Amish Country Secret

by Lenora Worth

Micah’s dark eyes gleamed with doubt. “You were going to marry this man and you had no idea he was running an illegal smuggling operation?”

  She sipped her tea and lowered her head, remembering how she’d taken off the huge diamond solitaire he’d given her on Valentine’s Day and left it on her dresser. “Not a clue. I worked all day with animals, some of which he brought me. I thought he was so sweet, always rescuing strays. Thought he had a big heart. But I was wrong. He used that to get to know me, to make me think he was a fine, upstanding citizen. He is cruel and uncaring and... I get shivers thinking about being his wife.”

  Micah’s harsh stare softened. “So you truly did not know he was operating illegal smuggling?”

  “No.” She sipped at her tea. “I work long hours and we mostly saw each other for dinner on the weekends. Sometimes we’d drive to the city and see a play. He never wanted to talk much about work. Everyone knew he’d inherited a big sum of money and he was good at investments—he talked about tech stocks and he always had some newfangled technical gadget to try out. That’s about all he’d told me when we first started dating and even after. I respected his need for privacy. Until the day I went down the wrong road.”

  Staring down into her tea, she said, “I was new in town and naive. He somehow managed to sweep me off my feet and he tried to mold me into someone I could never become.”

  “Now you believe he’s making money smuggling? What sort of things?”

  Samantha kept reliving what she’d witnessed. “Jewelry, fake designer purses, what looked like electronic equipment and...guns, rows and rows of guns of all kinds. Weapons, Micah. He’s dealing in selling illegal weapons.”

  “How did he find out you knew?”

  Samantha took a deep breath. “I jogged a lot on his property and he always cautioned me to stay on the main road since he had security there. One day I ran longer than I’d planned and came up to a gravel road. I’d never seen it before so I walked along there to cool down before I turned back. That’s when I found Patch wandering around. He was terrified so I offered him a granola bar I had in my pocket.” Twisting the tea bag’s paper label, she shook her head. “Patch kept barking and acting as though I should follow him. So I did. That’s when I stumbled on a huge building that looked like a place where someone might store heavy equipment.”

  “Did anyone see you?”

  “Not that day. There wasn’t anyone around so I peeked in a window. Most of the windows were covered in dark blinds. I saw a sliver of light in one. Then I saw the rows and rows of all kinds of stuff. When I saw the guns and electronics, I panicked and grabbed Patch and got away.

  “I almost went to Leon to ask him about that warehouse, but I got busy examining Patch and nurturing him. I sneaked back in the middle of the night and climbed up on an air-conditioner unit to peek in a window.”

  “What? You could have fallen or worse, been shot.”

  She stopped, gasped. “It wasn’t me they shot, Micah.” Closing her eyes, she gripped the end of her T-shirt. “They shot a man I know who lived in Winter Lake. Clyde was a homeless man who took on odd jobs. A sweet man, an Army veteran who’d suffered severe wounds. I heard them talking to him, then I saw them. They had him in a chair, interrogating him. I took pictures with my phone.”

  “They? How many?”

  “Three bodyguards and Leon,” she said on a low whisper. “Leon kept hitting him and then... Leon turned to one of the men and told him to take care of it.”

  Micah’s expression showed shock and anger. “They killed this man?”

  She nodded, unable to speak.

  “And you saw this happen?”

  “Yes.” Tears escaped her eyes and ran down to wet her shirt. “Yes, and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t move. I gasped and jumped down. My boot hit on the metal of the air-conditioner unit and one of them heard.”

  “So you got away and came here?”

  She bobbed her head. “I had to. And I had to bring Patch with me.” Lifting her eyes to Micah, she said, “Patch belonged to Clyde. That’s why Patch wanted me to go to the warehouse with him. He knew they had Clyde in there, but I didn’t see him the first time. They must have had him hidden.”

  She put her hand to her mouth and cried. “I could have saved Clyde. I was so shocked and confused, I went back for proof and now I’m an eyewitness to the murder of an innocent man. They know I have Patch, so they know it was me they saw running away that night.”

  She heaved a sob and shook her head. “I did call the Winter Lake police and I left because Leon controls the police department. He’s always hanging out with them. Now I’ve put your family in danger, so I need you to take me into town tomorrow so I can report these men to the authorities. I won’t let them hurt you or your family.”

  Micah leaned his hands on the table, his knuckles turning white. “We are way beyond that, don’t you think?”

  Samantha gave up on the tea. “I’m sorry, Micah. I’m sorry my car landed on your property. Rebecca told me what happened to your parents and I’m very sorry about the accident.”

  “No accident,” he said, a bitter edge to his voice. “They were killed by a drunken man in a souped-up car.”

  She saw the agony in his eyes. “I understand how you feel. It’s unimaginable.”

  He lowered his head. “Everyone tells me it’s Gott’s will, but sometimes I get so angry. I miss them. And I miss what could have been.”

  He had to be thinking of the woman who broke his heart.

  “You’re doing your best,” she said softly, hating the etched torment in his expression. Putting away her own woes, she said, “You have to put Emmie and Jed first, as you should. If you can get me to my gramma’s house, I can stay there. It’s smaller and I can keep watch.”

  “It’s also remote,” he retorted. “Isaac and Rebecca live about a half mile away.”

  “I’ll be okay,” she said. “Patch will protect me.”

  “Patch will bark. That doesn’t mean he’ll be able to stop someone from harming you...or taking you.”

  Samantha didn’t want to think about that. Did he care or was he being kind? “I can handle things now,” she insisted even while her pulse jumped with fear. “I’ll secure the house and make sure I stay alert.”

  “You’ll need food and sleep and other things you haven’t even considered. Not to mention, if any of the community thinks someone has broken into your grossmammi’s home, they’ll come searching and find you there.”

  “Don’t you want me away from your brother and sister?”

  He brushed at his hair and frowned, something she was getting used to. “Look, Samantha, I went back to check your car. Someone has searched it. I mean thoroughly searched in the glove compartment and underneath the seats. They definitely were looking for something. And I want to know what that something might be.”

  * * *

  Micah waited for her to continue, hoping she’d be honest with him. Drained and weary, he’d never dealt much with such goings-on. This went bigger and deeper than a few illegal items. Fake luxury items and real guns. A true modern smuggling ring headed up by the man she thought she loved.

  He didn’t have to live under a rock to know these people would be ruthless in silencing her.

  Samantha watched him as if he would shout at her or make more demands. Was she used to that from the man she’d almost married?

  When she did speak, her voice was hollow and quiet. “He’s sent people after me and they had to have been looking for anything I might have on them. They’d want to destroy my things and leave no trace of evidence or witnesses.”

  Micah let out a hissing breath. “So you think they want you dead?”

  She nodded and got up to go to the sink. “They’ll kill me in the same way they killed Clyde, once they’ve found out who I’ve told and what I’ve said. Which is why I can’t stay here.
These people are dangerous, Micah. I didn’t come to you by choice. I have a plan and I need to carry it through.”

  “If you called the authorities, how are they even still on the loose?”

  Fear brightened her eyes. “He’s got people everywhere. Somehow, even if he’s in jail he’d have them out looking for me. So I can’t tell what I saw, so I’ll never be able to testify.”

  “Then you need to keep hiding.”

  “Not here, not with you and Emmie and Jed. It’s too dangerous.” She stared at him, her gaze holding him. “You don’t want me here. I can tell that.”

  “I only want to be prepared,” he said, feeling contrite about being snappish. “I’ve been the sole adult figure for Jed and Emmie. Since our parents died, I’ve always put their needs first.”

  “I can see that,” she replied before washing her teacup and turning back to him. “I certainly understand. My mother was Amish, but she left as soon as she was eighteen and married an English man—my father.”

  He stood and moved toward her, his hands at his side. “Is that why you came back here to live with Martha?”

  Samantha lowered her head and stared at her sneakers. “I had to come here. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. My mother became ill and my father was dead. His parents stopped speaking to him after he married my mother. I never knew that side of my family.”

  Micah didn’t press her for details. “I wish your grossmammi was here to help you through this.”

  Her head came up and she gave him a glimpse of the turmoil she must be going through. “I’m glad she’s away from all of this. She suffered enough dealing with my mother.”

  “Is your mamm—?”

  “She’s well now and remarried. My father died when I was still young and she had a hard time with her grief. Thankfully, she’s better now. Much better.”

  Micah’s heart shifted after hearing about Samantha’s parents. She’d been through so much. So she must know how he was feeling right about now.

  “What can I do, Samantha? You swept in here and changed my day, but it’s not in me to send you away when you’re in danger.”

  “I can see that,” she said. “You’ll do the right thing even when it goes against what you really want to do.”

  He gave her a weak smile. “Isn’t that what we’re taught?” He put his hands on his hips, his frown full of confusion. “I saw the truck—the one that tried to run you off the road. From what I could tell, they both got out. I also saw bloody fingerprints inside the truck.”

  Samantha guessed what that meant. “They’re hiding out somewhere until they can sneak away.”

  “That, or until they can come after you again,” he replied.

  Her gaze held his, her eyes full of wonder and concern. “Then do what needs to be done. Get me to my gramma’s house and I’ll take it from there.”

  They stood there staring each other down until finally Micah blinked, his whole being suddenly tied and tangled in this woman who’d fallen out of the sky into his yard.

  “Let’s get some sleep,” he said. “We’ll decide what to do in the morning. It’s too dangerous to leave now anyway.”

  He went upstairs and left her standing there, but he felt horrible and turned and came back downstairs.

  “Is there anything else you need?” he asked, taking time to study her features. She looked as drained as he felt, yet she held her head high.

  “No,” she said, moving toward the downstairs bedroom, exhaustion cloaking her. Her shoulders slumped, her head down. “I have clothes and toiletries. I’ll be fine.”

  “Finish telling me,” he said. “What would these people be looking for?”

  “Evidence, as I said earlier,” she replied, weariness making the one word harsh. “I have pictures and I have Patch. They know I’m the one who reported them and he’ll keep coming after me because I’ve turned on him and betrayed him.”

  “I thought he loved you.”

  “And he thought I loved him. Now that’s all over, and trust me, Leon Stanton is the kind of man who doesn’t take betrayal very well.”

  Micah accepted that for now. “Go on to bed. I’ll check the doors and windows again. Make sure you lock your bedroom door.”

  “Thank you,” she said, her gaze holding his. “You saved my life.”

  “Well, I intend to keep doing that,” he admitted. “Gott had a reason to bring you to us, Samantha. And I have my reasons for wanting to keep you safe.”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do?” she asked as she held the doorknob to her room.

  He held off on answering because so many conflicting thoughts moved through his head. “Yes, and because you seem like a gut person. Patch likes you, anyway.”

  “Patch is a little hero. He led me right to the truth that I couldn’t see.” She smiled at that admission and went in the room and shut the door, the click of the lock echoing throughout the house.

  After she’d left the living room, Micah stood in the shadows and listened, wondering if he should take his gun upstairs with him, just in case.

  SEVEN

  The next morning Samantha dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt, wishing she had brought more suitable clothes. She did put her hair up in a messy bun so she’d look a little more presentable, as presentable as she could be after not sleeping at all. Every creak and pop of this old house had set her teeth on edge. She heard imagined sounds, thinking footsteps were pounding toward her. Why did she feel as if someone was standing near the bedroom window in the middle of the night?

  Putting that image out of her mind, she mustered up her courage and went into the kitchen to see if she could help. Micah rushed around making toast and eggs, and Patch followed his every footstep. Micah’s hair was mussed and he looked like he hadn’t slept much either.

  When she glanced over at the fabric-covered couch and saw a pillow and blanket, she realized Micah had slept down here.

  That gesture touched her heart and told her he was a good man who would do what he had to do.

  She would follow suit and get to the authorities as soon as possible.

  “Good morning,” Samantha said. Patch immediately ran to her, yelping and lunging up on his hind legs. “I had food for Patch in the car. Did you find it?”

  “Morning.” Micah kept right on with scrambling eggs. “In the mudroom with his food bowl and water dish.”

  The twins came running down the stairs, startling Samantha even though she could hear them thundering.

  “Slow down,” Micah said, admonishing them with one of his frowns. “Eat, then go and do your chores. I’ll be helping you today.”

  He sent Samantha a glance on that comment. He’d be too concerned to let the children roam freely right now.

  “Can Patch come?” Emmie asked, grabbing toast.

  “He needs to eat and yes, he’ll need an outside break,” Samantha explained. She hurried to the mudroom and found Patch’s dog food. And she also found something else.

  The side window had been pried open.

  “Micah?” she called, trying to keep her voice steady.

  He came across the house and glanced into the small, square room. “What?”

  She motioned toward the tiny window near a storage shelf, showing him the chipped paint and splintered wood. The window had been opened about an inch. She felt the warm wind on her skin, but she also felt the fingers of fear creeping down her spine.

  Turning to the twins, he called, “Go ahead and eat while I help Samantha feed Patch.”

  He went to the mudroom door. “Did you hear anything last night?”

  She stared at the damaged window. “I thought I heard things all night. I can’t be sure.” Ignoring the shiver snaking through her nerves, she said, “I wouldn’t be here right now if they’d managed to get in.” Giving him an appreciative glance, she asked, “How abo
ut you? Did you sleep in the living room last night?”

  He looked sheepish, the frown again on his tense face. “I couldn’t sleep so I came down here. I must have checked the doors five times and some of the windows, too.” Shrugging, he said, “I never figured anyone would try to break in this tiny window.”

  “I can’t see how those men could get in. Maybe they peeked in.” Studying the window, she added, “Why would they do that?”

  He let out a breath. “I came in here this morning and put on my muck boots to go tend the animals. Never even glanced toward that window.”

  Samantha could understand that. It would have been near dawn when he came in and he probably didn’t even turn on a light. The damaged window glared at them now with a sinister gawk. “They didn’t make it inside. It is a small window, thankfully.”

  “They might have been about to enter when they heard us upstairs earlier. The twins sound like a herd of cattle at times.”

  “Patch didn’t bark.”

  “He was exhausted and could have snoozed right through it if it didn’t wake you being so close. He got busy chasing the kinder until he smelled breakfast.”

  Patch yelped a soft reminder that he needed breakfast, too.

  Samantha absently fed the impatient dog, then studied the window. “Something scared them off, that’s for sure. I’m glad of that.”

  Micah’s gaze swept the room. “Well, it’s gut that they didn’t get in. Or did they? Have you checked your things?”

  Samantha moved across the hall into the bedroom. She pulled open the armoire where she’d stored her purse and tote bag. Everything looked in place, but the thought of someone creeping around while she slept sent her mind reeling with apprehension. Tugging at her purse, she checked for her phone. Still there, along with her laptop. If they’d come in and found this, she’d be dead by now.

  She saw she’d had several messages from Dorothea. Listening, she heard the panic in her assistant’s voice.

  “A warehouse on Leon’s property was raided and some men were arrested. He’s wanted for questioning but can’t be found. Samantha, what’s going on? Call me, please.”