Kitabı oku: «Her Amish Child», sayfa 3

Chapter Four

“You two go on,” Naomi said the next morning. “It’s too cold out there for old people and tiny babies.”

Raesha glanced from where Naomi sat by the fire holding Dinah, her gaze meeting Josiah’s. He stood in the kitchen, waiting with a tight somber apprehension.

He’d knocked on the door bright and early, stating a call had come in to the shop for him. One of the workers saw him outside on the tiny back porch and gave him a message to call back immediately.

“Mr. Craig has news,” he said the minute Raesha let him inside. “He will meet me at the Campton Center.” Then Josiah had asked if they wanted to go with him.

But Naomi had decided she didn’t want to do that.

“Your mother-in-law does bring up a good point,” he said now. “It is cold out there and damp at that. You and I can talk to him. We need advice on how to handle this.”

Raesha couldn’t refuse. They needed to know if Dinah was his niece or not. He had to be there to explain and ply his case and she needed to be there to hear the instructions and see to it they both understood how to proceed. She’d also back him up on his claim. How could she not?

“Well, you certainly do not need to be out in this weather,” she told Naomi. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here with little Dinah?”

“I’ll be just fine,” Naomi replied, her eyes on the bobbeli. “Dinah and I will have a gut talk about life.”

“We do have Susan Raber coming to run the shop today,” Raesha said, glad she’d been able to send word to their reliable helper. “If you need anything, she will be right next door and she has experience with little ones.”

“Ja,” Naomi said on a chuckle. “The girl has eight brothers and sisters.”

Raesha had long ago learned to ignore the pang of hurt in her heart each time she thought of big families. “That she does, so I shall not worry. Josiah and I will find out what needs to be done and then we’ll stop at the general store and get what supplies we might need.”

“Don’t forget to pick up what we need to make fresh formula,” Naomi reminded them, her eyes bright with expectation.

And something else that Raesha hoped Josiah didn’t notice.

Naomi loved to try to match Raesha up with eligible men. She tried to be subtle about it, but Raesha had sat through too many painful suppers to miss that gleam in Naomi’s kind eyes.

“We will get what we need,” Raesha said as she went about gathering her heavy cloak and bonnet. She’d dressed in a dark maroon winter dress and dark sneakers and stockings. This first burst of cold weather had come on suddenly.

Just like the man who was about to escort her to town.

She shouldn’t feel so nervous but her jitters were from anticipation and a bit of anxiousness to find out the truth about little Dinah. But she was also nervous about being alone with Josiah. She trusted Josiah and knew he would respect her and keep her safe, but something about going off alone with a man who wasn’t her husband did give her pause.

She missed Aaron with the sharpness of a knife carving out her heart, and the guilt she felt at even thinking about Josiah as handsome and strong made her purse her lips and stick as close as she could to her side of the big black covered buggy they used during the winter. Chester, the standardbred horse, was not happy being out in the cold. The gelding snorted his disdain and tossed his dark mane. Maybe the usually docile animal sensed the tension between Raesha and Josiah?

“The Campton Center is in the middle of town,” she said to ease that tension. The cold wind whipped at her bonnet and cloak, making Raesha shiver.

She loved spring and summer. Winter, which seemed determined to arrive early, made her sad. Aaron had died a few weeks before Christmas. But this year, they might have a baby in the house. Or nearby at least.

Josiah didn’t say much. Was he as wound up as she felt?

“I’m sorry you don’t know where you sister is,” she said, wishing she could ease that burden. Wishing she knew the truth about this whole unexpected situation.

“I appreciate that but she must be close by.” He watched the road for too-fast cars and clicked the reins. Chester pranced and settled into a steady, chopping gait. “I searched for her down in Kentucky but no one knew anything. The man to whom she was engaged went off on his own to search for her so I didn’t even get to talk to him.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you,” Raesha said. “Naomi and I said a prayer for you and your family last night.”

And she’d been in constant prayer since little Dinah had shown up on her doorstep. The adorable girl was so sweet and had such a happy disposition Raesha didn’t want to think about having to let her go.

“I came back here to check on the property but mainly to see if Josie might be here,” he said, his gaze slipping over her face. “And because a friend of Josie’s heard her talking about wanting to come back to Campton Creek and the home she remembered. She was never happy living in Ohio. She’s had a hard time of it since our mamm and daed passed.”

“I suspect you have, too,” Raesha said before she could stop herself.

“I have at that,” he replied, his eyes on the road, his expression stoic and set in stone. “I worked hard for my uncle and cousins but I never did fit in with them. I couldn’t find a suitable wife even when they tried to marry me off. Coming back here seemed a good choice since I hoped to find Josie here, too.”

So his family had tried to match him with someone, but had obviously failed. Was he that hard to deal with?

Not from what she’d seen.

“But you’ve possibly found your young niece.”

“Hard to believe but I do hope it’s so.” He clicked the reins. “I know it is so.”

They made it to town and the main thoroughfare, aptly called Creek Road since it followed the many streams jutting from the big meandering creek. Raesha pointed as they passed the Hartford General Store. The building, painted red and trimmed in white, covered a whole block.

“The Campton Center is just around the corner. The big brick house with a clear view of the creek and the other covered bridge that we call the West Bridge.”

Josiah nodded, eyeing the massive house on one side and the creek and bridge on the other. “It’s smaller than the big bridge to the east.”

“Ja, the creek deepens there toward the east,” she said, going on to explain how a young girl almost drowned there a while back. “Jeremiah Weaver, who returned to us almost two years ago, now teaches swimming lessons for all the kinder.”

“Gut idea,” Josiah said as he pulled the buggy in to the designated parking for the Amish across from the Campton Center. “This place is impressive.”

“Yes. Mrs. Campton has been generous with our community. She has no living children and her husband, who served in the navy, died last year. They lost their only son when he was off serving the country.”

Josiah stared up at the house. “We all have our battles to fight.”

Raesha stared over at him and saw the anguish in his expression. She had to wonder what kind of battles he’d fought to return to a place that brought him both good and bad memories.

What if he never found his sister? What if Dinah truly was his niece? Would he take the child and leave again once he’d sold the old place?

He glanced over at her, his eyes holding hers. He seemed to want to say something but she didn’t give him time.

“We should get inside.”

Josiah nodded and tied up the horse before coming around to offer her his hand.

Raesha let him help her out of the buggy, then she moved ahead of him, his touch burning a reminder throughout her system.

You can’t do this. You mustn’t get attached to this man. The child needs you. He doesn’t.

And I don’t need him either.

She’d be wise to remember that.

* * *

“Hello, I’m Alisha Braxton.”

The young female lawyer smiled and reached out her hand. Josiah removed his hat, and held it against his chest and then shook her hand. Raesha nodded and gave her a smile.

Josiah introduced himself and then turned to Raesha. “This is Raesha Bawell.”

The other woman took Raesha’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bawell. I’ve shopped at your place many times while doing pro bono work here.”

“Denke,” Raesha said, glancing at the pastoral painting on the wall that depicted an Amish farm in the mist. She recognized the work as belonging to a local Amish woman who painted.

Alisha Braxton had golden blond hair that fell around her shoulders and pretty green eyes that held a strong resolve. She wore a navy blue business suit. “Have a seat and let’s see what I can do to help you two. You look like a nice couple. Why do you need legal help?”

Raesha shook her head. “We are not a couple.”

Looking confused, the pretty woman with the expressive green eyes laughed. “Oh, I just assumed you might be remarrying, Mrs. Bawell. I’m sorry.”

Raesha let out a gasp, a blush heating her face. “No, that is not the case.”

Josiah took over. “Mrs. Bawell is my neighbor. We need to find out if the baby she found on her porch is my niece.”

The woman’s eyes went wide. “Oh, I see.” Turning to Raesha, she said, “Let’s start at the beginning. You found a baby on your porch? When did this happen? And where is the baby now?”

“Three nights ago. My mother-in-law has the child at my home.” Raesha cleared her throat and tried to explain things in chronological order. “We have taken in children before but those were mostly family and friends. But we talked to the bishop and since the note indicated the mother is Amish, he allowed us to keep the child for a while.”

“I see,” the woman replied. “So why are you here?”

Raesha began to wonder why herself.

But she went on. “Yesterday, Mr. Fisher showed up and he believes, based on her appearance and a baby kapp we found in the basket with his sister’s initials stitched inside, that the child is his niece.”

Glancing at Josiah, she said, “I came here with him to seek advice and to see what his investigator has found. My mother-in-law has Dinah and we have a woman nearby in our shop if she needs help.”

Looking impressed, the young woman nodded, her wavy hair grazing her shoulders. “Who is your investigator, Mr. Fisher?”

“Nathan Craig,” Josiah said. “I first contacted him when Josie went missing in Kentucky. But we never found her. When I got word she might be back in this area, I called him again. He is supposed to be good at tracking Amish.”

The woman’s face went blank but her eyes said a lot that didn’t seem in Mr. Craig’s favor. “Yes, he is good at that. He used to be Amish.”

Raesha let that settle. It happened. People who left somehow always came back around in one way or another. But they didn’t always rejoin the Amish community or confess and ask for forgiveness.

“So you know him?” Josiah asked.

“More than I care to admit,” the lawyer lady said. “But he is the best at his job. Is he meeting you here?”

“He has arrived,” a deep voice said from the open door.

“Mr. Craig.” Josiah stood and shook the man’s hand while Raesha took it all in.

The man looked world-weary, his expression edged with darkness while his brilliant blue eyes burned bright. His gaze moved over them and bounced back to Alisha Braxton and stayed on her for longer than necessary.

“Good to see you again, Alisha,” he said.

“I wish I could say the same,” Miss Braxton replied.

Raesha noticed the way the lawyer woman said that.

Seemed the pretty female lawyer might have a beef with the handsome private investigator. Raesha hoped their personal differences wouldn’t interfere with Josiah’s problem.

Maybe Raesha had read too many Amish mysteries.

The man leaned back against a table off to the side, his boots scraping the hardwood floor. “Okay, so let’s get to this.”

“What have you found?” Josiah asked, the hope in his voice piercing Raesha’s resolve.

Mr. Craig reached inside his leather jacket pocket and pulled out a notepad. “Exactly what we needed. A lead on your sister,” he said. “According to several people I talked to in another Amish community not far from here, about three months ago a young girl matching Josie’s sketched picture was rushed to a nearby hospital where she had a baby girl.”

“That’s not definitive information,” Alisha said. “Amish women about to give birth are rushed to the hospital all the time. It could have been someone who resembled the missing girl.”

“Yes, but several people knew of her and said she kept to herself. She was staying at a bed-and-breakfast and the owner verified that and the fact that she was pregnant. She went into labor in the middle of the night. The owner called for an ambulance. I also went to the hospital and asked around.”

Standing, he turned to lean against the wall. “They couldn’t tell me everything but when I explained this was an Amish girl and that her brother had hired me to find her, the hospital officials verified that a woman matching her description had been a patient there but she’d left without officially checking out.”

“Did they verify that she’d had a baby?”

“No.”

“What else?” Alisha asked. “Because you always manage to dig information out of people.”

“I might have cornered an aide in the maternity ward.”

She gave him a stern look. “And what might you have found?”

“I told her the truth. That Mr. Fisher was searching for his sister, and that he was concerned for her safety. The aide verified by nodding to my questions, that a woman named Josie had a baby there and that she’d left without being discharged.”

Alisha shook her head. “One day your backdoor tactics are going to get you in serious trouble, Nathan.”

“I’ll take what I can get to help that girl and her child.”

Turning to Raesha, Josiah nodded, tears in his eyes. “Dinah is my niece.”

Mr. Craig twisted to smile at Alisha Braxton. “While we haven’t verified proof yet, Josiah, I believe you’re kin to the baby the Bawell women found.”

“Does that mean we don’t have to report this or send Dinah away?”

Mr. Craig turned to Alisha, lifting his hands up. “Well?”

She glared at him for a moment and then said, “If the mother didn’t receive an official certificate at the time of birth, it’s going to be hard to prove this. The HIPAA rules won’t allow for much more.”

“And I can’t get access to the birth certificate,” Nathan said. “But Josiah could file for a copy at the Department of Vital Records. You have the mother’s name and the baby’s name. And in the state of Pennsylvania, the father can’t even be listed on the birth certificate if they’re not married. He has no rights if his name is not on that document.”

Crossing her arms, Alisha gave Nathan Craig a heavy appraisal. “He’s right there, but none of your tricks, Nathan. This is a serious matter.”

“I told you,” he explained. “I’m doing this close to the book, but with the Amish, certain English rules don’t necessarily apply. The searches are difficult at best.”

The lawyer lady’s eyebrows went up. “In this case, we have a missing Amish mother fitting the description of Josie Fisher, who left the hospital with her baby in the middle of the night. Most Amish don’t have an official birth certificate, and if this was Josie, she obviously didn’t take the time to grab one.”

“Should I try to get a copy of the original?” Josiah asked.

“We can do it right here, online, since we have most of the information,” Mr. Craig said. “If Josie used her own name and recorded the baby’s name, it’s worth a shot. You can file since you are related and have the same last name.”

“I can walk you through it, Mr. Fisher,” Alisha Braxton said. “We have to try but it might be hard if the baby wasn’t assigned a social security number and you can’t provide one.”

Josiah bobbed his head. “You see, Josie wanted me to find the baby. She must have come here to the old place and seen it wasn’t livable. Somehow, she knew about the Bawells taking in people. Maybe she wanted to ask for their help and panicked. But she left Dinah, to keep her baby safe.”

“She didn’t return to the bed-and-breakfast where she’d been staying,” Nathan said. “That means she must be moving around. I’ll start checking homeless shelters and women’s shelters next, with your permission.”

Alisha lifted up in her chair. “Okay, your findings give us a strong indication that we’re on the right track. Even with access to her medical records, the hospital can’t just hand over information. But a birth record would help solidify Dinah staying within the Amish community.”

“So she could stay with Josiah?” Raesha asked. “Maybe if Josie knows her child is with her brother, she’ll return to Campton Creek.”

“I hope so,” Alisha said. “Normally, Mr. Fisher, you’d have to file for guardianship, but seeing as your sister is Amish, that makes the baby Amish. And I understand the Amish tend to take care of their own.”

Mr. Craig leaned down to stare at Alisha Braxton. “I’m impressed. You rarely veer from the letter of the law.”

“Sometimes, the laws become a little gray in certain areas,” she explained. “And the Amish are one of those areas.” Then she looked at Josiah. “But I expect you to be responsible for this child. The Bawells will help you, because it’s the Amish way. But ultimately, the responsibility falls on your shoulders since her mother is missing and, apparently, her father is not legally involved.”

Josiah nodded. “I wonder if that’s why she ran away. Maybe something happened to the man she was to marry.”

“That’s a question to ask her if you ever find her,” the lawyer said. “I know this is hard on you but the bonnet with the initials is a strong indicator, as is the fact that she left the baby near your old home, with two women known for taking in orphans and people in need. That shows she was thinking of the baby’s safety, and you came here not long after she had to have been nearby. She might be keeping tabs on you and could come back on her own.”

“So we’re all clear?” Josiah asked. “I won’t do anything illegal but I want my niece with me.”

“You’ve done everything right, Mr. Fisher,” Alisha Braxton said. “Even hiring this irritating man.”

“Thank you,” the man said, his expression full of gratitude. Then he looked at Josiah. “But Josiah, your sister is still missing. She allegedly left the hospital at the end of May. Now I can focus on my continuing search, loaded with a lot more information.”

“Please keep searching,” Josiah said, worry clouding his features. “We will keep Dinah safe but we need to find Josie.”

Mr. Craig stood. “Sometimes, people don’t want to be found.”

Again, a look passed between him and the lady lawyer. What secrets do they have between them? Raesha wondered.