Wren noticed. “I let the Uber driver go. But maybe I should try to go back to where I found Clara and look around?”
“Let’s wait for Matt’s call. I’m hoping the babies are with Jacob.”
Oh, she prayed so. The room felt heavy with questions that only Clara held the answers to, and Dok could sense she was slipping out of reach.
Waiting, waiting, waiting. Es is aryets en Schraub los.There is something wrong.Annie could feel it in her bones.
A half hour had passed since Matt had called in to say that Jacob Zook didn’t know where the babies were, didn’t even know Clara had left, and that they were now searching the house and farm. The Bent N’ Dent had closed for the day, so Annie had left a phone message for David Stoltzfus at his shanty, but she wasn’t sure when he’d check messages. She jumped from her desk chair when she heard something and looked out the office window to see a police car pulling into the parking lot. “Dok! Matt’s here.”
Dok hurried to the front room as Matt and Jacob reached the door. “Jacob wants to talk to Clara,” Matt said. “He’s sure she will tell him where she put the babies.”
“Oh Matt,” Dok said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Wu is sie?” Jacob said, his voice rough.Where is she?
From the stern look on his face, Dok couldn’t tell if he was frightened or furious. “Slow down, Jacob. Clara’s not in any condition to answer questions, especially if you bark at her.”
“She’s right,” Matt said. “Jacob—”
“I will talk to my wife.”
Jacob marched back to the exam room and threw open the door. Dok, Matt, and Annie followed closely behind. Wrensat on a stool, her face showing surprise, while Clara quickly jumped off the table, pressing herself against the far wall with her head down, cowering.
“Clara,was fehlt dir denn?”What’s the matter with you?“Wo sind die Boppli?”Where are the babies?
Annie watched as Jacob’s harsh voice made Clara shrink into herself, even more withdrawn than before. She didn’t respond to his questions, didn’t even look at him.
Jacob looked at Dok and Matt.“Sie is en schtarrkeppicher Mensch.”She is a stubborn person.
No she’s not, Annie wanted to shout.She’s broken. Can’t you see? She’s broken!
Matt, in a remarkably calm voice, broke the tense silence. “Jacob, maybe it’ll help Clara remember if we go over everything again. You said you last saw Clara in the house when you went in for lunch. Were the babies there?”
Jacob shook his head, his beard trembling with the motion. “I don’t remember seeing them. They were probably asleep.”
“But did you actually see them?” Matt kept his voice low and steady.
Jacob’s frown deepened. “I already told you, they were probably asleep.” His tone was defensive, clearly agitated.
Matt kept his composure. “What time was that?”
“Two or three o’clock,” Jacob said, glancing away. “Then I went back to the field to finish work.”
Just then, Matt’s phone rang, cutting through the tense atmosphere. He answered quickly and went into the hallway, his voice low and focused. The room fell silent, everyone waiting anxiously. When Matt ended the call, he came back in the room with a serious expression. “I left two officers at the farm to search it. Still no sign of the babies.”
Matt resumed questioning Jacob, continuing to piece together the details like a jigsaw puzzle, trying to clarify the timeline.
Jacob, clearly exasperated, snapped at Clara. “Was fehlt dir denn?”What’s wrong with you?
Clara didn’t flinch, didn’t meet Jacob’s eyes, and seemed to be in her own world, disconnected from the situation.
Was fehlt ihr denn? Annie thought.What’swrong with her?Bist du, Jacob.It’s you.
Wren’s voice cut through the heavy silence. “Clara’s dress is dry now,” she said, “but it was wet and muddy when I found her. I remember that it smelled funny.”
Matt’s eyes shot to Dok’s. “There’s a creek that runs along the county road. I’ll have the canine unit head out there right away.” He glanced at the bundle of baby blankets he had brought with him, his expression grim. “Wren, why don’t you come with me and show me exactly where you found her?”
Wren practically jumped from the stool. “I’m ready.”
“I’m coming too,” Jacob said.
“Okay,” Matt said. “Okay, let’s go. We’ve only got a few hours of daylight left. Ruth, why don’t you and Annie send out phone messages for neighbors to start a search for Clara’s babies. Everyone aged ten and up. They should begin at the Zook farm and spread out from there, in teams of two. Tell them to be quiet as they search so they can listen for the babies’ cries. We’ll start at the place where Wren found Clara on the road and work backwards. Let’s make your office the control center for information.”
As soon as the door shut behind them, Dok turned to Annie. “I’m taking Clara to Mountain Vista. I called in while I was waiting for Matt, so they’re expecting us. Annie, would you mind staying here to wait for word? Make some calls to start a search?”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Annie watched them leave. She was right back to waiting. But how could she leave? Es is aryets en schrecklich Schraub los.Something is terribly wrong.
