A Path Made Plain Read online

Rochelle nodded and pushed some buttons on her phone.

  “What do you want me to do then? I don’t want to keep the files, Pete.”

  “I’ll call you in ten minutes and tell you where to meet us.”

  The line went silent.

  “Yes, please,” Rochelle was telling the dispatcher. “My niece, Elizabeth Yoder, has been taken by a man named Peter Stu—” She frowned.

  Thad took the phone from her. “His name is Peter Stucenski. Hello? My name is Thaddeus Zook.”

  “Could you please explain? Where is Miss Yoder? Where are you calling from?”

  “I am at the Sarasota General ER with Rochelle Keim, who you were just talking to. We believe Mr. Stucenski assaulted a man named Henry Hostetler, who’s being treated here for a head injury. Then he took Elizabeth Yoder against her will. He just called me and said he has her.”

  Finally, Thad felt like they’d made themselves understood without sounding like raving lunatics. After Rochelle gave a description of Peter and his vehicle, the dispatcher said they’d begin a search, and contact the Columbus Police Department.

  A man in scrubs approached them. “Ms. Keim?”

  “Yes, I’m Rochelle Keim.” She rose from her seat.

  “We’re going to do surgery on Mr. Hostetler to relieve the pressure. I’m confident we’ll be successful. However, he also has a skull fracture and a contusion on the frontal lobe of his brain. We’ll let you know when you can see him and we’ve moved him from recovery to ICU.”

  “Thank you, thank you.” She nodded, glancing at Thad. He debated going to find Betsy or waiting at the hospital. He decided to wait.

  A stream of Plain people entered the ER, from the Amish bishop to Betsy’s parents. Thad stood, but froze in front of his seat. No, he wasn’t going anywhere. Henry was his friend, too.

  Together, he and Rochelle explained everything to them, about Henry, Betsy, and the recording. It dawned on Thad, if he hadn’t come here, none of this would have happened.

  “And, what I wanted to say was, I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Yoder. I—I care for your daughter very much. She’s a … a special person. If I’d have known this would have happened, I would have never come here. I never wanted anything like this to happen.” His throat caught.

  “Thaddeus.” Mr. Yoder’s voice boomed deep. “We don’t hold you responsible for a wicked man’s actions. What he did isn’t your fault. You’ve done the right thing and notified the authorities. And now, we must pray for Gotte’s wille to be done, in our friend Henry, and in Betsy, in you, and in your old boss, Mr. Stucenski.”

  Thad nodded. They huddled together, praying silently.

  Oh, Gotte. I ask forgiveness for anything wrong I’ve done. I have sinned, both before leaving the Ordnung, and since. Please, forgive me. Don’t hold any of my wrongdoing against Betsy. Protect her. Take care of Henry. Guide the surgeons. Like the psalm writer, I put myself at Your mercy, and all of them, too. Even Pete.

  He felt his phone buzzing and withdrew from the group.

  Pete again.

  29

  Betsy had never been to this beach before. They’d gone all the way down Harbor Drive to somewhere called Castaway Beach. More remote and not close to the usual tourist areas, their presence wouldn’t attract much attention.

  They sat in the parking lot, the engine still running.

  “Lie down on the seat while we’re parked. It looks weird with you sitting in the backseat.”

  The man had a gun. Betsy lay sideways on the seat. Gotte, I don’t want to die. Not yet.

  “Please. You can let me go. I’ll make sure Thaddeus gives you what you’re looking for. I promise.”

  “I’m sure you would.”

  “You told him not to call the police. I’m sure he already has.”

  “And after he takes an hour getting them to understand his story, well, I don’t know if they’ll come running.”

  “They will. They have to. They’re the police. And they know about Henry.”

  She could see from his profile she’d made him pause.

  He growled into the phone. “Why isn’t he answering? Oh. Thad. It’s about time. What? You were all praying, with her family? Imagine! You’ve gone back to your roots. Trying to win over your sweetheart here, huh?”

  Sweetheart? Daniel—or Peter, rather—had called her Thaddeus’s girlfriend also. Yes, he had feelings for her, and she for him. They could sort it all out later. But praying. With her family. She sucked in a gulp of air.

  “Does she know about the other women? You didn’t tell her about them. What was her name? Megan? What did I hear about you two in the walk-in freezer? I’m not the only one on video, you know.” He then started describing horrible things, making Betsy plug her ears. Her heart hurt. This was an evil, sick man. He must be hurting to hurt others like this.

  Now the tears did come and her ears hurt from the pressure of her fingers. Gotte, please, make him stop. Thaddeus had claimed her heart. It didn’t matter what he’d done in the past. It shouldn’t. But the words, though muffled, jabbed into her.

  There. It sounded as though he ended the call. Betsy removed her fingers from her ears and wiped the tears away. Be brave. Gotte, protect me.

  At last, Peter looked at her in the backseat and said, “He’s on his way.”

  *

  Thaddeus wanted to run a red light just to get a police officer to follow him, but it wasn’t the best idea. What if they stopped him, and then arrested him for some reason? He’d never make it to Betsy in time.

  He’d never been to this beach but followed Harbor Drive until he couldn’t go anymore, then found a parking lot, empty except for a few cars, one of them a silver sedan. Pete’s.

  Thaddeus parked near the vehicle. It was empty. He called the police and was put through right away.

  “I’ve found them. He called me back.”

  “Don’t do anything. Don’t approach him or try to negotiate. We want Miss Yoder unharmed.”

  “Me, too.” But no way was he going to sit here and not talk to Pete. Pete would talk to him.

  “Stay on the line until the officers arrive. We’re sending three units.”

  Good. They were taking this seriously. He clutched the phone carefully and headed for the beach path. Thaddeus glanced down at his phone. The called dropped. Signal lost.

  As he scaled the dune path, he saw them at once, a Plain couple on the beach. Betsy moved stiffly, her face looking out at the water. He wanted to get her attention, but she’d know he was there soon enough.

  “Pete,” he called out. They both turned. Betsy tried to bolt from Pete’s side, but he had his hand clamped on one arm.

  “You made it.”

  “Yup. I sure did.” Thad held up the keychain. “Is this what you wanted?”

  “Yes.”

  “You could have just come to my Mammi’s front door, as yourself, and asked for it. I would have given it to you.”

  “Would you, if you’d have known what was on it?”

  Thaddeus hesitated for a moment. No, if he’d seen those files months ago, he’d have gone straight to the authorities.

  “Mitch died because of those files, Pete. It wasn’t right.”

  “He died because he got greedy and stupid. I’m going about things the right way. I’m getting paid handsomely to make this problem go away.”

  “Betsy, are you okay?” Thad wanted to run to her, but, instead, took a few steps closer.

  “Close enough.” Pete let Thad see the weapon tucked into his belt.

  “I’m fine, Thaddeus. Mr. Pete here, though, is a sad, hurt man.” Betsy faced him. “I’m going to pray for you, Pete. God shows mercy to all of us, especially if we’re repentant. He is good and just and loving—”

  “Don’t start with the God talk. I don’t want to hear it. The longer this takes, the longer it takes me to get out of here and back to Ohio. No one’s going to believe you, Thad.”

  “What if I threw this into the waves?” Thad spun the keycha
in on his finger.

  “What if I shot Miss Betsy in the leg?” Pete lowered the muzzle of the gun. Betsy flinched.

  Thad stopped spinning the keychain. If Pete had attacked Henry, he’d hurt Betsy, too. And he’d probably been the one to hurt Stacie the day Thad had talked to her on the phone.

  “All right. Here. You can have the keychain. But let me have Betsy.”

  Pete looked up, scanning the dune behind Thad. “Cops? You called the police?”

  “Of course, I did. Here.” Thad held up the keychain. He tossed it a few yards away from Pete, and it bounced onto the wet sand. Pete cursed as he threw the gun down, then ran for the keychain. More footsteps on the sand. Officers running. Shouts.

  Thad ran for Betsy and pulled her into his arms.

  She sank against him. “You came for me.”

  “Of course I did.”

  “I was so scared. I didn’t know. Then I heard about Henry. But he’s the one who did it, right?”

  “Right.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head, not caring who saw them. “He’s in surgery now.”

  “Were you praying with them?”

  “Yeah, I was. I really was.” He could stand like this forever, it seemed. But he had a feeling there was an officer or two wanting to talk to them both.

  *

  Betsy’s head ached. She’d told her story at least twice to the officers there at the beach. She didn’t let go of Thaddeus’s hand the entire time. He told his story, too.

  “And, officer, if you contact Detective Kincaid with the Columbus PD, he should have a copy of the files on the keychain Pete was after. I sent them to him by overnight mail.”

  Betsy couldn’t help but smile at Thaddeus. So smart. So handsome. So much for them to work on.

  “Good,” said the officer. “We’ll need you both to come make statements again at the office. But this is enough for now.”

  Thaddeus nodded. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take this young lady for a walk on the beach until her ride gets here.” He’d already phoned a relieved Aenti Chelle, who would come to pick Betsy up.

  “Go right ahead.”

  Betsy let Thaddeus lead her along the shore. “Now, what?” She had to ask.

  “Well. There’s something you should know. I’ll probably have to go back to Ohio for a bit. Not long, though.”

  She tried not to frown. “Yes, you probably will.”

  “But, Elizabeth.” He stopped tugging her closer, holding her hands in his. “I want you to know this. I love you. I’ve loved you for quite a while. But I also know, I’m not the man you need me to be. Not yet. You deserve better. I always thought it would be someone like Gideon.”

  “Oh, no. Not him.” She reached up, hesitated, then touched his face. “I love you, and I need you. And I’m willing to wait. But … does this mean you’re willing to … ?”

  He nodded. “I’m going to talk to Bishop Smucker about joining the church. Here. In Sarasota. It’s different than my family’s. I can still be me, be a pastry chef, and it’s okay. I’m not afraid of being like everyone else, because everyone is so different here.”

  “Good. It’s very good.” She smiled at him. “But you’ll be giving up so much.”

  Thaddeus shook his head. “No, I won’t. Not when I see how much I have to gain.”

  Epilogue

  Six months. Thaddeus Zook couldn’t decide if the time had gone by in an instant, or if it dragged. When he saw Betsy’s face in the congregation, the 180 days, give or take, might as well have been 180 years.

  He had passed his proving time. And he didn’t mind at all. Not for the joy set before him. Betsy had waited. He knew she would. Of course, there would be doubters who might question how long it would be before he left. But this time, there would be no leaving. He’d sought to meet with God, and God had met with him right back. The more time he spent in Pinecraft the rest of the winter and into the spring, the more Thaddeus saw his place as here. He met with Henry regularly as the man recovered from his head injury and started working part-time again at his contracting business.

  The staff at Palm Trees wished Thaddeus well, but hoped he’d still consider being a pastry chef for them. Nope, the idea wouldn’t fly, not with his Old Order brethren. Anyway, business was booming at Pinecraft Pies and Pastry. Thaddeus also had it on good authority from the bakery’s owner that his skills were desperately needed. And him, too.

  During Thaddeus’s proving time, Bishop Smucker’s combination of kindness with expectant accountability didn’t make Thaddeus feel as though he were entering a prison in joining the Sarasota Ordnung. They all had much in common, yet God had made them all different. The bishop thought Thaddeus being a pastry chef a bit nontraditional; however, Pinecraft wasn’t quite a traditional Amish village, either.

  As long as Thaddeus kept to their Ordnung, all would be well. Thaddeus didn’t feel forbidden to ride his Harley anymore. He simply chose not to. Even if he were Englisch, a Harley wouldn’t be practical for a man who would eventually have a family, with kinner of his own.

  Pete would be going to jail, and had already pled guilty to the charges for what he’d done in Florida. When Thad returned to Ohio to give a statement for the attorney general in the new case against the Ohio senator, he sold the Harley to a young chef fresh out of culinary school. The man sped off gleefully from the parking lot. Thad would miss the feeling, just a little.

  Then after a brief visit with his family, he returned to Florida, via the Pioneer Trails bus, and Betsy had waited with Rochelle in the parking lot of the tourist church to welcome him home.

  He’d had ample opportunities to back out, even after all the classes he attended. Now, though, he knelt along with two other young people, quite a bit younger than him, for the baptism ceremony.

  He answered the questions the bishop asked before everyone: Yes, he was committed to living the Christian life. Yes, he was committed to Christ. Yes, he had forsaken the world. At this last statement, it was as if he was walking into a home and the entire family had assembled to feast on the fatted calf—for him. Yes, he accepted the Ordnung of the local district.

  Water poured over his head and down his shoulders, but not to make him clean. He knew he was already clean on the inside. This symbolic act committed him to his people—the Ordnung in Sarasota—as long as he would live. There were far worse places to be than home. And home was here.

  “Now, please stand.”

  Thaddeus and the others stood. Bishop Smucker grasped him by the shoulders and gave him a kiss on his cheek, a fatherly kiss of acceptance. He had a long way to go with his family, but Thaddeus knew he had plenty of time to sort it all out. He was among a group of people who accepted him, loved him. Not perfect, but then neither was he. God had plenty of grace to dish out. He thought for an instant of all that he’d left behind him, and saw all the treasure in front of him.

  After the service concluded, the most precious treasure of all approached in her favorite blue cape dress matching her sparkling eyes.

  “You’re not supposed to talk to me just yet.” Thaddeus couldn’t resist teasing Betsy for breaking with tradition. “Aren’t you supposed to stay on your side of the yard with the other women?”

  “Maybe. But I wanted to be the first to welcome you home.”

  He smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re the first.”

  “Welcome home, Thaddeus Zook.” He felt a kiss from the expression in her eyes.

  “Home for me will be wherever you are.”

  Glossary

  Ach—oh

  Aenti—aunt

  Daadi—grandfather

  Daed—father

  Danki—thank you

  Dietsch—Pennsylvania Dutch

  Dochder—daughter

  Englisch—non-Amish

  Gotte’s wille—God’s will

  Gut—good

  Kaffi—coffee

  Kapp—prayer covering

  Kind—child

  Kinner—children


  Mamm—mom

  Mammi—grandma

  Mudder—mother

  Onkel—uncle

  Ordnung—set of rules for Amish living.

  Rumspringa––running around; time before an Amish young person has officially joined the church, provides a bridge between childhood and adulthood.

  Ya—yes

  Group Discussion Guide

  1. Betsy longs to have her own bakery but needs her family’s financial backing. Share about your favorite small family-owned business.

  2. What was your favorite scene in A Path Made Plain?

  3. Thaddeus doesn’t like the idea of being like everybody else. What would you say to encourage him to stand out—in a good way?

  4. Betsy struggles with the concept of understanding God’s will. How do you understand God’s will for your life?

  5. The longer he remains in Pinecraft, the more Thaddeus struggles with the feeling of letting his family down yet feeling conflicted about returning to the Order to please them. How do you handle it when a family member lets you down or you disappoint another family member?

  6. Betsy adopts a dachsund that she names Winston. Share about a time you unexpectedly adopted a pet or how a pet has enriched your life.

  7. What’s your favorite pie recipe or the most unusual pie you’ve ever tasted?

  8. Someone tries to stir up trouble for Betsy’s business and sabotage the opportunity for her bakery to be on TV. How do you deal with saboteurs like that in your own life?

  9. At first, Betsy dreads having her Aenti Sarah help in the bakery. Over time, she welcomes the older woman’s help. How has an older individual helped you, either now or in the past?

  10. Who was your favorite character in A Path Made Plain? Why?

  Want to learn more about author Lynette Sowell and check out other great fiction from Abingdon Press?

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  facebook.com/lynettesowellauthor

  We hope you enjoyed reading A Path Made Plain and that you will continue to read Abingdon Press fiction books. Here’s an excerpt from Lynette Sowell’s A Promise of Grace.