Marta Perry - Danger In Amish Country

He spotted Sara almost immediately, standing by the porch, in conversation with a man he recognized as the school board head. It didn’t look as if either of them were enjoying their talk.

Rachel tugged at his hand, apparently ready to join some of the other youngsters at the swings.

“Have a gut day.” He touched her cheek lightly, wanting to hold her tight and knowing he couldn’t. “Listen to Teacher Sara, ya?”

“I will.” She hesitated. “You’ll komm after school?”

“I’ll be here,” he promised. “Go on, run and play until the bell rings.”

When he glanced at Sara again, she was alone and looking relieved. Catching his eye, she came toward him, smiling but not, he thought, quite as blooming as usual.

“Is something wrong?” he asked bluntly when she was close enough.

“No, not at all,” she said too quickly. “How is Rachel?”

“She had another bad night.” Some things he’d rather keep to himself, but if Sara were to help Rachel, she had to know. “I tried to get her to tell me what frightened her, but she wouldn’t.” His frustration was probably obvious.

“I’m so sorry.” Distress filled Sara’s face. “I hoped...” She let that trail off.

“You talked to the kinner about what happened, Rachel says.”

Sara seemed to brace herself for his disapproval. “I felt I had to.”

“Ya, I know,” he said quickly, not liking that she expected instant criticism from him. “I understand. They’d be imagining worse if you didn’t tell them.”

Relief flooded her face. “I wish other parents understood that.”

“Giving you a hard time, are they?”

“Not all, just a few. Silas Weaver in particular.” She broke off as a buggy swung around in the lane next to them.

Her niece, little Becky, hopped down and raced off toward Rachel. Sara’s brother leaned across the seat, grinning.

“Morning, Caleb. Sara, have you seen any more bogeymen since last night?”

“Very funny, Isaac.” But he was already driving off.

Caleb studied her, alerted by the tension in Sara’s face. “What did your brother mean?”

“It was nothing.” But she rubbed her arms as if she were chilled. “I just... I went home a bit later than usual yesterday. It was such a dark day, and I thought I heard someone following me along the path.”

He frowned, sensing it was more serious than she wanted to let on. “Did you see anyone?”

“Not exactly.” She seemed to be trying to get it straight in her mind. “I thought I heard someone behind me, but when I looked, no one was there. Then when I reached the pine woods, I heard it again. I called out. No one answered, but the bushes moved as if someone was pushing through them. Isaac says I was imagining things. It must have been an animal.”

Nothing he’d seen of Sara would make him think she was easily spooked. “An animal wouldn’t sound like a person’s footsteps.”

She looked startled that he was taking it seriously. “No. But if it was a person, he had left by the time my daed and Isaac went out to look.”

“I don’t like it.” His frown deepened. “Someone could have been waiting for you to leave so he could follow you. I think I’d best have a look around outside the schoolhouse, if it’s all right with you.”

“Ya, danki.” She managed a smile. “I hadn’t thought of it, but that would make me feel safer.”

The school bell set up a clamor, shaken by one of the older boys who seemed to enjoy making as much noise as possible. The kinner came running to line up, two by two, and began walking into the schoolhouse. Sara, with a last grateful look at him, followed them inside.

Caleb waited until the school door closed behind Sara. Then he studied the building, considering. He wasn’t what anyone would call a fanciful man, but he’d sensed the fear Sara felt when she talked about her walk home the previous day. The Esch farm wasn’t all that far from the school, but the path was a lonely one, and it would have been dark and isolated under the trees.

He circled the schoolhouse with deliberate steps. For someone to follow Sara, he must have been hiding someplace out of sight, waiting for her to leave. A car parked near the Amish school would have been spotted instantly.

He scanned the ground beneath each of the windows, his skin crawling at the thought of someone peering in at Sara. But there was no sign of disturbance.

A windowless white frame storage shed stood behind the school building. The door was padlocked. No one could have lurked there. He began to feel foolish, prowling around the school this way, until he reached the rear of the storage shed.

Boot prints were plainly visible in the ground left muddy by yesterday’s rain, and the stubs of several cigarettes littered the ground. He stared, almost wishing he could disbelieve the evidence in front of his own eyes.

But he couldn’t, and he couldn’t fool himself that ignoring this would make it go away.

Moving quickly, Caleb circled the schoolhouse to the door and tapped lightly before opening it. Every head swiveled toward him.

“Teacher Sara, may I have a word?”

Sara nodded, eyes widening. She gave a few quick words of instruction to her scholars before coming to join him on the porch.

“You found something?”

“Ya. Behind the storage shed. Footprints in the mud that look like boots. Man-size, not a child’s. And cigarette butts. Someone waited there, smoking.”

Sara paled, but she didn’t lose her composure. “It couldn’t have been any of the scholars. Not even the older boys would do that.”

The sound of a motor interrupted her, and they watched as a panel truck drove up the lane. Caleb took an instinctive step in front of Sara before realizing the truck bore the name of the local hardware store.

Mitch Foster got out and regarded them quizzically for a moment. Then he headed for them.

“Something wrong? You folks are looking upset. I was just going to get some measurements for the playground equipment materials while the kids are still inside, but if this is a bad time...”

“Not exactly.” Sara looked as if she didn’t know quite what to do with the man. “Maybe later would be better.” She sent a questioning look toward Caleb.

He made a quick decision. “We found signs that a stranger has been lingering on school grounds. If you are going back to town, maybe you could stop at the police station for us?”

Foster looked startled but agreeable. “I can do better than that. I’ve got my cell phone. We’ll give the chief a call right this minute.”

It was done. Caleb couldn’t ignore the possible danger to the other kinner and to Sara, no matter how little he might want to be involved. Still, it had become too serious to pretend he could. Like it or not, he’d have to tell the police chief about Rachel’s nightmares.

* * *

Once again, Sara found herself and Caleb in consultation with Chief O’Brian—not in the schoolroom this time, but behind the storage shed, staring at the footprints. The muddy marks gave her too strong an image of someone standing there, watching the schoolhouse, waiting for her, and she edged a half step closer to Caleb’s comfortable bulk.

“No doubt someone was here for a fair amount of time,” the chief said, squatting to have a closer look. “Don’t suppose it could have been one of the older boys?” He made it a question.

Sara shook her head, grateful when Caleb took it upon himself to answer.

“A scholar that age wouldn’t dare. And there’s not one of them would wear boots that make that kind of print. Maybe when they hit rumspringa, but not at this age.”

For all his earlier reluctance, Caleb was clearly ready to take charge, and she was just as glad to let him. She’d hate to have to admit the hollow feeling it gave her to know her fears were justified.