lifted a trembling hand and pointed.
“Oh, no!” Elizabeth whispered as both of them looked in the direction Mary had indicated.
The house had been ransacked. The cushions of the sofa and chairs had been gutted with something sharp and stuffing covered every surface. The end tables were overturned, some broken.
The destruction spilled into the kitchen. Every cabinet door hung open. Every drawer was pulled out and emptied. Silverware and cooking utensils had been carelessly tossed across the linoleum. Canisters of flour and sugar were emptied onto the floor. Pots and pans had been thrown haphazardly into the messy concoction.
Every nook and cranny had been searched, every chance to destroy something had been taken.
“He was here,” Mary whispered. “That evil man was in our home.”
Elizabeth rushed to her mother’s side and wrapped her arms around her. “It’s okay, Mamm. We’re okay. We aren’t hurt. This is just stuff. We can fix stuff, right?”
Mary nodded, a stunned expression still deeply etched on her face.
Although Thomas knew Elizabeth was doing her best to comfort her mother and ease her fears, she couldn’t hide the tremor in her own voice from him. He knew her too well. She was terrified.
Both women looked at the destruction surrounding them and remained speechless.
Suddenly Mary headed toward the stairs. “He must have gone upstairs, too.”
Thomas stopped her before she could reach the bottom step. “I will kumm back and take care of whatever damage was done. Right now we have to leave.”
“Leave?” Elizabeth threw him a questioning glance. “Where will we go?”
“Home. With me.” Thomas shot Elizabeth a look that let her know he would not take no for an answer. “But not before we retrieve that box and take it with us. It’s time to see what is so important inside.”
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