by Debby Giusti
“In what happened to your datt and Bennie.”
“Their deaths? The sheriff ruled it was a murder-suicide. How would that involve you?”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “Eli believes it wasn’t so. He knew Bennie. Not well, but he knew enough about him to know he wasn’t a murderer.”
“Your husband is one of the few people in town who thinks Bennie is innocent of wrongdoing.”
“Other things have happened since you have been gone. It started that night, but...”
Julianne’s pulse picked up a bit. “What do you mean?”
“I mean trouble in Mountain Loft. This is not something we had before.” Again, she glanced at the barn. “You have heard about Amos Koenig?”
“The name sounds familiar,” Julianne said.
“He was younger than your datt. His wife is Hannah Gingerich Koenig.”
“A tall woman, four children, twin boys and two little girls?”
“Yah. I thought you knew her. She was with child when Amos disappeared.”
“What happened?”
Rachel shrugged. “Some said he had a wandering eye and ran off with a woman, but I do not believe this to be true.”
“Who spreads such gossip?” Julianne asked.
“Too many people.” Rachel narrowed her gaze. “But Amos loved his family. The baby was born three months after he disappeared. Hannah did not do well. The baby fell ill and nearly died.”
“Why would he leave his family?”
“No one knows or no one is willing to say. Then not six months later, Zachariah Beechy is gone.” Rachel snapped her fingers. “The same way. No reason for him to leave. A father to three children and a loving husband.”
She clutched the container to her chest. “It has me worried.”
“About Eli?”
“About this town and what is happening. Both women struggle to support their children. Hannah moved to Willkommen and lives near her sister and brother-in-law. Zachariah’s wife, Evelyn, plans to marry again for the sake of the children. The man is older and will provide for them, but he is not Zachariah. Also she wonders if her husband is still alive.”
“What does the bishop say?”
“He says little, except that after two years, her husband is not coming home, which cut Evelyn’s heart, as you can imagine.”
“Both men left their wives and families without any warning?”
“It is not gut, yah?”
“Any other missing people?”
“This is enough, for certain.” She squeezed Julianne’s hand. “I did not mention this when I brought the cookies. After what happened to you, I did not want to bring more bad news.”
Rachel turned toward the garden and then glanced back at Julianne. “Be careful, my friend. There are secrets in Mountain Loft that no one wants uncovered.”
* * *
“Amos and Zachariah are in a different church district,” William said once they were in Julianne’s car, heading to town. “They live farther out in the country, so I did not know about their disappearances.”
“No one talks about them being gone?” she asked.
“I have not heard talk,” he admitted. “But you know the Amish are not prone to spread stories.”
She raised her brow and glanced at William. “Except if men have left their wives or if a double homicide is incorrectly labeled a murder-suicide. Those type of stories continue to be spread.”
“The only time I have heard your father’s and brother’s deaths mentioned is with the Englischers, and then only that it was a sad situation.”
“Yet husbands—like Eli Krause and Mose Miller—do not want their wives talking to me.”
“Perhaps the husbands do not want their wives talking to anyone.”
Julianne remained pensive until they arrived in town. She parked in front of the sheriff’s office, and William accompanied her inside. Sheriff Paul Taylor invited them into his office, where they settled into the same chairs as their last visit.
“Have you found the man who attacked me?” Julianne asked, cutting to the chase.
From her tone of voice, the sheriff had to know she wasn’t satisfied with his investigation. William knew it, as well, and didn’t blame her. A lot had happened since she had arrived in Mountain Loft, and the sheriff didn’t seem eager to find the man with the bandana or any man who might be out to do her harm.
“We captured a visual of the guy off a video camera from the bank across the street. His face was covered by that bandana you mentioned. He appears to be about six feet tall and weighs about two hundred pounds. His black tactical slacks look like police wear. Anyone can order them online. The jacket might be army surplus, or he could have been in the military.”
“Which narrows it down to a lot of Englischers,” William said.
The sheriff didn’t look pleased by the comment. “I talked to Harvey Jones to see if he’d ever sold tactical gear over the years. I also checked with Ace Reed at Reed’s Dry Goods. Neither man stocks tactical gear at this time. Ace brought in the pants a few years ago, but they didn’t sell fast enough, and he put them on sale.”
“Does he have a record of who purchased them?”
“Not that far back. But we’ll keep our eyes open.”
“What about the car? Have you questioned people in town who own a white car?”
“I hate to tell you how many we found. White’s a popular color, but my guys are canvasing the owners.”
“Let me guess,” Julianne said. “Nothing’s turned up yet.”
“One of the Reynolds brothers just bought a new white SUV.”
William glanced at Julianne.
“You said the car that chased after you was midsize,” the sheriff continued. “Any idea about the make and model?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know cars, but it looked midsize and four-door.”
“When I talked to you at the clinic, you mentioned the near collision with an SUV coming from the old quarry. Could the car that first night have been an SUV?”
“I’m not sure.” She hesitated for a moment. “But if you suspect one of the Reynolds brothers, why would he be hanging around my farmhouse?”
“You tell me,” the sheriff said.
“I don’t have a clue. Nor do I know why someone would throw me into a Dumpster.”
The sheriff spread his hands open on his desk. “I thought we went over that.”
“You mean he wanted me to end up in the trash compactor?”
The sheriff shrugged. “The timing was right.”
Julianne looked away and bit her lip.
Knowing she needed a moment to regain her composure, William mentioned another problem. “Julianne and I learned Amos Koenig and Zachariah Beechy went missing some time ago, Sheriff. Any idea of what was going on?”
Taylor steepled his fingers. “Farmers have a hard time these days. Doubt I need to tell you that, William. They’re relying on Mother Nature and the Good Lord for crops to grow, and then when harvest comes, market prices drop or the buyers aren’t there. Suicide’s high among the farm community.”
“You think they took their own lives?”
“That’s one possibility.”
“But no bodies were found,” William persisted. “No suicide notes.”
“No evidence of foul play, either,” the sheriff added.
“That means three Amish men in Mountain Loft have taken their own lives within the last few years.”
“Three men?” The sheriff pursed his lips.
“You claimed my brother committed suicide,” Julianne reminded him.
“But that was different.”
“Because you found his body?” she asked.
“It was cut-and-dried, so to speak. No question about what had happened.”
She tsked. �
��Some don’t agree with you.”
“Who?”
“I’m not sharing names, but I don’t see how my brother could have killed my father or himself.”
“I understand, Ms. Graber. Murder and suicide are hard to accept.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Did you tell that to Amos Koenig’s and Zachariah Beechy’s wives?”
“It’s likely the men left town.”
“What makes you think that?” Julianne asked.
The sheriff hesitated, as if deciding whether to share more information. “According to the wives, their husbands had kept cash on hand at their houses for any unforeseen emergencies. In both cases, the money was missing along with the men.”
William glanced at Julianne. Her eyes widened. Evidently, she was thinking the same thing he was. Missing money from three Amish men. Amos, Zachariah and Julianne’s datt. Two men were missing. One was dead.
“They could have been robbed and killed and their bodies disposed of.” She frowned. “Maybe they ended up in a Dumpster and were compacted with the garbage.”
The sheriff sighed. “There was no sign of a break-in at either home and no suspects, Ms. Graber. My guess is the men got tired of their lives—some call it a midlife crisis—and left everything behind.”
“Including their wives and children?” Julianne countered.
“It’s happened before.”
The sheriff wouldn’t budge from his position, but he was right. Some men made poor choices and left their families behind, searching for a better life, but it was a rare occurrence within the Amish community.
“Is there anything else?” The sheriff seemed eager for them to leave.
“Mose Miller has ridden by a number of times and seems interested in my farm.”
The sheriff frowned. “Did he talk to you about buying your property?”
She shook her head. “No, but he had access to a key to my house.”
“That’s interesting,” Sheriff Taylor rubbed his jaw.
“Mose may not have the money so he wants to scare me away,” she continued. “Before long, the county would claim my property was abandoned. Mose probably thinks he could get the farm for a good price if the bank takes over the sale.”
“Brad Abbott has been tasked to sell the abandoned properties. He worked that out with the mayor. Brad’s got some guy from Atlanta interested in real estate around here. Sounds like he’ll buy anything that goes on the market.”
William didn’t like the sweet deal Brad Abbott had arranged with the mayor. If Julianne listed her farm with Brad or if she vacated the property, either way the real-estate agent would still make money. William needed to learn more about Brad Abbott, and he knew someone who might provide answers.
* * *
They left the sheriff’s office and headed to the grocery. Harvey waved from the hallway, where he was unloading a carton of produce when they stepped inside.
Nancy came out from behind the counter. “It’s good to be see you, Julianne. When Harvey told me what happened, I feared you would be holed up at home for some time. How are you?”
“I’m doing well, and I’m very grateful for your thoughtfulness. The basket of fruit was lovely. You shouldn’t have, but I greatly appreciate your kindness.”
“I was upset when I heard about the attack.” The older woman shivered. “Who would do such a thing and throw you into the trash receptacle?”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine, but I did want to thank you personally for the fruit basket. You and Harvey have always had a special place in my heart.”
“We feel the same.” Seemingly pleased with the comment, Nancy opened her arms and hugged Julianne. “Tell your aunt to come to town with you one of these days, and we can have tea together.”
“I know she’d enjoy seeing you.”
On the way out of the store, they spotted Deputy O’Reilly. He hurried to meet them at the front of the grocery.
Harvey followed them outside and waved to the deputy. “I’ve got your order ready, Terry. Do you need anything else?”
“A bag of chips and a jar of salsa.”
Harvey gave him a thumbs-up. “I’ll get that for you.”
“Thanks. I’ll be there in a minute, Harvey.”
“Take your time.” He waved to Julianne and William. “Good seeing both of you.”
O’Reilly turned to Julianne. “I saw you leaving the sheriff’s office. Has anything new happened?”
“Only that the sheriff doesn’t seem interested in finding the man or men who attacked me.”
“We’ve been checking white cars registered in the area, but it’s a slow go. A few vagrants have been rounded up and questioned. Nothing seems to be breaking. Did anything else happen?”
“Nothing since yesterday,” William admitted. “But Mose Miller passes by every evening on his way to the lake. I’m wondering what he’s doing.”
“He’s probably fishing.”
“Which is what his wife claimed, but I wonder if he’s up to something else, especially since he could have a key to the Graber home.”
“That’s interesting.” The deputy thought for a moment and then said, “Tell you what, Will, I’m on duty tonight. I’ll head down to the lake and see if I can find him. The season for night fishing doesn’t open until May. Mose isn’t following the regulations, which is a good reason to question him.”
“Be careful,” William advised. “He’s not to be trusted.”
“Remember to let the law handle this, Will.”
“I’m not out to get Mose, but I want Julianne to remain safe.”
“That’s what I want, as well.”
Julianne stepped closer. “That night at my house, Terry, you mentioned a deputy sheriff who had retired.”
O’Reilly nodded. “Ike Vaughn.”
“You said he lives in the mountains.”
“He had a place in town before he retired. Then he bought the Reynolds cabin not long after Seth went to jail. It’s about twenty miles from here.”
“Up the mountain, along the cliff road?” Will asked.
“That’s it. The drive is breathtaking in good weather, but don’t go at night or if the weather is bad. I’m sure he moved up there because he was fed up with what was going on around here.”
“Does Ike have a temper?” she asked.
The deputy raised his brow. “Meaning what?”
“You said he butted heads with the sheriff.”
“A lot of folks do, but Ike held his ground. Then turned in his resignation.”
O’Reilly glanced at the distant clouds. “If you’re heading to Ike’s place, my suggestion is to go now. Bad weather’s coming in tonight. I wouldn’t want you stuck on the mountain.”
William didn’t want that, either.
On the way to Julianne’s car, he grabbed her arm. “Wait up a minute.” Nodding toward the opposite side of the street, he stopped.
Julianne followed his gaze. “Is that Ralph Reynolds, talking to someone in a buggy?” she asked.
“That’s not someone. That’s Mose Miller.”
Ralph was waving his arms and seemed to be in a heated discussion with Mose.
“Ralph doesn’t look happy,” Julianne said.
“That’s an understatement. Wonder what’s going on between them?”
Ralph turned away from Mose abruptly, climbed into his car and drove away. Mose glanced around as if to ensure the argument hadn’t been seen. Noticing William and Julianne, he narrowed his gaze and stared at them.
“He gives me the heebie-jeebies,” Julianne admitted as they climbed into her car.
“I’d like to make a stop after the pharmacy.”
“You want to talk to Gloria?” Julianne asked.
“How did you know?”
She smiled. “You were eager to talk
to her the last time we were in town, I thought something had started between you two again.”
“That’s absurd, but I do want to question her about Ralph.”
“I doubt Ralph would want you talking to his girlfriend, especially if he is the subject of the discussion.”
She pulled into a parking spot in front of the real-estate office. “The pharmacy is across the street. I’ll pick up my prescription while you’re with Gloria.”
“We’ll go together, and after you purchase the meds, you can lock yourself in your car while I talk to Gloria.”
Julie laughed. “Aren’t you being a little overprotective?”
“Maybe, but that’s a good thing.”
She smiled. “You’re right, Will, and I appreciate your concern.”
Once she had the antibiotic and a bottle of water, she took the first pill and hurried back to her car to wait for him.
William gave her a thumbs-up before he entered the real-estate office and then groaned when he didn’t see Gloria. Before he could retreat outside, he heard her call his name.
“I didn’t expect to see you today.” She came out of Brad Abbott’s office and closed the door behind her. “Did you change your mind about what we talked about the other day?”
“Gloria, did Ralph ask you to distract me so I wouldn’t be with Julianne?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did he tell you to talk to me so Julie would be on her own? That would give Ralph an opportunity to grab her and throw her in the garbage receptacle.”
“I heard what happened, but Ralph would never do something like that. Plus, he wasn’t in town that day.”
“Are you sure?”
“He was with his younger brother.”
“You mean Seth?”
She nodded. “He’s out of jail and trying to get his life clean. Ralph’s been helping him.”
“Seth must be doing something right. I heard he’s driving a new car.”
“Ralph says he has his hands in a lot of ventures.”
“Business deals?” Will asked.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“What about your boss? Is he on the up-and-up?”
“Did Julianne tell you to ask me about Brad?”