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Levi and Asher faced each other as they drank coffee and ate pie at the Paradise Wells coffee shop. “I'm glad you could meet me this morning, Levi,” Asher said, then he took a bite of the peach pie and followed it up with steaming coffee.
Levi leaned over toward his friend and asked, “Have there been more horses missing?”
Shaking his head, Ash offered, “No. Nothing. It’s been over a month since we tried to surprise them in your barn. Not one report of anything on this side of the state. Everything has stopped.”
“It makes a person wonder why,” Levi said.
“True. I’ve been wondering if the thieves are in our midst. Like some of the newcomers back into the Amish fold.” Asher’s brows knit in concern.
“Ach, surely not. I have met all the families, and no one seems to be the sort to do this.”
The bells attached to the cafe door rang as Bishop Eischler stepped in. He looked around and spotted, Levi and Asher. He walked toward them.
“Take a seat, Bishop,” Levi said. He pulled out a chair beside him, then motioned to the waitress to bring another cup of kaffe.
The bishop spoke up, raising his voice, he told the girl to bring him an apple pie.
“You two looked in serious conversation when I walked in. Has there been more missing horses?”
Asher shook his head and put down the coffee mug. “Nothing. It has me worried. Why did all this stop? I told Levi I wondered if some of the new people you have in your fold might have been involved, and now their lives are calming down and they have work, the thieving may have stopped because of this.”
The Bishop shook his head. “I do not think this could be the case.”
“I just do not understand. Could it be the thieves were on to us? Someone saw the men hiding the night we tried to apprehend them?”
Asher scraped up the crust crumbs on his plate. The waitress arrived with the bishop's pie and coffee. Asher cleared his throat as she turned to leave. “How about bringing me a piece of apple pie, it looks fantastic.”
“Sorry, Asher, that was the last piece. We have another of your favorites, strawberry rhubarb. We are trying the pies from the new girl who bought the bakery. I swear, we run out of them fast. What goes even faster are her muffins. You have to be here early if you want one.”
“Ok, bring me her pie. It’s a long time until lunch, and I’m still hungry.”
Levi poured more cream into his refilled coffee. “If you ask me, I think everything is going great. All the men have jobs, and the women are working hard to help Anna with the big house and cooking for all the people there. Four families living together can be quite difficult if someone shirks their duties,”
The Bishop laughed under his breath. “Have you met John and Susan Lantz?”
The younger men shook their heads.
“John is the laziest man I’ve ever encountered. Once he is back from working at David Fisher’s farm, he comes back to the dawdi haus, leaves his horse tied up under the tree then goes to bed leaving his sister to take care of the horse.” Bishop Eischler shook his head. “The sister, Ruth, seems to be nice, but overworked. I am not offering gossip here, men, I just want you to be aware of this and also, Levi, maybe Miriam could drop in on Ruth. She is much too thin, and her face is lined with worry. Maybe she is ill.”
“Or worn out from doing all the work for that worthless brother of hers,” Asher laughed. Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fiddled with a clasp on the case, then spoke into the phone. He stood and then walked to the back of the cafe, where there were empty tables for privacy. After a few moments, he returned to their table and sat to finish his pie and coffee. “I’ll have to leave in a bit. There has been a car crash ten miles south of here. Scotty, my new deputy, has it handled, but I want to offer him support.”
Asher left the cafe, and Levi and the bishop continued talking. Suddenly, the bishop looked up and clapped his hands together. “I forgot to tell you. I had a single fellow come by looking for work. Jim Hooley, he said his name was. He looked as tattered as the rest of the folks, so I am letting him stay in my barn. I can use a hand with my land as spring is here. I certainly hope all these people work out and come to baptism.”
Levi nodded. “I sure hope so as well.”
The men sat quietly and finished their mid-morning snacks.