Sunday, December 24
Dale Kaufmann had almost gotten up the nerve to kiss Amanda when the double doors to the hearth room swung open and half his family strode in without a second’s hesitation.
With a little squeal, Amanda pulled away from him on the couch. Blushing furiously, she pressed her palms to her cheeks.
“Don’t worry, Manda,” he said quietly before getting to his feet.
She averted her face. It was obvious that she wished she was absolutely anyplace else.
He knew the feeling.
Seeing as his eldest brother, who was practically married off, was in the lead, he unleashed his anger on him. “Max, haven’t we moved on from these games?”
Max’s eyes darted from Dale to Amanda, then back again. “Sorry to, uh, interrupt, Dale, but we’ve got a problem.”
Right then he realized that not only were Max and Beth in the room, but also his sister Esther and Neil’s brother, Roy. Every one of them was staring at Amanda with concern. “What happened?”
“Amanda, there’s no way to tell you this easily. Your sister and Neil Vance are missing.”
While Dale felt his body stiffen with shock, she shook her head. “Nee, they aren’t missing. They’re delivering cookies for Mrs. Vance. I mean, for your mother, Roy.”
“They did do that, but they left hours ago. They should have been back by now.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
Taking Amanda’s hand, Dale said, “I bet they went to Bill’s Diner or something. There ain’t no reason to get everyone worried for nothing.”
“Someone found the wagon Neil had been pushing and brought it to our house almost two hours ago,” Roy said, his expression grim. “My mother, Daed, Uncle Joseph, and I went right out and started asking if anyone had seen them. The trail ended just off of Sixth Avenue.”
“Your uncle?”
“Jah. It surprised me, too. But Joseph acted as if he was surprised that we didn’t think he’d want to go.”
Amanda squeezed Dale’s hand. “Roy, where are my parents?”
“At your haus. My mother wanted to tell your mother right away.”
“Our parents just went over there, too,” Esther said. “They’re going to come up with a search-party plan.”
“I need to go home,” Amanda said.
Dale gazed at her in concern. She was sounding shaky. “Of course you do,” he said gently. “I’ll walk you there right now.”
Esther held out a hand for Amanda to take. “Let me help you find your cloak and boots. With so many people in this house, everything gets lost or mixed up.”
“All right,” Amanda said. As she started following Esther, she looked over at Dale again, her blue eyes looking languid. She was close to tears. “Dale, you coming?”
He nodded. “I’ll be right there. I promise, Manda.”
“Come on, Amanda,” Esther said kindly. “I promise, it’s easier just to give Dale a moment to talk to the men. Then, he’ll be along. I bet by the time we sort out all the boots.”
When the girls were out of the room at last, Dale stared at Roy. “I hate that she’s so scared. Are you sure about this? I know Neil almost as well as you do. He does everything slow and methodical. I can’t imagine him deciding to take Susanna somewhere private and losing track of time.”
“I’m sure.” Lowering his voice, Roy said, “We have a pretty good idea about where the two of them vanished. Well, we’ve narrowed it down to two places.”
“Where?”
Roy hesitated. “I think it would be better if you asked the sheriff or Deputy Beck that. They’re already searching the area.”
“The authorities are already involved?” Even he knew that most authorities wouldn’t start searching for missing persons until they’d waited at least a couple of hours.
“After the deputy’s wife got attacked last year, I don’t think he’s one for taking chances anymore.” Roy shrugged. “I, for one, am really glad that they aren’t wasting time. It’s really cold out. The temperatures are supposed to be in the low twenties tonight.”
“This news is getting worse and worse.”
“Jah,” Roy said around a sigh. “This has been one of the worst evenings of my life, for sure.”
Dale stared at him closely. Of course Roy was going to be upset and anxious about his brother. That was to be expected. But Dale would bet a dollar that he was worried about something else, too. Roy’s expression was too ravaged, his manner too tense. “Hey, are you all right?”
“Dale, come on, if you’re coming,” Esther called out.
“I want to talk to you, but I’ve got to go,” he said. “I know Amanda’s anxious to be with her parents.”
“Of course she is.” Roy stared at Dale a moment longer, then seemed to come to a decision. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go with you over to the Schwartzes’ house.”
“You are really worried about Neil and Susanna, aren’t you?”
“I am. But to be honest, it’s not just that.” He swallowed hard. “I fear I know who is behind this.”
“Really? Is it . . . Is it someone you know?”
He nodded. “Unfortunately, I fear it’s someone I know very well.”