Simple Secrets (The Harmony Series 1) (30 page)

He slowed the truck down, backed up, and pulled over to the side of the road. “We’ve still got a few minutes. Get out and I’ll show you something.”

I followed him down a stone path leading to the fountain. It was even more beautiful close up. I peered over the edge of the bottom tier. The floor of the fountain was layered with coins dropped in by people with wishes in their hearts.

“I left my purse back in the truck,” I said. “I want a penny to throw in.”

I turned to go back to the truck when I felt Sam’s hand on my shoulder. “Here.” He reached into his jean pocket with his other hand. “I’ve got change from the bakery.” He pulled out several coins.

I took a penny, thought a minute, then threw it into the sparkling water.

“You really think that will help?” he asked with a smile.

“I don’t actually wish when I throw coins in a fountain. I pray. I just prayed that God’s will would be done in Harmony—and in my life.”

“Pretty dangerous prayer,” Sam said in a quiet voice, the sound of water splashing lightly in the background.

“How so?”

“What if God’s will isn’t your will?”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

He cocked his head to one side and raised both eyebrows. “A real prayer of consecration—saying not my will but Yours. It means your life may take a turn you hadn’t planned on. Are you ready to accept that?”

I stared into the water. Had I really meant what I prayed? Or was I trying to fit God into
my
plan? Doubt flooded my mind. “I—I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to think about that.”

Sam laughed easily, his blond hair blowing gently in the afternoon breeze. “You’d better decide pretty fast. You may have to face that question sooner than you imagine.”

I squinted up at him, not quite sure what he meant. The look in his eyes caused a strange tickling sensation to run down my spine. I swallowed hard. “We—we better get going. Levi will be here soon.”

“I told you I wanted to show you something.” He grabbed my hand and led me around to the other side of the fountain. He pointed to a plaque attached to the front of the structure. It read:

HARMONY, KANSAS
WHERE LOVE REIGNS
1 CORINTHIANS 13:8—LOVE NEVER FAILS
DONATED BY THE MENNONITE WOMEN OF HARMONY

Where Love Reigns 1 Corinthians 13:8—Love Never Fails Donated by the Mennonite Women of Harmony

“Oh my,” I said. “How wonderful.”

“The women I told you about—the ones who got together after Angstadt died? One of them, Kendra McBroom, had a brother who was a stonemason. The women worked hard to save enough money for his materials, and he donated his labor. They gave this fountain to Harmony as a symbol of their prayers, asking God for His blessing on the town. Your grandmother was one of them, you know.”

“I—I didn’t know that. No one ever told me.”

He nodded. “Your grandparents were well loved in this community. I’ve heard stories about them ever since I came to live here. Wish I could have met them.”

“They were very special people,” I agreed. “But I didn’t realize just how special until I came here. Funny how sometimes we see those we love through fresh eyes when we see them through the eyes of others.”

Sam nodded. “I wish people would see my aunt through my eyes. She’s an amazing woman. Just because she comes wrapped in a rough exterior, people sometimes miss how beautiful she really is.”

His voice cracked with emotion, and I reached over and slid my arm through his. We stood for a few moments, watching the water dance from tier to tier.

“Levi just pulled up to the shelter,” Sam said finally. “We’d better get going.”

Sure enough, Levi’s Suburban was parked next to a picnic table at the farthest point of the lake. We got into the truck and drove to where he waited. He waved as we approached. Sam carefully carried the sack from Menlo’s to the table, and within a few minutes I was chomping away on the best chicken salad sandwich I’d ever tasted.

Sam laughed at my sounds of satisfaction. “I take it you approve of your simple supper?”

“Harmony could have restaurants on every street the way people cook here. I’ve never had so many delicious meals.”

Levi nodded and patted his rounded stomach. “I used to be skinny,” he said with a sigh. “But eventually I gave in. Life is too short to miss out on all this great food.”

Sam raised his eyebrows and tried to look serious. “Life might actually last a little longer if you said no once in a while.”

Levi sighed deeply. “But it wouldn’t be as enjoyable.”

I laughed. “We haven’t even told you about the baklava Mrs. Menlo gave us.”

“Oh mercy,” he said. “She makes the best baklava in town.”

“Well, I’ll just add that to my growing list. The best strawberry pie, the best peach cobbler, the best baklava. I see a trend here.” I put my sandwich down and wiped my mouth with my napkin. “When do I get something healthy?”

“Now wait a minute,” Sam said. “We did have fruit salad the other night. That was very healthy.”

“One healthy meal. Great. It’s a wonder I can still fit into my clothes. Beginning immediately, I’m cutting down.”

Levi chuckled. “My goodness, you’re barely there as it is. If you lose any more weight, we won’t be able to see you.”

I reached over and patted him on the arm. “I knew I liked you the first minute I saw you. Now I know why.”

Sam and Levi laughed. The conversation turned to weather forecasts, crops, and harvest. As they exchanged information, I glanced around me. Several families ate together in the lush park. A small playground on the other side of the lake entertained a handful of happy children who shrieked with laughter as they begged their parents to push them higher on the swings or run faster as they clung to the merry-go-round. A man wearing jeans and a T-shirt pushed a little girl, who wore a long dress and a prayer covering on her head, on the swings. And a man with a beard and a large straw hat played ball with a father and his son who both wore jeans and T-shirts. My eyes wandered over to the fountain erected by the praying women of Harmony, and I got a lump in my throat. God had so clearly answered their prayer. Could what Sam said be true? Would my foray into the past actually bring healing to this community? Or would it tear a fabric in the peace that hung over this place like a comforting quilt? I silently cried out to God, asking Him to bind me to the prayers of my grandmother and the other women who had lifted up this town to Him.
Show me the truth, Lord. Use this situation to help Harmony.

“Did you hear me, Grace?” Sam’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“I–I’m sorry. What did you say?”

He frowned at me. “You okay?”

“Yes. Sorry. I just drifted away for a minute. This really is a beautiful park. I guess it’s owned by the city?”

“Actually, the church owns it,” Levi said. “They donated the land for the city’s use. Both churches worked together to put in the facilities and the playground equipment. And they maintain it together.”

“That’s amazing,” I said. “Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of churches that cooperate like that.”

Levi shrugged. “I guess Harmony is unusual.”

“You said something to Sweetie about not being a churchgoer,” I said. “Yet I understand you used to be an elder at Bethel. I don’t mean to be nosy but...”

“But what happened?” Levi sat his sandwich down and wiped his mouth. “Let’s just say that I’ve had all the religion I can stand.”

“Jesus felt the same way,” I said gently. “He told us to strive for...”

“I know. Relationship not religion. Abel has told me that more than once.” He rubbed his hands together and smiled at me. “Maybe one of these days I’ll give in and go back to church. I have to admit that Abel and Marcus Jensen aren’t anything like Amil Angstadt.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. Amil Angstadt was the old bishop at Bethel.”

“I—I know who he was, Levi. He’s one of the reasons Sam and I asked to talk to you this evening.”

His eyebrows shot up as he looked at Sam. “I figured you two had some specific reason to meet with me. Why in heaven’s name would you want to talk about Bishop Angstadt? That man’s dead and buried. Best to leave him where he is.”

“Levi,” Sam said slowly, glancing around to make sure no one was near enough to hear us, “something odd has happened. Grace and I need your help. We want to ask you some questions about your old bishop. And about a man who worked for him. Jacob Glick.”

Levi’s eyes widened. “Jacob Glick? My goodness. I haven’t heard that name in many, many years. Why would you want to know about him? He left Harmony a long time ago. And good riddance, by the way.”

Sam reached over and knitted his fingers through mine. “We have something to tell you, Levi. But first we need you to promise you’ll keep it between us.”

“You can tell me anything—you know that, Sam.” Levi stared at us quizzically.

Sam shook his head. “You need to consider our request more carefully than that. What we’re going to share involves a very serious crime.”

Levi’s mouth dropped open. “You and Gracie...”

“No, not us,” Sam said quickly. “Someone else. A long time ago.”

Levi wrapped up the remainder of his sandwich and pushed it to the side. “Listen, you two,” he said evenly, “whatever you say to me will stay right here. You have my word. Although I can’t imagine...”

“Jacob Glick didn’t leave town,” I blurted out. “He’s dead. And buried on my uncle’s property.”

Levi looked as if I’d just slapped him in the face. “Wha–what? What are you talking about?”

In slow, measured tones, Sam told Levi the whole story—everything that had happened since I’d arrived in Harmony. He carefully left out Sweetie and Emily’s involvement. Levi finally lost his shocked expression, but the gravity of our situation wasn’t lost on him.

“Goodness gracious,” he said finally. “All this time...” He shook his head. “Ben kept this secret all these years?”

I nodded. “Yes, but he was wrong about what happened. Someone besides my father killed Glick. We need to know who it was. You seem to be the only person left in Harmony who worked closely with him and Angstadt. And Sam said we could trust you to keep this quiet until we find the truth.”

“And if you don’t uncover the murderer?”

Sam and I looked at each other. “Then we call the authorities,” I said. “We can’t keep this buried the way my uncle did. It’s got to come out.”

Levi stared down at the table for several seconds. “Sorry. I’m trying to digest everything. It isn’t easy.”

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Sam said. “Can we ask you some questions about Glick?”

Levi nodded.

“What did you think of him?” I asked.

“He was a terrible man,” Levi said. “He and Bishop Angstadt were almost always together. I never could understand it. As an elder, I took my concerns about Jacob to the bishop on several occasions.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There were accusations about his behavior toward several young women. Yet every time I mentioned it to the bishop, he dismissed me, saying I had wrong information. Or he’d accuse me of spreading gossip. It was very frustrating.”

“You were aware of his inappropriateness with some of the women?” I asked. “Do you remember who he approached?”

Levi grunted. “Almost every female in town was bothered by that lecherous man. Didn’t matter how old they were, but he liked the young ladies best. Many of them too young, if you know what I mean. That man was shopping for a young wife.” He picked up his pop can and took a drink. Then he wiped his mouth. “I remember specifically his interest in your aunt, Sam. And Kendra McBroom. She left Harmony a long time ago.”

“What about Emily Mueller?” Sam asked.

Levi’s face went blank. “I—I don’t remember anything about that.” He frowned. “Emily was only a child when Jacob lived here. I would hope he never approached her.”

“What about the parents of these women?” Sam asked. “Did any of them know about Glick’s proclivities? Was there anyone you can think of who might have had a reason to kill him?”

Levi hesitated for a moment. “I’m really trying to remember, but it’s so long ago...”

“I know,” Sam said. “Take your time.”

Levi stroked his white beard and stared off into the distance. Finally, he shook his head. “I just don’t remember anything that will help you. The thing you must understand is that the bishop worked hard to protect Jacob—to keep him from suspicion.”

“Well, he didn’t succeed,” I said. “Someone killed him.”

“Give me some time to ponder on this. Maybe I’ll remember something helpful.” He folded his arms and looked at me. “You said he was killed on your property?”

I nodded. “Yes. Somewhere just inside the tree line.”

“Seems like a stupid thing for a man like Jacob to do,” Levi said. “Isolating himself. Standing out in the open with all those trees surrounding him. Anyone could have been hiding there, watching him. Waiting for a chance to get rid of him. You know, there was no love lost between that man and at least half of the folks in Harmony. When he disappeared all those years ago, I assumed his leaving was a result of his lechery. Guess I was right, but I just envisioned the wrong kind of departure.”

“Angstadt couldn’t protect him from everything,” I said. “Although I suspect he was relieved when he realized Glick was gone for good.”

Sam opened his mouth to say something but stopped when a commotion from Main Street caught our attention. A fire truck with a large tank in its bed bounced down the street while several men ran behind it. A couple of them grabbed the back of the truck and held on while the rest scrambled for their cars.

“What in the world...,” I said.

Levi jumped to his feet. “There’s a fire.”

Sam stood up, too. “Stay here, Grace,” he said.

As he and Levi sprinted toward their vehicles, I quickly gathered up the remnants of our abandoned supper and stuffed everything except the opened pop cans back in the sack.

“Sam, wait for me!” I yelled, running as fast as I could for the truck before he took off. I quickly threw the sticky pop cans in a nearby trash can.

Sam honked his horn impatiently before I reached the passenger door. “I want to help,” I said breathlessly as I climbed inside.