V annetta C hapman
Amber turned to Hannah, who was still standing outside the quilt shop. The young girl, in her early twenties if Amber remembered correctly, looked lost. She was approximately Amber’s height and build—in a word, petite. Her chestnut brown hair was braided and covered with the traditional white kapp. A dark purple-colored apron covered her dress, which was lilac. Her eyes glistened behind her glasses, and she stood there waiting as if she were cemented to the concrete walk. “Hannah, I’m going to step away and speak with Officer Avery. You can go back into your shop now, unless you’d rather go home.” “Nein. I want to stay and work.” The girl continued to run her fingers up and down her kapp strings. She had calmed down considerably since the initial phone call. Amber was tempted to insist she take off the rest of the day, but possibly the girl was right. Possibly working would help to restore her day to a normal footing. Hannah was completely opposite the young girl Amber had been. Hannah was quiet, serious, and an excellent worker. When Amber was her age, she’d been a bit too loud, much too energetic, and completely clueless when it came to handling life’s ups and downs. When she’d first been employed at the Village as an assistant manager, she’d been good at juggling the various duties, but it had taken her years to learn to do so calmly. Hannah’s life experiences were no doubt different as well. Amber didn’t have any idea how to comfort her or even if she needed to do so. She had met and supervised a lot of Amish employees over the years. In her mind, they probably handled matters of life and death more calmly than most. At the moment though, Hannah didn’t look exactly composed. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, and her hands constantly worried the kapp strings. Still, Amber needed someone in the quilt shop until Carol arrived, and if Hannah was offering— 20
Murder Simply Brewed.indd 20
1/7/14 10:03 AM