Secrets in the Grave

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  My mood soured at the thought. I forced a smile at Elayne as we took another step up in line. The day was ticking by slowly. I wanted to get the apartment showing over with so I could head to the sheriff’s office to talk to Serenity.

  I glanced out the window at the overcast day, wondering if Serenity was eating a late lunch with Todd and Bobby across the street at the diner. They had a lot to talk about with the circumstances of Fannie Kuhns’ death and the strange healing that Mervin received from Jonas. With a surge of hopefulness, I thought that if I hurried Elayne through the loft, I might even get to the diner before she left.

  “Get down! Get down!” voices shouted from behind.

  I whirled to see four men slipping through the entrance. They each wore a black ski mask and carried rifles raised above their heads. The weight of my .38 Special was heavy against my leg and I sent a prayer of thanks up that I’d taken the carry and conceal class upon returning from Poplar Springs.

  I deliberated quickly. I was outnumbered four to one. There was a real chance that these men might get the money and run, leaving everyone unharmed. I dropped to the ground with everyone else. My gaze slid over to Ed, who was attempting to use his cell phone.

  “Don’t be a fucking idiot!” the taller assailant cried, kicking the phone out of Ed’s hands. Elayne scurried closer to me and I shot her a reassuring smile.

  “Do you know who I am—” Ed began.

  “I don’t care if you’re the damn mayor! Shut up and put your head down or I’ll put a bullet in it.”

  The robber’s words silenced everyone. Ginger Crawly and her granddaughter were not too far away. The little girl’s face was wet with tears. Ginger’s arm covered the girl, squeezing her tightly enough to quiet the child. My gaze met Ginger’s. Her mouth twitched and she swallowed.

  One of the men jumped onto the counter. Another went behind it, forcing the tellers against the wall. The man who had kicked Ed stood close by and the last one guarded the front doors.

  “Here’s how it’s going to be,” the man on the counter drawled with a southern accent. The one who had kicked Ed’s phone sounded more northern, maybe even from Boston, making me think that these boys were all from out of town. “You’re all going to lay on the floor until we get the money we want. If you behave, you’ll live to post about this on social media tonight. If you give us any trouble, you’ll be shot. How does that sound?” When no one answered, he repeated, “How does that sound, folks?”

  This time people murmured agreement and nodded their heads.

  “You, clean out their pockets” —the southerner motioned to the northerner with his gun— “while Batman gets into the vault.”

  As my face pressed against the cool tiles of the floor, the man behind the counter argued with the bank’s manager about the protocol to get the vault open. The northerner made his way through the crowd on the floor, demanding that everyone empty their pockets. He used his foot to push the money into a pile. One older gentleman was forced to remove his watch and the women were ordered to throw their jewelry into the pile. I cringed as wedding rings clinked across the floor.

  I couldn’t help wondering how long it would take Serenity to show up. Surely one of the tellers had pushed a silent alarm beneath a desk by now. I took a deep breath, trying to slow my racing heart. It was just a matter of time before the robbers got what they wanted and left or Serenity and her department arrived.

  When the northerner reached me, I threw out my billfold, with the envelope containing four thousand dollars inside it. The money was from a porch job I’d completed, and the deposit was supposed to pay the crew’s weekly wages. Throwing the money away wasn’t a complete disaster for the business, but it would make things uncomfortable for a couple of weeks.

  My eyes wandered back to Ginger. She was on a fixed income. Whatever money she had in her purse was needed to put food on the table. The cold, hard tiles that were so uncomfortable on my body must be agonizing for the elderly woman. I’d built bookshelves in her living room some years earlier and I still remembered the delicious hot roast beef sandwich and homemade iced tea she’d served for lunch that day. Anger flared inside of me, constricting my chest.

  “Nice,” the northerner said. A small smile twitched on his mouth.

  I looked away, fearing the man would see my hatred if our gazes locked.

  The northerner paused at Elayne. “Aren’t you a pretty piece of ass?”

  He ran the toe of his boot along Elayne’s leg until he reached her skirt. Elayne’s eyes went wide and teary when the man lifted the material. I reached for the holster strapped to my leg, ready to grab my gun. I was betting I could shoot the man and get off one more shot before I was fired upon in return.

  Indecision stalled my movement. If I fired, would the robbers shoot the other patrons? There was always a chance that innocent people would get shot when bullets began flying around. My gaze settled on Ginger’s granddaughter. The girl sniffed, holding in her tears, staying my hand.

  The two robbers behind the counter were still arguing with the manager about the vault and his ability to access it. As their voices rose higher, the northerner dropped his foot away from Elayne.

  Elayne swallowed. I caught a glimpse of movement in the glass window to the side of the tellers’ counter. It was so brief I thought I might have imagined it.

  The raised voices turned to shouting. One of the robbers grabbed the bank manager, yanking him closer, and pressed the gun against his temple.

  “I’ll blow your fucking brains out if you don’t open that God damn vault!”

  “I’m sorry…it takes two of us to make the sequence…it’s a security system,” the small, bald man stuttered.

  Surprising me even more than the fact that the bank was being robbed in the first place, Mayor Ed raised his head. In a quivering voice, he said, “There’s no need for this to get ugly. Take our money and whatever is in the registers. Then be on your way. No one has to get hurt.”

  The other man jumped over the counter and whacked Ed’s legs with the butt of his gun. He swung it around and aimed the barrel at Ed’s face. The mayor screamed, “Stop!”

  Hoping that my mind hadn’t been playing tricks on me when I’d seen movement in the window, I grabbed my gun.

  I didn’t have time to say a prayer. I held the gun up and fired.

  9

  SERENITY

  I aimed and shot through the glass. As shattered shards rained down, Todd took a shot through the now open panel. I shoved open the door. The man I’d aimed for was down. Todd’s target was writhing near the doorway and Daniel’s guy was in a heap a few feet from him.

  Todd and I rounded the corner. Everyone behind the counter ducked. “Dammit,” I growled. The fourth robber had a gun pressed to Barry’s head. The bank manager’s face had drained of all color, his eyes round.

  “Give me what I want and I’ll let him live,” the man called out.

  The sounds of muffled crying and the surviving robber’s moans broke the silence. The silhouettes of uniformed officers beyond the front windows flashed. I switched my radio on and hit the button. “Stand down. We have a hostage situation.”

  My eyes skimmed over Daniel. He’d moved sideways to shield Elayne from harm. He had his gun raised, waiting for me to give him a signal. I averted my gaze and looked at Todd instead.

  He tilted his head towards the end of the counter, raising his brows. I understood what he meant to do. Todd had done some sniper work when he’d served in the armed forces. He was better a shot than me.

  I nodded and began talking. “What are your terms?”

  “I have a car and driver waiting on the west side. You clear me a path to that car,” the man answered.

  Todd inched closer to the counter. I had to keep the robber talking.

  “That sounds reasonable. Anything else?” I asked.

  There was a silent pause. Todd glanced back at me, but kept moving.

  “I didn’t go to all this trouble for
a handful of cash. You get this dimwit to open the fucking the vault.”

  I thought quickly. “Barry couldn’t accommodate you without a second person’s coding. Since I’m the Sheriff, I have both codes,” I lied. “Here’s how it’s going to work. I’m going to take Barry’s place. I’ll open the vault and give you what you want.”

  I walked to the counter, ignoring Daniel’s frown as he stood. The robber’s gun was still pushed into the side of Barry’s head. I couldn’t see his face behind the mask, but his eyes were blue and troubled.

  “I’m not stupid. The minute I let go of this loser, you’re going to shoot me.”

  I swallowed against the pounding of my heart and focused. Lowering my gun for the man to see, I ejected the clip and set it on the counter. I was close enough to see four young women huddled together on the floor behind the counter only a few feet away from Barry and his assailant.

  “Trust me now?” I asked.

  “That asshole over there had better drop his gun.” The robber jutted his chin at Daniel. His hands were too busy with his own gun and holding Barry to motion any other way.

  “You heard the man. Drop it,” I called out, but I didn’t look Daniel’s way.

  An instant later, I heard the thunk of metal hitting the tiles.

  “Better?” I asked nicely.

  “Radio your people out there. Tell them I’m coming through the door with you on the end of this gun. If they try anything funny, I’ll blow your brains out. Then they won’t have a pretty sheriff anymore.” The man tapped his foot fast and hard.

  I raised the radio to my lips. “I’m trading places with the hostage. Continue to stand down. We’re coming out the door.”

  A few more steps took me to the wooden-paneled, swinging door that led behind the counter. I reached over and flipped the latch, never taking my eyes from the target. My brows rose questioningly and he curtly nodded in return.

  Once I was within reach, the robber shoved Barry toward the women. In a blink, the gun was inches from my head. The man’s other hand grabbed my pony tail, jerking my head back. The sharp pain caused purple dots to pepper my vision.

  The gunshot blasted loud in my ear, silencing the world.

  I turned and drove my elbow into the man’s neck, knocking him backwards, but the action wasn’t needed. Todd’s bullet had hit its mark. The man’s brains covered the white wall behind him, but pulling my hair was something I had no tolerance for.

  As my hearing returned, Todd radioed the officers outside to come into the building. A moment later, a sea of blue uniforms mingled with the patrons as they rose from the floor. Since it was a relatively small town, almost everyone knew everyone else. There was a cacophony of hushed conversations all around.

  “Thank you so much, Sheriff,” one of the tellers gushed as she stepped away from the dead man.

  I forced a smile and motioned for her to join Jeremy at the end of the counter with the other tellers. I sighed, looking around. This was going to be a paperwork nightmare.

  “That was splendid teamwork!” Mayor Ed exclaimed. He limped around the body to pat me on the back. “I have to admit, I was getting a little worried there.” He barked an adrenaline filled laugh. Turning his head, he said, “Remarkable shot, Todd. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  Todd shook his head. If Ed had bothered reading anything about the deputies in his county, he’d have known that Todd was more than capable of putting a bullet between a man’s eyes.

  “Is it your intention to make sure I never leave the office?” Bobby joked, joining our group. Seeing his grin slowed my beating heart.

  I chuckled. “Yep. This should keep you busy for a while.” I glanced over at Todd. “I want to know who these idiots are and why they targeted the Blood Rock Bank, but let’s get everyone out of here first.”

  “On it, boss,” Todd said. He ushered the tellers from behind the counter to join the rest of the citizens filing out of the bank. Barry had somehow managed to get to the front of the line. It bugged me that he hadn’t even paused to say thanks for saving his life. It wasn’t surprising, though. On a good day, the man was a paralyzed pigeon.

  “You were hit pretty hard, Ed. Why don’t you get into one of those ambulances waiting at the curb? We’ll take care of everything here,” I suggested.

  “I hope there’s no permanent damage.” Ed clutched his leg and limped away. “I’ll meet with you and Bobby later today.”

  I looked across the room. Daniel stood beside the cushioned seats with Elayne, only a few inches between them. My eyes narrowed as I watched them. Elayne swished her hair over her shoulders while she quietly conversed with Daniel. He glanced up and met my stare. When he saw me, his brows arched. He said a few words to Ed and Elayne frowned, looking my way. Ed and Elayne walked out the door together and Daniel marched toward me.

  I began sweating and the breath caught in my throat. My nerves had begun settling and I resented Daniel’s effect on my body. I had too much going on to deal with conflicting emotions. Part of me wanted to shoot him for being nice to Elayne and the other wanted desperately to melt into him.

  “Are you all right?” Daniel said when he reached me. He didn’t try to embrace me, but then again, I didn’t run into his arms, either.

  My muscles tensed. “It’s just part of the job.”

  Daniel licked his lips, glanced away, and then met my gaze again. “We need to talk. I don’t like this wall that’s developing between us.”

  “If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of busy here.” I regretted my sarcasm when Daniel’s eyes widened with hurt.

  “I get that, but at some point you have to go home. Text me and I’ll meet you there. Don’t worry about the time. I’m not going to sleep until I hear from you.”

  We were finally going to have the conversation that I’d been avoiding for days. An unwanted tingle of relief washed over me, but my jealous nature wouldn’t allow me to say okay. “Are sure you don’t have dinner plans with Elayne?”

  Daniel’s face flushed. “No, I don’t,” he said and narrowed his eyes.

  We were at an impasse when Bobby interrupted us.

  “I just got a call from my friend at the state lab in Indianapolis about that tea cup,” Bobby said.

  Daniel’s face went neutral and I sobered. I had all but forgotten about Fannie Kuhns with all the excitement in here.

  “I’m almost afraid to ask what he had to say,” I said.

  Bobby nodded with tight lips. “There are still more tests to run, but two components of the tea have been identified.” He paused to make sure that both Daniel and I were fully paying attention. “We were right about the peppermint. It was definitely in there. The other ingredient was not expected. Tansy ragwort.”

  I glanced at Daniel and he shrugged. “I don’t know anything about poisonous plants, Bobby. Please elaborate—and quickly.”

  He didn’t get the reaction he’d anticipated from either of us. Rolling his eyes, he said, “It’s not a poison per se when handled properly. Before modern medicines, it was used to treat worms, fever, and repel insects. The colonists preserved meat with it and sometimes placed it on bodies before burial. Primitive cultures still use it today for similar purposes.”

  “Why would Fannie be drinking something like that?” I asked, holding up my finger to Jeremy, stalling him for a moment more. Behind Jeremy, there were two men in crisp, expensive suits waiting. I already guessed they were feds. They must have been in the area to arrive so quickly.

  “There is another documented use for tansy that is similar to the parsley. It’s an abortifacient.”

  “Is that what I think it is?”

  “It can cause miscarriage when administered in high doses. It’s impossible to tell the potency of the yellow flowering top of the plant by just looking at it. Where one flower may be completely benign, another can be toxic. Most herbalists shy away from the plant because of its unpredictable nature.”

  I dropped my voice. “Fannie might have
been trying to induce her own abortion—or she could have been murdered?”

  Bobby nodded solemnly.

  An image of the young woman’s naked body on the examination table flashed before my eyes. I shivered. It was hard to believe an Amish woman would choose to have an abortion, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility, especially since she wasn’t married. I never would have expected Esther Lapp to go to such illegal lengths to protect her son after he’d intentionally murdered Naomi, either. Desperate situations made people act in desperate ways. Picturing Jonas’ blanched eyes triggered me to shiver again. Even if he’d administered the herbs to Fannie at her request, he would be implicated in murder if those herbs killed her. I slumped a little, tired. The straightforward robbery attempt and shootout was more to my liking. The murky layers of the Amish underworld were more challenging.

  I blew out a breath. “Get the autopsy reports done for these fine citizens first, then check back with the lab. I need to know exactly what was in that cup.” I turned to Daniel. “Are you up for taking a drive out to the settlement tomorrow morning?”

  Daniel hesitated. “Sure, I’d be happy to—as long as we meet at your place tonight.”

  Bobby’s brows shot up before he made an abrupt departure. The feds looked annoyed, but I didn’t care. Warm honey spread out in my belly at the velvetiness of Daniel’s persuasive voice.

  “You have a deal.”

  10

  DANIEL

  Ma, unaware of the attempted bank robbery and my involvement in it, was digging in her flower bed with a hoe in hand when I walked up behind her. Later this evening or first thing in the morning, the local drivers would bring the news to the community and people would gossip and wonder about it like everyone else. The Amish got news, only much later than the rest of the world.

  With my afternoon shot to hell, I decided to make a trip to the community without Serenity, figuring I might be able to get more out Ma alone. In the morning, she could ask her own questions. That is, if she followed through with our agreement.