Plain Pursuit

by Alison Stone

  Eli seemed to regard her for a moment. “Good morning, Beth. How is Tiffany?”

  The woman’s gaze faltered for a moment. She smoothed a hand down her long blond hair. “My Tiffany is still in a coma, but the entire town has her in their prayers. She will get better. It’s just a matter of time.” She sniffed and angled the sharp lines of her chin. Clutching her purse close to her body, she said, “I wanted to stop and get Tiffany her favorite candy for when she wakes up.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Eli said. “Please let me know if you need anything. Do you still have my number?”

  Beth glared at him with disdain. “I don’t need anything from you.” Her gaze shifted to Anna. “I understand the garage apartment was broken into.”

  Emotions Anna couldn’t quite name narrowed her throat. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

  “That’s rather unfortunate.” Mrs. Christopher seemed to notice Anna’s bandage and paused for a moment. She wiggled her fingers and widened her eyes. “It’s always something, isn’t it? I’ll need you to have your brother’s things out of the apartment as soon as possible. I have another renter. I can’t have people thinking it’s empty, an easy target.”

  “I thought my brother had paid until the end of the month.”

  Beth flicked her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Daniel had a verbal agreement with my son. I’ll gladly refund the balance of his rent.” She took a few steps toward the general store and glanced over her shoulder. “Please, clear out his things.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Anna muttered, shaking her head. “She’s heartless.”

  “Come on, let’s get some coffee.”

  They walked the block to the coffee shop, ordered their drinks and settled at a table by the window. Anna took a few long sips of her café mocha, letting the liquid warm her insides. “I guess I better clean out Daniel’s apartment right away.”

  Eli reached over and brushed a thumb across the back of her hand. “I’ll help you.”

  She pulled her hand back and placed it in her lap. “How can I trust you?”

  “I’m sorry.” Eli tapped his thumb on the handle of his mug. “I didn’t tell you right away about the investigation because the timing wasn’t right. You had only learned about your brother’s death.”

  Looking at the ceiling, she hoped to stop the threatening tears. “I’m tougher than I look.” She gave him a faint smile and a tear spilled down her cheek.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  His playful tone made her laugh. “I don’t like to talk about the day—” she lowered her voice to barely a whisper “—my father killed my mother, but....” The need to explain propelled the conversation forward.

  “You don’t have to talk about it. I read the case files.” The compassion in his voice made her resolve slip. He knew all the intimate details of her tragic past. Details she had carefully hidden from everyone in her life. It was easier to shut people out. Pretend she didn’t have this horrible past.

  Pulling her hands into her lap, she narrowed her gaze at him. “I have to tell you. If I don’t, you’ll twist it around to use it to suit your case. That’s what the police did. I can only imagine how the police reports read. They turned everything around to protect my father.”

  Anna took another sip, letting the warm liquid flow down her throat. “That night, my mother woke me up when it was still dark out.” Outside the coffee shop, a horse trotted by, pulling an open buggy carrying a young Amish woman. She blinked away the blurry image. “Mom had told me to hurry up and pack a few things. She had finally decided to leave my father. I had been begging her to do it for ages. Now that she had finally made the decision, we didn’t have much time. My father—” she struggled to say the word without tasting the bile in her mouth “—was due home from the midnight shift soon.”

  Anna tilted her head from side to side, trying to ease the stiffness between her shoulder blades. Nerves tangled in her belly under Eli’s intense gaze. “I got up and threw a few things in a suitcase. Then I heard shouting coming from the kitchen. My father had arrived home early.”

  Anna’s gaze shifted to Eli, then back to the street. It would be easier to tell the story without seeing the concern in his brown eyes. “My father had been pushed over the edge.”

  “You don’t have to tell me any more,” Eli whispered in a soothing voice. “I know what happened. It’s too hard for you.”

  She traced a finger along the rim of the cup. “No, the reports don’t tell the whole story. The reports were filled out by my father’s friends on the force...the good ol’ boys club.”

  “But the truth about your father killing your mother then himself eventually came out.”

  “The accusations did a number on my brother.” She pursed her lips. “The reports can’t possibly tell the entire story.” Running her fingers through the end of her ponytail, she turned her gaze on him. “That morning, I heard my mother pleading with my father, so I tiptoed into the kitchen.” The scene unfolded in her mind like a made-for-TV movie. “My father was yelling at my mother.” Spittle shot from her father’s mouth. “He told her she had no right to leave. He had something in his hand.”

  Anna smoothed her hand along her hair, the long-ago day replaying with gut-wrenching clarity. “I was about to confront my father.” Her eyes locked with Eli’s. “I hated my father. He was a chameleon, you know? One minute he was so sweet and the next he’d smack the smile off your face.

  “Before I had a chance to confront him, my brother grabbed my arm, dragged me to my bedroom and locked me in. He made me promise I wouldn’t try to come out until he came to get me.” A shaky breath escaped her lips. “A few minutes later my father pounded on my door. Screamed at me to come out.” She ran a hand under her nose. “I heard my mother hollering at him. I slipped into my closet and sat on the floor. I can still see the trim from my dance costume draping down in my line of vision, the walls shaking around me as my father pounded the door. But I didn’t come out.”

  * * *

  Anna stared out the window with a faraway look in her eyes. She fiddled with a locket around her neck and her shoulders drooped, as if she were drawing into herself while she retold the details of that horrific day.

  “The rest is a blur.” She narrowed her gaze as if searching her memories. “I heard my father walk back down the hall, yelling for my brother. I heard a shot, then another.” She ran her hands up and down her arms. She finally turned to meet his gaze. Hurt resonated deep in her hazel eyes. “The silence that followed was deafening. I sat on the floor of the closet for an eternity. I thought my brother was never coming back. Finally, I heard a knock. My brother whispered my name through the door.” A tear ran down her cheek and plopped on to the table. “I was afraid to unlock my bedroom door in case it was a trick...but it wasn’t a trick.

  “My father killed my mother, then killed himself. Daniel had tried to stop my father, but he was only a kid himself. When my father threatened to kill Daniel, he had no choice but to hide.”

  Eli couldn’t imagine the terror she had lived through that day. He wanted to reach out and pull her into an embrace, but he hardly knew her beyond the words in a report filed a long time ago. He had successfully kept a professional distance from the people in the tragic reports he read day in and day out. Until today. If only their circumstances were different.

  “If Daniel hadn’t locked me in my room and hid himself, my father would have killed us all.”

  “I’m sorry.” His words were all he had to offer.

  Closing her eyes briefly, she twisted her threaded fingers. “And you think because my brother was exposed to such violence that he repeated the cycle?” The frustration was evident in her voice.

  He owed her honesty. “Yes. It’s a theory.”

  “No way. Daniel had been a bit of a hellion when he was growing up. But after my parents
died, he was my guardian angel. He protected me the entire time we were in foster care. I would have been lost without him.”

  Eli slumped back in his chair and ran a hand across his whiskered chin. He had to dig deeper. Get everything out in the open. “There were reports that perhaps your brother had been the one to fire the gun, killing your parents.”

  “That was all fabricated. The cop who first responded was a friend of my father’s.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “He tried to get my brother to confess.”

  “Why did your brother drop out of college?”

  Anna shrugged. “I don’t think he ever fit in. He decided to enlist in the army. I don’t know.”

  “He dropped out right after the Amish girl went missing.” The Amish girl. My sister. Eli neglected to tell her that, though. So much for honesty. The air was already thick with emotion and he wasn’t quite ready to let her see the pain in his soul.

  “That doesn’t make him guilty.” Her pink lips curled into a grimace. Suddenly her expression softened and her eyes grew wide. “It makes sense if he dropped out due to the stress of the investigation. Daniel went through a lot when they interrogated him after my parents died. Who would want to go through that again?” She ran a shaky hand across her mouth. “But he never once mentioned anything about this girl’s disappearance to me. He must have been worried it would be pinned on him.” She bit her lower lip. “Remember how paranoid he could be?”

  Eli leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I think Daniel knew something about the child’s disappearance.” What part Daniel played in it was still up for debate. And now that he was dead, Eli feared he might never solve the case.

  Anna leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. “What exactly did Daniel say when you met with him last week?”

  “He seemed skittish. He claimed he was in Apple Creek for a photography project. And like I said, he was worried about his safety and yours. “Eli ran a hand across the back of his neck. “I knew I’d have to earn his trust before he talked, so I didn’t push. Now I’m afraid it’s too late.”

  “Daniel didn’t trust many people.” A mirthless laugh escaped her lips. “He came by it honestly after everything he’d been through. I have no idea why he’d be worried about me. I live a very quiet life.” Her brow furrowed. “However, I have a had a run of bad luck lately.” She shook her head as if dismissing the notion. “Maybe I’m becoming as paranoid as he is.”

  “I’d like to keep a close eye on you.”

  Her eyes widened. “No, I’m fine.”

  Eli held up his hand to quiet her protest. “I believe he knew something, and now that he’s gone, I’d like your permission to search his things.”

  Red splotches flared on her cheeks. “If I do that, you’ll use anything you might find against him. You don’t really care if he’s guilty. You just want to close your case. Gold star for Special Agent Miller. Move on to the next case.”

  A muscle worked in his jaw. “Do you really believe that?”

  She arched a brow. “My father was in law enforcement. He didn’t leave me with the best impression of the profession.”

  “Someday you’re going to have to trust someone. I’m asking you to trust me.”

  Anna stilled and stared at him but didn’t say anything.

  Eli continued. “Ten years ago, Daniel belonged to a fraternity on campus. A couple of the seniors, your brother included, were rumored to have sent a few freshmen on a mission, like tipping a cow. But in their twisted version, it involved harassing the Amish.”

  “This all ties in with the girl’s disappearance?” The color drained from her face.

  “The buggy that had transported Mary to town was found about a mile away, overturned in a ditch. The FBI figured something had spooked the horse, sending it bolting away with Mary inside. Sugar—the horse—had to be put down.” Eli cleared his throat.

  “But what about the child? What happened to her?”

  “Never found.” Eli fought to keep his tone even. “Last time she was seen was inside the store. No one saw her outside the general store. Perhaps she climbed back into the wagon on her own before the horse was spooked.” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “We haven’t been able to put all the pieces together.”

  “But you do think my brother was involved?”

  Eli quickly glanced over his shoulder. They were the only customers in the coffee shop. “Yes, but he wasn’t the only one.”

  “Chase Christopher was one of his fraternity brothers.” Anna placed both of her palms on the table and sat ramrod straight.

  “Exactly.”

  “That explains Mrs. Christopher’s disdain for you.”

  “I’m good at making friends.” He smiled.

  “I can see that. So you’re investigating Chase, too?” The hope in her voice squeezed his heart. He so wanted to give this woman good news. Something to hang on to.

  Eli plucked at the napkin crumpled on the table. “The Christopher family is very powerful. Mr. Christopher hired the best lawyers for his son.”

  Anna slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Figures.”

  “The sheriff’s son was also in their fraternity.”

  “And he was untouchable, too.” Anna rested her forehead in her hand.

  “The sheriff made it difficult, but the FBI kept pushing. Both Chase and the sheriff’s son had rock solid alibis.”

  “And my brother?” The air grew heavy with tension. “Did he have an alibi?

  “None of his fraternity brothers vouched for him. He claimed he was taking photos by the lake. I fear the truth may have died with your brother.”

  Anna tilted her head. “I’ll help you find the truth. If Daniel was involved with something stupid that went bad, he would have come forward a long time ago. I know my brother.”

  “People make stupid decisions all the time. They get trapped.” Eli snapped his fingers. “And in a flash, one decision, then another changes the course of his life. Then he doesn’t know how to go back.”

  “Even if my brother knew something, he wouldn’t have waited ten years.”

  “It’s hard to know what someone would do under pressure.” Eli met her gaze and his heart went out to her. How would Anna handle not only the death of her brother, but also the news that he may have been involved in a horrible crime?

  “My brother is level-headed under the worst of circumstances. He proved that to me when my father killed my mom. I just can’t...” She seemed to be deep in thought. “Wait.” She leaned back and dug her cell phone out of her purse. “My brother left me a voice mail a week ago. I saved it. Something about it didn’t make sense, but I dismissed it. I thought it was another of his conspiracy theories. He said he was taking photos, working on a new project.” She looked up. “He needed help.”

  “Was it unusual for him to reach out to you?” He leaned forward and tried to read the screen of her cell phone, but it was too far away.

  “Daniel never asked for help.” She shrugged. “Well, at least not before he went to war. He was always the one who helped me. In the message his voice sounded strained.” She twisted her lips. “I dismissed it, figuring I’d deal with it later. I’d had a rough week.” She smoothed a hand down her ponytail. “I should have called him back.”

  She traced her finger along the rim of her coffee mug. “I just wanted to flop on the couch, watch some television and veg out.” She lifted her watery gaze to meet his. “You know, I counsel students for a living. When my own brother needs me, I check out.”

  Eli squeezed her hand but didn’t say anything.

  She held up a finger in a wait-a-minute gesture. “I have to power the phone up. I turned it off because I wasn’t getting a signal at your parents’ house.” She glanced at him briefly, then back down at her phone. “His voice
mail said to check my email. He knew I’m not good about checking my personal email account.” After a minute, she clicked on the screen a few times. Her features grew slack and she held out her phone with a shaky hand.

  He put his hand under hers for support and read an email message.

  Anna ~ tried to send important photos. Taking too long to upload! Will bring them to you. Flying up this afternoon. Some crazy stuff going on. Need to see your smiling face and lie low for a bit. Be safe.

  Luv ya ~ D

  “Did he try to send the photos again?” Eli’s nerves hummed with anticipation.

  She flicked her index finger across the touchscreen. “No, no other emails from him.” She rubbed her temples. “I wish I knew what he was talking about.” She collapsed against the back of the chair, a haunted look on her face. Suddenly she bolted upright. “Did they get everything from the plane?”

  Eli nodded.

  “There was no luggage? No camera? Daniel said he was going to bring the photos to me.”

  “No, nothing other than Tiffany’s purse. The sheriff already returned it to her father.” Excitement buzzed his nerve endings. He understood where she was going with this. Maybe Daniel did have proof. Maybe Daniel had photos. Maybe that’s what someone was looking for at his apartment.

  “Did you notice a camera in his apartment or maybe from the plane crash?”

  “No. Daniel was traveling light. I think they only planned on going up to Buffalo for the day. And I didn’t notice his camera in the apartment.”

  Anna jumped to her feet. “I have Daniel’s jacket in my car. Maybe he had a USB flash drive with photos in his pocket.” She tilted her head. “It’s worth a shot.”

  * * *

  Eli’s nerves hummed the entire drive. As they crested the hill near his family’s farm, he pressed the brake, slowing for a buggy, its orange triangle in stark contrast to the black body, one of the Amish’s concessions to a modern world. Two young boys not more than two years of age sat on the floorboards behind the seat, seemingly oblivious to the car following them.