Shunned and Dangerous (An Amish Mystery) by Laura Bradford

to believe such things. It is God’s will when a person’s life is to end, not man’s. That is what we believe.”
    “As does your grandfather.”
    A weighted silence that hung in the air to the point of suffocation finally gave way to a choked whisper. “But Dawdy had such
anger
for Mr. Zook. It was an anger he did not hide in front of anyone. Not even the bishop.”
    “But you said he was shunned for that, didn’t you?”
    “Many times. But, Dawdy believed it was Mr. Zook who should be shunned and that he should be the one to lead that.”
    “Why did he think Harley should be shunned?” she asked, quickly.
    “Because Harley spoke well of my uncle.”
    “Jakob?”
    “Yah.” Esther nibbled her lower lip then released it along with a quiet sigh. “Benjamin always made things right. He helped people to see Dawdy’s ways were born from the grief of losing Jakob.”
    “But Jakob is still very much alive, Esther.” She tightened her grip on the clipboard. “And he’s right here . . . in Heavenly!”
    Esther merely shook her head. Sadly. “He is lost to Dawdy.”
    “And to you?” Claire heard the rise in her voice, knew it was unfair in light of Esther’s upbringing, but she could do little to stop it. Jakob was a good man. A decent man. He simply didn’t deserve to be excommunicated for choosing a noble profession like police work. “What is Jakob to you, Esther?”
    The
clip-clop
of Eli’s horse through the open window saved Esther from having to answer and Claire from having to digest that answer. “Eli is here!”
    She couldn’t help but manage the faintest hint of a smile for her friend. How could she not when the presence of another human being could make Esther so happy? Without so much as a glance toward the window, Esther’s pleading gaze sought and received permission to head out into the alley for a quick visit with her betrothed.
    But two minutes later, Esther was back behind the counter, the breathtaking smile that had met Eli’s arrival gone as quick as it had come.
    “Esther? Is everything okay?”
    Esther nodded but said nothing.
    “You could have stayed out there and visited a little longer. I’ve got everything under control in here.”
    “It was Benjamin, not Eli.” Esther’s shoulders lurched forward in obvious disappointment only to resume their normally stoic pose in short order. “Eli is finishing with the harvest. He asked Benjamin to say hello.”
    “Oh.” She looked toward the rear of the shop and the offshoot hallway that linked to the back door. “Did he say if he was going to stop in after he looked in on Ruth?”
    Esther removed the tray of plain sales tags from the shelf beneath the register and began to fill in prices for the candles she’d brought in that morning. “He did not say, but he asked after you.”
    Claire set the clipboard down on the blankets that were next on her inventory list and shifted from foot to foot, waiting. When Esther said nothing else, Claire asked the only question she could and hoped her reason wasn’t as transparent as it felt. “And? What did you say?”
    “I said you were inside taking inventory. He did not say anything else.”
    She looked toward the hallway once again, but, still, there was no sign of Benjamin. “Oh, well I’m sure he is busy, too.” But she knew better. Benjamin was always busy. Yet, since they’d met shortly after she opened Heavenly Treasures, he’d always found time to step inside and say hello, to ask if she needed anything before he left. Despite the fact that she always said she was fine, he had a way of finding something to do to make her day a little easier—taking out the trash, reaching something on a top shelf, or moving a bulky item to a new location. His failure to stop in and say hello, if nothing else, spoke volumes.
    She’d questioned his friend’s innocence in regards to Harley Zook’s murder. That, coupled with the uncertain ground they’d found themselves on since he admitted