A Dark Amish Night (5 page)

   Now Hannah wasn’t so sure. She wondered if Timothy knew something he could not or would not share. Timothy had been brought up to tell the truth always, no matter what. The plain folk ways had been instilled in him since birth, and Hannah had never known him to lie, but what if he was just not able to tell? Maybe he was repressing something. And what if Eric’s death wasn’t an accident? Then Timothy could be in real danger. Those sick feelings in the pit of her stomach had never really left since that awful night, but now fear for her son made it so much worse.

    If Hannah were to be perfectly honest, she wanted nothing more than to run as far away from the farm as possible. It was hard to think of giving up on her and Eric’s dream for this family, but with Eric’s death being possibly a murder it seemed selfish to keep the children so far away from any real help. She made a silent promise to herself and her children to get away from the farm and settled in town as soon as possible.  If only the church deacons would agree to help her open her own bakery then she could move into town as soon as possible, put the farm up for sale and pay back the church with money from the sell. 
If only
.

    Quinn was genuinely concerned for Hannah and her children’s safety. He had no idea what really happened to Eric Hershberger, but he was sure of one thing, Eric’s death was no accident. The old detective in Quinn drove him like a hound dog searching for the fox. Twelve years on the force in Oklahoma City had given Quinn an edge and the experience to sniff out a suspect from nothing. He’d been a damn fine cop and an even better detective. Too bad he’d not been a better husband. Maybe if he’d not been so good at his job, Kathleen would never have left him. Maybe… Maybe… Maybe… All those maybes were what led Quinn to the little town of Heaven, Oklahoma. He came to forget and to start over.

   Quinn grew up in a small town like Heaven, only down in New Mexico. He had a sister that lived on the old peanut farm left by his parents, and he talked to his sister, Bella, every Sunday. She really wanted him to come back to help her and her husband run the farm, but Quinn was a law man through and through. So when things started going south in the City, Quinn took a job as a deputy here in Heaven, and soon after, got elected to the county Sheriff’s position. That was about three years ago now. The detective in Quinn longed to return to the more challenging cases in the City, but his broken and battered heart longed for the simplicity of the small town.

   It was here in the tranquil, sleepy, predominately Amish town, that Quinn had been able to make peace with his past, and his heart began to heal. One day, maybe, he would return to the hustle of the City, but for now he was content to stay right where he was. And at thirty-five years of age, Quinn felt he had plenty of time to decide just exactly where he wanted to be, so there was no rush.

   Pulling up to the rustic cabin on Hal Tucker’s property, Quinn was surprised to see the white tail deer grazing on the front lawn.
Looks like Hal hasn’t been out here to hunt in quite some time if the wildlife is camping out in the front door.
Quinn had never been much of a hunter of animals, and it seemed the deer understood that as they watched him unload his patrol car without any sign of fear whatsoever.

   The Cabin was surprisingly clean and well stocked. Quinn did a little dusting and sweeping before he unrolled his sleeping gear on one of the cots. He brought in some dry wood and placed it in the old stone fireplace. The spring nights could still be cold but it looked like the big fireplace would be more than able to heat the one room log cabin. After a quick survey to make sure all was in order, Quinn left to head over to Hannah’s place for dinner and a perimeter check, he was determined to protect Hannah and her children while he searched for Eric’s killer.

  Hannah wanted to make a hearty dinner for Quinn. He was doing her a great service by staying close by to keep an eye on things; just knowing that he was only minutes away helped to calm her increasingly fraying nerves. She’d tried to talk to Timothy about what had been said between him and Quinn, but as was becoming the normal way of things Timothy only shrugged his shoulders and withdrew even more into himself.

   In a way, by making Timothy’s favorite homemade noodles and chicken with pea salad and fresh baked sourdough rolls topped with creamy churned butter, Hannah hoped to lift the boy’s spirits and get him to talking. She longed to hear Timothy’s excited voice talking about how he’d spent the day working in the barn or in caring for the animals with his father. What a happy boy Timothy had once been. Her heart ached now for what she felt was his innocence lost.
Oh, Eric, what can I do to help our boy?

   She put those thoughts aside and pulled a cherry pie from the oven. She did hope that Quinn liked cherries. As the pie sat on the counter cooling, she set the table and called the children down to wash up for dinner. She could hear Quinn’s car pull up in the front of the house just as she set the last plate out.

   “Perfect timing, Sheriff.”  Hannah held the door open as Quinn made his way in.

    He was struck again by how simple yet lovely Hannah’s home was. Even though it was missing modern amenities such as a television, it was still very comfortable and inviting.

   “What is that divine smell? My mouth is watering.”

   “Well I hope you like chicken and noodles. We also have pea salad and rolls and a cherry pie for desert.”

   “Cherry pie is my favorite. Don’t tell me Jess let you in on my one great weakness.”

   Hannah laughed a good full laugh and for the first time in what seemed like forever she felt relaxed. “No, I wasn’t sure but I was hoping.”

   “Well, I’d say your intuition is right on.” Quinn took off his hat and let Hannah guide him to the kitchen table where Timothy and Ruth Anne were already seated.

   “Well, Tim, how about as the man of the house you invite me to sit down.”

   Timothy shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the seat next to him. “You can sit here between me and Ruth Anne. That chair there was my Pa’s”

   Quinn understood well Timothy’s reluctance to allow him to sit in his Pa’s chair. “I think you picked the best place for me.”

   Dinner went well even if it was quiet. Quinn waited for the children to head upstairs for bed before he stepped up to help Hannah clear the dishes from the table.

   “Oh no, Quinn, you’re my guest. Please just sit and let me pour you a cup of coffee to have with your pie. I need to run up and get the children into bed if you don’t mind and then I’ll be right down and we can talk.”

   Quinn set back down but was hard pressed to let the dishes wait for Hannah so he did as his mama taught him to do and washed the dishes. He was just finishing up the towel drying of the plates when Hannah came back down and gasped.

   “Quinn! You shouldn’t have done that. As my guest you shame me by cleaning my kitchen. Please sit and let me serve you.”

   “Ah, I see this is an Amish thing isn’t it? Well you’ll have to forgive me. I’ve not spent a lot of time in Amish homes and I am not sure of the customs.”

   Hannah smiled and tried to put Quinn at ease. “No it’s not so much Amish as it is just that you’re my guest and I want you to feel welcome and not obligated in any way.”

   Quinn sat back at the table and let Hannah pour him more coffee and got her own cup before she sat across the table from him.

   “Okay, Quinn, what are the ‘ground rules’ that we need to talk about?”

   
Well she certainly knows how to get to the point.
Quinn thought to himself. “For starters I’ll be coming around doing perimeter checks several times a day. I don’t want to be too obvious about it so I’ll walk over and not bring the squad car. I’ll come by at different times so as not to be predictable. That way if anyone is watching they’ll not be able to establish a pattern. Second, I brought a two way walky-talky system. Here is your handset.”

   Quinn spent a few minutes teaching Hannah how to use the radio system to call him “It’s closed circuit, but just in case, don’t use it to tell me exactly where you are or may be going unless it’s an emergency. But I want you to check in with me at least a few times a day and I would like you to let me know you if you want me to come over for any reason especially if you think there is trouble by using the code word “barn.” Say in the barn or the barn or anything related to the barn and I’ll be right over.”

   “Yes, I think I can handle that.”

   Quinn gave Hannah some extra batteries for keeping the remote radio charged. “And another thing, I enjoy your cooking, Hannah, but you are not obligated to be feeding me every day. I have supplies and can fend for myself. I think it would be better for you and the children to just go on with life as if I weren’t around. In other words you should just try to forget I’m here unless you need me. We can talk on the radio or by phone, but I want you to go on with life as normal.”

   “Good, I do need to send Timothy to school tomorrow for the last day of school picnic. I fear I’ve kept him home to grieve longer than I should have.”

   “How does Timothy get to and from school?”

   “Eric would take him to the main road by buggy and Elder Troy would pick him and other children up in his buck board then take them into town. I suppose I’ll have to take him myself now.”

   “I would be glad to do it for you, but I’m afraid it will cause talk if I do. The last thing I want is tongues waggin’ about me giving Timothy a ride every morning. So what time do you have to leave in the morning to take him?”

   “He has to be at the pick-up point by seven and then he gets dropped off at four in the afternoon.”

   “Okay, then you just go on as planned and know that I’ll be keeping a close eye on you as you are coming and going.”

   “Thanks, Quinn. I hope you can figure out what happened to Eric very soon. Not only do I need to know, I need to be able to move on with my life, and you have given me hope that I can. But I must ask if you really feel that Timothy could be in any real danger?”

   “The only thing I’m sure of at this point is that Eric’s death was no accident. Anything other than that is pure speculation. But if I’m right, that means that someone out there killed Eric and they have to know by now that Timothy was in the buggy when they did. That puts Timothy at risk and that is not a risk I’m willing to take.”

   “Me either, Quinn, me either.” A shiver ran down Hannah’s back as she said goodnight to Quinn and locked her front door behind him. She’d never had much cause to lock the doors, until now.

   Quinn pulled out his flashlight and walked the perimeter of Hannah’s yard. Tomorrow he would scope out the entire farm. He walked through the barn, and finding nothing out of order, he decided to turn in for the night.

   Hannah watched as the headlights from Quinn’s squad car faded in the distance. It made her feel a little bit safer to know that Quinn was out there close by in case she needed him. After saying a prayer for the children she added a prayer for the safety of Quinn. She thanked the Lord for sending him to her aid.

   Sleep evaded Hannah not for the first time in the last few weeks. As she tossed and turned she could not keep Quinn off her mind. She hoped he was safe and comfortable where he was and then there was the church’s offer to help her find a husband. Was it wrong of her to want to have her own business? Would Pattie Sue’s storeroom work for a bakery? Would she even have the money to open a bakery? Everything depended on Bishop Miller’s answer.
Well let’s just pray the Bishop comes with an answer soon then.
Hannah at last drifted off to sleep with that thought.

A Dark Amish Night

Chapter Five

   After a restless night in the small cabin, Quinn sat on the front porch in the wee hours of the morning nursing a strong cup of coffee. There was nothing quite like watching the sunrise of a still and quiet country morning. As it was of late, Quinn’s waking thoughts were of Hannah and her children. It was of no use trying to put Hannah out of his mind, though he’d tried. Quinn realized that he was very attracted to her. She was lovely. He found her simple straight forward manner fresh and tantalizing. It made him feel like he could trust her.

   That was what was so frightening. Quinn vowed to never trust another woman as long as he lived. Kathleen had crushed him. Quinn knew he must bear some of the guilt for losing his wife. Okay, he must bear a lot of the guilt. He wanted her back and in the end it looked like they would have worked it out. If only they would have had the chance.