Even though I was no expert on children-I’d never had any of my own-I knew this was one unusual boy.

“Jillian,” Candace called as I was walking back toward the house. “Come check this out.”

I picked up my pace and soon was standing next to her and Robin in front of the barn.

Candace said, “Robin was right to be concerned. See that padlock?” She pointed at the barn doors.

I stepped closer for a better look and saw immediately that the lock had been cut apart, though the edges of the curve had been placed close together so the damage wouldn’t be quickly noticed. “Someone stole the cow?”

Robin had her arms wrapped around herself. “I just saw the door ajar. I didn’t realize the lock was cut. Unbelievable. I want Harriett back, and I want to know who would do this to my Jack.”

To Jack? That didn’t make sense at first, but then I got it. “Maybe they didn’t know about Jack and his raw milk,” I said gently. “Maybe they simply wanted a cow.”

“That’s a problem, too,” she said. “How did they know I even had a cow? Did they come sneaking around here in the dead of night? I mean, I have a precious child. What if they’d taken him instead of Harriett?”

I pictured a black-clad stranger standing between the barn and the house thinking, “Cow or kid? Hmmmm… guess I’ll go for the cow.” Then I immediately admonished myself for being so insensitive. Robin was upset, and for good reason.

Candace said, “You know how people talk in this town. The fact that you have a cow is well-known.”

Very true. I’d learned that everyone knew everything about everyone’s business in Mercy. Just then I was distracted by a glimpse of Lucy streaking from the barn. She kept running down the driveway. That cat was definitely on a mission.