Free The Missing by Beverly Lewis Page A

be a gut idea,” he said.
    “Listen, I’ll be walkin’ to work if it’s not you who’s drivin’ me. Ya hear?”
    Joe’s expression changed from comical to more serious as he glanced in the direction of the barn—and probably Yonnie. He ran his hand through his light brown hair, making his bangs stand straight up. “All right, then.” With that he headed for the hallway to get his straw hat. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave,” he called back.
    Mandy started giggling. “What was that about?”
    “Pure nonsense,” Grace told her. But to herself, she wondered why her younger brother wanted to push her off on Yonnie for the drive to Eli’s. Why, when Joe surely knows what Adam thinks about me ending things with Henry Stahl?
    While removing expired items from the shelves, Grace pondered her next step in finding her mother. Should she write to her mother’s cousin Hallie—ask if Mamma was visiting there? Considering how mysterious Mamma had been, she realized that contacting Hallie might present a problem, especially if Mamma hadn’t gone to Indiana . . . or if her cousin wasn’t aware of Mamma’s leaving home.
    No sense in embarrassing Mamma further, Grace thought, no matter how badly I want to locate her. She was deep in thought, wishing she might somehow call a community phone in Hallie’s area and find out something, when she sensed someone standing nearby.
    She turned to see a tall but slight young woman. “Ach, sorry.
    I must’ve been daydreaming.” Grace stood up quickly.
    “No problem.”
    Grace balanced her clipboard on top of several cans on the second shelf. “Can I help you? I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
    “Not at all.” The young woman looked to be close to Grace’s own age. “Do you carry herbal teas? Especially Japanese green tea. I understand it’s a detoxifier and an antioxidant.”
    Grace nodded. “Sure, follow me.”
    The customer nodded and looked around. “It’s a little dark in here.”
    “Jah. Our fancy English shoppers sometimes find it hard to get accustomed to the gas lamps.”
    The girl tilted her head, a peculiar expression on her pretty face. “There’s no electricity?”
    “No.”
    “Wow.” The customer’s eyes lit up. “How do you refrigerate your foods?”
    “We use gas-run refrigerators in the store.”
    The young woman seemed befuddled; then she said, “Well, I see you carry organic carrot juice. And bulk foods, as well as organic meats and cheese. Eggs too. Hey, I think I’ve hit the jackpot.”
    Grace shook her head. “Beg your pardon?”
    “Sorry, just an expression. You know, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?” The girl laughed. Her brown hair fell forward and she reached back, pulling it high into a ponytail and securing it with a hair tie from her pocket.
    “I don’t know much ’bout jackpots and rainbows.” Grace smiled, going along with her little joke. “Here we are.” She pointed out an array of herbal teas.
    Leaning over, the girl asked if she knew how to choose the best ones for anti-inflammatory benefits.
    “Oh, I’d be cautious ’bout sayin’, really. You best look through that book.” Grace pointed to the reference material they kept on hand to answer customers’ questions. “We can’t recommend any particular product.”
    “That’s okay, thanks.” The girl went to the table and picked up the book, leafing through its pages.
    After helping other customers, Grace noticed the young woman was still standing there, perusing the reference book. She walked over to her and asked if there was anything more she could do to help.
    The girl pressed the book against her chest. “Have you ever heard of a dietary approach to curing serious diseases? I’m talking colonic cleansing, juice fasting . . . organic teas?”
    Grace stepped back in surprise. Other than being almost too thin, this young woman didn’t look sick. The girl’s face had good color—although maybe that was due to makeup. “Do