by Dana R. Lynn
Something wasn’t right.
“Maybe she’s ill.” He didn’t believe it, though.
“Even so, Hannah is here, and she is gut and strong. She would make sure the laundry was done.”
“What about the other kinder?” He knew so little about the Hostetler family.
“Hannah is the youngest girl. Her five sisters all have families of their own. Her oldest brother lives here. He’s at work during the day, and his frau cleans hauser for Englischers. They wouldn’t be home now.”
But Hannah and her parents should be.
“Lilah, could you go sit in the car?” He didn’t want her to be anywhere near the haus if his instincts were right.
She didn’t want to, opened her mouth, presumably to argue, then shut it again. “I don’t want to,” she whispered, casting a sideways glance at the haus, “but I know if something is wrong, then I’ll be in your way.”
He nodded, grateful for her understanding.
“Be quick,” she ordered before scurrying to the car. He could see her talking to Owen but turned away. It didn’t matter what she told the driver. She was safer in the car than in the haus.
Levi placed his foot on the first step as if it were covered with eggshells that he didn’t want to crack open. There were four steps. The third step creaked. He froze but didn’t hear anything.
Advancing to the door, he saw that the main door was wide-open, and only the flimsiest of screen doors barred him from the interior of the haus. It wasn’t even latched all the way closed.
Grabbing the door, he inched it open just wide enough to fit his frame through. Easing inside, he paused to listen for any sounds coming from within the haus.
Nothing.
He left the kitchen and ventured through the wide arching doorframe into the front room.
He stopped three feet inside the doorway.
He had found Hannah’s parents.
They were lying side by side on the floor in the middle of the room, both so still his heart stopped for a moment. He didn’t need to move closer to know that the small puddle on the floor next to Frau Hostetler was blood.
Levi looked down at his hands. The room wavered briefly. He sank back against the doorway. Squeezing his eyes shut, machine gun fire blasted in his mind. He slapped his hands over his ears. It was no good. He could still hear it, the sound vibrated in his bones, careening through his soul. He panted. He needed to leave. Had to find Harrison and Jones. They should have been back by now. His eyes returned to the prone bodies on the floor. Soldiers. There were soldiers all around him.
Harrison. Lifeless eyes staring back at him. He had no idea what had hit him. The ambush had taken them completely by surprise. None of them had had time to react. His rifle had been heavy in his hands. Useless. No one was left.
Where was Jones?
Levi looked around the front room, but he saw none of it.
His mind was clenched in the grasp of the horrors only people could perpetrate on each other.
Levi spun in a wide circle, seeing the chaos and devastation around him. His arm swept something over. It crashed. His vision was blurry, clouded with smoke. He couldn’t see what it was.
He could call for help. Maybe the enemy was still lurking. If he called, they’d know someone was left. They’d come back for him.
Aiden. His buddy had been with him when they’d found the bodies.
Where was he? Had he been caught, possibly killed?
Levi shook, his teeth chattering inside his mouth.
He had to get away from here. Spinning on his heel, he ran into something. It was hard and heavy and in his way. Shoving out his arms, he pushed the object away. When it tipped over, the explosion forced him to his knees.
Levi pushed his hands against the floor, fighting to remain conscious. Acrid smoke filled his nostrils. Gunfire spat around him.
He was lost.
EIGHT
What was that sound? It was like something had crashed and shattered. Something heavy. And was that Levi yelling inside the haus? Was he calling for her?
Nee, that was a scream of anguish.
“I’ll be back!” she hollered to Owen as she thrust open the car door.
“I’m comin’ with you,” he responded. “He sounds like he needs help.”
Running around the car, they pounded up the stairs and burst into the haus. The yelling had stopped. All she heard was someone breathing harshly in the next room. Levi.
Lilah ran into the room, then stopped abruptly. Owen slammed into her and she fell forward. She caught herself before she fell.
Her eyes fell on the couple lying on the floor. Hannah’s parents. The color drained from her face. Hannah’s mamm was moaning. At least she was alive. She wasn’t sure about her daed yet.
A soft moan had her whirling to the right. Levi was sitting on the ground, his arms around his head. What was wrong with him?
“He’s having a flashback,” Owen murmured behind her.
“A what?”
Owen squatted down in front of Levi. “Was he a soldier or something?”
She hesitated, then nodded. It wasn’t her secret, but if it would allow her to help Levi, she would tell Owen. He seemed to have guessed anyway.
“Lots of them came back suffering from horribly intense memories of what they saw. I recognize the signs. I have a cousin who has flashbacks. I’m guessing seeing those people on the floor was a trigger. It pushed him mentally back to the war he was in. You stay here with him. I’m going to see what I can do for those folks and call 911.”
She nodded to show she understood, but never removed her gaze from Levi. She had no experience with anything like this. Was it like sleepwalking? She’d heard one should never wake a person when that happened.
“Owen, can I talk to him?” Owen seemed to know more than she did. “Try to pull him out of it?”
“I don’t see why not,” he answered, crouched between Ben and Waneta. “They’re both alive. Knocked ’em on their heads pretty good.”
He whipped out his cell phone and tapped the keys. He began speaking almost at once. She tuned out his low voice as he talked with the dispatcher at the 911 center.
Lilah returned her focus to Levi. “Hi, Levi. Can you hear me?”
No response.
She reached out and touched his arm. When that didn’t do anything, she wrapped gentle fingers around his wrist.
His head snapped up. Lilah’s breath got stuck in her throat at the agony on his face. She didn’t move. There was a wildness in his gaze that told her he wasn’t completely with her yet. She didn’t want to take a chance on doing more harm. She couldn’t imagine the terrifying memories he must have.
After a few moments, the wildness faded from his face. He pulled his arm away from her. His face closed off. Cautiously, he surveyed the scene. When his attention landed on the Amish couple lying on the floor, his entire face tightened. His jaw worked back and forth. He was grinding his teeth.
“Levi,” she breathed, “bist du gut?”
She cringed after the ridiculous question left her mouth. Obviously, he wasn’t well. If he’d been well, she wouldn’t be sitting three feet away from him, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
“Jah,” he rasped. “I’m fine. Just give me a moment, will you?”
She backed away, stunned by the sense of rejection his words caused. He hadn’t meant it that way, most likely, but that’s how it felt.
The feeling was becoming far too familiar. Lilah was done with people closing her out. Hannah had done it. Her brother hadn’t shut her out, but he’d clearly been lying to her, which was just as bad. And now Levi.
But he’s in pain.
She sighed and let the bitterness go. Levi had been brave and selfless for the past two days. He’d taken on her cause and had been injured in the proce
ss. She couldn’t turn on him when he needed her to give him space.
The ambulance arrived, splashing red strobe lights against the walls. Lilah went to the door to let the EMTs in. A second ambulance pulled in as they were going through to the other room.
She led the second pair of EMTs through.
“Hey, Mickey. What do we have?” The man behind her edged around her and went to kneel by the one he’d called Mickey.
“Hiya, Calvin. It looks like both of them were struck in the back of the head. Female patient, altered level of consciousness.”
Lilah peered at Mrs. Hostetler. She was awake but didn’t appear to be aware of them. After a few seconds, her lids closed.
Mickey continued. “Male patient, still unconscious. Vital signs...”
The next minute was filled with technical jargon Lilah didn’t understand.
She left them and headed back toward Levi. She halted when a third vehicle pulled in, lights flashing. This time a police car. They were completely hemmed in by emergency vehicles.
She went to find Owen. He was sitting in the kitchen, away from all the noise. Levi was poised near the window. He caught her eye briefly when she joined them. His mouth tipped up at the corners, short of a true smile, but close enough that some of the knots in her stomach dissolved. He’d be gut.
Owen was playing on his phone. It was beeping and buzzing at an alarming rate. “Hey, Lilah. We’re keeping out of their way until they need us. Have a seat.”
“Owen,” she whispered. “Why are the police here?”
He looked up from his phone. “Standard procedure. When you call 911 and report that two people have been attacked and need an ambulance, the dispatcher will automatically notify the law, as well. I know Plain folk don’t typically go to the police, but this was one time it couldn’t be helped.”
“I’m not faulting you,” she hurried to say. “I didn’t understand, is all.”
Owen shrugged his meaty shoulders and smiled. “No offense taken.”
She opened her mouth to say more but paused when hard shoes clomped on the hardwood floor behind them. Turning, she found herself staring into a face not much older than her own. The young woman in the police uniform marched into the room with an air of confidence that Lilah admired.
“Afternoon,” she greeted Lilah, Levi and Owen. “My name’s Officer Nicole Dawson. I have a few questions about what happened here, if you don’t mind.”
Lilah allowed herself a small smile as amusement wove its way into her mind. Whether they minded or not, she had no doubt Officer Dawson would take their statements. If the matter weren’t so serious, she might have been tempted to try out her theory, although of course she never would. That would be disrespectful, and Lilah tried to always treat others with respect.
Levi’s glance meshed with hers. He was smiling, too. She had the sense that they were thinking along the same lines.
“Nee, we don’t mind,” she answered the officer.
“Good. Now, you called it in.” She pointed to Owen. “I understand you are often hired to drive Amish people places?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He ducked his head. “That’s what I was doing this afternoon.”
“Why don’t we start with why you came here and what you found.”
Levi cleared his throat. When Lilah glanced his way, he had turned and was facing them, hands behind his back, legs slightly spread.
“We were coming here to see Hannah Hostetler. She’s Lilah’s sister-in-law.” He jerked his chin in Lilah’s direction. “Hannah’s husband Jacob, who was also Lilah’s brother, was killed in a fire nearly a week ago. When we arrived, I found Hannah’s parents on the floor as you saw them when you entered. I have not seen Hannah.”
“I noticed some items were destroyed. The small curio cabinet had been knocked over.”
He paused, a shade of uneasiness crossing his face.
Suddenly, Lilah remembered hearing a crash. The cabinet hadn’t been knocked over by the person who’d attacked the elderly couple. It had been a victim of Levi’s flashback.
Well, the police didn’t need to know he suffered like that. It had no bearing on what had happened to the Hostetlers or Hannah.
“Sorry. We knocked that over when we saw what had happened. It was an accident.”
The woman narrowed her eyes at Lilah. Suspicion tainted her expression.
“It’s okay, Lilah,” Levi said. He met Officer Dawson’s stare with one of his own. “I was in Afghanistan some years back. When I saw Hannah’s parents, I had a flashback. Knocked the curio cabinet over without realizing what I was doing.”
The suspicion melted away. Compassion and understanding replaced it.
“Thank you for your service,” the officer told him. “Sorry you had to deal with this.”
She turned to Lilah, which was good, because she could see Levi was squirming at her words. He wasn’t one who enjoyed talking about himself to strangers.
“I’m sorry about your brother, Lilah. What can you tell me about Hannah?”
She flushed. “Well, she’s twenty-one years old. Has dark blond hair and greenish-brown eyes, and she’s seven and a half months pregnant.”
The officer’s spine straightened and her expression grew grim. “Do you have any reason to believe she may have been involved in what happened to her parents? Could she have run away with, ah, a boyfriend?”
Lilah’s mouth dropped open. “Nee! Hannah loved my brother. She wouldn’t do that to him. Never!”
The officer asked a few more questions. By the time she walked into the next room, Lilah’s ire had started to ease. Her stomach roiled at the mere suggestion of such behavior. Hannah may not have been receptive to her after Jacob’s death, but she knew that the other girl would have never betrayed him.
Officer Dawson returned a few minutes later and leveled a flat stare at Levi and Lilah.
“One more question. Did you know the fire that destroyed your house and killed your brother was arson?”
* * *
Levi stiffened, his gaze zeroing in on Lilah. She blanched, but other than that showed no reaction. He clenched his left hand into a fist. If he had his druthers, he’d go and sit down next to her, letting her know he was there to support her.
He didn’t, though. Levi stayed near the window, standing in his at ease stance. Lilah was strong. While he didn’t know everything in her past, he knew enough to know that she had survived her share of traumatic events. She didn’t need him to save her.
Even if that was the one thing his instincts were screaming at him to do.
“When was the last time you saw Hannah Hostetler?” Officer Dawson inquired.
“Schwartz.” Lilah’s voice was soft as she corrected the officer. “My sister-in-law’s name is Hannah Schwartz.”
Officer Dawson frowned. “Excuse me. When was the last time you saw Hannah?”
Lilah chewed on her fingernail briefly. Levi had seen her do that enough to know that she was either nervous or deep in thought. Possibly both, considering the circumstances.
“The last time I saw Hannah was two days ago, on Saturday. That was the day of my brother’s funeral.”
“Thank you. Did anything appear to be bothering her at the time?”
Lilah’s eyebrows climbed up her forehead at the ridiculous question. “Um. Jah. Her husband was dead and her home was gone.”
An unfamiliar sarcasm dripped from her words.
“And she was expecting,” Levi murmured.
“Jah, she was expecting their first boppli, and knew she’d be raising her kind without a father.”
“Fair enough.” The officer jotted down a note in her notebook. “Anything beyond that?”
Lilah’s blue eyes blazed with indignation and her pale cheeks flushed with temper. She was getting very close to the end of what she could tolerat
e. Levi said a quick prayer that she could hold on.
“Jah, something else was bothering her. She was angry with me because if my brother had not needed to go back into the haus to save me, he wouldn’t have died that night.”
Her questions might have been intrusive, but Levi believed the police officer had a good heart and was just doing her job. Although, he winced at the inherent insensitivity of the questions.
“Miss Schwartz, I apologize for upsetting you. I promise, my only intention is to find the truth. Sometimes, that means I have to ask tough questions.”
Levi couldn’t take it anymore. He stalked to the table and pushed a chair next to Lilah before dropping down in it. He didn’t touch her. He didn’t need to. The grateful look she sent his way told him she understood.
Didn’t mean he didn’t want to touch her. Jah, he wished he could reach out and grab her hand to comfort her. He wasn’t sure she’d let him. He’d upset her earlier, and although she’d apparently decided not to hold a grudge, he could sense a new distance between them.
The officer started to rise. Levi exchanged a glance with Lilah. It wasn’t the way they’d planned it, but they’d still set out to go to the police. He raised one brow, asking permission. She nodded.
“Actually, Officer Dawson, we have something we wanted to talk with you about before you leave.” He slid a glance to Owen. “It’s private.”
Owen’s mouth gaped for a second. “Oh! I guess I’ll go out to my car. You all come out when you’re ready for a ride back to your place.”
They waited until the door closed behind Owen and his footsteps had clomped down the wooden stairs.
“Okay, what did you want to talk with me about?” Officer Dawson asked, curiosity sitting openly on her face.
“We were coming into town to go to the police today,” Lilah began. She stopped and looked at Levi.
This time he did grab her hand. When she didn’t protest, he hung on. “Lilah had gone to her brother’s office after the funeral on Saturday. Someone was in it and had chased her and shot at her. When we went there this morning, someone was shooting at us, sniper style.”