Page 29 of The Pretender (Mifflin County Mysteries #3)
W HEN E LSIE WOKE UP THE following day, a decision had been made.
She would go see Melvin Peachey, who was married to her good friend Doris and was one of the older ministers in their church district.
He and his wife owned an herbal and supplement store, and she hoped they wouldn’t have too many customers today and Melvin would be free to talk with her for a few minutes.
There was very little wind, and the temperature had risen to thirty-eight degrees, so Elsie felt confident enough to make the trip by herself. Rosa had stated during breakfast this morning that she was planning to go someplace today as well, but not until this afternoon.
It shouldn’t take me long to tell Melvin what’s on my mind and ask if he is willing to speak to Anthony and Rosa , Elsie told herself as she guided her horse down the road toward the Peacheys’ store.
Melvin and Doris had been happily married for a good many years, so Elsie felt confident that he would offer them good counsel.
There were two things Elsie was concerned about, however: One, Anthony and Rosa might not appreciate the minister’s counsel and could be too embarrassed to share their problems with a stranger.
And two, if Mahlon found out she’d asked Melvin to speak with the couple instead of him, he’d probably be quite upset, since he was Rosa’s father, not to mention the head minister in their church district.
“Well, all I can do is ask Melvin not to mention our conversation to my husband and hope that he doesn’t find out,” Elsie spoke aloud as the horse and buggy neared the herbal store.
A few minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot, climbed out of the buggy, and secured her horse to the hitching rail.
When Elsie entered the store a few minutes later, her senses became filled with a combination of interesting odors.
She recognized right away the familiar sweet-smelling scent of basil, which she had planted in her garden last spring.
With any luck, it would come back this spring and provide her with all that she needed.
Moving toward the checkout counter, where her friend Doris stood, Elsie smiled as the citrusy scent of lemon balm overwhelmed her senses.
“What a pleasure it must be for you and Melvin to work in this store,” Elsie commented as she approached Doris and gave her a hug.
Doris’ twin dimples deepened as she nodded. “The only problem is that some of the odors, like basil and oregano, cause me to feel like I should be at home cooking.” She gave a small laugh, and Elsie joined in.
“What brings you into our store on such a cold winter day?” Doris asked with a slight tilt of her head. “Are you in dire need of some herbs for cooking?”
“It’s not as cold as yesterday, so I figured I could venture out without freezing to death.” Elsie removed her dark outer bonnet and placed it on the counter. “Actually, I came here to speak with your husband. Is he in the store today?”
“Jah. Melvin’s in the back room, looking for something I misplaced. I can go get him, or if you prefer, you can wander back there to talk to him.”
Since Elsie wanted to speak to the minister in private, she figured that might be the best option. “If a customer comes in you’ll be needed, so I’ll just go on back there and seek Melvin out.”
“Okay. When you’re through conversing, stop back here and I’ll give you a start from the pot of peppermint that is growing freely.”
“That would be lovely.” Elsie smiled and headed for the rear of the store. She found Melvin exiting the storage room and asked if she could speak with him for a few minutes.
“Jah, of course,” he responded. “Are you in need of some herb that you couldn’t find up front?”
Elsie shook her head. “We have a family matter that I would like to talk with you about.”
“Oh, I see.” He opened the door to the room he’d come out of and gestured at the folding chairs located near an old-looking relic of a desk. “Please, take a seat.”
Elsie did as he suggested, and after Melvin seated himself in another chair, she cleared her throat and got right to the point. “My daughter, Rosa, and her husband, Anthony, are having marital problems and could use some counsel.”
He gave his thick gray beard a quick tug. “Shouldn’t your husband be the one to do that? As the bishop, he’s our head leader, and I would think—”
She lifted a hand. “No, I believe he would be too close to the situation to be neutral.” Elsie leaned slightly forward.
“Besides, Mahlon hasn’t fully accepted Anthony yet, so anything he might say to the young man could cause more dissension between the two of them, and maybe even between Anthony and Rosa. ”
“I see.”
“So if you are willing to talk with my daughter and son-in-law, I think it would be best if you didn’t mention it to Mahlon.”
The chair Melvin had chosen to sit in had rollers, and he began moving it back and forth with the weight of his feet. Elsie figured the man was mulling things over and perhaps wondering how it might affect his relationship with their leader if he went behind his back and counseled Rosa and Anthony.
After several minutes, Melvin stopped rolling his chair and looked directly at Elsie. “If I agree to do this, when would be the best time for me to speak to the young couple? Would you send them here, or would it be better if I went to your home during a time when Mahlon is working at his store?”
“I was thinking you could come to our house, and since Mahlon won’t be home until late this afternoon, now might be a good time, if you’re not too busy here and can get away for an hour or so.” Elsie figured in this case, the sooner the better.
Melvin tipped his head from side to side, as though contemplating things more. After a few more minutes passed, he finally gave a nod and stood. “All right then, Elsie. I’ll head over there right now.”
She offered the minister an appreciative smile. “Danki.” Elsie rose from her chair. “I’ll stay here and visit with Doris, because I don’t think it would be good if I was there when you spoke to them, and I definitely don’t want Anthony or Rosa to know that I asked you to counsel them.”
Rosa held the reins tight as she headed for the greenhouse, which was about three miles from her folks’ house.
Since she was finished running her errands and Anthony was working on the shed roof, Rosa had decided to pay a call on Ada.
Although the greenhouse was open fewer hours during the winter months and had fewer employees during the offseason, Rosa hoped her friend would be there today.
If not, she would seek Ada out at the home she and Ephraim had recently rented in Allensville, not far from the harness shop.
Hopefully, Ephraim would be at the harness shop today, because if Rosa did end up going to their house, she didn’t want him to hear what she planned to say to Ada.
Rosa was a ball of nerves, but she felt a strong need to confide in her friend.
There were so many things she needed to get off her chest by speaking to a person with an unbiased opinion on what she should do.
Ada had always been a levelheaded person, and she had a talent for listening and offering good advice.
Maybe she’ll have some helpful ideas for me , Rosa thought as she guided her horse and buggy into the greenhouse parking lot and up to the hitching rail.
When she entered the building, Rosa was pleased to see the owner and his wife up front by the checkout counter, but after glancing around, she saw no sign of Ada.
“Excuse me,” Rosa said, stepping up to the counter. “Is Ada Detweiler—I mean Peight—working here today?”
The man’s wife gave a nod. “She stepped into the restroom a few minutes ago, but she should be out soon and will be working over there for a while.” She pointed to a row of several pots filled with all types of indoor plants in various sizes.
Despite her nervousness, Rosa managed to offer the woman a smile. “Okay, thanks.” She turned and headed down the aisle to wait for her friend.
A few minutes passed, and then Ada showed up, wearing a grin that stretched wide. “It’s so good to see you, Rosa. I was just thinking about you the other day and wondered how you were doing.” She gave Rosa a hug.
“I’m okay. Still having some morning sickness, but it comes and goes.
” Rosa stepped back a little and repositioned her purse strap that had slipped halfway down her arm.
“We haven’t talked in a while, and I was hoping you’d be working here today.
” She glanced toward the front of the building.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble with your boss for visiting a friend when you should be working, though. So if this is a bad time …”
“It’s all right. We’re not that busy today, and I can work on rearranging these plants while we talk.”
“Okay, good.” Rosa was on the verge of telling her friend the reason for her visit, but Ada spoke first.
“I have some good news to share with you.”
“Oh?”
Ada placed one hand against her flat stomach. “Ephraim and I are expecting our first child, and we are so excited.” She clasped Rosa’s hand. “Just think, our little ones won’t be too many months apart. I’m hoping they will grow up to be good friends.”
“Congratulations, Ada. I’m happy for you.
” Rosa pushed aside the reason she’d come here today.
No way would she burst Ada’s happiness bubble by blurting out the truth about her and Anthony’s pretend marriage.
At a time like this, the last thing Rosa wanted to do was burden Ada with a problem that was not her own and that she could do nothing about.
Rosa’s thoughts turned inward. Even though she was happy for her friend, she couldn’t help feeling a bit envious. Ada was married to a man she loved and was now looking forward to the arrival of their firstborn child.
A lump formed in Rosa’s throat. If Ada knew the truth about me and Anthony, she’d probably be too ashamed to even call me her friend.