I spotted Elayne Weaver come through the door. She was wearing a pink, satiny blouse, short black skirt and four inch heels. No one would believe the assistant DA used to be Amish. I still had a difficult time wrapping my mind around it sometimes. She caught my eye and waved. I didn’t have to motion her over—she was already on her way.
“I saw on the news about the wedding in Lancaster.” Her face paled and she swallowed. “I can’t even imagine how awful it was.” She put her hand over mine. “It’s a good thing you were there.”
I slid over in the booth and Elayne took the unspoken invitation to sit down. I cleared my throat. “How do you know that? The feds and marshals are keeping the details under wraps for the time being. I’m supposed to return to Lancaster tomorrow, and then the entire world will know I was the one who brought down the shooter.”
“It was you who stopped that guy?” CJ exclaimed.
I raised my hand and shot a warning look at her. “Shh. I have one more day of peace and then all hell is going to break loose. I plan to savor it.” I glanced over and Elayne was staring at CJ.
“Elayne, this is CJ West.” I inclined my head, waiting for her reaction. “She’s renting the little house from Joshua Miller.”
I wasn’t disappointed. Elayne’s eyes widened and snapped back to CJ. “Really. That’s an interesting development.”
I was glad that talk about the bloody wedding had promptly ended. It was going to be bad enough to relive the massacre in details the next day. I didn’t want to talk about it now—or think about it. I was already dreading when my head hit the pillow later and the nightmares began.
“What do you know about the man?” I asked Elayne.
She looked over her shoulder, making sure no one was listening—some habits die hard. She slid closer to me before she answered.
“Up until the real estate, I didn’t know him personally, but I had heard of him.”
My stomach clenched in anticipation. I wasn’t surprised. Even ex-Amish seemed to have a direct line to the gossip mill. “Please tell us what you know. CJ’s my friend. I don’t want her getting herself into a bad situation out there.”
Elayne glanced at CJ, who was frozen in place, and back at me. “I guess it’s been about a year since his wife drowned. When I moved away from Blood Rock, I lost contact with the community here, but I have cousins in Lancaster. I visit them every few years and we write letters. When Miranda Miller died, it was the only thing people talked about for a while, so I heard about it.”
“What happened?” CJ choked out.
“It was a stormy day with heavy rains. Miranda was alone, driving her buggy over a small bridge in the southern part of the county.” Elayne shook her head. “From what I was told, water was already on the bridge when she attempted to cross. It gave way when she reached the middle. She was washed down the river in the buggy. The horse managed to break free and was found in a field the following day, but Miranda wasn’t so lucky. Volunteers discovered her body later that night after the rain stopped. She was floating, face down in the water.”
I shivered. “That’s a horrible story, but other than the usual grief involved with such an unfortunate accident, I don’t see what it has to do with Joshua Miller.”
Elayne frowned and lowered her voice even lower. “Because no one understood why she was out driving on that fateful day.”
Playing devil’s advocate for an Amish man I hardly knew and didn’t even like, I spoke up, “Maybe she had to pick up supplies. A lot of people are killed in flash floods. It happens all the time.”
“True.” She eased back in the booth, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder. “But she was afraid of horses—she never drove a buggy alone.”
Damn. That changed everything.
25
“There must be a plausible explanation.” CJ looked between me and Elayne. “My landlord couldn’t have planned for a flood and bridge collapsing—could he?” The pitch of her voice rose.
I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat. “I’m not saying he had a hand in her death. But I’ve learned the hard way that the Amish have skeletons in their closets, and some of them are not very pretty.” I met Elayne’s frozen stare and she nodded. “Perhaps it would be better all the same if we found you another place to rent. Daniel’s nearly finished renovating an apartment in the same building Elayne lives at. It might be a good fit for you.”
CJ grunted and shook her head. “The farm location is perfect. I want to be away from people right now. That’s why I moved all the way out here. If I wanted a flat in town, I could have stayed in Indianapolis or one of the suburbs. But that’s not what I wanted.”
I remembered CJ’s stubborn streak, so I wasn’t surprised. Maybe I was overreacting anyway. Joshua Miller hadn’t committed any crimes that I knew of, and other than his wife’s strange desire to get over her fear of horses in stormy weather, nothing seemed amiss. There was such a thing as being too paranoid, and I worried that maybe I was approaching that place.
“I guess I’ll be stopping by a lot to check on you.” The smile I offered CJ was a challenge.
Before CJ could argue with me about my big-sister attitude, Nancy appeared with the plates of cake and took Elayne’s order. My cell phone lit up on the table.
“What are you up to?” I asked Daniel.
He ignored my question. “Are you busy right now?”
His voice sounded off and my heartrate sped up. “No, just finishing up lunch. What’s going on?” I’m sure I failed at hiding my apprehension when I spoke.
“There’s a situation over here at Lester Lapp’s farm. Can you come out?”
“What kind of situation?”
“Ah, look—I can’t talk now. Will you come?”
I hesitated. CJ was taking a bite of her cake while Elayne quietly told her about the history of Blood Rock’s name.
“Sure. I’ll be there soon.” I hung up.
“Are you leaving?” Elayne asked.
“It was Daniel. He wants me to meet him at Lester Lapp’s place.”
“Is there something wrong?” She looked worried.
“I have no idea. He didn’t say much at all—just that he needed me out there.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” She smacked her lips and frowned.
“I know.” I slipped my phone into my pocket. “Before I go, why don’t you continue your story about Blood Rock’s name?”
Elayne’s eyes brightened. “Mrs. Burgsley, the town historian, told me about it. She’s so ancient she might actually remember the fateful event.” She chuckled and winked. “The late 1700s were pretty rough around here. The settlers were having regular run-ins with the Indians and they lived in constant fear of raids and abductions. When some criminal-cowboy types decided to take matters into their own hands, shooting up an Indian family that was down by the river, the Indians were stirred into a blood lust. It all came to a head one Sunday morning. A group of settlers were having their Sunday service up on that hill above town. Their preacher was calling out the word of God while standing on a giant boulder when the arrow pierced his heart. It’s said the Indians killed twenty-six men, women and children on that day…and took scalps from them all.”
I had a strong sense of déjà vu, and a conversation I’d had with Todd about the town’s name flitted through my mind. I couldn’t help interrupting her. “There’s no giant boulder on that hill, and no documented proof about this massacre you’re talking about. It’s just an old wives’ tale.”
“Let her finish the story,” CJ implored.
I shrugged and Elayne went on, “Mrs. Burgsley told me the Indians piled the bodies on the rock as a warning to anyone else who had a mind to settle in the area. Of course, more people came and they couldn’t keep up with the flow of humanity. It was the Indians themselves that left, moving further west.”
“What about the rock?” I spoke up.
“Mrs. Burgsley said the locals thought the bloodstained boulder was a reminder of the Indian massacre, so to rid their growing town of the gruesome memory, they dynamited it. The rocks jutting out of the river just outside of town are the remnants of that boulder. And that’s where our lovely town got its name.” She sipped her iced tea and grinned wickedly.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that story and several more.” My gaze rested on CJ, who was holding her fork in front of her face. “There’s no proof that a giant rock even existed, let alone got blown up,” I tried to assure her.
“That’s awful,” CJ said.
“I think it’s fascinating,” Elayne drawled. “And so does the University of Indiana.” My brows rose and Elayne elaborated without me having to ask. “Haven’t you heard? They’re sending a team out to investigate the story—to find evidence and prove once and for all that there was an Indian massacre here.”
“Talk about the ultimate cold case.” My head throbbed at the mention of the word massacre. It hit way too close to home, striking images in my head of blood-soaked white roses. I gulped down the last of my cola and stood up. “I wish them luck on that.”
The sympathetic look Elayne gave me made my stomach churn in return. “What?”
“They arrive next week and Fred—” she glanced at CJ “—our mayor, wants you to escort them out to the place where it supposedly happened.”
“I’m not playing tour guide to a bunch of college students on a wild goose chase. He needs to get Mrs. Burgsley out there. She’s the woman they need to talk to.”
“Oh, she’ll be there, too.” Elayne couldn’t keep the grin off her face and I scowled back at her.
“Is Fred nuts? I have a lot on my plate right now.”
Elayne pretended to be focused on sipping her drink. I didn’t appreciate her enjoyment while I squirmed. I turned to CJ and handed her my car keys. “Why don’t you stop by the grocery store down the road and pick up anything you need to stock your refrigerator. I’ll meet you back at your new place later this afternoon.” When she looked confused, I added, “I’ll get my first deputy to drive me out there—it’s no big deal. I need to talk to him anyway.”
I spared only a moment more to say goodbye to Elayne and stop by Nancy’s register to square up with her. By the time I went through the doorway and sunshine hit my face, my insides were tied in knots.
Todd whistled and looked my way. I couldn’t see his eyes past his large shades, but the corners of his mouth were turned down.
“You’ve had some week, boss,” he said.
I turned my attention to the passing farmland without hardly seeing it. “It feels surreal, even for me, what happened in Lancaster. In all, six innocent people celebrating a wedding died for no reason at all.” I sniffed and lifted my own sunglasses to dab the corner of my eye. “I’d talked to the bride. She was a nice woman, and she was my age, which is pretty damn old for an Amish woman to be getting married.” I rubbed my hands over my jeans to wipe the sweat off my palms. “Besides the obvious, you know what really upsets me?”
For a change, Todd was at a loss for words. He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road.
“I’m suspicious that one of the reasons Miriam Coblenz never married was because she was in love with Brent Prowes. She wouldn’t leave her people to be with him, but she couldn’t bring herself to marry another, either.”
“And he ended up killing her and the others. That’s Shakespearian all the way,” Todd said.
“Daniel says the Amish in that community will forgive the killer—they’ll show grace and move on,” I said absently and then pointed at the next driveway. “This is it.”
Todd hit the brakes and turned in. “If it were my family or friends murdered, I wouldn’t be able to forgive so easily. Maybe it makes it a little better for them since you killed the shooter. Justice was served.”
“I don’t think it would make any difference to them. They’re a strange lot. In some ways they’re hardcore—shunning for instance. Daniel’s parents turned their backs on him for years because he chose to live what we’d consider a normal life. And yet they’d forgive a murderer. It makes little sense to me now, but perhaps someday I’ll understand.”
Daniel’s Jeep was parked beside a white van in the driveway beside the barn. A white-capped head caught my eye in the van, but I couldn’t tell who it was. Daniel and several Amish men stood in front of the barn, including Lester and Mervin Lapp and Bishop Esch. When I got out of the car, I recognized Seth Hershberger and Jerimiah Stoltzfus.
I found it difficult to breathe as I approached the group.
Jerimiah smiled when he saw me coming. “Sheriff, it’s good to see you. Things were awfully confusing the other day. I wanted to say more—” he chewed on his lower lip “—but I was too upset at the time.”
Seth stepped forward. “The same for me. I guess you could say we were still in shock about what had happened.”
“We wanted to thank you in person for what you did for our community. You saved us,” a woman’s voice spoke up behind me and I whirled around.
Louise Schwartz stood beside the van. Her face was puffy and red from crying. When our eyes met, a knot formed in my throat.
I was grateful for the sunglasses when Louise came forward and wrapped her arms around me. Tears were sliding down my face too.
I patted Louise’s back as she rocked against me with her soft sobs. I never could have imagined that I would form such an unfortunate bond with a girl who served me and the marshals our dinner at a restaurant.
She couldn’t be more than twenty years old and she’d witnessed friends and family gunned down right before her eyes. If anyone had a right to cry, it was this girl.
“It’s all right,” I murmured to her. “It’s over now.”
She pulled back, wiping her cheeks with a handkerchief she held in her hand. “They’re in heaven with our Lord Jesus…and at peace. I’m not crying for them.” She sniffed and swallowed a deep breath. “My tears are for you. They told me how you climbed up into the ceiling to come to our aid—how you risked your own life to save my people.”
There were hollowed out gourds hanging from a pole beside the house and purple martins flew in and out of the holes, busy with their nest building, a sure sign summer was here. As difficult as it was to fathom, life did go on for the living. We would never forget, but sunny days like this would brighten the dark memories of the wedding, burying them deeper in our minds.
“It’s my job to risk my life for others—it’s what I do,” I said.
She shook her head vigorously. “Don’t diminish your bravery. If it had been my time to go, then I would have accepted that. But I’m glad you were there and I was spared, along with my grandmother and so many others.”
I worked hard to keep my emotions in check. If I began crying, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stop any time soon. “I wish I could have saved the others—especially Miriam and her husband. It’s so tragic they were killed on their wedding day.”
Louise dipped her head. “They left this world as man and wife—and that’s how they greeted our Father.” She reached out and squeezed my shoulder.
“Our community wanted to do something special for you to show our gratitude,” Jerimiah broke in, rescuing me before I broke down in front of everyone.
I turned back to the man, shaking my head. “Your visit is more than enough—really.”
Jerimiah looked at Lester and then his eyes settled on Seth. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
A smile broke out on Seth’s face. “I’m fairly certain.” He squeezed in between the barn doors and disappeared.
I looked to Daniel for answers, but he only shrugged and grinned.
My heart was pounding uncomfortably hard when Seth reappeared. His back was to me and he was holding somethi
ng. I craned my neck to see what it was, and then I heard the little whimpering noise.
He pivoted, and in his arms was the same writhing ball of fluff that I’d held at the flea market a week earlier. My eyes bugged out and my head snapped between Daniel and Seth.
“What’s this?” I demanded.
“I think it’s a puppy.” Daniel took the squirming creature from Seth’s hands and closed the distance between us. When he stopped, the puppy looked up at me with one blue eye and the other brown. Its ears poked up as though it recognized me. “I think you know this little girl personally, don’t you.”
“Our bishop and ministers met last night and discussed you. I was there, and I suggested that this puppy might be the perfect gift to you from our community. I saw the light in your eyes when you held her before.”
I couldn’t have said a word if I’d tried. My vocal chords were frozen solid. I took the puppy from Daniel and nestled it against my neck, breathing in the wonderful smell of its fur.
It took me a minute of cuddling the pup to finally find my voice. I searched Daniel’s eyes. “Are you okay with having a dog? With my hectic schedule, a lot of the responsibility for her care will fall on you.”
“You kidding me? I’ve wanted a dog for years. She’s the perfect addition to our family.”
His words choked me up even more. I had to take a breath and focus on the sweet bundle in my hands. Our family. Could we really be a family someday? This little puppy gave me hope that it was a real possibility.
Todd peeked over my shoulder. “Aww, she’s precious. What are you going to call her?”
I looked up at Seth. “Does she have a name yet?”
He shook his head. “It’s up to her new owner to name her.”
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something original,” Bishop Esch chimed in, speaking for the first time.
When I looked at him, his mouth was turned up and he twirled his white beard between his fingers. I couldn’t help smiling back.
“Hope. Her name is Hope,” I said loudly.