Free Amish Undercover by Samantha Price Page B

arrives.”
    “Okay.” Emma nodded and wondered if it would be more steak, potatoes and beans.
    It was an hour and a half later that Emma heard the two men leave. They appeared to be in a hurry, and as soon as they left, Emma heard the low hum of Mr. Starks’ car. She wondered where he could be going, but she could not ask. She’d already asked too many questions.
    Emma knew that the butler did not trust her. Maybe it was too dangerous for her to come back there tomorrow.
    When finishing time came around, Emma was pleased that she made it out of there alive. She followed her usual routine of having the taxi drop her into town. She walked up the street and phoned Bailey from the public phone to come and pick her up. “Did you hear their conversation?” Emma asked Bailey before she said hello.
    “Yes, I got all of it. He accused them of giving him a forgery and asked them to explain themselves. They said they stole the one in the gallery and that’s all they knew.”
    “Is that enough for you to arrest someone?” Emma hoped it was, because she was about to tell Bailey she did not want to go back there the next day.
    “We pulled the two men over as they left Mr. Starks’ house and took them in for questioning.”
    “What, the two men who were there today?”
    Bailey nodded. “Detective Crowley interviewed them and told them that Richard Starks had given him their names and had said that they were the ones who had committed that robbery in 1990.”
    “Mr. Starks didn’t, did he?”
    “No, he didn’t, but the important thing is that those two men think that Mr. Starks gave their names to the police. They admitted to everything and said that Starks was the one who had organized the whole thing. Now we’re organizing a warrant for Starks’ arrest. I have to get back there straight after I take you home.”
    Emma bit her fingernails all the way home. She wondered if she should have been a part of it all. Something seemed wrong. Maybe she should have listened to Wil and not gotten involved. Bailey was going to join the Amish anyway to be with Silvie so what did it matter if the paintings were found or not? “So, I don’t have to go back there tomorrow?”
    Bailey glanced over at her. “No, Emma. Your help was invaluable.”
    Emma wondered whether Bailey could live a quiet Amish life away from all the excitement of his current life. Then she remembered how happy Bailey and Silvie always looked when they were together.

Chapter 13.
    If we confess our sins,
    he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
    and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
    1 John 1:9
     
    Maureen took the usual midday meal over to the safe-house. Marvin, who signaled for her to keep quiet, met Maureen at the door. When she got closer, he said, “Peters is asleep.”
    Marvin took the basket of food from Maureen and placed it in the kitchen, and Maureen followed close behind. “How long has he been asleep for?”
    “A while now.”
    Maureen unpacked the food. She had made a mixture of salads and some cold cuts with plenty of crusty, fresh bread rolls.
    “Those look great, Maureen,” Marvin said as Maureen put his lunch onto a dinner plate.
    Maureen smiled. “It’s nice having someone to cook for.”
    “You’re not married?”
    “I was once, but he died.”
    Marvin looked away from Maureen. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “He was sick for a long time, so I knew it was coming. In a way, it was a blessing that he was sick for so long because I had time to prepare myself.”
    Marvin bit into a hunk of crusty bread. After he swallowed, he said, “You don’t know what people have been through until you start talking to ‘em. I just found out today that Peters was an orphan and brought up with some relatives who beat him – daily.”
    “That’s awful,” Maureen said as she put some food on a plate for herself. “What’s next for you when you finish up here?”
    “I don’t know what I’ll do for money when I get out of here