A Sister's Test Page 6

  Dad looked at Martha, and they exchanged worried glances. “Maybe you should get Anna so Grace can go home and rest,” he said.

  Martha nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Where is Anna?” Grace asked. “Is she in the barn?”

  “She’s at the woodworking shop with Cleon,” Dad said.

  “What’s she doing there? I’ve told her not to bother Cleon when he’s working.”

  Dad rocked back and forth on his heels. “She. . .uh. . .came out there with Martha to talk to us.”

  Grace frowned as she turned to face her sister. “I thought you were going to keep Anna entertained in the barn, not haul her out to the shop to bother the men.”

  “I didn’t haul her out there. We went there because—” Martha stopped speaking and glanced over at Dad.

  “What’s going on, Roman?” Mom asked. “You and Martha are acting so missdrauisch. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

  “We’re not acting suspicious,” he was quick to say. “It’s just that—well, we had a little incident in the barn a while ago, and I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “What kind of incident?”

  “Someone threw a stink bomb through one of the barn windows, and Martha brought Anna out to the shop to tell us about it.”

  Mom hurried into the barn, and the rest of them followed.

  Mom’s nose twitched. “I do smell something funny in here.”

  “I thought I had the barn aired out pretty good, but I guess the putrid odor will linger awhile.” Dad motioned across the room. “I’ll have the window fixed before the day’s out.”

  Grace’s stomach clenched as she gripped her mother’s hand. “This was Gary’s work. I’m sure of it.”

  Dad shook his head. “Sell kann ich mir gaar net eibilde.”

  “What do you mean you can’t conceive of that? Gary’s back in Holmes County. He promised to get even with me someday, and I’m sure he’s the one who did all those horrible things to us before he left for Pennsylvania.” Grace’s knees nearly buckled, and she leaned against a wooden beam for support. “I think Gary may have come here and thrown the stink bomb into the barn before he went to town. I–I’m afraid if he’s not stopped, he’ll continue to do more things.”

  “You’re worried for nothing, Grace. I’m guessing that stink bomb was thrown by some prankster,” Dad said.

  “You said that before, when the attacks first began. But things only got worse.” Grace drew in a deep breath to settle her nerves. “Anna or I could have been killed when our house was set on fire. I don’t think that was done by any prankster.”

  “She’s right, Roman,” Mom put in. “Whoever did most of those things to our property was out for more than a good time.”

  Dad stared at the ground, and a muscle in the side of his cheek quivered. “Cleon and I will keep an eye on things; I can promise you that.”

  Grace shrugged and headed out of the barn. “I need to get Anna and put her down for a nap.”

  “I’ll do that,” Martha said. “Mom, if you’d like to walk Grace up to her house, I’ll be there with Anna real soon.”

  Mom nodded, and they started up the driveway toward Grace and Cleon’s new home, Mom leading Grace by the arm.

  Martin hurried down the sidewalk toward the bakeshop. He’d come to Berlin to pick up some supplies for the harness shop, and since Abe had told him to take all the time he needed, he figured he may as well stop at the bakeshop and say hello to Ruth. He might even pick up a few doughnuts and take them to Abe.

  When he stepped into the bakeshop, the pleasant aroma of freshly baked pastries flooded his senses and made his stomach rumble. He was pleased to see that no customers were there at the moment, but then he spotted Ruth sitting behind the counter with her head resting in the palms of her hands.

  “Ruth, what’s wrong?” he asked, rushing over to the counter. “Do you have a koppweh?”

  Ruth lifted her head, and his heart clenched when he saw the weary look on her face.

  “I don’t have a headache, but I have had a rough morning,” Ruth said, rising to her feet.

  “What happened?”

  “That reporter, Gary Walker, is back in town. He came into the bakeshop a while ago, while Grace and Mom were here.”

  Martin pursed his lips. “Grace used to date that fellow, right?”

  Ruth nodded. “She thinks he’s the one responsible for all those acts of vandalism that were done at our place.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I–I’m not sure, but I do know that Gary is a troublesome fellow.”

  “Did he do or say anything to bother you?”

  Her gaze dropped to the floor. “Well—”

  “What did he say?”

  “He just gave me a hard time, but Jake put a stop to it.”

  “What exactly did the reporter say to you?”

  Ruth’s face flushed the color of ripe cherries. “He wanted me to have supper with him after I got off work today.”

  Martin’s spine went rigid, and he clenched and unclenched his fingers. He had enough to be concerned about, worrying whether Luke was still interested in Ruth. He didn’t need some fancy-talking Englisher chasing after her.

  “I wouldn’t have gone with Gary, even if Jake hadn’t come into the room,” Ruth was quick to say. “So you needn’t look so concerned.”

  “How long ago did the reporter leave the bakeshop?”

  “Twenty minutes or so.”

  “Maybe he’s still in town.” Martin turned toward the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To see if I can find him.”

  “What for?”

  Martin stopped walking and turned to face her. “I think it might be good if I had a talk with him—asked him to stop bothering you.”

  Ruth dashed around the counter. “Oh no! Please don’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t trust the man. If Gary is the one who did those attacks, then he could be dangerous.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “Well, I am.” Ruth clutched his arm, and tears glistened in her eyes. “Please don’t go looking for him.”

  “All right, I won’t. But if he ever bothers you again, I want to know about it.”

  Cleon couldn’t believe his eyes. Sometime during the night, Roman’s shop, house, and barn had been covered with long strips of toilet paper.

  He spotted Roman standing outside his shop, shaking his head and muttering, “I don’t have time for this. Don’t have time at all.”

  “I wonder if the same person who threw the stink bomb through the barn window did all this,” Cleon said, motioning to the tangle of toilet paper draped over the shop.

  Roman grunted. “I don’t know, but I think whoever did it must be a smoker.”

  “How do you know?”

  Roman reached into his shirt pocket and withdrew a pack of cigar-ettes. “Found these on the ground near our back porch. I’m thinking that whoever hung toilet paper all over our buildings must have dropped his cigarettes.” Roman frowned deeply. “I told the women yesterday that I thought the stink bomb was the result of a prankster. But Grace thinks it might have been done by Gary Walker, that reporter who likes to write articles about our people.” He grunted. “Want to know what I really think?”

  Cleon nodded.

  “I believe Luke may have done this, as well as thrown the stink bomb yesterday.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “I’ve smelled smoke on his clothes a time or two, and since he doesn’t care for me—”

  “But he could have smoke on his clothes just from hanging around other folks who smoke,” Cleon interrupted.

  Roman made a sweeping gesture toward the mess above them. “Either way, he still could have been involved in this.”

  “If you’re convinced Luke’s the one who did this, then maybe you should talk to him or his folks about it.”

  “I’ve though
t about that, but I’m not sure if I should.”

  “Why not?”

  “If I speak with Luke, it might give him some sort of satisfaction to know he’s got me riled. And if I talk to his folks, it might upset them too much.” Roman reached up and snatched a strand of toilet paper from the roof. “Guess I’d better get this disaster cleaned up before we begin work for the day. Judith was pretty distressed when she woke up and saw the mess. I don’t want it hanging around all day to remind her of what happened.”

  “If you have something you need to get done in the shop, I can take care of getting the toilet paper down,” Cleon offered.

  Roman shook his head. “Nothing pressing. If we clean this up together, we’ll get to work that much quicker.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Cleon shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun and stared in the direction of his home. “Grace was quite disturbed last night about the stink bomb episode, not to mention seeing that reporter again. I think it would be good if we get this cleaned up before she has a chance to see it.”

  Grace held Anna’s hand as they headed down the driveway toward her folks’ house. She hadn’t slept well. Had Gary really come back to Holmes County to write more stories, or did he have evil on his mind? Were the attacks some sort of test to see how much her family could endure? Maybe a good talk with Mom over a cup of tea might make me feel better.

  She gritted her teeth and tried to focus on something positive—the cloudless sky overhead, the emerald grass beneath her feet, the bounty of multihued flowers in bloom, a warbling bluebird calling to its mate. The babe in her womb kicked just then, and she smiled. She had good things to think about, and as the Bible reminded in Philippians 4:8, she would try to think on those things.

  “Can we go see Esta today?” Anna asked, giving Grace’s hand a tug. “I wanna see how Winkie’s doing.”

  “Maybe after lunch.”

  As they neared her folks’ place, Grace noticed a strip of toilet paper hanging from a branch in the maple tree. Her gaze traveled around the yard. Had Mom and Dad been the victims of a TP party? If so, it seemed odd that there was just one strip of toilet paper hanging from the tree. “That’s sure fremm,” she murmured.

  “What’s strange, Mama?” Anna asked as she tromped up the back steps.

  “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  When they entered the house, Grace found her mother sitting at the kitchen table with her Bible open and a cup of tea in her hand.

  “Wie geht’s?” Mom asked as Grace took a seat at the table and Anna dropped to the floor beside a milky white kitten.

  “I’m feeling a little better than yesterday.” Grace reached for the teapot sitting in the center of the table and poured herself some tea.

  “You looked so pale and shaken when we returned from Berlin yesterday. I was worried about you.”

  Grace glanced over at her daughter, who sat cross-legged on the floor with the kitten in her lap. “Anna, why don’t you take the kitten out to the porch and play with her there?”

  “Why can’t I stay here?”

  “Outside’s a better place for the kitten.”

  Anna clambered to her feet and headed out the door.

  Mom pushed a jar of honey in Grace’s direction. “With the boppli coming soon, you need to get plenty of rest and remain calm.”

  Grace added a spoonful of honey to her tea. “It’s hard to relax knowing Gary is back and might have been the one who threw the stink bomb into Dad’s barn.”

  Mom nodded. “Did you see the mess we woke up to?”

  “What mess was that?”

  “Someone strung toilet paper all over the house, barn, and your daed’s woodworking shop.”

  “I saw a piece of toilet paper hanging from a branch in the maple tree, but that was all.”

  “The men cleaned it up before they went to work this morning.”

  Grace shivered and leaned back in the chair, her thoughts racing.

  “Are you cold? Would you like one of my shawls to drape around your shoulders?” Mom asked with a look of concern.

  Grace shook her head. “I’m not shivering because I’m cold. I’m afraid Gary might have come back to continue harassing our family. The stink bomb and TP mess could be just the beginning.”

  “I hope not.” Mom lowered her voice, even though Anna was no longer in the room. “Your daed mentioned that Luke dropped a hammer during the work frolic on your new house and that it almost hit Ruth. Did you hear about that?”

  Grace shook her head, then pushed her chair aside and stood.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I think I should make another trip to Berlin to see if I can find Gary. If he’s hanging around town, I’m going to have a talk with him.”

  “Ach, Grace, I don’t think that’s a good idea. And I don’t think Cleon would like you going into town alone—especially if he knew what you had in mind.”

  “I won’t go alone. If you’re able to watch Anna, I’ll see if Martha’s willing to ride along.”

  “I guess I could watch Anna, but—”

  “Where is that little sister of mine?”

  “Out in the barn as usual.”

  “I’ll go see if she’s free.” Grace rushed out the door before Mom had a chance to respond.

  Since there was a lull between customers, Ruth decided it was a good time to clean the outside glass of the bakery case, where fingerprints from customers were always a problem. She enjoyed her job at the bakeshop but looked forward to the day when she became a wife and mother. Cooking, cleaning, and wiping children’s runny noses would be more rewarding than waiting on impatient customers all day.

  Ruth squirted liquid cleaner on the front of the glass and began wiping it with a clean rag, but her thoughts were on Martin and his gentle, caring ways. She was quickly falling in love with him and hoped the feeling was mutual. Will Martin ask me to marry him someday? I’d say yes if he did.

  She smiled, picturing Martin’s deep dimples and the genuine smile he so often gave her. If we were to marry, I wonder if our kinner would have his cute little dimples.

  The telephone rang, and Ruth’s musings were halted. Someone probably wanted to place a bakery order.

  A few minutes later, she hung up the phone and had just slid a tray of maple bars into the bakery case when she heard a man clear his throat. She looked up and saw Gary Walker standing on the other side of the counter, staring at her with a look so intense it made her toes curl inside her shoes. “Y–you’re back,” she stammered.

  “Sure am,” he said with a twisted grin.

  She gestured to the baked goods inside the case. “Do you want more maple bars?”

  “No, but I wouldn’t mind a strong cup of coffee.”

  “We don’t serve coffee here, just baked goods.”

  He raked his fingers through the back of his thick auburn hair. “How about you and me having a cup of coffee somewhere? Maybe we could go to that restaurant on the other side of town where your sister used to work.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t leave the bakeshop. My boss wouldn’t like it if I left the front counter unattended.”

  Gary placed both hands against the display case and leaned toward her.

  So much for cleaning the glass.

  “You do get breaks, don’t you?” he asked.

  She nodded and leaned away from the disgusting odor of cigarette smoke that made her want to sneeze. She hadn’t noticed a smoky smell on him before. Maybe his spicy aftershave had covered it up.

  “Tell me when your break is, and we’ll meet wherever you like.”

  Ruth’s mouth felt so dry she had to swallow several times in order to speak. “Wh–why would you want to meet me for coffee?”

  “I’d like to talk to you about some things, and it would be easier to do it away from here.”

  She looked over her shoulder, hoping Jake would come into the room, but she figured he probably couldn’t hear the conversation over the noisy mi
xer running in the back room.

  “I don’t believe we have anything to talk about,” she said through tight lips.

  He leaned so close she could feel his sultry breath blowing against her face. “You’d be surprised how much we might have to talk about.”

  Ruth closed the sliding door on her side of the bakery case. “If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

  Gary chuckled. “From what I can tell, I’m your only customer right now. Don’t you think I deserve your undivided attention?”

  Ruth gripped the edge of the counter so hard her fingers turned numb. “If you didn’t come here to buy anything, then I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.”

  “I’ll take a maple bar.”

  “Just one?”

  “Yep.” He thumped his stomach. “Don’t want to get fat, or pretty women like you may not find me attractive.”

  Ruth clenched her teeth, placed a maple bar on a square of waxed paper, and handed it to him. “That will be fifty cents.”

  He paid her, then bit into the maple bar and smacked his lips. “This tastes almost as sweet as your big sister’s lips.” He gave her a flirty wink. “How about you? Have you ever been kissed by an English man?”

  Ruth heard the echo of her heartbeat in her head.

  An English couple entered the bakeshop. Gary grunted and stepped aside as they approached the counter.

  “May I help you?” Ruth asked.

  The man nodded. “We’d like a dozen chocolate doughnuts and an angel food cake.”

  As Ruth reached into the bakery case to remove the items, she looked up and saw Gary heading for the door. “I’ll come back when you’re not so busy,” he called over his shoulder.

  Ruth cringed. The last thing she wanted was to see that man again!

  When Martha pulled her buggy up to the hitching rail near the back of the bakeshop, she pointed to Gary Walker as he came around the corner of the building. “There he is. Are you sure you want to speak with him, sister?”