A mute, foundling girl hides from her pursuers with the help of a reluctant recluse. The two of them have nothing in common except deep emotional scars. Who is she? How did she end up unconscious and scantily clothed on Evan's isolated property? Why...
Titus grabbed the barrel and pointed it away from me toward the ceiling. "Not here, you fool. We don't want to get blood all over the product. Take him inside the woods. When you're finished, bury him deep."
Titus hoisted me to my feet while Zeke and Dale kept guns pointed at me. The two sons didn't seem all that intelligent to me, but they were smart enough to stand apart and well out of my reach. I wouldn't be able to try anything. Titus led the way out. Zeke prodded me in the back with my shotgun, so I followed the old man. The boys stayed behind me. Again, smart.
They would likely succeed in killing me, but I wouldn't go down without a fight. I just needed to pick a moment, maybe as we approached the tree line. If I could spring at Zeke and surprise him, hit him low around the knees and take him to the ground I might be able to wrestle that shotgun away. Dale might not risk a shot fearing he'd hit his brother. If I wasn't successful, maybe I could lose them in the trees.
I knew my plan was feeble at best and the longest of long shots, but in my desperation, I couldn't come up with anything better to improve my odds. Overshadowing my fear of dying was the frustration of not being able to save Sophie from this pack of human debris.
As we neared the middle of the barnyard, Titus stopped and canted his head. "Do you hear that, boys?"
At first, I didn't understand what he was talking about. Then I heard them. The clopping of horse hooves. Lots of hooves.
The first buggy to appear was driven by a young Amish kid. Beside him sat Caleb Miller holding a buggy whip. Five more buggies followed, each of them filled with young men Caleb's age. They drove around us, encircling us before stopping.
All the youngsters dismounted from their buggies and stood facing us wearing grim expressions.
The shotgun in Zeke's hand trembled. He pointed it all around at the newcomers. "Pa, what do we do?"
Dale held the handgun down at his side and raised his eyes to the sky.
"Is this your doing?" Titus asked.
It took a moment for me to realize he was addressing me. In all the excitement, I had forgotten about Caleb. Honestly, I hadn't taken him seriously. I was damn happy to have misjudged him. Turning to Titus, I said, "You can't shoot us all."
Titus laughed hard until he started coughing. After getting himself under control, he wheezed. "Don't have to shoot them all. They're Amish and nonviolent. They won't do anything."
Caleb stepped toward us. The others with him followed, closing the loop around us.
Zeke raised the shotgun.
I jumped him, forcing the barrel to the ground.
The so-called nonviolent Amish kids swarmed us, easily overpowering the three men and wrestling away the weapons. They made Titus and his sons sit on the ground.
Agnes and Miriam burst from the house, screaming and cursing. A few young men ran toward them.
"Don't be too rough. One of them is pregnant," I yelled, although I wondered why I should feel so chivalrous toward the two women.
Agnes and Miriam were tough and fierce, putting up a better fight than the men. Eventually, they were tied and made to sit with Titus and sons.
Caleb rested a hand on my shoulder. "Did you find the girl you were looking for?"
"Not yet. I was told she's in the house."
"Watch these men," Caleb ordered the others. "I'm going with Evan to find the girl."
"Sophie," I said. "Remember, her name is Sophie."
Caleb grinned and said, "Sophie. Got it. I won't forget again."
Caleb and I climbed the porch and entered. The inside of the farmhouse was immaculate, and the scent of something baking made my mouth water. Two apple pies rested on the kitchen table, cooling. The distraction lasted only a moment.
"Sophie," I shouted. "It's Evan. You're safe now. Show yourself."
We heard no sound of movement.
Caleb walked away, saying, "I'll check the basement. You finish searching the main floor."
Neither of us found her. We stood at the bottom of the staircase looking up toward the second floor.
"Bedrooms are upstairs," I said, stating the obvious. I felt uneasy and frightened. Why hadn't Sophie come out? What had they done to her?
While I gathered myself, Caleb started up the stairs ahead of me. At the top, he pointed to my left. "You check that wing. I'll get this one."
I found a bathroom and a bedroom that had to be where Titus slept. A man's dark suit hung on a clothes tree. Men's shoes and boots lined the floor of the closet. No sign of Sophie.
Two other bedrooms appeared to belong to the sons. Both men's and ladies' garments hung in cedar closets.
Where was Sophie? I wondered what happened to Caleb. With only one room to search, the two of them had to be there.
I walked into a room so dark, I could barely see. The air was stuffy and smelled of perspiration and urine. "Sophie?"
I detected movement from one of the corners and Caleb's voice. "Stay where you are, Evan."
Something wasn't right. I heard him speak soothing words in Pennsylvania Dutch. I had to find out what was happening and stepped their way.
Caleb got to his feet and blocked my path. He placed both hands on my shoulders and backed me up, out of the room.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
