A Dark Amish Night (25 page)

A Dark Amish Night

Chapter Twenty One

     Pattie Sue got ahold of the Bishop and they waited at the Sheriff’s office for Hannah and the children to be brought in. Hannah was glad to see them, but didn’t get to tell them much. Quinn was adamant that they come in and make statements. There was no sign of Jess or Rachel. Quinn said he’d put out an APB and the entire state was on the lookout for them.

  Millie and Abe had been found tied up in Hannah’s house. They were both shaken but otherwise fine. They also had been brought in for questioning and statements. The big talker of the day, however, was Timothy. He was telling anyone who would listen what had happened.

  The night Eric Hershberger died. Timothy had been pulled out of the buggy and threatened with his life. Rachel wanted to shoot him, but Georgie would have none of it. Jess told Timothy that he had to help them find that gold or else he would come and kill his sister and mother. And if he breathed a word about his father’s death, he would surely die. Georgie put Timothy back in the buggy and promised that he would watch over him as best he could.

  Hannah confirmed that there had been an order for her baked goods to be delivered to Jess that night, and she gave a full statement on what had happened on this night at her farm. Quinn asked her where she learned to shoot. “My father didn’t have sons. He had two daughters and he taught us to hunt with him.”

   The hardest thing was to tell Pattie Sue about Georgie. Quinn let Hannah tell her alone. Pattie Sue was distraught, but she was glad to know that Georgie had done right in the end and was a hero for taking a fatal gunshot to save Timothy. Timothy sat for a long time next to Pattie Sue and just held her hand.

   There were a total of five solid gold bricks that had been stashed in the torn duffle bag. Quinn did the math and figured they were worth just over a million dollars. He figured the judge would have to decide where the gold should go, but it seemed the most likely owner would be Pattie Sue. Pattie Sue swore to have nothing to do with that ‘evil’ gold that had cost her brother his life and caused her nothing but grief. She vowed that if the gold came to her she would donate it to the church. Besides, as she said “I’ve enough honest money as it is.”

   It was well into the next day when Quinn finished all the reports and took all the statements. Ollie sent the forensics team back to the farm to gather evidence. Hannah and the children along with everyone else had gone home to get some sleep. Quinn decided to go home too.

   After a few hours of sleep and a shower, Quinn got up and sat on his couch. He was dressed in a simple tee-shirt and jeans. His uniform shirt he’d been wearing the night before was on the couch next to him. He unpinned his Sheriff badge and put it on the coffee table in front of him. That badge represented so much to Quinn. It was not only a symbol of honor and justice it was a symbol of him, and everything he stood for. But it was a poor substitute for a home and a family. He could live without the badge. There was no living without Hannah or her children. Quinn had nearly lost his mind when he couldn’t find her last night and then when he knew who had her, it made him even crazier to think he might lose her like he did Kathleen. When he saw her and the children in that barn safe and sound, he’d known no greater peace. It was a joy he would carry with him forever. He loved Hannah and was not going to waste another day without her. He got up and walked out his door leaving his badge behind. He knew who he needed to talk to.

   Hannah let the children sleep. She was not tired. She really should be working, but after talking to Dylan before she got home, she knew the bakery was in good hands. Dylan would do fine without her for one day. She was wrapped in her favorite shawl over her nightgown, sipping a cup of coffee. This was a brave new world for her today. A day she was happy to be facing. When the children finally stirred, Hannah made them a bite to eat then they walked together to the Bishop’s house.

   Martha let them in and told Hannah how happy she was that everyone was safe. Hannah thanked her then asked if she could speak to the Bishop alone.

   Soon, Hannah found herself facing the Bishop, yet again. Except she was no longer afraid, she was determined to speak her mind and have her way.

   “Hannah, not that I’m not glad to see you, but I figured after a night like last night you would be home resting.”

   “The children slept and I’m fine. I came to tell you that I’m leaving the church. I will always be grateful for all the community has done for me, but I don’t believe that I can live the rest of my life in the confines of the Amish faith.”

   “Now, now, Hannah, you’ve been through some terribly trying circumstances. This isn’t the time to be making such a big decision like this. Why don’t you think about it and pray over it. Then we’ll talk about this when you’re more yourself.”

   “There’s nothing more to talk about. I don’t really want to talk, or think, or pray about it anymore. I just came to tell you this. I’ll sign over the farm to the church. That should more than pay off what I owe for what I was loaned to get the bakery started, and for paying off Timothy’s medical bills. I hope the church will let Millie and Abe stay on the farm. With what money is left over, I want the church to have it for everything that has been done for me by the community. I want that money to be used to benefit anyone in the community who needs it. I will not be returning to the church ever again.”

    Hannah put the deed to the farm on the Bishop’s desk and grabbed a pen. Before she could sign it the Bishop stopped her. “Wait, Hannah, don’t do this just yet. Sheriff Ramsey was just here. He wants to come in to the faith. You don’t have to leave. He’s set to put his old life behind him and become a farmer. He was raised on a farm. I think, in time, he will fit very well into the community. He’s a good man and he wants to marry you. You do not have to leave the community. Just be patient and wait a little longer. All will be as it was before. You’ll see.”

   “No, nothing will be as it was before. Quinn can never replace Eric, and I wouldn’t want him to. I’m not the same person I was before Eric died. I’m not content to be a wife and a mother working on a farm. It was a great life, but that life is gone now. I’m in love with Quinn, and I want him in my life, but I also want my independence. I love having my bakery and making my own money. That is the life I now want. I can never go back. I love my children and I want them to know it. I would gladly kill for them, and I very nearly did. If I were really Amish I would have sacrificed myself and my children for the sake of good.” Hannah stood up took off her prayer cap and laid it on the Bishop’s desk. She pulled the pins from her hair and her long locks fell down her back.

   She signed the deed and handed it to the Bishop. “I am not Amish, not anymore.”

   Quinn sat at his desk, He read over his letter of resignation he’d typed up on his computer. He figured it would take him at least a month to wrap things up. He planned on handing over the files for the Eric Hershberger case to Ollie, since it seemed that Jess and Rachel were across state lines. If anyone in the FBI could track them down it would be Ollie.

   After talking more with Peter it was now believed that Jess Zook and Sally Beaufort, also known as Rachel Yoder, would make their way into deep Amish country to hide. Without much money or resources Peter believed Jess would head to family that kept to themselves in a very strict sect of Swartzentruber Amish in northern Ohio. Jess was known to speak fluent Pennsylvania Dutch, and could very easily hide among people who were cut off from the outside world
.  

   Peter gave as much information as he could. He shared that growing up he and Jess had been very close cousins and had left the community together during their Rumspringa. When Peter went to prison, Jess returned to Heaven, taking a job as a deputy as opposed to being baptized into the Amish faith. Peter was now left to raise his two small children without a mother and Quinn didn’t envy him that. He did hope that Peter’s family would help him, and not shun him for lying to them about being married to Rachel.

   It was getting late, well past dark, and Quinn headed home. He knew the next few months of his life would be difficult, but if he could marry Hannah at the end of this transformation of his life, he would be all the happier for it. He promised himself no regrets, Hannah and her children were well worth it.

   He let himself into his house and the first thing he noticed was the smell. His place had never smelled this good before. It was the mouthwatering aroma of a home cooked meal. He slowly stepped from the small entrance way into the living area then into the kitchen. The sight waiting for him was unbelievable and almost made him cry. Hannah was at the stove cooking. The children were setting the table with his humble dishes. They saw Quinn first.

   “Ma, Quinn’s home.” Timothy ran up to him followed by little Ruth Anne, who put her arms out, begging Quinn to pick her up. He bent down and pulled Ruth Anne up into his arms. Hannah turned and placed a platter of pot roast with all the trimmings on the counter. She wore a simple yellow dress that flattered her curves with her hair falling in soft waves down her back. Quinn thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

   Hannah smiled at Quinn. “I hope you don’t mind that we let ourselves in.” When Quinn only stared at her in silence, she spoke again. “You like my new dress? I actually borrowed it from Dylan. I don’t know if you’ve met Dylan yet, but I think you’re going to like...”

   Hannah did not get the chance to say more. Quinn crossed the space between them in one long stride. He gathered Hannah, pulled her close and kissed her long and hard. He would have stayed like that with her forever, but Ruth Anne began to squirm and giggle in his grasp and Timothy cleared his throat. “Ahemmm…”

   Quinn reluctantly let Hannah go. “Hannah, what is this? I don’t understand. I spoke to the Bishop yesterday. I’m supposed to go live with a host family for a few months…”

   Hannah put her finger up to Quinn’s lips. “No, you’ll not be doing that. The children and I need you here, in this world. I won’t be living as Amish anymore. It’s hard to explain, Quinn, but I just don’t fit into that world anymore. Everything has changed. I’m not the same person I was before Eric died. I just can’t go back and live that life anymore. I want to marry you, if the offer still stands.”

   “Oh honey, I’ll marry you tonight. Just let me wake up the judge.” Quinn was serious.

    Hannah laughed. “Hold on there, cowboy. I think we need to do this with a proper wedding and all. I’m still a Christian, and I’ll be wed in a church in front of God and everybody. In the meantime, let’s eat this dinner before it gets cold.

   After a pleasant meal with a full belly, Quinn sat in his backyard gazing up at the stars with Hannah at his side; both of them snuggled under thick blankets side by side. The children had fallen asleep on the couch. Quinn knew he would have to take Hannah and the children home soon, but he lingered. Having them here in his home was like heaven on earth. Hannah said she had until the end of December to stay in the house she was renting from the Fishers.

   “I was thinking I would like to get married on New Year’s Day. I know that’s just a couple of weeks away, but what do you think Quinn? Could we do that?”

   “Well, I don’t know if I can wait that long.” Quinn laughed and smiled at Hannah.

   Hannah laughed with him. “Seriously, though, can we do that?”

   “You just tell me when and where and I’ll be there. I think we need to go ahead and start moving some of you things in here before Christmas, though. We’ll have to look for a bigger place down the road, but I think I can squeeze you and the kids in here for now.”  Quinn looked at Hannah as she gazed up at the clear sky.

      “Hannah, how is Timothy taking all this, really?”

   “He’s okay I think. He’s really sorry he lied to both of us all these months, but how do you punish someone for trying to protect their family? I’m just as guilty as he is of that sin, if it is a sin. He and I were both questioning our place in the Amish community, and I think we came to the same conclusion at the same time. We just don’t fit anymore. Timothy has a long journey in front of him. In the end he, and Ruth Anne, will have to decide where they belong. The Bishop has shunned me, again, for six weeks this time. At the end of those six weeks I’ll be fully excommunicated from the church. But the children can go back when they come of age, if they choose to. By the way, he wants to talk you about getting a four wheeler. Just take your time and think about that for a while. It’s going to be one step at a time here for this poor mother’s heart, please.”

   “I promise to give a four wheeler a lot of thought. So what will it mean to you to be excommunicated from the church?”

   “Well, after my shunning period ends, it means that I’ll live as an Englisher and be treated as one by the community. The Amish will talk to me and do business with me, but I’ll always be an outsider to them now. But I’ll be free, Quinn. Free to live and love as I choose.”