Who the Bishop Knows

by Vannetta Chapman

  He’d slept a few hours before Naomi and her friends showed up. It wasn’t much, but it was probably enough. He was sixty-six, not ninety. He could go one night without sleep.

  He walked into the kitchen, stared at the sheets of paper, and fought the irresistible urge to sit down and continue drawing. There was no need. Grayson had warned him off the investigation. Justin Lane probably was the person who had murdered Jeremiah, or at least Grayson thought so.

  Picking up the drawing, the one that showed Justin pushing through the mob, he studied it. Then he shook his head and carried the drawing into the living room. He sat down on the couch, pulled on his reading glasses, and looked at it some more. He had no memory of drawing it, but he had. The picture of Justin showed a scowl on his face, his eyes cut toward the side as if needing to look behind him and move forward at the same time.

  It was the expression on his face that bothered Henry and caused him to turn the battery lantern to its highest setting, pulling the drawing even closer.

  Justin looked irritated, which was an odd enough emotion to see immediately after someone had been shot. He also looked concerned, maybe even the slightest bit afraid.

  Henry took off his glasses and rubbed at his temples. He allowed his mind to drift back—to see Betsy Troyer’s killer, the Monte Vista arsonist, and the person who had murdered Sophia Brooks. Each of those individuals had possessed a certain arrogance about them. They’d clung to an almost innocent idea that what they’d done had been called for, had been reasonable, had been necessary.

  He saw none of that in Justin’s face. The young man might be a gambler, a thief, even a bad person. But when he looked at the person in the center of the drawing he held, Henry did not see a killer.

  Forty-One

  Transcript of interview between Monte Vista Sheriff Roy Grayson and Justin Lane, regarding the July 27 homicide of Jeremiah Schwartz and the August 5 aggravated robbery of Naomi Miller, Katie Ann Fisher, Silas Fisher, and Albert Bontrager. Audiotapes and a transcript of the interview are included in both permanent case files.

  Sheriff Roy Grayson #3604

  INTERVIEW WITH Justin Lane

  Case #4751.06 and #4762.02

  6:15 a.m., Sunday, August 5

  Sheriff Grayson (SG): Please state your name for the recording.

  Justin Lane (JL): Justin Tanner Lane.

  SG: And for the record, you have waived the right to a lawyer.

  JL: I don’t need a lawyer. I haven’t done anything wrong.

  SG: You have been arrested for the aggravated robbery of Naomi Miller, Katie Ann Fisher, Silas Fisher, and Albert Bontrager.

  JL: Put me in a lineup. Let’s see if they can pick me out.

  SG: Son, I think we’re past that since we found the money in your truck.

  JL: But that money belongs to me. It’s not robbery if you take back what’s yours.

  SG: So you admit to taking the money from them at gunpoint?

  JL: I’m not admitting anything.

  SG: How long had you been following them?

  JL: Not them. The girl.

  SG: Naomi?

  JL: I guess.

  SG: This is your chance to cooperate, Justin. Don’t waste it.

  JL: We’d been keeping an eye on her since before the funeral. Figured she knew where he’d stashed the money, and he owed me. You have that notebook he kept, right? Look in the notebook, and you’ll see that he owed me, that I only took what was mine.

  SG: So you were going to turn in the rest of the money?

  JL: Didn’t say that.

  SG: Why didn’t you just ask for it?

  JL: Ask for it? You think she would have just handed it over? She might be Amish, but she’s not stupid.

  SG: Why the guns?

  JL: They weren’t even loaded. We were just trying to scare them.

  SG: Back to Naomi. You followed her to the Kauffmann farm?

  JL: Yeah.

  SG: Tell me about that.

  JL: Nothing to tell. We’d been watching Naomi’s place, so we followed her. Have you seen the Kauffmann farm? What a setup. Can you tell me where an Amish farmer came up with that much money? Anyway, it was easy enough to let ourselves into the back of the barn and listen in on what they were saying. Then it was just a matter of getting out without being seen and following the girl.

  SG: Justin, did you kill Jeremiah Schwartz?

  JL: No! I wouldn’t do that. I didn’t do that, even though it would have been justified, considering what he stole from me.

  SG: You argued with him… at the diner.

  JL: I wanted the money I’d won the week before. He kept putting me off. Why would he do that? You saw how much he had. I think he was planning to keep it, planning to take it to California with him.

  SG: If you really believed that, why didn’t you come to the police and file a complaint against him?

  JL: For illegal gambling? Now you’re just trying to trip me up.

  SG: Where were you when Jeremiah was shot?

  JL: I was at the rodeo. You know that. You even have the statement I filled out.

  SG: Did you smuggle a rifle into Ski Hi Arena?

  JL: No.

  SG: Did you plan to kill Jeremiah Schwartz?

  JL: No!

  SG: And did you carry out that plan on July 27?

  JL: I didn’t do anything like that.

  SG: Where were you standing when he was shot?

  JL: You asked me before—both times you brought me in.

  SG: You said you were standing in the chutes.

  JL: This is harassment if you want my opinion.

  SG: You said you were standing there with the other rodeo contestants, but that isn’t true, is it?

  JL: I’d already ridden when Jeremiah went out.

  SG: You were watching him?

  JL: Everyone watched Jeremiah when he competed. Don’t ask me why. I never did understand the appeal of watching an Amish kid on a horse.

  SG: This is a map of Ski Hi Arena. Can you point to where you were standing when Jeremiah was shot?

  JL: What difference does it make?

  SG: Just humor me. Approximately where were you when you heard the rifle shot?

  JL: I’ve slept since then. I can barely remember where I was yesterday.

  SG: We have a witness that places you here. Is that where you were?

  JL: I don’t remember.

  SG: Because that would have been approximately where the shooter would have needed to be. To shoot Jeremiah as he came out here, the shooter had to be in this section of the stands, the same section you were in.

  JL: I didn’t see a shooter.

  SG: What did you see?

  JL: Yeah, I’d gone to the opposite side. I was hoping to find Piper, to tell her Jeremiah had to pay me that night, but I didn’t see her. I was turning to go back when I heard the shot. Couldn’t tell you where it came from, but I recognized it for what it was—a rifle shot, probably high caliber, and probably with a scope. That’s just an opinion, because I don’t know for certain. I did not kill Jeremiah!

  SG: That’s it? That’s all you have for me?

  JL: What else do you want?

  SG: I want the truth. I want to know what happened the night of July 27.

  JL: I’ve told you everything I know.

  SG: Is there anything else you’d like to add to your statement?

  JL: No. Nothing.

  SG: All right. You are formally being charged with aggravated robbery. Your arraignment will occur within the next twenty-four hours.

  JL: Arraignment?

  SG: Your first appearance in court. A judge will decide if you’re a flight risk, which I believe you are. The judge will then either set bail or decide you’re to remain in jail until your trial.

  JL: I can’t sit in a jail cell waiting for you all to figure out I didn’t do this. I can’t miss the rest of the circuit.

  SG: The rodeo is the last thing you need to worry about.

  JL: The rodeo i
s my life.

  SG: You still have one phone call. I suggest you call your parents and ask them to arrange for a good criminal defense attorney.

  JL: (inaudible)

  SG: If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you.

  JL: I don’t need an attorney.

  SG: And Justin? We have both your friends here.

  JL: My friends?

  SG: Daisy Marshall and Roger Clemore.

  JL: You arrested them?

  SG: We did. They are also being charged with aggravated robbery.

  JL: Seems like you’re filling up your jail with people who didn’t commit a crime.

  SG: My advice is that you come clean before they do–

  JL: I don’t have anything to say about them.

  SG: Because whoever tells us what we need to know first, whoever helps in this investigation, is going to receive a recommendation for leniency from me. I plan to ask the district attorney to prosecute the other two to the full extent the law allows.

  Forty-Two

  Emma arrived for their church service at the Hoschstetler place a few minutes early and was following the trail of folks into the barn. Stephen and Thomas had run ahead. She moved in front of Rachel, who was walking with Clyde, holding his hand as she listened to him telling her about the passage of Scripture he’d studied in case he was called on to preach the sermon. Katie Ann and Silas had spied other youngies and peeled off in their direction.

  As she stepped into the barn, Emma glanced back over her shoulder and saw the top of Henry’s roof. It felt strange, being this close to Henry’s house but not being there. The Hoschstetler place had been owned by Englisch before, and Seth and Roseann were slowly changing it to meet the rules of their Ordnung—disconnecting the electricity, removing the ceiling fixtures, adding hooks for lanterns and shelves for flashlights, exchanging the electrical appliances for gas-powered ones. It was an arduous process, but it was usually completed within the first year of purchasing a place not considered Amish.

  The Hoschstetlers seemed like a friendly couple, and Emma was glad they had joined the Monte Vista community. Amish districts, especially small ones, could always use new members, and God had provided in their time of need. Two more new couples were supposed to move into the area by the end of summer. She thought that was a good thing. More neighbors, more hands to help, more people for their youngies to date and even marry.

  As Emma murmured hello and took her seat, she tried to focus on the church service, tried to calm the flurry of panic that had taken up residence in her heart since the moment Katie Ann and Silas stumbled through the back door. Of course she’d been waiting up. She understood youngies needed to have their time of rumspringa, but that didn’t stop a grandmother from worrying. She was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee when they’d come in during the wee hours of the morning.

  They’d told her the whole thing—about Naomi figuring out where the money might be, finding the money, and then being robbed at gunpoint. Though they’d appeared calm enough, though they’d assured her Henry and Grayson had everything under control, she’d stayed at the table long after they’d gone to bed. She’d prayed and worried and prayed some more. They’d repeated the night’s events to their parents the next morning, and Clyde and Rachel had taken the news well.

  But Emma hadn’t.

  She hadn’t felt any better about it the second time she heard the telling.

  Sometime in the past twelve hours, she’d allowed fear to worm its way into her heart—maybe because she’d been able to vividly imagine what they had described. She’d been held at gunpoint before. She understood the fear and the danger.

  Silas and Katie Ann—threatened with a gun.

  Albert and Naomi—pulled into the midst of this thing.

  Someone willing to kill for money—willing to kill again.

  And then there was the matter of the cut fence and spooked horses.

  The situation, which she’d hoped was improving, was growing more dangerous. It caused her stomach to twist and turn. She found herself clutching her purse with her hands until they cramped, and her neck felt stiff. She should be focused on the church service. They’d already sung the Loblied, and she didn’t even remember doing so. Henry had moved to the front of the group. He opened his Bible and began reading from 1 Peter.

  “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

  Emma could do that. She could point to places in Scripture that gave her hope. She could tell how Christ had changed her life. She could talk about her salvation, but what she couldn’t do at the moment was shake this feeling of dread. Tears blurred her vision as she stared down at her open Bible. She sat that way for some time as the service went on despite her inattention. When they sang, she stood and listened to those around her. When the sermon began, she remained quiet, though she couldn’t have told you a word that was said. She bowed her head when they prayed, but as she searched her heart, she found only fear. She fought to keep her expression neutral, but before the service was over, Rachel reached for her hand and whispered, “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” she assured her daughter-in-law.

  But would she? Could she make it through yet more danger and drama?

  The heaviness of her fear followed her to the serving line, where she helped replace empty platters of vegetables with full ones. She didn’t want to eat, and she certainly didn’t want to visit with anyone. As soon as she could reasonably escape, she fled to a cove of trees that bordered the property line next to Henry’s place. She stood there, leaning against a tree and staring at a broken place in the fence line. From the track of paw prints, it looked as if Lexi was taking full advantage of the ability to freely visit Henry’s neighbors.

  She pulled in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and attempted to calm the swirling emotions in her heart.

  “Care for company?”

  She opened her eyes and saw Henry standing a few feet in front of her, Lexi waiting patiently at his side.

  “I didn’t hear you walk up.” She swiped at the tears that had tracked down her cheeks, embarrassed and then wondering why she would be embarrassed to show this man her emotions. She was marrying him in less than three weeks. Surely their relationship was strong enough to handle a few tears.

  “I was worried. I thought I’d come and check on you.” He covered the distance between them slowly, giving her time to say she’d rather be alone.

  But she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted Henry to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right. So she stepped forward, and then his arms were around her, and her head was resting against his chest, and she understood that she didn’t need to rein in her emotions or hide her tears.

  He let her cry, not bothering to talk her out of it with empty sayings such as There’s nothing to cry about, or Look on the bright side, or Things will be better tomorrow.

  When she’d wrung herself dry, she stepped back and brushed at his shirt. “You’ll need to change now. The fabric is soaked.”

  “In this weather it will dry in no time. Would you like to walk?”

  “Ya, I would.”

  Lexi had been watching them curiously, but at the word walk she bounced up on to her back legs and barked.

  “You can run ahead, girl. But stay close.”

  As if she understood, Lexi darted a few feet in front of them and then slowed to sniff at the ground. And then they were holding hands and walking the fence line, looking at Seth’s horses, seeing Henry’s small garden on the other side of the fence, enjoying a beautiful summer day. Emma gradually felt better, and then when she was ready, she began to talk.

  “It seems as if time is repeating itself, as if Silas and Katie Ann are in danger—all of them in danger like we were before.”

  “You care about them.”

  “Of course I do, but I know… I know the Lord can look out for them.”

  “H
e can and He will.”

  “It’s only that… well, it feels as if my heart hurts, as if my heart is heavy with fear.”

  Henry nodded as if he understood, and maybe he did.

  “Do you ever feel that way, Henry?”

  “Ya, certainly I do.”

  “You’re being honest?”

  “I will always be honest with you, Emma.” He pulled her to a stop, kissed her lips gently, and then smiled, studying her eyes and touching her face. “I am so fortunate to have you in my life, to have a future with you. I’m thankful for that more than you can imagine.”

  “Danki. I feel those things too, and then these worries crowd in, and I forget I have much to be thankful for. Do you think that fear, that worry, is a lack of faith?”

  “If we live in perpetual fear, then yes, it could be that we need to spend more time studying and praying.”

  “The Bible says to fear not.”

  “Indeed it does.”

  “Many times.”

  “Because God’s plan for us is peace.” He paused a moment and then began walking again. “But if you experience fear in response to a real danger, in my opinion that’s a very natural emotion. It’s not a fear born from disbelief, but an emotion—a reaction—to a situation.”

  “Like when we were hiding next to the sand dunes.”

  “Exactly. That sort of fear is your body reacting, not your heart or soul, and I like to think of it as a kind of warning system that God has given us, so that we are alert and aware of what is going on around us. Our reactions become faster, our vision better, even our hearing improves. We become ready to fight, metaphorically speaking.”

  “We have taken a vow of peace.”

  “Yes, our doctrine of nonaggression is very important to our Plain life.” He cleared his throat and then said, “Perhaps I can ease some of your worries. You know Katie Ann and Silas were at my house last night, after—”

  “Ya. They told me all about what happened, and they told their parents this morning.”

  “After the youngies left, Grayson told me he felt certain an arrest would occur soon.”

  “Of Justin and the others involved in the robbery?”

  “Ya.”