“I’m sorry, Eli. I know this must be difficult for you, but I need to ask you a couple more questions.” He looked back at me resignedly and I plowed on, “Were you and Naomi planning to marry?”
“We had been talking about marrying in the springtime. I’d told my parents, but I don’t think she’d told hers yet.”
“How long had the two of you been together?” I asked, watching the shift of his eyes for lies, but so far, he seemed to be telling the truth. Or, he was a very well trained liar.
“Guess we’d been courting about six weeks when Naomi and I got in trouble with the Church. We quit each other during our punishment,” he said, his voice gaining some hardness.
Daniel, anticipating my question, said, “He means they broke up. That’s what the Amish kids call it—quitting each other.”
“Why did you break up with Naomi?” I asked softly, knowing I was treading in painful territory, but I still wasn’t expecting his reaction.
Eli said loudly, “She done quit me. Not the other way around. But I was so angry ‘bout it that I let everyone think it was me who didn’t want her no longer.”
Dread was beginning to wash over me when I asked, “Eli, why did she quit you?”
Without hesitation, he said, “For an English guy. Naomi was seeing one of the English drivers behind my back. What the others were gossiping about was true.”
The sadness that Eli had exhibited earlier had disappeared, to be replaced with simmering anger that I could see just beneath his cool demeanor, waiting to ignite. I suddenly felt the prickling of concern that this boy had the motive and the anger to do his ex-girlfriend in, especially, since she did the unthinkable by dumping him for an English boy.
Watching his face very carefully, I said, “When did you see her last?”
“Why, I saw her the same day she died.”
“Where?” I asked, expecting him to tell me that he’d seen her at some Amish event.
“In the cornfield—I saw Naomi while she was running away in the cornfield,” Eli said, sending me into a tailspin.
16
NAOMI
October 1st
Naomi sat across from Bishop Esch as he read from the Bible, hardly hearing anything the man said. She’d been tortured in this way for the past two hours and she inwardly prayed that the bishop would run out of air and just be done with it.
The last week had been nearly impossible for Naomi. She thought about Will morning, noon, and night. And, after their time together in his room, the few minutes that she was able to hold his hand and whisper a few loving words in the afternoons were not nearly enough for her. How was she ever going to live with Will being so close, yet so unbearably far away?
“Naomi! Focus, girl, and stop drifting away with the autumn leaves outside the windows,” Bishop Esch said angrily. He closed his Bible with a thump.
Naomi met his stare defiantly, although her voice was contrite, “Sorry.”
“That’s the problem, young lady, you aren’t really sorry in the slightest way. You have rebellion in your heart. I’ve seen it before, and I know it now.” He leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table, telling her that he wasn’t through with her yet. “It has been brought to my attention that you’ve been flirting with your prettiness to the boys in the community… and outside of it. What do you say to that?”
Naomi knew who’d brought it to his attention—Lydia. The reckoning might have finally arrived.
“I have done no such thing. Some people might be jealous, spreading rumors to be vicious,” Naomi offered.
The bishop flattened his beard with his hand and said, “Don’t you wonder at the reason that you don’t get along with the other girls? Maybe it’s your own fault that jealousy is upon you.”
Naomi glanced over at James Hooley. His head was tilted back, his mouth gaping into the air. The sound of his heavy breathing could be heard clearly from across the table, and she hated him for it. She hated both of the men for making her suffer these lectures daily after she’d already worked an eight hour shift at the butcher shop, with still several hours to go of being bossed around by Mamma after all that. Why won’t they all just leave me alone? Naomi screamed in her mind.
“You should think on what we’ve talked about. We’ll meet here again on Wednesday,” the bishop said, finally giving up—at least for now, his eyes said.
His dismissal had her up and out the door in a heartbeat. The cooler air was welcome and she left her coat unbuttoned. It took just a minute for Naomi to untie Cisco from the hitching rail, and climb into the buggy.
She snapped the reins and sent the bay gelding trotting onto the road, leaving the black canvas door open. The feeling of oldness that had covered her while she’d sat in the schoolhouse across from the grumpy men was washed away with the sudden rush of air.
The hours spent listening to the droning sound of the bishop’s voice as he’d read from the Bible and lectured her about her rebellious ways, had done nothing but make Naomi more withdrawn. Rarely did she engage the bishop in conversation, instead, only choosing to speak when she was asked a direct question. Every time she gazed into his steely gray eyes, she remembered him standing before the congregation with his arms spread wide and reciting her many sins to the entire congregation. While he’d announced her punishment, she’d sat on a bench beside him facing the crowd. The faces of her family, neighbors and friends were a blur before her, and even now she couldn’t recall any of them, except for little Emma. The child had been staring at her with total unconditional love and maybe that’s why Naomi had seen her face.
Following the service, she’d driven home with her family, but they acted cool toward her, speaking only when necessary. After a few days, she became accustomed to taking her meals before the others at the table alone. That part of the punishment wasn’t too difficult for her to handle. It suited her just fine to have the quiet time. Even though her father and siblings treated her silently, Mamma still found her tongue when she needed something done or just wanted to be mean to her. Naomi did feel sorry for the littlest ones though. Nathan, Emma, and Beth didn’t understand why their older sister was being treated so differently. When Emma was forbidden to join Naomi at the table the night before, the little girl had cried for an hour, until she’d finally climbed onto the sofa completely exhausted and fell asleep without eating her supper at all.
Arriving at the steep hill on Mulberry Road, Naomi slowed Cisco to a walk. She hated that particular intersection, already feeling the queasy nerves spreading through her. Even with a strong horse like Cisco, it was difficult to stay stopped on the hill for long, and then get the momentum up again to make it safely across the busier road crossing.
Naomi listened carefully, fanning her head back and forth. Cisco took a step back, pushing the buggy backwards with his movement. Her vision was limited with the deep bend in the road, but hearing no oncoming traffic she flicked the reins, and clucked the horse forward. They were nearly across when the small white car came out of nowhere, flying down the roadway toward them. Naomi’s heart froze, but her hands worked, flapping the reins harder to urge Cisco on. The car shot out around them, a slew of obscenities coming from the open driver’s side window.
She almost had an opportunity to breathe when the horn of the car blared after it was past, the sound sending Cisco into a rear within his harness. The horse was usually dependable, but occasionally something would set him off. And nearly being hit by a car and topped off with the loud noise of the horn had done him in. Naomi could see the white of his left eye as he turned in the harness and rose into the air again, this time falling backwards into the buggy.
Somehow, Naomi’s legs got moving and she leaped from the buggy, landing in the ditch with a rough roll. She wasn’t safe yet though. Cisco, being a large horse, could do a lot of damage when a fit came upon him. He was scaring himself now, the buggy being the enemy, and he lurched forward to escape it. But he’d broken one of the shafts when he’d fallen backward
s and now the buggy dragged behind him scaring him even more. The horse and buggy came down together in a blur, crashing into the ditch. Naomi didn’t have time to think—only react. She curled into a ball, fearing that death was upon her. But a guardian angel must have been protecting her. Cisco missed her by mere inches and she was able to scoot away in the tall, dry grass while he thrashed and kicked the buggy to shreds.
It only lasted a few seconds more before Cisco was free and standing beside the wreckage that he’d created. Sweat covered his quivering body and several long, bloody gashes stretched down his hindquarters and legs, but otherwise, he seemed all right.
Gathering her wobbly legs beneath her, Naomi stood and tried to calm her pounding heart as she made her way to the horse, grabbing the reins, which were still attached. With nothing else to do, she began leading the trembling horse home.
She had about two miles to go and Naomi silently fumed, thinking how stupid it was that she couldn’t drive a car, instead having to rely on a flighty horse to get her around. She worried what Dat and Mamma would say about the wrecked buggy too. They would surely be furious with her, not even thinking twice that she could have been killed or that it wasn’t her fault. There’d been several accidents in the community over the recent years between buggies and cars and she’d been luckier than the rest who had been involved. At least she didn’t have to go to the hospital.
The cool air now felt warm with her exertion and Naomi took her coat off and tied the arms of it around her slim hips. Seeing the farm on the right come into view, she sped up, wanting to get by it in a hurry.
The last thing that she needed was to be noticed here.
Her luck seemed to have run out when she’d cheated death and wasn’t crushed by the horse. With a heavy sigh and a roll of her eyes, she waited as Eli ran down the hill full tilt to the road. By the time he reached her, he was panting. He skidded to a stop and grabbed the reins from Naomi with one hand, and used his other hand to brace her body.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Eli shouted in between breaths.
Naomi was angry with the world and wasn’t too kind to Eli. “I’m fine. You shouldn’t be near me, Eli. You’re breaking the rules. Better wait a few weeks to call me and then you can ask how I’m doing.”
Eli’s gaze narrowed and he said, “Don’t be silly. This is different.” He began looking Cisco over, trying to put distance between himself and her bad mood.
When he was satisfied that the horse wasn’t about to fall over and die, he asked again, with a softer voice, “What happened?”
“Cisco got spooked when a car almost ran over us. He went crazy and kicked the buggy apart. It’s in the ditch near Mulberry Road,” Naomi pointed back the way she’d come.
“Come on up to the house. I’ll get my buggy hitched and take you home,” Eli said firmly.
Naomi didn’t like his bossiness, and after what she’d done with Will, she certainly didn’t want to be trapped in a buggy with Eli and her guilt. Her emotions were frayed and she took it out on Eli.
“I’m fine, really. I’ll walk the horse home.” Naomi began to tug Cisco into motion, but Eli’s strong arm held the reins, pulling them back from her. “Let go,” she shouted.
“What has gotten into you? Just be reasonable, let me help you.” Eli’s voice was pleading now, but she ignored the sound of it.
“Yeah, like I should have been reasonable and admitted my guilt to Bishop Esch too, huh? Just the way you did—lie down and give up. I’m tired of it. And, you know what?” Eli’s face paled with the onslaught, and he took a step back. “I don’t think we’re good for each other anymore. You can go and find yourself a goody, goody girl who won’t disappoint you.”
Naomi gave a greater tug, and finally freed the reins from Eli’s hands. He seemed to have lost the desire to fight with her harsh words. She watched him turn and walk quickly up his driveway without a backward glance. She wasn’t sure how she felt watching Eli walk away, but with the sun dipping down low in the sky, she knew she’d better get going if she wanted to make it home by nightfall.
Naomi was sure that if she changed her mind, Eli would have her back. But, at that moment, she didn’t think there was a chance of that happening. She was already making plans for a very different life.
She’d show Eli—she’d show them all.
17
DANIEL
November 15
When the words were out of Eli’s mouth, I turned to look back at him, wondering if the kid had any idea of what he’d just done to himself. Serenity was almost completely backwards now, her mouth dropped open.
She regained her composure quickly and said, “Were you following her, Eli?”
He shook his head. “No. I’d planned to talk to her that night about us getting back together since her shunning was up. I figured she’d be at the ball game. When she didn’t show up, I went to her house and she wasn’t there either. She’s been acting so temperamental lately that I was worried about her. I thought she might go to the cornfield to hide, like she always did, so that’s where I went to look for her.”
His voice sounded true and I was already guessing why the cornfield when Serenity, who still had no clue, asked him, “Why on earth would you look in a cornfield for your former girlfriend?”
Eli’s cheeks turned a deep red and he looked out the window. When he finally turned back, he stared at me and not Serenity. I felt sorry for the kid, but I really couldn’t help him on this one.
“Well?” Serenity pushed, losing any patience that she might have had left.
“It was the place that Naomi and I went to be alone. You know…” Eli trailed off, and I watched as understanding graced Serenity’s face.
Maybe for the first time in her life, Serenity was at a loss for words, so I jumped in and continued the questioning before Eli got tired of us and left the Jeep.
“What did she say to you, Eli? What happened when you found Naomi out in the corn that night?” I asked.
“We argued. She told me she was running away to be with the English driver named Will. She said she was sick of the community and a bunch of other stuff.” He was losing interest in the conversation and I worried that Eli was ready to bolt.
Serenity’s voice came out strained and she said, “Was she alive when you left her?”
The change in the young man’s face was quick. His eyes widened and his mouth opened wide. “Why, of course she was alive. You don’t think that I shot her, do you? I loved Naomi. I never would have hurt her.”
I believed him. But, Serenity must not have, because when Eli flung the door open and stepped out of the Jeep, she was faster than him and met him as he stood up. By that time, several of the boys had gathered in front of the welding building, along with Nathaniel Schrock, the owner of the business.
Serenity pressed her hand into Eli’s chest and informed him that he was being brought in for his failure to disclose information linked to a questionable death or words to that effect. She efficiently had the cuffs on the boy as she told him his rights in a few heartbeats.
The rain had turned from a misty sprinkle into a proper down pour. Through the loud droning of the rain pelting down, Eli cried out that he was innocent and how he’d never hurt Naomi.
When Nathaniel came to me with a face full of distress and questions, I tried to speak to the man and calm his worries, but before I could say much, Serenity called me back to the SUV.
“Look, Daniel, we’re taking him to the station. Now, you can help me get him in the Jeep and make this easier or I’ll stand out here in the rain with him until Todd arrives. Which will it be?”
I didn’t think Eli Bender shot Naomi, but Serenity needed my help and that was my priority. I stepped forward and placed a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “Listen, everything is going to be all right. But you have to come into town with us. Fighting is only going to make things worse.”
Eli said, “Nathaniel, will you call my folks and let them know what’s happening?” r />
“Of course, Eli, stay strong. The Lord is with you,” Nathaniel said. He turned and ran into his shop to make the call.
Serenity had the door open and Eli in the back seat a second later. She climbed in next to him and I ran around the Jeep and jumped in.
It seemed like the drive to the little police station in Blood Rock was the longest of my life and not just because I was chilled from being soaked in the rain. I continued to glance in the rearview mirror at Eli, who was hunched in the corner, staring out of the window. Serenity never took her eyes off of him and her hand was poised on her holster. The quaint investigation had turned suddenly ugly and I didn’t like the feel of it one bit.
Todd met us in the parking lot when we pulled in. He disappeared with Serenity and Eli for about an hour before I saw them again. I waited in the uncomfortable chair in front of the dispatcher’s desk with a million thoughts racing through my head. I needed to talk to Serenity and I’d wait for her, even if it took all night.
When Serenity finally came around the corner and saw me, her eyes widened in surprise, but only briefly. She motioned for me to follow her down the hall, which I did. When we were both in her small, gray hued office, she closed the door and turned to face me.
“Thanks for all your help. I’m sorry that you had to be there for that. I thought if I waited, the Amish people would have spirited him off to some hidden community that he would’ve blended into easily and we’d never have found him.”
“Do you really believe that he shot Naomi—really?” I said, reaching out to catch her arm.
She looked down at my hand and squinted. I let go. The brief contact with her skin had distracted me, almost making me lose the energy to argue.
She took a deep breath and said, “He has the motive. He was with her right before she died. And his community went to extreme lengths to keep his relationship with Naomi a secret. That’s enough evidence to hold him for more questioning, especially with his failure to bring pertinent information to our attention about the crime.”