Hidden in Plain Sight

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  He threw up his hands saying, “Oh, all right. I’ll send the girl out.” His face tightened with hostility. “But you two had better not lead her down the wrong path—just see where it got you.”

  He disappeared through the door, allowing it to slam shut. Anna and I jumped at the noise, but Daniel only shook his head.

  Anna reached out and touched his shoulder in an unusual show of affection toward her son. Her hand dropped away quickly enough, but from the surprise that flashed across his face, the small gesture hadn’t escaped Daniel’s notice.

  “You must forgive your father. Verna’s defiant spirit is reminding him of the trials he faced with you.” She shook her head slowly and stepped up to the porch railing, clutching it tightly. “It wasn’t easy for him to lose one of his sons. Now he fears the community will lose both Mervin and Verna.”

  “The boy is nothing like me,” Daniel said harshly. “He’s in love, that’s all.” His tone dropped. “Besides, if he ends up going English, Father won’t be the cause of it. Some of us just don’t fit into this lifestyle, Ma.”

  “I understand. There was even a time when I was a young girl and I wondered if my place was here.” Daniel’s eyes widened. “Falling in love with your father is what sealed my destiny. I only hope Mervin’s love for Verna is enough to keep them with us.”

  She turned to me and picked up my hand. She stared at the engagement ring and then looked up. “It’s very beautiful and one of the few customs of the Englishers I envy.” She glanced between Daniel and me. “Congratulations. I hope this will settle your restless spirits. Your father won’t ever let you know, but he’ll be pleased.” Anna was an honest and spiritual woman—and she loved her son. I hated the thought of what it would do to her if my suspicions about Daniel were true. “You inherited your rebellion from me, I’m sorry to say, but in all things there’s God’s purpose. My prayers have been answered—you’ve finally found your path. I’ll get Verna for you,” Anna said and went through the door.

  The door had barely closed when it opened again and Verna slipped outside. I leaned against the porch railing. The dog pushed its head up under my hand and I continued to stroke it. Verna walked by Daniel, only giving him a curt nod. The girl was usually quite bubbly. Her stoic demeanor showed just how rattled she was.

  She stopped in front of me. “I’m afraid for Mervin. He’s not going to be able to handle us being separated for so long.”

  “Daniel explained the situation to me—and about the punishment. A few weeks or even a month isn’t that long. Let’s not be too dramatic here,” I said.

  Verna’s mouth dropped open and her light blue eyes flashed. She turned to Daniel and rattled off something in Pennsylvania Dutch.

  “Are you sure it’s been decided?” he asked and Verna nodded vigorously.

  Daniel ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head. “No one mentioned that—” he looked at me “—Verna is being sent back to Ohio. Father contacted Jonas Peachey this afternoon. Jonas insisted his daughter move back to Ohio to live with him and his younger daughter, Esta. He says it’s time for her to come home.”

  My head throbbed with the news and just hearing Jonas Peachey’s name sent a shiver up my spine. He was a medicine man—the real deal. I’d watched him heal Mervin’s injured leg. Something strange had taken place in the Peachey house that day—something I’d never truly understand and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to. What stilled my heart now was knowing his abilities in the healing arts and his knowledge of herbal medicines. He had the capabilities of finding out if Verna was pregnant and worse yet, of ending that pregnancy.

  I stared at Daniel. “She can’t go to him. He may have been cleared of any crimes in our last investigation—” I thrust my chin at Verna “—but if her condition changes, who knows if she’ll be safe there.”

  Verna touched my arm. “Dat would never hurt me.” She dropped her voice. “Don’t worry. I’m not pregnant. We were careful.”

  Even in the moonlight, I could see the girl’s cheeks turn a dark shade of pink. She dropped her gaze, staring at her feet.

  “Under the circumstances, I can see why Jonas would want her to return home. She’s too young to get married…and if she stays, what you fear might happen,” Daniel said.

  He had a point. I studied Verna, who was still avoiding eye contact. She was taller than me and like most of the Amish girls, she had an air of maturity about her that English teens didn’t possess. I thought of my own niece, Taylor. She was the same age as Verna and yet she still seemed like a kid in many ways. I’d probably lose it if she had a boyfriend and was having sex with him. Luckily, my sister was as old fashioned as I was in that department. Taylor hadn’t even been allowed to date until she’d turned sixteen a few months ago. She’d grumbled about it in the past, but now that she had the opportunity, she didn’t seem as interested in pursuing the boys. She’d developed an independent spirit that reminded me a lot of myself when I was a teen—until Denton had screwed up my life.

  I had to remind myself that the Amish culture was different than mine. Finding a suitable mate at a young age was part of their master plan. Marriage at eighteen and a baby the following year was normal for them. It was no wonder that some kids ended up messing around a little early. If Mervin had only kept his mouth shut, the couple would probably have gotten away with it.

  Verna looked up. “Dat wanted me to come back anyway. He’s marrying Marissa in the fall and he wants us all to be a family.” She shrugged. “I’m happy for them. Aunt Ada’s death…and everything else…was hard on him—” she raised pleading eyes “—but I didn’t want to leave Mervin. He thought we could convince Moses and the other elders to let us marry if we were…you know…” She trailed off and tugged her black jacket tighter around her. “All we did was make matters worse. Bishop Esch is siding with Dat. There’s no way I can stay.”

  I sighed heavily and rubbed my face. Sometimes things were just plain out of my control and this was one of those times. I wanted to help Verna, but she was only sixteen. I couldn’t condone a rushed marriage at that age just so they could be together. Sure, they’d probably get married in a couple of years anyway, but it was still the principle. We’re only kids once—and those were precious years—even for the Amish.

  Daniel was silent and it didn’t seem like he had anything to add to the conversation, so I continued, “Will your father allow you to continue dating Mervin long distance?”

  Verna’s face brightened a little. “Why yes. Dat always liked Mervin. He’s already given his blessing for us to be together. He said he just didn’t want it to be this soon. He told me on the phone that he’d consider allowing us to marry at seventeen if I came home willingly.” I saw the tightness of conflict pass over the girl’s face. She looked between me and Daniel. “Please, won’t you talk some sense into Mervin?” She stepped closer. “He wants us to run away and become English—” she shook her head “—I don’t want to begin our life together on the run, away from all the people we know and love. It would be a mistake. I know it would.”

  Smart girl. Gazing at Verna now, I saw a little bit of Ada Mae in her. The high cheekbones and wide-set eyes were family characteristics all the Peacheys possessed, but the quick and calculating mind was something she’d inherited from her aunt. I only hoped the demons that had driven the woman to murder and mayhem weren’t passed down the line.

  I glanced at Daniel. “You’ll talk to Mervin about all this, won’t you?”

  “Of course, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. It’s getting late and I don’t want to bother Lester and Esther at this hour.”

  “You won’t have to bother them at all.” Verna quickly scanned the porch and even peeked into a darkened window. “He’s nearby, waiting for me in the old barn on Burkey Road. That’s where we usually meet.”

  My stomach clenched and I shook my head. You’ve got to be kidding me. That was the
same barn where I’d been held hostage at gunpoint by Tony Manning while a group of Amish men had deliberated what to do with me. Bad memories, to say the least.

  Daniel met my gaze. He knew exactly what I was thinking and he waited for me to nod my head before he replied to Verna.

  “We’ll go talk to him. I can’t make any promises about the outcome though,” he said.

  Verna came alive and flung her arms around me. “Thank you so much, Sheriff,” she whispered into my ear. “He’ll listen to you and Daniel.” She stepped away, opened the door and disappeared.

  The door thudded shut and another whip-poor-will called. I took the porch steps two at a time on the way down.

  “Are you all right with going to that barn?” When I didn’t immediately answer, Daniel jogged the few steps and grabbed my arm. “Hey, look, I can talk to Mervin on my own. You don’t have to go back in there.”

  His face was strained with concern, but I ignored the look. “I’m a cop, Daniel. Revisiting unpleasant crime scenes is my job.”

  “But this one was personal. It must make a difference,” he argued.

  “It’s something I need to do anyway. Besides, you dragged me into this soap opera. I want to see how it ends.”

  A smile spread on Daniel’s lips before he dipped down and kissed me lightly on the mouth. “That’s one of the reasons I love you so much. You act all tough, but you’re really just a softie,” he teased.

  “That will be my downfall,” I muttered, climbing into the Jeep.

  14

  Moonlight sliced through the tree branches scraping against the side of the barn. The large, rectangular, wooden structure was even creepier looking than the last time I’d been here. Newer boards were nailed up alongside aged wood to keep the barn solid so prying eyes couldn’t easily peek in.

  It occurred to me as we walked up the dirt tractor path to the front sliding doors that it was ironic that a location used for the elder’s secret meetings was also a make-out destination for teens in the community. I wrinkled my nose, glancing up at the cupolas rising from the roof into the starry sky. It certainly wasn’t a place I would have picked for a date.

  Daniel held his finger to his mouth. The countryside was eerily quiet except for the chirping crickets. The barn sat well off the road, but it didn’t really matter as no vehicles had passed anyway. At this hour, most sensible people were already asleep in bed.

  “We don’t want to scare him off before he knows it’s us,” Daniel whispered, carefully pulling on the door handle.

  I had to admit, being here with him was a lot better than sneaking around the barn by myself. The breeze picked up just as he pulled the door along the track, bending the trees by the barn and breaking the silence with more scraping sounds. It was perfect cover for us to slip into the dark interior and shut the door behind us.

  The scent of stale, dry dirt assaulted my nose. It was a smell I’d never forget and I couldn’t stop my heart rate from speeding up. Daniel squeezed my hand and I took a quick breath. This is completely different than when my life was threatened the previous fall, I told myself. I got this.

  I followed Daniel, squinting in the darkness to see a pair of old, rusty tractors that looked like they’d been parked in the barn for decades. We passed by a pile of moldy hay that almost made me sneeze. In a few spots, shards of light cut through barn boards and the dusty air, hitting the ground, but otherwise, I was relying on Daniel’s night vision to keep us from bumping into anything.

  I caught a glimpse of pitchforks and shovels hanging on the far wall, and I swatted away cobwebs that brushed my face. Daniel stopped when the tiny sound of scratching overhead reached our ears. We both tilted our heads, not breathing.

  His face touched the side of mine. “Probably a raccoon,” he whispered.

  I glanced up, hoping if he was right, the little beast didn’t drop on our heads.

  We went through a doorway that led into the main portion of the barn. This was the place I remembered—a vast open area with nothing but a dirt floor and wooden walls. With the blowing clouds, moonlight came and went, spattering the ground in places below the cupolas.

  Daniel pulled me to a stop again. Without letting go of my hand, he raised it, pointing to the corner of the room. In the shadows, I thought I saw movement.

  “Mervin! It’s me—and Serenity is here too,” Daniel called out.

  I held my breath. There was a shuffling sound.

  “Where’s Verna?” Mervin stepped into the light.

  “She’s fine. We just left her.” Daniel let go of me and walked towards Mervin. “It would have been terrible if she attempted to come here tonight and was caught. My father is no fool. He’s expecting her to do something like that.”

  Mervin slumped. “I know, but I wanted to see her.” His voice scaled higher.

  “I understand. Verna explained everything to us. Hadn’t you thought at all about the possibility of your plan going wrong? Once you told your father about you and Verna, he had to go to Moses and Anna since she’s living with them.”

  Mervin dropped to the dirt floor and sat Indian style, burying his head in his hands. Daniel joined him and I reluctantly sat across from them. My fingers brushed the gun holstered beneath my jacket. Call me paranoid, but there was no way in hell I was letting my guard down in this place.

  “I didn’t think anyone would call Jonas Peachey. The bishop should have kept it Blood Rock business,” Mervin grumbled.

  Daniel took a deep breath, meeting my gaze before he turned to Mervin. “You made two mistakes here. One was thinking that crossing the line and breaking the rules was somehow going to get you and Verna married, and the other was trusting the adults.” My eyes widened, but Daniel didn’t see. I forced my mouth to remain closed and listened intently to him when he added, “But remember, you’re almost an adult yourself, so you need to start acting like one.” He leaned in. “If you and Verna run off at this point in your lives, you won’t be able to support her in the outside world. I left when I was nineteen and it wasn’t easy at that age. You need the support of family and so does she. If you play your cards right, you might be married by this time next year and building your own house on a piece of your father’s farm. You’re his child. He wants to help you—if you just give him a chance.”

  “But we’ll be separated.” He rolled his head. “I can’t be apart from Verna. She’s the only good thing in my life. I’m not strong enough.”

  “You are strong, Mervin. You stood up to your brother when he shot Naomi because you knew in your heart it was the right thing to do.” Daniel grunted. “Granted you’ve had a rough go of it lately, but there’s a bright future ahead for you and Verna. You must do the right thing and let Verna go back to Ohio. You’ll be allowed to visit her. Jonas is a man of his word. If he said Verna can marry at seventeen, it’s simply a countdown to her birthday.”

  “It won’t be simple,” Mervin said in a trembling voice.

  “Love never is—” he caught my eye “—but it’s well worth it.”

  Daniel stood up and offered me his hand. I let him pull me up and then he turned to Mervin, slapping him on the back. Daniel winked at me before he began conversing with the Amish boy in Pennsylvania Dutch. I didn’t mind. It made sense to make Mervin comfortable and at the same time, remind him of who he really was—an Amish teenager.

  I let the guys pull ahead of me and paused in the threshold of the doorway leading into the large, empty room. I looked over my shoulder and imagined the scene that used to give me nightmares. At the time, I really thought I was going to become a murder victim myself. Now I knew the Amish in the community better, but I still didn’t completely trust them. One thing I’d learned during my investigations of the Plain people was that just like everyone else, they had dark secrets—even Daniel.

  But just a few moments ago, I’d witnessed Daniel being the Daniel I’d gr
own to love. He was a compassionate man, and he’d proven himself to have a high set of morals. It was difficult to believe that he was involved with Buddy’s murder. But he’d lied about knowing the man, and it had all happened just after he’d left the Amish. Who knows what his state of mind was at the time.

  I swallowed and closed my eyes, trying to slow my pounding heart.

  The hand on my shoulder made me jump.

  “What are you doing?” Daniel asked.

  “Just remembering,” I said.

  “Why would you want to relive those kinds of memories?”

  “Some things are best never forgotten. It keeps a person from becoming complacent and trusting too much.”

  Daniel furrowed his brow, but chose not to argue with me about it. “We’re going to give Mervin a lift home. Come on.”

  He held out his hand and I licked my lips and took it. Even though his touch was warm, I shivered.

  Soon enough I’d discover the truth about Daniel. I willed myself to be patient and enjoy the ignorance while it lasted.

  15

  “I’m surprised you aren’t following this lead with Daniel’s assistance.” Todd took his eyes away from the road. It was long enough for me to see his brows rising above his reflective sunglasses.

  “He’s busy on a job,” I lied. “Do you have a problem helping me out on this one?” I snapped.

  He snorted. “Of course not. I was just asking.” He shook his head. “What put you in such a foul mood?”

  I avoided looking at him, instead focusing on the passing farms. It seemed for every sunny day, we had two rainy ones. Today, the sky was overcast and threatening rain.

  I’d known Todd since middle school. He was my first deputy and a friend. But I wasn’t about to mention what was going on with Daniel. Until I had a break in the case that pointed a finger at my fiancé, I would keep my own secrets.