Chapter 26 — The Note

The drawing room was cozy with its blazing, crackling fire. Stephanie put her feet up on the ottoman and sipped a cup of decaffeinated coffee. Boots lay in her lap, contented. The English pot roast had been delicious. She was feeling better, but Parker weighed on her mind, and she’d prayed constantly for his recovery.

The phone rang, breaking the silence. Stephanie reached over and picked it up, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. 

“How are you?” Thomas asked.

Stephanie smiled, feeling a glow at the sound of his voice.

“I’m fine. It’s good to hear from you, Thomas.”

“I was wondering how you like the desk.”

“I love it,” she said. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“Did you read the note in the secret compartment?” 

“Not yet. It’s been a little crazy around here. I suppose Emily told you that Parker Cooper is in Riverside Hospital, recovering from heart surgery.”

“Mother told me. How’s Parker doing? I thought you might be at the hospital.” He paused. “You were on my mind, so I thought I would call.”

“Only immediate family may see him, or I would be there,” she said.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Your voice sounds sullen.”

“I’m fine. It’s just that Parker has been like my second father, and I’m worried about him. Daddy and Marguerite are at the hospital. A lot has gone on—Richard and I had a falling out. We were not on good terms when he left for the hospital.”

“I’m sorry if he upset you. Can I do anything?”

“I ‘m feeling better. How about you? Are you back with Maddie Yoder?”

“Sort of—when I heard you and Richard had set the date…” His voice dropped off.

Stephanie stared into the fire, hot with jealously.

“Well, you know, Thomas—if you’re seeing Maddie—I don’t think you should gift me with expensive furniture,” she bristled. “A roll-top desk is an enormous gift.”

“I made it myself,” he said. “I wanted you to have something special to remember me by.”

His words tugged at her heart, her anger dissipating. “How could I forget you, Thomas? I’ve known you all my life. I have so many wonderful memories.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m dead,” Thomas said, agitated.

“Well, if you’re with Maddie, and I’m with Richard—it’s over with us. Stop pretending that it isn’t.”

“This conversation is not going the way I had hoped,” Thomas said in a downtrodden voice. “I thought the desk might actually have meaning for you, and you would thank me, but you’re telling me I shouldn’t have made it.”

Stephanie wiped a tear away from her eye. “It’s just that every time I look at it—I’ll think of you. And I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“So, what do you do with those feelings, Stephanie? Do you stuff them away inside of yourself to be dealt with years later—when you find out you made the biggest mistake of your life? Are you going to go through life doing what your father wants, and not what you want?”

“It isn’t just Daddy. It’s social stigma. You know as well as I do that an English girl and an Amish man won’t work. It would drive us apart.”

“Only if we let it,” Thomas said. “My mother raised you as her own. You were an ‘insider’ from the time you were an infant. When you went to college—you changed. You left me. I didn’t leave you.”

The accusatory way he said it hit her like a ton of bricks. “Everyone changes, Thomas,” she quipped. “It’s called growing up. You became a deacon, and I’m working on a degree in English Literature. Our lives took us in different directions.”

“That’s not true,” Thomas said. “We grew up loving each other, and if you were honest with yourself—I think you still love me. Why does it matter that I’m a deacon and you’re a college student? We have everything in common. We could make it work.”

“I’m not seeing it, Thomas. Your people have shunned me.”

“Shunning doesn’t last forever. It’s temporary,” he said in a gentle voice. 

“The hurt is too great,” Stephanie said. “I don’t think I can ever forgive them.”

She heard Thomas heave a sigh. “I’m a deacon, and I can’t convince the woman I love that forgiveness will heal her pain.”

Stephanie drew back. “You’ve never told me you loved me, Thomas.”

“You knew it. And don’t pretend you didn’t.”

His words inflamed her. “You’ve never kissed me, but I supposed you’ve kissed Maddie hundreds of times, and I heard you took her to the barn when you were both drinking. You—a deacon!”

“I wanted it to mean something when I kissed you. I wanted it to be special. But we never got there, Stephanie.”

“But you got there with Maddie!”

“You’d do well to stop pointing fingers,” Thomas said in a calm, even voice. “Everyone in Brier Hill County knows that Richard Cooper won’t date a woman unless she ‘puts out.’”

It was like a slap in the face. 

Stephanie slammed down the phone. 

And then she sobbed—long heart wrenching sobs that turned into a river of tears.

A half hour later, she pulled herself off the love seat in the drawing room and lumbered up the stairs to her room. 

She opened the secret drawer of the roll-top desk and took out the letter. It was written on plain, lined notebook paper with a blue ball-point pen. 

Stephanie sat down, put her hand to heart and read:

Dear Stephanie, I hope you like the desk. It’s made from the finest oak wood. A lot of memories came back as I worked on the desk. It took me back to when I carved our initials on the oak tree. You were only fifteen, and I was eighteen, but I knew you were the girl for me. You’re the only girl I’ve ever wanted.

When I see you, my heart skips a beat. And the sound of your voice makes me feel happy. It makes the entire day better.

I have a lot of regrets. I know I should have told you I loved you, but I thought you knew because of my actions. I have done everything possible to show you. I can’t name everything I’ve made for you—there are too many, but I think you love the craft room.

If you love me, Stephanie, you will do what I ask regarding the black book. Lock it away, in the antique desk where you found it. I know the book is evil. 

I hope this desk is useful to you with your writing. It’s a way for you to remember me. I put my whole heart in it. One day, I’ll pass you on the street, and say, “That’s Stephanie Stratford, a famous writer. I used to know her…”

You’ll always be ‘my girl,’ Steph.

Thomas Stephanie heaved a sigh, held the letter to her heart, and cried. Then she put her head down on the desk, running her hand across the surface, as her tears spilled over on the strong oak wood, as Brooks lay at her feet whimpering. 

Twenty minutes later, she locked the black book away in the antique desk, and whispered, “I love you, Thomas.” 

***

Later that night, she saw a light on in the guest cottage, and saw Bradley’s car in front of the cottage. She heaved a sigh, glad he was back from his trip. 

Minutes later, he called. “I talked to Richard earlier and Parker is doing much better. He’s out of surgery and in recovery. “

“I’m so relieved. I was thinking of going there tomorrow morning,” Stephanie said. 

“He still has visitor restrictions,” Bradley said. “Only the immediate family may see him.”

“I suppose Richard told you that we’re on the ‘out’s’—”

“Yes. He feels terrible about the outburst. He has a hair trigger temper—can’t take pressure. Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” Stephanie said. “It’s been a tough day. I’m going to bed.”

“Let me know if you need anything,” Bradley said. “I’ll be up for a while unwinding from the trip.”

“I’m fine,” Stephanie said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Stephanie had slept soundly until nine a.m., then had a leisurely breakfast and took a shower. It was a comforting feeling, knowing Bradley was in the guest cottage.

Stephanie could hear the whir of the vacuum as Becca moved from room to room. Everything seemed to be getting back to normal. That is —until—she heard a sharp knock on her bedroom door. 

Stephanie flung open the door and Becca stood, looking pale. 

“When I went in the library to vacuum, the secret drawer of the desk was open,” Becca said breathlessly. “It’s always shut and locked.”

Stephanie ran downstairs to the library with Brooks at her heels.

It was just as Becca had said. The secret door was wide open. 

Stephanie peered inside, and the black book was gone.

“Should I call the sheriff?” Becca asked. 

“Not yet,” Stephanie said. “Maybe whoever has it—will bring it back.”

Then she called Bradley and told him about the theft. Since there hadn’t been a sign of a break in, Bradley didn’t take it seriously. He thought that Becca may have done it to create drama. 

“No, it wasn’t Becca,” Stephanie protested. “I know when she’s lying.”

 “Maybe it’s for the best,” Bradley said. “Richard never liked the book.”

Stephanie took a cup of green tea up to her room, sat down at her desk, and looked out over the rolling hills, and began to journal:

I know Thomas has the book. No one else would have taken it. He knew it was evil, yet he took it to protect me. I’m so afraid. It could have unleashed a thousand demons upon him. 

After rummaging through a couple of drawers, Stephanie found her grandmother’s rosary in her grandmother’s bedside stand. She held the rosary, made the sign of the cross, and said a prayer for Thomas. Feeling anxious, she went to the garden and pulled weeds. Gardening always helped her with anxiety. 

Stephanie stood when she heard the roar of a car engine. She shielded her eyes from the sun and saw the sheriff’s car with its red light going around in a circle. He came to a screeching stop in front of the door and jumped out of the car.

Wiping a bead of sweat off her brow with the back of her hand, Stephanie walked out to meet him. She could tell by the sheriff’s expression that something was seriously wrong. Before she could speak, he said, “There’s been an accident. Thomas Shrock almost died. He’s asking for you.”

Her hand went to her heart. “Thomas,” she said, barely able to breathe. “What’s happened to Thomas?”

“He tried to commit suicide. He’s going to be okay, but it was a close call. Jacob went to the barn and found Thomas with a rope around his neck. He was in the saddle with his heels dug into Betsy’s side. Betsy wouldn’t move. Thank God, he’s alive. There was some injury when Jacob was getting him down. Mostly neck burns from the rope.”

Stephanie screamed. “No. This can’t be happening.” She looked up into the sky and shouted at the evil entity she now knew was in the black book. “What have you done? What have you done to Thomas?”

Bradley came running. “What’s going on?” he asked the sheriff.

“Thomas Shrock tried to hang himself. He’s going to be okay, but he has bad neck burns, and he’s asking for Stephanie.

A look of shock crossed Bradley’s face.

Becca heard the ruckus and had come running. Stephanie handed Becca her gardening gloves. “I have to go,” she said in a choked voice.

“I’ll drive you,” Bradley said.

They followed the sheriff with his red light and siren blaring. She was embarrassed as the villagers gawked as they drove through Brier Hill. She leaned closer to Bradley, as if to shield herself from their stares. It was as if they all knew where she was going and blamed her for Thomas’s attempted suicide.

“Don’t look at them,” Bradley said. “They don’t mean any harm. They’re just nosy.”

Stephanie put her hand across her forehead. “Thomas is a deacon, a peace-loving man who follows the Old Amish doctrines. The Amish believe you will go to hell if you kill yourself. Something drove him to do it.”