“We just left Fisher’s farm,” Zach said in greeting. “Your men are hauling his son in for questioning.”
“I got a call filling me in,” the sergeant said. “Good work tracking down both of them. If what Sarah Miller told you about her brother is true, he could be our man.”
“I’m not ready to call the case closed. Did you talk to Corporal Powers?”
“I did. He wasn’t happy about being detained.”
“What did you uncover?” Zach asked.
“Not much,” the sergeant confessed. “He’s distraught about his wife. His father-in-law mentioned Levi Miller hanging around Mary Kate. Powers suspected the worst.”
“So the corporal doesn’t trust his wife?”
“I didn’t get that impression,” Sergeant Abrams said. “But he certainly doesn’t trust Levi.”
“Is there anything you want the military police and CID to do?”
“No more than you already are. Corporal Powers is back at the hospital, keeping vigil over his wife. Might be good to ensure he stays on post.”
“I can make that happen,” Zach said. “What about Mr. Landers?”
“He’s got a rifle, but it’s not a 30-30 caliber. Besides, he was in the ICU with his daughter when the shots were fired today. A chaplain was visiting at the time and confirmed his alibi. Leave your cell on. I’ll let you know about Daniel Fisher.”
“Appreciate you keeping me in the loop.”
“We’re in this together,” the sergeant assured him.
Ella stared at Zach when he disconnected. “Are we going to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Landers?”
“Sounds like a good idea to me, unless you’re too tired.”
“I’m okay, just a little surprised that you didn’t tell Sergeant Abrams where we were headed.”
“I was thinking of your patient privilege. I trust the sergeant, but he doesn’t need to know about Mary Kate’s background unless it has bearing on the case.”
“Thanks.”
“Just doing my job.”
She smiled. “You’re good at what you do.”
“Now I’m the one who feels a bit embarrassed. I’m not used to getting compliments from beautiful women.”
Her smile faded and a look of confusion washed over her face.
He glanced at her. “You’re not blushing because you don’t believe what I just said.”
“No one has ever called me beautiful.” Her voice was low.
“Shame on everyone else then.”
“You’re not only affirming,” she said, “but also prone to offering compliments. That’s a winning combination.”
“I aim to please, ma’am.”
Being with Ella lifted Zach’s spirits and made him feel good about himself. She was easy to talk to and affirming in her own way. It was hard to believe that no one had ever told her she was beautiful, because she was.
For a moment, as he drove through the Amish countryside, Zach forgot about the investigation. But when he turned into the Landerses’ driveway, he knew he needed to keep his mind off the doctor and focus on the job at hand.
* * *
“I’d like to talk to you about the twins,” Ella said when Mrs. Landers opened the door. “Special Agent Swain is with me.”
“Did something happen to Mary Kate?” The older woman motioned them inside. Just as before, she wore a solid color housedress and an apron, and her hair was neatly tucked into a bun.
“As far as we know, there’s been no change,” Zach said. “Is you husband at the hospital?”
“Bob’s in the other room with the girls. They like Grandpa to read a story to them before they take a nap.”
“I’m sure that’s a special time for Shelly and Stacey.” Ella took a seat on the couch Mrs. Landers indicated.
“A special time for their grandfather, too.” She sat next to Ella, while Zach settled in a nearby chair.
“Would you folks like coffee?”
“No, thank you,” Ella said. “We’re only staying a short time. I’m sure Mary Kate told you about the genetic condition the girls have.”
“Of course, but they’re doing well. You identified the problem, and they’ve improved.” Mrs. Landers’s smile was sincere. “God brought you into their lives, Dr. Jacobsen. They were so sick, but you saved them. I’ll always be grateful.”
Ella thought of the circumstances that had brought her to the Freemont area. Had God been involved?
“The girls are back to their active selves,” the woman continued. “As worried as Bob and I are about Mary Kate, it’s a relief knowing Shelly and Stacey are getting stronger.”
“It brings me comfort, as well, Mrs. Landers,” Ella said. “Did your daughter mention that the girls’ condition is usually seen in the Amish population?”
She nodded. “Mary Kate said the twins inherited the condition from their father.”
Zach leaned into the conversation. “You’re talking about their biological father?”
She nodded again. “Sergeant Abrams was here earlier. He probably told you about Levi Miller. The girls inherited the condition from him.”
“Actually,” Ella explained, “Levi provided one of the two genes necessary for the girls to have the condition. Your daughter provided a gene, as well.”
The older woman’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure what you’re saying.”
Ella explained that two recessive genes, one from each parent, were needed in order for the condition to be transmitted. “Is anyone in your family or your husband’s family Amish?” she asked in conclusion.
Mrs. Landers drew in a deep breath. “Are you sure there’s no other way for the girls to get the condition?”
“The disease could manifest randomly, but that’s not as likely, Mrs. Landers.”
Judging from her expression, Ella was certain the grandmother had something to share. To offer reassurance, she said, “Whatever is said here would be kept private.” Ella looked at Zach for confirmation.
“Yes, ma’am,” he quickly agreed. “I see no reason that any medical information would need to be made public. Unless, of course, it has bearing on the current investigation.”
“Do you have Amish relatives?” Ella pressed.
Mrs. Landers rubbed her hands together. “I was raised Amish. My husband lived in the neighboring town. All the teenagers hung out at a nearby lake in the summer. That’s where we met and fell in love.”
“Did you leave the community to marry your husband?” Ella asked.
The woman dropped her gaze. “You might say that my daughter followed in my footsteps, although she doesn’t know she was conceived before we married. My father forbade me to see Bob, so I ran away.”
Ella rubbed her hand over the older woman’s shoulder. “That must have been difficult for you.”
Mrs. Landers nodded. “Leaving my mother was hard. When Mary Kate told us she was pregnant, I felt responsible. Bob insisted she stay with his sister, who lives in Savannah. I joined them there during Mary Kate’s last trimester and for some months after the twins were born, to help care for the babies. Bob visited whenever he could get away from his company.”
“Is that where your daughter met Corporal Powers?” Zach asked.
Mrs. Landers nodded. “He was stationed at Fort Stewart. They met at a fund-raiser for a wounded warrior who needed medical care. By that time, Mary Kate had a job. She had rented a house and was making it on her own, with just a little help from us. We’re real proud of her.”
Ella offered an encouraging smile. “You should be, Mrs. Landers.”
“Mary Kate admitted that she and Levi had thought they were in love. After meeting Hugh, she knew her father’s decision not to let her stay with Levi had been the right one.”
“Do any of your relatives have
children with similar symptoms as the twins?” Ella asked.
“I wouldn’t know,” Mrs. Landers admitted. “I have two sisters, but I’ve never gone back home. I hadn’t been baptized, so I wasn’t formally shunned, but my father wouldn’t let anyone talk to me after I defied his authority.”
Which sounded like Sarah Miller’s father.
“Bob and I have a son, but he’s not married. Now I’m worried about any future children Mary Kate might have,” the grandmother continued.
“It’s doubtful they would have the condition,” Ella assured her. “Unless Corporal Powers carries the gene, and that seems highly unlikely. I could do DNA testing if they want to know for sure.”
Tears welled up in Mrs. Landers’s eyes. “At this point, I’m not sure Mary Kate will survive. Bob and I are praying so hard for her.”
Turning at the sound of footsteps, Ella saw Mr. Landers standing in the hallway. His face was ashen.
“Did we lose Mary Kate?”
Ella shook her head and stood. “No, sir. I’m sorry if we frightened you.”
Mrs. Landers hurried to her husband. “The twins got sick because of my Amish background, Bob.”
“What are you saying, Lucy?”
She explained about the recessive genes. “Both Levi and Mary Kate had to give a gene in order for the girls to get sick. The condition is found in the Amish, so she inherited it from my side of the family.”
“The good thing is that the girls were diagnosed early and have responded to treatment,” Ella said, hoping to offer encouragement.
“I still blame Levi.” Mr. Landers’s voice was harsh.
“No one’s to blame, Mr. Landers. I’m just glad the girls responded to the treatment.”
His wife patted his hand. “We’ll get through this, Bob. My father always said everything that happened was God’s will, but I don’t think this was His doing or what He wanted for Mary Kate. Knowing God the way I do, He’s not going to let anything happen to our daughter.”
* * *
“They say love conquers all,” Zach said as he and Ella hurried to his car. “Mrs. Landers had to sacrifice a lot to marry her husband.”
Ella nodded. “I thought about Sarah Miller, who even as a married woman is worried about her father. I doubt men realize the important role they play in their daughters’ lives.”
“Levi seems like a loving husband,” Zach mused. “And it sounds like Corporal Powers loves the twins, although right now, he’s worried about his wife and focused on her.”
“I can’t see Mr. Landers harming his daughter.”
Zach agreed. “Some of his anger dissipated when he found out about the Amish tie-in with the girls’ condition. Maybe he feels responsible, just as Mrs. Landers mentioned. If they hadn’t moved to this area, their daughter never would have known Levi.”
“I wish Mrs. Landers could contact her Amish relatives so they could be tested.”
“Perhaps you could arrange to do that through the research center in Harrisburg,” Zach suggested.
Ella nodded. “I could talk to the director. Dr. Vaughn wants me to attend the event this weekend.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“I’m not sure.”
Zach didn’t want Ella out of his sight. He needed to convince her to stay in the Freemont area until the investigation was over, although he knew the medical symposium was important because of her husband’s role in the Amish Project.
His fear was that after seeing the people with whom her husband had worked, she might not want to return to her clinic and the simple life in the Amish community.
What was wrong with him? He was thinking of his own happiness. Ella’s happiness was the important thing. That and keeping her safe.
Would she be safer in Freemont, where a killer was on the loose? Or in Atlanta, far from the assailant who wanted her dead?
TEN
Ella was beyond tired. Her head throbbed and every muscle in her body ached as they pulled into her driveway at the clinic.
“Are you okay?” Zach asked.
“No.” She had to be truthful. “I’m tired and upset and worried about what we might find when we go inside.”
“I’ll check the clinic. You stay in the car.”
She gave him the key and was relieved when he returned with a smile, opening the passenger door and offering her his hand.
“Everything looks just the same as when we left. Your nurse left a note. The receptionist’s husband installed an alarm system. The details are on your desk.”
Ella let out a grateful sigh. “That’s good news.”
Entering the clinic, she was overcome with relief. Not only were things back in place, but Wendy had vacuumed and mopped the floors. She’d even washed the windows, and the fresh scent of furniture polish and floor wax filled the air.
On Monday, Ella would see patients again; at least she hoped she would. No telling what the Amish families would decide after the attack. Knowing how skittish they could be, she wondered if the parents would trust their children to a doctor involved in a criminal investigation.
“Why don’t you go on,” she told Zach. “I need to take a nap, and there’s no reason for you to stay here, especially since I have the security alarm.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He pointed to the hallway. “Get some sleep. I’ll check my email. I also need to make a few phone calls.”
Although his voice was firm, she saw the concern and sincerity in his gaze.
“If you insist. But I’ll set my alarm clock for an hour so I don’t oversleep.”
“Make that two hours, and I’ll be happy.”
“Can I get you something to drink before I disappear?”
“A cup of coffee would be good. Or water.”
“One of each coming up.”
She hurried into her kitchen and returned with coffee and a chilled bottle of water.
“The coffee’s just what I need, and I’ll chase it with the water. Thanks.” Again, he pointed to the hallway. “Now go.”
She gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”
He laughed, and the heaviness that had weighed her down lifted for a moment, until she entered her residence and saw a photo of Quin that sat on the hutch in her dining room. For some reason, his frown pulled her down again.
She hurried into her bedroom and locked the door—not because she was worried about Zach; she didn’t fear him and believed him to be an honorable man. But she wanted to lock out the memories from her past. She had left Pennsylvania and started a new life for herself, yet no matter what she told Zach, she was vulnerable.
The security alarm would be a deterrent, but would it save her if the assailant returned? The police in Freemont were too far away to protect her. Anything could happen by the time they arrived. She wouldn’t be able to summon Levi in the dead of night, since he didn’t have a phone, and even if she called Zach, he lived at Fort Rickman, miles away from the Amish community.
She thought of the invitation to Atlanta. Perhaps that would offer her a reprieve, at least for a day or two. By the time she returned, the local police might have apprehended the assailant. A change of scenery could be just what she needed.
Zach would leave later today, and she’d be on her own again. He had become a comfortable—too comfortable—presence. They seemed to work well together, but he was a special agent who was merely investigating a case.
As she washed her hands and face, Ella looked into the mirror. She’d vowed never to make the mistake of getting involved with a man again. She’d done so in giving her heart to Quin, a mistake that had hurt her deeply as he became more and more reclusive and less and less interested in her.
So many times she had yearned for something more, for a family like t
he ones who brought their children to her Carlisle practice. She’d envied the love she’d seen reflected in the parents’ eyes.
She’d had her chance and ruined it with the failure of her marriage. Again, the terrible guilt overwhelmed her. Had Quin turned away from her because she wasn’t lovable, wasn’t the woman he had wanted her to be? She’d made mistakes—he’d said it more than once. But did the failure of their marriage rest on her shoulders alone?
Turning away from her reflection, she dried her hands and face and then stretched across her bed, not even pulling down the Amish quilt that reminded her of the good people who put God first.
Where had she put God? He wasn’t even in her life. Was that why nothing seemed to go well for her?
She gripped the edge of the quilt and closed her eyes so that everything that had happened would disappear. So that she’d slip into oblivion, where she didn’t have to worry about an evil man who had attacked her so violently he must have wanted her dead.
* * *
What was wrong with him?
Zach was sitting in Ella Jacobsen’s clinic, a rural facility similar to the one where his mother had died and the very place he never wanted to be. He’d been taken in by the doctor. He needed to be a CID special agent and not the doctor’s guardian, yet that’s exactly what he wanted to do—protect Ella and make sure she was safe from the terrible predator.
He had never felt so committed, determined and focused on keeping someone safe, which was a good thing. But there was something else, a feeling deep in his heart that was about more than keeping a witness secure. A feeling that he couldn’t explain and didn’t completely understand, yet it made him stronger and tougher and more determined to do what was right.
He called Tyler Zimmerman at CID headquarters. The special agent answered on the second ring. “What’s up, Zach?”
“I’m at the Children’s Care Clinic and wondered if I could ask a favor.”
“Shoot.”
“I need a burner phone. When you head home, would you mind stopping by the PX and buying one? If you could drop it off here, that would be perfect. Otherwise I can stop by your place once you get home.”
Plain Truth (Military Investigations) Page 10
