Covert Amish Investigation

by Dana R. Lynn

  Lieutenant Greer stalked over to him and pulled him up from the ground, ignoring Gary’s bloody nose. “Where is Beth Zook?”

  Wow. Who knew the lieutenant could growl so fiercely?

  “Read him his rights, Greer.” Marshal Delacure crossed her arms over her chest. She was fuming. “We’ll have plenty of time to ask questions at the station. I want to make sure this is done by the book.”

  With a visible effort, the lawman started to read the man his rights.

  “One moment, Lieutenant Greer.” Kate held her voice steady. She was a cop. But she had also been a victim. Never again.

  Sucking in a fortifying breath, she released Abram’s hand, immediately wanting to grab it again. He was such a solid man. But she was strong enough to do this. Before she could change her mind, she moved over and stood toe to toe with the man who had been responsible for so much misery.

  “I want to add another charge.” She watched the sneer that had risen to Gary’s face alter subtly, saw the fear enter his eyes. “I want to add the charge of assault against a minor.”

  The room went quiet. She hadn’t named herself the victim, but the weighted silence told her most of them knew she had been the victim.

  “When did this happen?” Lieutenant Greer asked, his narrowed eyes never leaving Gary’s face.

  “Ten years ago, September thirteenth. The victim was a sixteen-year-old Amish girl. Her parents wouldn’t allow her to press charges. The Amish don’t often involve the Englisch police. However, as she is an adult now, and as this crime has no statute of limitations, I would like to press charges now. I will be available at your convenience to come in and make a statement.”

  No one said anything as she changed from referring to herself in the third person to first person.

  Lieutenant Greer’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes glinted. He read Gary his rights, snapping the handcuffs into place before he led the man out the door. He gave her a sharp nod before they departed.

  She walked to the door and watched as her tormentor was shoved into a police car. She’d done it. After all these years, she’d stood up to him and made him face the consequences of his actions. It was surreal, watching it play out now.

  “He’ll go away for a long time.” Marshal Delacure laid a hand on her shoulder. “Your charge will make the case against him stronger. I think he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison.”

  She nodded, unable to speak for a moment. When she heard the car drive away, she remembered the envelope she’d found. Removing it from her apron, she showed it to the marshal. As the woman read the contents, exhaustion swamped Kate. With a sigh, she leaned her head against Abram’s shoulder. He shifted his position, putting his arm around her to tuck her close to his side. She dropped her lids for a moment, blocking out everything but him.

  He gave her a gentle one-armed hug. “Hey. I’m proud of you.”

  She tilted her head to see his face. “Yeah?”

  “Ja. It took guts to accuse Gary. You’ve been carrying that secret for a long time. I’m glad that you were able to bring it to the light.”

  “Adele won’t have to worry about him now.”

  “Or anyone else.” He kissed her forehead. She didn’t have the energy to remind herself that they were only friends. Later.

  A sharp exclamation from Marshal Delacure told her the marshal had read the part about Beth going to Lieutenant Greer. She heard the marshal’s teeth snap shut with a click. Raising her head, Kate watched as the marshal snatched her phone from her pocket and hit a few buttons.

  Kate found herself too tired to worry about it now and closed her eyes again, although she listened.

  “Tim? Yeah. You are not going to believe this. I think that Lieutenant Greer has been keeping information from us...Obstruction, at the very least...We caught another suspect, I’m going to ask to be there for the interview...Fine, meet you at the station.”

  When she hung up, she stalked over to Kate. “I know you heard me. I can give you guys a ride to Abram’s house.”

  Kate was already shaking her head. She wasn’t going to miss this. “No. Abram needs to bring his buggy home. I want to go to the station. I want to see his face when you talk to him. And—” she narrowed her eyes “—I need to formally make a statement against Gary tonight.”

  The marshal’s gaze softened. “Are you afraid you might lose your nerve?”

  Kate shook her head. Without thinking, she linked her fingers with Abram’s, allowing his touch to keep her grounded. “No. I just need to be done with this. I have spent too many years carrying this baggage around inside me. It’s poisoned me. I need to let it out and be done with it.”

  Abram squeezed her hand. “Can you wait twenty more minutes and follow me home? I’d like to be with you.”

  “Abram,” Marshal Delacure began, a chiding edge in her tone.

  “I’d like him there,” Kate interrupted. “Please? Gary’s actions changed the course of his life, as well as mine.”

  The marshal bounced her gaze between them. Her glance dropped to their clasped hands. Understanding bloomed on her face.

  “Fine. Let’s put this to rest.”

  TWELVE

  Abram put his mare and buggy away as quickly as he could without skimping. “You did gut today, girl.” He brushed the mare down. She’d worked hard and deserved a rest. “You got me there in time to help Katie. That was the important thing.”

  After he was done, he made his way into the haus. He needed to inform his mamm and daed where he would be going. There was no need for them to worry about him. He found them sitting with Sam in the front room. It was getting dark outside. Daed had already lit the kerosene lamps in the haus.

  “You were able to help, ain’t so?” His daed’s voice was as calm as still waters. Abram never knew if his daed was disturbed by his voice alone. He hadn’t heard him raise his voice in years. Not since the last time he had argued with Levi. The next day, Levi had left. David Burkholder had never said so, but Abram knew his daed regretted his harsh attitude ever since. It was a testament to how much that he had never repeated that mistake. Abram and Sam had both benefitted from it.

  Levi and his daed had long since made their amends and were very close now. He knew his daed and mamm were both thrilled that Levi had come home and was a deacon. He’d settled down and was raising a family.

  All the things they had hinted they wanted for Abram and Sam.

  It would have to be Sam. Linda had rejected Abram for not being able to give her his whole heart. She had been correct. Abram had been in denial. He would never be able to give any woman his heart. Any woman other than Katie. She had captured his heart years ago. Even though he’d felt betrayed when she left, he’d never let her go. While he’d only been with her a few days, the same connection that once flowed between them had bloomed to life again and deepened.

  Abram didn’t delude himself. He was well aware that in a few days she’d be returning to Wallmer Grove. Her life was there. He prayed she’d be able to finally find some peace and forgive her parents. And herself.

  Would she forget him?

  He doubted it. Just like he’d never forget her. No woman would ever be able to take her place. It wouldn’t be fair to ask another woman to be his frau when he couldn’t give her his whole self.

  His daed was waiting for Abram to answer. “Ja. We found Katie. Someone had attacked the marshal and Katie, but the police arrived in time and the man is under arrest. I’m going with them while Katie makes her statement.”

  David and Fanny exchanged concerned glances. “My sohn, are you sure about this?”

  He’d known his parents wouldn’t like the idea. “I need to do this, Daed. There are things you don’t know, and I can’t tell you. Katie needs me there.”

  His mamm frowned. “She’s not Amish anymore, Abram.”

  “Ja,
I know this. But I love her. I always have. I will support her.”

  Sam spoke up, to his surprise. “You can’t marry her. Or would you become Englisch?”

  There was no censorship in his brother’s question. Only concern and curiosity. Was it his imagination, or was there regret in Sam’s voice? He couldn’t think why there would be, so he focused on answering the question. “Nee. I will not leave the Amish church. Gott is first. Gott is always first.”

  His mamm sighed. “Gott be with you, sohn.”

  There was nothing more he could say. Katie was waiting with Marshal Delacure in the car. As he opened the door, he heard the marshal talking on her phone, canceling an appointment. He hopped into the back seat, wishing Katie weren’t sitting up front. He had no idea how long she’d be in Sutter Springs and he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her.

  A small voice in his mind chastised him. She wasn’t here for him—she was here to find a missing woman and help end the drug trafficking, and maybe worse crimes. She’d already accomplished capturing a predator and would be responsible for putting him in prison, probably for the rest of his life, if Marshal Delacure was correct.

  He was proud of her courage. It had taken a lot for her to step forward as she had.

  At the police station, the three of them made their way inside, without speaking. Katie ended up walking between Abram and the marshal. Every few feet, her arm would brush his. He could have moved away. In fact, he had done so once already. When she still brushed his arm, he realized she’d moved with him.

  He smiled slightly, glancing down at her demurely kapped head. He doubted that she’d done it on purpose. Katie wasn’t one to flirt or draw attention to herself. Nee, she was relying on him subconsciously. It pleased him, though he knew it shouldn’t. He was failing miserably at keeping his distance.

  The marshal stepped up to the registration window and informed the clerk that they were there to see Lieutenant Greer. Abram didn’t know what had been in the envelope Katie had handed her to read. They’d had no opportunity to discuss it alone yet. Given the marshal’s hard voice and the anger he sensed simmering below the surface of Katie, it had to have been something shocking.

  After a five-minute wait, the trio was led into a conference room. “The lieutenant will be with you in a minute,” the clerk told them.

  “Fine,” the marshal bit out.

  A minute later, the door opened again, and Marshal Hendrix entered. Abram’s eyes widened. He shot a look in Katie’s direction. Her face had lost all expression. Which wasn’t a good sign.

  “There might be drama coming.” She nodded her head toward Marshal Hendrix. Marshal Delacure strode over to him, anger vibrating in every step.

  The marshals separated and stood in the opposite corner, whispering amongst themselves. He caught the words lies and obstruction. Raising his eyebrows at Katie, he said quietly, “What happened?”

  She was watching the two people on the other side of the room. “I found something Beth had left in one of the rooms. Actually, she’d hidden it pretty well, so I think she knew she was in danger. What I don’t know is how Lieutenant Greer is involved.”

  What? His jaw dropped open. He never would have suspected the police lieutenant of anything underhanded. The man was as by the book as they came.

  He wanted to ask for more details. The door creaked open before he could do so.

  “Looks like we have a party,” Lieutenant Greer joked, wariness in every line of his face. He knew something was up, Abram figured. Why else would they have needed both marshals to come in?

  “Not a party,” Katie said. “I want to make my statement. I would prefer not to have to wait for the morning to do it.”

  “Of course,” he said, nodding. “We can do that.”

  He looked at Abram. “I’m assuming he’s here for moral support.”

  She hesitated, then nodded.

  Abram was surprised she wasn’t confronting him. But then he understood. Marshal Delacure was Beth’s handler. She had been the one to develop a relationship with the missing woman, and if something sneaky was happening, she should be the one to address it.

  Marshal Delacure stamped over to where the lieutenant was standing. He took one look at her face and folded his arms across his chest.

  “Uh-oh,” Katie whispered. “There’s going to be a fight.”

  Abram’s lips twitched. He murmured, “Sich selbst verhalten.”

  Katie snorted. “I always behave myself.”

  Marshal Delacure flung the envelope that Katie had given her on the table. “I want to know what you’re playing here. We found this at Beth’s house. Details regarding drug trafficking and possible kidnapping. And a meeting with you!”

  He blanched.

  “You said you didn’t know her,” Katie said, keeping her voice gentle. “The first time I met you, you acted like you didn’t know her or anything about her disappearance.”

  The man sighed and studied his shoes for a moment. When he lifted his gaze to them, a wry smile played around his lips. “Obviously, I lied.”

  * * *

  Kate almost pitied the man. There was something so sad in his posture as he admitted to lying. She hardened her heart. If he had anything to do with Beth’s disappearance, she’d do her best to see that he faced the consequences.

  Lieutenant Greer stepped around the angry marshal facing him and moved to the table. He picked up the envelope and carried it to a chair at the head of the table. Once he sat, he proceeded to read through the contents. Every few seconds, his face softened.

  Kate was coming to an amazing conclusion. She exchanged glances with Marshal Delacure and saw that the other woman’s anger had drained. She’d seen it, too. When he finally spoke, his words came as no surprise to her, although both of the other men in the room appeared shocked.

  Finally, he looked up. “I first met Bailey a year ago.”

  Marshal Hendrix’s jaw dropped at the use of the witness’s real name. “She broke the rules.”

  Greer shook his head. “Actually, no. When we met, I had gone to the B&B because one of the guests reported a theft. Bailey was at the front desk. She was the most efficient receptionist. She explained she wasn’t usually at the desk, but the girl who was supposed to work that night had had an emergency and wasn’t able to make it. We talked for a few minutes. She made some comments that made me think she’d done some very non-Amish things, such as going to concerts. And not as a young girl. She didn’t realize that I had picked up on the clues.”

  He paused and poured himself a glass of water. “I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen her before. I was curious. I’ll admit it. So, I started meeting her at her work. Or out in town. It wasn’t long before I realized who she was. She might have been in Amish clothing, but her face hadn’t changed. One of my deputies had some magazines on her desk, and Bailey St. Andrews was on the cover of one of them. But by that time, it didn’t matter.”

  “You were in love,” Kate guessed.

  He nodded. “We were. When I told her that I knew who she was, she cried. She didn’t want to leave, and she said she’d have to leave.”

  “She didn’t leave, though.” Marshal Hendrix sat on the edge of the table. “Why not?”

  Greer shrugged. “I wasn’t about to lose her. I told her that I’d give up my job. We could be relocated together. She resisted at first. But finally, she agreed. We would leave this town together. But then that kid overdosed, and Bailey was positive that he was the victim of foul play. She said she’d gathered some other evidence to prove it. We were planning on meeting to go over the notes. Then she disappeared.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Katie demanded. “If you knew, you could have helped us.”

  “I didn’t know you. Not enough to trust you. I knew the moment I saw you that you weren’t telling me the truth. Then the marshals
showed up. But I wasn’t sure what Bailey had found. My department has been searching for her. I myself have spent nearly every waking moment looking for her.”

  Marshal Delacure approached him. “When we find her, do you still want to disappear with her? You’d never be able to work as a cop again. And you’d lose all contact with the people here.”

  “I don’t care. Bailey and I plan on getting married. I’ll go wherever I need to go and do whatever job you want. All I care about is being with her.”

  Kate blinked back tears. Who would have thought?

  Lieutenant Greer stood. “But now, we need to get Miss Bontrager’s statement and we need to interview Gary. He’s lawyered up, so we have to wait until his legal counsel arrives.”

  Within five minutes, Kate was situated with paper, a pen and a mug of tepid coffee to write out her statement. The lieutenant had allowed Abram to stay in the room, but they weren’t allowed to talk. He wanted no chance of any details that weren’t directly from her memory to appear on the paper. Any inconsistencies would be torn to shreds in court and Gary the Shark would walk out a free man.

  That was not going to happen.

  It took her twenty-three minutes and a half a dozen tissues to get the statement down on paper. Abram had squirmed while she sobbed and sniffled through the retelling. He wasn’t uncomfortable. She saw his face. He ached for her. It was a priceless gift. It also made her sad. She recalled the way that Lieutenant Greer was ready to ditch his career for Beth. Abram wasn’t likely to ditch his faith. It was a part of him.

  Could she—

  No. She’d left the Amish long ago. Going back wasn’t an option. It wasn’t just that she was a cop. She was slowly learning to trust God again, but her faith was not nearly to the level that his was. It would be unrealistic for her to think she could become Amish and live that life without the faith it required. It wasn’t an easy life. She knew. She’d lived it for sixteen years.