A Christmas for Katie Read Online Free Page B

know you’re getting ready to celebrate your birthday and all . . . but if it ain’t too much trouble, I really need some help. See, if Miss Donovan doesn’t get happy soon, all of us in Jacob’s Crossing are gonna have to look at that stupid plastic nativity until Christmas. And we both know that it ain’t right. We need a real nativity, with real people and real animals.
    “And even though I’m not supposed to care about it, ’cause I’m Amish, I still do. I like seeing the shepherds and Mary and Joseph. And you as a little tiny baby, too. And I can’t help but think that other people in Jacob’s Crossing feel the same way. Sometimes seeing things up close and in person is the only way everyone can really believe.”
    Then, because there really didn’t seem to be any more to say, Katie closed her eyes and went to sleep. It was in God’s hands now.

 
    Chapter Five
    T HE NEXT DAY, after completing the last of the report, Connor reread it and frowned. The other deputy on duty, Trey Gomez, noticed.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I keep reading and rereading this report but I think I’m missing something. It’s like something obvious is staring right at me, but I keep overlooking it.” Glancing at Trey, he said, “Don’t tell me you think I’m crazy.”
    “I won’t. You’ve got to trust your instincts every time. They’ve sure saved me enough.”
    “Yeah. Me too.”
    Swiveling his chair to the side, Connor glanced at Trey. “So, no one has reported any other muggings during the last few weeks?”
    “Not a one.” Eyes lighting with humor, Trey said, “There hasn’t been an outbreak of nativity burglaries, either.”
    “I can’t even believe we’re talking about a stolen wise man and a mugging in the same sentence.” Jayne had called this morning and confirmed that one of her wise men was in fact missing.
    “It’s not that odd. This is Jacob’s Crossing, not Detroit, Connor. Our crime looks a little different. A year ago, one Amish woman kidnapped another and took off with her in a buggy.”
    He dropped his ballpoint pen. “Did you say kidnapped?”
    “You know I did.” Trey shook his head. “People reported that she had a lot of emotional problems. Anyway, they ended up crashing, and the kidnapper died.” Crossing one foot on the opposite knee, he continued. “It was a real tragedy. I’m only telling you this so you’ll understand that crazy things can happen around here.”
    Connor rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess you’re right.”
    Trey glanced at the mess of papers littering his desk, picked up a phone message, and winced. “Plus, Christmas makes people do strange things, too. All that happiness blaring on the television and radio can really make a lot of folks depressed.”
    “It was that way in Kentucky, too. It’s probably that way everywhere.”
    Trey turned back to his computer. Glancing at his report, Connor located her name. “Mrs. Jensen is lucky she didn’t sustain anything worse than a bad headache and a couple of stitches.”
    “She is lucky, though I can’t help but wonder why she was even out so late last night.”
    Connor glanced at him in surprise. “It was eight on a Friday night, not midnight.”
    “I hear you, but her neighbors say she usually doesn’t venture out after dinner.” Trey scanned his notes again. “Actually, the neighbors say she rarely ventures out at all. And when she does, it’s only to go to the library or to buy something.”
    “Maybe she simply wanted a book to read. I mean, that’s why I was at the library last night.” Experience had taught him that sometimes the simplest answer was the right answer.
    Thinking about his quest last night made him think about Jayne. Even though he’d dropped her off at her house last night, he was anxious to see her again. “You know, I think I’m going to go back over to the library and look around. We could have missed something in the dark.”
    Trey looked at him for a moment, then