Secrets in the Grave (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 3) (23 page)

I met Daniel’s eyes with a sense of desperation. “We need to hurry.” I paused, motioning to Bobby. “You better join us on this one.”

Bobby nodded curtly as he removed his glasses, sticking them into his oversized pants pocket. Elayne stepped in front of me. “What do you want me to do?”

“Keep Jonas occupied until you hear from me.”

I only hoped I was wrong about this one.

24

SERENITY

“M
aybe Jonas is telling the truth,” Daniel said as he turned into the Bender’s driveway.

“That he wanted to marry Marissa?” I snorted. “I doubt it. He took advantage of her. He’s a predator.”

“The Amish see things differently than we do. It might not be what it seems,” Daniel said.

I glared at him. “Just because Jonas has rock-star status in the community doesn’t give him free rein to sleep with whomever he wants. Surely, even you can see that.”

“I agree, but I don’t see how you’re going to pin Fannie’s death on him.”

“I’m failing to see the connection myself,” Bobby mumbled in the backseat.

A hundred thoughts ran through my mind at once. I almost had it figured out, but parts of the puzzle were still missing. One thing I knew for sure, Hannah’s life and possibly even Eli’s were in danger.

Several chickens flapped their tan wings, squawking, and jumped away from Daniel’s Jeep as he pulled up beside the
barn. Katherine crossed the barnyard at a jog, stopping outside my open window. She leaned in.

“
Danki
, for coming. I didn’t know what to do. Joseph is out of town, inquiring about a team of horses for sale and I couldn’t reach him,” Katherine said. Her usually pale skin was flushed and several strands of dark hair stuck out from under her cap in disarray. Two small children peeked around the barn door at us.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Eli didn’t sleep in his bed last night.” Katherine frowned and then sighed. “The boy has a rebellious streak, but he wouldn’t be gone from home when he knew his father was away. Then there are the problems he’s been having with those English boys. I worry about him.”

Daniel’s lips were pinched, but he didn’t say anything.

“He’s eighteen years old, a grown man. It’s not my business to hunt down young men.” When I met her gaze, there were tears in her eyes. I buckled. “But under the circumstances, I’ll do what I can,” I offered. “Do you have any idea where he might be?”

Katherine looked away. The sky was darkening to a slate gray to the west. A flash of lightning zigzagged across the sky. The sun sliced through the clouds above our heads, making the approach of the impending storm less threatening. A low rumble rolled through the clouds.

Katherine’s lips quivered. A battle seemed to be raging inside of her as if she didn’t know how honest to be with me.

She turned back with hard eyes that took me by surprise.

“Best pay Hannah Kuhns a visit. Eli took a liking to the girl some months ago.” She shook her head. “I warned him against it. That girl has the same restless spirit that Naomi
had. Nothing but trouble can come from falling in love with her, I told him.” A wispy smile touched her lips. “But sons don’t listen to their mothers. Do they, Daniel?”

Daniel chuckled, the sound sad. “We don’t always have control over who we fall in love with.” He glanced at me.

Isn’t that just the damn truth
.

“We’ll find him, Katherine. Don’t worry,” I assured her.

After all the experiences I’d had with the Amish people, I wasn’t willing to bet on my declaration, though.

As we turned out of Katherine’s driveway, the last bit of sunshine disappeared behind a fast moving, dark cloud. I peered up, wondering how much time we had before it poured.

“I feel for Katherine. Eli is a handful.”

Daniel shrugged. “He’s just trying to figure out where he belongs. Unfortunately, he’s searching for that place with a girl, and not in himself.”

“You talk as if you’re speaking from experience,” I commented.

“I am. I made the biggest mistake of my life because of a girl. Strangely, deep down, I knew it at the time, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s the same for Eli.”

Another flash of lightning coursed across the sky and I blinked. A few seconds later the low booming vibrated the Jeep. A few drops of rain splattered the windshield.

“If you hadn’t made that mistake, you probably would be married to that Amish girl, Rosetta, and have a herd of children to call your own.” I tried not to sound spiteful, but it hurt saying it.

Daniel smiled faintly. The rain drops were multiplying and a sudden
swoosh
of wind rained a mass of swirling leaves against the Jeep.

“That’s not true. I was destined to leave the Amish. I realize that now. I just wish it hadn’t been over a girl. Maybe if my parents had understood that the Plain ways weren’t for me, they would have accepted my departure easier.” He shrugged. “It might have been same, though. I’ll never know.”

“When did you know that being Amish wasn’t for you?” Bobby asked. His voice startled me. I had forgotten all about him in the backseat.

Daniel barked out a laugh as the rain began pounding the Jeep. “It was after a ball game. I must have been about sixteen at the time. I was driving Da’s buggy in a procession of other buggies leaving the game. Several of my friends, including Lester, were with me. We turned onto State Route Forty-Eight, a shortcut back to one of the boy’s farm. Several other buggies went with us. By that time, we were first in line.”

He took a quick breath and I found that I was holding my own.

“I heard the tires screeching and the horn blaring before I looked in the side-view mirror. A semi-truck had gone sideways, careening across the roadway. It smashed into the last buggy in line.” Daniel cleared his throat. “I saw the horse go down under the trailer. The buggy resembled a piece of crumbled black paper. Lester and I were the first to reach what was left of it. The horse’s body was broken apart, its legs snapped in two. It took its dying breath in my hands. Two of the three girls riding in the buggy were thrown clear. One died on the side of the road and the other died later in the hospital. The third girl was an unrecognizable pile of blue material and blood trapped beneath the wreckage. I held the one girl’s hand until the ambulance arrived. She kept mumbling that it
hurt, over and over.” He met my gaze. “After that, every time I drove a buggy, my stomach clenched. I remember thinking,
how can I raise a family into such a dangerous way of life?
”

A louder boom of thunder erupted. As I searched out the rain streaked window, the fields filled with puddles. Tree leaves were flipped and glistening. I sniffed, trying to erase the terrible image that Daniel’s words inspired.

“Lester remained Amish,” I remarked.

“The Amish have a Calvinist approach to life. If God intends for something to happen, there’s no stopping it. Lester believes it and so do my sister and parents. I don’t share the sentiment, and I didn’t back then. It was unreasonable to me to put myself into such jeopardy on a daily basis, and then there were all the rules that went against my way of thinking, too. I was a lot like Eli—a rebellious spirit, looking for a way out.”

A gust of wind shook the Jeep. Daniel slowed the vehicle. He reached across the seat with an open hand. I grasped it.

“How are you feeling?” Daniel’s voice was almost too low to hear above the driving rain.

Heat flared across my cheeks and I turned my head away, hoping Bobby hadn’t seen. He was a sharp old man. If Daniel wasn’t careful, Bobby would guess about the possible pregnancy. That was the last thing I needed at the moment. I licked my lips. I’d been too distracted lately to think much about the possibility that I was pregnant. It was a fantastical idea, one that I didn’t want to dwell on.

Glancing sideways, I saw the concern in Daniel’s eyes.

I swallowed. “One crisis at a time. I promise, I’ll focus on that after we get this Amish business cleared up.”

Daniel smiled. “I’d hardly call it a crisis.”

I rolled my eyes. That Daniel seemed to be hoping for a positive pregnancy test was about as unnerving as the fact that I needed to take one in the first place.

The Kuhns’ farm was blurry through the pouring rain. A dozen or more horses and buggies were parked in the driveway. I felt sorry for the horses. Their heads were dropped into the driving rain. Here and there were spots of brightness from the women’s dresses, but otherwise the place was a sheet of gray wetness on the hill.

“Fannie’s funeral is today,” I mumbled.

“So it seems.” Daniel parked and leaned over. “Do you still want to go in there?”

My heart pounded at the sight of a dozen or so Amish men standing in the open doorway of the barn we passed. Their beards were the only hint of color amidst the black of their clothing. I couldn’t help but think back to the scene in the abandoned barn the previous fall. That same group of Amish men had held me captive while they attempted to carry out their own form of vigilante justice.

“We have no choice. Time might be against us,” I said, remembering the desperate look on Hannah’s face. I eyed the backseat. Bobby’s fingers played with his mustache. His eyes were keen. “Stay here, Bobby.”

“Considering the weather conditions, I won’t argue with you,” Bobby replied.

We dashed through the rain to the porch. The patter of a million darts on the tin roof blasted my ears as I rapped on the door. A woman I didn’t know peeked through the doorway. She disappeared, seeking out Irene, I assumed.

The quiet drone of conversation coming from the room was barely noticeable above the building storm. Another flash lit the sky. A cold gust of wet wind swept through the porch.

When I turned back to the door, Irene was standing there. “Sheriff?” Irene lifted her chin.

“I’d like to speak to Hannah.”

A tear dripped from Irene’s eye. She wiped it away. “She’s not here.”

The breath caught in my throat. “Do you know where she is?”

“She left a few hours ago—said she wanted to be alone. I didn’t stop her. Fannie’s death has been difficult on her.” She glanced over my shoulder at the water soaked world. “I thought she’d be home by now, to show respect for her sister.”

I took a step back. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t the best time, but when she returns, will you have her call me?” I handed Irene another one of my business cards, in case the first one had been lost.

She nodded, slipping back through the door. From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of color—pinkish—in the loft window of the smaller barn standing off by itself. It might have been my imagination, but the way my stomach twisted, I didn’t think so.

Pushing my hat further down on my head, I motioned for Daniel to follow. Luckily, the rain was keeping the Amish people inside the house or under cover in the larger barn beside the house. As the rain pelted down on us, we ran across the field. A bright flash, joined by a clap of thunder, made me jump, but I kept running.

Daniel stayed close beside me, not wasting time to ask what the hell I was doing.

With a surge of strength, I pushed my legs faster until I reached the barn door. Daniel leaned over me, pushing it open. We stepped into the darkness of the aisle to be greeted by the dank smell of old wood and dirt. Unlike most Amish barns, this one was cluttered with rusty farm machinery that didn’t look like it had been used in a while. A thick coating of dust covered everything. I sneezed before I could stop myself. So much for sneaking up on anyone.

Daniel shook the water from his hair and looked down at me expectantly. I pointed at the loft. Daniel nodded and motioned me to get behind him. I relented. The chances of someone sneaking up on us were just as good as a threat coming from ahead. I reached inside my jacket, pulling my gun out. I raised it in front of me. When Daniel glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widened.

I shrugged.
I’ll never be unprepared in an Amish barn again
.

Daniel opened the narrow wooden door. The steps were steep and they creaked loudly as he crept up them. I took the steps as lightly as I could.

When he reached the opening into the loft, he paused, squinting into the shadowed room. He glanced at me, giving me the thumbs up before he took the last steps into the loft. I followed.

The smell of moldy hay and stale air assaulted my nose. Dim light shone in through the small, narrow windows. Dust particles floated in the air. I waved in front of me in an attempt to clear a path. I looked down and noticed the foot prints on the floor.

“Show yourself. Do it nice and easy,” I called out.

There was a shuffling sound in the corner. I aimed my gun, not taking any chances.

When they came out from behind the hay bales, their hands were raised and their faces were long. They weren’t the faces I was expecting to see at all.

I lowered my gun, returning it to its holster. Daniel breathed out a sigh.

“What are you two doing up here?” I demanded.

I caught a glimpse of Daniel shaking his head, but I ignored him.

Mervin took a step closer to Verna. He finally found his voice, but he looked at Daniel instead of me. “We don’t get to spend any time together. We just wanted to talk.”

Verna’s face flushed a deeper red and I felt like a complete idiot.

Daniel touched my arm. “Come on,” he urged, nudging me towards the steps.

I was about to go with him when Verna’s light blue eyes met mine. I stopped. “Have you seen Hannah Kuhns’ today?”

Verna glanced at Mervin. He nodded for her to answer. “Yes. She came to see my aunt this morning.”

My brow knitted together. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

I turned away from the teenagers, taking the steps down to the first floor in a hurry.

I was afraid that no matter how fast I ran, I would be too late.

25

SERENITY

I
knocked on the door again, this time harder. When no one answered, I looked at Daniel.

“We need to get into this house,” I said.

Daniel whirled and jogged to the Jeep. The rain was a steady pattering, instead of a deluge, but the sky flashed intermittently and thunder rolled overhead. Daniel returned a moment later with a hammer.