Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1

by Margaret Daley

  “I was making something of myself.” For a fleeting moment, he seemed smug, then his gaze snapped into focus and landed with an unnerving intensity on her. “And you had to ruin that.” He reared back and spit in her face.

  Wincing, she lifted her shoulder and wiped the spittle from her cheek.

  She struggled to swallow around a parched throat. “Did you break into my house, too?”

  “I was looking for a dry place for the marijuana plants. Like your basement. But you just kept interfering.”

  “You were in my home,” she bit out the words. “I’ve never done anything to you. I don’t understand.”

  “You wouldn’t. You’re satisfied with your small life here in Apple Creek. Working at this boring diner. You haven’t been able to survive doing what your ancestors have done for years. Farm.” His lips grew pinched.

  “I have a family. I have young daughters. Please. Leave me be.” She let go of the stool and ran toward the wall where Tommy had thrown the keys.

  The sound of footsteps behind her made her pulse spike.

  Please, God, let me escape.

  Tommy slammed her against a nearby booth, pinning her body against the cool vinyl. He squeezed her cheeks with his rough hand. She struggled to draw in a breath, yet she bit back the sting of tears. She would not let him see her cry.

  “You shouldn’t have done that, crazy woman.”

  The memory of Willard’s harsh rebukes scraped across her brain tangling with Tommy’s gruff voice. His rough touch.

  “You’re not going home.” Tommy lifted his hand, ready to strike her. “I’ll kill you right here.” She closed her eyes against the rage playing out across his features. “Your daughters will be better off without you.”

  The adrenaline spike made her feel both anxious and strong at the same time.

  Do something! Save yourself!

  Rebecca raised her arm suddenly, pushing his hand away from her face. She hip checked him and he fell on his backside, cursing her in surprise.

  Rebecca bolted toward the kitchen. Her only hope now was to get to the phone on the wall next to the swinging door. She just had to dial three numbers: 9-1-1.

  Icy fear pumped through her veins. Her sole focus was on the white receiver. She reached out and grabbed it.

  “You ain’t going anywhere.” Tommy flung the phone out of her hand and it dangled by the curly cord. The distant dial tone mocked her.

  Rebecca spun around and glared at him. He stopped short of slamming into her. His eyes drew into angry slits. “Because of you, I can’t afford tuition. I won’t be able to continue my studies. No degree means I’m going to be no better off as an outsider than I was as a Plain person.” His face crumbled in rage. He grabbed her arms and squeezed. “Do you understand?”

  “I understand that you’ve been terrorizing me to keep me quiet. To get me to stop asking questions.” She thought of all the incidents of late. Her campus scare. Getting run off the road. Getting attacked not once, but twice on the farm. “You have to realize I’d do anything to protect my family. To protect Samuel. Now, get out!”

  “If Samuel hadn’t started acting all weird, you wouldn’t have started asking questions.” Tommy gripped her tighter and pain shot up her arms. “I want to ruin Samuel’s life like he’s ruined mine.”

  Keep me calm, Lord. Help me. When Tommy didn’t budge, she blinked back her fear and met his harsh gaze. “Take your hands off me now.”

  Surprisingly, Tommy dropped his hands. He muttered something under his breath she didn’t understand. He paced, his movements short and jerky. She eyed the keys on the floor by the wall.

  “You destroyed the marijuana crops. You destroyed the last bit of hope I had of making money. You ruined everything that I had carefully planned. Do you know how hard it was to find a farm I could do this on? To find Uri and Jonas, who were willing to help me?”

  “There have to be other ways to pay for college.” Rebecca realized she was trying to reason with a young man who was past the point of reasoning.

  “You would know this how?”

  Rebecca took a step backward closer to the front door. “You can’t do this. You can’t hurt me. You’ll end up in jail for life.”

  Tommy let out an obnoxious laugh. “Yeah, right. I’m not going to jail. And if Samuel could have played it cool after he realized the Yoder brothers had planted the marijuana, no one would have been the wiser.

  “Uri and Jonas tried to bribe Samuel. Keep him quiet, but—” Tommy snorted “—I think it made him feel worse. He wasn’t supposed to have worldly things. They warned him to keep his mouth shut or bad things could happen. He went over the edge after Elmer died. Stupid kid. Then you started in with the questions.”

  “Tommy, it’s over now.” Rebecca kept her tone calm. “You must take responsibility.”

  “No.” Rage vibrated off him. “I refuse to be a nobody. Without an education, without a good job, I will be as invisible as all the Plain people in this community.”

  “You are not invisible,” Rebecca pleaded.

  Tommy glanced down, then reached for something under the counter. The silverware bin.

  Rebecca grew lightheaded.

  Tommy reached into the gray container, grabbed a steak knife and held it out to her in a menacing gesture. “Move into the kitchen. Now.”

  Rebecca slowly shook her head. “Please, I have children. Katie. Grace. You’ve met them. I’m all they have.”

  Tommy’s face scrunched up and he shook his head quickly, as if he were trying to dismiss a bad taste. His features smoothed over and he held the knife low near her side. “You will not use Amish guilt on me. I am not Amish.”

  A knocking startled her. Tommy snapped his gaze toward the door and fear flashed in his eyes.

  “It’s Jake,” she breathed, relief and fear tangling in her stomach.

  Tommy let out a mirthless laugh. “Jake, huh? Figures.”

  “He’s not going away.”

  Tommy lowered the knife to hide it below the counter. There was a chance Jake hadn’t seen Tommy or if he had seen him, he wouldn’t realize what was going on.

  Jake knocked again, this time more urgently.

  “Let me answer it,” Rebecca whispered. “It’s time we ended this.”

  Tommy looked discreetly down at the sharp knife pointed at her delicate midsection. “Wave him off. Tell him to go home.”

  Rebecca did as she was told, waving to Jake to go on home. I have to finish up here, she mouthed.

  Every movement, every word, every motion shifted into slow motion. Rebecca felt as if she was having an out-of-body experience.

  The door rattled as Jake tried to get in. “He’s suspicious.” Her mind raced. “Let me get the door, please. I’ll get rid of him.” She decided to change tactics.

  “I’m not stupid. You have no reason to get rid of him.”

  “I love Jake. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

  Tommy’s eyes flashed dark and he tilted his chin toward the door. “Answer it. Tell him I’m here interviewing you for a research paper.”

  Rebecca opened her eyes wide, a spark of hope igniting in her chest. “Okay, I will. But…what if he wants to talk to you?”

  Tommy has nothing to lose.

  “If you tell him what’s going on, I’ll kill him, then track down your daughters at your brother’s house and kill them, too.”

  All the blood rushed to her head and heat swept over her. Each tic of the clock was amplified in her ears. “How do you know where my daughters are?”

  He lifted a knowing eyebrow. He must have heard her talking to Flo.

  “I’ll get rid of him.” Tears bit at the back of her eyes, but she refused to cry. She cautiously walked over to the floor where her keys had been thrown. She picked them up and moved toward the door. She startled when Tommy came up behind her.

  “I’ll be right by your side.” He put the hand with the knife on her back and they moved as a unit toward the door.

 
; The pressure of the knife at her back made her dizzy with fear. Staring at the lock and not meeting Jake’s curious gaze through the glass door, she inserted the key, turned the lock and opened the door a fraction.

  *

  When Jake reached the diner, the door was locked but he saw Rebecca and Tommy in what looked like a heated discussion behind the counter. His brow furrowed with curiosity.

  What’s Tommy doing here?

  Something felt…off.

  Jake knocked on the glass door and both Tommy and Rebecca jumped. Something was definitely off.

  When they continued to talk without coming to the door, he pounded on it. This time harder. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew he had to get in there.

  Rebecca waved at him to dismiss him and if he was being honest with himself, it hurt. She wasn’t even going to talk to him?

  “I need to talk to you.” Jake shook the handle of the door. “Please open up.”

  Rebecca glanced over her shoulder. If Jake hadn’t been watching her closely, he might have missed the worry in her brown eyes.

  Adrenaline surged through his veins. “Unlock the door, Rebecca!”

  Rebecca picked something up off the floor, then walked toward the door with Tommy right behind her. Jake tried to get her attention, but all her focus was on the door lock.

  Tommy gave him a half smile, but something in Tommy’s eyes made Jake pause.

  Rebecca pulled open the door a fraction, but she didn’t invite him in.

  “Hi, Jake. Did you need something?” The stiff set of her shoulders confirmed his suspicions.

  “I’ll drive you home.” He decided he could tell her about the news crews in front of her home once they got into the car.

  “I’ll drive her home,” Tommy said casually. “Mrs. Fisher is answering some questions for my research paper.”

  Jake’s gaze moved from Tommy to Rebecca and back. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yah. Tommy promised me it wouldn’t take long.” Jake thought he detected a shudder in her breath.

  “Not long at all. Then I’ll make sure she gets home,” Tommy said.

  “Are you sure?” Jake put his palm on the door.

  “Yah, it’s fine. Please go.”

  Jake leaned in close. “Are you okay? You look pale.” He reached out to touch her arm and she blinked slowly, not answering him.

  Jake pushed the door open and Tommy stepped back, a knife in his hand. The knot in Jake’s stomach twisted. He reached out to grab Rebecca, to pull her out of the way, but Tommy was faster. He grabbed Rebecca around her neck and held the knife against her cheek.

  Jake lifted his hands in a surrender gesture. “Don’t hurt her. Whatever’s going on, I can help you.”

  Beads of sweat glistened on Tommy’s forehead as he gritted his teeth. “If the two of you hadn’t stuck your noses where they didn’t belong… I needed to sell the drugs to pay tuition. Who was I hurting?”

  Tommy yanked Rebecca’s head back and she gasped. Her brown eyes widened with fear. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

  Tommy was not going to let her go.

  “Hurting Rebecca won’t solve your problems.” Jake slowly took a step forward while Tommy walked backward.

  “Killing Rebecca would have been justice. Justice for everything she took away from me.”

  Rebecca groaned as Tommy tightened his hold.

  “Let her go. It’s no longer about Rebecca. I’m here, too. You’ll have to kill us both.”

  Tommy smirked, as if he had already figured that out.

  Anger bubbled in Jake’s gut. Someone had really messed Tommy up.

  “I’m not going to be easy to take down.” All of Jake’s senses went on high alert.

  “I’ll take my chances.” Tommy continued his backward motion toward the door leading into the kitchen. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder and adjusted his direction. “I’m not going to live as a jobless nobody… And I’m not going to prison.”

  Jake tried reasoning again. “We could have found ways to pay your college tuition without resorting to drugs. We can still find a way.”

  Tommy’s laugh grated across Jake’s brain. “Yeah, right. I’m sure the financial aid office—which is already useless—will give me a scholarship. Perhaps from the pool of scholarships for convicted felons.”

  Jake fisted his hands. “You haven’t done anything too serious yet. Hurt Rebecca and all bets are off.”

  “There’s no going back.” Tommy’s voice shook with fury. He pulled Rebecca back with him and she flinched. He reached the swinging door and tripped backward over the lip on the floor.

  Rebecca reached out and Jake grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Tommy, who had fallen onto his backside. Jake pushed Rebecca out of the way and swung into action. His army training all coming back to him.

  Jake kicked the knife out of Tommy’s hand. It spun across the linoleum floor and disappeared under the stove. The young man scrambled to his feet and Jake slammed him into the wall.

  “It’s over,” Jake said. “It’s over.” He met Rebecca’s gaze as she collapsed onto a nearby counter stool and bowed her head.

  SIXTEEN

  Jake held Tommy’s arms firmly behind his back while Rebecca called the sheriff. She stood by the doorway to the kitchen, as if she were ready to take flight if Tommy escaped his grasp.

  That wasn’t going to happen.

  “How could you do this?” Jake asked Tommy. “I trusted you. The young Amish men who talked to us trusted you.”

  “An opportunity to make some easy cash. I couldn’t refuse. Tuition is expensive,” Tommy said, his tone flat and distant, as if he were replaying the choices he had made over the past year.

  “The cash didn’t come easily, did it?”

  When Tommy didn’t answer, Jake pushed Tommy’s cheek into the wallpaper that had probably been there since the 1950s. Tommy groaned. Straining his neck to glare at Jake over his shoulder, Tommy said, “What does it matter now? My future’s ruined.”

  “Don’t be too rough.” At some point Rebecca had moved next to them.

  “Yeah, listen to the lady,” Tommy said, full of snark and authority.

  Rebecca’s gaze drifted to the door. “Here’s the sheriff.”

  Sheriff Maxwell strode into the room, curiosity in his gaze. Jake and Rebecca explained what had happened and the sheriff took Tommy away in handcuffs.

  Rebecca collapsed onto the stool and put her hand on her forehead.

  Jake walked over to her side and grabbed the back of the stool, even though he really wanted to pull her into an embrace. Thank God he’d arrived when he had. He glanced around at the people milling about outside and he knew a hug wouldn’t be appropriate.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, squeezing the back of the chair. He wanted to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  When it came to Rebecca, he was definitely in trouble.

  “I am now.” She swallowed hard. “What brought you to the diner tonight? If you hadn’t come by…” She shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle.

  Jake ran a hand across the back of his neck. He hated to bring Rebecca any more bad news.

  She must have read it in his eyes. “Tell me. It can’t be worse than this.”

  “The TV was on in the student union on campus. There’s a news crew in front of your house. I wanted to make sure you didn’t have to face them alone.”

  Rebecca’s forehead furrowed. “News crew? From the television. Why?”

  “Someone must have alerted them about Samuel’s arrest, so they set up on the road in front of your farm.”

  “How did they find out?”

  “They have ways. They might have seen his name on a police report and wondered if he was related to Willard.”

  “Fisher is a common Amish name,” she said. “It would have been a leap to make the connection.”

  “Maybe it was Tommy,” Jake suggested.

  “Yes, it had to have been. He to
ld me he was going to make it look like Samuel had killed me.” Rebecca covered her mouth, bowed her head and whispered, “I could have been killed tonight…and my daughters wouldn’t have had a mem.”

  “I’ll never let anything happen to you.” The words came out of his mouth before he had a chance to think how they would affect Rebecca.

  She looked up at him with watery eyes. She covered his hand with hers, then quickly pulled it away and placed it in her lap.

  “I didn’t mean to add to your stress tonight.” Jake smiled. “We can discuss our relationship at another time.”

  Rebecca blinked slowly. “Tommy told me Samuel was innocent. He wanted to rub it in my face that I’d never be able to tell anyone.”

  Tommy had been willing to kill her.

  “Do you think Tommy’s confession will be enough to bring Samuel home? To untangle this mess?”

  “We can talk to the sheriff. It’ll definitely be a good start.”

  Jake slipped his arm around her back and helped her stand. “I’m going to take you home.”

  Rebecca looked up at him. “Thank you. I can’t thank you enough.”

  Jake brushed his thumb across her cheek. “Thank God I was here.”

  Rebecca touched his arm. “Can we pick up Katie and Grace before you drive me home? I need to see them.”

  “Of course.” With a hand to the small of her back, he escorted her to his vehicle parked along the curb out front.

  *

  Jake parked his truck sideways in front of her house, blocking the view of the front door from the news truck. Rebecca ran ahead with the girls and unlocked the door while Jake walked down to the street and asked the crew to leave.

  Rebecca closed the door behind her and drew in a deep breath. The scent of an old fire in the stove and a hint of peppers from breakfast reached her nose. Home. She had never been more grateful to be home than she was tonight.

  She bent and drew her daughters into a hug. The Amish weren’t big on physical displays of affection, but tonight Rebecca would make an exception. She might have never seen her daughters again if Tommy had had his way.

  “Are you girls hungry?” Rebecca asked.

  “Neh,” Katie answered.