Dark Crossings (20 page)

CHAPTER FOUR

T
WO
DAYS
LATER
, Isaac stood in the doorway of John Miller’s office located at the
back of his furniture store and factory. The familiar odors of fresh cut wood,
varnish and lemon-scented wax filled Isaac with a desire to pick up his tools
and get to work.

John sat behind a large metal desk with a heavy ledger open in
front of him. Isaac was surprised by how much his cousin had aged in the few
years since they had seen each other. Worry lines creased his forehead and frown
lines bracketed his mouth.

“Am I interrupting?” Isaac asked.

John looked up from his accounts. “Isaac! I wasn’t expecting
you until next month.”

“When the landlord you found for me wrote to say the house was
ready, I decided to come early.”

John closed the ledger, slipped it into the drawer and rose to
his feet. He extended his hand. “It’s mighty
gut
to
see you, early or not.”

Returning his hearty handshake, Isaac grinned. “I was wondering
if I might set up shop today? I don’t need much room. Just enough for my tools
and a workbench.”

“I have more than enough room for you here. We are not so busy
as we once were before the local mill closed. Now we must get our wood from
farther away. The price of shipping goes up and my profits go down.”

Isaac frowned. “I hope my being here won’t make things harder
for you.”

John shook his head. “You are family. There is no hardship in
helping someone in need, especially if they are family. Besides, your mother
tells me your skill as a master wood-carver has brought you much business. I’m
hoping the folks who come to buy your work will also buy some of mine.”

Isaac smiled. “That is my hope, as well.”

John sat down at his desk again. “Make yourself at home and
start work as soon as you want.”

“
Gut.
I have orders for two
fireplace mantels and four corbels that need to be shipped by early next week.
How does the bishop here feel about using the internet for our businesses?”

“I have an
Englische
woman who
takes our phone and internet orders and posts pictures of our pieces to a
website that she runs for me. The bishop has no objection as long as it is
handled by her and not by my Amish employees. Where is Ruby?”

“At school.”

“Is she better? Your wife’s death was sad business.”

Isaac’s throat tightened. Even now he found it hard to talk
about the tragedy. “Ruby still doesn’t speak, but I think she will do well in
her new school. The teacher seems to have a gift for helping her fit in.”

“You’ve met Lena Troyer?”

“
Ja,
I took Ruby to school the day
before yesterday and spent the day there.”

John crossed his arms over his chest. “I haven’t had a chance
to tell Lena you were coming. Was she upset?”

“She was surprised, but she took it in stride.” Isaac was
pleased with the way she had handled his daughter. He felt comfortable knowing
Ruby would be under her care.

John’s scowl deepened. “Lena was not my first choice for our
teacher. She is much too lax with the children. They need discipline at school
as well as at home. Let me know if you feel she isn’t doing her job. I have
someone else in mind for the position, if need be.”

Isaac kept silent. If Lena lost her job, it wouldn’t be from
something he said.

The outside door of the shop opened just then and two men in
suits entered. John’s face paled when he saw them.

Isaac sensed his cousin’s alarm. “John, who are they?”

“Moneylenders come for their pound of flesh.”

Shocked, Isaac asked, “Is your business in such dire
straits?”

He pulled himself up straight. “It was, but I have collected
some outstanding debts, and I will be fine now. Excuse me, cousin. I must speak
to these men privately.”

Isaac left John with his unwelcome visitors and went outside
for his tools. A group of tourists were busy snapping pictures of his horse and
buggy tied up in front of the store. He kept his face turned away and held up
his hand to signal that he didn’t want them taking his photograph. The group
immediately lowered their cameras and moved off.

A voice behind Isaac said, “They’re a polite bunch for
outsiders. Don’t turn around, brother. I’d rather we aren’t seen together.”

Surprised by the odd request from someone he wasn’t expecting
to see, Isaac pulled his tool chest from the back of the buggy without looking
at his youngest brother. “I didn’t know you planned to be in Mount Hope,
Samuel.”

“I didn’t. When I suggested that you move here, I had no idea
I’d be coming, too. But I go where the action is, and right now the action is
here. How’s Ruby?”

After glancing about to see who was near, Isaac moved to his
horse and lifted her front foot as if to check her shoe. “Ruby is much the same.
I take it this is not a social visit?”

“Nope. Just business.”

“It is dangerous business you do, Samuel. You must take care.”
Isaac lowered his mare’s foot and patted her shoulder.

“Always.”

Isaac glanced toward their cousin’s business. “Does John know
you are in town?”

“No. I doubt he’d recognize me, but I’d rather he didn’t know.
The fewer people who do, the safer I’ll be.”

Isaac adjusted a strap on Sophie’s headstall. “I understand,
but I don’t like it.”

“I don’t like it, either, but this is the way it has to be for
now. Don’t go out late at night, big brother. I wouldn’t want you to get
hurt.”

Isaac heard a door open, followed by the musical chime of a
bell that belonged to the hardware store next to John’s business. A cigarette
butt was flung between Isaac’s boots, followed by harsh laughter. The sound of
footsteps faded away. He stepped on the butt to put out the smoldering end. Only
then did he look to see where his brother had gone.

Samuel had joined two other men Isaac had never seen before.
His brother was right about one thing. Isaac doubted John would recognize him.
Samuel was dressed in faded jeans and a gray corduroy jacket, his hair long and
shaggy beneath a red ball cap. A short dark beard and mustache altered the look
of his face. If Isaac hadn’t heard Samuel speak, he might not have recognized
him, either.

The three men got into a late-model pickup and drove out of
town. Isaac watched them leave with a heavy heart. Samuel had left the Amish
faith instead of choosing to be baptized. His decision had shocked and saddened
the family. What had he gotten himself into now?

* * *

“
T
EACHER
,
TEACHER
,
my brother and me
seen another deer with its head cut off.” Eli Miller’s breathless announcement
made everyone in the school turn to look in his direction.

It was the third such occurrence in the past week. When would
it end? When the last buck had been slaughtered? Lena had no idea if Goliath was
still among the living. She hadn’t seen him since the poaching started, and she
still didn’t know who was responsible. Was it Isaac?

Eli ran up the center aisle with his twin brother, Marvin,
close on his heels. They were seventh-grade students and overly eager to be done
with schooling. Lena scowled at them. “That is not how we enter the school
building. Take your seats. You are both tardy.”

“We had to stop and check if the poachers were still about,”
Marvin declared.

“Did you see them?” Katie asked. “I heard shooting again last
night. That’s the third time this week. I don’t know how anyone can hunt in the
dark.”

Eli slid into his seat. “My dad works with Isaac Bowman in John
Miller’s shop. Isaac told my dad that they use spotlights. The deer just freeze
when a bright light hits them, and it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”

Lena remembered the bright light in the woods and the sound of
gunfire the first night she’d seen Isaac. Once again she thought it was odd how
much Ruby’s father knew about poaching. Was it merely a coincidence that his
arrival had coincided with the start of these activities?

Daily, he’d been bringing Ruby to school and staying briefly to
chat. Lena wasn’t sure what to make of his behavior. Surely he could see Ruby
was settling in.

She glanced at the child. Like the rest of the students, Ruby
was staring at Eli and hanging on his every word. Did she know anything about
her father’s activities at night? Lena tried to think of a way to phrase the
question without having it sound like an accusation, but nothing came to
her.

If Isaac was involved in something illegal, Lena realized there
was little she could do about it. Her only acceptable option would be to tell
the bishop of her suspicions. But suspicions were not proof of wrongdoing. If
she had proof, that would be another story. Even then, nothing was likely to be
done. Isaac had not yet joined their church. The bishop had no authority over
him.

To go outside of the church and inform the local
Englische
authorities would only get her in hot water
with her family and the bishop. Such a thing was not done unless the church
elders made the decision. Lena couldn’t see them putting the lives of a few deer
ahead of the deeply held Amish belief that they must live separate from the
world.

If these crimes were to be reported, it would have to be by
someone from outside the Amish community.

There were only a few
Englische
families in this rural and predominately Amish part of Ohio. Most of them lived
in the nearby towns. Lena considered telling Clara about the poaching and asking
her to report it, but decided against confiding in her friend. Clara had enough
troubles of her own. The last thing Lena wanted to do was add to them.

The obvious choice was to speak with Wilfred Cummings about
what she had seen. It was on his land that deer were being poached. It seemed
strange that a man who disliked hunting of any kind would ignore gunfire on his
property at night, but maybe his advanced age or his recent stroke had robbed
him of his hearing. Perhaps he had already informed the authorities and an
investigation was under way. She prayed it was so.

Eli gave a huge sigh. “I hope the poachers leave some deer for
my
daad
to hunt.
Mamm
makes wonderful venison stew.”

Marvin folded his arms tightly. “If I see them, I’m going to
tell them to go hunt someplace else.”

Lena immediately dismissed her concerns about reporting the
crimes, and focused on her responsibilities to the children. “If you see them,
Marvin, you are not to speak to them. I want all of you to be especially careful
coming to and from school. I don’t want anyone taking shortcuts through the
woods, and I certainly don’t want anyone going to look for these men. They may
be dangerous.”

The obstinate set of Marvin’s chin drooped. “You sound like my
mamm
.”

Lena leveled a stern look in his direction. “Your mother is a
wise woman, and is to be obeyed. Shall I mention this conversation to her?”

Marvin sank a little lower in his seat. “No.”

“All right, enough about poachers. It’s time for school to
begin.”

Lena opened her Bible and began the day as always. When she was
finished reading and prayers were over, the students filed to the front of the
room and lined up to sing some of their favorite English songs. Ruby stood with
the other children in her class and mouthed the words, but no sound emerged from
her throat. After the singing, the classes began to work quietly on their
assignments.

While they did, Lena had a few free minutes to prepare for the
school board meeting to be held that night. Other than the leak in the roof and
the broken windowpane, the building itself didn’t need much work. The barn was
another story.

The hayloft door had broken free of a hinge and now threatened
to fall from the remaining one. It posed a threat to animals and students alike.
Several shingles had come loose, too. With the arrival of Ruby, Lena was now
short of textbooks. Ruby was sharing with another fourth-grade girl, but it
would be better if she had her own books.

None of the children were discipline problems. If it weren’t
for the poaching, Lena would consider this to be her easiest year. The school
board meeting might not be the best place to discuss the subject of poaching,
but the three men on the board were also fathers and grandfathers of the
children. Two were church elders. The meetings were always well attended by the
children’s parents. The women of the community couldn’t hold positions on the
board, but they made their voices heard at home and in such meetings. It might
be good to plant the seed of concern, for these men would be the ones to
sanction any action.

During the last period of the day, Lena set the students to
tidying up the school for the upcoming meeting. The windows were washed inside
and out by the eighth-grade girls. The boys cleaned up the grounds and raked the
leaves that had piled against the sides of the building. Ruby and several of the
other girls washed and dried the blackboard, while the twins took the erasers
outside and clapped them together until they were free of chalk dust.

When the school was as clean as they could make it, Lena
allowed the students to leave a few minutes early. As they cheerfully headed
home, she came to a decision. Tonight, she would mention what she’d seen in the
woods, and voice her concern for the children’s welfare.

Outside, she paused on the steps to scan the edge of the
forest, as she had done frequently during the past weeks. Nothing moved, nothing
seemed out of place. If anyone was watching the school, he remained well
hidden.

Walking quickly, she crossed the covered bridge. On the far
side, she discovered Ruby sitting on the bank of the creek. The child was bent
over her writing board, hard at work on something.