Simple Choices (23 page)

“She wore my mother’s dress,” Dad said with a smile. “Dark-blue linen that brought out the color in her eyes.” He sighed. “She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. We were married in the home of a Mennonite pastor and his wife, friends of my parents who left Harmony before we did. We stayed the night with them, and they treated us like their own children.”

“Owen and Darlene Papke,” Papa said. “Two of the finest people I ever knew.”

“They live in Florida now,” Dad said. “We still exchange Christmas cards and call each other at least twice a year. They mean the world to your mother and me.”

“What dress will you wear at your wedding?” Papa asked.

“I bought one while I was in Wichita. It’s lovely. White, with embroidered flowers around the neckline.”

“Look, Gracie,” my father said slowly, “maybe I should warn you. Your mother actually brought the blue dress with her—just in case you wanted to wear it. But she fully understands that you may have something totally different in mind. So be prepared when she brings it up, but don’t feel pressured. You know your mother. She’s the most sentimental person I’ve ever known, but she also loves you more than her own life. The blue dress is only here in case you want it. You’re under no obligation whatsoever to wear it.”

I was a little stunned. An old blue linen dress? For my wedding? “Thanks for the heads up, Dad. I’ll just tell her I already have a dress. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“Of course she will, Snicklefritz. Don’t worry about it.”

I let go of Papa’s hand, got up, and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll get you both some more coffee. Then I’m going to call Ida and head over to the Muellers for a visit. I’ll be back in plenty of time to go to Sam’s.”

I took their cups and got them both fresh, hot coffee, and then I called Ida. She was thrilled to be included in the wedding plans. I thought about calling Abel and Emily, but I was afraid they wouldn’t let me come, and I was determined to see them, even if Emily was still angry with me. To get to their house, I had to drive through the middle of town, right past Ludwig’s Meats. I realized why I hadn’t noticed the bumper sticker on Rufus’s truck sooner. He always backed his truck up to the store so he could unload new purchases of meat from local ranchers. Unless I walked down the sidewalk in front of his business, I couldn’t possibly see the back of his truck.

I drove past the church, but Abel and Emily’s car wasn’t there. During the week, Abel could usually be found in his church office, but since Hannah left, he and Emily spent most of their time at home in case she showed up. Sure enough, I found their car sitting in its usual place at their house. Gathering up my courage, I parked behind it and walked to the front door. I waited awhile before knocking, butterflies beating their wings furiously inside my stomach. A few moments later the door opened. Abel smiled when he saw me.

“Oh Gracie,” he said. “How nice of you to come by.” He hesitated and glanced away from the door. After a moment he turned back to me. “Please, come in.”

“I don’t want to upset Emily,” I said quietly. “Is—is it okay?”

He put his big, meaty hand on my shoulder. “Of course. She’ll be glad to see you.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I walked into the house anyway. “Have you heard anything, Abel?”

The big pastor shut the door behind me. “Nothing. Not a word.” He pointed toward the interior of the house. “Emily and Jonathan Vogler are on the back porch.

“Jonathan? I hear Hannah was on her way to meet him when she disappeared.”

Abel nodded. “Yes, we just found that out recently. Jonathan’s parents sent him here to explain what happened. We’ve just started talking to him. Why don’t you join us? Maybe you can add some insight to our conversation.”

I followed him, but I wasn’t certain I’d be able to help much. When we entered the lovely enclosed back porch, Emily’s favorite room, I was shocked by her gaunt appearance. Her haunted eyes locked on mine. I winced at the pain I saw there and waited for her to rebuke me for coming. But she didn’t. Instead she rose and put her arms out.

“I’m so sorry I blamed you for causing Hannah to leave us,” she said. “You’ve been a wonderful friend. I’ve just been so frightened.” She raised her face from my shoulder. “I—I can’t sleep at night. I don’t know where she is or what’s happening to her, Gracie.” A shudder racked her frail body. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to tell her everything would be all right—that all we could do is trust God to take care of Hannah. It was the truth, but for some reason I felt she would take it as a rebuke. I didn’t want to sound judgmental or sanctimonious. As I held her I sought heaven. What could I do to help? Again, just like at the restaurant, a voice spoke to me sweetly and softly. When Emily released me, I led her back to the chair where she’d been sitting.

“Abel,” I said, “I wonder if you’d read the ninety-first Psalm to us? It’s so comforting, and I think it would help now.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Gracie,” he said in his deep, reassuring voice. I knew his emotions were as raw as Emily’s, but as the man of the house, he was working hard to maintain a calm exterior for his distraught wife.

Abel took his Bible from the table next to him, flipped it open, and began to read the comforting scriptures to us. I glanced at Jonathan. His eyes were wide with fear. Perhaps his concern was for Hannah, or perhaps it was for his role in her disappearance. But whatever he was feeling, I watched as he visibly relaxed. Emily’s face changed as hope began to ignite a spark inside of her. The wonderful words became life in that room. They encouraged us to trust God, to make Him our refuge. Emily took a deep breath as Abel read that God has given His angels charge over us—to keep us in all our ways. And as Abel finished the psalm, the promise that God will be with us in trouble and deliver us when we call on Him, filled the atmosphere around us as if God Himself had just made us a personal promise. I could tell I wasn’t the only one who felt it.

Abel closed the Bible and gazed lovingly at his wife. “Emily, I know that Hannah will return to us. I believe it with all my heart. God has spoken to us today.”

For the first time since I’d come into the room, Emily smiled. She wiped her wet eyes with the tissue in her hand. “I feel it, too,” she said in her quiet voice. “No, it’s more than just a feeling. I believe it in my heart.” She looked at me. “Thank you, Gracie. God has used you to bring us comfort. Hannah will be all right.”

I believed it, too, but I also felt an urgency in my spirit. Time was of the essence. I silently asked God to show me whatever I needed to know. Whatever I needed to see in my efforts to help bring Hannah home.

“We were just talking to Jonathan about the night Hannah went missing,” Abel said. He turned his attention to the young boy. “Would you please start over, Jonathan? I’d like Gracie to hear everything.”

Jonathan was dressed in jeans and a plain, blue shirt. I noticed that his shirt had no buttons but instead was closed with hooks and eyes. This was an Old Order style that not many Mennonites wore anymore. His long chestnut hair hung longer than most boys his age, and his large dark eyes were fastened on Abel. He was a handsome boy, and I could see why Hannah was attracted to him.

He cleared his throat, obviously nervous. “L–like I said, sir, she told me during the day, after church, that she wanted to see me that night.” He hung his head. “We’d met a few times at night before she left town. We shouldn’t have done it. I know it was wrong. I–I’m so sorry. Maybe if I’d said no …”

“Never mind, son,” Abel said gently. “I’m tired of hearing how everyone blames themselves for what happened. The truth is that Hannah chose to sneak out of our house. Her decision put her in danger. I know you would never have done anything to hurt my daughter.”

The boy’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s true, sir. Hannah means a great deal to me. If I can do anything to help …”

“You should have told the sheriff about this when he questioned you,” I said, not bothering to keep the edge of anger I felt out of my voice.

“I—I know. I was just so scared when he showed up. I’m trying to make up for that.”

“Just finish your story,” I said. “And this time, please don’t keep anything back. Maybe you’ll tell us something that will help us to find her.”

He nodded and swiped at his eyes. “Hannah told me to meet her at our special place.” He looked at me shamefacedly. “We used to meet in a clearing behind your house. You know, where they found that body.”

My mouth dropped open. “Why would you want to get together there?” I remembered that my mother and father used to meet at the same spot when they were young. What was so special about that clearing?

“It’s so beautiful,” the boy said. “There’s a place where you can sit and see the lake, but no one can see you. The trees hide you. And besides, it’s halfway between our houses. It only takes us about twenty minutes to walk to it.”

I looked over at Emily who had gone pale. This was the same spot where she used to sit and gaze out at the lake before she was raped by the man who was later buried there. The memory of that pain must be assailing her now, at a time she didn’t need to be thinking about it. She met my eyes, smiled bravely, and visibly gathered herself together.

“Go on, Jonathan,” she said. “How often did you meet there?”

He shrugged. “Several times before she left for Wichita. Maybe five or six times. We would just sit and talk.” He hung his head. “I could talk to Hannah about anything. She understands how I feel about … well, everything.”

“So that night, the night she disappeared, you went to this same spot?” I asked.

At my question, his eyes grew large. “No. That’s just it. My father and I worked hard in the fields that day. It was so hot, and I was so tired, I couldn’t stay awake. I didn’t wake up until the next morning.” He stared at Abel. “If only I’d gone, I could have saved her.”

I thought about the place I’d found the bracelet. It was about a mile away from my house, but it was on the road to Jonathan’s.

“Would Hannah have tried to walk to your house if you didn’t show up?” I asked the upset young man.

He thought about it for a moment. “I—I don’t know. I don’t think so. We’d told each other that if something should happen, if our parents weren’t sound asleep when we were supposed to leave, we should just forget it. If one of us didn’t show up, the other one was supposed to go home.”

This information sure didn’t explain how Hannah’s bracelet got to where I’d found it. “Did she say what she wanted to talk to you about?”

He nodded. “She said she had something to show me. Some new clothes she got in Wichita.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes. She had a gift for me. Something someone gave to her that she wanted me to have.”

I picked up my purse and dug around in it until I found what I wanted. “Is this what she planned to give you?” I held up the bracelet I’d found on the road.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t tell me. She did say it was something I couldn’t wear in public. That I’d have to keep it a secret.”

“It has to be this bracelet,” I said to Abel. “She didn’t bring anything else back that I know of.” I showed him the spacers that declared
Love, Friend
, and
Forever
. “I think she meant this as a way to tell Jonathan how she felt about him.”

Abel took the bracelet from my hand. “But how did you get it?”

I took a deep breath and told him about finding it on the road and how I was certain it was a message from Hannah to let us know she was taken against her will. I knew the knowledge wouldn’t comfort her parents, but I believed they needed to know the truth. About everything. When I finished telling them about the bracelet, I made a quick decision to spill my guts about the rest of it.

When I finished, Abel was silent. “The sheriff told us about the girl who was murdered, but he assured us that it had nothing at all to do with Hannah.”

“He might be right, but I think we need to consider it. The most important thing is that we realize she’s in trouble. Finding the bracelet where I did, and the fact that it was closed, is an indication that Hannah was trying to send us a message.”

“Someone told me that the girl in Topeka was kept alive for several days before she was killed,” Abel said, his voice trembling. “So if this is true, and if Hannah was abducted by this man, she might still be alive?”

“Yes. That’s why it’s so necessary for us to find her as quickly as possible.”

“But why did Sheriff Taylor tell us Hannah wasn’t abducted?” Emily said, her hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles were white. “He keeps assuring us that she’s just run away and that he’ll find her.”

“Because he really believes that,” I said. “I tried to tell him that he might be wrong, but he hasn’t listened to me. The good news is that he’s finally contacted the KBI about Hannah. And Susan Murphy is also going to get in touch with them.”

“Mrs. Murphy? The social worker?” Abel looked puzzled. “Why would she help us? She seems committed to taking Hannah away from us when she comes home.”

“She’s not going to do anything like that,” I reassured them. “She and I had a long talk, and she thinks you’re great parents. She’s trying to help us find Hannah, too.”

The Muellers were silent. I knew I wasn’t supposed to tell them about the serial killer theory, but I couldn’t help it. I felt time was of the essence.

“I don’t like being kept in the dark about my daughter’s disappearance,” Abel said. “Sheriff Taylor should be giving us this information, not you, Gracie. I think we need to ask him to come over here and speak to us. If there’s anything else …”

“There is,” I said. I felt like someone had opened the floodgates. A part of me tried to hold back, but I couldn’t seem to control myself. I told them about the red truck and the bumper sticker. Then I told them about Rufus.

Abel jumped to his feet. “You’re telling me that this man may have my little girl?” His face was red with anger. “Why hasn’t the sheriff looked into this? You told him this last night?”

“Yes, and he’s probably checking it out now,” I said, flustered by his reaction. “It’s important that we let him do his job. If we tip Rufus off too soon, we might not find Hannah.”