The Peacemaker, page 27
Susan shook her head firmly. “I’m not here for flowers. I came to tell you something, and it’s important. Can we go somewhere we can talk privately?”
Ada glanced toward the front of the building, where her boss and his wife were waiting on customers who were in line to pay for their purchases. Since Ada hadn’t taken a break in a while, and no one was browsing in this section of the greenhouse, she asked Susan to follow her to an area where she felt they could converse without being heard.
“What did you want to tell me?” she inquired.
“My boyfriend, Ben Ebersol, was at the harness shop yesterday. And while he waited up front, Ben overheard Ephraim talking to someone in the back part of the building.”
“Why would you feel the need to tell me that?”
Susan shifted her weight. “Because it’s important that you know what Ben heard.”
Ada brushed at some debris from one of the plants that had attached itself to her apron. “And what would that be?”
“Ben told me that he heard Ephraim say that he was the one responsible for Rosa’s disappearance.”
Ada shrugged. “I’m aware that he feels guilty because, on the night of her disappearance, he didn’t see that she got home safely.”
Susan gave a quick shake of her head, while folding her arms. “No, it’s more than that. Ben heard Ephraim say that he killed Rosa, and I thought you had the right to know before the news gets out and spread across the valley, far and wide.”
Ada pursed her lips as she let this information set in. Was it possible that Susan spoke the truth?
“I could see by the look on Ben’s face that he believes what Ephraim said is true. Ben even told me that he wouldn’t be surprised if, after Ephraim murdered your friend, he hauled her body way back in the woods and buried it.”
Ada stumbled back as an abrupt sensation of heaviness expanded in the core of her body. Could what Susan said be true? Or could Ben have made the whole thing up? But if so, why? There was only one way to find out. Ada had to go to the harness shop as soon as she got off work and confront Ephraim about this. If it was true, would he own up to it?
Allensville
“I’m heading out now,” Noah called to Ephraim from the front of the harness shop. “I know you’re trying to finish a project, but don’t work too long!”
“I won’t. See you in the morning.”
“Absolutely!”
Ephraim heard the front door shut, and he rotated his shoulders to get the kinks out. It had been a long day, and he looked forward to getting home, since Grandma and Josiah were supposed to arrive back from their trip sometime today. Ephraim hoped they might drop by to say hello, and he was interested in hearing about their vacation.
Since the weather had improved and spring was here at last, Ephraim had walked to work this morning to breathe in the late-March air. So since walking home would take longer than riding in one of their drivers’ vehicles or even coming here on his man-powered scooter, he didn’t want to work for more than another hour.
Except for the hiss of the gas lights overhead, the shop was quiet. Dad had left early for another checkup with his cardiologist, and Ephraim was alone. This late in the day, he doubted that there would be any more customers, but just in case, he decided to put the CLOSED sign in the front window.
He had just caught hold of the sign when the main door opened, and Ada stepped in.
“Well, this is an unexpected surprise.” Ephraim moved toward her, but she took a step back. It was then that he noticed Ada’s expression as she stood with both hands behind her back. Her lips were drawn in tight, as if she were trying to clamp something down.
“This is not a social call, Ephraim,” she spoke with her eyes narrowed. “I am here to ask you an important question.”
“Oh, I see. Let’s take a seat.” Ephraim pulled out the wooden stool behind the counter and opened a folding chair he kept near the front for any customers who needed to sit while waiting.
Ada took a seat in the chair, while Ephraim sat on the stool. “I had a surprise visit at the greenhouse today from Susan Petersheim.”
“I see. Was she there to buy something, or …” Ephraim’s voice trailed off. He was going to ask whether Susan had news regarding Rosa. But he let Ada go on since he didn’t want to make assumptions.
“No, she came to tell me about something her boyfriend overheard here in the shop.”
“Really? What was that?” Ephraim didn’t really care about anything Ben Ebersol had to say, but Ada thought it was important enough to come all the way over here, so he would give her his full attention.
“Ben told Susan that he heard you speaking to someone in the back room about Rosa’s disappearance.”
Ephraim clasped his knees and held them firmly together. Oh, great! I wonder what Ben heard. “Go on,” he said.
“Ben heard you say that you were angry with Rosa and there was some shouting.” Ada paused, and her checks flushed a bright pink color. “He also said that you admitted to killing her.”
Ephraim leaped off the stool and made a sweeping gesture with both arms. “That is not true!”
“So he made it up?”
“Well, no, but …”
“I can’t believe you would do something so horrible, and lie about it to me, the Petersheims, and the authorities.” Ada shuddered. “Is that why you asked me to court you and then, only a few months later, proposed marriage to me? So then you would appear more innocent, because there’s no way you’d marry the murder victim’s best friend? Is that how it went?” Her once-rosy cheeks were devoid of color, appearing quite pale now. “So you don’t truly love me, but you’ve been using me the entire time. And I nearly gave in to it, and almost married a killer!”
“Ada, you’ve got it all wrong. I—”
Her lips quivered, and she rose from the chair. “We can’t see each other anymore, Ephraim, and you need to turn yourself in to the sheriff.”
“But Ada …” Ephraim pleaded.
She clutched a hand to her chest, ducking her chin. Then before Ephraim could utter another word, Ada grabbed the doorknob and rushed outside.
Ephraim stood, trying to process what had just transpired. For an instant, he considered pursuing Ada, but how could he when all she saw in him was a callous, ruthless murderer? It was bad enough that Ada thought he was capable of killing Rosa, but she didn’t care sufficiently about their relationship in order to allow him to explain what he’d actually said to Noah.
“If I can’t have a relationship with Ada that’s built on trust, then she was right to break up with me, because without trust and understanding, there is no relationship at all,” he mumbled.
Ephraim had believed that, over the course of their friendship and the confession of love between them, he’d earned Ada’s trust and respect, but apparently he’d been mistaken. How could they build a life together if Ada thought he had lied to her about the night Rosa vanished? The thought that she believed he might have actually killed her best friend was unthinkable!
Belleville
“Our vacation was wunderbaar, but it’s nice to be home again,” Sarah told Josiah when their driver dropped them off at Lewis and Dorothy’s home for a short visit.
Josiah clasped her hand and gave her fingers a comforting squeeze. “I couldn’t agree more.”
They’d already dropped their luggage off at Aaron and Katrina’s home, with the promise that they would be back soon. Now, as they stepped onto the Peights’ front porch, Sarah clutched the satchel they’d brought, along with gifts for everyone and a notebook Josiah had written in during the entire month they’d been gone.
They were greeted at the door by Judith, who squealed with delight and gave them both a welcoming hug. “Mom! Dad!” she yelled. “Come schnell! Grandma and Josiah are here!”
Within minutes, Lewis, Dorothy, and Judith’s sisters had crowed around Josiah and Sarah with hugs and shouts of “Welcome back!”
When things settled down a bit, they were ushered into the living room, and everyone took a seat.
“Where’s Ephraim?” Sarah asked. “Is he here someplace or perhaps out with his aldi?”
“My bruder is here,” Priscilla spoke up. “He went to his room as soon as he got home from work. I’ll go get him.” She hurried out of the room.
“So tell us all about your trip,” Dorothy said. “You both look nice and tan and well rested.”
“Jah.” Josiah bobbed his head. “And we had a great time.” He looked at Sarah, who sat beside him on the sofa. “Right?”
“Absolutely, Josiah. It was a trip I’ll always remember.”
Sarah recounted a few of their travel experiences, and when Ephraim came into the room with Priscilla, she sprang from her seat and embraced her grandson.
“It’s good to see that you made it home safely.” Ephraim offered a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and Sarah figured he was tired. Then Ephraim made his way across the room, shook Josiah’s hand, and seated himself on the other end of the sofa.
“I have something I’d like to read to all of you. It’s a poem I wrote while Sarah and I were on the beach one day.” Josiah reached into the tote bag that sat on the floor between him and Sarah. “That is, if you’d all like to hear it.”
When all heads nodded, Josiah cleared his throat a few times, stood up, and said, “I’ve entitled this poem ‘A Trip to the Shore.’ Okay, here goes.
“A trip to the shore was fun for Sarah and me,
Even though I had to walk slowly because of my gimpy knee.
We built sand castles using water and, of course, our shovels and pails.
We observed the boats going by with their billowy sails.
It was fun to watch the seagulls scream high overhead
As they sought to eat our crackers and loaf of bread.
The mighty ocean waves pounded against the beach.
Mussel and scallop shells lay within our easy reach.
Sand dunes glistened beneath the warm sun,
Creating a wonderful place for my wife and me to have fun.
We found a piece of beach glass and driftwood along the shore
All washed up from the ocean’s magnificent floor.
We breathed in fresh, salty air, and I held my bride’s hand.
It was a joy to feel the warm, soft sand.
As we listened to the sounds of the ocean’s roar,
It made us glad for our trip to the shore.”
When Josiah finished reciting the poem, everyone applauded, and he sat down with Sarah after kissing her cheek.
“Needless to say,” Josiah announced, “Sarah and I are glad to be home, but we look forward to our next Florida trip.”
They all engaged in chatter at once, but when things settled down a bit, Dorothy announced that she’d made an apple crisp earlier and hoped Sarah and Josiah could stay long enough to have some and talk about their trip in more detail.
Sarah looked at Josiah for his approval. “What do you think, Husband? Are you too tired from our travels to enjoy some of my daughter-in-law’s dessert?”
He gave a quick shake of his head. “Of course not—I always have room for apple crisp or any other tasty treat. And by the way, Dorothy is my daughter-in-law now too.”
Dorothy stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I am honored that you feel that way and thankful you have become a part of this family.”
“I agree,” Lewis put in. “My mudder chose wisely when she agreed to marry you, Josiah.”
Josiah pointed to himself and grinned. “It was I who chose wisely. Fact of the matter is, I knew Sarah was the one for me the first day we met.”
Sarah gave his bronzed arm a gentle poke. “You might be stretching the truth a bit, but either way, I’m sure it was God who brought us together.”
All heads, except for Ephraim’s, bobbed in apparent agreement. He’d been unusually quiet since he’d come down from his bedroom. If Sarah hadn’t known better, she might have thought he wasn’t happy to see them. Certain it wasn’t the case, Sarah determined that she needed to talk privately with Ephraim before the evening was out.
The opportunity arrived sooner than expected, when Dorothy requested that her daughters get the dessert dishes out, as well as the apple crisp, while she brewed a pot of coffee. A few minutes after she and the three girls disappeared into the kitchen, Lewis asked Josiah if he’d like to take a walk out to the barn to look at the colt that had been born a few days ago.
Josiah seemed eager, and he started for the front door with Lewis but turned back to face Ephraim. “Aren’t you gonna join us?”
“No, that’s okay, you two go ahead. I’ve already seen the colt.”
After Lewis and Josiah departed, Ephraim slumped into the sofa and leaned forward with his hands pressed against his temples.
“What’s the matter, Ephraim?” Sarah sat down beside him. “Aren’t you happy to see me and Josiah?”
He lifted his head and gazed at her with drooping shoulders and a dour-looking twist to his mouth. “I’m always happy to see you and Josiah, and I’m glad you both had a good time in Florida.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Ada and I broke up this afternoon, and I can’t come to grips with it.”
Sarah’s head jerked back. This news was not what she expected to hear. As far as she could tell, her grandson and his girlfriend were deeply in love. Why else would Ephraim have proposed marriage to Ada?
“What happened?” she sputtered. “Did the two of you have a lover’s spat? Something like that can happen over the littlest thing, you know.”
Ephraim groaned and cupped his chin in the palm of his hands. “It was much worse than that, Grandma. Ada accused me of killing Rosa.”
Sarah’s mouth opened wide and she gasped. “That’s lecherich. Why would she say something so ridiculous? Ada has to know that you would never do anything like that.”
“That’s what I thought too.” Ephraim paused to inhale a breath, and then he blew it out in a rush that lifted the hair off his forehead.
“Where would Ada get such a notion, Ephraim?”
“Rosa’s sister Susan told her earlier today that her boyfriend, Ben, overheard me talking with Noah at the harness shop about Rosa’s disappearance. I didn’t know Ben was out in the entrance of the shop at the time, or I wouldn’t have said what I did.”
“And what was that?” Sarah leaned closer to her dismayed grandson.
“At first I told Noah that I did not harm Rosa in any way, but there was a lot of yelling going on between us. I also said that I was angry with her, and she was pretty worked up too.” Ephraim hesitated, drawing in a breath, then went on. “I also mentioned that Rosa had said some hurtful things and I’d said some too. Then Noah responded by saying, ‘That’s how it usually goes when people argue.’”
Sarah nodded. “He was right about that. We can say words in frustration that we’ll never be able to take back.”
“It was then when I brought up that Rosa’s brother Norman thought … and might still believe that …” Ephraim stopped talking and thumped the side of his head. “Oh, boy, I’m sure Ben must have heard the last thing I said to Noah, even though I’d spoken quietly.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “What did you say, Ephraim?”
He shut his eyes for a moment and whispered, “That I killed her.” Ephraim’s eyes snapped open, and he shook his head vigorously. “But I didn’t mean that I had actually killed Rosa. I was saying that Norman thought I had killed his sister.”
“Did you explain that to Ada?”
“I tried to, but since Ben had told Susan what he’d heard, and Susan, out of so-called concern, had come to Ada and informed her, I had no proof of what I’d actually said and no way of knowing how much of my conversation with Noah Ben had really heard.”
“You need to talk to Ada again,” Sarah advised.
Ephraim shook his head. “What would be the point? Thanks to Susan, Ada now believes Rosa’s disappearance is my fault and that I did away with her best friend. So I don’t think anything I could say now would change her mind.” He dropped his gaze to the floor again. “When you lose someone’s trust, it’s hard to gain it back.”
“Would you like me to talk to Ada?” Sarah questioned.
“That might make things worse, Grandma.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because Ada might think I put you up to speaking with her, and that wouldn’t go over so well.” He heaved a massive sigh. “And if Ada truly believes that I murdered her friend, she’ll no doubt report what she was told to the sheriff. It’s pretty plain, Grandma. I have to come up with a way to prove that I didn’t harm Rosa and wasn’t lying before I’m arrested.” Tears welled in Ephraim’s eyes. “Unfortunately, it’s too late for me and Ada. Our relationship is over, and I’ll have to live with it.”
Not if I have anything to say about it, Sarah affirmed to herself. I cannot allow myself to stand by and do nothing while they both lose out on the chance to spend the rest of their lives together due to a misunderstanding.
CHAPTER 30
Allensville
EPHRAIM FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO attend church on Sunday morning without thinking about Ada’s accusations from the day before. Her words reverberated in his head, and he thought he’d never forget her expression, which was etched in his mind. With the exception of his grandmother, Ephraim had not told anyone what Susan had told Ada concerning the conversation Ben had overheard. Before the newlyweds had gone home last evening, Grandma had whispered to Ephraim that he should not tell anyone about this yet. She’d said that he should pray about the situation, and she would do the same.
Ephraim wanted to take her suggestion and hold on to the belief that praying would be worthwhile, but he felt utterly defeated, and his future seemed bleak. The things he wanted to say to God would be difficult to put into words.
If only Ben hadn’t come into the harness shop when he did, there wouldn’t have been a conversation for him to overhear and repeat to Susan. Ephraim swallowed hard, in an effort to disperse the lump pushing against the back of his throat, but it was no use.
