Plain Pursuit

by Alison Stone

  “I...” She opened her eyes and strained to see Samuel’s expression as he stood in the doorway. His mouth was drawn into a grimace. She had to earn his trust. Her eyes moved to Abram. A pain scratched across her brain with the sudden movement. Maybe she did have a concussion. She squinted. Eli’s father seemed to be studying his youngest son. She could only imagine the intense pressure this boy felt as he moved into adulthood with the expectation that he be baptized. Or risk becoming an outsider.

  “No,” she lied, “I didn’t see anyone. I wandered into the barn and before I knew what happened, something fell on me.” Her eyes met Eli’s. “Is it unusual for things to fall off the barn loft?”

  It was Abram who spoke up, his voice tight. “We may be plain people, but we take pride in our work. We do not stack things such that they might fall and injure someone.”

  Anna ran a hand across her forehead. “I didn’t mean to imply...” She stopped talking. Each word pinged her aching brain.

  “We will let you rest.” Mariam led Abram and Samuel from the room. Eli hung back, still sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her hand.

  “You spoke to Samuel before you were injured,” Eli whispered, not bothering to frame it as a question.

  Anna nodded, immediately regretting the movement. “Your father wouldn’t have approved. I need to gain Samuel’s trust to help him. He seems angry.” She rubbed her temple. “Or maybe sad. He hasn’t dealt with the loss of his twin sister.” Her chest grew heavy with the realization. “And thanks to the town gossips, he thinks I’m the sister of the devil himself.”

  * * *

  Flashlight in hand, Eli climbed the wooden ladder to the barn loft. The smell of hay melted the years away. When he was a kid, he’d climb up here to play hooky from his chores—only long enough to read a few pages, not long enough to get scolded by his father. It seemed impossible the memories belonged to him. A young Amish boy. A lifetime ago. He shoved aside the past and focused on the task at hand.

  The shaft of light from his flashlight illuminated the old wood beams and hay bales. No sign of anything precariously close to the edge. Stepping farther onto the loft, he tested his weight on the beams. A lone hay bale sat near the back along the wall. As he approached, his flashlight lit on a small pile of cigarettes stubbed out on a flat rock. He ran his hand over the back of his neck, wondering if Samuel had taken to smoking, a habit not quite banned by the Amish but certainly frowned upon. The elders looked the other way, praying the young and foolish would give up the vice once they were baptized. He’d have to talk to his little brother, not that he’d listen to him.

  They all had bigger issues right now.

  Had Samuel accidentally knocked a hay bale over the edge and now was afraid to speak up? Afraid he’d be scolded for smoking or for hurting Anna?

  He was about to turn on his heel when a crumpled piece of paper among the loose strands of hay caught his eye. He picked it up and flattened it on his thigh. It was a page torn from a yearbook or maybe downloaded from a website. It only took him a second before he saw it—a portrait of Miss Quinn, School Counselor. His heart kicked up a notch. He directed his flashlight around the space, looking for something, but he wasn’t sure what. Crouching, he tried to get at the same level as the smoker would be using the rock as an ashtray.

  That’s when he saw it. A knot in the wood. He peered through the hole it formed. From this position, he had a clear view of his parents’ home and the window of Anna’s bedroom. His gut tightened. This hadn’t been an accident. Someone was determined to run Anna out of town, or worse. If not for dumb luck—or perhaps the grace of God—they may have succeeded tonight.

  Daniel’s concerned face flashed in his mind. “Watch out for my sister,” he had warned the week before he died. Had someone threatened to hurt Anna if Daniel didn’t stop whatever he was doing? But why try to hurt Anna now that Daniel was dead? Maybe they were concerned Anna wouldn’t rest until she uncovered whatever her brother had.

  Tucking the paper into his back pocket, he climbed down from the loft. He did a quick canvass of the barn and nearby property before making his way across the yard to the farmhouse. He found Anna sitting up in bed, her hand on her forehead and her face pale.

  “Are you okay?” He frowned. Without waiting for an answer, he slipped his arm around her waist. “Come on, I’m taking you to the emergency room. You might have a concussion.” Grimacing, Anna eased her legs out of bed and didn’t argue with him.

  Definitely not a good sign.

  * * *

  Eli tapped on the glass of the triage station in the emergency room that served the rural community. It was a far cry from the hustle and bustle of a city E.R. All the same, the composed nurse looked up at him and rolled her eyes. The nurse had obviously dealt with anxious loved ones hundreds of times. “Sir, you’ll have to wait your turn. We had a car accident come in.” The nurse gave him a pointed glare, then went back to the computer screen in front of her.

  He sat down next to Anna in the orange plastic chairs arranged in a narrow U facing a television mounted on the wall. “I’m sorry. You holding up okay?”

  “My stomach seems to have settled, but I have one horrendous headache.” She squinted up at him before closing her eyes. He flicked his gaze to the harsh glare of the fluorescent lighting.

  Eli glanced at the triage station but forced himself to sit tight. He was used to taking control, having his way. But even he couldn’t justify pushing Anna ahead of a car accident victim. Glancing down, he noticed her trembling hands. Without asking for permission, he reached over, took her hand and pulled her toward him. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and let her rest her head on his chest. It felt right. But nothing good could come from falling for this woman. He had given up everything to find Mary and he didn’t plan on stopping now. And if her brother was involved, their relationship would be doomed from the start. How could two people ever get past that?

  He smoothed a hand down her hair, unable to resist the silky feel of it. For now, he’d have to settle for pretending.

  “Well, well, well...” A familiar, yet smug, voice sounded from behind him. Eli turned to find the sheriff standing there, his lips twisted into a sardonic grin.

  Eli gently shifted Anna out of his embrace and stood to face the sheriff. He crossed his arms. Why did it always feel like a turf war with this man?

  “Are you here because of the car accident?” Eli asked.

  “Not my jurisdiction.”

  Cocking an eyebrow, he waited for the sheriff to continue. “I’m here on a courtesy call,” he finally said.

  “Courtesy call?” The first twinges of escalating anger coursed through his veins. Was the sheriff following him?

  “The Christophers called me. They would like to clear out Daniel’s apartment.” The sheriff leaned around Eli to get a look at Anna. Resting her elbow on the back of the chair, she supported her head in her hand.

  “How did you know we were here?” Eli asked.

  “Stopped by your parents’ farm.” The sheriff jerked his chin toward Anna. “What happened?”

  “She bumped her head. I want to get her checked out. See if she has a concussion.” Eli didn’t want to clue the sheriff in on what he found in the loft, not yet anyway. He had come too far to lose control now. Ten years ago when Mary went missing he had seen firsthand how protective of an investigation the sheriff had become. As if bringing in outside help was an affront to his manhood. Besides, in this small town, the sheriff was a little too close to the Christophers.

  “Bumped her head?” The sheriff stepped around Eli and approached Anna. All of Eli’s defense mechanisms kicked into high gear. He needed to protect her from this bully. That’s what the sheriff was. On the day Mary disappeared, he had tried to bully Eli into saying things that weren’t true. Tried to accuse him of racing his buggy. Losing control.
Hurting Mary. Even now the thought of it nearly snapped his thin thread of control. He had been too young, too naive to stand up to the man back then. Not anymore.

  “Anna fell and bumped her head. We’re seeking medical help. End of story.” He glared down at the sheriff. “We will clean out Daniel’s apartment by the end of the month. You can let the Christophers know.”

  The sheriff grimaced. “I want to hear for myself how Anna bumped her head.” The sheriff pushed back his shoulders and narrowed his gaze. “As you well know, your family’s farm is in my jurisdiction.” A threat laced his tone.

  Eli and Anna’s gazes met. She must have read something in his eyes because she said, “It was stupid really. I wanted to see the horses and when one of them backed up, I jumped out of the way and slammed my head on the stall door.” She shrugged, but the light-hearted gesture came off as strained.

  “Eli, maybe you can check with the nurse while I talk to Anna alone.” Eli was more than familiar with domestic abuse protocol. To isolate the parties so the victim can request help. Why would the sheriff take that approach? He knew he and Anna had only met recently. Unless he was trying to isolate Anna to intimidate her. To coerce her into going back to Buffalo. For some reason, Anna seemed to be a thorn in the Christopher family’s side and the sheriff was always quick to protect them. And his own son who was a close friend of Chase Christopher’s.

  “You heard the lady. She told you she injured herself in the barn. Let her be. She’s in a lot of pain.”

  The sheriff seemed to regard them for a moment. “I understand Daniel’s body is scheduled for cremation tomorrow. You plan on leaving soon?”

  Anna rose to her feet. Pain etched her features from the effort. “Sheriff, I need to clean out my brother’s apartment and take care of a few things first.”

  “It would be best if you cleared out of the Christopher’s property as soon as possible.”

  Eli watched the sheriff leave the E.R. Anna placed her hand on his forearm. “Why didn’t you tell the sheriff the truth about my accident?”

  “I don’t trust him. I don’t know who he’s talking to and I don’t want it to affect the investigation.” He patted her hand, then turned and led her back to her chair.

  Anna sat down slowly, wincing with the motion. “What is the truth, Eli?”

  Eli dug a piece of paper out of his jean’s pocket and unfolded it. Anna stared at the crumpled paper. A crease cut her face diagonally, giving her a warped look. “That’s my staff photo from the high school yearbook.” She looked up to meet Eli’s gaze, and apprehension filled her eyes. “Where did you find that?”

  “In the barn loft.” He reached out and captured her hand in his. “It seems someone was watching you from the loft. I don’t think they had planned on hurting you in the barn, but they took the opportunity when you happened to be in there.”

  “But why?” Her mind swirled with the possibilities.

  “Do you have any enemies in Buffalo?” Eli asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “It wouldn’t take much for them to follow you here.”

  Splaying her delicate hands, she said, “I’m a school counselor. Sure, I have the occasional angry student, but nothing out of the ordinary.” Her hands curled into fists as she met his gaze. “This has to do with my brother, right? He found something that might incriminate someone in Mary’s disappearance. Now they want me to go home so I don’t uncover whatever information he had. Then they can pin Mary’s kidnapping on him. Case closed. Nice and neat.”

  Eli scrubbed a hand across his face. “You could be right. But it doesn’t add up. Now that Daniel’s gone, as long as these attacks continue, it only proves that someone else has something to lose if we find whatever it is Daniel had.”

  “Obviously, they’re desperate enough to take the chance. If we never figure out what Daniel had uncovered, the truth could remain buried forever.”

  Eli nodded. “And if someone’s desperate, they won’t stop—”

  “You think someone will kill me if I don’t leave well enough alone?” Fear flashed in her hazel eyes.

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  ELEVEN

  “Thanks.” Anna accepted the water from Eli and ran her free hand across the smooth grain of the arms of the rocking chair. The ache in her head had died down to a dull roar now that they were back at the Miller’s home. Yet another painful thought whispered across her brain. Someone killed Daniel, and now they’re out to get me.

  Eli leaned forward in his rocker, a concerned look in his deep brown eyes. “I’d feel better if I could watch you for a little bit before you go to bed.” The doctor said she had a mild concussion.

  “I don’t think I could sleep if I tried.”

  Eli stared straight ahead as if deep in thought. She studied his strong profile. She had only known him a short time, but his mere presence calmed her nerves. Having witnessed firsthand the destruction her father—a police officer—rained down on her family, she had vowed she’d never fall for anyone in law enforcement. She believed the difficulties of the job had turned her father into an evil man. And because he was a police officer, her mother had nowhere to turn.

  Maybe she had been wrong.

  She sipped the cool water. Eli was different. Wasn’t he? She witnessed his compassion, his gentleness, his love of family even though they considered him an outsider. Her father could be the sweetest guy, too. He was never as contrite as he was the day after he brutally beat his wife. Her gaze drifted to Eli’s strong hands. She had never seen them raised in anger. Maybe he was different. Her heart ached. He had a family right here, but they kept him at arm’s length. She had none.

  “Is it tough to be back here?” Immediately heat blossomed in her cheeks. “I mean...you grew up in an Amish community. This was your home. It’s obvious your mother loves you dearly.” His father was harder to read, but she imagined he cared for his eldest son in his own way. “Have you ever regretted your decision to leave? Have you lost all faith?”

  Eli shifted in his chair to face her, the smooth planes of his features void of emotion. “The day my little sister disappeared was the day I lost faith.”

  “Maybe you would find peace if you went back to your faith.”

  Half his mouth curved into a grin. “Do you really see me as returning to the Amish way of life?”

  A laugh bubbled up from Anna’s lips. Pain scraped against her brain. “Ouch.” She rubbed her forehead gently. “I didn’t necessarily mean for you to go back to being Amish. But haven’t you ever considered joining another church? Maybe it would bring you some peace. I know it did after my mother was killed.” Pain sliced her heart even after all these years.

  Eli braced the arms of his chair. “I’ll find peace when I arrest the evil person who took my sister.”

  “What if that never happens?” she whispered.

  “I can’t think that way.”

  Silence stretched between them. Anna let her thoughts drift. An ache throbbed behind her eyes. “The sheriff is eager for me to leave town.”

  “It sure seems that way. The Christopher family is putting the screws to him.” A muscle twitched in Eli’s jaw. “That’s how things sometimes work in small towns.”

  Anna searched his face. “Maybe I should leave. Take my brother’s remains and go home.” Part of her wanted him to ask her to stay. Another part of her wanted life to go back to normal.

  Eli’s lips thinned into a straight line. He pushed to his feet and crossed to the window, pulling back the single panel covering it. The silence stretched for too long. Unease prickled the back of her neck. She needed answers as much as he did.

  When he turned around, she struggled to read his eyes in the dim light. Time seemed to come to a screeching halt as the back of her throat ached. “It would be safer if you left.”

  His
unequivocal answer slicked her palms with sweat. She ran them across her thighs, struggling to stay composed. “I’d hate to bring danger to your family. I’ll check into the motel in town.”

  Eli sat down and leaned in close, running a knuckle across the back of her hand. “You should go back to Buffalo. Out of harm’s way. I’ll have someone keep an eye on you for a while. Till I know this mess has blown over.”

  She sat up straight and narrowed her gaze. “You still have doubts about my brother. If I leave, it will be easier for you to put a neat little bow on your investigation.” She regretted her words even as they poured from her mouth. She lowered her voice. “I have to know the truth.”

  She started to stand and Eli reached out and caught her hand, forcing her back down. His words came out even and soft, barely audible above the frantic pulsing in her ears. “I want the truth, too.”

  The anger drained out of her. Tears stung the backs of her eyes and she couldn’t contain them this time. Tear after tear trailed down her face. Eli reached out and dragged the pad of his thumb across her cheek.

  She gently pushed his hand away. “I can’t stay here. I can’t put your family at risk. But I can’t go home yet.”

  Eli stared at her with a distant look in his eyes. “You need to get a good night’s rest. How are you feeling?” He reached out a hand.

  “I’ll be fine.” She accepted his hand and stood up. A wave of pain swept over her, but she stifled a grimace.

  “We’ll figure things out in the morning. Come on.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and they turned to go upstairs. In the doorway, Samuel held a camera by a long strap.

  “Where did you get that?” Eli brushed past Anna.

  Samuel stretched out his arm, letting the camera dangle. Eli reached for it, but Samuel jerked away. “It’s for Anna.”