of enjoying the richness of God’s love.
Even so, Jess knew it was hard to feel much satisfaction with God when your life was filled with the kinds of trials she herself had gone through. Certainly something had been a big problem in Dr. bin Yusuf ’s life. After all, someone had murdered him.
“Where’d you get the baskets?” Splint asked.
“I unlocked a storeroom upstairs. It’s filled with great stuff. I want to bring it all outside and clean it up. Then we’ll decorate our house.”
“Can I help? I’ll bring things down for you! I’ll clean! Can I use the spray wax? I’ll be really careful, I swear. Hey, how about we turn on a garden hose? We could blast off the dirt!”
“Let’s leave any blasting around here to Hunky Wallace and his crew. Go tell Miriamu what we’re doing, Splint. See what kinds of cleaners she’s got in the kitchen. Then you can help me bring everything down.”
Splinter danced his way into the house singing Hannah’s Swahili song. The African woman passed him as she walked out onto the verandah toting the large brass tray on her back. To it she had tied a strap, which went over her forehead just like the straps she had used to carry heavy loads of firewood. Jess was always startled when reminded that Hannah was not truly her own mother but a simple village woman who had taken on the role of caretaker for four little white children. How Hannah had blessed their lives. What happiness her love had given them.
“This is a very, very green tray,” she said as Jess helped relieve her of the burden. “What a shame that the wealth has rotted away. As the Scriptures tell us, it will stand as evidence against its owner and will eat his flesh like fire.”
“Mama Hannah, good grief!” Jess said with a laugh. “You’re turning poor Dr. bin Yusuf into a demon just because he didn’t keep his brass tray polished.”
“Ehh,” Hannah said.
“He was a good man. At least I think he was. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to kill him.”
Hannah straightened. “Someone killed him?”
Jess nodded and told her about Mr. Patel’s visit. “The police have taken Solomon in for questioning.”
“Why?”
“Apparently he didn’t give an accurate police report after he found Dr. bin Yusuf ’s body.”
“Ehh.” She pondered a moment. “But why would Solomon beat his employer on the head? Was he caught stealing something valuable from this house? Or was he angry with Dr. bin Yusuf?”
“I don’t think robbery was the motive. Mr. Patel didn’t mention anything missing from the house. I don’t know why Solomon would kill anyone. I’m sure the police have questioned him. After he had worked closely with Dr. bin Yusuf so many years, I can’t imagine what could come between them that would cause such a huge problem.”
“Lust, pride, envy, greed, gluttony, anger, sloth. All can cause sin.”
“I guess that about covers it.”
“But perhaps another person killed your teacher.”
“Who? Both Solomon and Nettie told me he didn’t have any friends. It must have been someone with whom he had a relationship. Someone he knew well enough to let into the house. Or a person already working in the house.”
“Miriamu? I don’t think so. She is a woman of great peace.”
“Peaceful people can be driven to murder.”
“When unforgiveness holds them . . . yes, this is true.”
Unforgiveness. Jess flushed at the word. Was she capable of something as terrible as murder? Why not? How many years had she despised Rick McTaggart? How many ways had she imagined torturing her own tormentor? Of course, she felt sure she would never actually carry out such an act. Yet someone had taken revenge on Dr. bin Yusuf.
“The killer would be a person who knew him,” Hannah said. “Who knew your friend? Solomon. Miriamu. Mr. Patel.”
“Mr. Patel is a lawyer. He knew Dr. bin Yusuf only on a business level. He wouldn’t have done it.”
“Did he stand to gain wealth by the
Even so, Jess knew it was hard to feel much satisfaction with God when your life was filled with the kinds of trials she herself had gone through. Certainly something had been a big problem in Dr. bin Yusuf ’s life. After all, someone had murdered him.
“Where’d you get the baskets?” Splint asked.
“I unlocked a storeroom upstairs. It’s filled with great stuff. I want to bring it all outside and clean it up. Then we’ll decorate our house.”
“Can I help? I’ll bring things down for you! I’ll clean! Can I use the spray wax? I’ll be really careful, I swear. Hey, how about we turn on a garden hose? We could blast off the dirt!”
“Let’s leave any blasting around here to Hunky Wallace and his crew. Go tell Miriamu what we’re doing, Splint. See what kinds of cleaners she’s got in the kitchen. Then you can help me bring everything down.”
Splinter danced his way into the house singing Hannah’s Swahili song. The African woman passed him as she walked out onto the verandah toting the large brass tray on her back. To it she had tied a strap, which went over her forehead just like the straps she had used to carry heavy loads of firewood. Jess was always startled when reminded that Hannah was not truly her own mother but a simple village woman who had taken on the role of caretaker for four little white children. How Hannah had blessed their lives. What happiness her love had given them.
“This is a very, very green tray,” she said as Jess helped relieve her of the burden. “What a shame that the wealth has rotted away. As the Scriptures tell us, it will stand as evidence against its owner and will eat his flesh like fire.”
“Mama Hannah, good grief!” Jess said with a laugh. “You’re turning poor Dr. bin Yusuf into a demon just because he didn’t keep his brass tray polished.”
“Ehh,” Hannah said.
“He was a good man. At least I think he was. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to kill him.”
Hannah straightened. “Someone killed him?”
Jess nodded and told her about Mr. Patel’s visit. “The police have taken Solomon in for questioning.”
“Why?”
“Apparently he didn’t give an accurate police report after he found Dr. bin Yusuf ’s body.”
“Ehh.” She pondered a moment. “But why would Solomon beat his employer on the head? Was he caught stealing something valuable from this house? Or was he angry with Dr. bin Yusuf?”
“I don’t think robbery was the motive. Mr. Patel didn’t mention anything missing from the house. I don’t know why Solomon would kill anyone. I’m sure the police have questioned him. After he had worked closely with Dr. bin Yusuf so many years, I can’t imagine what could come between them that would cause such a huge problem.”
“Lust, pride, envy, greed, gluttony, anger, sloth. All can cause sin.”
“I guess that about covers it.”
“But perhaps another person killed your teacher.”
“Who? Both Solomon and Nettie told me he didn’t have any friends. It must have been someone with whom he had a relationship. Someone he knew well enough to let into the house. Or a person already working in the house.”
“Miriamu? I don’t think so. She is a woman of great peace.”
“Peaceful people can be driven to murder.”
“When unforgiveness holds them . . . yes, this is true.”
Unforgiveness. Jess flushed at the word. Was she capable of something as terrible as murder? Why not? How many years had she despised Rick McTaggart? How many ways had she imagined torturing her own tormentor? Of course, she felt sure she would never actually carry out such an act. Yet someone had taken revenge on Dr. bin Yusuf.
“The killer would be a person who knew him,” Hannah said. “Who knew your friend? Solomon. Miriamu. Mr. Patel.”
“Mr. Patel is a lawyer. He knew Dr. bin Yusuf only on a business level. He wouldn’t have done it.”
“Did he stand to gain wealth by the
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