Undercover Amish (Covert Police Detectives Unit Series Book 1)

by Ashley Emma

  Mrs. Johnson only nodded, blowing her nose and wailing. Liv walked towards the bishop’s body then knelt down and picked up something small on the floor, using her skirt to cover her fingers, and inconspicuously tucked it into her pocket when Mrs. Johnson wasn’t looking. What was she doing, snooping around like that?

  Some of the neighbors ran up to the door and came inside, offering Mrs. Johnson condolences. Soon the room was full, and Isaac and Olivia listened to what people were saying.

  “Who will be next?”

  “Who is this vicious killer?”

  “Should we involve the police now? How many more will die?”

  “No. We do not need protection from the police. God will protect us.”

  Isaac watched Liv clenching her fists as she listened to the neighbors talk amongst themselves. She might be Amish now, but apparently she still didn’t agree with their views on justice and not reporting crimes to the police. It might take her a while to accept, but he knew one day she would understand their ways completely again. Though, sometimes he had to admit, it was extremely hard to forgive and forget and not seek justice.

  Isaac put a hand on Liv’s back, sensing it was time to go, and they walked into the night.

  “What were you doing in there?” Isaac asked.

  “What?” She shrugged her shoulders and raised her eyebrows.

  “Snooping around, looking out the windows. And what did you pick up off the floor?”

  “Nothing. What? I was just looking around the place. It’s no big deal.” Liv looked straight ahead as they walked back to Isaac’s house. “Poor Mrs. Johnson and Jill.”

  Whatever she had picked up, she wasn’t going to tell him. He didn’t know what Liv was doing exactly, but he had a feeling she was trying to find out who the killer was.

  And that was against the Amish way.

  *

  In the morning, Olivia called Branson from the woods near the Masts’ house to inform him about the bishop’s murder, the vandalized buggy, and why she looked in Samuel’s basement.

  “I have the 9mm casing from the murder weapon. I know that doesn’t narrow it down very much,” she said, disappointed that she couldn’t find anything more.

  “So this bishop let the shooter into the house?” Branson asked.

  “Well, he opened the door, and his wife said he would only open the door to someone he knew after what happened to Bill Sullivan. The wife didn’t hear who it was, though. But if the bishop knew the killer, the killer probably knew the people here don’t lock their doors. He could have just let himself in.”

  “Hmm. Maybe he wanted to prove a point that they should lock their doors and not trust so easily. Do you think maybe this killer is a member of the community?” Branson asked.

  “No. The Amish never kill. They aren’t violent. Violence is against everything they are. It would be impossible.” Liv shook her head even though Branson couldn’t see her.

  “What about your late husband?”

  Liv narrowed her eyes. “He was the exception. I think his father abused him. His father didn’t grow up here. He married into the church. So their family is not like the rest of the community, who are all good, pure-hearted people.”

  “Well, then there could be another exception. You’ve been doing this long enough to know that killers are all kinds of people. What if it is someone the community knows well, like an outsider? Who do they see often outside their community?”

  “It could possibly be a customer of one of their businesses. The Amish do a lot of work for Englishers. Or, it could be someone who works for them, like a driver. But I don’t see why one of them would have something against the community. Or it could be a friend…”

  “I’ll have Officer Martin come by today and pick up the bat, the step, and the 9mm casing. He can meet you around noon. Keep up the good work. Where is a good place for him to meet you? He’ll bring you somewhere and you can talk.”

  “There is an old, dilapidated blue shed at the end of the lane. Tell him I’ll meet him there. I’ll text him the address and directions.”

  She hung up and sighed, feeling like she wasn’t getting anywhere. A yawn escaped her—she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was take a nap after barely sleeping last night. Seeing Jeff today did not sound fun, especially with what was going on with Isaac. She was going to accept his offer of courtship soon when the time was right.

  Even though she was the one stabbing Isaac in the back, she felt as though a knife was going through her own heart. He was such a genuine man and really didn’t deserve this, but in the end he would realize that she just wasn’t the one for him.

  She hoped she wouldn’t hurt him too badly.

  Jeff texted her back a minute later and said he’d bring her to a pizza place for lunch so they could catch up. It was far enough away that hopefully they wouldn’t run in to anyone from the community there.

  Just before noon she sneaked out of the house and walked to the end of the lane, taking a path through the woods so no one would see her carrying the baseball bat. She didn’t want to be caught in her regular clothes in case she ran in to someone she knew, so she wore her dress.

  She looked around to make sure no one was around, then approached the car. “Hey, Liv, you look—” Jeff began. He tried to hold back a chuckle when he saw her in her old-fashioned clothes, but he obviously couldn’t help himself. He burst into laughter.

  She opened the passenger door, slid on to the front seat and smacked him in the arm playfully.

  “You look great.” He wiped a tear from his eye and grinned.

  “Stop it! Now let’s get out of here before someone sees me in your car.”

  Jeff pulled out on to the street and drove to the restaurant. The waiter raised an eyebrow in confusion, probably wondering why an Amish woman was having lunch with an Englisher.

  They sat down and she gave him the baseball bat, the step, and the shell in plastic bags.

  “Thanks. I’ll get these looked at for you. How’s it going here?” Jeff said.

  “Are you talking about the case or the personal stuff?” She sipped the glass of water the waiter gave her and squeezed a slice of lemon into it.

  “The personal stuff. I know about the case and about last night.” Jeff picked up his menu.

  “Well, a lot is happening. My former mother-in-law and brother-in-law hate me and are trying to make people think I could be the killer. I am technically Amish now, and I had to lie to an entire congregation about wanting to rejoin.” Once again, guilt niggled at her, but she told herself she was just doing her job. “The community doesn’t deserve any of this. They are the kindest, most innocent people. They shouldn’t be lied to or targeted.”

  Then there was Isaac. She sighed.

  “I hear an Amish man wants to marry you.” He wiggled his eyebrows over the menu. “Is he hotter than me, in a sort of redneck way?”

  Liv laughed, awkwardness settling over her. Jefferson was indeed very attractive, and he probably knew it, but he usually wasn’t cocky about it. “He does not want to marry me. Yet. He only asked me to date him. And Branson told me to. You know, for my cover.”

  “Speaking of dating.”

  Oh no. “What’s good here, you think?” She stuck her nose in her menu, hiding her face, pulse racing. Jeff was a good friend, and she really cared about him, but she just couldn’t picture dating him.

  “Liv.” He reached for her hand and held it tenderly. She waited, but she felt nothing except his fingers on hers and that terrible awkwardness. When Isaac touched her hand, her heart raced and a good feeling always filled her veins. But with Jeff, she felt nothing. He was her partner, nothing more.

  “I’ll be straightforward. I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. I was wondering if you’d go out with me. Maybe start a relationship outside of work.” He looked at her expectantly. Seriously, he couldn’t have asked her at a worse time.

  She set down her menu and looked him in the eye, pulling her hand back
. “I knew you’d ask me eventually. I’m sorry, Jeff, but I like our relationship the way it is. We are co-workers and friends, and I don’t want it to go beyond that. My career basically takes over my life, and I don’t have time for anything else. It wouldn’t be fair to you. Besides, this is a crazy time for me right now, being back where I grew up.” She gave him an apologetic half-smile.

  “I’m sorry. I understand though.” She could tell he was disappointed even though he was trying not to frown. Pretending to have a sudden interest in the menu, he looked at it instead of her. “Branson said you left here on bad terms. He didn’t say anything else, though.”

  “Yeah. It’s been hard, remembering it all over again after I tried to forget for so long.”

  “Well, no matter what, you know I’m here for you if you need someone to talk to, okay?” He smiled at her.

  “Okay. Thanks.” She looked back on her menu, hoping things wouldn’t be awkward between them from now on. She still really liked Jeff as a partner, and she didn’t want that to change. “Want to share a Hawaiian pizza?”

  *

  Liv returned to the Mast farm and helped Aunt Mary and Maria prepare dinner, then Isaac stopped by and invited Olivia over for dinner at his parents’ house.

  She really didn’t want to lie to more people, but it would be nice to spend time with the Troyers again. When she had dated Isaac she had practically lived there, spending time with Isaac and his family, since young dating Amish couples do not usually spend time alone.

  Liv knocked on the door, then smoothed out her dress and her hair, hoping she looked okay. She had seen his family at church but had not had much time to really talk to them yet. She tried not to think about the fact that she was completely using their son and deceiving him in the worst way she could think of.

  The door flung open and Hannah, Isaac’s mother, stepped out onto the porch and hugged her. “It’s so good to see you again! Come on in!”

  Liv walked in and was greeted by all of Isaac’s siblings—Jennifer, Kimberly, Simeon, and Jonah. They were all so much bigger than when she had left. The girls were busy setting the table, and Isaac walked in the house with Amos, his father.

  “Hello, Liv! We are so glad to have you over tonight.” Amos’ voice boomed, and Isaac smiled at her, setting the butterflies aflutter in her stomach.

  Then the guilt came once again, and she bit her lip. Tonight she decided she would forget all of that and try to have a good time.

  They shared a delicious dinner followed by a board game, which the entire family played. Liv couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much. More than once she caught Isaac staring at her with a foolish smile on his face. She blushed, feeling like a silly school girl again.

  When Isaac offered to walk her home, dread seeped into her core. She was going to have to tell him she was ready for him to court her.

  She wanted so badly to mean it.

  “Thank you so much for dinner,” Liv said on her way out the door. “I had a great time.”

  “Come back anytime,” Hannah called.

  Isaac shut the door, and they stepped out into the peaceful night.

  “Mind if I stop by my house and grab my jacket?” Isaac asked. “I didn’t realize how chilly it would be. It was so nice out earlier.”

  “No, I don’t mind.” She zipped up her own jacket and walked a little closer beside him.

  She wished the two voices in her head would stop fighting—the foolish voice who told herself to get closer to him, and the other sensible voice who kept reminding her how horrible a person she was and how hurt he was going to be. And that she was going to have to leave him behind all over again.

  “So, remember when you asked me to tell you when I was ready for us to date?” she said quietly, wanting to kick herself.

  “Yes.” He glanced at her and grinned. His bruise was getting better, and she was glad the constant reminder of him almost getting seriously hurt, or worse, was fading.

  “Well, I’m ready for you to ask me again.”

  He stopped and turned toward her. “In that case—Olivia Mast, would you please be my girlfriend?” He took her hand and gently kissed it, sending sparks up her arm as she let out a small sigh. He looked at her with those big green eyes, which looked so dark and mysterious in the moonlight. He ran his hands down her arms and pulled her closer, and she let herself melt into his embrace, savoring the warmth and safety, and for a moment she forgot everything else.

  Maybe she didn’t want to be a detective anymore. Maybe she should stay here, marry him, and have a house full of children.

  That was her inner foolish voice talking. The only way she’d be happy was to keep helping people get justice and help save lives. She couldn’t do that here, in a place where people didn’t believe in justice, the very thing she lived for.

  The face from her last case appeared in her mind, the little girl named Miranda who had been kidnapped. Liv remembered how it had felt to help her out of that house where she had been held captive, out of that hole where she had been kept. The look in that child’s eyes when she realized she was going home.

  That was why Liv loved her job.

  “Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend.”

  He bent down toward her, and she thought he was going to kiss her, but something stopped him and instead he only kissed her cheek. He had probably just reminded himself that dating Amish couples weren’t supposed to kiss until their wedding day.

  He took her hand and continued walking with a bounce in his step. “I am so happy right now.”

  Guilt ate at her.

  They reached his house, and she waited by the door while he hurried inside. She watched a gas ceiling light go on inside as he searched for his jacket, knowing he never hung it up in the same place and hardly ever knew where it was.

  “Liv?” His voice was thick with concern. “Come in here for a second.”

  She chewed on her lower lip. It wouldn’t be proper for her to go inside, but no one was around.

  “You sure?” she asked.

  “You’ll want to see this.”

  She threw open the door and stumbled in, walking to where he stood, looking at something on his kitchen table. All she saw was the square of white on the handmade table and the fear on Isaac’s face.

  He reached for it, but she stopped him. “Don’t touch it!” she blurted out. She didn’t want his fingerprints to get all over it so she could have it checked for the perp’s fingerprints.

  “Why not?”

  “It could have poison on it,” she said, making up something.

  He drew back his hand quickly like he had touched a hot woodstove. She leaned closer to get a better look at the note.

  I’m watching you. Tell your girlfriend to stop snooping around, or I will kill both of you.

  *

  Isaac’s body went cold, despite Liv standing right next to him.

  “What kind of person could do all of this?” he wondered aloud. “And why to us?”

  “There are some messed up people in this world, Isaac. They do terrible, senseless things for no good reason.”

  “Maybe you should stop snooping around. If this guy isn’t bluffing—”

  “I’m not snooping!”

  “Yes, you are! You’re always asking questions, and you know I saw you take something, whatever it was, from the Johnsons’. It really isn’t right, Liv, and you should let God handle it.”

  Her face turned red and she balled up her fists, then let out a deep breath. “This guy won’t scare me.”

  Whatever she was up to, he knew Liv well enough that he wouldn’t be able to talk her into stopping. The fact that someone was threatening his life was bad enough, but he would rather have this guy just kill him instead of threatening Liv, too. If Isaac was unable to protect her and she got hurt because of this killer, he didn’t know how he would ever be able to live with himself.

  The Amish were not supposed to protect themselves or kill in self-defense lik
e she had when Jake had almost killed her. But she had done what she had to do, and it had saved her life.

  He looked over at Liv as she stared at the note. She stood so close. A few fallen wisps of her caramel hair touched her collarbone, and he detected her vanilla scent. For a moment, he forgot all about the note.

  Then he remembered again why they were in his house—alone. They had to leave before someone noticed. But he couldn’t bring himself to step away, take his jacket, and walk her home. He wished they could stay there, sit at his table, and talk late into the evening, even if it meant breaking Amish rules.

  As he looked at her again, gazed at her delicate features that defied her confident attitude that he loved so much, he realized he would act in self-defense to protect her. Even if he was shunned, it wouldn’t matter, because he would do anything to keep her safe. He would not lose her again.

  It was against everything he had ever been taught. But Liv was showing him a new facet of life. There were horrible people in this world, and one of them was preying on their peaceful, vulnerable little community.

  He refused to just let this killer hurt the woman he loved. He would have to do something. His eyes traveled to his hunting rifle. He was an excellent shot as a hunter. Many Amish men were avid hunters. But that was all he was—a hunter. He had never considered using the rifle for any other purpose until now. Besides, that rifle was so big that he wouldn’t be able to carry it around inconspicuously if he needed to.

  Would he be able to do it? In the rush of a dangerous situation, would he be able to protect the one he loved? Would he be able to break one of the community’s biggest rules?

  He loved being Amish, and he loved God more than anything. He was the center of his life. He didn’t want to disobey Him, but he was afraid for his life and for the lives of those he loved.

  “What are you thinking about?” Liv asked, staring at him.

  “Sorry. Nothing. Let’s go.” He grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

  *

  Olivia had been so deep in thought about how she was going to grab the note without Isaac noticing that it had taken her a few minutes to realize that he was in a daze, staring off into space. She had no clue what he was thinking about, but he had an expression on his face that she had never seen before. Then he had just grabbed his coat and walked out, and that was when she stole the note, when his back was turned.