Lancaster County Reckoning

by Kit Wilkinson

  “What about Jesse?” Darcy asked. “What about my grandparents?”

  “We don’t believe your grandparents were ever in any danger. They were only relocated because they took over custody of you,” she said. “And Mr. Troyer? Well, we will see if he wakes up.

  “You don’t have to decide right now.” Danvers snatched the large leather case into her left hand and handed a small business card to Darcy with the right. “Here’s my card. Let’s meet again soon.” With a glare at McClendon, she added, “In private.”

  Darcy looked even paler than when Thomas had found her on the floor at Jesse’s.

  Danvers was halfway out the door, then she paused and looked back. “Call me, Miss Simmons. I can get you to safety and you can leave this all behind.”

  SEVEN

  Darcy dropped her head into her hands as she desperately fought the onslaught of tears building. Her head spun and it wasn’t just from the injury. She had been in the witness relocation program her whole life? Then who was she, really? Or who had she been? What were her parents’ real names? Where had they lived? The questions devoured her. She wanted to curl into a ball and will all of these horrifying truths away. Truth was supposed to mean freedom. But these truths felt more like they were destroying everything she believed about herself and her past.

  Thomas and McClendon fidgeted in their seats. They probably didn’t know what to say after the whirlwind visit from Agent Danvers.

  How strange her life had become. She couldn’t even imagine what Thomas must be thinking or feeling about Jesse. And her. “Well, that was enlightening,” she said.

  “Actually, it answers a few questions that I had,” Thomas said, his voice heavily coated with emotion.

  Darcy suspected that Jesse must be much more than just a neighbor to Thomas. The thought made her a little jealous. She’d barely had a chance to form any kind of relationship with the man through their brief meetings—and now she might never have the chance.

  “You weren’t abandoned by your father,” he continued.

  “Nope. Stolen away by the grandparents, it would seem.”

  “I wonder how Jesse found you?” McClendon asked.

  “And how this Wissenberg found Jesse?” added Thomas. “Do you really think this is about revenge?”

  McClendon nodded. “Partially, but there must be more than that at stake here. Wiessenberg is clearly after more than simply hurting Jesse. He seems to be after whatever it is that Danvers claims Jesse had.”

  “Stole was the word used in the letter.” Darcy didn’t care that her tone sounded severe and unforgiving.

  “Danvers asked you about receiving gifts from Jesse,” McClendon continued. “And she mentioned believing that Jesse has something of great value.”

  “Well, he didn’t give me anything like that,” she said.

  “As far as I know, he doesn’t possess anything like that—not anymore. Jesse lives very plain. He may not have been born Amish but he lives the life to the letter,” Thomas said.

  “But by finding you,” McClendon said to Darcy, “he has inadvertently put you in harm’s way. If you don’t know what these people are after then maybe you should consider what Ms. Danvers said about going someplace else where you can be safe.”

  Darcy didn’t want to start her life all over again. Did she? What about Jesse? What about her grandparents? They may have lied to her, but they did love her in their own stiff way. She was certain of that. And she loved them.

  How had all this happened? If only Jesse could wake up and tell her what they wanted, then she and her father could relocate together and live the life that was taken from them...

  Thomas excused himself from the room while McClendon continued to question Darcy and warn her about her own safety. Thomas must have sensed how tired she was because he came back with a nurse. He was rescuing her again. And she was very grateful.

  “You need rest.” Abigail, the pretty nurse from the cottage, entered the conference room with a smile. “You’re welcome to come stay as our guest tonight at the clinic. We have plenty of room.”

  A safe place to stay. Darcy hadn’t even thought about that. Her attackers had known her phone number—she doubted it would be that difficult for them to find her address. Still, she didn’t know Abigail at all. On the other hand, she couldn’t drive and asking a friend to come pick her up would mean explanations that she didn’t feel like giving.

  “Are you sure? There could be trouble,” Darcy said. She didn’t want to bring her problems, her dangers, to someone else. But what else could she do?

  “I’m positive. Thomas, Chief McClendon, you are welcome to join us for dinner,” Abigail offered.

  “Not me. Thank you. I’ve got piles of work,” McClendon said. “But I will send a squad car by the clinic every hour through the night. No more uninvited guests for you, Miss Simmons. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thank you,” Darcy said. McClendon nodded and left.

  Thomas accepted the dinner invite but said he had a few things to do first and would meet them at the clinic later.

  Darcy wanted to walk out to Abigail’s car, but the nurse insisted she stay in a wheelchair.

  “Hospital policy,” Abigail said as they exited.

  “This is awfully kind of you,” Darcy told her a little later as they drove along the single-lane country road.

  “Well, Jesse is like one of the Nolts. And the Nolts and the Millers are like—well, our families have been friends for ages. So that kind of makes you like family.”

  Darcy felt a lump the size of Kansas form in her throat. She wasn’t used to all of this sentimental talk. “You and Thomas seem close.”

  “Ach. Ja,” she said, throwing a hand in the air. “Growing up, it was hard to get away from him and my big brother. They were such a pair. Always into trouble.”

  Darcy tried to imagine Thomas not behaving. But it was hard to imagine him as a mischief-making boy. He was all strong, serious man. “Really?”

  “Really. And Thomas instigated most of it. Nearly gave his Nana a stroke a few times.”

  Darcy’s mind wandered quickly back to the meeting with Danvers and McClendon. “I suppose Thomas shared with you what Agent Danvers came to the hospital for. Is that why you offered for me to stay over?”

  “Well, Thomas did tell me, but I would have offered anyway. You don’t have a car. And even if you did, I wouldn’t let you drive it. Not with a head injury like that.”

  “I could have called a cab,” Darcy said.

  “And gone where? Home alone? Thomas wouldn’t have let that happen.”

  Thomas would not have let it happen? What business of it was his? Mixed feelings settled over her. On the one hand, Abigail was right. She shouldn’t go home alone. Not even after that first phone call had come through, but especially not after what Agent Danvers had told her. On the other hand... “Thomas shouldn’t feel responsible for me. He doesn’t even know me.”

  “Knowing you has nothing to do with it. You’re Jesse’s daughter and Jesse can’t look after you so Thomas feels that it’s his duty. Thomas and Jesse are pretty tight. Both being widowers and all.”

  Thomas was a widower? That meant Thomas had been married and in love. Darcy swallowed away the strange taste in her mouth and forced a laugh. “I don’t think in my adult life I’ve ever been called someone’s duty.”

  Abigail laughed, too, though hers sounded more sincere.

  “So, one of the other nurses told me about you and Dr. Jamison. And then I remembered reading in the New Yorker about your husband’s search for his biological parents,” Darcy said. “I never thought I’d meet someone featured in such a prominent magazine.”

  “Blake hates all of that nonsense. Thankfully, it’s all died down since we got married.”

  Darcy decided
that she liked Abigail. She was intelligent and married to a very wealthy man and yet she was so down-to-earth. “I like how everyone is so uncomplicated here. I don’t meet many people like that. Not in my business. In fashion everyone is complicated—or pretends to be.”

  Abigail nodded, but Darcy got a sense she might not agree with her statement. They rode on a few minutes in silence.

  “Do you have a computer I could use?” Darcy asked.

  Abigail nodded. “I do. But you shouldn’t be looking at a computer screen with a head injury. Your work will have to wait.”

  “It’s not for work,” Darcy said. “I want to know more about who Jesse used to be. If he testified in a trial that put someone in prison for twenty years, there has to be something about that on the internet, right? We know who he put in jail, so maybe Jesse’s former name is out there to find, as well. Or even better, we could find out what these men who beat Jesse up are after.”

  “In that case, you tell me what to look up and I’ll work the computer for you.”

  “Deal.”

  * * *

  Thomas had gotten a ride home from the hospital by calling a local business that provided a sort of taxi service to the Amish. He was anxious to get home and take care of his horses. As soon as he returned, he pulled some from the fields. A few he turned out with heavy blankets. Others he led to their stalls. Then he provided fresh hay, clean stalls, water and feed for his herd. Most days, he had a teenage boy come and work for him. But today he was solo, just him and the horses. Thomas liked the time it gave him to think. To pray. And to be patient as he waited for an indication of God’s will.

  He was thankful he wasn’t a person like Agent Danvers—attached to a cell phone, constantly talking, constantly moving on to the next thing without having taken care of the one before. But it wasn’t just that endless busyness that set Thomas’s teeth on edge when he thought of the government worker. Sure, she could have been a little more sympathetic when asking Darcy to consider upending her whole life. But there was something else about her that had rubbed Thomas the wrong way. Something about the way she asked Darcy if Jesse had given her anything. What was that all about? What business was it of hers what Jesse had given his own daughter?

  Then again, what did Thomas know about such matters? Nothing. His life was faith, family and his four-legged friends. Not beatings, intrigue or danger.

  Thomas locked up the feed room then checked on Nana, telling her that he would be eating with Blake, Abigail and Darcy. The sun had already set and Thomas decided to park the buggy for the evening. Sadie had already trotted all over Willow Trace and he had put her away for the night. Instead, he called the same car service that he had used earlier. As he was getting into the back of the driver’s car, Nana came running out of the house. One would have thought the place was on fire. But she was only there to hand him some fresh baked bread to take over for the dinner. She didn’t believe in going to someone else’s table empty-handed.

  On his way to the clinic, he passed the Miller farm, which bordered his land on the opposite side from Jesse’s. He asked the driver to pull off and drive up the lane. He found Elijah out chopping wood. Elijah smiled when he saw Thomas emerge from the back of the small commuter car. Thomas quickly updated his friend on what had transpired in the conference room of the hospital.

  “I can’t get over Jesse being in witness protection.” Elijah slammed down his ax and split another log in half.

  “Well, that’s what I wanted to ask you,” Thomas said. “Why would Jesse go into hiding after he testified and the guy was convicted? And how would anyone have found him once he did? How did he find Darcy if they separated when they got new identities?”

  Elijah stopped and leaned on his ax. “I think it makes sense after what my father told us. That Jesse blames himself for his wife’s death. Whether that car accident was before or right after he testified, it doesn’t really matter. If someone is powerful enough, they can have people found and killed whether they are behind bars or not.”

  “Hence why Darcy and her grandparents also got new identities,” Thomas said. “So this Wissenberg person must be pretty powerful. Or at least he used to be.”

  Eli nodded.

  “But how would this guy find Jesse after all these years?” Thomas said. “And how did Jesse find Darcy?”

  “I don’t know, but his timing sure was bad, getting in touch with her right before Wissenberg was released.”

  “He must not have realized it was happening. No way Jesse waited all this time before contacting his daughter just to put her in danger,” Thomas said.

  “The US Marshal didn’t tell you anything more?” Elijah asked.

  Thomas shook his head. “She did not say much. She offered Darcy a new identity. Then she left in a big hurry. I got the feeling McClendon had more questions for her. Darcy, too. But the agent wasn’t going to answer them. She said she couldn’t talk in front of me. Maybe I should have left the meeting.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t.” Elijah rubbed the tip of his beard. “I still have friends in the FBI. Especially one—a guy by the name of Frank Ross. You’ve met him. He may be able to help us fill in some of these blanks.”

  “I don’t know...” Thomas hesitated. It was not the way of the Amish to meddle in police or government affairs. Shouldn’t it be left up to God? “What if we find out things about Jesse that he doesn’t want us to know?”

  “I think it’s far too late for discretion,” Elijah pointed out. “The information we don’t know is putting Jesse and Darcy in danger. We can’t protect them without learning more of what’s going on. Anyway, it’s Jesse. And Jesse’s daughter. He would want us to help, even if it meant revealing things about his past.”

  “She’s staying with your sister tonight,” Thomas said. “I’m headed there for dinner. McClendon is sending a car by every hour, in case there’s trouble.”

  “Even more reason to get some information for ourselves. I’ll call Agent Ross,” Elijah said. “You go to dinner. Call me if you need me.”

  “I always do.” Thomas smiled and returned to the back of his driver’s car.

  * * *

  Dinner was pan-seared chicken with potatoes and fresh vegetables, served with homemade iced tea and chocolate pie for dessert. Darcy surprised herself at the quantity of food she was able to consume after having spent most of the day nauseous.

  Her nerves had calmed some, but the US Marshal’s unveiling of her secret life weighed on her mind like a pile of anvils. As did the agent’s offer for Darcy to be relocated again.

  Should she really start a new life? Never talk to Jesse again? Never talk to her grandparents or coworkers again? It seemed such a terrible price to pay, but would it be worth it if it meant she’d be safe? She was glad she had more time to think about it. With her head pounding and her mind reeling from the attack, she was in no shape to make a decision that would change her whole life.

  Conversation over dinner had been light. Lots of stories about Jesse. While she couldn’t repress lingering jealousy that these people had known her father so much better than she had herself, she was still grateful for insights into the kind of man he was. Abigail and Blake were the perfect host and hostess. Their home was well decorated and had every modern convenience—a great contrast to Jesse’s cottage, and even Thomas’s larger but still simple home.

  “I can’t believe how kind you are to have me over like this,” Darcy said. “And it’s so great that you’re Jesse’s doctor.”

  “Happy to do it,” Blake said.

  “But I wasn’t thinking when I agreed to stay here,” Darcy continued. “You guys are newlyweds. I’m totally imposing on you. Not to mention the chance that I could be attacked again, putting you at risk. I should get a room at that B and B I saw on the way in yesterday. It looked charming.”

  “It is,�
� said Blake. “I lived there when I was working as a visiting doctor at the hospital. But we don’t mind you staying here at all.”

  “In fact, we insist you do,” Abigail added.

  She had to credit their enthusiasm to their loyalty to Jesse and Thomas. They were doing this to please them.

  “So, how did that meeting go with McClendon today?” Blake asked. “Any leads on who beat up Jesse and tried to do the same thing to you?”

  Darcy was surprised when it was Thomas who let out a low grunt of disapproval. “That was not what the meeting was about.”

  Blake’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

  “Oh, my, Abigail, you haven’t even told him what he’s gotten himself into inviting me over,” said Darcy.

  “He already knew about the attack,” Abigail said. “It’s not going to make any difference to us that you and Jesse were part of WITSEC.”

  “What? Wow! That’s not something you hear too often,” said Blake. “Witness relocation... I would have never thought of that. Do you know why you all had to relocate?”

  Darcy shrugged. “Not completely. I only know the basics. I was hoping to use your computer and do a little research?”

  “Sure.” Abigail stood from the table and began gathering dishes to take to the sink. Blake followed her lead. “It’s in the clinic area. Help yourself but make sure that Thomas reads the screen for you.”

  Blake grabbed his young bride and pulled her close, giving her a kiss. “Nurses are the worst, right? They don’t let anyone do anything.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Abigail pushed him away playfully, and whipped him with the drying towel.

  “The computer is through there,” Thomas told her, lifting his arm to direct her.

  There was plenty of information to be found online about Wissenberg. Years before, he had been the director of the Gregorian Museum of Fine Art. Then he was arrested and convicted of murder, international smuggling and fraud. One article stated that it was believed that he had illegally sold over one hundred million dollars worth of museum-quality art.