The Missing Will Read online

  “You’ve been calling me nonstop, and you even went to see my dad, so I wouldn’t put anything past you.” Kristi’s voice trembled. It was hard to look at Joel and not be reminded of what they’d once had. So much for keeping my emotions stable.

  “I didn’t follow you here. I’ve been in Charm most of the weekend and had no idea where you were right now.” Joel slid his fingers through his scraggly beard. “Spent last night at my dad’s place, in fact.”

  Her gaze flicked up. “Don’t tell me. I’ll bet you went there to look for his will. Or has it already been found?”

  “No, it hasn’t. That’s why I decided to take charge and search for it myself.” He paused. “My sisters don’t understand how important it is for me to find the will. My situation is far more complicated than theirs, and they don’t get how much stress I’m under right now.”

  “If you need money so bad, then sell your fancy Corvette.”

  “I can’t do that. I’ve waited a long time to have the car of my dreams.” A muscle on the side of Joel’s neck quivered as he folded his arms. “I deserve my share of that inheritance.”

  Kristi didn’t comment. What would be the point? Joel’s focus was still on money. It seemed to be what drove him to do things that hurt other people. As much as it upset her to see him again, she was glad they’d crossed paths today. It was the reminder she needed that she’d done the right thing by breaking their engagement.

  “I can’t talk to you anymore, Joel. I need to go.” Kristi turned abruptly and sprinted up the trail in the direction of the parking lot. She glanced back briefly and felt relieved that Joel wasn’t following her. Maybe he’d finally realized there was no chance of them getting back together. She hoped so, anyhow.

  CHAPTER 8

  Walnut Creek

  On Wednesday afternoon of the following week, Doris had just left the restaurant where she worked, when she saw Anna coming out of the bakery. She hurried her steps, hoping to catch up to her friend.

  “It’s good to see you, Anna. How have you been?” As Doris came alongside Anna, she gave her friend’s arm a gentle squeeze.

  Anna shrugged. “I’m doing okay. How about you?”

  Doris smiled. “Real well. In fact, I have some gut noochricht.”

  Anna perked up. “I’m anxious to hear it. I always appreciate good news.”

  “I am im e familye weg.”

  Anna gave Doris a hug. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you. When is the baby due?”

  “Not till this spring. I can hardly wait.” Doris’s excitement mounted. “Brian and I didn’t think we could have any kinner, so this is a wunner to me.”

  “You’re right, it is a miracle. I’m sure everyone in your family is happy about it.”

  “My sisters know, but I haven’t told Joel.” Doris fidgeted with her purse strap. “In fact, I haven’t seen him since our daed’s funeral.”

  Tugging her shawl tighter around her neck, Anna leaned forward. “Speaking of your bruder, I think I may have seen Joel Sunday afternoon—or at least someone who looked like him.”

  Doris folded her arms over her stomach, tilting her head down, hoping to see a little bump. Her abdomen still appeared flat. Letting out a soft breath, she looked back at Anna. “Where did you see him?”

  “On the road between Charm and Farmerstown. I was heading home from church in my open buggy, and the driver of the horse and buggy going in the opposite direction looked like Joel.”

  Doris gave her head a slight shake. “It couldn’t have been him. Why would he be out riding with a horse and carriage?”

  “That’s what I thought, but then as I said, it may have only been someone who resembled Joel.”

  “Jah, it’s probably how it was, all right.” Doris couldn’t picture her brother going anywhere with a horse and buggy when he could ride in his car. He had enjoyed driving a horse and buggy when he was young, but he’d lost interest after driving his first car during their running-around years. Besides, if it had been Joel, which wasn’t likely, whose rig could he have been driving? Most likely, Anna thought the man she’d seen was Joel because he had been on her mind since the funeral.

  Berlin

  Doris went to the phone shack as soon as her driver dropped her off at home. After Anna had mentioned Joel this afternoon, she was even more anxious to call Kristi and find out what had caused her and Joel’s breakup.

  She looked in her purse for Kristi’s phone number and dialed it. Doris felt a release of tension when Kristi answered, because she wasn’t sure she’d be home from work by now.

  “Hi, Kristi, this is Joel’s sister Doris Schrock.”

  “It’s good hearing from you. I’ve been wondering if you would call.” Kristi’s tone sounded a bit uncertain.

  “I’d like to know what happened between you and my brother. Are you free to talk about it now?”

  “Yes, I am. I got home from work twenty minutes ago, and except for fixing supper later, I have nothing planned for the evening. So I have plenty of time to talk.”

  “Okay, good. I just got home from work myself.” Doris pulled out the folding chair and took a seat.

  “Things were strained between me and Joel for several months,” Kristi began. “He did some things he knew I wouldn’t approve of and kept them from me.”

  Doris listened as Kristi explained about Joel’s deceit and desperation for money.

  “It took me a long time to realize that Joel cares more about his selfish desires than the needs of others.” Kristi’s voice faltered. “As difficult as it was, I couldn’t go on seeing him, so I broke our engagement.”

  “I understand, and you did the right thing. My brother is not the same person he was when we were growing up. I don’t know why he became so self-centered, but I fear he’s in for a lot of problems if he doesn’t get right with God and change his ways.”

  “I’ve been praying for him,” Kristi said. “Not so we can get back together, because it’s too late for that. I’m asking God to soften Joel’s heart and open his eyes so he can see what a wonderful family he has.”

  “I appreciate your prayers on our and Joel’s behalf.” Doris sniffed. Using her sleeve, she dabbed at her tears. “I’m praying for my brother, too, and hoping someone, or something, will help him see the error of his ways.”

  “You might also pray that he will move on with his life and stop pressuring me to take him back.” Kristi’s words were rushed and sounded shaky. “I was out jogging at the park Sunday afternoon. Joel nearly bumped into me there. He denied it, of course, but I’m almost certain he followed me to the park. You know what he told me?”

  “What?”

  “Said he’d spent the weekend at his dad’s place, looking for his will.” Kristi sighed. “It saddens me to think Joel is focused so much on his need for money.”

  Doris’s body tensed as she felt a sudden coldness. So it could have been Joel Anna saw on Sunday. As strange as it seems, I bet he took Dad’s horse and buggy out for a ride.

  She shifted the receiver to her other ear. “I appreciate you telling me all this, Kristi. I’m going to check with my sisters and see if either of them knows what Joel was up to on Sunday. It’s not good for him to rummage through things in Dad’s house if none of us are there. Joel might throw something out that’s important or meaningful to one of us.”

  Charm

  When Elsie arrived at her dad’s place the following day, she was surprised to discover her sisters’ rigs already there. After putting her horse in the corral, she stopped at her buggy and pulled out a cardboard box. Shivering against the chill in the air, she hurried for the house.

  “I’m either late or you two are early,” she said when she entered the living room where Arlene and Doris sat on the sofa, going through some paperwork.

  Doris looked up at her and smiled. “I think we’re early.”

  “I don’t suppose you’ve found Dad’s will.” Elsie clicked her tongue. “But then if you had, you’d both have probably
been waiting for me on the porch, excited to share the news.”

  “No will yet, and I’m beginning to think we’ll never find it.” Arlene held up some of the papers in her lap. “All we’ve come across so far in the boxes we found in the downstairs spare bedroom are receipts from things Dad ordered a long time ago.”

  Elsie groaned, shifting the box she held for a better grip. “I don’t understand why he kept so many unnecessary things.” She set the box on the floor and went to the coat rack to hang her purse, shawl, and outer bonnet. “I can understand why Dad would keep receipts from recent purchases, but to hang on to old paperwork doesn’t make sense.”

  Doris flicked her hand in front of her nose, as if to rid the room of a bad odor. “You know Dad. He thought he had to keep nearly everything.”

  “We can complain about it all we want, but it won’t change the fact that we’re stuck going through everything.” Arlene grabbed another stack of papers from the box near her feet.

  “True, but before I get to work, I’d better take care of the things I brought with me today.” Elsie went to the kitchen and placed her box on the counter. First she removed a plastic container filled with pumpkin muffins and set it on the table. Then she checked the refrigerator to see how much food there was for Glen. She’d brought him a jar of homemade soup, which she took from the box and placed in the refrigerator. She’d also included several apples, bananas, a loaf of bread, lunchmeat, and cheese. Since Glen often ate supper at their house when he finished work for the day, he didn’t need a fully stocked refrigerator or pantry. Still, Elsie wanted to make sure her son didn’t go hungry.

  “I’m ready to help,” Elsie announced when she returned to the living room, where her sisters sat, going through more paperwork. She grabbed a handful of papers and seated herself in the rocking chair across from them.

  Sorting through their father’s mound of paperwork while rocking the chair caused Elsie’s eyelids to become heavy. It reminded her of when she was in school. Whenever the teacher wrote their assignments or list of spelling words on the chalkboard, the letters sometimes turned into squiggly shapes as Elsie stared at them. The next thing she knew, her body would relax and her vision fade. Then, she’d jolt her head back up, realizing she had dozed off.

  “Before we get too busy, there’s something I need to tell you both,” Doris said. “It’s about Joel.”

  “What’s he done now?” Elsie asked, relieved she could take a short break.

  “Well, as I mentioned last Sunday, Joel and Kristi broke up. I finally had a chance to call and ask her about the details.”

  “Now that’s a surprise.” Arlene frowned. “Although, with our bruder, maybe it’s not. Don’t forget—he broke up with Anna before he left our Amish way of life.”

  “True, but this time it was Joel’s aldi who broke things off with him.” Doris went on to share everything Kristi told her when they spoke on the phone.

  “It’s a shame.” Arlene spoke softly. “I liked Kristi and looked forward to getting to know her better.”

  “Me, too,” Elsie agreed.

  Doris leaned slightly forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “There’s more.”

  “More about Joel?” Arlene questioned.

  “Jah. I found out from Kristi that our impulsive bruder spent the weekend at Dad’s house. Did Glen say anything about this to you, Elsie?”

  “No, he did not.” Elsie narrowed her eyes. “But then I’ve only seen him briefly the last few days, when he’s come to the house to meet up with his daed before the two of them went out on a job.”

  “Maybe Glen said something to John about Joel coming here to Dad’s,” Doris interjected.

  Elsie compressed her lips. “If John knew about it, I’m sure he would have told me.”

  “We can’t have Joel showing up here whenever he feels like it, going through Dad’s things without our knowledge.” Arlene’s nose crinkled. “I wonder what rooms he looked in while he was here.”

  “Hard to say. Maybe Glen knows.” Elsie rocked in her chair. “Next time I see him, I’ll ask for details about what his uncle did during his stay.”

  “If he spent the night here, I wonder if he found anything interesting.” Arlene rose from her seat. “Think I’ll go check the upstairs bedrooms to see if anything looks disturbed.” She headed for the stairs.

  Elsie sorted papers quietly for a while, then glanced over at Doris and frowned. “It would be nice to work with our bruder through all of this, instead of dealing with the tension he causes.” She remained quiet a few minutes, watching Doris look through more of Dad’s papers. Several minutes later, she spotted Arlene coming down the stairs. “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”

  “It looks like Joel picked his own room to sleep in, because not one box was on the bed, as it had been before. He didn’t bother to make the bed, either, so I did.” Arlene sighed. “Like I said before, we can’t have Joel showing up here whenever he feels like it, going through Dad’s things without our knowledge.”

  “But isn’t that what we’re doing?” Doris spoke up. “Joel has no idea we’re here now or what rooms and boxes we’ve gone through so far.”

  Elsie put her hands on her hips. “That’s different. Joel knew we were going to be looking for Dad’s will. He’s just too impatient to wait for it to be found. I think I’m going to call him this evening and let him know we don’t appreciate him spending the weekend here without our knowledge.”

  Arlene held up her hand. “Why don’t you let me call Joel? I was going to anyway to invite him to Scott’s birthday party next Friday evening.”

  Elsie clutched the piece of paper she held with such tightness, it began to crinkle in her palms. “I don’t see why Joel has to be included. He’s never cared to come around and take part in family functions unless he wanted something.”

  “Elsie’s right,” Doris agreed. “Besides, I doubt he would come.”

  Arlene’s hands formed into a steeple. “I’m hoping and praying he does, because for whatever reason, Scott has taken a liking to his uncle Joel.”

  Elsie leaned back in her chair and tried to relax. She hoped if Joel did come to Scott’s party, he wouldn’t mention the will or say anything upsetting to anyone there.

  CHAPTER 9

  Farmerstown

  Is Uncle Joel comin’ tonight?” Scott asked when he entered the kitchen, where Arlene was mashing potatoes.

  “I invited him, Son, but please don’t get your hopes up.” She sighed deeply, turning toward him as she placed the potato masher down. “My bruder has his own business, and he may be too busy to come.” Arlene figured even if Joel wasn’t busy, he wouldn’t come, but she chose not to say so to Scott.

  The boy’s lower lip protruded. “I hope he comes, ’cause the party’s gonna be fun, and Uncle Joel needs to laugh.”

  “We all need to laugh more.” She tapped his shoulder before adding more butter to the potatoes. “Now go get washed up. We’ll be eating as soon as the rest of our family gets here.”

  As Scott headed down the hall, Arlene went to the dining room, where her daughters were setting the table.

  Guests began to arrive for Scott’s birthday party a short time later. First Doris and Brian, followed by Elsie, John, and their family. The only one missing was Joel.

  After everyone gathered at the table, all heads bowed for silent prayer. Then the food was passed from one person to the next, until everything had made it around.

  “Ya know what?” Doug looked over at his mother. “I miss Aunt Verna. Sure wish she and Uncle Lester coulda stayed here longer.”

  Arlene nodded. “I miss her, too, but she and Uncle Lester needed to get back to their home in Burton.”

  “Aunt Verna reminds me of Grandpa, with all the funny things she says and does.” Doug passed the salad bowl to Martha. “Remember when she put that wild red bird in her cage and was showing it off?”

  “But she let it go,” Scott reminded his brother.

 
; “Too bad Uncle Lester and Aunt Verna couldn’t be here for the party this evening,” Hope chimed in.

  Arlene had to agree with her daughter, for she wished it, too. When her aunt and uncle visited their family, it was like having her dad there in some ways.

  Conversation continued around the table as they began to eat their meal of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, tossed green salad, and creamed corn. It did Arlene’s heart good to see their smiles and hear the happy banter. Everyone had been so somber since Dad passed away.

  I wish he was with us tonight, she thought. Some of the stories her dad used to share about his childhood had always brought a round of laughter. Maybe he’s peeking down from heaven and celebrating Scott’s ninth birthday with us tonight.

  Akron

  Joel’s day had been busy and gone longer than he’d hoped. He had meant to finish working sooner, but here it was, evening already. He dashed into his mobile home, took off his work jacket, and tossed it on the couch. Then he headed down the hall to take a shower. He’d worked on the remodel of a house an hour north of Akron today and gotten caught in traffic on the way home. He didn’t want to disappoint Scott by not showing up at his party but was sure he’d already missed the meal.

  Better late than never, he told himself. With any luck I’ll get there in time for cake and ice cream.

  He reflected on the invitation he’d received from Arlene when she’d called a few days ago and left a message. In addition to inviting Joel to Scott’s party, she’d made it clear she didn’t want him looking for Dad’s will unless one of the sisters was with him. This didn’t set well with Joel, but he wouldn’t bring it up this evening. No point spoiling Scott’s party.

  Joel slapped the side of his head. “Oh, great. I don’t even have a gift for the boy.” It wouldn’t look good for him to show up at the party without a present. He had a certain fondness for the kid, probably because Scott reminded Joel of himself at that age—adventuresome, full of life, and equally full of questions.