Amish Safe House. Debby Giusti

and left a message.

      “Is that where the Amish keep their phones?” William asked when Abraham joined him again.

      “Yah, Mr. Raber takes orders by phone for the furniture he makes. The Ordnung, the rules by which various Amish communities live, forbids phones within the home. Keeping the phone away from the house and near the property line allows Mr. Raber to stay in contact with his customers while also obeying the rule.”

      William pointed to the roof. “Are those solar panels?”

      Abraham nodded. “They run the answering machine. You know about solar energy?”

      William shrugged. “A little.”

      “Perhaps you will be an engineer when you get older.”

      The boy shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

      “Why not?” Abraham asked.

      “School’s not cool.”

      Abraham would not ask what the boy thought was cool. From what Jonathan had said, William was drawn to the street gangs with their rap music and fast cars and even faster lifestyle. Was that what William thought was cool?

      The sound of a car engine drew Abraham’s attention to the road. A souped-up sedan raced over the crest of a distant rise, going much too fast along the narrow country lane.

      William stared at the car, no doubt attracted to the gaudy chrome and the heavy bass destroying the peaceful quiet.

      “Hide in the phone shack.” Abraham opened the door and nudged William inside.

      The car approached. Abraham walked to the curb. The driver stopped and rolled down the passenger window. “I’m looking for Yoder. Made a few wrong turns, it seems. Can you give me directions?”

      “You are headed the right way. The town is about four miles ahead.”

      “I’ll need a room. Can you recommend lodging?”

      “There is a hotel south of town. At the intersection of Main and High, turn left. The hotel sits about five blocks south on the left.” Abraham stepped closer. “You are not from this area.”

      “I was in Kansas City on business and had a few days off so I decided to explore this part of the state. My hobby is writing articles for travel magazines. A story on Yoder and the Amish people might sell. If you have time, we could schedule an interview.”

      The last thing Abraham wanted was publicity about Yoder or his Amish neighbors. “Not much is going on around here. You might find more tourist attractions in Hutchison. They have an Amish community there.”

      “I’ll check it out. Thanks for the information about the hotel.” The man handed a business card to Abraham. “You know where to find me for the next few days in case you have time for a cup of coffee, or we could talk over lunch.”

      The driver waved and drove away.

      Abraham made a mental note of the license plate before he opened the door to the phone booth. His heart stopped. William stood with the phone to his ear. His eyes widened and his face flushed. He dropped the receiver onto the cradle and lowered his gaze.

      “Who did you call?”

      The boy shook his head. “No one.”

      “I will ask you once more, William. Who did you call?”

      “I... I thought about calling a friend of mine from Philly.”

      “What is his name?”

      “David.”

      “His full name.”

      “David Davila.”

      “Did the call connect?”

      Will shook his head. “No way. There wasn’t time.”

      “Did you call your friend from the hotel in Philadelphia?”

      The boy’s face reddened.

      “What did you tell David?”

      “Only that we were moving, but I didn’t tell him where.”

      “Did you mention Kansas?”

      “I just said we were leaving the city.”

      Abraham pointed the boy toward the road. “The phone is off-limits. Is that understood?”

      “Yeah, sure.” William pushed past Abraham.

      Abraham glanced back at the phone. William was his own worst enemy. The Philadores did not care if the boy was fourteen or forty-three. He was on their hit list. If Abraham could not protect William from himself, the boy and his sweet sister and pretty mother might die.

       THREE

      Julia felt a swell of relief when she spied William and Abraham return to the farm and enter the barn.

      A short time later, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves pulled her attention back to the road. A buggy turned into the drive and stopped near the barn. A woman dressed in the typical Amish calf-length blue dress, black cape and matching black bonnet climbed to the ground.

      Abraham stepped from the barn and greeted her with a welcoming smile. Julia wished she could hear their conversation and wondered what she should do if the woman came inside. Was she supposed to hide?

      William stood at the barn entrance. From the way his arms moved, Abraham appeared to be introducing her son to the woman. Taking that as a sign she could go outside, Julia called for Kayla to join her and they both stepped onto the porch.

      Abraham glanced up and nodded. “Sarah, this is Julia. She will be staying in the dawdy house for a bit of time and helping with the cleaning and cooking. Her daughter’s name is Kayla.”

      Sarah looked perplexed, but she covered her confusion with a weak smile of welcome. “Abraham said you needed a place to stay.”

      How should she answer? “He has been most generous to us.”

      “I... I brought clothing.”

      The Amish woman glanced at Abraham, said something that sounded German and then reached into the buggy and pulled forth a basket. “Perhaps I should show you how to pin the dress?”

      Julia didn’t understand.

      Abraham must have noticed her confusion. He stepped closer. “I saw Sarah yesterday before you arrived and asked her to bring Amish clothing, which will be good for you to wear.”

      “You want me to dress Amish?”

      He nodded. “For now. So you can fit in.”

      “And the children?”

      “They should, also.”

      Julia glanced at Kayla who clapped her hands and jumped up and down. William frowned and wrapped his arms across his chest.

      Seemed there were complications to their new environment. Julia tried to recall if the marshals had said they would be living with the Amish or living Amish.

      A huge difference, which she would need to explain to her children. Would William listen? From the scowl on his face, probably not.

      * * *

      Abraham poured another cup of coffee and waited in the kitchen as Sarah ushered Julia and Kayla into a spare bedroom and helped them dress. William headed for a small room off the main living area.

      “You would like help?” Abraham asked.

      The boy shook his head. “I’ve got it.”

      But evidently he did not have it because he remained in the room far longer than Abraham had expected. Before he could check on the