“You still don’t know for sure there was a crime committed,” I said, running my fingers through my hair and wondering how the hell I became so emotionally invested in all of this.
“I’m going with my gut on this one. If that girl died completely from an ill-fated accident, then why the hell is everyone constantly lying to me? There are two important things that we know for sure in this case. One, Naomi Beiler was shot and two, she’s dead. I’m not going to brush this under the carpet because Tony Manning, the mayor…or you want me to take it easy on the Amish. This entire investigation has been a fiasco from day one. No one is acting the way they should.”
Serenity’s face was flushed and her lips pouted as she glared up at me. At that moment, I found her completely irresistible. This was likely the last time I’d be working with her on the case now that she thought she had her man. In an instant, I decided that she could ignore the fact that we’d shared a kiss, but I wouldn’t. Dammit, it had been a lifetime since I’d felt so drawn to a woman. I aimed to leave her with something to remember me by.
I stepped forward and before she could back away, I caught her waist and pulled her closer. I only fleetingly thought about her gun and her ability to use it, before I brought my mouth down to hers. She was ridged with shock, but I continued to move my mouth against her lips until they softened and finally received my tongue. Her stubborn body melted into mine as her mouth hungrily accepted my kiss. At the point when I knew she was completely mine, I stepped back.
I looked into her eyes, which were now dark with passion and said, “Try to forget that one.”
It was difficult, but I turned and left the room. Maybe I was being immature, but, man, did it feel good. I was betting that kiss would finally wake Serenity up and she’d realize that she wanted me.
Besides, I believed to the core of my heart that Eli wasn’t her man. She’d be calling me when she discovered her mistake. And she’d be remembering that kiss when she dialed my number.
18
NAOMI
October 14th
Lydia glanced over her shoulder while she walked with her sister, Rosemary, up the stone path to their house. Her puckered mouth and narrowed eyes made her look like a sick squirrel. How glad Naomi would be to never have to see her again.
Will’s hand reached over and grasped hers in a tight squeeze. The feeling that his touch evoked was different this time. Oh, the dancing butterflies were still there, but there was also peaceful warmth spreading through Naomi. All she needed in the world was Will. He would take her away from all this and love her forever.
“What are you thinking?” Will’s voice pushed through the dreamlike haze.
Naomi gazed back at him with eyes full of love. After a deep breath, she said the words that had been on the tip of her tongue the entire time since he’d picked her and the other girls up from the butcher shop.
“Can we go to Montana now?”
“Now—are you serious?” Will said, almost stopping the truck in the road.
Naomi nodded her head vigorously. “I’m ready to go. My shunning is up next week and then I’ll have more freedom to sneak out.”
Will appeared to be thinking hard and then he nodded softly. “Yeah, we can do it next week. My parents will be surprised, but they’ll understand. They’ve been expecting it for a while.” His gaze became serious. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this? I mean, once we get out west, I won’t be able to bring you home easily if you change your mind.”
“Yes. I’m absolutely sure. I want to be with you. And there’s no way that’s going to happen if I don’t run away. Besides, I’ve always wanted to go places and see things—together we can do that.”
The following few minutes were not nearly enough to properly make their plans, but they tried anyway, deciding on the day and place. By the time they pulled into Naomi’s driveway, her heart was leaping in her chest.
Naomi brushed her hand softly over Will’s before she clutched the door handle in her hand. “Thank you for taking me with you.”
Will grinned. “Hell, I can’t leave the woman I love behind, now can I? Be careful over the next several days and don’t go getting into any more trouble.”
When Will winked, Naomi melted a little more inside. She wished that they were leaving that day instead of the following week. But she had to be patient. They had the rest of their lives ahead of them after all.
Even before her hand turned the door knob, Naomi felt a prick of uneasiness. When she did step into the kitchen she wasn’t surprised to see Bishop Esch sitting at the table with her Father and Mother. She straightened her back feeling braver than she ever had. All Naomi had to do was survive the next six days and she was out of there for good.
Before Naomi could speak, Mamma said, “You best be sitting down over here, Girl.”
Mamma pushed a chair away from the table and Naomi moved quickly to take it. Once she was seated with three pairs of eyes watching her closely, Naomi said to the bishop, “Hullo, what brings you by today?”
Bishop Esch sighed, and after scratching his beard for a second, he said, “I was discussing your attitude during our counseling sessions with your parents. Quite frankly, Naomi, I don’t have the feeling that you are at all remorseful for your actions with Eli. And now, after all the sinning, you’ve gone and quit the boy. I’m confused by your behavior, and see this as a sign of trouble brewing for you.”
Naomi processed what the man said quickly in her mind, taking in the disapproving look from Da. She didn’t even need to glance at Mamma to know how enraged she was. There wasn’t much she could do, except try to hold things together a little while longer.
Naomi bowed her head and in her saddest voice she murmured, “I know. I’ve been very tired lately, what with all the work at the house and the butcher shop combined.” She raised her eyes to meet the bishop’s gaze, which if she wasn’t imagining it, might have softened a wee bit. “I am feeling overwhelmed with my duties and I think that it’s affected my attitude lately.”
The bishop glanced at Dat who was nodding his head slightly in understanding, but Mamma sat silently with the steely look of a woman who had no sympathy left in her.
“We all work hard, Naomi. That is our way in life, especially the women. But, even so, we can help you if you are having difficulties dealing with your situation.” Bishop Esch turned and said to Dat, “Timothy, do you know of a way that this girl’s load could be lightened for a while?”
Naomi couldn’t believe what she was hearing and she brought her bottom lip back up as she glanced at Dat who was straightening his beard, looking very uncomfortable.
Before her father could say a word, Mamma’s hand shot out, pointing at Naomi. “Why, this is just an excuse the girl is making to get out of her duties.”
“Now, Patricia, I’m not saying that Naomi should be excused from her chores or her job. I’m simply suggesting that you both take into account what she has told us today. It is my position in the community to assist our people, even the young ones, when they have problems.”
Mamma rose from her chair and for a second, Naomi thought that she would leave the room, but instead, she pointed her finger once again at her. “I tell you, this girl has the devil in her. She’s always sassing me and sneaking around. I don’t trust her.”
Naomi absorbed the words in shock—the devil? Mamma was losing her mind, Naomi reasoned to herself. But even though she understood that the woman who had given birth to her, and never had more than an ounce of affection to share, was insane, her heart still wilted at her mother’s statement. The knowledge that Mother didn’t love her at all slammed into her gut. Naomi sucked in a deep breath and wiped the tears that were beginning to trickle down her cheeks.
The bishop motioned for Mamma to sit, but she ignored him, and said, “I have spoken my mind on the matter.” She turned and left the room. It seemed, with her exit, all the anger and hatefulness left too.
Dat remained silent, but the bishop shook his h
ead and said, “Timothy, I do not agree with your wife. Naomi is rebellious, but that is all.” He stood in a fluid motion not expected of a gray bearded man and said to Naomi, his eyes dead serious, “I’ll continue to counsel you, Naomi, until the shunning is complete, but I expect to see improvement in your willingness to obey and be submissive.”
Bishop Esch walked to the door in long strides, followed closely by Da. Just before he stepped out, he turned and said, “And you really should reconsider your relationship with Eli Bender. Settling down with a fine young man might be just what’s needed to sow your wild oats.”
When Naomi was finally alone, she exhaled. Her mind raced with the craziness of it all. The bishop was pushing her into a marriage with Eli, her Father couldn’t find his tongue even though Naomi’s life was crumbling around her…and her mother hated her. The excitement she’d felt earlier when she knew that she’d be escaping was thoroughly drenched now.
The touch of Emma’s small hands on her knees brought Naomi’s head down. Without any thought at all, she pulled the small child up and hugged her tightly. What would her little Emma do when she was gone? As the child’s hair tickled Naomi’s noise and her fingers kneaded her arm, the doubts came rushing in.
Naomi was suddenly terrified about what she was planning to do.
19
SERENITY
November 17th
I pushed the ice cubes around the cup with the straw, thoroughly disgusted with myself. No matter how I tried to rid Daniel from my mind, the feel of his lips pressed against mine kept invading my thoughts. As it was, I was operating on only about four hours of sleep, and now, when I needed to be focused, my brain was a jumbled mess.
Bobby’s voice broke through the cloud. I looked up to stare at the old man who had paused from eating his burger to talk to me. “I would think that you’d be in a finer mood, Serenity. After all, the judge agreed with you about the Amish boy at the arraignment today.”
It wasn’t the words he said, more the tone he used that put me on the defensive. I glanced at Todd, who was munching on his fries, acting disinterested, but I knew better. Very little conversation got by Todd.
“I know what you’re thinking, Bobby—that I got into too big of a hurry to bring Eli Bender in,” I said and leaned back in the booth. I watched the other patrons in Nancy’s Diner, thinking how nice it would be to be one of them, just enjoying the greasy cheeseburgers without all the stress that had my belly tied in knots.
“That’s not it at all. I’m more interested in how you’re going to handle the news if Eli isn’t the unborn child’s father,” Bobby said with a thoughtful rise of his eyebrow.
Leave it to Bobby to hit it right on the nail. Todd was looking at me with mild sympathy, bringing me to my senses and reminding me of what the bishop said at Naomi’s funeral. It is what it is.
“I certainly hope it wasn’t Will’s child, but if it turns out to be his, I don’t believe the fact would change the charges against Eli,” I said.
Todd said, “How long will it take, Bobby, to get the results back from Indianapolis?”
“A few days, maybe a week, I’d say,” Bobby answered.
The longest damned week of my life, I thought, taking a bite of my sandwich. We sat silently for several minutes before a nagging question finally made its way out of my mouth.
“Bobby, do you recall any strange incidents that happened within the Amish Community, oh, say, about thirty years ago?”
Bobby pulled his attention from his lunch and looked at me with an intensity that I usually didn’t see on the laid back old man’s face. “Why ever would you ask such a question?”
The tickling of foolishness vanished and I plunged in. “I heard a story that happened around that time, and I was curious if you knew anything of it. But, I guess it was told to me in confidence, so I don’t want to give you the particulars.”
Bobby drew his brows together, thinking for a few seconds and then said resignedly, “The Amish settled here in Blood Rock about thirty-five years ago, and I remember the hoopla within the community about their arrival. Most folks didn’t really mind having the Plain folk moving in, but others were quite bothered by the idea of having to rub elbows with a group who were so different from them. People were more prejudiced back then, especially about things they didn’t understand.”
“How did you feel about them?” I interrupted.
“Oh, I had no problem at all with the Amish. As a matter of fact, I was captivated by their lifestyle at first. There is quite the appeal of their simple ways and strong family ties. I became friendly enough with some of the local men by visiting their businesses. Did you know that the house that Mary and I sold a few years back was Amish built?”
“No, I didn’t. But, you said, at first. What did you mean by that?” I stared at Bobby hoping that if his words didn’t answer my question, his expression would.
“Don’t go getting me wrong. I still don’t have any problem with the Amish, but I’ve seen things over the years that have made me reconsider that their way is really simpler. In fact, my observations have led me to think that their lifestyle is a way of self-inflicting punishment. The young people seem to have it the worst. They’re expected to take on the work load and responsibility of an adult at the age of fourteen or fifteen.”
“Yeah, but those kids are a hell of a lot more mature than our teens,” Todd interjected.
Bobby shook his head softly, and said, “No, it doesn’t matter what culture the child is brought up in, the desire to have fun and be free is universal.” Bobby paused and turned back to me. “Getting back to your original question, Serenity, there was one tragedy that sticks in my mind as if it were yesterday.”
Bobby searched around for prying ears, and seeing that the diner’s noon day rush was past and most of the booths were empty, he settled back against the seat, his hands folded on the table.
“I was still an assistant to the coroner, Billy Jones, at the time. I wasn’t in charge, but Billy was quite the drinker and many of his responsibilities fell directly on my shoulders. That’s why I was personally called out to the railroad tracks that day. You see, Billy was on a binge somewhere and Sheriff Connelly couldn’t locate him. Anyway, it was a young Amish woman who was hit by the train.” Bobby thought for a second before adding, “I do believe that her name was Rachel Yoder.”
Todd interrupted, “What’s the big deal in that? Even now, we occasionally have to pull someone off the tracks.”
Bobby looked form Todd to me before he answered. “It wasn’t the fact that she was hit by the train. It was that she purposely stepped in front of it.”
His words registered, and a chill swept over me. I blocked the mental picture out. “How do you know that it wasn’t an accident?”
“It was in broad daylight, and a motorist stopped at the crossing saw the Amish girl walking alongside the tracks. When the train was almost abreast with the girl, she took the step in front of it. It was no accident—the girl wanted to die.”
“Why would she do such a thing?” I asked.
“That’s the part that makes that case similar to this one. No one would talk to Sheriff Connelly about it. The Amish people were as tight lipped in those days as they are now.” Bobby swiveled in his seat and called out, “Nancy, come on over here, and help refresh my memory.”
Nancy was an older woman who was extremely vibrant, despite her wrinkles. She dyed her hair the bright red that I’d been told had been her natural color before she’d ever received her first gray strand. When she moved about, her hips swung in a motion that many younger women couldn’t pull off, me included.
She stopped wiping down the counter, flinging the cloth aside to make her way over to our table. With no shy bones in her body, she slid into the booth beside Bobby and across from me.
“What can I help you with, Bobby?” Nancy drawled the question out, making it sound as if she was offering something very inappropriate.
Bobby must have thought so
too. He blushed before he turned slightly to the woman, “Do you remember when that Amish girl got herself killed by the train?”
Nancy nodded. “Sure do. That was a long time ago, but I remember it pretty clearly. I was working at that dive out on Route 44 where the sheriff and his boys used to hang out. He was pretty pissed off with them Amish people and how they acted.”
The cloudy day outside the windows suddenly seemed to brighten when I realized that there might be a common pattern with the two events.
“How were they acting, Nancy?” I asked.
Nancy brought her darkly shadowed green eyes to me and said, “Why, they just didn’t seem to care much that the girl did herself in. And they wouldn’t give the sheriff any information about why she’d do such a thing either.”
“None of the Amish people were at all helpful?” I pressed, instinctively knowing this was important somehow.
As if Nancy had just stumbled over a thought, her eyes widened, “There was a sister that was talking a bit, until the rest of ‘em quieted her.”
“Do you know her name?” I asked, thinking it was a long shot.
“Course I do. She’s a friend of mine now—goes to the same church I do.”
Confusion must have lit my face, because Nancy laughed, and said, “She ain’t Amish any more, Serenity. Mary Yoder turned English a few years after the train took her sister’s life. She’s married to Mike Clark and they have a few grown.”
“Do you think Mary would talk to me about her sister?” I asked, suddenly excited that I knew two people who used to be Amish.
Nancy nodded. “Let me give her the heads up that you’ll be contacting her, but yeah, I believe she’ll talk to you.”
“Can you call her now? If it’s okay, I would like to visit her today.” I tried not to sound too anxious, but probably failed miserably.
Nancy raised her eyebrows. “Today? Why, you must be a curious girl to rush over there.” When I didn’t say a thing, only holding my breath, she continued, “All right then. Let me wait on that tall, handsome piece of pie first.”
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