Amish Redemption. Patricia Davids

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      “There must be another way out.”

      He heard the rising panic in her voice. He forced himself to relax and speak casually. “There should be a staircase to the inside of the house. Hopefully, it isn’t blocked.”

      “Of course. Let’s find it. I don’t want to stay down here any longer than I must. All this dust isn’t good for Hannah.”

      She started to move past him, but he caught her arm. “You could get hurt stumbling around in the dark. Stay here with your daughter. I’ll go look. I’ve got a lighter, but I’m not sure how much fuel is left in it. Shout if you hear anything outside. No one will be looking for me, but your family will be looking for you, right?”

      “They will, but not soon.”

      That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “Maybe someone will see your buggy out there and come to investigate.”

      “My buggy isn’t out there. Didn’t you see it get sucked up and carried away?”

      “I didn’t. I had my eyes fixed on you.”

      “No one is going to know where to look for us, are they?” Her voice trembled.

      “It won’t matter once I find a way out. I’ll be back as quick as I can.” It was an assurance he didn’t really feel.

      He tried to remember the layout of the building he had surveyed for his father. Although he had looked in through the windows that hadn’t been boarded over, he hadn’t ventured inside to explore thoroughly since his father was more interested in the land and its potential. Joshua didn’t remember seeing a door that might be an inside entrance to the cellar. Some older houses only had outside entrances. The most logical place for the stairs would be near the kitchen at the other end of the house.

      As it continued to rain, water began pouring through cracks in the floorboards overhead. That wasn’t good. It meant a part of the house had been torn open, allowing the rain to come in. How sound was what remained? The steady rumble of thunder promised more rain. Would the saturated wood give way and finish what the tornado had started? He looked over his shoulder. “Mary, stay near the wall or in the stairwell, okay?”

      “I will.”

      Joshua surveyed what he could in the darkness. The cellar itself wasn’t empty. The only clear place seemed to be where they were standing. The cavernous space was piled high with odds and ends of lumber, boxes, old tires and discarded household items. His great-uncle, it seemed, had been a hoarder as well as a recluse.

      Joshua had put a lighter in his pocket before leaving the farm in case he ended up camping out. It had come in handy last night and now he pulled it out, clicked it on and held it over his head. Gray cobwebs waved from every surface in the flickering light that did little to pierce the gloom. He couldn’t keep the lighter on for long before he burned his fingers, so he quickly identified a path and let the light go out.

      Stepping around a pair of broken chairs, he pushed aside wooden boxes of unknown items. When his shin hit something, he flicked on the lighter again. A set of box springs blocked his way. Most of the cloth covering had rotted away. Mice had made off with more. Skirting it as best he could without stepping on the springs, he continued along the cellar wall. A set of shelves on the far side was lined with dust-covered cans, jars and crocks, but he saw no stairs. He finished the circuit and moved back toward where Mary was standing. He flicked on his light.

      “Have you discovered a way out?” Her voice shook only slightly, but he saw the worry in her eyes.

      They weren’t going anywhere until someone found them. He had no idea how long that might take. They could be down here for hours, days even. The thought was chilling. He stopped a few feet away from her and let the light go out. How did he tell a frightened woman she was trapped in a cellar with a man who’d spent the past six months in prison?

      * * *

      When Joshua didn’t answer her question, Mary’s heart sank. She knew he hadn’t found an exit. She bit her thumbnail as she considered their predicament. Her friends would be concerned when she didn’t arrive at the quilting bee, but they might assume she had stayed home to wait out the storm. When she didn’t return home this evening, Ada would become concerned, but she might think Mary had decided to spend the night at the Sutter farm. Ada might not even know about the tornado if it had formed this side of the farm.

      Mary hoped that was the case. Ada had a bad heart and didn’t need such worry. It could be morning before she became concerned about them and perhaps as late as noon before she realized they were missing.

      Mary’s adoptive parents, Nick and Miriam Bradley would begin looking for them as soon as their absence was noted. Miriam stopped at the farm every morning and Nick dropped by every evening on his way home from work without fail. He would know about the tornado. He would stop by the farm this evening to make sure she and Hannah were safe. Would he go to the Sutter farm to check on them when he found they weren’t home? She had no way of knowing, but she prayed that he would.

      It might take a while, but Nick would find them. Mary had no doubt of that. But would he find them before dark? Or was she going to have to spend the night with this stranger?

Chapter Three

      Mary shivered as she looked around the old cellar. If she had to spend the night in here, she wouldn’t like it, but she could do it. She would depend on God for His protection and comfort. In the meantime, she had to be brave for her child and make the best of a bad situation for Joshua’s sake, too. He was trying to hide his fear, but she saw it in his eyes.

      “I noticed an old lantern hanging from a nail by the cellar steps. We should check and see if it has any kerosene in it.” She spoke calmly, surprised to find her voice sounded matter of fact.

      “Good idea. I’ll see if I can find an ax or something useful to chop open or pry up the door.” Joshua flicked his lighter on. He located the lantern, took it down from the nail and shook it. A faint sloshing sound gave Mary hope.

      Hannah tugged on her skirt. “I’m hungry. Can we go home now?”

      Joshua leaned toward her. “You mean you want to go home before our adventure has ended?”

      Hannah gave him a perplexed look. “What adventure?”

      “Why, our treasure hunt.” He raised the glass chimney of the lantern and held his lighter to the wick. It flickered feebly for a second and then caught. He lowered the glass, wiped it free of dust with his sleeve and turned up the wick. The lamp cast a golden glow over their surroundings. It was amazing how much better Mary felt now that she could see.

      “What kind of treasure hunt?” Hannah sounded intrigued by the idea.

      “We’re all going to hunt for some useful things,” Mary said.

      Joshua nodded. “That’s right. Let’s pretend that we are going to make this cellar into a home. What do we need first?”

      “Chairs and a table,” Hannah said.

      “Then help me look for some on our pretend shopping trip.” He glanced at Mary. She nodded and he held СКАЧАТЬ