Secrets in the Grave

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  “And what are you two up to?” I directed the question at Eli, but Jenny answered.

  “I was taking Eli to the crew he works with when we passed by some neighbors on the road. They told us what happened and I thought we’d stop in to see if there was anything we could do to help. Now that we know they’re already on their way to the hospital, there’s no need for us to intrude.” Jenny smiled brightly, shifting the car’s gear stick.

  Her sudden desire to be away made me raise my hand. “Hold on a minute.” I gazed at Eli. “I didn’t get to talk to you the other night. I have a question for you.”

  Eli snorted.

  “Do you know Hannah Kuhns?” Eli’s body stiffened. It was as if I’d brought up Naomi.

  He recovered quickly. “Of course I do. She lives in our community. We all know each other to some extent.”

  “She’s the same age as you, isn’t she?” I didn’t miss a beat.

  “I think so. What does it matter?” Eli asked, his lips twisting. His blue eyes squinted into the sun light.

  The kid still had one hell of a chip on his shoulder.

  I leaned in further. Eli held his ground. I dropped my voice and ignored Jenny’s gaping mouth. “I’m only going to ask you this one time, Eli. I really hope that you learned from Naomi’s case how important it is to be fully honest with the authorities.” He lifted his eyes, waiting. “Are you courting, hoping to court or involved with Hannah Kuhns in any way, shape or form?”

  Eli’s shoulders slumped and his mouth opened. My breathing slowed with anticipation.

  Just as Eli was about to speak, Jenny out maneuvered him. “Is this formal questioning, Sheriff? Because it doesn’t seem proper if it is.”

  My gaze shot to Jenny. I removed my sunglasses, narrowing my eyes at her. I took a measured breath, reining in the explosion of anger at the sight of the woman’s feigned ignorance.

  “It was simply a question. And if Eli answers it honestly, there won’t be any need for anything more formal,” I said, returning my gaze to Eli.

  “Nope. She’s just another girl around here,” Eli said, staring straight ahead.

  I noticed the lift at the side of Jenny’s mouth.

  Pulling my notebook out, I walked to the back of the car and wrote the license plate number down.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Jenny called, leaning out the window.

  “You have a tail light out. I’m mailing you a citation when I get back to my office. Be on the lookout for it.”

  “You can’t do that!” Jenny shouted.

  “Actually, I can.” I flipped the notebook shut.

  Jenny’s mouth rounded into an O, but she didn’t say anything else. Eli didn’t make eye contact with me as the car backed up and rolled back down the driveway.

  Falling into line right behind the car was the Peachey’s buggy. Verna’s hand shot out the small, square window at Mervin. He waved back, smiling.

  A moment later, Mervin was trotting down the driveway on his horse.

  I rested my hands on my hips, staring at the various modes of transportation departing from the Stoltzfus’ farm. This was one of those times when I actually stopped to think how odd it was.

  “What’s going on in your head?” Daniel’s voice cut though my thoughts.

  “Eli just lied to me. I’d bet money that he has something going on with Hannah Kuhns and that’s why he had a falling out with Arlo Thomas. Only a girl makes young men act so unreasonable,” I said, sighing.

  “What does it matter who he’s sweet on? I don’t see the connection,” Daniel said.

  I glanced up at his tall frame. He was frowning, which wasn’t unusual, but the set of his jaw and the tightness around his eyes told me that he had things other than Eli Bender on his mind. I looked away. I was the reason he was so stressed. I should have bought the damn test and gotten it over with. I owed it to the man to at least give him an answer. He’d always been good to me. More than good, actually.

  But this wasn’t the time to get into that. I flushed the line of thought away and listened to the retreating clip clops of the horse on the pavement. I couldn’t say much about Hannah. Seeing her buy a pregnancy test seemed too personal to mention. Even if it wasn’t, I wasn’t sure if it played into Fannie’s situation. Either way, it made me extremely uncomfortable that two young women in the same Amish household became pregnant without a marriage or official courtship. The odds were stacked heavily against something like that. I’d learned a long time ago that when things appeared off, they usually were.

  “I have my reasons,” I said. “Have you already made plans with Elayne for dinner tonight?”

  Daniel growled. “That’s not fair. I spent time with her last night to help you with the investigation. That’s it.” He looked at me sternly. “Don’t make something out of nothing.” He took a breath and when he continued, his tone was softer. “I was hoping you’d join me. I’d be happy to grill steaks at the house or we could check out the new Italian restaurant on Main Street. It’s your choice.”

  I fought the smile that threatened to erupt on my lips. To have a quiet evening was a novelty. Fannie’s pale form lying on the examining table flashed before my eyes. I still didn’t want to let it go. I might never be able to figure out what happened to Jonas’ wife, Robyn, but Fannie’s death was fresh enough that I could discover the truth.

  Jonas was creepy, but he’d proven to be helpful in a strange, supernatural kind of way. Ada Mae was one of the few Amish women I’d met who was confident enough to take action into her own hands to save lives. They’d saved a couple of girls, making them valuable members of this community.

  Maybe Fannie had tried to abort her own pregnancy by mixing ingredients together, not fully understanding the risks. I rubbed the side of my temple, pushing at the throbbing that was beginning to grow.

  “Let’s just eat in. I’m not in the mood for being out in public tonight.”

  “Sounds wonderful.” Daniel smiled, taking my hand as he walked me to my car.

  “Wait!” I looked over my shoulder. Anna Bachman scuttled down the hill towards us. We stopped and waited for her.

  “I’ll give you a ride to the hospital if you want,” Daniel offered his mother.

  “Oh, that would be very welcome,” she said. The apron she’d been wearing that her granddaughter had thrown up in was gone. “I wanted to get cleaned up,” she said.

  Daniel bent down and kissed me on the lips in front of his mother. I stood stiffly beneath him at the abrupt action. Anna’s eyes widened, but she didn’t comment.

  “What time are you coming over?” Daniel asked.

  “It won’t be too long. I have some matters to wrap up at the office,” I said.

  Anna spoke up. “Once again, I find myself in your debt, Sheriff.” I shook my head, beginning to interrupt her when she stopped me with a raised hand. “If you hadn’t gone to get Jonas and Ada Mae, bringing them back so quickly, those precious children would be with the Lord.”

  I swallowed and glanced away, heat warming my cheeks. Bishop Esch stood quietly to the side. Our eyes met. I got the feeling he wanted to talk to me.

  “I’m just glad I was here to help,” I told Anna.

  “You look a little tired yourself. Try to get some rest,” Anna said, before she turned away heading towards Daniel’s Jeep. He smiled at me and joined his mother.

  When I was alone with the bishop, he said, “What are your thoughts?”

  I looked at the older man, more confused than ever.

  “Fannie’s death wasn’t completely natural. The official report won’t be out for a few days, but it’s safe to say that she ingested a combination of ingredients that either caused her to bleed to death or exacerbated the event.”

  “What about Wilma Gingerich? Did she have anything new to add regarding my sister’s death?” He asked the question slowly.

  The breeze warmed as more of the clouds pushed to the east. I held my face into the soft wind and recalled my visit wit
h Wilma. Even with the rise in temperature, I shivered.

  “Nothing that can be used to indicate foul play. I looked over Robyn’s medical records from when she was admitted to the hospital and the autopsy report. Everything points to natural death from childbirth complications.”

  The bishop nodded. He shifted on his feet to leave when he paused. His expression was guarded, thoughtful even. “I consider myself to be an honest and open minded man. I try to see the good in people, over the bad, always hoping that others are living same God fearing life that I am. I must admit, my sister’s death has hounded me for a decade. I can’t put my finger on it, something is not right to me.” He shrugged. “Perhaps it’s because Jonas’ own mother perished in childbirth when Jonas and Ada Mae were teenagers.”

  “Did both the mother and baby die?”

  “Yes, it was Violet Peachey’s ninth child. The pregnancy was hard on her. It was a high risk for a woman of her age and fragile state to have another. A mistake that they all regretted later on,” Bishop Esch said.

  “Did she die in the home?” I asked, holding my breath.

  “Why yes. It was Jonas and Ada Mae who cared for her. Their skills weren’t enough to save their own mother.”

  “That is odd,” I muttered.

  “Yes, it is,” the bishop said. He stared at me and then walked away.

  I felt the thrumming of my heart as I imagined Jonas seeing both his mother and wife die in the birthing bed.

  What were the chances of them both being natural deaths? I didn’t like the direction my mind was going.

  I glanced at the sun’s low position in the western sky and made a quick decision.

  I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the evening with Daniel or work up the nerve to go back to the drug store to buy a pregnancy test until I visited one more person today.

  I only hoped she’d talk to me.

  20

  SERENITY

  I brought the tea cup to my mouth pretending to sip it. When I glanced over the rim, Hannah was fidgeting with her fingers in her lap, not touching her own cup.

  Damn, I’m getting way too paranoid. I set my cup on the small table beside my chair. For once, I’d gotten a break. Irene Kuhns was in town, signing the release papers for Fannie’s body. The burial was planned for the following afternoon. The Amish didn’t waste time getting their dead into the ground.

  “I’m sorry to ask you questions during such a difficult time.” I searched Hannah’s face, which was pale and tired. “Were you and Fannie close?”

  Hannah sniffed, looking away. When she faced me again, her eyes had a slightly hard edge that took me by surprise. “This probably sounds awful, but no. We weren’t close at all. She always bossed me around, making me do her chores. She was kind of lazy that way.” Hannah blew out a long breath. “I feel terrible even thinking ill thoughts about her now after what’s happened.”

  I studied Hannah’s face. She was prettier than her sister. Her hair had a reddish tint and her large, hazel eyes were speckled with brown dots. Her nose was small and straight and her cheekbones high enough to be slightly exotic for an Amish girl. I could see Arlo Thomas going after her, and Eli Bender, too.

  “It’s not your fault. Sometimes, siblings don’t get along. It happens.” I tapped my finger on the table, debating how to proceed. She was eighteen, not a girl, but without any makeup and with the primly white cap, she seemed younger. “When did you find out about your sister’s pregnancy?”

  Hannah swallowed and her face reddened, but she didn’t look away. “She’d been throwing up in the mornings and her belly was growing plumper. She never told me, but I suspected. Then when she began drinking the peppermint tea that Ada Mae brought her, I knew it for sure.” She tilted her head, smirking, showing me how clever she thought she was. “All the pregnant women drink it to soothe their bellies.”

  “Did you notice your sister drinking any other kind of tea—perhaps something Jonas brought her?” I chanced.

  Hannah scrunched up her mouth. “None that I can recall. Mr. Peachey stopped by with herbs for Momma each week. He would talk to Fannie, show attention to her.” Hannah rolled her eyes. “That made Fannie’s head get all big.”

  “Oh, really—why’s that?”

  Hannah shrugged. “Jonas Peachey is old, but he’s a good looking man. He’s still of marrying age.” She glanced around, wide-eyed. Even though we were alone in the nearly dark house, she still feared being overheard. Only one lantern light glowed from above the kitchen table in the adjoining room. The darkness made me uncomfortable, but didn’t seem to bother Hannah. “I think Fannie was a little sweet on him.”

  Interesting. I filed the information away.

  “Was your sister secretly seeing someone?” I lifted my shoulders apologetically. “I mean, we all know she was pregnant.”

  Hannah’s face scrunched as if pained. From experience, I didn’t think she was attempting to come up with a lie. The young woman seemed honest to a fault.

  “I wondered that myself, but she never told me if she was seeing someone.” She shrugged. “It’s not unusual for secret courtships to go on. It’s hard for us. Once we commit to courting, it’s kind of a done deal. Sometimes teens will explore their possibilities in secret before announcing a firm courtship. It can save a lot of trouble later on.”

  I nodded slowly, understanding.

  “What about you? Has someone caught your eye?” I ventured.

  Hannah smiled, blushed, and then frowned. The passing of emotions over her face was startling to witness.

  Her voice lowered to a whisper. “There’s a boy I fancy a lot. But I think I messed it up.”

  A lump formed in my throat and my heart went out to the young woman sitting in front of me.

  “Nothing is ever as bad as it seems,” I offered.

  “Oh, this is. I’ve ruined my life.” Her eyes teared up. She pulled her apron up to dab at them.

  I could feel her desperation. I reached over and grasped her hand. “Don’t say that. There’s always hope.”

  Hannah’s wet eyes met mine and her tears began to fall. She stood up, jerking her hand away.

  “All my hope is gone!” she cried, fleeing the room, her footsteps striking the wooden steps of the staircase.

  I leaned back, exhaling.

  Counseling wasn’t my strong suit, but the girl needed help. I was going to get it for her before some kind of harm befell her, either from outside forces or from herself. The problem was, how to go about it? She was Amish. There was almost no way to get her the help she needed without the entire community finding out—including Eli.

  I ran my hand through my hair, tugging on my ponytail. What a rotten turn of events for Hannah.

  I would tell Daniel about the pregnancy test I’d seen Hannah buy and about what Arlo Thomas had said about the Amish girl. They were his people. He’d know how to handle it.

  I stood and stretched, anxious to get out of the lonely, dark house.

  When my cell phone vibrated in my pocket, I pulled it out, looking at the number.

  Black Willow, Ohio. With my heart racing, I brought the phone to ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Hullo?”

  “Who’s this?” I asked.

  “It’s Marissa. Can you come talk to me?”

  A picture of the mentally handicapped Amish girl came to mind. I’d given my business card to Wilma. Marissa must have gotten a hold of it.

  “Uh, sure, but you’re in another state. Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind? We can talk on the phone,” I suggested.

  There was static and then a loud sigh. “I don’t know. I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I have something to tell you—to tell you about Jonas,” Marissa sang into the phone.

  “Okay, I’ll come to you. Can you tell me what it’s about?”

  “Tell you about Jonas…tell you about Jonas…about Jonas.”

  Marissa’s singing stopped and the phone went dead.

  I groaned, sprin
ting for the doorway.

  So much for a relaxing evening.

  21

  SERENITY

  I gazed out the window at the flat farmland softly illuminated by the full moon. Occasionally, a farmhouse and barns would appear, shadowed and eerie looking. Statistics showed more crimes were committed in urban areas, but there was something secretive about the lonely countryside that put me on edge more than the city centers I’d worked in. At least in Indianapolis, I knew what I was dealing with. Out here, I was constantly being surprised.

  “I still don’t see why we couldn’t have left in the morning,” Daniel remarked.

  I took another sip of the milkshake he’d bought me at the last rest stop. It was chocolate-banana, my favorite. Glancing over at his profile, I smiled. He really was accommodating.

  “If you had heard Marissa on the phone, you’d be in a hurry to get there too,” I pointed out.

  Daniel ran his hand through his hair. “If she’s not in any danger, I don’t agree. She’s a simpleton. You can’t trust what she says to be factual anyway.”

  I shook my head. “I disagree. Marissa is functional. She might be at the intellectual level of a child, but she’s capable of explaining herself.” I took a shuttering breath. “She has a secret about Jonas and I want to know what it is.”

  “Even if she does, will her testimony be admissible in court?”

  I took a measured breath. “It’s hard to say. I’m hoping that whatever she has to say opens up new channels to investigate Jonas Peachy. Marissa might just have enough information to break the case wide open, without having to involve her too much in the details.”

  Daniel’s voice dropped. “Why is it so important for you to nail this guy to the wall? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe he’s innocent? We don’t even know for sure what happened to Fannie.”

  I stared at Daniel, taking in his strong nose and full lips. Whenever I stared too long, I experienced school-girl tingles, and this time was no different. I shook off the feeling.

  “There’s something up with him. I can’t put my finger on it, but my gut is telling me that he’s crooked.” I turned in the seat to face Daniel. “Do the Amish commit suicide? I remember Rachel Yoder stepped in front of a train because of her feelings of guilt about Tony Manning’s beating, but does that sort of thing happen often?”