Through the years, Joe’s faith had been tested over and over—his faith in himself, his faith in humanity, and his faith in a merciful, loving God. But that was the thing about faith…it meant still believing when everything you see tells you to give up.
So, did Joe have faith that this meeting with Hannah’s father was going to end well? Not a chance.
With a final pat on the mare’s solid neck, he stepped away from the fence and pulled open the barn door. As predicted, Elmer was there, perched on a stool, his hands stretched out beneath their milk cow as he finished the morning chores.
“Hand me that teat cream…” Elmer said, not bothering to glance back at whom he addressed, no doubt assuming Joe was one of Hannah’s two younger brothers.
Joe moved farther into the barn, stopping at the shelf of supplies, and grabbed the can of udder balm. He remained silent, finding it difficult to force words past the lump of anger lodged in his throat. Just the sound of that man’s voice grated on Joe’s nerves. Coming up behind Elmer, he held the can in his line of sight. It wasn’t until he reached out to take the tin that he cast a quick glance behind him.
Surprise briefly registered on the man’s face, and he shot to his feet, startling the cow beside him. She stepped to the side, knocking over the pail of milk between her hooves. Elmer dropped the container, acting as if Joe had handed him a rattlesnake instead of a tin of udder balm. Whether he was doing it out of offense or shock, Joe couldn’t know.
Amish men and women who had taken their church vows weren’t allowed to accept anything from someone who was shunned. They weren’t supposed to speak to them either, so it would be interesting to see how the next several minutes played out.
“Elmer…” Joe acknowledged, making every effort to keep the derision from his voice.
The man’s gaze flickered to the door, then back to Joe, no doubt a silent command to leave, which Joe wasn’t heeding. With a sigh, he took the opportunity to flash Elmer his badge. “I’m here at the request of the FBI. I’ve been asked to head up the investigation of Cassie’s death, and I need to ask you a few questions.”
At the mention of his daughter, Joe expected to see at least some flicker of emotion cross the man’s face. Nothing. Unable to hold back a derisive snort, Joe shook his head in disgust and said, “When was the last time you saw your daughter?”
The man met Joe’s stare with stony silence.
“Listen, I’ll tell you the same thing I told Mr. Schwartz, you do not have to like me to cooperate with me. Surely you want your daughter’s killer brought to justice.”
“God will be our vindicator. That’s all the justice I need.” Elmer bent and picked up the container then dismissively turned away from Joe.
“That may be true,” he said to the man’s back. “But what about the other girls he’s going to keep doing this to until he’s caught? What about the families of those victims who are going to suffer?”
“Cassandra brought this on herself. And I suspect so did the others.”
What the fuck? Was he serious?
“‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked—for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ Galatians, chapter six, verse seven.”
What a sanctimonious load of shit… Before Joe could stop to consider his response, the words flew out of his mouth. “‘The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.’ Daniel, chapter nine, verse nine.” Disgusted, Joe turned to leave. He was done here. As a parting gift, he paused at the door, leaving Elmer with a final thought. “Whoever is doing this…he’s not going to stop. Not until he’s caught. If it’s the last thing I do, I will be the man who delivers that murdering bastard into the hands of justice—with or without your help.”
“Listen to ya,” Elmer sneered, spinning around to face him. “Ya sound just like an Englisher—so full of yer hate and vengeance. ‘I will do this…’ and ‘I will do that…’ That’s not our way. It’s never been our way. Ya want to know why I never agreed to yer match with Hannah? It’s because of the darkness. I saw it in ya back then, and I see it in ya now. Ye’re not one of us. Ya may have been born into this life, but ye’ve never embraced it.”
Joe had come here determined to remain professional, to keep the focus on Cassie and this investigation, but this was a blow Joe could not abide. And it was also a lie. Grinding his teeth, he glared at the man who could have given him the only thing he’d ever wanted, yet this arrogant bastard denied him, claimed Joe wasn’t good enough. If only he knew that Joe had held the power to take his daughter from him. Hannah hadn’t stayed in this world because of her love for it. She hadn’t married the man of her father’s choosing because he decreed it. She’d stayed because Joe had given her no other choice. He’d broken Hannah’s heart just as surely as Elmer had ripped out Joe’s.
“You’re right about one thing, Elmer. There is a darkness in me now. It’s been cultivated over eight long years, and it recognizes the darkness in you. You hide behind your Anabaptist beliefs and traditions, but I see you for who you really are—and so does your God. You’re nothing but a hateful, greedy bastard who cared more about your pocketbook and protecting your secret than your daughter’s happiness.”
Surprise flashed in the old man’s eyes. Finally, some semblance of emotion. And how sad and pathetic was it that it wasn’t even over his poor dead daughter, but fear that Joe knew the secret he’d been hiding all these years.
“Yeah, that’s right… I found Cassie’s diary,” Joe goaded, issuing his own threat. “I know about the money, the gambling, your debt, and the real reason you didn’t want me to marry Hannah. You sold her to Jacob Adams. You didn’t care what she wanted or that she’d planned a life with me. You broke your daughter’s heart, and I let you do it because I foolishly believed at the time her life here was more important. But that wasn’t the only child you broke, was it? I know what you did to Cassie, you sick sonofabitch. And you’re lucky I can’t prosecute you for it. But then, it’s just your word against a dead girl’s, isn’t it? Convenient.”
…
Hannah watched from the car’s rearview mirror as the barn door flew open and Josiah stormed out. His brisk, determined steps quickly closed the distance. It wasn’t often that he let his emotions show so openly, but he was furious. For some reason, her da seemed to bring out the worst in him. The car door swung open and slammed shut just as quickly as Josiah climbed in and started the engine.
“Hi, Josiah…” Eli called excitedly from the back seat.
“Hey, buddy… Good to see you.” His tone was friendly and betrayed none of the turmoil she sensed churning inside him.
Dexter’s tail thumped against the back seat, and he reached forward, nosing the side of Josiah’s neck. “Hey, Dex.” He patted the dog’s head then shifted the car into reverse and punched the gas. The car lurched backward, kicking up gravel as the backend swung a half circle. He hit the brakes, and loose rocks slipped beneath the tires, then he shifted the car again and they shot forward.
“Woo-hoo…” Eli cheered from the back seat. “Can we do that again?”
Eli may be enjoying the ride, but Hannah’s stomach was getting nauseous. “How did things go with da?” she asked quietly once they got onto the road.
“About as well as expected.”
She could see his anger in the clench of his jaw and the tight grip on the steering wheel. “He wouldn’t talk, huh?”
“Oh, he talked. It was what he said that was the problem.”
“He’s angry—”
“Don’t defend him, Hannah,” Josiah snapped, taking her aback.
She wasn’t used to seeing this side of him or being on the receiving end of his temper. “If it helps, he doesn’t know anythin’. Cassie hardly ever spoke to them after she came to stay with me.”
“I can see why.”
She studied him a moment, considering his comment. “Why are ya so angry with my da? I’ve sensed it ever since ya came back. Ya know he’s O
ld Order and adheres to the rules of shunnin’. Ya couldn’t have thought he’d speak with ya back there.” When he didn’t answer, her suspicions grew, and she pressed him. “Ye’re hidin’ somethin’ from me, Josiah.”
He took his eyes off the road long enough to shoot her a warning glare and snapped, “Let it go, Hannah. Jesus Christ, I’m dealing with enough shit right now!”
His flash of temper caught her off guard, and it bruised her feelings, but his blatant disregard for the Lord’s name angered her. He knew how she felt about his use of profanity, and she’d been more than tolerant of it. But to blaspheme in front of her and her son disrespected her core beliefs and values. It didn’t matter that he no longer adhered to their code. He was raised Amish. He knew how offensive this was to her. He just didn’t care. Josiah had warned her he’d changed, and right now she was seeing the unpleasant proof of it.
She glanced over her shoulder at Eli, hoping he hadn’t heard their exchange, but his little saucer eyes and slack-jaw disbelief confirmed her fears. It took Josiah about two seconds to grasp the understanding of what he’d done, but the grimace of regret that quickly followed his outburst did nothing to nullify his disrespect of her.
“Hannah…”
She could hear the remorse in his voice, along with frustration. But her own temper was sparked, and she would not have this conversation with him in front of her son. She’d been raised to not speak when angered, and it was best for everyone right now that she remained silent. Hannah turned her head away from him to look out the window, ignoring his attempt to talk to her.
“Hannah…” he tried again and reached for her hand.
“Don’t,” she snapped, yanking her hand away and tucking it into the folds of her apron.
“Ma’s mad at you,” Eli offered from the back seat.
“Yeah, buddy, I get that.”
“You should pick some flowers. That’s what I do when I’ve been bad. But I never say that word.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Josiah grumbled.
When they pulled up to the inn, Hannah had the door thrown open and was climbing out before he could shift the car into park. “Come on, Eli.” Hannah opened the back door and held out her hand, her firm tone encouraging the boy to hurry. He fumbled with his seat belt a couple of times and then finally got it unlatched before scooting across the seat.
“Hannah…”
Josiah attempted one last time to speak with her, but she cut him off. “Thank you for bringin’ me to work. We won’t be needin’ a ride home.” Before he could respond, she closed the door and clasped her son’s hand, then headed across the street to the inn.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Joe’s shitty mood had not improved by the time he finally got into the office. He’d gone to Ephrata to speak with Ruth King’s parents, which had been a colossal waste of precious time. They adamantly denied her involvement with anyone outside the church and had become angry that he’d even suggested such a thing, essentially ending the interview right then and there. He probably should have brought Hannah with him, after all, and kicked himself for not taking her up on her offer. Her ability to diffuse tensions would have been helpful. Then again, considering she was currently pissed at him, she might not be in such a mitigating mood.
Ruth’s parents didn’t know where she’d gone last night, and the search of the farm had yielded no clue as to what might have happened to the girl. So basically, he had fuckall to go on and a forty-eight-hour window that was quickly closing. The statistical likelihood of finding Ruth alive after that drastically diminished.
“Any word on Ruth King?” Stoltz called from his office as Joe and Dex walked past.
Joe’s feet ground to a reluctant halt in the sheriff’s doorway. “Not yet.”
“Leads?”
Joe eyed the sheriff, his threadbare patience worn thin. He felt like shit for snapping at Hannah and for the way he’d left things with her. Right now, he couldn’t do anything to fix that situation any more than he could suddenly make Ruth King magically reappear.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Stoltz remarked, dismissing Joe by returning to whatever papers he’d been reading.
“Did someone pick up Heinz?” Joe suspected they had but wanted to confirm it. He’d taken Dexter over to the property, and they’d done a less than legal search of the grounds, but he hadn’t gone into the house. Pulling a B and E was a hell of a lot more difficult to explain than a wandering dog. Nothing had pinged Dexter’s radar, not that it cleared Heinz of culpability. They would need the DNA for that.
“Deputy Frisk brought him in a couple of hours ago. I’ve got Bill Kent personally handling it.”
“That’s good. When you see him, have Kent stop by and see me, will ya?”
Joe headed to his office, and Dex was hot on his heels. His energy was high, which was often the case after a search. He opened the door, and Sam greeted him with, “Hey there, I was wondering when I was going to see you today.”
“I’ve been in Ephrata. Another girl went missing.”
“I heard. I’m sorry. You think it’s the Barber?”
“Most likely.”
Sam glanced his direction as he entered, and her attention quickly shifted to his four-legged partner. “I didn’t know you had a dog.” She pushed her chair away from her make-shift desk and patted her thigh to beckon Dex. “Isn’t he adorable… What’s his name?” she cooed as Dexter trotted over to the agent and soaked up all the pets.
“Dexter.” Joe headed to his desk and dropped into the chair. “How’s the new resident search going?” he asked, powering up his computer and keying in the password. Joe wasn’t trying to be a dick, but he was in a shitty mood and didn’t want to chit-chat.
Sam didn’t seem offended by his abruptness. Giving Dex a final pat on the head, she scooted her chair back to the table, and the dog headed over to Joe to find a comfortable stop to settle in.
“Good. The requests are all in. I should have a list for you by tomorrow. I’ve got some good news…”
“Yeah?” He could use some of that right about now.
“I had a hit with VICAP this morning. It might not be anything because the case is closed, but I think it’s still worth checking out. Five years ago, in Augusta, Wisconsin, two teens were killed. The correlation that flagged in the database was that their hair had been cut off.”
“No shit…?” What were the odds?
“I’ll send you the contact information for the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Department, so you can reach out to them.”
“That’s great. I found Cassie Beiler’s boyfriend. Brought him in for questioning last night. I’ll forward you a copy of the interview once I get the transcription. Turns out Cassie and some of her friends had a Facebook page they called Breaking Amish.”
“Like the TV show?”
“Something like that. Do you have a Facebook account?”
Sam eyed him like he’d just asked her a dumb question.
“You don’t?”
“No.” After all these years, he still didn’t understand people’s fascination with social media. He couldn’t less give a shit what people had for supper, where their political views lay, or how good they looked when they got into their car. There were just some things about American culture he would never understand no matter how long he lived in the outside world. Perhaps there was still some of that Old Order conservatism rooted deep inside him, after all, and he doubted he would ever shed his need for privacy. He’d been surprised to learn that Cassie and some of her friends had outed themselves to the public through social media, but then with reality shows like Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia, perhaps it wasn’t such a stretch.
“Well, come over here. Let’s see what we can find.”
Sam went to work typing away on her computer as Joe came around the desk and stood behind her, peering at the screen over her shoulder. As Sam logged in to her account, it got him thinking about how easy it would be to create a profile for a seven
teen-year-old Amish girl.
As Sam’s page came up, Joe caught a glimpse into the life of the FBI profiler. Her cover photo was of snow-capped mountains, she was bundled up in winter gear, standing on the summit with a man that looked a lot like…Special Agent Riker?
Joe couldn’t be sure, the man was dressed for hiking, a hat covered his head and frost nipped his beard, but there was a striking resemblance between this man and the staunch FBI Agent. Sam was on tiptoe, arms thrown around the guy’s neck as she kissed his cheek.
“You’re a mountain climber?” Joe commented, nodded at the picture.
“I am. You sound surprised.” She shot him a teasing smile over her shoulder.
“I guess I am,” he chuckled. “What mountain is that?”
“Kilimanjaro. That was taken last year.”
“I’m impressed. Is that…Special Agent Riker?”
His answer came in the blush that stole over her cheeks. Sam cleared her throat as she clicked her newsfeed, taking them off her profile. “What did you say the page was called? Breaking Amish?” she asked, typing into the search bar.
The page came up, and Sam slowly began scrolling through the posts. He leaned closer, studying the pictures and reading the posts. “Click on the list of members.” He pointed to the sidebar on the left.
Her cursor followed, and Sam opened another section of the page.
“Motherfucker…” he muttered. “We’ve just found the devil’s goddamn playground.”
“This is how he’s finding them. Look at this… They’re posting pictures of the things they’ve done, talking about where they plan to be and when. Every girl that has been killed is in this group.” Sam quickly clicked through each of the girl’s profiles.
“And now there’s another one missing—Ruth King.”
“There’s only two girls left…Sarah Lapp and Rebecca Fisher. I’ll contact Quantico and work on getting access to these accounts right away. I’ll have a team start going through their posts and private messages. Maybe there’s something here that will lead us to the Barber.”
Vow of Silence Page 20