Cara pulled Lori in the wagon her employers had loaned her. Scattered drops of rain caused her to head straight for the barn. Without a change of clothes for Lori, she wouldn’t chance that the cloud would pass on by. Her muscles ached from her second day of deep cleaning the Howards’ house. It was only Tuesday, and after leaving money on the line for the dress, she had ninety dollars in cash. It made her dream of having the comforts of her own place, one with books to read to Lori and beds with sheets and a pillow and a refrigerator with food and—
“Look, Mom, someone left us something.”
Cara blinked, snapping out of her daydream. A hundred feet ahead, right at the barn door, sat a box. An uncomfortable feeling stole through her.
While on her lunch break today, she’d called half a dozen places, looking to rent something. The cost of living here didn’t compare to the expense of New York, but it was still several hundred dollars. It would take two weeks of working for the Howards to earn that.
She didn’t dare hint to them that she had no place to live. They seemed like nice enough people, but that didn’t make them trustworthy. Still, they let Lori play in their backyard and didn’t begrudge Cara fixing herself and Lori a little to eat when she prepared meals for Mrs. Howard. While Mrs. Howard slept, Cara showered and washed her and Lori’s clothes. Hot water, soap, and shampoo had never felt so good.
She went to the crate and lifted the plastic covering. At a glance she saw blankets, cans of food, and a can opener. Someone had figured out they were staying here, which meant they had to get out. Quick.
A note caught her attention. While Lori knelt beside the box, looking through the stuff, Cara read the note.
Whoever had written it had instructed her to leave Dry Lake and pick up two bus tickets that were already paid for. Destination: New York City.
Alarm pricked her skin. Someone knew they were from New York?
“Look, Mom, a cloth doll. She doesn’t have a face. You ever seen a doll without eyes?”
“No, but I’ve seen men without hearts.”
She laughed. “You what?”
“Never mind. Look, sweetie, we can’t stay here. Whoever left this box of stuff said we have to move on.”
“Why? We didn’t hurt the puppies or break nothing.”
“I know. But we have to go anyway.”
“But my puppy!”
“Go tell him good-bye.”
“No. He’s mine! Simeon said I could have him.”
“Lori, we don’t even have enough food for us.” She bit her tongue to keep from cursing.
Lori ran into the barn, crying.
She followed. “We don’t have a choice, honey.”
“Why? It’s a stupid old barn, and we’re not hurting nothing!”
Cara sat down next to her daughter and waited. When the tantrum eased up, Cara would tell her again that they had to go, and then they’d leave without hysterics. The one thing that had made all this bearable for Lori was the puppy she’d claimed as hers, and now…
The barn door creaked open, startling her. A police officer stepped inside. Her knees went weak.
“Ma’am, can you come out of the barn?”
She swallowed her fear and headed for the barn door.
“You, too, little girl.”
Panic rose in Cara. “Is there a problem, Officer?”
“Just follow me, please.”
Two police cars sat waiting outside. A female officer motioned to Lori. “Can I talk with you, honey?”
Cara’s breathing came in short, quick spurts. The rain clouds skirted eastward, and she wished the threat of them hadn’t caused her to carelessly hurry to the barn. If only she’d waited…
“You’re on private property, ma’am.” The man stood in front of her while the woman talked to Lori a few feet away.
“There are puppies in the barn, and my daughter’s picked one out.”
The woman kept trying to engage Lori in a conversation, and her daughter answered a few questions, but mostly her attention seemed fully on her mother.
“The owner asked you to leave, both verbally and in a written note.”
“Yes, but…there’s been a misunderstanding. I work not far from here.”
“It’s our understanding that you’ve been stealing from the residents around here.”
“My mom doesn’t steal!” Lori screamed at the man.
No matter what answer Cara gave him, he’d check it out, so lying would only add to her problems. “I did take a few things.” She spoke softly, hoping Lori wouldn’t hear.
“Where do you live, ma’am?”
Tears filled her eyes. It was over. They’d take Lori. “Please, you don’t understand.”
“Just stay calm, ma’am. Do you have an address?”
Tears threatened as she shook her head.
“Several homes in the area have been broken into lately.” He pointed to her dress. “Amish clothing and quilts are among the missing items.”
Cara looked at Lori. Her little girl deserved better than a mom who failed her all the time.
The man took a step back, and the woman moved forward and frisked her while he looked through her backpack. He pulled out the cash that Mr. Howard had paid for her work yesterday and today—nearly a hundred dollars.
He held it up. “All tens, just like the missing cash on the report.”
“But I…I earned that. You have to believe me.”
“You’ve entered peoples unlocked homes and taken items.”
“I said that already, but I didn’t steal that money.”
The man pulled handcuffs from his belt. “You’ve been breaking and entering as well as stealing. Before we go any further, I need to tell you that you have the right to remain silent…” The officer rattled off things Cara had heard on television a hundred times.
She tried to think of something that might get her out of this mess. “You can have the money. Please don’t do this, please.”
The woman placed her hand on Lori’s head. “Unless you have a relative or someone who can keep your daughter, she’ll have to be placed in protective custody.”
Broken, she looked at her daughter. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry.”
Lori tried to run to her, but the woman held her.
“Please turn around and place your hands on your head,” the man said.
“Leave my mom alone!” Lori screamed and flailed against the woman’s hold, but she didn’t release her. In a minute Lori would be taken in one car and Cara in the other.
All her years of holding on in the face of hopelessness drained from her. “Lori, honey, listen to me, okay?” Trying to keep from crying, she blinked. “This feels scary, I know, but they’ll take good care of you. You’ll be okay, and I’ll come for you soon. I promise.”
“No!” Lori screamed. “Don’t let them take me!”
When Ephraim topped the hill, he spotted two police cars in front of his barn. He slapped the reins hard against the horse’s back, spurring her to quicken the pace.
As he pulled to a stop, he saw a policeman holding Cara by the arm—or at least the woman he believed to be Cara. Handcuffs held Cara’s arms behind her back as her small body shook with sobs. The officer opened the door to the backseat of the patrol car.
“Don’t take my mom!” The little girl kept screaming the same thing over and over as a woman officer held on to her arm.
“Lori, you have to calm down,” the woman spoke firmly. Lori kicked at her, but the officer avoided being hit.
Ephraim jumped down from the carriage. “What’s going on here?”
The male officer turned to him. “Are this barn and land your property?”
“Ya.”
Lori couldn’t catch a solid breath, but her wails were haunting.
“Then you’re the one who called the police about a thief and trespasser?”
“No. Just let her go.”
“We can’t do that, sir. We need to investigate her for suspicion of child endangerment and neglect.”
Cara turned to him. “Please…” Tears brimmed. “Please help us.”
What a mess. If he did any more for her than just speak to the police, it was sure to open old wounds. People didn’t trust Malinda when she last visited, and they’d be angry that he’d stepped in to help Malinda’s daughter—someone they might have heard had been roaming the community, drunk and stealing from them.
She gazed into his eyes, silently pleading for him to help. He moved closer to her, wanting to ask so many questions. As he looked into her eyes, a moment passed between them. He knew she was not who she appeared to be—a worldly, troublemaking thief. He looked at the policeman. “This is all a mistake. The police never should have been called.” A flicker of recognition came to him. “You’re Roy McEver, right?”
The man nodded.
“Your father used to patrol this area before he retired. You rode with him some even as a kid. I’m Ephraim Mast. My Daed’s Abner.”
“Oh yeah, he’s one of the preachers. And I remember you. While I was here with Dad one time, you invited me to play ball.”
He’d taken quite a harassing from the other guys for inviting an Englischer to play. Ephraim nodded, feeling like he might get Cara out of this fix yet. “She’s not done anything to deserve handcuffs.”
“She confessed to stealing.”
Her honesty needed better timing.
Cara shook her head. “Only that dress, which I paid for, and a few items I borrowed from you. I swear it. Anything else that’s missing—especially money—wasn’t taken by me. You’ve got to believe me.”
“Nothing was taken that I wasn’t glad to give,” he assured the officer.
“She had cash on her. Nearly a hundred dollars. In tens.”
“I work for Mr. Howard, on Runkles Road. Ask him.”
“You could check her story out and let her go, right?” Ephraim asked. “I think you’ll find that someone else must have stolen whatever money or other stuff is missing from elsewhere.”
The man sighed. “It’s not that simple. I could let her go, but the girl has to come with us. This woman is homeless. We have to file a report and turn the case over to social services.”
A sinking feeling of just how deeply Ephraim was getting involved nagged at him. He couldn’t ask anyone in Dry Lake to let a stranger he couldn’t vouch for stay in their home. If he told them he needed their help to keep her from being arrested, they’d never take her in. Still… he couldn’t ignore her need for help—not and live with himself.
“She can stay at my place until she gets on her feet.”
“Are you saying you’ll take responsibility for the child’s care?”
Roy hesitated, but then he unlocked the cuffs and released Cara. “Ephraim, I’ll need your information. What’s your address?”
Lori pulled free from the policewoman’s grip and ran to her mother. She jumped into her arms. While Ephraim told Roy what he needed to know, Lori sobbed, clinging to her mother.
“Shh. It’s okay, Lorabean. Everything’s going to be okay.” Cara held her tight, looking pale and shaken while stroking her daughter’s hair.
But Ephraim knew everything wasn’t going to be okay. What would his father’s reaction be? He could only assume he was the one who called the police. His Daed wanted this drunken thief, as he called her, away from their community.
