Anathema

by Colleen Coble

  “No one has seen him. He might have ditched the truck and gotten another vehicle.”

  “Let’s call off the search out here. I’m sure he ’s got her.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  Matt and Blake tramped through the mud back to the farm. Buggies and cars lined the road as far as he could see. The Amish community had poured out to help him. He ’d never look at them the same again. Matt saw them as friends now, friends who cared.

  Everyone was coming back to the yard now that the search had been called off. He found himself searching for Hannah’s bright head. He knew the news had rocked her hard. And it had probably ended any future they might have had. Instead, they would engage only in a long, bitter battle over Caitlin’s future.

  His fear and deceit had ruined everything. He didn’t like the person he’d become. He’d always told himself he feared nothing, but instead of trusting God to work things out, he ’d run scared, told countless lies, and put his daughter in harm’s way. And he ’d been stupid to boot.

  He didn’t see Asia’s familiar red car. Asia stood talking to Sarah and Gina under the shelter of a giant tulip tree, but rain still dripped onto their heads.

  Gina rushed to him, and he embraced her. “Oh, Matt, I’m so sorry!” She was sobbing so hard she could barely talk. “A friend from church called me.” She swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “We ’ve got to find her, Matt.”

  “I will. I’m calling off the search in the woods, though. I think Reece has her.” A foggy disorientation muffled his thoughts, but he focused on his sister’s face. “You went to confront Vanessa?”

  “Yeah, but Blake was there, Matt. And I saw a bunch of stuff in her garage. I think she and Blake are behind the robberies in town. I just turned around and left. I’m leaving him.”

  Matt found no joy in discovering that his suspicions about Blake were true. “I’ll tell the captain.”

  She put her face against his chest. “If only I hadn’t brought Caitlin here!”

  “It’s not your fault, Sis. If Reece has her, he could have taken her from your house just as easily.” It was his job to keep his daughter safe, and he ’d blown it. He glanced around the yard again. “Where ’s Hannah?”

  Asia wrinkled her nose. “I’ve been wondering that myself. She left here two hours ago to go get some migraine meds. I thought she ’d be back in fifteen minutes. Maybe she had to lie down a few minutes.”

  Matt knew Hannah well enough by now to know she’d crawl on bleeding knees to help those she loved. “I can’t see her doing that.” Something was going on, and every nerve in his body tightened in response.

  “Me neither, to tell you the truth. I was trying not to worry.” Asia pulled her cell phone out of the purse slung around her shoulder. “I’ve got a good signal here. So if she had a breakdown, she could have called me.”

  “I hope Reece didn’t find her,” he said. His pulse galloped as he thought it through. “If she thought Reece had Caitlin, would she go back to him?” Even before he saw Asia’s face change, he knew the answer. “Of course she would,” he said. “In a heartbeat.” He wanted to hit something. “Reece would call her and taunt her with the fact that he had their daughter.”

  “Their daughter,” Asia said. “Do you think it’s really true?”

  “I think so. I’ve got to find Hannah.” He called Ajax and ran to the SUV.

  IN THE WASH of daylight, Reece looked older, harder. His hair was grayer and coarser, especially the straggly beard he’d grown. His jowl seemed softer too, but the same hard light shone in his eyes. Hannah had to look hard for it, though. His jovial smile would have masked it completely from someone who didn’t know as well as she just what he was capable of.

  “You look good, hon,” he said. “Take your hair down.”

  “Not now,” she said before she thought.

  “Take it down now.”

  The hard tone of his voice and the way the amiable mask vanished told her to obey. Slowly, she reached up and began to pull the pins from her hair. She’d thought he would hide his true colors at least for a little while. His eyes spoke of a further slide into madness. When her hair lay on her shoulders, she leaned forward to grab her bag from the floor and drop the pins into it.

  Reece’s fingers plunged into her hair and wrapped around the locks. “No one has hair like yours. I’ve told you never to wear it down for anyone else.”

  Using her hair as leverage, he dragged her across the bench seat until she was close enough for him to release her hair and slide his arm around her.

  Her scalp stung, but she said nothing. He seemed calm at the moment, and she didn’t dare complain. With the overpowering scent of his familiar cologne nearly asphyxiating her, Hannah’s strength and courage waned. What made her think she could outwit him? Whenever she was around him, he sapped her will and determination. Her life would slide into the same old nightmare, and she would be helpless to prevent it.

  No. She had Caitlin to think about. The little girl needed her protection. Hannah saw no evidence of Caitlin in the vehicle. Could he have merely used the situation to bait Hannah? She prayed that was true. It would be easier to escape if she wasn’t frozen with fear for her daughter.

  “So where are we going?” she asked in a bright voice. From the corner of her eye, she saw his quick glance as though he couldn’t figure her out.

  “You’ll see. I’ve got a surprise for you. Things are going to be different, Hannah. You’re going to obey me this time. We ’re going to be the model family.”

  “Family? Are we going to go find our daughter?” The words nearly gagged her, but she got them out in a loving tone.

  “Maybe.”

  “Why did you take her away from me, Reece?” The words poured out of her in spite of her resolve not to annoy him. “I wanted her so much.”

  “I didn’t want to share you with anyone else. Now I see I was wrong about that.”

  The craftiness in his glance frightened her. He had some kind of plan, and she feared for Caitlin. Where was the little girl? Surely he hadn’t left her alone somewhere.

  “If she’s been adopted, how can we find her and get her back?”

  “You leave that up to me.” He reached a dirt road that was only wide enough to allow a single car to navigate. “Where were you when I called?”

  “At the farmhouse. Working on the quilt.” The lie came too easily to her lips. What kind of a Christian was she that she could smile and lie without compunction?

  “Liar!” His fingers squeezed her arm hard enough to leave bruises. “I followed you. I know you were looking for Caitlin. You know I have her. That’s why you came, isn’t it?”

  “No!” She tried to pull away, but his grip was too tight. “Do you have her? We thought she just wandered off into the woods. That’s where Matt was looking. How do you know Caitlin?” She thought her subterfuge had worked when he didn’t ask why she lied.

  But his attention was on something else. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he accelerated around the curve, then whipped the steering wheel. “Did the detectives follow you?” he snarled.

  “No, of course not. I was careful to make sure I was alone.”

  The truck fishtailed in the mud, then slid into a wide spot between some shrubs. Ahead was an abandoned covered bridge. He drove over the grass toward it. “Hang on,” he said. His grip fell off her shoulders.

  This bridge had never been restored, and Hannah immediately spotted the missing planks and rotted girders. Any minute she expected the truck to plunge through the floor of the bridge and into the creek below, running deep with cold water from the storm. She’d never seen the water so high. The tires rumbled on the planks, then Reece wrenched the wheel to the right and rode the passenger side tires up onto the side, where the frame looked stronger.

  Hannah caught another glimpse of the water below through gaping holes in the structure of the bridge. She gripped the armrest on the door. Her pulse pounded in her head. They weren’t goi
ng to make it. The openings in the bridge passed by in a dizzying blur when Reece accelerated. The light at the other end grew larger, then the truck lurched over the last of the uneven boards. The tires found purchase in the rocky dirt at the other end and gave the truck traction through the last few feet.

  Reece guided the truck to a stop in the shelter of underbrush. “Lost them,” he said with a smug grin.

  “I never saw anyone.”

  He stretched his arm across the top of the battered bench seat. “You haven’t kissed me yet, Hannah. That will tell me how sincere you are.”

  Her stomach roiled. How could she cover her revulsion? She ’d known it might come to this. The distance between her lips and his wary smile seemed as vast as the Pacific Ocean. Her muscles froze in place, pressing her back into the safety of the cracked leather seat. Any minute he would reach across the chasm and grab her. It would be all she could do not to scream, and he would know. Know she ’d rather die than touch him.

  A siren blared in the distance. His head whipped around, and he peered back through the trees. “We ’d better get going. This can wait until tonight.”

  Somehow she would have to find a way to get Caitlin to safety before then.

  twenty-four

  “Religious services are held every other Sunday in a

  different home. Each family takes a turn hosting the congregation.

  It adds to the sense of community.”

  —HANNAH SCHWARTZ,

  IN The Amish Faith Through Their Quilts

  Matt saw Asia’s car parked outside the coffee shop and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of it. But why would Hannah stop to get coffee and spend hours there? The panic came again, and he knew something was wrong.

  He and Ajax went to the car and peered inside. The locks were down, and the car held only a computer bag in the back, probably Asia’s. Inside the coffee shop he saw only two men with an open briefcase between them at the back table. The barista had just come on duty and hadn’t seen Hannah. Not good. Matt didn’t want to face the truth, but he knew it.

  Reece had Hannah.

  No doubt in his mind. But how to find them? He’d tried her cell phone half a dozen times, but she had it switched off. Reece had been a detective. He knew how to evade law enforcement. Chances were, he’d ditched his truck and gotten other wheels. Matt drove to the jail and went to his office. He checked the list of stolen vehicles. Most would likely turn up once the kids who’d taken them for joyrides sobered up. But one stood out. An old red pickup. It had been taken two days ago. About the time Reece would have been making his plans.

  Matt put out an alert for the vehicle, but it was a long shot. Several hours had already passed. Parke County was only minutes from Illinois. Reece could have taken Hannah and Caitlin and crossed the state line already. He sat at the desk with his head in his hands. Think! He knew Reece well, knew his likes and dislikes, his way of looking at the world. There had to be some clue he was missing.

  He wanted to bang his forehead against the desk. Ajax whined and pressed his nose against Matt’s leg. “I’m okay, boy.” Matt rubbed the dog’s ears. Reece had no family. Like Matt, he was a throwaway kid. Reece ’s mother had given him to Irene, who had raised him for a time. When she couldn’t handle him anymore, he’d gone to Trudy. She ’d be sorely disappointed in Reece. Most kids who passed through her doors went on to live decent lives. Reece was fond of Irene too. Maybe she ’d have an idea where he could look. He and Ajax hopped into the SUV and drove out of town.

  Reece used to go see her once a week. Maybe he resumed that tradition when he returned. It couldn’t hurt to run out and talk to her. She might have some idea where Matt should look. Something had happened between his grandmother and his aunt, and rather than ruffle his grandmother’s feathers, he’d avoided Irene. It was just easier that way. Keeping his grandmother pleasant could be a full-time job.

  He rolled to a stop in front of the big old Victorian house. Irene ’s yellow dress was a bright splash of color against the red of the rose garden she labored in. The fact that she wore muddy Wellingtons ruined the perfect picture. Her hair was unkempt as well, and when she turned around, her gaze was foggy. It must be one of her bad days.

  Most days her medication held the darkness at bay, but once in a while, the fog rolled in and took her into its murky depths.

  He let Ajax out of the SUV, and his aunt came to meet him. “David, what are you doing here?”

  It was worse than he thought. “It’s Matt, Irene. Not David.”

  Her gaze drifted away from his face and out over the fields. “Of course it is. I should get the meadow tea in and make you some. You’ve always loved my meadow tea, David.”

  Matt gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Listen to me, Aunt Irene. I need your help. Caitlin’s in trouble.”

  “Your mother?”

  “No, Caitlin. My daughter. Remember her?” He folded his arms over his chest. “Have you seen Reece O’Connor?”

  Her hazel eyes clouded. “A few days ago. He’s not a good son.”

  Who did she think he was talking about? When she was like this, it was almost impossible to get any sense out of her. “Did you take your medicine today?”

  Her hand went into her pocket, and she withdrew a pill bottle. “No medicine, all gone,” she said in a singsong voice.

  “I think Reece has taken Caitlin. And maybe Hannah Schwartz,” he said. She stared at him as though she ’d been expecting something like this. “Did he tell you he planned to take her?” She wouldn’t meet his gaze. She rocked on her feet, picking petals off a rose like some lovesick girl from the turn of the century. “Did he tell you?” he repeated.

  “Caitlin puts me in mind of Hannah,” she said. “You made me lie to Hannah the other day. She ’s Caitlin’s mother, isn’t she?”

  “Yes. Look, I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to find my daughter before he disappears with her. Or hurts her.”

  “Reece can’t be trusted. That’s why I turned him out.”

  Matt didn’t have time to try to decipher her ramblings. “I think he killed the Schwartz family. And he threw Hannah down the steps so she ’d lose the baby. Only the baby didn’t die. And he left Caitlin on my doorstep.”

  She still showed no real reaction. He ’d thought his accusation would incite her to protest or something. “Things aren’t always what they seem. Mother knows everything, sees everything, punishes everything,” she said in a singsong voice.

  “Trudy knows all about it. Reece took Caitlin from her front porch. She didn’t hear a thing. She didn’t even know Caitlin was gone until she tried to call her for breakfast.”

  “Mother knows. Don’t worry.”

  He clenched his fists. “She ’s five years old! Not worry about it? We ’ve had a doozy of a storm all morning too.”

  Still plucking petals, she exhibited an unnatural serenity. He wanted to rip the roses out of her hands and fling them to the ground. She would tell him what he needed to know if he had to drag her to her feet and shake it out of her.

  “I’ve got work to do.” She tossed the flowers to the ground. “I hope you find her.”

  He blocked her path. “Where would Reece take her?” Her eyes cleared, and he saw sharp intelligence gleaming in their depths.

  She shook her head. “This isn’t about Reece, David. It goes much deeper than that. Much further back. You’d better start with Mother.”

  “You’re not making any sense. Trudy doesn’t know anything about this.”

  “No?” She smiled, a grimace that only made her eyes look sadder. “Everything that goes around comes around. This evil goes on and on. I think there ’s no end to it. At least none that I can see.”

  “Start with the truth.”

  “The truth? It depends on how you look at it.”

  Matt couldn’t make heads or tails out of her babbling. He jerked his thumb toward the SUV. “Let’s go,” he told Ajax. “There ’s no help for us here.” He
’d do what she said, go talk to his grandmother. Just in case he ’d missed something. He had to find his daughter. The urgency rumbled in his chest like thunder, but he took the time to call Gina and asked her to go check on Irene and make sure she got her meds.

  REECE HUNCHED OVER the wheel as the truck zoomed along at breakneck speed. He had said nothing for the last fifteen minutes. Hannah huddled on her side of the seat. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Some of the area looked familiar. She vaguely remembered picnicking once at the top of the hillside the truck climbed. This part of Parke County had steep hills and hidden ravines. It had been all their horses could do to pull the buggy up here. Those were happy days, filled with love, discipline, and godly training. She hadn’t appreciated it fully at the time.

  The truck left the gravel road and turned down a cow path, a faint depression in the grass that led through a break in the raspberry bushes. She thought they might be taking a back way into Turkey Run State Park. The truck bogged down in mud several times, but Reece managed to power it on through. Vegetation brushed against the side of the vehicle and tore at the side mirrors. The trees blotted out the light, and the thick foliage made it as cool and dark as midnight, cocooning them from the world. The tires rumbled over fallen logs and muddy ruts in the ground before coming to rest in a small clearing.

  A cliff covered with vines and weeds loomed over them, blotting out even more light. “Honey, we ’re home,” Reece said. His chuckle fell flat.

  “Wh-where are we, Reece?” Hannah didn’t want to get out of the truck. Menace coated the air.

  “You’ll see. Hop out, hon.” He got out and removed her suitcase from the back.

  Hannah shoved open her door and stepped out into the clearing. No birds sang here. A twisted tree raised dead branches into the air. No frogs croaked, no wind ruffled the leaves, and Hannah could not even hear the hum of insects.

  She tightened her grip on the shoulder strap of her purse. “Now what?”