Lamb to the Slaughter

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  And, I knew with complete certainty, that there would be a next time.

  By the time Serenity came back into the room, I was sitting up. Her words completely undid me again, but in a not-so-enjoyable way.

  “That was Bobby. He has the forensic report back from Indianapolis. He’s waiting for me before he takes a look.” Serenity blushed as she pulled her robe tighter around her, trying to cover up what I had just been touching. “Wait here while I get changed. It will only take a sec.”

  “You actually want me to come with you,” I asked, even though I was inwardly afraid of her answer.

  A smile played at the corners of Serenity’s mouth, “Yeah, I do.”

  26

  NAOMI

  October 20th

  The squishing sound Naomi’s shoes made in the damp ground bothered her—it was too loud. Even here on the edge of the cornfield, with the tall, dry stalks shielding her from any prying eyes, she was a nervous wreck. She glanced over her shoulder again, not really expecting to see anyone, but not taking any chances either. Just a little over a mile and she’d be on Burkey Road, and finally free from the Amish community. Will would be there, waiting for her. He would be there. He was the kind of steadfast man that would not let her down.

  The breeze picked up, bringing with it cooler air and the sound of the stalks scratching against each other. Naomi held the top of her coat tight at her throat with one hand while her other hand pushed the sharp leaves out of the way. With each step she took, she felt more confident of the decision she’d made, and she picked up her pace. As a sign of her determination, she’d ditched her bright white cap a while back in a dried up creek bed, happy to be done with the bothersome head covering forever.

  Moving the backpack to the other shoulder, Naomi thought how telling it was of her life that she could fit the only things that she needed or wanted into such a small space. She wouldn’t have use of any of her frumpy, polyester dresses where she was going. No, she had left all her clothes behind. The canvas bouncing against her back held a few pairs of panties, garments that would soon enough find their way into a trashcan as soon as she visited a fancy lingerie store. Her favorite home stitched jean purse and the toy cloth rabbit that Mam had given her when she was a small child were the only other items in the pack.

  After cutting through the rows for a few minutes, Naomi found the grassy tractor path deep in the cornfield. She hurried on, eager to reach her destination, but also wanting to separate herself from the memories that this particular place held for her. Even with the rush of prickly autumn air on her face, she remembered the last time she’d been there, when the stalks had been vibrant and green and the pockets of hot air caused the skin under her dress to be sticky with sweat. She hadn’t been alone either. Eli Bender’s face flitted before her. She remembered how tingly her lips had felt as his mouth crushed against hers, exploring. And how weak her legs had gone when he’d lowered her to the ground, into the soft tall grass. It had been quicker than she thought it would be—and somewhat of a disappointment. Sandra had told her it should get better with practice, and thankfully, she’d been right.

  Naomi was almost to the turning point, the stalks bending with the force of the wind, showing her the way, when she heard the swash swash swash of footsteps that sent her heart leaping into her throat. She turned quickly, fanning her eyes back and forth, searching. The path behind her was clear. Maybe she’d imagined the sound. She stood perfectly still and tilted her head, listening. But the only noise reaching her ears was the friction of the stalks and the whistle of the wind.

  Even though her eyes and ears promised that Naomi was alone, she could not ignore the prickle on the back of her neck warning her of danger. Holding her breath, she became a statue, except for her eyes, which continued darting wherever they could reach without turning her head.

  Finally, Naomi breathed out a sigh. She giggled nervously, thinking how silly she was. No one knew where she was—or cared for that matter. Dat and Mamma were at the school house meeting, probably in the thick of a heated debate about whether Bessie Yoder should take over as head teacher, replacing old Jory Raber. Everyone else was at the ball game.

  Naomi relaxed, turning back around. She didn’t get one step when she heard the sound of footsteps again and then there were hands on her shoulders.

  “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

  She didn’t need to look to know who the voice belonged to. Her heart sank in instant despair. She was so dead.

  “Answer me. What are you doing out here with your hair uncovered,” and as if he just noticed the backpack, he added, with even more heat in his voice, if that were possible, “…and with a backpack?”

  Naomi finally met his gaze in the misty grey darkness of near night.

  “Don’t you go talking to me that way, Eli Bender. I won’t have it. You hear me?” Naomi matched his tone, straightening her back and lifting her chin defiantly. There was no way that she was going to allow Eli to ruin all her plans.

  His face wavered a bit, telling Naomi that her bulldog posture had worked. Eli was still mad, but uncertainty flashed across his features.

  “Explain yourself,” Eli demanded, still holding her shoulders in a tight grip.

  Naomi ignored his question. “Were you following me?” she nearly shouted, struggling against him with her hands pushing on his chest.

  He released her, but followed when she stepped back, leaning over her with his tall frame. “No, I wasn’t following you. It was just a crazy hunch that you’d be out here in the cornfield. When you didn’t show up at the ball game, and no one knew where you were, I got worried and came looking for you in the only place I could think that you’d go,” he said with a whining tilt to his voice that frayed what was left of Naomi’s nerves.

  “We done quit each other. Remember that? There was no need for you to come looking for me. This isn’t your business,” Naomi thundered, trying to be heard above the swaying corn stalks.

  Eli’s voice softened a tad, and he said, “Are you running away?”

  A part of Naomi felt like dirt. Eli was her first guy after all, and probably the nicest fellow in the whole community. He was definitely the most handsome one, with his chestnut brown hair that was always a little too long, by the Ordnung standards. Even now, he had to keep brushing it out of his face to see her properly with the wind.

  She tried to think quickly of a way to get Eli to back off. She knew that if she gave him even the inkling that they would get back together, he’d never let her leave that night. No. Her only chance was brutal honesty. Eli would be in his own heap of trouble if his folks knew that he’d been meeting with her secretly in the cornfield, and there wasn’t a way for him to tattle on her unless he fessed up about where he’d found her. Naomi trusted that Eli’s need for self- preservation would keep her safe. At least long enough for her to get far, far away.

  “Yeah, I am running away. I’m not going to put up with this community any longer.” Naomi narrowed her eyes to slits and jabbed a forefinger at Eli’s chest. “And you better not try to stop me.”

  “Who’s helping you away? Are all the rumors true? Have you been messing with Will Johnson?” Eli’s face was stone, but his eyes showed pain.

  Naomi couldn’t let those eyes affect her. She just couldn’t.

  “What’s it to you? You were so ready to take up with the bishop and the others against me. Why would you care if I left and never came back?” she hissed the words out, both angry about the direction her thoughts had gone and impatient to be on her way.

  Eli reached out and touched Naomi’s shoulder, but she shrugged him off. His voice was pleading when he spoke. “I never took up sides, Naomi. I just wanted what was best for you. That’s all.”

  “I don’t see it that way.” Eli’s face softened even further. Naomi dove in, knowing there was no turning back now. “Can’t you get it through your thick skull that I don’t love you anymore? I have a new guy and he’s going to take
me places that you can’t. Just go away and leave me alone.”

  Naomi bit her lower lip to punish herself, swallowing the salty drop of blood. The look of shock that Eli gave her would forever be cemented into her mind.

  “You are the little whore that they accused you of being,” Eli said in a low voice that felt barely controlled in the cool air. His lip curled up, and Naomi readied herself for the onslaught, closing her eyes tight. But it never came.

  When her eyes popped open, she saw Eli’s back as he made his way hastily up the tractor path. He didn’t even look back at her before he disappeared into the tall corn.

  Naomi breathed out, hugging her arms around her belly, trying to stop the shivering that had suddenly come upon her. She’d burned her last bridge, and now, forward was the only way to go.

  27

  SERENITY

  November 18th

  I stared out the conference room window at the dreary day outside. The clouds and hint of cold rain suited my pensive mood. If Bobby would just come through the door, I could get this over with.

  Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel Daniel’s eyes on my back, his hot gaze boring into me. My face warmed and my groin tingled, thinking back to earlier when he’d been lying on top of me. I shivered, not daring to turn around. I imagined the smug look of satisfaction that was probably on his face, and seeing that expression, even imaginary, sobered me, bringing me back to my senses.

  “All righty then, I do believe I should have a few minutes without interruption,” Bobby entered the room briskly, with Todd a few steps behind.

  I turned around, and ignoring Daniel, who I could see from the corner of my left eye was still watching me, directed all my attention on the older man as he plopped into a chair.

  “What do you have for me, Bobby?” I said, hoping the anxiousness wasn’t evident in my voice.

  Bobby shuffled through the small stack of papers in his hands until he reached one in particular that he pulled out and handed to me. With a quick examination of the sheet, I saw that it had nothing to do with paternity.

  Before I had a chance to question Bobby, he said, “That’s the forensics on the pack that Jimmy Husky brought in. The findings were interesting. There were several strands of hair on the bag, which matched Naomi, and smaller ones that were close enough to match her siblings. But there was one strand of long brown hair that didn’t belong to either Naomi or any relative of hers.”

  “Is there any other information that was gleaned from the hair?” I asked, thinking it would be a long shot indeed that the hair would be of any use determining who shot Naomi. There were too many long haired women in the community and they regularly frequented each other’s homes. And then there were all the beards.

  “Just that the hair was probably from a middle aged woman—sometimes forensics like this comes in handy weeks or even years after the initial investigation. The DNA will be kept on file,” Bobby said, while he began shuffling the papers again.

  I hoped no one could hear the pounding in my chest. When Bobby handed me the second paper, I knew it was the paternity test results just from the lift of his eyes. I wondered if he’d already peeked at it.

  Oblivious to the others in the room, I read the words carefully. Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn’t help slapping the sheet down on the table. Eli was the father. Now my nephew could move on with his life without any real connection to the Amish world, besides his memories of Naomi.

  I immediately sent Laura a text telling her the news, trusting her to relay the information to Will in a thoughtful manner. Then I turned to Bobby and said, “Is there anything else that would be useful to the investigation?”

  Bobby said, “No. That’s it,” he hesitated. I could tell by the way that he twirled the side of his mustache that he had more to say, so I leaned back and waited several more seconds before he spoke again. “Have you decided what to do with the young Eli?”

  Damn. I’d known that’s where he was heading. Did I still think that Eli had done his ex-girlfriend in? Yes. Was I absolutely certain? Not really.

  “We have enough to hold him a while longer without filing murder charges. I believe we should wait and see what he says when he learns the truth about the baby. Maybe he’ll have a moment of clarity and spill the beans.”

  Bobby huffed loudly, snapping my head up.

  “What?” I asked, becoming defensive.

  “The longer you hold the boy, the more the Amish community will turn against you.” Bobby paused and pointed his head at Daniel, who’d been sitting so quietly that I’d almost forgotten he was even there. “What do you think on the matter, Daniel? You were one of them. Surely, you have feelings on the subject.”

  “Yes, you’re right about the community not taking kindly to Eli being held in jail. The longer that it goes on, the less likely that Serenity will ever be trusted among the Plain people,” Daniel said.

  “They certainly trusted me to perform CPR on your niece though didn’t they?” I couldn’t help the venom that oozed from my words. I was so spitting mad.

  Daniel smiled. “I’m sure they are very thankful for your help with the girl, but that won’t change the fact that they won’t be very receptive to you in regards to other matters. The Amish take care of their own—and you’re attempting to hurt one of them.”

  “Funny, your father said something similar last night. But I’m not out to win a popularity contest among the Amish. I could care less what they think. My duty is to Naomi and finding out who shot her dead in that cornfield.”

  I searched each man’s face, seeing solid support in Todd’s expression and resignation in Bobby’s. Unfortunately, Daniel’s face showed rebellion. He was sticking to his roots on this one and supporting his friend’s son.

  “Is everyone in agreement that that’s what our duty is?”

  Bobby and Todd nodded, while Daniel looked away, ignoring my statement. He said, “Will you at least allow me to tell the kid about the baby? Considering the differing cultures, it would be more appropriate for me to talk to him about it.”

  I glanced at Bobby, who nodded in my direction. Damn. I was out numbered on this one. Even though I could override their opinions all together, I was reluctant to do so. If I was going to last as the sheriff in Blood Rock, I had to have Bobby and Todd’s support. As far as Daniel was concerned, I might need some work done on my house someday, I reasoned to myself. Seeing his ultra-serious face made me think how different he’d looked when he’d been all over me on my couch.

  “All right—but we’ll be monitoring the questioning room. I want to hear what he says, and watch his reaction,” I told Daniel.

  Daniel nodded, “All right, sounds fair enough.”

  It didn’t take long to move Eli from his cell in the adjoining building to the small square, windowless room where we did our questioning. I stood shoulder to shoulder with Bobby and Todd, studying Eli’s face through the one way glass as Daniel began by making small talk with the young man, developing a friendly atmosphere before he dumped the unfortunate news into Eli’s lap. Or, so I thought. When the words changed into the unintelligible German language, it was swift and smooth. I had only a second to catch Bobby’s raised brows and Todd’s, what the hell, look before I was through the door. But I was too late. Daniel had spoken quickly and I assumed thoroughly by the hard, unswayable expression that met my gaze when I looked at Eli.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked in a low voice. I was determined to control my temper, even though it was damn near impossible to do so.

  Daniel turned and what I saw written on his face scared me. His dark eyes lacked any emotion at all. But even worse than that, was the steely stubborn resolve that I saw there—just like his father.

  “I beg your pardon?” Daniel said, with the attempt at confusion lighting his face.

  I lowered my voice still further. “Why did you switch from English to German?”

  “Uh, I’m sorry. I guess I misunde
rstood you about the procedure I was to follow while speaking to Eli. It’s more comfortable for him to have the news delivered to him in his birth language—more understandable and softer in a way, I guess you’d say.”

  I stared at him, daring him to turn away. He returned the favor with a self-righteous glare that I knew I couldn’t sway. He was lost to me.

  Todd was standing so close to my back that I could feel his presence without even seeing him. “Todd, please take Eli back to his cell,” I said.

  Watching Todd escort Eli from the room, I noticed the kid’s straight back and chin thrust forward. Eli was keeping his emotions locked inside of him, instead displaying a puffed up rooster demeanor of someone who’d just received more than a few words informing him that he’d almost been a father.

  Bobby stood in the doorway, waiting for me to make my move. His stoic look wouldn’t betray his thoughts. Speaking to the wall, I said, “You may go now, Daniel. I won’t be in need of your services any longer,” I faced him again and added, “—for anything.”

  Daniel suddenly looked very much like Moses, a man who could easily hide his thoughts from the world, and a very cunning one at that. After Daniel had swept out of the room, his heavy boots could still be heard thudding down the hallway.

  When there was silence, I dropped into the chair that Eli had vacated and huffed out, “That bastard. I never dreamed he’d sink so low as to speak German to Eli.”

  Bobby fiddled with the corner of his beard. “I can’t say that I’m really surprised. Even though he’s been away from the Amish for quite a while, he’s still one of them at his core. Maybe, we should give him the benefit of the doubt though, and choose to believe that he did just accidently slip into his old tongue.”

  “No way, Bobby—he knew exactly what he was doing. His eyes told me that much. He completely undermined my authority.” I sighed in frustration, “I just wish I knew what the hell he said to the kid.”