Dark Crossings (10 page)

It would be easy to dismiss her worries, Jacob decided. Whether
Sarah wanted to hear it or not, just because a man always did things a certain
way didn’t mean he wouldn’t change if he had to. If he heard someone in the
house, for instance. But surely the police would be able to tell if someone had
broken in.

“Well?” Her voice crackled with impatience. “It shouldn’t take
that long to tell me what you think.”

“Always in such a rush, Sarah.” He kept his voice light and
teasing. “Always jumping to conclusions and landing yourself in trouble,
ja?
”

That distracted her, as he’d known it would. “I’m not in
trouble. And if I were, I’d find my own way out.” Her forehead wrinkled
slightly. “But should I tell Chief Byler what I noticed? I know I shouldn’t get
involved with the police, but isn’t it wrong to hold back?”

He pondered that. Sarah wouldn’t be able to let go of the
questions in her mind. Knowing her as he did, he could feel sure of that.

“Mr. Frost isn’t the police,” he observed.

She nodded, the sparkle coming back into her eyes. “
Ja,
that’s true. If I tell him, he can decide if the
police need to know.
Danki,
Jacob.” She squeezed his
arm, and it seemed to him he felt that touch in his very bones. “You are a
gut
big brother.”

Her words were easy, and he was glad he’d been able to put the
light back in her face, chasing away the sorrow and worry. But he wished she’d
called him anything else.

“
Ach,
I have forgotten.” Sarah’s
hands flexed as if she’d grab whatever it was that had gotten away. “I didn’t
say anything to the chief about telling Hank Mitchell. Poor Hank. He must have
been at his college classes, and he’ll come home, not knowing. Someone should
tell him.”

“Not you,” Jacob said, before he could think how sharp that
sounded. “It’s not your job to take care of Mr. Strickland’s cousin.”
Truthfully, he was getting tired of hearing the man’s name since he’d come to
live in the garage apartment at Mr. Strickland’s place.

“Distant cousin, I think,” she corrected. “That’s the only
reason Mr. Strickland let him live in the garage apartment. He
doesn’t—didn’t—like strangers around, but he said you couldn’t turn away
kin.”

“Well, whatever he is, he’s not your responsibility.” Leo Frost
would deal with the man, as well as the apartment and the house. That was his
job.

And Sarah’s job, it seemed, had ended.

She was glaring at him, he realized.

“You sound like my
daad,
” she said,
her tone frosty.

He’d made a mistake, for sure. But what with her calling him
her big brother and comparing him to her
daad,
he
could hardly admit that he was jealous.

The horse turned automatically into the lane between their
homes and headed for the barn. Jacob didn’t speak, because he couldn’t find
anything to say.

He was always the logical one, but he didn’t feel that way at
the moment. He didn’t want to go on being Sarah’s brother, because the feelings
he had were not at all brotherly. But he couldn’t say anything, because once he
did, there was no going back, and he might lose her friendship and be left with
nothing.

CHAPTER TWO

S
UPPER
WAS
NEARLY
OVER
, and Sarah was
grateful. Her younger sisters had been agog over the fact that she had found a
body, and their questions had gone on until her throat was tight with
pressure.

If anyone had asked her a few days ago, she would have had to
admit that Richard Strickland was crotchety, irritable and intent on having his
own way. Despite that, Sarah had grown to love him, as she’d love any creature
she took care of, whether it was an ailing foal or an elderly
Englischer
. It seemed impossible that he was gone.

He was gone, and she was the only one who suspected his passing
was more than a tragic accident.

“But how did he look?” Ten-year-old Emma’s eyes shone with
excitement. “Was he all bloody?”

“I don’t think Sarah wants to talk about it anymore.” Jacob,
who was taking meals with them while his mother was off visiting his married
sister, intervened.

“
Ja,
for sure.”
Daad
frowned at Emma and Rachel. “That is enough from
the both of you. Go outside and do your chores now.”

Rachel, twelve, shot a resentful look at Emma, obviously
thinking she had reminded him that they were still at the table. But they both
went out quietly, saving any argument until they were out of earshot of their
father.

“
Ach,
it’s a sad thing for sure,
the poor old man dying alone that way,”
Mamm
said.
“But there was nothing you could have done to make things any different, Sarah,
so you must not fret. It was God’s will.”

God’s will—the answer Sarah had been trained to accept since
birth. But in this case, maybe it was also someone else’s will. A cold hand
seemed to grip her neck. If what she’d noticed meant anything, it might be that
someone else was responsible for Mr. Strickland’s fall.

She backed away from that thought quickly. It couldn’t be. She
was imagining things for sure. She’d tell her worries to Leo Frost, as Jacob had
suggested, and then she could forget about them.

“Now that you will not be working for Mr. Strickland any
longer, I am thinking you could help us keep the books in the shop. And help
your
mamm,
too.”

Sarah eyed her father’s weathered face, creased with lines of
sun and toil and smiling, his brown beard streaked now with gray. She knew
exactly what he was thinking—that it was time his eldest daughter stopped
working in town and started working on getting married. On that subject, as on
so many others, he and
Mamm
thought as one.

“You know I am always glad to help,
Daad.
” She meant the words, but perhaps not in the way he wished.
She could see a battle ahead.

Jacob moved slightly, craning to look out the window. “A car is
coming up the lane. Mr. Frost, I think.”

Jacob was right, and in a few minutes the lawyer was seated at
the kitchen table, a slice of
Mamm’
s apple crumble
pie and a steaming mug of coffee in front of him.

Leo Frost, white-haired and bright-eyed, was officially
semiretired, but he still dealt with some of his old clients, like Richard
Strickland. He was a favorite among the Plain People of the township, always
ready to give advice and help on the rare occasions when they had to deal with
the
Englische
law.

“Wonderful pie, Elizabeth. This was just what I needed after
such a trying day.” His smile included all of them, but he studied Sarah
especially, as if judging how much she had been affected by what had
happened.

“We are sorry for the loss you have suffered.”
Daad,
naturally, spoke for the family. With Leo
present, the conversation had switched from Pennsylvania Dutch to English,
something they did so naturally it was almost automatic.

“Yes, well, there are only a few of us close enough to Richard
to feel a sense of loss—primarily Sarah and me, I suppose. Richard had outlived
most of his family and friends.” The lawyer shook his head. “Truthfully, he was
such a difficult personality that he didn’t have many friends. He was fortunate
to have Sarah to look after him.” He smiled at her, and she discovered that her
answering smile was a bit wobbly.

“I was wondering what will happen next,” Jacob said, asking the
question she wanted answered. “With the police involved and all.”

“That shouldn’t cause too much delay in settling the estate, I
hope,” Leo said, frowning a little, as if not used to having clients die in a
way that involved the police. “However, everything in the house will have to be
inventoried before I can get on with disposing of the property according to his
will.”

Daad
nodded, but Sarah suspected he
felt the prospect foreign. Elderly Amish people often made disposition of their
belongings before they passed, and they seldom had enough to warrant an
inventory.

“Actually, that’s one reason I wanted to come and see Sarah.”
He smiled at her. “I was hoping she would agree to continue working for a
time—long enough to help me inventory the items in the house and get it ready
for transfer. According to Richard’s wishes, it’s going to the historical
society. But sorting and packing is a big job, and she’s the person who knows
the most about the place.”

Mamm
glanced at
Daad,
looking dismayed. Clearly, she had expected
Sarah’s job to end promptly with Mr. Strickland’s death.

“I don’t know….” For once,
Daad
seemed at a loss. “We had hoped…had thought that her job was over now. How long
would it take, this inventory?”

“It’s hard to say,” Leo replied. “Goodness knows, that house is
filled with stuff, some of it outright junk, some of it quite valuable. I would
think at least a couple of weeks. Naturally, Sarah will be paid for as long as
it takes.”

Daad
was frowning again, and Sarah
gripped her skirt with both hands to keep from bursting into speech. She wasn’t
ready to give up her independence yet, and Mr. Frost’s offer would provide her
with an opportunity to look around for another place. More importantly, it would
give her a chance to talk to him about what she’d noticed, something she could
hardly do in front of her parents.

“I don’t know that I like our Sarah being alone in that house
all day.”
Daad
seemed on the verge of refusal.

“I would be in and out several times a day,” Leo said
quickly.

“I could drive Sarah to work and check the house every morning,
if you want,” Jacob offered. “Then go back and bring her home.”

Daad
wavered, obviously trusting
Jacob’s good common sense.

“I’d be most grateful,” Leo said. “I don’t know how I’d do it
without Sarah’s help.”

Putting it on to the basis of a need for help pushed
Daad
the rest of the way. He nodded. “
Ja,
I suppose it is all right. If Sarah wants.”

She could feel their gazes on her, and tried not to let any
trace of her thoughts show in her face.

“
Ja,
for sure I will be glad to
help.”

Although she had to admit that a little shiver of apprehension
snaked down her back at the thought of being alone in the house where Mr.
Strickland had died.

* * *

B
Y
THE
TIME
S
ARAH
REACHED
the Strickland house the
next morning, she was embarrassed to remember her fears. The place looked the
same as always, a fine old Victorian that was said to have once been the
grandest residence in town. And while Mr. Strickland’s death was sad, it was in
the nature of things. She’d almost managed to reason away the inconsistencies
that had bothered her the previous day. Almost, but not quite.

Jacob, who had kept his promise to drive her to the house,
jumped down easily from his seat beside her, tying the horse to the fence.

“You don’t have to come in with me.” She got down and unlatched
the gate, holding it. “I know you were just trying to reassure
Daad
so he wouldn’t be upset about my coming.”

Jacob pushed the gate the rest of the way open and walked
through. “You might fool your
daad,
but you can’t
fool me, so don’t bother to try.” He held the gate for her. “When you were
talking so calm about coming back here, you felt scared.”

“Did not,” she said instantly, an echo of their childhood.

Jacob grinned. “Did, too.”

Giving in, she went up the walk. “Well, maybe I felt a little
funny, is all. Especially since…” She stopped, not wanting to finish the
thought.

“Especially since you saw things you thought were wrong about
Mr. Strickland’s death.” Jacob waited while she opened the door.

“I’ve decided I was being foolish,” she said firmly. She took
her bonnet off and put it on the usual hook, followed by her sweater, and
smoothed her apron down and her hair back under her
kapp
. Then, satisfied she looked as she should, Sarah turned to
Jacob. “It’s like you said. There could be explanations for all the things I saw
that were out of the ordinary. And if I told the police, they’d laugh.”

“Chief Byler would never laugh at you. He’s not that kind of
man.” Jacob followed her into the kitchen. “But maybe it’s best if you forget
the whole thing, anyway. No sense stirring up trouble.”

Sarah flared up at that. “You’re the one who suggested I talk
to Leo Frost. Remember?”

“Ja.”
Jacob grasped the back of a
kitchen chair. “But I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

His strong hands nearly covered the top slat. Funny how she so
easily forgot that they were both grown up already. But that was all the more
reason why Jacob should stop treating her like a little child. Just because he
was partners with
Daad
now in the machine shop, that
didn’t mean he was the boss.

“I won’t get into trouble,” she said firmly. “And you don’t
need to go looking around the house, either. Mr. Strickland wouldn’t have liked
it, and you can see everything is okay.”

Jacob studied her face for a moment, as if trying to read any
fear there. Then he shrugged. “I will just walk through the downstairs,
ja?
Then I can tell your
daad
all was quiet.”

Not waiting for permission, he walked toward the front of the
house. She could hear his footsteps on the hall floor, and that made her picture
the hall the way she’d seen it when she’d walked in yesterday.

She wrenched her mind away from that image. She would go in
later, when she was by herself, without Jacob watching her to see any betraying
signs of fear.

He was back in a moment. “Everything is okay. I’d best get to
the shop. See you at the usual time?”

“
Ja. Danki,
Jacob.”

He went out, taking his solid, reassuring presence away, and
the house felt empty and unwelcoming when the door shut behind him.

Sarah busied herself washing up the coffee cups the officers
had used the previous day. Leo Frost would probably come soon, and she didn’t
want him finding dirty dishes in the sink.

Should she tell him the things that worried her? He hadn’t
seemed to notice anything, any more than the police did.

Her mind seesawed back and forth. If she told him…

She stopped, a cup poised above the dish drainer. Had she heard
something…some sound that shouldn’t be there? Old houses made noises, but after
all this time, she was used to the sounds this house made. That had sounded like
a step.

It came again, clearer this time. From the front hallway. Sarah
put the cup down very carefully. She could tiptoe to the door and be out before
anyone realized she was here. Couldn’t she?

Ach,
she was letting this business
make her
ferhoodled.
It would be Leo Frost, for
sure. He’d said he’d be here this morning, and he had a key. What would he think
if he found her huddled in the kitchen, afraid to move?

She tossed the dish towel onto the drainer and hurried through
to the front hall. Someone grabbed her arm in a hard grasp. She gasped in shock
and drew in breath to scream before she realized who it was.

“Hey, hang on, Sarah. Where are you going in such a hurry?”
Hank Mitchell, Mr. Strickland’s distant cousin, grinned down at her, his
easygoing face relaxed.

“Hank. What are you doing here? I thought it was Mr. Frost.”
She took a step back, putting some space between them, and his hands dropped to
his sides at once.

“I was upstairs, looking for you. I didn’t have a chance to
talk to you yesterday.” The smile slid from his face. “Just wanted to say how
sorry I am. I wish I’d come to the house before I left for class yesterday. Then
I’d have found him instead of you.”

Hank must have left earlier than usual for the classes he took
at the school in Lancaster. “It couldn’t be helped,” she said. “No matter who
found him.”

“Still, it must have been a shock. Are you okay?”

“Fine.” She forced a smile, wishing they weren’t having this
conversation at the bottom of the staircase. “You must have heard Jacob and me
when we came in the house just now. Why didn’t you speak to us then?”

Hank shrugged. “I get the impression your friend Jacob doesn’t
exactly approve of me.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t…well, he doesn’t know you.” It was hard to
reply to that comment without lying, because she had the distinct impression
Hank was right about Jacob’s attitude.

“Yeah.” He grinned. “Hey, did you say Mr. Frost was coming
over?”

She nodded. “I expect him soon, if you’d like to speak to
him.”

“No need. I’ll catch him later.” Hank was already headed for
the door. “I’m just glad Frost is going to be with you. If Jacob isn’t here on
time, maybe you’ll let me drive you home.”