by Debby Giusti
“I’ll talk to Harvey.” Will climbed from the car. “Wait here, Nancy.”
Before he had taken five steps, a car door slammed. Will glanced back and realized his mistake.
Nancy held a pistol in her hand aimed at him.
“Lower the gun, Nancy,” he warned.
Her face twisted into a conniving smile. “Did you think I would let you destroy the investment company my husband created?”
“I have money to invest, remember? I can help.”
“Harvey wanted someone to help him with the business, but the young man he chose turned on him.”
“Bennie Graber.” William kept his voice low and nodded with feigned compassion. “That’s why Harvey killed him.”
“Bennie didn’t give him a choice. If Daniel Graber had stayed upstairs, he would still be alive, too.”
She motioned Will forward. “If you want to see Harvey, start walking.”
William entered the mine shaft. The floor was dirt, and the walls were shored up with old rotten timber. Just ahead, the tunnel branched right.
“Harvey?” Nancy’s voice echoed in the dank and musty dimness. “I’ve brought someone who plans to help us.”
The grocer peered back at them from the bend. “I told you to stay at the store, Nancy.”
William kept moving, his gaze searching for Julianne. “I have money to invest, Harvey.”
At the turn, the grocer, his shirt soiled and sweat stained, grabbed Will’s arm and shoved him forward. A Coleman lantern sat on a niche in the rock.
“William!”
Hearing Julianne’s voice, he glanced down. She sat propped against a rock with her hands and legs bound.
He dropped to her side. “Are you all right?”
“He’s got a gun,” she whispered.
Harvey wiped his brow and pulled a weapon from his waistband—a Smith & Wesson similar to the gun Ike had found clutched in Bennie’s hand. “You arrived just in time to help.”
He tossed Will a shovel and pointed to a hole he had dug in the dirt. “Expand the grave to hold two bodies.”
Will’s heart lurched. Harvey planned to kill Julianne and bury her in the gold mine. Glancing into a small offshoot tunnel, he spied two mounds of rock and rubble.
“You killed Amos Koenig and Zachariah Beechy and buried them here,” he said on a hunch.
Harvey smiled. “You’re a smart man. Amos and Zachariah were stupid. I tell my clients not to discuss their investments with anyone except me, but they didn’t follow the rules. Amos demanded his money. Zach made the same demands some months later. Just this week, Abe Schwartz followed suit. None of them understood long-term investments.”
Will needed Harvey to let down his guard. “Nancy said you need an assistant.”
The grocer scowled at his wife. “You talk too much.”
“All I said was that Bennie didn’t work out.”
“Shut up, Nancy.”
Julianne moaned at the mention of her brother’s name.
“Harvey, don’t be hateful in front of Anna.”
He growled with frustration. “Did you take your meds today?”
Nancy tugged at her hair. “I—I forgot.”
Julianne glanced at William, nodded ever so slightly and then scooted closer to the grocer’s wife. “Help me, Mama.”
The older woman’s eyes widened as she gazed down at Julie. “What did you say, dear?”
“It’s Anna. Don’t you recognize me, Mama?”
Harvey frowned. “She’s tricking you, Nancy. You know Anna’s dead.”
“He’s lying, Mama.” Julie shook her head beseechingly. “Don’t let Daddy hurt me.”
“My darling daughter.” Nancy dropped to her knees and stroked Julie’s hair. “Anna’s come back to us, Harvey.”
“She’s Julianne Graber, and she knows too much.”
“You lied to me before, Harvey. You said the tires were good, but I had the blow-out on the mountain road.”
“That’s because you were driving too fast.” Visibly frustrated, Harvey stepped toward his wife and held out his hand. “Give me the gun, Nancy.”
Seizing the moment, William raised the shovel and swung it against the grocer’s head. Harvey gasped and collapsed to the ground. The Smith & Wesson flew out of his hand.
Nancy screamed and aimed her pistol at Will.
“Don’t, Mama,” Julianne pleaded. “Don’t shoot.”
Nancy glanced at Julianne and then at Harvey, as if seeing him for the first time. “What—what happened?”
She dropped the pistol, then cradled her husband’s head in her lap. “Harvey, can you hear me?”
William grabbed the Smith & Wesson and the pistol, then untied Julianne. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine now that you’re here.”
She pulled her brother’s cell phone from her pocket. “Let’s hope we can get a signal.”
“Call O’Reilly. And the sheriff.”
William had tied up Harvey and Nancy by the time sirens sounded, and he and Julianne met the patrol car outside.
“You’ll find the grocer and his wife in the mine. You’ll also find where Amos Koenig and Zachariah Beechy are buried.” William quickly explained Harvey’s investment scheme.
“He asked Bennie to work with him,” Julianne added. “My brother must have found files on Harvey’s computer. Bennie sent the files to his phone.”
“You’re sure about that?” the sheriff asked.
She held up her brother’s cell. “It’s all here, and Harvey confessed to killing my datt and Bennie.”
“You did it,” William told Julianne once the sheriff said they could leave. “You cleared your brother’s name.”
She nodded. “I thought it would be impossible.”
William smiled. “I thought finding you would be impossible as well, but with Gott’s help, all things are possible.”
“It’s too late for me to drive to Dahlonega tonight,” she admitted.
“The guest room at my house is available. I’m sure Aunt Mary will be there, too.” He ushered her toward her car. “I’ll drive. You’ve been through enough.”
Aunt Mary was waiting for them. “Gott heard my prayers,” she said when William helped Julianne from the car.
“You didn’t go home?” She stepped into her aunt’s outstretched arms.
“One of the deputies stopped by and told me what had happened. He said William saved you.”
Will shook his head. “Julianne saved herself when she pretended to be Nancy’s child.”
“As I listened to Henry berate his wife while we were in the mine, I realized when I stepped into my house that night, the killer didn’t say Julianne. He said Anna. For a split second, Harvey thought I was his daughter, which saved my life then. Today Nancy was so confused that I used the same ploy with her and pretended to be her daughter, which saved my life again.”
Aunt Mary had a pot of stew simmering on the stove, the coffee was hot and a freshly baked pie sat on the counter. William didn’t think he was hungry until he started eating. Julianne ate a small first helping, then asked for seconds.
Once the dishes were done, he and Julianne went outside onto the porch.
“As you said, William, it’s over.”
He pulled her close. “At last.”
“You saved me.”
“You were the one who saved us, Julie.”
“I bluffed so Nancy would let down her guard, but if you hadn’t come after me, I would have died in that abandoned mine.”
“I had to find you.” He rubbed his finger over her cheek. “I couldn’t let you leave me again.”
She pulled back ever so slightly. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
His gut tightened. “I don’t understand.”
> “I told you, Will. I’m Englisch now. You’re Amish. We’ll remain friends, but—”
“I want to be more than friends.”
“It’s impossible.”
“Don’t say that, Julianne.”
“There’s no future for us, Will. We have to face reality.”
She stared at him with tearful eyes and then ran into the house. He hesitated a moment, trying to discern what had happened before following after her. By the time he got inside, she had already climbed the stairs. The door to her bedroom slammed shut.
He collapsed into the rocker near the fire. His Bible was lying open on the table next to the chair. He glanced at the text his grandmother had underlined.
All things are possible with Gott.
TWENTY-ONE
Leaving William was like suffering another death. Julianne couldn’t get him off her mind or out of her heart, no matter how hard she tried. Work had occupied her days these last three weeks since she had returned to Dahlonega. Aunt Mary had come to visit, which had been a blessing, but at night, Julie kept seeing William’s face as she left Mountain Loft. Although he had tried to be stoic, the pain in his expression had broken her heart.
She poured a cup of coffee and stared out her kitchen window, wondering if she would ever heal. Some wounds were too deep and never stopped festering.
As she sipped her coffee, she studied the cluster of buildings behind her apartment, wishing instead for the expansive fields and pastures that stretched around her farmhouse and William’s. Ted McDonough had called and offered, once again, to buy her land. Evidently, he didn’t understand the meaning of no.
Her cell rang. Placing the cup on the counter, she grabbed her phone and lifted it to her ear.
“It’s Paul Taylor,” the caller said, quickly identifying himself.
Her pulse raced. “Is something wrong, Sheriff?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Ms. Graber. I wanted to apologize.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t, either. Things sneak up on you when you get older. I didn’t want to believe there was anything sinister going on in my town or that my mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. I should have noticed and followed up on things better. I’ve submitted my resignation. My sister has a place near the water in Brunswick with an apartment over the garage.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“Before I leave Mountain Loft, I wanted to ask your forgiveness.”
“Forgiveness?”
“The investigation into the deaths of your father and brother,” he offered as explanation. “It’s hard enough to lose loved ones. Even harder to have your brother accused of murder.”
“At least the truth came out in the end, Sheriff.”
“I hope that brings you some comfort.”
“It does. Quite a bit of comfort.”
“Well...” He hesitated, as if waiting for her to say something else.
She’d made mistakes, more than she could count, and the biggest mistake was holding on to guilt as if it was a crutch. It had kept her from embracing life to the fullest. In addition, she had held on to her upset with the sheriff and the pain his murder-suicide ruling had caused. Was she willing to let go of that which had seemingly hardened her heart?
Pulling in a cleansing breath, she made the decision to put the past behind her. “I forgive you of any wrongdoing, Sheriff, and I ask your forgiveness for anything I may have done that hurt you.”
“You’re a good woman, Ms. Graber. I hope you’ll return to Mountain Loft soon.”
Julianne stared at the phone after the sheriff disconnected. She had asked his forgiveness, which was a start. Now she needed to ask Gott’s forgiveness.
She walked to a small shelf where she kept a few mementoes from her past. Her Bible was there, unopened and unread since she’d moved to Dahlonega. She touched the leather cover, then pulled the small book from the shelf and held it against her heart.
Bowing her head, she said the words that would bring healing and peace. “Gott, forgive me.”
* * *
A week later, William noticed a U-Haul trailer in the drive of the Graber home. Realizing Julianne must have rented out the farmhouse and wanting to be welcoming, he grabbed the basket she had left behind, filled it with Aunt Mary’s jams and jellies and headed to meet his new neighbors. Seeing someone else in the Graber farmhouse would be difficult. He had to move on, but the idea of not being with Julianne tore at his heart.
Will sighed deeply as he walked along the road, thinking of all that had happened since Julie had left Mountain Loft. Mose Miller’s case was scheduled to go to trial within the month. Seth Reynolds had been arrested for distilling along with his uncle, but both men had been cleared of any involvement in the attacks on Julianne. Deputy O’Reilly felt sure Harvey Jones would be sentenced to life imprisonment, and his wife was currently under psychiatric care. Most surprising of all was Sheriff Paul Taylor’s resignation and the mayor’s announcement that Terry O’Reilly would be the new interim sheriff.
Things change, William thought as he turned at the gate and walked toward the back porch. His mind was flooded with memories of Julie.
Before he could climb the steps, the door flew open and an Amish woman stood at the threshold. She had auburn hair, green eyes and a wide smile under her starched white kapp.
His heart nearly stopped. “Julianne!”
“I was wrong, William. I left the faith because I was mad at Gott, but in reality, I was grieving for my father and brother and weighed down with guilt. Aunt Mary visited me in Dahlonega, and we had long talks late into the night. She made me see I was ashamed of what I had done. Once I realized what I told my datt had nothing to do with his death, I could forgive myself. Sheriff Taylor called, and only then was I able to ask the Lord’s forgiveness.”
“The sheriff called you?”
She nodded. “Strange as it seems, the sheriff made me realize I had pushed Gott away, along with my faith. I also harbored a bit of animosity toward the bishop. When I talked to him, he explained Gott had not willed my family to die, not my mother or my father and brother. You told me death is part of life. I understand that now. I also understand that I wasn’t to blame.”
“You’ve come back to Mountain Loft?”
“I’ve come back to my faith. I’ve come back to my home.” She crossed the porch and nearly ran down the steps. “I’ve come back to you, William.”
“Are you sure?”
“Cross my heart!”
Overcome with joy, he opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace.
“I started loving you that night at the lake, William. As I grieved for my father and brother, I thought what could have been between us had been destroyed. Coming back to Mountain Loft, I realized how deeply I’ve always loved you. Without you, William, my life has no meaning.”
He drew her closer. “I love you, Julianne. Ever since that day with Bennie when you came outside and I saw you—truly saw you—for the first time. The night at the lake only solidified what I already knew.”
“And what was it that you knew?” Her eyes twinkled.
“That I wanted to court you and ask you to be my wife.”
“Oh, William, that’s what I want, as well.”
“Will you, Julianne...?” He hesitated.
She looked at him with eager anticipation.
“Will you be my wife?”
Slipping her arms around his neck, she drew her lips near his. “Yes, William. A hundred times yes. Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife.”
“I thought it was impossible,” he whispered.
“Nothing is impossible with—”
She didn’t finish the statement they both believed to be true, because at that moment William lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with such intensity that she had to k
now without a shadow of a doubt they belonged together. The painful memories had been replaced with the expectation of a future together, of children, of life lived as man and wife, putting Gott first and family second as they faced their tomorrows together.
“We’ll combine our farms,” Julianne said breathlessly.
“Aunt Mary can move into your house when we marry. It would be gut to have her close.”
“That would make me happy.”
“You make me happy, Julianne.”
“Oh, William, you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world.”
“I’m so glad you came home to Mountain Loft!”
“I came home to you, William, and wrapped in your arms is where I want to remain for the rest of my life.”
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, look for these other titles by Debby Giusti:
Amish Christmas Search
Dangerous Amish Inheritance
Her Forgotten Christmas Past
Keep reading for an excerpt from Deadly River Pursuit by Heather Woodhaven.
Dear Reader,
Five years ago, Julianne Graber left home and her Amish faith. Now she’s returned to Mountain Loft to sell her father’s farm, but secrets abound in the former mining town. Amish farmer William Lavy is the only one willing to uncover the truth about the double homicide that took her father’s and brother’s lives—and he’s the only one who can keep Julianne safe when someone wants her dead.
I pray for my readers each day and would love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or visit me at www.DebbyGiusti.com and at www.facebook.com/debby.giusti.9.
As always, I thank God for bringing us together through this story.
Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby
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