Plain Pursuit

by Alison Stone

  Anna watched Eli with accusatory eyes. Her pulse jumped in her throat. “There is no way my brother would hurt anyone. Never mind a child.”

  Eli bowed his head briefly, then met Anna’s gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he knew the sheriff was watching him. He’d have to pick his words carefully. “I’m still trying to put all the pieces together. I’m trying to figure out the extent of your brother’s involvement.” He wasn’t ready to tell Anna the missing girl was his sister. He supposed they both had their share of secrets they’d have to reveal in due time.

  Eli turned to the sheriff. “I’d like to talk to Anna in private.”

  The sheriff stood firm, his eyes growing dark. Then they softened. “Miss Quinn, you’ll have to file a report of what’s missing in your brother’s apartment.”

  “I don’t know what he had.” Anna’s voice was shaky, distracted.

  “You’ll have to do your best. Stop by the station.” The sheriff strode out of the room, leaving Eli to face Anna.

  Anna collapsed onto the only cushion remaining on the couch. “There is no way my brother had anything to do with that missing child.”

  * * *

  In a haze of confusion, Anna lowered her gaze. A photo of her brother on the end table caught her attention. Her heart lurched, and tears blurred her vision. She reached over and picked it up. He was about twelve and she was nine. They had huge smiles on their faces and leaves stuck in their messy hair.

  Thoughts swirling, she set the photo down and fingered the gold lighter next to it. Tingles of realization blanketed her arms. This was her mother’s lighter. And the end table used to be in their grandmother’s house. Pressing her fingers to her temple, the world seemed to close in around her.

  She rose to her feet and brushed past Eli. She heard his voice but couldn’t make out the words. Unable to hold back the tears, she ran down the steps and kept going. She twisted her ankle on the loose gravel and quickly regained her footing. When she reached the main road, she turned toward town.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her lungs burned as she briskly walked in the direction she had come. She decided she’d call a cab when she reached town, then collect her things from the Miller’s home. She’d find a motel room, clean out her brother’s apartment and stay away from Eli. He was using her. He couldn’t be trusted. Just like her father.

  Adrenaline tunneled her vision. How could he think her brother had something to do with the disappearance of a child? Life’s circumstances made her brother a lot of things but not someone who hurt children. Never.

  Her limbs went weak when the general store came into view. Swiping at her tears, she stepped off the curb. Screeching tires sent needles of icy terror coursing through her veins. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a car barreling toward her. Turning away from it, she dove toward the curb and landed with a scraping thud on her left side. A whoosh of warm air lifted her hair as the car sped by. Searing pain shot to her left knee and elbow.

  Get the license plate number!

  She pushed up on her elbow and winced. Whipping her head around, a pair of designer shoes blocked her view of the departing vehicle. Anna’s gaze traveled upward to the woman’s shocked face. “Oh, dear, are you okay?”

  Anna scooted to a seated position on the curb, her face warm from a mix of embarrassment and pain. She gave her knee a cursory look. Her insides did a little flip. “Did you notice the car?”

  The woman tented her hand over her eyes and looked down the street. “I’m afraid not.” She pointed to a large window of a ladies clothing store behind her. A partially dressed mannequin stood shamelessly on display. “I was working on the display when I heard tires screeching. All my attention was focused on you lying in the street.” She pouted her pink lips. “I’m sorry.”

  “Are you okay?” A man called as he ran across the street holding on to his straw hat. He held out his hand to help Anna stand. Her knee throbbed when she put weight on it. “What happened?”

  “Some guy came flying out of nowhere and almost hit her.” The excited woman signaled with her arms.

  Anna brushed off her pants, putting all her weight on her right foot.

  “Come over to the general store. I’ll get you some bandages and you can clean up. We’ll call the sheriff.” Hooking his thumb in one of his suspenders, the man let his gaze wander the length of her. She assumed he was assessing her injuries.

  The sheriff wasn’t exactly on the top of her list of people she wanted to call. He had had such a smug look when he accused her brother. She dismissed the image. What could the sheriff do anyway? No one saw the car. It was probably some college kids on a joyride. And I wasn’t paying attention when I stepped into the street.

  Anna took off her cardigan and glanced at her elbow. Little black bits of gravel dotted her scraped-up skin. “Yuck,” she muttered under her breath. “Do you have water at the store?”

  “Sure, come on.” He offered his hand. “Do you need help?”

  “I think I’m okay.” Favoring her right foot, Anna did her best not to hobble across the deserted street. In her distracted state she had foolishly stepped out in front of the car without looking. Heat swept up her neck and cheeks. What an idiot. She could have been killed.

  The man walked ahead and held open the door, bells jangling against the glass. “There’s a chair near the register. Have a seat. I’ll get you some water.”

  “Thanks. Um—” she hesitated for a second “—is there a cab company around here?”

  A bemused smile curved his lips. “No.” He crossed to the back of the store and grabbed a water bottle from the shelf. Handing it to her, he cocked an eyebrow. “I could give you a ride home on my wagon.” A twinkle lit his eye. “Unless it’s too far.”

  Anna sat down and accepted the bottle of water. “Thanks anyway. I’ll figure something out.” She stretched her bruised leg and suddenly second-guessed her decision to run out on Eli.

  The man smoothed a hand down his suspenders, studying her. “You’re Daniel Quinn’s sister.” He lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry about the accident.”

  “Thanks. But—”

  “I saw you on TV,” he interrupted before she had a chance to finish. He lifted a finger to his lips. “Shhhh...don’t tell anyone.” He pointed to the front window. “Sometimes I linger over my coffee at the coffee shop down the street so I can watch TV.” He leaned back on the counter. “I’m Isaac Lapp. My family owns the store.”

  Anna twisted off the cap from the water bottle and took a long drink. “Did you know my brother?”

  “He came in the store once in a while. I knew him a bit from his college days, too.” Isaac shrugged a shoulder. “I was in my running-around days then. We had some fun. But lately, Daniel had been focused on his photography. We didn’t have much in common anymore.” He flicked the brim of his hat.

  “I suppose not.” With everything else clattering in her brain, it was outside her imagination to guess how Amish people spent their spare time. She figured they didn’t regularly hang out with—what did Eli’s brother call them?—ah, the English.

  The bell hanging from the front door jangled. Eli stood in the doorway, a pinched expression on his handsome face. No doubt the excitable lady across the street had directed him to her whereabouts.

  “I bet he could give you a ride in his car.” Isaac pointed to Eli. “You know Anna Quinn here? Her brother was the one you’ve been asking questions about.”

  Eli closed the distance between them, shooting daggers at Isaac with his eyes. When his gaze met hers, his brows snapped together. “What happened?”

  Anna examined her elbow, cognizant of Eli, who had crouched down in front of her, resting a hand on her knee for support. “I wasn’t paying attention and stepped in front of a car. It was stupid. I got a little banged up when I jumped out of the way. That’s
all.”

  Eli gently inspected her elbow, his warm fingers trailing the uninjured flesh near the pebbles stuck in her arm. Her traitorous heart did a little flip flop. “Did the car stop?” She shook her head. “You get the license plate or a description?”

  “I was too busy with my face plant.” Anna pulled her arm away and stood up, brushing past him. She yanked the pant leg of her capris up to inspect her knee. Losing her balance, she leaned forward, resting her palm on Eli’s broad chest. Their eyes locked and lingered a little longer than she had intended. Fire in her cheeks, she glanced down, focusing all her attention on her knee. It looked pretty much the same as her elbow. Just great.

  Anna examined a nearby shelf. “Can I have those bandages?”

  “Sure.” Isaac pulled out some things from behind the counter.

  “Did you see anything?” Eli asked Isaac.

  “Nope, just heard the commotion. I was around back taking some boxes to the Dumpster. Sorry.” Isaac crossed over to the shelf, grabbed a second water and offered it to Anna. “Maybe you should pour this over your knee. It will clean it up a little until you can get home.”

  “Thanks.”

  Isaac took off his hat and hung it on a peg. “Can I get you anything else? Want me to call the sheriff?”

  Anna’s eyes met Eli’s. He was the first to speak. “No, I’ll look into it.” He wrapped his hand around Anna’s waist. “Let’s go.” Her wounds ached, but they were bearable. “I have a first aid kit in the car.”

  “Suit yourself.” Isaac stepped behind the register. Anna reached into her purse and pulled out her credit card. Isaac held up his hand. “We don’t take credit cards.”

  “Oh.”

  Eli opened his wallet and pulled out a twenty.

  Isaac waved him off. “Forget about it. I’m just glad I could help.”

  “Thank you.” Anna forced a smile. “I think the sooner I get out of Apple Creek the better. So far I haven’t had a very pleasant stay.”

  Isaac seemed to regard her for a moment as Eli nudged her forward. “How about you, Eli? You plan on hanging around Apple Creek much longer?”

  “I have some time off.” One side of Eli’s mouth slanted into a grin, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  Isaac pushed out his lower lip, seeming to give it some thought. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around.” His dark eyes landed on Anna. “I’m real sorry about your brother. You’ll probably make arrangements and then be on your way, I suppose.” Isaac leaned back and crossed his arms. “Most people don’t hang around Apple Creek for long. It’s plain too quiet.”

  “Thank you for your help. I do have a lot to do.” The water sloshed out of the bottle as she moved toward the door. “I better go before I make a mess in your store.”

  “I suppose you won’t be looking for that cab anymore.” Isaac’s words competed with the bells clacking against the door.

  With Eli supporting her, Anna hop-walked onto the sidewalk. She wheeled around, gritting her teeth against the sudden pain shooting up her leg. She leaned in close, resisting the urge to pound her fist against his solid chest. “You used me to get to my brother.” She struggled to catch her breath. Her heart beat wildly against her ribs. “You wanted access to his apartment. You wanted to search his things. And you couldn’t legally do that unless I invited you to come into his apartment.”

  “I told you at breakfast that I wanted to see if I could uncover anything in his apartment.”

  “You never told me you planned to use whatever you found against my brother.”

  “I don’t want to argue on the sidewalk.” Eli cupped her right elbow and guided her toward his SUV parked by the curb.

  She yanked her elbow away from his grip. “Someone broke into my brother’s apartment. What do you think they were looking for?”

  “I don’t know.” She couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. Was he still holding something back?

  The tiny hairs on the back of her neck prickled to life when a new, horrible thought took hold. “Do you think his plane crash was an accident?”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know. I called a friend in the FAA to check out the plane.”

  “Oh, no, this is unbelievable.”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet.” He gently nudged her toward his vehicle again. “We need to clean your wounds so they don’t get infected.”

  The flesh on her elbow was torn up and discolored. Her stomach did that little queasy thing again. “Have you ever done this before?”

  “Cleaned a wound?” He slanted her a glance as if to say, “Trust me.”

  But she didn’t trust him. Not by a long shot.

  * * *

  Eli yanked open the back door of his SUV and held out his hand. “Have a seat.”

  Anna narrowed her gaze and squeezed past him, obviously not ready to forgive him. He couldn’t blame her. Holding on to the door for support, she lowered herself on to the backseat. She grimaced as she examined her elbow. “I think it looks worse than it is,” she said.

  Without asking her permission, he gently took her wrist and extended her arm. A soft gasp escaped her lips. He poured the water over the wound and she winced. “When we get back to the house, we can do a better job of this.”

  Anna scratched her head with her free hand. “Maybe I should find someplace else to stay. It will be easier for me to handle my brother’s affairs without worrying you’ll try to use something against him.”

  Eli stepped back and rested his elbow on the doorframe. He had totally botched this. Just because they both had painful pasts didn’t make them kindred spirits. He sighed heavily. “I’m looking for the truth. Don’t you want to know the truth? Even if it hurts?”

  Hiking up her chin, a look of determination lit her hazel eyes. “I know the truth. My brother would never in a million years hurt a child.”

  “You said yourself you had grown apart over the years.” He poured more water over the wound.

  Anna wrenched her arm free and scowled at him. He held up a hand. “Before you make your case, let me get the first aid kit.” He grabbed the white box from the back of the SUV and found her pacing the sidewalk. She flinched every time she stepped on her left foot.

  “We may have grown apart, but I know the type of person he is...was.” Anna stopped and squared off with him.

  “I know you loved your brother, but we don’t always know a person’s heart.”

  “I don’t believe any of this.”

  Eli held up the kit. “You gonna let me help you?”

  Anna bowed her head and sat back down on the edge of the seat. She held still as he wrapped her arm with a clean bandage and clipped it in place.

  “Pull up your pant leg.” Eli twisted off the cap of the second water. Anna held her leg out so he could run the cool water over the wound without getting the inside of the vehicle wet.

  “Man, that’s cold.” Anna shivered. “Tell me, why my brother? I thought there were lots of fraternity guys in Apple Creek that evening.” He supported her foot on his upper thigh as he wrapped another bandage around the wound.

  As Eli put the clip on the bandage to keep it in place, he sensed her growing unease. She planted her foot on the curb and levered herself out of the car. He grabbed her forearm as she tried to brush past him, but she jerked away. “You weren’t on this case in the beginning, were you?” she asked.

  “No.” He pinned her with his gaze, wondering when she was going to put two and two together and realize the missing Amish girl was his sister. “I took the case over from an agent who retired.”

  “You’re going off his theory then?”

  “He was a solid agent.” Eli walked around the back of the vehicle and tucked the kit away in his trunk. He rejoined Anna by the side of the car.

&nbs
p; Anna crossed her arms and stepped toward him. A soft breeze blew a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail across her face, sending an alluring scent his way. “How did they narrow their list of suspects?” Her eyes sparked. “My brother made your short list of suspects because the FBI was aware of his troubled past. The FBI knew he had been considered a suspect in my parents’ deaths.”

  Eli nodded. He forced his shoulders back and tried to erect a wall around his emotions. This tactic had served him well over the years as he dealt with tragic cases. But when it came to this case, anger and hurt easily pierced the wall.

  Don’t make it personal. An emptiness sloshed in the pit of his stomach. That line had been crossed a long time ago when it came to this case.

  Yet he owed her some information. “The sheriff and the FBI agent at the time of the child’s disappearance did know about your brother’s background.”

  “You’re just like the police who initially investigated my parents’ deaths. They couldn’t imagine that one of their own killed his wife. You knew my father was a police officer, right? He used that authority to control my mother. To control us. After his death, his brothers tried to pin it on Daniel, the so-called troubled teen. But you want to know the truth?” She dragged the side of her shaking hand across the bottom of her eye. Her voice wobbled. “He saved my life the day my parents were killed.” Anna stared off in the distance. “If he hadn’t locked me in my room that day, I would be dead, too.”

  SIX

  Anna stuffed her hands in the pockets of her capris and drew her arms in close. She shuddered, suddenly feeling terribly exposed on the sidewalk in front of the general store.

  “Let’s get you something warm to drink. There’s a coffee shop...” His words trailed off, and she followed his gaze.

  “Ah, what do we have here?” Mrs. Christopher glared at them with hardened features.