Thick as Thieves (Amish Lantern Mystery Series Book 1) Read online

  Thick as Thieves

  Amish Lantern Mystery Series, Volume 1

  Mary B. Barbee

  Published by Barbee Enterprises, 2021.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  THICK AS THIEVES. Copyright © 2021 by Barbee Enterprises. All rights reserved.

  Editing Team: Molly Misko, Jenny Raith, and Laura Fry

  Cover Design: Zahra Hassan

  www.marybbarbee.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Thick as Thieves (Amish Lantern Mystery Series, #1)

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  EPILOGUE

  A Note from the Author

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Mercy and truth are the Lord’s ways, his witness to all who seek Him.

  Zechariah 7:9

  CHAPTER ONE

  "SISTER, I DON'T THINK you’ve been listening to anything I've been saying," Beth said, slapping her hand on the flour-covered table. Tiny flecks of flour jumped into the air briefly as her hand landed on the aged mahogany surface.

  Anna gritted her teeth, fighting frustration. Her identical twin sister, Elizabeth, could be so annoying sometimes. It annoyed Anna when Beth fixated on a particular topic for way too long. Anna knew that she should be patient with her – Beth could not help it sometimes due to her autism disorder – but it could sometimes be a challenge.

  When they were children, Anna had even shorter patience with her sister. Their mother was notorious for taking Beth’s side in every disagreement no matter what the situation. One year, the sisters had received identical dolls for their birthday. About a week later, Beth had accidentally dropped hers in the dirt and made a small stain on the part of the fabric that would have been the faceless doll’s cheek. No matter what her mother did, she could not remove the stain. Beth was terribly upset - she struggled even at a young age to make sure everything was “just right.” One morning, Beth claimed that Anna’s doll was hers, and that the stained doll was actually Anna’s. Looking to her mother to step in, Anna was completely hurt when her mother asked her to “just let Beth have the doll and play with this one instead.”

  Anna had no choice but to obey her mother, but it was many months - and maybe years - before her prayers were answered and she was able to forgive Beth and her mother for taking away something she had cared for and loved dearly.

  As the twins grew into young teenagers, the sisters’ relationship shifted. At this age, the twins’ mother explained to Anna everything that made Beth different and special, and it all finally made sense. Shedding light on Beth’s autism allowed Anna to open her heart and embrace Beth for who she really was and the struggles that she lived with. She learned how to be patient with her sister, and the twins’ bond became stronger than ever before.

  "I am listening to you, Beth. You don't have to get upset," Anna said in a quiet voice. Beth smiled gratefully. Beth was talking about her last child who had gone on his Rumspringa recently. She was terribly worried for him and felt that Jonah may be too young and immature to be sent out in the world alone. Anna didn't think so. Everyone in the family had done everything they could to prepare Jonah for the journey to come. Anna was confident that Beth was in panic mode without good reason.

  "Do you think he'll return? I keep having these recurring dreams. I dream about what happened to Mrs. Philips' daughter. What if the same thing happens to Jonah? What if he chooses to stay there?" Beth asked, the dough she had been working on lay forgotten on the table.

  Anna’s chair scraped hard on the wood floor as she pushed it back to stand. Her lower back ached immensely as she rose. The twins were in their late fifties. And while Anna absolutely loved some parts about growing older, she was less enamored by the toll it seemed to be taking on her body. Sometimes when she looked in the mirror, she couldn't recognize the person that stared back at her. Wrinkle lines were starting to appear on her forehead and between her eyes, her skin creasing like a gently crumpled piece of paper.

  The skin on her hands was starting to look thin, and she swore she was starting to see a few age spots surface here and there. Anna's husband was dedicated and said he thought she looked more and more beautiful each day, but she knew that it wasn’t true and also knew that as an Amish woman, she was not supposed to care about her looks. Vanity was strongly discouraged in the community, so she kept these thoughts to herself, experiencing feelings of shame when they ran through her mind. More than her looks, though, one thing that she couldn’t deny was that her physical energy was zapped a little more every day. But she would make an effort to remind herself that her emotional and spiritual energy felt more and more replenished with each rise of the morning sun. With age comes wisdom.

  "Beth, this feels oddly familiar. Can we talk about how many times you've been through this before with each of your children? You always worry about them, and they always end up being safe and enjoying their Rumspringa. Jonah's not going to be any different. He's going to enjoy his Rumspringa and return to the community safely. Stop worrying," Anna said, walking over to where her sister was seated.

  "That is very true. Thank you for reminding me of that, Anna." Beth and Anna met eyes. Anna wasn’t sure Beth felt much better, but she knew that the conversation would end there... for now. Anna leaned over with a reassuring hug. Beth’s beautiful hair was tucked neatly into her prayer kapp. Anna was always so impressed with how nicely put together Beth always looked. Her own hair took so much effort to keep looking neat and tidy under her kapp throughout the day, but Beth rarely showed a strand of out of place - looking the same from morning to evening with what appeared to be very little effort.

  "And if ever something goes wrong while Jonah is away, you should know that I'll always be here for you. Now, let's get to work. Sunrise is approaching and we should be ready before it gets here," she said. Beth smiled thankfully and set her focus back on her forlorn dough.

  With dawn approaching, the twins had a lot of work to do. For the past fifteen years, they had been managing a booth at the local farmers market each weekend, selling their now famous pastries and bread. Anna and Beth inherited their mother’s love for baking. All the recipes their mother passed on to them were cherished and still included in their menu. People traveled from neighboring counties, and even states, to purchase their baked goods. Especially their breads, which were expertly baked using the sumptuous fresh butter produced on their shared farm. Tourists often asked how they could order more of their goods online to avoid a lengthy trip, but although Anna and Beth’s community did have access to computers in the town’s library, the sisters had no interest in taking the business in that direction.

  Outside the window, Anna could see the chirping birds flying around in the surrounding trees. Their town was so peaceful and serene. That was one of the many things A
nna loved about it. Their community was strong and tight knit, not unlike most Amish communities, and Anna was proud to call Little Valley home. However, their peaceful world had shattered with the recent break-ins and robberies taking place inside their sweet community. Last week, the Johns' home was raided. Their plants, tools, and even some of their animals were carted away while they were attending service.

  The robberies terrified Anna. Back when she was a little girl, this would never have happened. She could not think of one individual whom she personally knew that was morally deviant enough to steal from his neighbors. Oh, how times had changed. Her life had changed, and now she lived with worry in anticipation of the day they would also be robbed. Would the robbers know that she had quite a sizable amount of money, earned from their business, stashed away underneath her bed? Would it all just disappear one day? How would she cope?

  She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Dwelling on the “what if’s” was a waste of time - something she often told her children when they were younger and faced child-like worries of their own. The community was still safe. She had every faith that the English sheriff living in their town would solve the case of the robberies soon. However confident she was in his policing ability, Anna, just like most Amish residents in the town, still disliked the sheriff. Derek McCall. He was so uncouth, rude, and quite unlike the other Englishers living in Little Valley. The rumor among the community was that it was the sheriff who was partly responsible for the illegal gambling that was happening among the English in their beautiful county. If he wasn’t responsible for starting the trend, he certainly didn’t seem to be taking any real actions to stop it. Anna sighed heavily. She decided to refocus and shift her concentration back to the ball of dough sitting on the counter in front of her.

  Dawn was fast approaching. Sunrise would soon flood light into the small room. The sisters were busy working in Beth's modest kitchen. Anna's house shared the farm and sat right next to her sister's. Anna was grateful that their husbands’ relationships were also close, like brothers themselves, and that they understood the importance of the sisters' bond agreeing not to move them apart.

  They heard the shuffling feet of Noah, Beth's husband, entering the kitchen. Anna pushed around the prayer kapp on her head until it was properly adjusted. She tightened it harder just as Noah's figure appeared.

  "Good morning," Anna said, mixing the batter. Noah's kind eyes were sleepy and only partly open as he shuffled past Anna to grab a cup of coffee. His response was a nod and a half attempt at a smile. He had never been a morning person, but he had become accustomed to the clamoring noise of the women in the kitchen waking him up.

  Age was creeping in and changing Noah, too. Beth could still remember the first time they met. He was a skinny man with beautiful light hair and amber-flecked eyes that twinkled delightfully even when he was sad. He had perpetually tanned skin, a beardless face, and a young lean figure. Noah was under his uncle's tutelage at the time, learning carpentry.

  Still quite a handsome man, through the years Noah’s face spoke of the hard work he performed each day. His hands had become callused and his shoulders broad. He filled out the shirt he wore, his arm muscles jutted out distinctly. The length of his well-tended beard – a sign of the length of their marriage – flowed gracefully down from his face. Beth was so grateful that he was still so healthy and agile, even past the age of sixty. She could count on one hand how many men of his age in the community were as strong as Noah was. As a matter of fact, the men all greatly relied on him and his mentorship when it came to community work – like the current restructuring going on at Simon's house.

  Coffee cup in hand, Noah finally spoke to greet the sisters. "Good morning, ladies. You sure make a lot of noise every morning. Every day, I think I’m going to get used to it, but I never do.” After a short pause, Noah quietly cleared his throat. “Ah, this smells good today. Added extra cinnamon?" he asked in beautiful Deitsch, the ancient German dialect often used among the Amish in North America. Noah wasn't as fluent in English as the women were. He spoke in the German dialect more than he spoke in English. Gulping the last of his coffee, Noah inhaled deeply. He walked over to Beth, straightening his suspenders, and kissed her forehead lovingly.

  "You know it, Noah," Anna said delightfully. Noah's interest in their bakery excited her. She wished her husband would be half as interested in their work as Noah was, but she also realized that she had few other complaints about the man she married. He was pretty close to perfect in her eyes. The twins were lucky to have married such wonderfully devoted and kind men.

  "Are you almost finished with the work at Simon's?" Anna asked. Her husband, Eli occasionally joined the men after his work on his farm. He often returned late at night, completely tired but full of praise for the carpenters’ craft.

  "I don't know how they do it. I have never been comfortable with heights, and their work is so beautifully done with such attention to detail," Eli would rave over a homecooked dinner. Anna would follow it with kisses on the calluses on his hand.

  "I am sure that they are equally full of awe for successful farmers like yourself. You do work they'll never understand and provide so much for your family and community," she would reply to him. She was in awe of all the men in her family. The physical strength they exerted each day marveled her. Her husband's strength and dedication were especially admirable. He had single handedly built his agricultural business from scratch. When they were first married, her father-in-law had run the business into the ground. Eli folded his sleeves and set to work reviving the whole operation. Now, they were one of the most successful farms in the county. The corn produced on their farm was distributed and sold to customers miles away. Even well into the ripe age of sixty-five, Eli led her oldest son, Malachi, to begin to establish another stream of income with their farm’s tobacco production.

  With their children grown and all on their own now, the sisters’ homes felt eerily empty. Anna yearned for simpler times when their houses were filled with rambunctious, playful children. Those days, Anna and Beth rotated childcare. The sisters did everything together as children, so it was no surprise that they were able to build their families together. When one of them fell sick or just needed a break, the other took over the running of their households. Meals were often shared. Clothes and schoolbooks were passed down. The children were close, hardly being able to tell the difference between a sibling and a cousin.

  "No, not quite.” Noah's voice pulled Anna out of her reverie. “It's going to take another few weeks. The entire roof needs to be changed. And that reminds me, please tell Moses not to forget what I asked him to bring for us. We need more tools, and he could help out," She nodded.

  Anna’s son-in-law, Moses, sold Amish-made tools in his successful store downtown. Some men in the community had been complaining a lot about his lack of participation in the ongoing project. She understood Moses' reluctant contribution. His business had grown beyond his imagination, and he was still struggling to find and hire a capable person to help in his shop. Sarah, his wife and Anna’s oldest daughter, was pregnant with their third child. Moses made a conscious effort to divide his time between the store and home, but in the end, there was barely any time left for extra activities like community work.

  "I'll be going down to their house as soon as we are done here. I'll make sure to remind him," Anna replied. Noah nodded, picked one of the baked cookies, and devoured it in one bite as he walked out of the kitchen.

  The women continued their work in silence, counting and packing the baked goods they had made, taking inventory for their next day at the farmers' market.

  CHAPTER TWO

  SUMMER WAS RIPENING around town, and the smells of autumn lingered in the air. A large ball of yolky sun hung high in the deep blue skies, its slanted golden rays of light covering the town. Brown, red and yellow leaves fell off tree branches, carpeting the ground and making crunching sounds with footsteps.

  Jude Tymon leaned o
n the wall next to the window outside of the small sheriff’s office located off Highway 43. He was sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying the light gust of wind that drifted through the town. Moments like these were some of his favorite things about Little Valley.

  The town was so cozy and beautiful. He liked the people and their culture. Although they didn't exactly embrace the presence of law enforcement in their town, that didn't stop them from treating the lawmen with a welcoming respect. Jude loved the overall sense of peace and quiet that hung over the town, too. There was rarely a crime, and that suited him just fine. Everyone lived and abided by the rules of their holy books and the Old Order Amish beliefs. Their pious lives made his job easier. He could sleep easy at night knowing that he would never be summoned out of bed. It was a polar opposite experience to the big city jobs he had handled before moving to Little Valley.

  Arriving in Little Valley just a little less than a year ago, Jude had grown a fondness for the solitude, but he was growing impatient with his status as deputy. He felt he had more experience and knowledge than he received credit for, and it was becoming a challenge to continue to act like the title he was given was good enough. He was born for greater things and he was getting antsy. For starters, he wanted a nicer home and to at least become lieutenant.

  Jude tipped his coffee mug back and took his last sip before stepping back into the office and returning to his small desk. The sheriff’s office was previously a small house, with the former front living room serving as the main office. There were just two desks, sitting on opposite walls. Sheriff Derek McCall’s desk was about twice the size of Jude’s desk, both simple and made of hardwood. Just past the front office was a tiny kitchen with space big enough for a sink, a rarely used oven and range, a compact refrigerator and freezer unit, and a total of four cabinets. The cabinets contained only one small copper pot, some sugar packets for coffee, a few tea bags and a multipack of ramen noodles.