Evil in My Town

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  “Nice to meet you both,” I chirped. My mind raced and I asked, “Are you related to Daniel Bachman?”

  Mrs. Bachman laughed softly, but her eyes focused on me with hawkish interest. “I’m his mother, and Sarah here, is his niece.”

  “What a small world.” I rushed the words out excitedly. “He’s marrying my Aunt Reni.”

  “Sheriff Adams is your aunt?” Mrs. Bachman exchanged a surprised glance with Sarah.

  “Yep, the one and only.”

  “So, you’re Taylor Johnson.” Sarah said the words as a statement instead of a question. By the expression of her knitted brow, she was remembering something. The intense look made my stomach tighten a little.

  “Then you will be like family to us in a couple short weeks, Taylor,” Mrs. Bachman tilted her head and stared at me.

  “I guess that’s true. But with everything going on with the school shooting and all, I wouldn’t be surprised if the wedding was postponed—at least that’s what my mom thinks.”

  “Oh, yes. That was a terrible thing to happen, but I hope Daniel and Serenity don’t put it off too long.” She leaned over and nudged me with her elbow. “Those two aren’t getting any younger and if they’re going to have children, they best start right away.”

  My eyes bulged and my mouth dropped open.

  Sarah laughed. “Mam, you mustn’t talk of such things. I believe you’ve startled Taylor.”

  “Well, it’s the truth. They act more like silly teenagers than adults when it comes to courting,” Mrs. Bachman shot back. “If your uncle doesn’t corral that woman soon, she’s likely to get away.”

  “Whoa…children?” I found my voice. “You think Aunt Reni is going to have kids someday?”

  Mrs. Bachman and Sarah frowned at me.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t she?” Mrs. Bachman said in a firm voice.

  I squirmed in my coat. For a second there I’d forgotten that Mrs. Bachman was Amish. Her grandmotherly expectations were probably higher than other people’s. I tried really hard to keep my face expressionless, but I was close to throwing my head back and laughing. Mrs. Bachman was Daniel’s mom, though. I didn’t want to offend her.

  “You know that my aunt is the sheriff in town. She’s very busy, like all the time, with important stuff.” Mrs. Bachman’s eyes narrowed and the sweet-looking old lady abruptly reminded me of a bird of prey. I cleared my throat. “Well, yeah. I’m sure she’ll have a baby eventually…” I trailed off, taking a long breath.

  “I wonder if they’ve even discussed having children?” Mrs. Bachman shook her head. “My boy wants a family, this I know. What a disappointment it would be to lose the opportunity if the sheriff isn’t interested.”

  Mrs. Bachman glanced back at me and I flinched, keeping my mouth shut.

  When I didn’t say anything, the old woman shrugged. “I have my own worries. These pies aren’t going to make themselves.” With a sudden change of mood, Mrs. Bachman turned to Sarah with a cheerful voice. “Dear, let’s warm Taylor up with some hot cocoa, while I run to the storeroom to get the lard.”

  “That’s really nice of you, but I have to call a tow truck company and pull my car out of the ditch. I have to get home.”

  “I’m sure the sheriff or even Daniel will come to your aid. You shouldn’t be driving in this frightful weather,” Mrs. Bachman admonished.

  “Oh, no. No, I wouldn’t want to bother either of them. I can take care of this myself.” The last thing I needed was for Aunt Reni to find out I drove to the Amish community. She’d have a million questions, all of which I didn’t want to answer.

  Mrs. Bachman’s face hardened, but didn’t argue with me, thank goodness. “All right then, Sarah, please take her to the shed so she can make her call.” She stepped up and gave me a quick hug. “I’ll pray for your safe travel home.”

  “I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  She pulled back. Her face was shadowed. “We won’t be there, child. My son chose a different path from us, and some things can’t be undone. It is our way, but I’m sure we’ll see you again.”

  When Sarah and I stepped out into the night, I inhaled the cold air.

  “Sorry about my Mam,” Sarah said. She pressed in closer as we made our way up the icy driveway. “She’s opinionated.”

  I glanced over at her and she was grinning broadly. Laughter bubbled up into my mouth. “You look a little like him.”

  “Who?” She asked.

  “Daniel. You two have the same hair and your eyes are shaped alike. I should have seen the resemblance when I first saw you.”

  “Everyone says my mom looks a lot like Uncle Daniel.” She paused, breathing harder. “What’s he like?”

  “You don’t know him?”

  She shrugged. “Not very well. I only met him for the first time last year. I was a baby when he left our people. We didn’t see him all those years.”

  I scrunched my face into the sharp wind. “Wow. That’s crazy. I’d heard something about him being shunned, but I guess I didn’t really understand exactly what it meant.”

  We reached the white-sided building, and Sarah flung the door aside. She busied herself with the lamp until it was lit and then closed the door. The small room had a table with a few chairs around it. The phone was on the wall.

  “It was worse for Uncle Daniel.” Sarah’s breath streamed out in front of her, and I thought how most people’s phone conversations were probably pretty short in here during the winter months. “He had joined the church and was even courting a girl when he decided to leave.”

  I leaned against the wall. My fingers were already numbing, and I wondered if Mom and Dad were worried about me, but my curiosity got the better of me. “So, if you aren’t a member of the church, you can leave without being shunned.”

  “It’s not as simple as that, but it definitely makes it easier.”

  I took a chance on trusting Sarah. “Has Matthew Troyer joined the church?”

  Sarah’s brow shot up, but her voice wasn’t offended when she answered. “Not yet. He’s supposed to join at the same time I do, this coming spring sometime.”

  “I see…”

  “You know, it’ll never work out between your friend and him.”

  I could feel the blood drain from my face. “How do you know about that?”

  The corner of her mouth lifted. “I grew up with Matthew. All the kids talk. It’s not a secret to us—only the adults.”

  I let out a breath, and with it released a lot of tension. I had more in common with this Amish girl I’d just met than with a lot of my other friends. And we agreed about Lindsey and Matthew and their doomed relationship.

  “You’re right. It’s a huge mistake for Lindsey to mess around with Matthew. Look what happened to Naomi Beiler.” I met her gaze, feeling the sting of tears welling up in the corners of my eyes.

  Sarah came closer and her lips trembled. “Don’t think about such a sad thing. Naomi was my friend, even though she was a few years older than me. She was always kind and she was very funny.” She smiled fondly. “She could actually tell jokes and make me laugh.” Her expression darkened. “She had a wild streak, and she wasn’t happy with our people. We all figured she’d go English, but none of us kids thought she’d die in the process.” She shook her head and frowned deeply. “David Lapp was not right in the head. He never was, even when he was little. I remember him catching a bird during recess one day. The poor thing had flown into a school window and laid stunned on the ground when he picked it up. Before anyone could stop him, he’d twisted its neck, killing it. He said he’d done it to end the bird’s suffering—I knew better. He enjoyed killing that bird, same as he did killing Naomi.”

  I forgot about the cold as her words settled in my mind. I thought about Jackson, and wondered if he’d ever hurt animals or birds before he went on his shooting spree.
Jackson Merritt and David Lapp were both messed up teenagers who killed people. One was Amish and the other was not.

  When I looked back at Sarah, I found her waiting. There was a look of expectancy on her face.

  “I don’t want anything bad to happen to Lindsey. She survived the shooting at the school, yet I’m afraid that her secret relationship with Matthew could get her into trouble.”

  Sarah moved to peek out the doorway and then returned. Her movements were quick and agitated, making me nervous. She took my hands and pulled me closer. “It’s not safe for your friend to come around here. Promise me you’ll keep her away.”

  She pivoted and went through the door.

  “Wait!” I ran after her. “What do you mean?”

  She turned around and held her finger to her mouth. “Hush, Taylor. I won’t speak of this now, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  I was left alone in the falling snow, with the heaviness of worry pressing into me. I had the same feeling that autumn night that seemed like a million years ago. When I closed my eyes, the snow had disappeared and was replaced by softly falling leaves and the smell of campfire smoke.

  “She said she wanted the good stuff,” Matthew argued with Hunter.

  “I thought it was just some pot she wanted.” He ran his hands through his hair in a tugging motion. “We should go with her.”

  “What’s the big deal? Her brother went with her,” Mathew replied. His hand snaked around Lindsey’s waist and I glanced away.

  “Jackson’s not her brother,” Hunter said.

  “Lindsey, we should get going,” I begged.

  “Aww, come on, don’t be such a party pooper,” she told me.

  “I’ve had enough, Lindsey. I’m leaving and you better come with me,” I said.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” Hunter chimed in.

  “No one’s going anywhere,” a voice called out from the shadows.

  I held my breath as the newcomer walked into the clearing.

  12

  Serenity

  When I walked through the door into my office, I was greeted by the sight of the US Marshal leaning back in my chair. The cowboy hat covered his face and his feet were crossed up on my desk.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

  Toby woke up and pushed his hat back. He swung his feet down and rolled the chair closer to the desk. “You’re welcome.”

  I wasn’t in the mood for his games. Early morning wasn’t the best time to try my patience, especially with the crap I was currently dealing with. I took the seat across from him and grunted. “What am I thanking you for?”

  “Delivering another mystery to your doorstep,” he said.

  “Stop fooling around and spit it out.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I really hope you don’t reserve that kind of harsh tone for your friends, otherwise you won’t be making any new ones,” he said, smirking. The look I leveled on him made him slump back a bit and the playfulness was gone from his face. “All right. Here it is.” He handed me a piece of paper.

  “Your missing lady is Charlene Noble. I talked to her sister yesterday and did a little more research on her.” When he paused briefly, I flicked my wrist for him to continue. “The family used to live in Blood Rock, but they moved to Indianapolis about ten years ago. Charlene maintained contact with a close friend here, though. A few months ago, she returned to Blood Rock to help that same friend in need—at least, that’s why her sister suspected she came back.”

  “Who is the mystery person she returned for?” Toby’s theatrics made the blood pound through my veins. This wasn’t the time to be giddy about a case—unless he thought it was something that I’d find very interesting.

  “Her maiden name is Erin Knight. I think you might know her better by her married name.” He paused for effect. “Swarey. Erin Swarey.” He leaned back, lacing his hands behind his head. “Does that name ring any bells?”

  More like explosions going off in my mind, I thought. “Hell, yeah. She’s missing too,” I said.

  “From the cat-caught-the-mouse look on your face, I guess you’ve already read the Swarey files?” I took a swig of my coffee.

  “Sure did.” Toby watched me closely as he spoke. “Fascinating lifestyle for an Amish family, don’t you think? The boy’s a drug dealer, the father has anger management issues, and the formerly English mom has been missing for a few months. Sounds like a good mystery to me.”

  “You aren’t kidding.” I stared out the window. The snow had stopped during the night, and it looked like a winter wonderland in Blood Rock. Looks were deceiving, though. It was more like a town touched by evil and mayhem. I gazed back at Toby. “I was planning to head out to the country this afternoon to talk to Monroe anyway.” Toby’s brows rose and I explained. “Todd compiled a list of all our known drug dealers in the county. Jackson Merritt, our shooter, had a foster sister who died from an overdose of heroin, laced with fentanyl. At the time, we weren’t able to trace the drugs to a seller”—I rubbed the back of my stiff neck—“and to be honest, we’ve been inundated with overdoses this past year. It’s difficult to keep up. But with the connection to our school shooter, we wanted to take a deeper look into it.”

  “And you think Monroe Swarey might be our guy?”

  “It’s hard say. Over the past summer, he was fooling around with marijuana, nothing as hard as cocaine or heroin. He was a minor at the time, but if my memory serves me correctly, he’s eighteen by now.”

  “October sixteenth, actually,” Toby said, without even looking at his notes.

  I nodded. “He’s squirrelly, and I got the feeling that he’d be going after bigger game eventually.” I crossed my arms on the desk. “I was a little preoccupied tracking down a serial killer, who was leaving a trail of mutilated Amish girls in his wake. Once I eliminated Monroe from the suspect list, I didn’t give him much more thought. Until now.”

  “He was a suspect in those killings?” Toby’s voice curled with energy.

  “He was on my list, along with his father, Nicolas Swarey. The main reason being that his wife had up and disappeared, which is strange in their culture—and the dead dogs didn’t help him any.”

  “Yes, I saw that in your notes. He shot them for attacking his livestock, and then dismembered them. The part about sawing up the bed and burning it in the yard probably triggered your suspicion as well.”

  “Yeah, that too,” I mused.

  “The father’s behavior was psychopathic. It’s understandable why he was on your radar.”

  “When we got our man, charges were dropped against Nicolas Swarey. The judge ordered him to take anger management counseling. From the paperwork I got back, he participated and passed with flying colors.”

  “Another sign of a psychopath—the uncanny ability to manipulate others.”

  I exhaled. I had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before. The school shooting was unlike any other criminal investigation I’d handled in Blood Rock. Between juggling forensics for twenty-seven people, the media, the mayor, and clumsily attempting to sooth the spirits of the entire community, I was worn out.

  “I just assumed the poor woman ran off to get away from her crazy husband and his lifestyle. She had grown up like you and me, and because of a schoolgirl crush, had ended up living like an Amish woman for over sixteen years. Who could blame her if she skipped out on her husband and son, maybe even escaped with another man?” I tapped my fingers. “If she had done that, you’d think she would have contacted an old friend to help her out in the crisis. Now this tantalizing information surfaces that the friend she probably contacted has disappeared too? That can’t be a coincidence.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  I glanced at the wall clock. “I’m tight on time today, but I think I can squeeze in a visit with the Swareys after the news confe
rence this afternoon.”

  “I’ll be ready.” Toby stood up.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be on a beach somewhere, drinking a margarita?”

  He snickered. “And miss out on the opportunity to mingle with the Amish again. Not a chance.”

  “Thanks, Toby. I really appreciate it. We’re shorthanded and having you on board might make a big difference in finding out what happened to Erin Swarey and Charlene Noble.”

  When the door closed, I crossed the office to the window and looked out. “What about Taylor—how does my niece figure into this mess?” I muttered.

  13

  Taylor

  “But the roads are clear now, Mom,” I argued.

  Mom’s hands were on her hips and she blocked the doorway. “Where did that dent in the front of your car come from?”

  “I slid in the parking lot and bumped into the shopping cart rake,” I lied. “It’s not even that big. The engine is perfectly fine.”

  “That’s not the point, Taylor. You’ve been gone a lot lately, and after what happened at the school, I think you should be spending more time at home with family.”

  The corner of Mom’s mouth twitched. She looked like she might cry. I felt bad, but I had arranged a meeting and I couldn’t miss it. I crossed the room and hugged her. “Don’t worry. I’ll be home before dark. I want to lay some flowers at the memorial, and there’s a group counseling session I’m going to.” I stepped back. “I think it will good for me to talk about things with the other kids.”

  She hesitated and I held my breath. When she moved aside, I grabbed my tote and slipped by her before she could change her mind. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Be careful! There might still be some slick spots on the road,” she called out as I was closing the door.

  The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, making the crusty snow sparkle. The rays of light erased a little bit of the nightmare of the past few days. As I climbed into my car, I admitted nothing had changed. It was about to get worse.