Safe Hearts (Amish Safe House, Book 3)

by Ruth Hartzler

  “I’ll be all right,” she said automatically, then quickly added, “mostly because of you and the ladies looking out for me. I hope you understand how grateful I am.”

  Even as Ryan stayed a polite distance from her, he did not hesitate to reach out and lay a hand over hers. She felt another warm shiver run through every nerve in her body as she stared into his eyes.

  “I’ll be there anytime you need someone,” he said with such calm commitment that her heart raced. “Anytime at all.”

  Despite the tingling, exciting emotions that raced through her, there was an ever present shadow that darkened her thoughts, keeping her from becoming totally lost in that promise.

  I hope you still feel that way when you find out how non-Amish I really am.

  Deuteronomy 29: 29.

  The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

  Chapter 4.

  Kate walked inside the main house after she had completed her morning chores around the garden, but as the door closed behind her, she heard the sound of a horse trotting up the usually quiet road. She turned back quickly and pushed the door open to see the new visitor.

  The buggy pulled up. The door opened and Beckie stepped out, with a weary smile on her face. “Gude mariye,” she called out, waving politely.

  Kate returned her greeting. “Good morning!”

  Beckie stumbled a bit as she jumped down from the buggy. She regained her composure and approached Kate, who was still waiting in the doorway. “I heard you spoke to Officer Ryan Weaver recently. Did you find out anything?”

  Kate hadn’t exactly been expecting to become the middleman in such a situation, but she knew the legal system much better than Beckie or any of the others, and the last thing she wanted was to see an innocent man like Jeremiah be punished for a crime he’d never committed.

  “I was actually going to hitch up the buggy and drive over to see you this morning,” Kate said. She paused for a moment, and then looked away before continuing. “Ryan told me where they’re holding him until they decide if he’ll make bail or not. He said that they usually restrict visitation until the suspects are moved to the prison, but he promised to pull some strings, so that we can get in to see him before that happens. Are you able to go today? Jeremiah’s being held at the Monroe Correctional Facility.”

  Beckie smiled immediately. “That would be wonderful. Maybe we can hear his side of the story and figure out what actually happened. Thank you, and please be sure to thank Officer Ryan as well when you see him.”

  “I definitely will,” Kate replied.

  “Would you like some time to get ready, or should we get going right away?”

  “It’s probably best to go as soon as possible. Like I said, they usually are very restrictive with visitors and visitation hours, so the less inconvenience we offer them, the better.”

  Beckie nodded. “I completely understand. Let’s be on our way, then?”

  Kate smiled and nodded. “I’ll call a taxi from the barn. It’s probably thirty minutes or so there, according to Ryan.”

  A short time later, Kate was in the taxi, looking out at the trees as they blurred by. The motion was so mesmerizing that it forced her mind to wander back to her former life. Whenever strange cases or investigations popped up, the U.S. Marshal inside her always seemed to fight back in order to take control. The cool breeze of the wind tickled her nose as the thoughts raced through her head. Kate’s attention was only drawn back to reality, when Beckie spoke.

  “Excuse me, but since we’re getting closer to this jail, is there anything we need to know before we get there?”

  “Not really,” Kate answered. “There will probably be some security up front that we’ll have to check in with, but then it should be smooth sailing.”

  “I’ve never been to such a place, though. Should I be worried or scared?”

  Sometimes Kate seemed to forget what it was like to know the evils of the world firsthand. “Prison can surely be a scary place if you’re the one behind the bars, but we’ll be fine, and so will Jeremiah. They’re holding him in a small detention facility just until they decide on his bail. Ryan seemed pretty sure that they wouldn’t post a high bail amount knowing that he’s from the Amish community. They usually reserve high amounts for the suspects who are deemed to be flight risks.”

  “That’s a little bit of a relief,” Beckie replied. She looked forward and stared out into the deep blue sky. Kate could tell that the entire ordeal was weighing heavily on the poor woman’s mind. “I just hope they fix this mess soon. II know one thing about anyone, it’s that Jeremiah would never hurt another person.”

  Kate glanced back out at the trees. She felt goose bumps forming on her arms as the cool air grew colder. As the greens and browns of the foliage flew by her eyes, she saw a sign that read, Monroe Correctional Facility: Next Right.

  “There it is!” Becky said, pointing into the distance. Kate looked up to see a large, fenced off enclosure looming past the tree line. She was fairly certain that they were still miles away from the Monroe Correctional Facility, but she squinted anyway, hoping to get a look at the building that sat behind the rows of barbed-wire fences. Unfortunately, the twisting turns of the road, the dense trees, and the emerging hills all combined to make it an impossible feat to see anything of the prison from the road with naked eyes.

  As the taxi approached the first building, Kate looked out to see a small security shack with a large boom gate blocking the way. A short, pudgy man in a dark gray uniform emerged from the small booth. He held a clipboard in his hand and a radio receiver in the other. “Good day,” he said. “What brings you to the MCF today?”

  Kate rolled down her window. “We’re here to visit one of the inmates, Jeremiah Steinbeck. Officer Ryan Weaver called ahead about us. I’m Katie Lambright, and this is Beckie Fisher.”

  The officer nodded, looking down at his clipboard, and flipping through its pages. “Wait here a moment.”

  Kate watched as the man walked inside and picked up the phone. After speaking to someone for a few moments, the man returned. “If you’ll just follow this road up ahead, you’ll come to the parking area for visitors. Just grab any spot there and head through the large brown doors.”

  “Thank you so much,” Beckie said with a smile as the boom gate rose to give them passage. The taxi’s engine roared toward the visitor’s parking area.

  Kate looked out over the facility. She could now see its little intricacies and the large fields of nothing but grass and metal fences. The realization that poor Jeremiah was trapped in such a place, with people that he had no business being around, caused anguish to creep into her heart.

  They pulled into the small parking lot and asked the taxi to wait. Kate led the way and headed toward the large brown doors that the guard had mentioned. She pulled one of them open and walked in. Kate noticed a look of surprise forming on Beckie’s face as she examined the room with wide eyes.

  The interior looked nothing like the outside. A large, heavily secured desk sat in the far end of the main room. Kate walked over to it and spoke through the glass. “Hi, we’re here to see Jeremiah Steinbeck.” Aside from one guard who had her back to the glass, only the blinking lights and the buzzing and whirring sounds from the computers in the office could be seen or heard.

  The chair spun around, and the officer leaped to her feet. “Hello, there. I just spoke with the guard who let you in. If you would just sign here by your names,” she said, handing Kate a clipboard through a small slot in the glass.

  Beckie leaned closer to look at the paper. “What’s that for?”

  “Oh, it’s just so that they have a record of every visitor. I’m sure some people have tried bringing contraband into this place in the past. The guards are just cautious; they have to be.”

  “Contraband? You mean bad things?”

  “In here, everything is bad,�
�� Kate admitted. She scribbled her name on the paper and then handed it to Beckie to sign. She took the pen and signed her name before handing it back to the guard.

  “Thanks,” the guard said, looking at their signatures. “If you both could just follow me, please.”

  The guard unlocked a door and emerged from the office, before motioning for them to follow her lead. Kate looked at Beckie and nodded. “Here we go.”

  As they reached the end of a very long, claustrophobic hallway, Kate saw two metal detector units sitting in the doorway to the visiting area. “If you two would just please walk through these security terminals, we’ll be able to get you to see your friend very soon.” Kate nodded to Beckie, signaling for her to go first. She walked through; not a single peep sounded from the detectors. Then, Kate passed through without any hiccups as well. The guard then led them around a corner toward a sign that read, Visitor’s area.

  Kate looked over to see a large row of glass windows with analog telephones hanging beside them. “Is this a no-contact visiting area?” she asked, without thinking.

  The guard spun around, a confused look on her face. “Excuse me?”

  “The phones,” Kate clarified.

  The guard nodded. “Oh, yes. Because this is mainly a transfer facility, we limit most of our visits to this area. You can still see and talk to him; you just won’t be able to communicate without the receivers.”

  The whole ordeal bothered Kate even more now. Not only did she know that Jeremiah was innocent, but she knew all too well that an Amish man wouldn’t take well to being locked up like an animal.

  The guard stopped and turned to the women. “He’s waiting for you just beyond these doors. You guys will have about fifteen minutes with him.”

  The guard pushed a lever in the wall, causing the doors to fly open. Kate exchanged glances with Beckie and led the way in. As soon as she cleared the doorway, she saw Jeremiah wearing a bright blue jumpsuit. Seconds later, she heard a whimpering sound coming from beside her. Kate looked over to see Beckie rubbing one of her eyes.

  “Let’s go talk to him,” Kate said, looking at her with a forced smile. “We came all this way to see him. Let’s not waste time.”

  Beckie nodded.

  The women walked up to sit down in front of the small, thick glass. There was a phone on each side. Kate pulled their receiver from its holster as Jeremiah frowned and gripped his receiver tightly with his left hand. “Hello,” his voice said in a grave tone.

  “Hi, Jeremiah,” Beckie replied. Kate held the phone between her and Beckie’s ears so they could both talk to him and listen.

  “So, have you heard anything about what’s going on?” he asked.

  “No, we were hoping you could fill us in,” Beckie said in response.

  “I don’t really have a clue what’s going on,” Jeremiah said. “All I know is that they’re saying they found some poison near one of my machines, and that the guy must have been bothering me or something, and I lost my temper. That’s not true at all, though.” He looked down and closed his eyes.

  “They’re discussing bail right now, but you should probably try to get yourself a good lawyer,” Kate said. “It’s ridiculous that they’d think an Amish man would ever commit a crime, let alone something so heinous, but Officer Ryan said you were recently on rumspringa, and that men on rumspringa can sometimes do something wild.” She broke off and sighed deeply.

  Jeremiah sighed too, as he looked back up through the glass. “I didn’t do this. I barely knew that mann. I’ve only seen him twice or so, and both times he asked me about the same thing, I think.”

  Kate was curious. “What did he ask you?”

  “Well, the first time, he just asked if the Amish would ever shelter someone.”

  Beckie and Kate looked at each other with confusion. “What do you mean?” Beckie said into the phone.

  “The guy asked me if the Amish would ever hide someone within their community. I was in disbelief when he asked; believe me. I told him we would never open our community to criminals, but I don’t think that’s what he meant.”

  “Why do you say that?” Beckie asked.

  “Well, I asked him what type of person he was asking about, and he said he wasn’t speaking of criminals, but he wouldn’t elaborate any further. And then, the next time he showed up, he wanted to know if any women around the age of thirty had converted to the Amish lifestyle recently and moved into our community.”

  Kate caught her breath, and her blood ran cold. Was that private detective looking for her? How would he know anything about her? Thoughts and fears flashed in her mind as she thought about what such a thing could mean. Then, she realized she might have been ratted out.

  “Just curious, but did you happen to mention to this private detective that I had recently moved into the community?” Kate asked, trying not to sound too interested.

  Jeremiah shook his head. “Nee, I didn’t even think about that. You’ve always been Amish though; you just had an accident and suffered some memory loss. I think he’s more interested in an outsider that’s hiding out or something. Besides, the guy gave off a weird vibe, so I just didn’t feel like I could trust him, even if I had thought about it. I can’t promise that someone else didn’t mention your name, though. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person that he had questions for. But after that, he pretty much stopped coming by, so I stopped thinking about him and his inquiries. Then, shortly afterward, all of this started.” Jeremiah sighed again.

  “You got two minutes left,” yelled the guard.

  Beckie frowned and looked over at her cousin once more. “We won’t stop until you’re where you belong, I promise.” She put her hand up against the glass. Jeremiah looked up with a smile and pressed his against hers.

  “I know you won’t. Denki,” he said brightly, but Kate could not but help notice his face was pale and gray – and with the shock she’d just had, she was sure her face was the same.

  Psalm 23: 1 - 6.

  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

  Chapter 5.

  The trip to and from the Monroe Correctional Facility had gone by quickly, but the rest of the day had dragged on. In the hours following the visit, Kate consistently had to fight off the constant reminders of her and Beckie’s conversation with Jeremiah. She wasn’t sure what to do about the situation, but Kate was certain that it wouldn’t bode well for her if everything he said about that private detective was true.

  The next question that popped into Kate’s head was, “Why was that man killed?” If the private investigator was actually searching for her, who harmed him and why did they do it? Were they looking for her? After such a long, stressful day, Kate was ready to retire to her cottage to call it a night. She finished up her remaining chores around the main house and then headed home.

  Kate walked toward her cottage, but as she did, she glanced up to see darkness as it descended upon the sky. She watched on as thousands of small, sparkling stars gathered around the bright, full moon. For some reason, the scene reminded her of lightning bugs hovering around a street lamp. Kate approached the front door of her cottage and slid the key in its lock. She looked up at the clock as she entered the living room and realized that it was later than she had thought it was.

  Kate tried to figure out how to solve her newest dilemma. Time was running out if she had planned to do anything that night, but what were her options? Kate thought about the various avenues that she could take to fix the problem, but the only option that seemed viable at that moment was to consult her boss. It had been quite some time since she dared to contact him, but if her identity and li
fe were in jeopardy as she believed they could be, she felt it was a good enough reason to make another call.

  Kate reached under her clothing to find her secret pocket. She grasped at the cloth tightly until she felt the cell phone that lay hidden underneath the fabric of her dress. She looked out the window over the darkened fields and saw the silhouette of the creek. Kate realized that it might actually be the best spot for her to make the phone call to her boss. Even though random visitors to her cottage weren’t very common, the idea that anyone could show up without warning caused her to be fearful of taking the chance of being caught on the phone in her own home.

  Kate knew that the creek was probably shrouded in darkness at this time of night, and it was far off near the woods, so she hoped that it would provide good enough cell reception to hold the phone call, and be inconspicuous at the same time.

  Kate set over the open fields that were covered in shadows. She listened to the sounds of crickets chirping as they echoed in the night. As she got closer to the creek, Kate noticed a large log resting beside the rushing water. She sat down and looked out over the stream as the moon’s reflection painted a surreal scenery before her.

  For a few minutes, the beauty of the night erased her fears and apprehensions. After that, however, she fell back into reality and realized that she had to make the call before it got too late. She pulled the phone from her makeshift pocket and called her boss, David Harper.

  The phone vibrated in her hand as she awaited an answer. Kate looked out over the fields and let the gentle sounds of the creek comfort her, as they wiped away her immediate fears. The ringing finally stopped, and a yawning voice spoke softly, but in an alert tone. “Is there a problem?”

  “David, we might have an issue,” Kate said.

  She heard some shuffling sounds coming from his end of the conversation, but then his voice grew louder and more concerned. “What’s wrong, Kate?”

  “There’s been a murder in the local town. An Amish man from the community, who worked as a barista at one of the local cafés, is being charged with homicide. They think he poisoned a private detective who’d been visiting the town recently.”