Deadly Amish Reunion

by Dana R. Lynn

  They both fell silent.

  “Umm, Luke?”

  “Jah?”

  “I think we’re being followed.”

  He pushed himself up to look over the headrest. As she weaved in and out of the traffic, picking up speed, the pickup truck behind them kept pace.

  “Jah, we’re being followed.”

  Her face settled into grim lines. She pushed her foot down on the gas, and he heard the rev of the motor as her car sped up. Glancing back, he saw that the pickup was coming closer.

  “We have to get off the interstate,” he decided. “We’re trapped here. If the traffic backs up at all, we’d be easy targets if he decided to get out of his truck and come for us.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Her voice was calm, but her knuckles on the steering wheel were white.

  “Get off at the first exit that doesn’t lead to another interstate or highway. We need a road that has intersections.”

  She nodded. “Or at least the possibility that it will lead to a police station. I doubt anyone would be so bold as to follow us in there.”

  Luke prayed in his mind as Jennie continued to weave in and out of traffic. Five minutes flowed into ten, and still the truck followed them. Jennie moved back into the right lane. As the pickup moved toward them, a large bus merged onto the road from the on-ramp.

  For a moment, the pickup was out of sight.

  “Now!” Luke shouted. “Go there!”

  There was an exit. Jennie jerked the wheel and zoomed onto the ramp. Luke looked back. The truck was starting to pass the exit. Hopefully, he’d drive on by and they’d be free of him.

  Horns blared as the truck slammed on its brakes and backed up, then turned onto the exit.

  If there had been any doubt as to whether or not the pickup was really following them, it was gone. Jennie barely slowed at the light near the base of the ramp. She flew down the road. This was a smaller street with less traffic. The benefit was there weren’t as many cars to navigate around. The downfall was there weren’t as many to act as a barrier, either.

  Without warning, Jennie skidded onto a side road, dirt and snow flying up, the wheels spinning in the mush for an instant. Luke looked back and saw the truck wasn’t behind them. It was too early to say they were out of danger.

  She spun around the next curve.

  There was a dog standing in the middle of the road.

  With a horrified yell, she jerked the wheel.

  Luke felt the car skid beneath them. “Hold on!”

  He braced his arm against the dash, reaching back to touch LJ, to catch him if he needed to.

  Jennie’s car slid across the road and landed in a ditch. The hood was buried up to the windshield in snow.

  They needed to move. If they were still here when the pickup truck arrived, they would be sitting targets.

  TWELVE

  LJ was sobbing. Luke forced his door open. When he stepped out of the car, he sank down to his knees in snow. Bracing his hands against the side of the car, he worked his way toward the back of the car, battling the drifts and the thorny branches lining the road. By the time he got to the trunk, his feet were like blocks of ice stuffed into his boots and he had scratches on every inch of visible skin.

  Jennie met him with LJ in her arms. She seemed to have weathered the short walk better than he had. Her side of the car had far fewer bushes on it. He was glad of that.

  “Leave everything you don’t need in the car,” he said.

  She patted the straps of the backpack she was carrying. It doubled as LJ’s bag. “I put my money and my phone in here. I’m ready.”

  He took LJ from her and together they ran across the road. There was an old tractor path along the side of the road. It veered off a couple hundred yards away, but was still far too visible for his peace of mind. When she started walking toward it, he reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her.

  “I don’t want him to be able to follow us with a truck.” He tugged her toward the trees.

  He helped her climb up the steep incline. She slipped once, and her pink dress became splotched with muddy stains where her knees hit the ground. She didn’t let it stop her. By sheer dint of will, the three of them were soon into the trees, well hidden from the road.

  “We should do our best to step where there isn’t any snow or soft mud,” Jennie said. “That way we won’t leave tracks for him to follow.”

  “Gut idea.”

  It was harder to walk in the more overgrown parts. Roots made tripping a constant hazard. Plus, it was difficult to remain quiet when they were constantly tripping.

  A deep rumble came from the direction of the road they’d left. They stilled briefly. Jennie whispered to LJ that he had to stay as quiet as he could. When he started to pout, she leaned closer.

  “There’s a bad man after us, honey. We have to stay quiet so he doesn’t hear us.”

  LJ’s eyes grew wide, and his little face grew taut. He stayed silent, though.

  When the motor didn’t pass by but seemed to stop in place, their gazes locked. Luke nodded at Jennie, indicating with his chin that they needed to keep moving. The truck had stopped at their car.

  They walked until they came to the next road. Luke didn’t want to stay out in the open. He had no idea where they were. They kept moving.

  A few minutes later, they heard someone crashing through the woods behind them. Whoever had been following them hadn’t given up, but had entered the woods.

  Luke led them across the road and into a small forest, fragrant with all manner of evergreen trees: pine, spruce, any kind of fir one could imagine. The trees were spaced at equal intervals. Every once in a while, he’d see a stump where a tree had been cut down.

  “Mama,” LJ whispered. “We’re in a Christmas tree farm.”

  So they were.

  “Jennie.” Luke waited until she looked at him. “If you turned your phone on, do you think we could call for help?”

  Her eyes brightened. She rooted around in the bag for her phone and turned it on. It seemed to take forever to power up. Her expression dimmed. “No bars. Figures.”

  Disappointed, he nodded. Maybe they could find someone who worked here. He doubted there was a phone on the premises. It looked like a business where people came and got their own trees.

  “Let’s keep moving.” Luke placed a hand firmly on Jennie’s back, urging her to continue walking. They passed a few last-minute shoppers, out looking for that perfect tree. Each time they pasted smiles on their faces and kept going, aware what a mess they must have looked with their mud-encrusted clothes and twigs stuck in their hair.

  Luke squinted at Jennie.

  “What?” she hissed at him.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but did you know you have sap in your hair?”

  LJ snickered.

  “Ha-ha. You two are so funny. And yes, I know. There were some ferocious trees in the woods earlier.”

  He laughed.

  A bullet smashed into the tree next to him.

  The couple two trees away screamed and ran. Luke grabbed up LJ. Jennie started running, and he was right behind her, zigzagging their way through the trees.

  Jennie veered to the left. He followed. The trees became denser. It would be more difficult for anyone to shoot them here. Another bullet crashed into a tree. Well, more difficult to shoot with any accuracy.

  They bolted, ducking around the trees. After a few minutes, the number of trees began to thin. Up ahead was a brightly decorated tree, full of ornate bulbs and cheery lights. Beside it stood a large sign that read O’Malley’s Trees. Glancing around, Luke tried to see if he could spot the owner or a worker. Then he looked closer at the sign and nearly groaned. We follow the honor system. Customers were free to pick out their trees and were asked to drop the money to pay for them in the slot o
f a large container. Luke tugged on Jennie’s hand. They squatted down behind the tree and waited. Sweat was sticking to his collar. When LJ put his head on Luke’s shoulder and plopped his thumb in his mouth, Luke bent his head and prayed for the danger to go past them.

  Jennie was squeezed in tight next to him. He could feel her warmth through his jacket. He could also feel that she was trembling. Whether with cold, fear or both, he couldn’t tell. Her face, however, gave nothing away. Probably being strong for LJ. She wouldn’t want her son to see her scared.

  A family of five entered the gate. When the twin daughters saw the tree, they begged their parents to let them see it up close. The mother, father and all three children stood by the tree, oohing and aahing over the ornaments. They effectively blocked anyone from seeing the sign. Or the three people hiding behind it.

  A man crashed through the farm and came right up to the decorated tree, his cruel gaze scanning the surrounding area.

  Jennie gasped softly but quickly buried the sound by turning her face into Luke’s shoulder. She had recognized the man, whoever he was. Luke couldn’t risk asking her who it was now.

  LJ lifted his head.

  Oh, not now. Please not now.

  “Ma—”

  Jennie swept him close, murmuring in his ear. Her hair tickled Luke’s nose. He scolded himself for being tempted to sniff just to see if her hair still smelled like vanilla.

  “Not now, baby,” she breathed in LJ’s ear. “The bad man’s right over there. Please don’t move. Play statue.”

  Luke had never heard of the game “statue,” but LJ clearly understood it. He went absolutely still, barely even breathing. Luke was so proud of him, and impressed, too. It was no easy task to stay still when something exciting or scary was happening.

  After what seemed a very long time, but was only actually a minute or two, the man turned and stormed out the exit. They remained hidden for another couple of minutes to make sure he was really gone. When Luke was confident that he’d actually left, he led his family through the exit.

  They were out in the open now. The sky was heavy with clouds. It looked like more snow was on the way. Instead of dirt road, the one in front of him was paved. That meant they were closer to town on this side of the woods. The downside was paved roads would be easier for their pursuers to drive on.

  “How do they keep finding us?” Jennie wondered.

  Luke’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know much about such things, but is it possible that they are tracking your phone?”

  She shook her head. “It was off until we were in the woods. Remember? Trooper Carter wanted me to be untraceable.”

  “Except someone was tracing you.”

  “Hold on.” Jennie spent a few minutes going through the items in her bag. “I don’t see anything suspicious in here”

  Frustrated, he shook his head. They’d have to think about it, but right now, they needed to get out of here. He had a feeling the man with the gun hadn’t given up. He’d probably gone back to get his truck. Which didn’t leave them that much time.

  Luke’s head lifted when he heard a trickling sound. Water!

  He pointed toward the noise. Jennie’s eyes followed the direction of his finger and she nodded. Together, they headed that way. The steady gurgle of water nearby grew louder with each step they took. After a few minutes, they stood looking down at a creek, merrily babbling over the rocks and boulders in its bed. He could see a road crossing over the stream. Even as they watched, a car drove over it. A few seconds later, another car went by, heading in the opposite direction.

  “I wonder if we should try to go over that bridge,” Jennie mused.

  It wasn’t exactly what he’d call a bridge. It was level with the rest of the road. He shrugged, and they headed toward it. At the base of the bridge, they paused, trying to decide in which direction they should go.

  The air was split by the roar of a truck coming down the road. In a minute, he’d be to the bridge. There was no way to know if it was the man who’d followed them into the Christmas tree farm, but they couldn’t take the chance.

  Scrambling down the bank, Luke gestured for them to go into the shallow stream. Under the road, a culvert provided structure and allowed the water to flow from one side of the bridge to the other.

  “There. We’ll go through the culvert.”

  * * *

  Jennie crouched in the entrance of the culvert so she was hidden from any vehicles passing overhead. She didn’t want to enter the culvert. Just the thought had her breaking out in a cold sweat. The large hollow stone structure reminded Jennie of a tomb. It was cold, damp and the sound of the water running under the bridge was amplified.

  She wouldn’t be able to stand up straight inside it. And the noise! It was so loud in here. Jennie had never liked tunnels or caves. She hated small spaces. Another car crossed overhead. She squeezed her eyes shut. The culvert sounded like it would collapse at any moment. Jennie could feel it vibrating around her.

  Don’t go there. They should be fine if they stayed where they were. If it started to collapse, they could get out in time. Maybe. Besides, it was made of cement. What could be stronger?

  She was repeating her mantra when Luke moved in closer. Normally, she enjoyed his closeness; now he was invading her personal breathing space.

  “Who was he, Jennie? The man in the truck. I know you recognized him.”

  She twisted her lips into a smile, though it was probably not a pretty one. “I only sort of knew him. I’m not even sure of his name. This guy moved into the empty apartment on the first floor of my building a while back. We never said more than hi. I had heard that he worked nights and slept most of the day. I never suspected him of anything. The day that Steve escaped, I almost ran him down on my stairs on my way out to get to LJ’s school. Now I wonder what he was doing there. Has he been keeping tabs on me this past year, too?”

  Luke thought about that a moment. “I don’t think he’s going to give up searching. Not anytime soon.”

  She hated it, but she had to agree. “You’re probably right. And he’s probably told someone else that we’ve been spotted in the area. I think we should accept that we can’t go back for my car.”

  That had never really been an option, but she liked her car. It had been with her a long time and it was perfect for her life.

  “Jennie, I think your car was how they found us.” That got her attention fast.

  “I’m not following. What do you mean?”

  Luke pointed in the direction they’d come from. “Think about it. They’ve found us no matter where we went. What if there’s some kind of tracking device in your car? If that guy was at your apartment, keeping tabs on you, isn’t it possible he did something to your car so that when Steve gave the order, they’d be able to find you?”

  Her heart sank. It made sense. “So, what? Do we walk to your parents’ house? We have a four-year-old, Luke. It’s too cold. And we’re wet.”

  “Nee, we won’t walk all the way to my parents’ haus. Just far enough for you to use your phone. We can call Trooper Carter. Then we can get a ride the rest of the way.”

  “Okay. Well, should we go up—”

  He was shaking his head. “Let’s go through the culvert here. Then we can follow the stream for a bit. We’ll call Trooper Carter as soon as you have signal.”

  “Through the culvert? Luke, it’s not safe to travel through a culvert.” She was starting to feel panic bubbling up inside. It was popping in her stomach and traveling along her nerves. Sure, it wasn’t that long. Only the length of a two-lane street. But it could collapse at any moment and they’d might never make it out.

  “Nee, it’s perfectly safe. What could happen to it? These walls are pure concrete.” He kicked at the wall.

  She wanted to keep protesting. Wanted to tell him that she couldn’t bear to be closed in. She
opened her mouth to do just that.

  What if someone is waiting up there? What if LJ or Luke get injured because you were a coward?

  She swallowed her protests. Now was the time to put her trust in God to the test. He could get her through this. Taking a deep breath, she followed Luke and LJ into the dark culvert. It was difficult to walk crouched down as she was. She felt like she was going to lose her balance and tumble forward. The overhead rumble of a vehicle stopped her cold. Inside the culvert, it sounded like an earthquake. Jennie grabbed hold of LJ to protect him with her body.

  The noise stopped. She could breathe again. They were halfway through. She could see the light at the other end. Her breathing was loud in too small space. It was ridiculous to feel like there was no oxygen when she could clearly see the opening ahead of them.

  “Can we go any faster?” There was a note of panic in her voice. She winced. She hadn’t meant to react so poorly.

  “Jennie, are you claustrophobic?” Luke leaned in to see her more clearly. “I don’t remember you being bothered by small spaces before.”

  She narrowed her eyes to focus her glare. “You never wondered why I was so adamant about not taking the elevator in the apartment?”

  His mouth fell open as understanding dawned. “I thought you wanted the exercise. That’s what you said.”

  “Yeah, well, I did, but I wanted to avoid that narrow box held up on unreliable cables even more.”

  “We’re almost there. Hold on a few more seconds.”

  She blew out a hard breath. “Just move. We’re right behind you.”

  The water whooshed around her ankles. Within minutes, they were nearly numb. Pebbles and small rocks were carried in with the water and deposited. They made the floor uneven and difficult to walk on.