on her own and come home. Just concentrate on your upcoming nuptials. Really.”

“But what about this murder? Abel and Emily will panic when they find out about it.”

“I’m going over to talk to the Muellers right now. I think they need to hear about it from me before anyone else. Please keep it to yourself for now.”

I shook my head. “This will terrify them.”

He grunted. “I’ll assure them that we still believe Hannah’s situation isn’t related.” He frowned. “Besides, I thought you Christian types weren’t supposed to be afraid of anything because you believe God takes care of you.”

“That’s true. But sometimes it takes time on our knees and our willingness to fight the good fight of faith to get us through the stormy parts of life. Christians aren’t perfect, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said wryly. “You’re just forgiven. I’ve heard it all before.” He stood to his feet and helped me to mine. “You okay now?”

“Yes. But why did you come to me about the murder before the Muellers?”

“I tried to talk to them first, but they’re meeting with someone from Child Protective Services.”

My mouth dropped open. “Mrs. Murphy? Is that who she is?”

“You know her?”

I explained my encounter with the woman outside the restaurant.

Pat nodded. “Yep, that sounds like her. I’ve had run-ins with her before. She’s good at her job, but she certainly isn’t the easiest woman to deal with.”

“But why would she be bothering Abel and Emily?”

Pat put his hat back on his head and pulled the brim down to shield his eyes from the sun. “Someone phoned in a complaint. Said the Muellers’ lifestyle forced the girl to flee from her home.”

“What?” I sputtered. “That’s ridiculous. The Muellers are wonderful parents.”

“Well, someone in Harmony doesn’t seem to agree with you.” He held his hand up to stop any further protests. “Look Gracie, give Mrs. Murphy a chance. She’s actually pretty fair-minded.”

“She could use some better people skills,” I muttered. I turned and stared over at the church. Abel and Emily’s car was still there along with another car that most probably belonged to the infamous Mrs. Murphy. “I’ll bet it was that nasty-minded Esther Crenshaw who called in. She’s got her nose in everyone’s business, and she’s always ranting on and on about how wrong the Mennonites are about everything.”

Pat grunted. “I thought Christians weren’t supposed to judge others.”

I snorted. “Unfortunately, some of us don’t seem to have gotten the message.” I looked at him carefully. “That’s the second time you’ve made a snide remark about Christians. Christianity isn’t based on what Christians do, you know. Every time I hear that old excuse I recognize it for what it is. A cop-out. It’s not hard to figure out that we’re called to follow Christ, not each other.”

Pat’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean it’s a cop-out? A lot of people out there aren’t interested in your religion because you people say one thing and do another.”

“Hey, it’s not called Gracieanity, you know. Christ alone is our example. We’re trying to become as much like Him as we can, but it’s a process. None of us will reach perfection in this life.” I stuck my finger into his chest. “And you’re smart enough to know that. That’s why I said your excuse is a cop-out.” I grinned at him. “The good news is that Jesus will even take someone as ornery as you.”

Pat tried to glare at me, but his mouth quivered and he ended up laughing. “You’re something else, Gracie Temple. If anyone could get me to darken the door of a church, it would be you.” His voice softened. “But don’t count on it, okay?”

I shrugged. “I’ll keep praying for you anyway.”

“You do that.”

I gave him a quick smile before changing the subject. “Pat, I’d like to check on Abel and Emily after that woman is finished. I need to make sure they’re all right.”

“Not until I’m done,” Pat said sternly. “You wait until I’m gone to pounce on them.”

I started to protest his use of the word
pounce
when we both turned our heads at the sound of a car door slamming. The dark sedan parked next to Abel’s car took off slowly from the church. It pulled into the street and started coming our way. I saw Mrs. Murphy behind the wheel. She stared at me as she drove past.

“That’s my cue,” Pat said. “You get back inside with your family. And remember what I said. Keep your mouth shut until after I leave the church.” He glared at me. “Do you understand me? Not a word.”

“Trust me, I don’t intend to mention anything about the murder to my family. It’s gruesome and depressing, and I don’t like being the bearer of bad news.”

“Good.” He patted me on the shoulder and took off toward his cruiser. I watched as he drove away and whispered a prayer for the Muellers and Hannah. After Pat got out of the car and went into the church, I hurried back into the restaurant. Of course, by the time I got back to the table, everyone was getting ready to leave. A small foam box sat where my plate had once been. My cobbler. At least I could take it home and eat it later. Dad went up front to pay for our meal, but Carmen, Hector’s wife, shook her head when he tried to hand her the payment. Obviously Hector had informed her that our lunch was to be a gift. My father put his money back in his billfold, and he and Carmen talked for a few minutes. I waited until they were finished for a chance to say hello to Carmen. She hugged me and told me how happy she was that my family had come to visit. Since she and Hector had taken over the restaurant, Carmen had become one of my favorite people. After thanking her profusely for their generosity, I started to walk out of the restaurant. Before I reached the front door, I heard Jessie call my name. I turned to see her coming my way.

“Gracie, can I ask you a quick question?” she said, her voice low.

“Sure. What is it?”

She took my arm and led me a few feet away. I motioned to my parents to go on. My father nodded and started herding everyone out the door.

“I’m really sorry to bother you while you’re with your family,” she said.

“It’s okay,” I assured her. “Is something wrong?”

She crooked her head just a little. “That man over there. What’s his name?”

I let my eyes follow the direction of her slight gesture. “Oh, that’s C.J. Bradley, Abigail Bradley’s son.” I noticed the troubled look on her face. “Why?”

“Well, it’s odd. When I first waited on him, everything seemed fine. In fact, we were having a nice conversation. And then I mentioned Trinity.”

“I don’t understand.”

She shrugged. “Me either. When I brought up her name, he asked about my husband. When I told him I wasn’t married, he got real quiet. Now he’s … I don’t know. Cold. Like I’ve offended him. Any idea why?”

I remembered what Ida had told me about C.J.’s mother. “I think he might have been brought up under rather strict religious rules, Jessie. He may have been a little shocked that Trinity was born … you know …”

“Out of wedlock?” she finished for me. She sighed. “This town has been so supportive of me and my daughter I guess I’m not used to getting that judgmental attitude. I know God has forgiven me, and that’s what matters most.”

“C.J. seems like a nice man. Just forget it and move on. I’m sure he’ll come around. Sometimes we have automatic reactions to situations before we think them through. I’ll bet that’s what happened.”

“I hope you’re right. Having to wait on someone who dislikes me isn’t much fun, but I’ll do it if I have to.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

She shook her head. “No, but thanks. I’m sure you’re right. He’ll probably get over it.” She gave me a quick hug. “Thanks for letting me talk about it.”

“Anytime, Jessie. You know that.”

I watched as she walked away, and then I looked over at C.J. He was busy writing in his notebook and didn’t notice me. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would be put off by Jessie’s situation, but I didn’t really know him. Besides, it could be Jessie’s imagination. Maybe if it happened again, I’d speak to C.J., but right now, I had other things to deal with.

I jogged out the door to catch up with my family. Today wasn’t going to be very enjoyable with a murder filling my thoughts. My concern for Hannah had grown every second since she’d gone missing. Finding her bracelet had convinced me she was in trouble but knowing the girl from Topeka had been murdered made me feel even more strongly that she was in danger. After we finished our tour of Harmony, I intended to pull Sam aside and persuade him it was time we took Hannah’s disappearance and recovery into our own hands. I didn’t want to upset Pat, but I was beginning to wonder if someone should contact the media about the missing Mennonite girl. People should be looking for her. And if she really
had
run away, which I doubted, maybe she would see the report and contact her parents. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made.

While everyone else waited, I ran into Ruth’s and picked out some flowers. Then we all drove to the cemetery where my Uncle Benjamin was buried. I worried about Papa’s reaction. Would he remember about Benjamin? As we got out of the car, I pulled my father aside.

“Dad, I’m concerned about Papa. Maybe I should stay with him in the car. What if he doesn’t remember that Benjamin is dead?”

My father gazed out across the cemetery. “Papa deserves to see his son’s grave. I won’t take that away from him. If he seems too disoriented, I’ll distract him, lead him away. But I have to give him this chance.”

I wasn’t convinced it was the best decision for Papa, but it wasn’t my business to argue with my dad. Benjamin was his brother and Papa his father. It was his call. We walked past the monuments until we found Benjamin’s grave. Although I hadn’t been there since before I left for Wichita, a bunch of wildflowers had been placed in the cement vase at the base of the engraved stone. Who had put them there?

“Sweetie and Ida tended to the grave while you were gone,” Sam whispered in my ear, answering my question.

I nodded, unable to speak. What precious friends I had, and how grateful I felt for them at that moment.

“‘ ’Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home,’” my mother read on the headstone. She turned tear-filled eyes to me. “And Grace did bring him the peace he couldn’t find on this earth,” she said. “I’m so proud of you.”

I shook my head. “I only proved what I already knew in my heart: that Dad couldn’t possibly take another person’s life. I only wish Uncle Benjamin had found the truth before he died.” I reached out and took my father’s hand. “His love for you and his desire to protect you kept him from having the kind of relationship two brothers should have had.”

My father wiped tears from his cheeks. “You know what, Gracie? The older I get, the less it matters what happens in this life. I know my brother and I will have eternity together. And that’s what I cling to.” He looked around at our assembled group. “And that goes for all of you. Even if we have to say good-bye for a while in this life, we are assured that it won’t be for long.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m so grateful to God for His wonderful promise.”