This particular woman’s helpful personality made me ask the next question. “Do you by chance know Lynette King, Susanna Miller, or Melinda King?”
Her eyes rounded and her intake of breath was noticeable. She knew at least one of them, but I was betting all three. Fearing that she was about to turn and walk away, I hurriedly said, “I’m Sheriff Serenity Adams and this is U.S. Marshal Toby Bryant. We’re working a case together, and that case has brought of here to Mt. Carmel. Anything you can tell us might help these women out.”
The woman’s hand went to her throat. “Are they in trouble?” A young boy came through the front door and before he said a word, the woman scolded him in Pennsylvania Dutch and he hurried back into the house. When she faced us again, her face was tight. “Sorry about that. If I’m not on top of things, all five of the younger ones will be out here bothering you.” She glanced up and then down, and finally looked at me again. “Are they all right—the women I mean?”
“You do know them?” I ventured.
“I was a child the last time I saw Melinda. We’re cousins and close to the same age, you see. Susanna and Lynette were neighbors and also cousins, but second.”
The way the woman shifted her weight, I could tell she was anxious for news. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”
“Paula King. You know, I’ve heard about you. You’re the lady sheriff who’s assisted the Blood Rock community in their troubles.”
I smiled a little. Assisted was putting it mildly. “It’s nice to meet you, Paula. Melinda and Lynette are fine. They’re living in Nevada. Did you know that’s where they were going when they went English?”
She shook her head and wrung her hands. “Oh no. I had no clue where they went off to. What about Susanna?”
I looked at Toby for confirmation that it was okay to mention what happened to her. His cowboy hat was pulled down, covering the side of his face, but I caught his slight nod. “She died recently.”
Paula sucked in a breath. “Lord have mercy on her soul,” she said and closed her eyes tightly.
I thought it was an odd thing to say, but the Amish didn’t usually follow normal social etiquette, so I was careful with my follow up. “She was murdered. That’s one of the reasons we’re here. Toby and I are trying to figure out why three women from your community who all disappeared when they were around eighteen years old, ended up in a not-very-nice place in Nevada. Do you know why this happened to them?”
When Paula opened her eyes, I saw a flash of knowing and my hopes soared that she’d talk to us, but as quickly as the bright light had appeared, it vanished.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know anything.” She turned on her heel and headed straight for the house.
I took a couple of steps and called out, “Melinda and Lynette might be in danger. It’s a sin to ignore helping someone in need when you have the ability to do so.”
I’m not exactly sure where my words came from, but Paula stopped in her tracks. She lifted her head sideways without turning around. “Fannie might have more to say on the matter. I’m sorry I can’t help you, but it is what it is.”
“I wonder if Fannie will have more to say than Paula,” Toby said quietly.
Fannie had left us on her front porch while she went to fetch some lemonade. As Toby and I sat side by side on the porch swing, leaves fluttered down from the trees in the woman’s vast front yard. The breeze was warm enough that a cool drink would be refreshing, but more importantly, it gave me a chance to gather my thoughts and prepare for the talk with the elderly woman.
“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” I said.
Fannie came through the door at that moment and Toby rose to help her with the drinks. Once we were all seated, I studied the woman’s wispy form. She had to be in her eighties, and yet she moved around with the ease of someone much younger.
I took a sip of my lemonade and was about to ask Fannie a question when she spoke up first.
“Have you heard from the girls?” she asked. She sat on the edge of the plastic chair across from us and her accent was slightly stilted, like she spoke her own language more than English.
I appreciated her forward manner. “Do you mean Melinda, Susanna, and Lynette?”
Her gray eyes fogged over as she nodded. “And the others. Clara, Lydia, Rachel…I can’t recall all their names. Some left us so long ago.”
Toby stopped the movement of the swing and I stared back at the woman. There were too many questions to ask. I wasn’t sure where to begin. “Are they all relatives of yours?”
“Oh, yes. In one form or another. Melinda is my granddaughter. That one had a special spark. I hated to see her go the most.”
“Didn’t she leave Mt. Carmel when she was only twelve?”
“Why, yes. We sent her to live with relatives on her mother’s side when she was about that age. They still found her though, like they always do.”
The breath caught in my throat and a sudden chill raised the hair on my arms. “Who are they?”
Fannie tilted her head and smiled. “The men who come for them of course.”
Toby touched my knee and I glanced over at him. Just under his breath, he whispered, “I think she has dementia or maybe even Alzheimer’s.”
That had occurred to me as well, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t speaking the truth. I vividly recall my own grandmother’s mind fading near the end of her life. She had the most difficulty remembering current events, but some things that happened years earlier, grandma remembered clearly.
“Did you ever meet these men?” I asked carefully.
She softly shook her head. “No, no. It all began when I was a young’un myself, you see. None of my daughters were chosen, so the men didn’t visit me.”
My head felt like it was going to explode with impatience. What the hell is she talking about? “Do these men visit girls in your community on a regular basis?”
“Every four years, during the warmest month, they come.” She hesitated and tapped her thin lips with her fingertips. “There’s been a few times when they came back sooner, and I don’t know why that was.”
Toby leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Ma’am, did someone in your community send Melinda away to keep her safe from the men?”
“It was a plan that failed. I ended up losing my favorite bapp years earlier than needed.” Fannies scowl showed that she was still angry about it. “Her parents were so full of guilt, they moved away. I haven’t spoken to or seen them in many years.”
My heart stopped beating for a minute. Toby’s eyes were wide and for the first time ever, hesitant. “Fannie, Melinda is alive and well. Would you like to see her again?”
Fannie’s mouth dropped open and her cheeks became limp. Tears welled in her glassy-looking eyes. “Oh, yes. Will you bring her by for a visit?”
“I will.” I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull it off, but I would certainly try. “Do you know why the men took these women from your community?”
She shook her head, looking thoughtful. I sensed she had an idea, but either she didn’t want to say it or was confused.
“Other than Melinda being taken, this has never happened in Blood Rock—” I didn’t get to finish my sentence.
Fannie flicked her hand. “I think not. It’s our sin and our price to pay.” She settled back in the chair and folded her hands on her lap. Her gray dress matched her hair, eyes, and melancholy.
My mind searched the information I already had, and I counted the years in between each girl we had names for. I sat up straighter when I realized something important. “Fannie, you said this happens every four years. The youngest girl we know about is Lynette King. She’s twenty-two. Was another girl taken last summer?”
Fannie was about to speak when the sound of clip clops on pavement turned all our heads. Three black buggies being
pulled by an equally black horses flew across the roadway. They slowed just enough to safely make the turn into Fannie’s driveway. I stood and braced my hands on the porch railing. Toby quickly joined me.
My question forgotten, Fannie said, “I wonder what all the ruckus is about?”
I already had a sickening feeling.
“This doesn’t look good,” Toby muttered at my side.
I didn’t say anything. My focus was on the first buggy to park. The man who jumped out had a full head of graying hair and even with the black coat over his white button up shirt, I could see bulging muscles through the fabric. He was even taller than Daniel and he didn’t wait for the others in his caravan to take long strides to reach the porch quicker. My heart fell into my stomach that we’d been interrupted before Fannie could answer the last question.
“You have no business here, Sheriff. Go back to Blood Rock,” the man said.
I couldn’t stop from frowning. Otherwise, I didn’t move a muscle. I kept my voice level. Niceties weren’t an option with this guy. “That’s great. You already know who I am. That’ll save some time. Who are you?”
“Ezra King. I’m the bishop here. You have no jurisdiction or business in Mt. Carmel.”
The bishop’s friends exited their buggies as fast as their leader had. I counted five other men. They were all in their prime and had the same hard features as their bishop. As they drew closer, I would venture to say they were closely related, brothers and first cousins, likely. The fact that this was the man who Tony had mentioned I should talk to wasn’t lost on me. Back when Mark Yoder died, Ezra would have been too young for bishop duty, but even at that time, he must have been a minister or someone else of importance for Tony to single him out.
“I already called Sheriff Hernandez. He has no problem with me talking to members of this community, so that takes care of the jurisdiction claim. As far as business, you and I both know that crimes that were committed in Blood Rock have been linked to Mt. Carmel. Therefore, your community has become my business.”
Ezra’s nostrils flared. He stomped up the porch steps on large black boots and glanced over his shoulder. “Timmy, help Grandma back into house. It’s time for her nap.”
“I’m not sleepy,” Fannie belted out.
Ezra ignored her. A man came forward, mumbling to her in his language, and with gentle hands, he shuffled her back into the house. I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to her.
I rounded on Ezra. “Be careful, bishop. You might think that English law doesn’t reach your country homesteads, but it does.”
The man drew himself up to his full height. I had to lean back to look him in the eye. I noticed Toby’s hand on his sidearm and that was reassuring. I wasn’t ready to draw my weapon yet. Amish men were used to getting their way with intimidation tactics. When those failed, they usually settled down.
“You’re digging into things that are better off left alone, Sheriff. We aren’t going to talk to you about those girls. No one here will. You’re wasting your time,” Ezra said.
Whenever anyone told me that I was wasting my time, I became even more intent on finding out what I needed to know, one way or another. “This is a criminal investigation. It won’t be too hard for the U.S. Marshal at my side to get search warrants. We currently have enough evidence to haul you into town for official questioning.”
It was a lie, but I gambled that Ezra wouldn’t know that.
A crooked smile spread on the bishop’s lips. This man was like no other bishop I’d ever met. Angry energy pulsed out of his hulking body. “What crimes have been committed?”
Toby remained silent. I’d have to stretch the limit a little here to get what I wanted out of Ezra. “Kidnapping and murder.”
Ezra chuckled. Several of the other men followed suit. Two of the men were like stone statues.
“Who was kidnapped? Hmm? Girls and boys leave our settlements every week. Up to half of all our children go English at some point. We cut ties with them and they don’t return.” His smile deepened and his voice became lighter. “What murder do you speak of?”
“Mark Yoder.”
Ezra feigned ignorance with a shrug and a quick glance to the other men on the porch. They responded the same way, except for the statue guys. They continued to stand there doing nothing.
“I don’t know that name,” Ezra said politely.
I swallowed down the knot in my throat. This guy was going to be a pain in the ass. “He drowned back in 2000. New evidence has emerged that brings his accidental death into question.”
“You either drown or you don’t, Sheriff.” Ezra’s smile turned into a smirk.
I stepped away from the railing and fully faced the bishop. Toby was at my back and even in this close of proximity, I trusted he could protect us both if this lot decided to do anything really stupid. I decided to put my cards on the table. “If one or more people hold someone under the water, it’s drowning. Mark Yoder had visitors from your community the day before he died. He thought his girlfriend, Melinda King, had been kidnapped. Evidence is beginning to pile up that it’s probably true.”
“You don’t frighten me, Sheriff. I’ve heard all about your interference in other communities, but that won’t happen here. Outsiders aren’t welcome,” Ezra said. I was about to respond when he held up a finger to silence me. “If you and your cowboy want to stay alive, you’re better forget everything you think you know about the Mt. Carmel people. I’m sure the good citizens of Blood Rock will tell you the same thing.”
“Are you threatening us?” I narrowed my eyes at the bishop.
“I’d call it a warning. One you should heed. News of your arrival has spread to the far reaches of the community. No one will talk to you. Go home and meddle with the Blood Rock Amish. Aaron Esch might welcome your services. We do not.”
The wind picked up and the clothes hanging on the line beside the house made snapping noises while leaves danced across the yard. A change of seasons was in the air, but there was something else more sinister blowing in. It was a reckoning.
I’d been doing this long enough to know when a trail ended, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other paths to take.
“I’ll be back,” I tipped my hat and moved sideways through the group. I crossed the yard at a normal pace, not looking back at the bearded men or even to see if Toby was right behind me. My hand closed around my cruiser’s door handle and a moment later we were on the road, heading back to Blood Rock.
“I’m surprised you’re giving up so easily,” Toby said smoothly.
I glanced sideways in time to catch his raised brow and the amusement on his face.
“Ezra was right. We’re wasting our time in Mt. Carmel. That doesn’t mean I’m giving up. This case is just beginning. Fannie King might be senile, but for every crazy memory, there’s always a bit of truth. Something awful has been going on in that community for a long time, and there’s only one way to get to the bottom of it.”
“And how’s that?” Toby’s voice dripped with the thrill of expectation.
“I have to talk to Melinda King and the other girls in person. We’re catching the next flight to Nevada.”
“Are you sure Daniel will be okay with that? Even an understanding and sweet-natured man like your husband might not want his wife traveling across the country to a brothel.”
I replied with a heavy sigh. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Toby got perverse pleasure from the idea that I’d be upsetting Daniel. I had to ignore it. There was a bigger, more important issue to worry about. Girls were being spirited away from an Amish community every four years in what seemed to be a ritualistic, cult-like way.
Dammit. I owed it to the women that were already suffering and to the ones not yet eighteen to unravel the truth and put an end to whatever the hell was going on.
9
When To
by and I entered the diner, we aimed for the table in the corner where Bobby and Todd were sitting with Daniel. I quickly diverted as I spotted CJ and Joshua in a booth next to the windows. Toby went ahead and I greeted my best friend and her formerly Amish husband.
“I saw your gang sitting over there and wondered where you were,” CJ said. She beamed up at me with a smattering of freckles over her smooth, glowing skin. Her brown curly hair was in wild disarray. I could make out a baby bump even though she wore a large, green sweater that matched her eyes. Pregnancy looked good on CJ.
Joshua acknowledged me with a nod and then went back to drinking his coffee. He wasn’t very out-going on most days, but today he came off as even more aloof. At least he’d trimmed his beard to look more like a regular guy and was wearing denim jeans and a flannel shirt. He’d gone English a few months earlier and had held onto the Amish dress code for too long.
CJ slid down the booth to make room for me to sit next to her. My eyes met Daniel’s for a second and he looked away. When I’d told him about my last-minute trip to Nevada the night before, he hadn’t been a happy camper. He didn’t try to stop me either, which was not his norm. I’d also invited him to tag along on the trip, but his work schedule was solidly booked. We’d both gone to bed slightly miffed, and when he’d quietly dressed and kissed me on the forehead before he’d left the bedroom, I’d feigned sleep. I didn’t want to start the day off with an argument or leave Blood Rock on bad terms with Daniel. I completely got his side of things, but my mind always swung back around to the fact that I’d warned him what life with me would be like. He’d still chosen to get married.
“I had to stop by the department and wrap up some business before I leave town,” I said.
“Where are you going?” CJ pushed aside her plate of pancakes and swiveled on the bench seat to fully focus on me. “And what’s Marshal Bryant doing here?”
“Nevada.” That got Joshua’s attention.
Wicked Legacy (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 10) Page 6