Miriam woke with a start. She glanced at the window and groaned, seeing the gray morning sky through the window. Why had she slept so late today of all days? She had planned to rise before sunup and leave the house at the first light of dawn. Abram was probably already up and he was the last person she wanted to run into today.
After rising from bed she quickly straightened the covers and arranged the quilt before she dressed, again in Amish garb. She was getting the hang of using straight pins to fasten the fabric and felt comfortable in the calf-length cotton just as she felt comfortable in this Amish home. Drawing in a deep breath, she opened the bedroom door and tiptoed down the stairs.
On the last step she hesitated, hearing sounds from the kitchen—the scrape of a cast-iron skillet on the stove followed by the clink of glasses and the clatter of plates.
Emma was preparing breakfast and the smell of fresh-baked biscuits wafted through the house and made Miriam’s mouth water. As much as she would have enjoyed the hearty meal, Miriam needed to leave without being noticed lest Emma convince her to stay.
And Abram? Would he be relieved to have her gone?
She couldn’t think about Abram with his crystal-blue eyes and full lips. She had to think about Hannah. Her sister would come to her rescue and take her to Atlanta. Surely law enforcement in the city would begin an investigation into her mother’s death and Sarah’s disappearance.
Miriam crossed the main room and carefully opened the front door. The hinge creaked. Her breath caught. She stopped and listened, then let out a shallow sigh as the oven banged open and a metal baking pan dropped onto the top of the stove.
Grateful her departure hadn’t been noticed, Miriam slipped outside and pulled the black cape around her shoulders. She glanced at the mountain, relieved that no cars were in sight, and then scurried down the steps and across the front yard to the road that passed in front of Abram’s house, the road that would take her to the Rogers’s farm.
Glancing back, she looked for some sign of Abram. All she saw was the cluster of trees that blocked her view of the barn where he was probably tending to the horses. With a heavy heart, she started to run, not knowing what she would find on the road ahead. Emma had mentioned a broken bridge that was still accessible. Miriam didn’t like heights and her family had never stayed anywhere long enough for her to learn to swim. If only the bridge would be sturdy enough to allow her to cross safely.
She couldn’t dwell on the danger. Instead she needed to focus on accessing the internet so she could email Hannah.
A lump thickened her throat as she ran. She wouldn’t see Abram again. He would go on with his farm while she made a new life for herself in Atlanta.
After the peace of the countryside, she wasn’t sure city life would be to her liking. At least she would be free of Serpent and safe in Atlanta.
Yet she had felt safe with Abram, as well.
Safe from Serpent but not safe to guard her heart. Her heart was in danger with Abram, which was a different kind of problem.
If only Abram had seen who Miriam truly was instead of seeing only the dress and apron that reminded him of his wife.
* * *
Abram sensed that something was amiss.
Leaving Nellie’s stall, he stared through the open breezeway, his gaze flicking across the pasture as he listened for the squawk of chickens or the neigh of one of the horses grazing in the distant pasture.
What had caused his unrest?
The kitchen door opened and Emma motioned him to the house. The thought of biscuits, sliced ham, eggs and corn mush whet his always eager appetite. An even more alluring thought was sitting across from Miriam.
He waved to Emma in response to her call then returned to the barn to add more water to the horses’ troughs.
Bear rose from his bed of straw, stretched and padded forward to stand by his empty bowl.
“I haven’t forgotten you.” Abram poured kibble into the dog’s dish and then sighed seeing the gray that tangled through Bear’s once golden coat. “What happened to my watchdog? The years have passed too quickly. You are a faithful companion, but you have become fat and lazy in your old age.”
Bear titled his head as if hearing the concern in his master’s voice.
“We have a serpent on the loose and both of us must be on guard.” Abram patted the dog’s head then returned the bag of food to the storage room and hurried to the water pump.
After washing his hands, Abram entered the house, inhaling the savory aroma of biscuits and fried eggs and bacon. He glanced at the empty table.
“Our guest has not risen?” he asked his sister.
“She was tired last night, although I thought the smell of breakfast would wake her.”
The rumble of a car engine sent Abram to the front of the house. He peered out the window.
Serpent’s black sedan headed up the hill. Not who Abram wanted to see, not this early, not ever. The man should stay in Petersville and never set foot in Willkommen or the surrounding area, if Abram had his way.
“Who is it?” his sister called from the kitchen.
“The man with the tattoo who searches for Miriam.”
Emma entered the living area and moved toward the window. “That one is an evil man.”
“Perhaps. But we will let Gott read his heart.”
“Now you are not worried about him?”
“I did not say that. But we cannot judge.”
“I can voice my opinion.”
Abram had to smile. Although petite and slender, Emma sometimes spoke her mind and if something troubled her, she would not be still.
“I must check on Miriam.” Emma started up the stairs. “She needs to be warned that the Serpent is in the area.”
Abram returned his gaze to the window. Serpent’s car had disappeared around the bend in the road. Where was he going and when would he return?
Stepping onto the porch, Abram listened to the silence, hoping it would last. Emma’s cry cut through the quiet and sent Abram’s heart racing. He ran inside and met her at the foot of the stairway.
His sister’s eyes were lined with worry. “Miriam is not in her room.”
“She washed her clothes last night. Perhaps she is gathering them off the line.” Abram hurried to the kitchen. “I will find her.”
“I’m afraid she’s gone.” Emma’s words followed Abram out the door. He raced to the barn.
“Miriam?” he called as he passed Bear and the horse stalls and headed to the rear doorway.
Her clothes hung on a line behind the barn, protected from the wandering eye of any person who traveled along the roadway. Emma had been particular about where she hung clothing to dry. With Serpent on the prowl, Abram was grateful for the secluded clothesline.
But at the moment, he was more interested in finding Miriam than where she had hung her clothing. He flicked his gaze left and right. His stomach roiled, realizing Emma’s statement was true. Miriam was gone.
Quickly he hitched Nellie to the buggy. Emma met him outside the barn.
“Miriam asked me about any Englisch neighbors who might have a computer she could use to contact her sister. I told her about the Rogers.”
“She mentioned them to me, as well.” Worry tangled Abram’s heart. “If she took the fork in the road, Serpent would have seen her. He could have captured her by now.”
Emma shook her head. “I told her the road to the bridge is the fastest route.”
“But the bridge is out.”
“Only partially. A person on foot could traverse the crossing without problem.”
“Unless the rotten wood gives way. I’m going there.”
“She wants to contact her sister, Abram.”
He nodded. “Perhaps that is so, but she is in danger with Serpent nearby.”
The sound of a car downshifting turned Abram’s gaze to the mountain. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of lights on the roof of a black sedan.
Although he could not see the driver from this distance, he knew who was at the wheel. The realization made his blood boil.
The man with the serpent tattoo.
He was coming for Miriam.