Whispers from the Dead (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 2) by Karen Ann Hopkins Read Free Book Online Page B

his focus to me, I nodded my head towards the retreating girl and said, “She’s a beautiful girl.”
    Jotham squirmed a little at my statement, but agreed, “Yes, she’s our bishop’s only child. She’s worked here at the store for the past few years.”
    “Three years? She’s seems awfully young.”
    Jotham shrugged dismissively, “I suppose Mariah’s sixteen or seventeen now.” He thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you understand what the Ordnung is?”
    I nodded. “Yes, I do.”
    “A Church’s Ordnung is very unique to it. Every community is different.” He motioned to the boys by the barn and said, “Here in Poplar Springs, the young ones usually begin working at a paying job when they are right out of school, about fourteen years old. The boys are also allowed to smoke when they are in their time of Rumspringa. I believe that Blood Rock doesn’t follow the practice.”
    “You mean when the kids are allowed to go out into the world and decide if they want to remain Amish?”
    “Eh, that is making it simple, but yes. Personally, I think Blood Rock has it right. There is a lot of corruption here for our young people…and I would say that our leniency has something to do with it.”
    I turned my attention back to the Amish boys, watching them strut around outside as if they were puffed up roosters. The same as in the city, the warmer weather was already stirring up the teens. When I spotted Cody and Lyell walking up to the crowd, my eyes widened, and I thought, small world.
    I glanced back at Jotham. He was sitting in the chair in a relaxed and confident way and I noted how friendly the Amish in Poplar Springs had been thus far. Compared to the Blood Rock Amish, this group had practically laid out a red carpet for me. But it also occurred to me that part of this community’s openness might be because of their looser set of rules and also the fact that the area seemed to be a mecca for tourists. Nearly every seat in the restaurant was taken by middle aged English folk. And by the look of their designer jackets and high dollar purses, they’d probably driven here from as far away as Chicago for an early weekend getaway.
    These Amish had to do a balancing act between keeping their culture separate and making a living off the romantic ideals that their way of life inspired in the outside world. The difficult dynamic had probably played a part in the way Poplar Spring’s leaders were handling the arsons and the unidentified body. The last thing these people needed for their quaint and cozy image was a serial arsonist.
    I looked back out the window at the intriguing sight of two of the teenagers who I had encountered at the gas station the night before, mingling with the Amish boys, and asked, “Are the Amish kids pretty rowdy around here?”
    Jotham weighed his words carefully before he answered. “There are some serious problems among our young people that need to be addressed.”
    I dove right in. “Like, setting barns on fire type of serious?”
    Jotham’s good eye widened and he abruptly leaned in closer.
    “Shhh, you must not say such a thing in a public place. Anyone could be listening.”
    I took a moment to scan the restaurant. I wanted to make a show of it and when I was finished, I said, “There’s no one around us at the moment except tourists. Why are you so paranoid?”
    Jotham lowered his voice and lifted his chin toward the table to our right. The couple sitting there was older, probably in their sixties, and dressed more casually than the other patrons. The man had a ragged beard and the woman’s gray hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. I mentally kicked myself in the butt for not noticing them before.
    “They both drive the Amish and are very much the eyes and ears of the community.” He paused and leaned back when Mariah returned with a tall glass of cola and a plate of food that she set in front of me. The sandwich appeared to be ham and Swiss and there was a pile