Page 92 of A Gathering of Secrets

“Chief Burkholder? It’s Edna Lambright.” Her tone is frantic and rushed, the words coming too fast. “It’s Neva. She’s … gone. I can’t find her. She left a … note.”

“She’s missing?”

“Yes. She was … upset … all afternoon. She was quiet. Too quiet. Please. There’s something wrong.” Her voice is breathless, every syllable tumbling out in disarray.

“How long has she been missing?” I ask.

“I haven’t seen her since five or so. I found the note half an hour ago.”

“What does the note say?”

A brief hesitation and then: “It says she doesn’t want to be on this earth anymore.” She makes a sound, the squeak of some small animal with its leg caught in a trap. “I’m afraid she’s going to hurt herself.”

“Have you searched for her?”

“Isaac checked the barn. He walked our whole property. I looked in the house, even the attic and root cellar. She’s not here.”

“Is there some place she might’ve gone? A friend’s maybe?”

“She’s close with Ina Yoder, of course. Little Viola. I’m in the car, on my way to the Yoders’ now.”

“Is there any place else you can think of that she might’ve gone?”

“Isaac is on his way to the Stutzman place. If I don’t find her at the Yoders’ … I don’t know. She might’ve gone to the shop.” She makes a strangled sound. “I’m scared, Chief Burkholder. She’s never done anything like this before. Neva is a … sensible girl. A good girl.”

“Do you know what she’s upset about?” I ask.

“I don’t know. She barely said a word all day.”

I pause, wondering if it has anything to do with my visit earlier, and ask, “Edna, do you think Neva is suicidal?”

I hear a quick intake of breath on the other end and then a sob. “I don’t know. I just … the note scared me. Why would she write something like that?”

“Do the Yoders have a phone?”

“They’re not Beachy, so no. I’m just a few minutes from their farm.”

“How long will it take Isaac to reach the Stutzmans’ place?”

“Fifteen minutes in the buggy.”

“I’ll send one of my officers over there now, save some time.”

“Thank you. I’m so upset I can’t even think straight.”

“Does Neva have a car, Edna? Or is she on foot?”

“She has that old car Isaac gave her. I just can’t see her driving on a night like this. Raining cats and dogs…” A sob cuts her words short. “I just want to find her. Make sure she’s okay.”

“What’s the make and model of the car?”

“It’s white. A Ford Taurus. Old. Two thousand five, I think.”

I’m not inordinately alarmed about Neva. Yet. She hasn’t been missing long—just a couple of hours. She isn’t a minor. But the note is worrisome.

… she doesn’t want to be on this earth anymore …

“Chief Burkholder, would you mind driving over to The Mercantile to see if she’s there?”