Her own bruder, her only bruder, was a person of interest. What was that phrase? Guilt by association.
But she wasn’t guilty. She was scared and doing her best to trust in the goodness and divine will of Gott.
Katie sipped her coffee and forced herself to make conversation, trying not to stare out the window. Eventually Adam returned, and although he didn’t exactly smile at her, it seemed that his clouds of doubt had cleared. Perhaps whatever private conversation he had had with Jed had satisfied him.
He grabbed another cookie and bit off half. “Ready to go?”
“Jah.” She hugged her twins tightly, cherishing the softness of their cheeks against hers, planting kisses on their foreheads, engraving their cherub faces in her mind’s eye.
As she stood, Sarah gathered the twins to the folds of her skirt. Sarah’s daughter, Lyddie, stood nearby, just a couple of years older and a gut friend to her girls. “It is only for tonight,” Sarah reassured her. “Tomorrow you will be together again.”
After Adam had checked the front yard, she hobbled back to his SUV and allowed him to help her in. Her leg was feeling better, but she still appreciated his assistance, as well as the cane he had whittled. After Katie waved one last goodbye through the window, the vehicle roared down the road.
With Adam’s driving speed, it did not take long to reach home. Of course she had ridden in a vehicle, but Adam seemed to drive much faster than other drivers, with trees and bushes and homes whizzing past at a tremendous pace. As he pulled into her lane, she grasped the door handle to keep herself upright.
When he put the vehicle into Park, she turned to him. His eyes flashed in the dim interior of the vehicle, seeming to reflect the moonlight, and she forced her gaze toward her house and away from him. His handsomeness was not something upon which she should dwell. “Danki, Special Agent Troyer. I have much for which to thank you. Saving my life, whittling the cane, driving me home. You have protected me, and I am grateful.”
He retrieved a business card from his wallet. “If your brother contacts you or you think of anything that might be helpful, can you get to a telephone and call me? Or if your leg does not heal well and you want to get to the hospital, call me and I’ll come for you. Is there a phone nearby?”
Shadows played around his angular features when she glanced at him. “Jah, a couple of houses down the road.” It would not do for her to find him handsome. There was nothing that could come of it. If she ever did remarry, it would be to an Amish man, not a brooding, weapon-carrying Englischer.
He simply nodded and hopped out of the vehicle, jogging around the front to offer her assistance. “I’ll get your bicycle and then wait until you get inside and turn on a light.”
“Danki. Just lean the bicycle against the porch railing.” She stole one last glance at his strong profile. “Good night.”
“Good night,” he called over his shoulder as he parked the bicycle.
She opened the front door, stepped inside and closed the door behind her. By the light of the moon, she stepped toward the propane-powered lamp in the living room, running her hand along the top of the easy chair. If she had come in the back, there would have been a battery-powered lantern at the door. But she hadn’t expected to be dropped off in a government agent’s vehicle after dark.
On her third step, she paused, the skin on her arms rippling into goose bumps. Was someone else in the room? It didn’t feel right somehow, and her heart slammed against her chest. Slowly she turned in a circle, peering into the darkness. The moonlight that had seemed so bright outside suddenly seemed extinguished within the house.
She spied a figure at the back door, and adrenaline spiked through her arteries, her fingers digging into the chair back. But it was only her winter cape hanging on a hook at the back door. Now that warm weather was here for the summer, she ought to store it away.
Her mind was playing tricks on her. That was all. She straightened her apron and inhaled deeply, then took the last few steps to the lamp. With her hand on the knob to regulate the propane, and her other hand reaching for the lighter, a voice hissed at her from the darkness.
“Katie, no.”
As if acting independently, her hands jerked back from the lamp and clutched the bodice of her dress. She knew that voice.
A tall figure stepped out from its hiding place, pressed against an armoire near a particularly dark edge of the living room.
She gasped. “Timothy!” Dizziness threatened her, but she gulped air to fight it.
“Shh.” He grasped her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. A moment later, he pulled away with a quick glance out the back window.
“I have been looking for you. Where have you been? Are you well? Are you in trouble?”
“I cannot stay.” He pulled her hand toward him and pressed a folded piece of paper into her palm.
Instinctually she closed her fingers around it. “Whatever you are involved in, turn yourself in before you are caught. I will help you.”
“I am innocent. Whatever they tell you, believe that.” He paused, the intensity of his gaze drilling into her. “What I do is for you. For the twins.”
A car door sounded from outside, and Katie jerked her gaze toward the front window. Adam had been waiting for her to turn on the lamp. But Timothy’s hands slid away, and with a few long-legged strides, he was at the back door. As if she were made of stone, Katie couldn’t move. Should she run for Adam, tell him she was safe and that she had found Timothy? Or run for her bruder, her only family? Then, without a word, Timothy slipped away.
The corner of the folded paper poked into the flesh of her palm, and she unfolded it and scanned it quickly. It was simply a series of numbers. There was something familiar about the groupings of the numbers, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Whatever it was, it must be important, considering the clandestine method of conveyance.
There was no time to decipher it now. Adam knocked softly at the door. Her heart still pounding, Katie quickly refolded the note and tucked it up inside her prayer kapp. Right or wrong, there wasn’t time now to examine her motives for keeping the secret a little longer, until she had opportunity to figure it out.
She opened the door, and Adam stepped in, scanning the living room. “Are you all right? You never turned on the light.” Then his eyes seemed to stop at the open back door.
“I am fine.” She swallowed hard. “But mein bruder was here. He is gone now. Out the back.” As she spoke, she spied a figure running through the side yard and into the adjoining cornfield.
“Stay here. Light the lamp. Lock the doors.” And Adam was gone, running through the back door and after the figure in the cornfield.
Katie pressed a hand to her chest as if that could slow her heart rate to normal. At least she had seen her bruder, and he had appeared to be well. But what was going on?
At the back door, she grasped the knob to close and lock it, when a man appeared in the shadowed doorway. Forcing down her surprise, she opened the door farther. “Danki for returning, Timothy. It will be better for you if you come forward.”
But as the man stepped through the doorway and out of the shadow, she saw he wasn’t Timothy. This man was taller, bigger, with an unkempt beard and a look of malice in his eyes. A scream stuck somewhere in her throat, and she turned to run for the front. That door was still unlocked. It would be her escape.
But as she turned, the man grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. “It’s not Timothy.” His whisper blew sour breath in her ear. “But I know he was here.”
Katie squeezed her eyes shut, as if that would block out his horrible threats of how he would harm her if she didn’t tell him everything that had just happened. “How did you know we were at the cabin? Did he give you anything? Where did he go?” The man’s hands slid into her apron pockets but came out empty. She pictured the folded piece of pap
er tucked securely in her kapp but immediately forced it from her mind. She didn’t fight back, but she certainly wasn’t obligated to tell him anything.
He pushed her farther into the house, kicking the door shut behind him.
Herr Gott, help me! The pain from the bullet wound seized her leg, and she stumbled. He cursed her, and she longed to cover her ears. But he held her arms tightly.
Over the sound of his raspy breathing, she heard the door open again and tossed up a quick prayer that her attacker hadn’t heard it. But as quickly as she could utter the words, he let her go and turned toward the sound. Adam rushed the man, barreling straight at him. Together, they fell into a wooden chair. The sound of splintering wood filled the room, along with the struggle of the two men.
Alarm filled Katie. She grasped one hand in the other in a vain attempt to stop her trembling. What could she do to stop this? To restore order to her simple world? But her mind could barely comprehend the fighting in her home, let alone figure out a way to stop it.
With a punch to the attacker’s jaw, Adam subdued the man. Adam jumped up from the floor and drew his weapon, pointing it at the intruder. “Up. On your feet.” Adam’s voice held an austerity that Katie hadn’t heard before. “Now, let’s get some answers.”
The man slowly stood, his hands on his knees as he pushed himself upright. As he straightened, he jerked to the side and grabbed a kitchen chair with both hands. In an instant, the chair was airborne and flying toward Katie.
The room seemed to stand still for a split second, the chair suspended in midair as it hurtled toward her. All breathing stopped. Could this really be happening?
Then all was moving again. She lunged to the right to dodge the chair, placing her weight squarely on her injured leg. Overwhelming pain shot through her body. Her leg collapsed underneath her. As she fell, she glimpsed the two men struggling over the gun, her attacker with his hands on the weapon and turning it to point at Adam.
Her head hit the floor as she heard the gun go off. A moment later, darkness swallowed her.
FOUR
Katie! Adam’s heart and mind screamed. But as his consciousness absorbed the fact that his opponent’s gun had discharged, the only sound he emitted was a grunt as he lunged for his attacker.
The gun had gone off, but was he shot? No zing or ache of injury threatened him. Of course adrenaline would mask it for now, especially as he barreled toward the man in the dark. With a thud, he had the man pinned to the wall. The only thing he would notice now would be a gaping hole in his chest. He would check better later.
The man tried to kick him, but Adam twisted to the side, keeping the man’s shoulders pressed against the wall. “Who are you?” He managed to utter the single question through teeth clenched with physical effort.
The man remained completely silent, his eyes burning with fury. His only response was, with apparent great effort, to push Adam’s arm back. He brought the gun up to point at Adam’s midsection.
No way. Not on my watch. In his peripheral vision, Adam saw Katie begin to move on the floor, a low moan issuing from her. He longed to check on her, see that she would be all right, but if he let her attacker go, it most likely wouldn’t end well for either Adam or Katie.
Doubling his efforts with what felt like the last of his strength, Adam brought up his knee to kick the man’s gun hand. He missed, and his attacker thrust the weapon into Adam’s ribs. Pain pierced his side. Doesn’t this guy ever get tired?
Adam tried to study the man’s features to be able to identify him later, but his vision was clouded with pain and the moonlight wasn’t bright enough. With a quick twist, Adam released his grip on the man’s shoulders and spun to grab for the gun. But the man moved, and the weapon flew from his hand and skittered across the floor, toward the kitchen table and the remaining chairs.
With a growl, the man dove for the gun as he thrust his hand backward. He made contact with Adam’s shoulder. Adam staggered but quickly recovered his balance. He also charged toward the attacker and his weapon, dodging his legs and shoes. If he could get this guy, then Katie’s difficulty, her brother’s problem and perhaps even the entire investigation could be done and over. Case solved.
But Adam was a few seconds too slow. Instead of stopping the lowlife, he only got the heel of the man’s shoe pressed against his cheekbone. The man scooped up his gun but fumbled it, and the weapon slid away. A split second later, he grabbed another chair from the kitchen table and swung it low toward Adam. Adam ducked, only to see him release the chair and let it fly in Katie’s direction.
Even as his mind registered that it was merely a distraction technique, Adam’s body sprang toward the chair in an effort to catch or stop it before it hit Katie. The man’s aim was high, though, and the chair sailed over Katie’s head. An instant later, the chair crashed into the armoire, heralded by the sound of fracturing wood. Splinters from the chair rained down on Katie. The armoire wobbled upon impact, toppling dangerously forward.
Katie lay right in its path.
Adam rushed forward as it began to fall and caught it on his back and shoulders. Pain cut through his upper body, but he held steady. His teeth ground together as he pushed back against the piece of furniture, maneuvering it back to its place against the wall. Katie fluttered her eyes open, a look of terror seizing her as she realized her situation. With pain etched across her face and her jaw set in a grim line, she dragged herself away from the armoire. Once the cabinet stood upright again, Adam ran to the open back door. Their attacker was just disappearing into the cornfield and out of Adam’s line of sight.
Adam drew a long, deep breath, forcing his pulse to slow and his nerves to steady with the inhale of oxygen. He closed the door and locked it with both the knob lock and the dead bolt. If the man was running away, he probably wouldn’t be back right away. For the very immediate future, at least, he could see to Katie’s injury.
It only took a moment to cross the kitchen and the sitting room, dropping to his knees and sliding the last few inches on the wood floor. He grabbed a pillow off the couch and tucked it under her head. Her alertness at the danger of the armoire had been temporary, and she had quickly slid back into unconsciousness.
Now he rubbed her upper arms. “Katie? Wake up. You’re all right now.”
She tossed her head to the right and then to the left with a moan.
Adam pulled a strand of hair off her cheek, trying not to notice the softness of her skin. “Katie? Come on.”
“Mmm?” A raspy cough worked its way out. Her eyes opened again and then immediately widened as she seemed to realize that she was on the floor, with Adam hovering over her. “Is he gone?”
“Yes. For now.” He held out his arm.
She pulled herself to a sitting position. “My leg hurts. Again.”
“It’s bleeding a bit. Can you get to the armchair if I help you?”
“Jah. I will try.” She lifted herself with the help of his arm, and he gently pulled her into the easy chair. She scooted to lean against the back and breathed a sign of a relief. “Danki. Please forgive my complaining about the discomfort.”
“What complaining? Your previous injury has been aggravated. You’re only human.” Fresh blood had appeared on her skirt. “Can we take a look? I think the wound is seeping again.”
He looked at the lamp next to the chair. “How do I light this thing?”
She pointed toward a lever on the outside of the lamp. “Turn that lever there. That turns on the propane. There is a lighter in the drawer below. Just light the mantle.”
With the lamp lit, she found the tear on her skirt and pulled it open to reveal the bandage the paramedic had applied. A fresh redness saturated the edge of the gauze. “Perhaps just a new bandage and some aspirin?”
“That would probably do it. Then we’ll just keep an eye on it. Do you have a first-aid kit?” He turned toward the kitch
en, waiting for her instructions.
“Look in the cupboard under the second sink, the one for washing up near the back door.”
“Second sink?” He detoured to the back porch area.
“Jah. It is what we call the sink and counter area right close to the back inside porch. It is where we wash hands and faces after working in the garden or the barn, but before coming into the house properly. It is also the place for tending to wounds, but it will be easier if you bring the items to me. Look for a blue tackle box. It is filled with medical supplies.”
He quickly found the box in the lower cabinet and brought it back to her, setting it on the chair’s side table and opening it for her. He lifted out the top trays to reveal stacks of bandages, ointments, tweezers, rubbing alcohol, cough drops and a thermometer. “You have nearly an entire drugstore in here.”
She sighed but smiled at him. “Nein. Not quite.”
But his teasing had the desired effect. At least momentarily, her mood had lifted and her mind had been elsewhere. Right now she didn’t need to focus on the danger that waited outside the house. She only needed to redo the bandaging and feel better.
She twisted to reach the tackle box of medical supplies but quickly sat back in the chair with a grimace. “I cannot sit that box on my lap, not with the discomfort of the injury. Could you find the gauze and the medical tape, please? Danki.”
With the proper supplies at hand, Katie quickly replaced the bandaging. “The bleeding has stopped. I think it will be fine, in time.”
“That’s good. No need for an ambulance?”
She grinned, but it was tinged with a touch of discomfort. “Nein. Not this time.”
As she returned the supplies to their appointed slots, Adam dialed the sheriff and told him of the attack. He said he would dispatch a deputy and be there himself in a few minutes.
Adam put the tackle box back in the cabinet. “I hate to have to ask you to remember him, but did you recognize the man who attacked you?”
Amish Covert Operation Page 4