Plain Secrets

by Kit Wilkinson

  “Roger.” Tucci took off to the right. Elijah continued to the left side of the cabin.

  On the count of thirty, they both rushed the front of the cabin. Tucci aimed at the car. Elijah at the door of the cabin.

  “Company!” The driver, a large dark-skinned man, got out from inside the car and aimed at Elijah. Elijah dodged the bullet while Tucci took the guy out from the back. A scream sounded from inside the car. Brittney.

  Another man appeared at the door to the cabin. Elijah hoped there weren’t many more of them. The man from the cabin ran forward to the driver of the car, who had just been shot. As he looked down, Tucci stepped out of the woods and put his gun to his head.

  “Drop the weapon.” Tucci slapped a pair of cuffs on the guy and pushed him to the ground.

  Elijah peered into the car. Brittney was tied up in the backseat.

  “Stay down,” he said. “Where are the others?”

  “Inside. Krups is in there.”

  “Any others?”

  “Just those two,” she said.

  Tucci cuffed the man to the steering wheel, and then the two of them flanked the cabin.

  On three, Elijah mouthed to his partner.

  As they rushed in, Elijah prayed that Hannah and his sister were alive and well.

  TWENTY

  “Don’t take another step.” Krups held Hannah at arm’s length with his fingers around her throat and a gun at her back. Less than a foot in front of her were large flames licking away at the rotted cabin.

  Abigail and Daniel sat on the floor tied to each other. It was a stalemate situation. If he made a move, Hannah would get hurt or killed. Krups, on the other hand, was too arrogant to realize that he couldn’t win.

  “Give it up, Krups,” Elijah said. “We’ve already got Jackson. He’s going to testify against you.”

  “Not if he’s dead, he won’t.”

  “He’s in protective custody,” Tucci said. “Your claws only go so deep. You can’t get to him anymore.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Angry, he pushed Hannah closer to the flames.

  “No.” Elijah froze, his stomach knotted with fear.

  Hannah whimpered as he stretched her out over the fire.

  “Back up or I’ll drop her,” Krups warned.

  Elijah backed up. Krups relaxed his grip around Hannah’s throat.

  “Come on, Krups,” Tucci said. “Let me get these people out of here. There’s no need to harm them.”

  Krups seemed to consider his words. “Yes, you take those two out. Leave me with her.”

  Leave Hannah with him? No way.

  Tucci moved quickly to release Abigail and Daniel and get them out of the smoky cabin.

  “I told you to leave,” Krups said, cocking his gun at Hannah’s back.

  “I can’t leave without her.” Elijah took a step closer.

  “Stop. St-stop right there.” Krups shook his gun. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve got all the codes. I can change anything. Break into any system. You can’t stop me. And you’ll not be able to trace me, either.”

  “You can’t get out, Krups,” Elijah said, inching just a bit closer to them. “You’re never going to get to use the codes.”

  “I will. They’re mine. I’ve got the journal right here.” Krups trembled, sweat pouring from his face. As Jackson had said, he’d gone mad.

  “Let her go,” Elijah said.

  Krups was shaking his head; his eyes looked wild. He moved Hannah away from the flames and now had her directly between himself and Elijah.

  “That’s right,” Elijah coaxed him. “Pass her over to me.”

  Elijah saw Tucci in his peripheral. His partner signaled him to go ahead with the exchange. Tucci would come up from behind and disarm him.

  Finally this would all be over.

  Elijah inched just a bit closer and reached out for Hannah. Krups released her and she hurried toward Elijah.

  As planned, Tucci ran at Krups from behind. But Krups had anticipated him. The crazy man turned and aimed at Tucci.

  As Hannah ran into his left arm, Elijah lifted his right hand and fired just a moment before Krups. Krups fell to the floor. It was all over.

  * * *

  Hannah was still shaking when the fire truck and emergency unit arrived. Behind them was another string of cars. Out of the first one, Thomas came running. McClendon was with him and also another man Hannah did not know.

  Thomas hugged her tight. “I have prayed to God every minute that you would be safe and that He would spare you. I’m so sorry that I have not told you the whole truth.”

  Hannah lifted an eyebrow. “The truth? What can you mean?”

  Thomas released her and waved Elijah and the strange man over. He took Elijah’s hand and patted his shoulder in a manly fashion; tears had filled his eyes. “Elijah Miller, this is Governor Derry. Mr. Derry, Detective Miller and my sister-in-law, Hannah Nolt.”

  Elijah shook hands with the governor. “You did this, Thomas? You arranged with the governor for me to be here?”

  Thomas gave him a quick nod. “I did. And I had to keep it from Ordnung. I had to make it sound as if you had to be here.”

  The governor pumped Elijah’s hand, then kissed Hannah’s. “Mr. Miller, you and your partner have stopped what was about to be the biggest breach of security in American history. I cannot thank you enough. I’ll be in touch with you both very soon.”

  With that, Derry returned to his large blue car and left. Chief McClendon and his men worked the scene, taping the area, taking pictures, removing the two bodies. Brittney was taken to the hospital. It was enough activity to make Hannah’s already-spinning head explode. She turned to Thomas and Elijah. “You two seem to be okay with all of this, but would one of you please explain?”

  Thomas hugged her again. “Jessica asked to borrow my cell phone the day before she died. She was nervous. Not like herself. When I saw her body the next day, I knew that she had gotten mixed up in something bad. I knew we needed help. Governor Derry had said to let him know if I ever needed a favor and so I told him about Jessica and the phone call. And that our people would not allow an investigation. But I thought of Elijah and I knew that if anyone could get in here and ask questions and protect us, it would be him. I asked Mr. Derry if he could somehow get you here.”

  “You could have called me yourself, Thomas,” Elijah said.

  “I see that now,” Thomas said. “But I was worried at first about your response, and about what the elders might say.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about the phone call?” Hannah asked.

  “It was untraceable. And you were feeling bad enough about things.”

  “But why not tell Elijah? Why act like you didn’t want him here?”

  “I did want him here. But I didn’t want him courting and confusing you and leaving again.” Thomas shrugged. “And as I said, I did not want any trouble with the elders. I did not think they would look upon my calling the governor too kindly. And McClendon said the phone call wouldn’t help you out.”

  “It wouldn’t have,” Elijah said. “Real photos and the clothing—”

  Hannah reached up and touched both their shoulders. “It’s over. Let us not second-guess ourselves.”

  “You are right, sister,” Thomas hugged her once more. Then the police working the scene asked him to step back.

  Hannah could hardly remember the rest of what happened. The fire was put out. Another ambulance took Tucci to the hospital. The bullet Krups had fired in his direction had grazed his leg. Thomas and Abigail had left to speak to the People. They would meet and pray and part of her longed to be among them. It was late when Elijah drove her back to Nolt Cottage.

  She sat in his car not wanting to get out and say goodbye. Elija
h would not be back and they both knew it. They would both go back to their own worlds now. Now that the terror was over.

  “How long will your partner be out?” she asked him.

  “Not long,” he said. “The bullet didn’t hit anything important.”

  There was silence between them and she sensed his inner struggle over having taken a life. “It’s not for me to judge, Elijah. But if you ask me, I think you did the right thing. The man you killed would have shot again, then turned and shot the both of us. David killed Goliath with a stone, did he not? It is not our way to choose violence but today it was forced on us. You stood your ground. That is also Amish thinking.”

  Elijah’s lips turned up slightly at the corners. “I appreciate your words more than you know.”

  “What will happen to Brittney?” she asked, looking away, afraid that if she saw his tender blue eyes, she would not be able to finish, not be able to say goodbye.

  “She’s with Child Services,” Elijah said. “In any case, she turns eighteen in a few weeks. I think Abigail offered for her to come and stay with her. What she really wants is to find her mother that Jackson beat and ran off. We have some people with the FBI working on that for her. And the codes are safely back at Dutch Confidential.”

  “Thank you, Elijah,” she said. “Thank you for coming. For helping me find out about Jessica. It was so good to see you and see what you do. After having a gun at my back, I understand your desire to protect others. I understand why you were driven to leave Willow Trace and become a detective.”

  He looked deep into her eyes and took her hand. “That wasn’t the only reason I left.”

  So, now he finally opens up about the past? Now that he was leaving. Hannah sighed hard. “I would not have been happy outside of the faith. You know that.”

  “I would have stayed for you.”

  She glanced away but left her hand in his, enjoying the warmth of his touch. “But I couldn’t give you what you wanted, Elijah. I chose Peter because that was the only way we could both be happy and have what we wanted.”

  “I wanted you, Hannah,” he said. “I still do, God help me. But you have Thomas. He’s a good man. You will be loved and happy here. You did the right thing. I am not Plain. Especially after today. I showed that to everyone.” He started to open the door and get out of the car.

  “You mean because of using your weapon against Krups?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I didn’t make good on my promise to my Dat, that I wouldn’t use my gun.”

  “But didn’t you also promise to serve and protect?”

  “I did. But Dat will never understand that. In any case, Hannah, I couldn’t stand to be here and see you wed to yet another man. I won’t be back again.” He got out of the car. She could tell he was choked with emotion as he walked around to open her door. “Come on. I’ll walk you in and say goodbye to Thomas.”

  “I won’t be marrying Thomas.” She took his hand as she stepped out of his fancy car. “We don’t love each other that way. He’s my brother. Nothing more.”

  “You say that now, Hannah. But…”

  “It’s true. I talked to your sister about it. Ask her.”

  He shook his head. “It won’t matter. I can’t come back. My actions today only sealed that fate. I don’t belong here. You know it.”

  “I don’t know it, Elijah. I think that was true of you when you were younger. You wanted to go out and help the world, but now I think you want something else.”

  “Hannah, you’re only making this harder. I know you’ve wanted to talk about the past and about us. But can’t you see? There is no us.”

  “Then, at least, let me finish telling you what happened back then.” His harsh words brought tears to her eyes. But she was determined to tell him the whole truth.

  “I cannot have children, Elijah. When I was eighteen, I had a tumor. It was removed and with it went all my possibilities to be a mother. Peter happened on my mother and me as we were leaving the hospital. He saw me in the wheelchair and of course he came and asked. So I told him I could never have children. He could see that I was devastated. That’s when he asked me to marry him. So that I could be a mother. So, yes, I chose Peter because I chose Jessica. I chose him because he could make me a mother. I chose him because I could not make you a father.”

  Elijah stepped back around the car door. She couldn’t read his expression. Shock, pity, anger, sadness. Whatever was there, he kept it all hidden behind his steely blue eyes.

  Then he looked away and she saw the pain on his face—the one thing she had never wanted to give him.

  “You chose well, Hannah,” he whispered, close to her ear. “Peter and Jessica were blessed to have you in their lives.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “You chose well, Hannah Nolt.”

  He walked her to the front door, gave her hand a squeeze and then turned. “Take care of yourself.”

  She watched him from the front porch as he drove away and out of her life again.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Two months later

  Elijah filed away the last of the Mason-Hendricks case paperwork and shut down his computer. He wanted a drink of water, but instead of walking to the cooler he stayed at his desk running his finger around and around the rim of a coffee cup in a continuous circular motion. His thoughts fixed on things far, far away from the Philadelphia Police Internal Affairs Department.

  A hand waved in front of his face, breaking his trance. It was Tucci standing before him, hands on hips with that I-know-what-you’re-thinking-about-again look on his face.

  “Sorry,” Elijah said, sitting up tall, trying to feign interest in whatever it was his partner had come to tell him. “Did you say something?”

  “Would it matter?” Tucci lifted an eyebrow.

  “Yes, Mitchie. It matters. I don’t know why I can’t focus these days,” he said.

  “Really? You don’t know?” There was an edge of playful sarcasm in his words. “Let me help you. Her name starts and ends with the same letter.”

  “Yeah, well…Hannah and I have said goodbye for the last time. She’s happy the way things are. And I’m happy here. This is where I belong.”

  “Yeah, you’re Mr. Sunshine these days.” Tucci pulled up a chair and sat in front of his friend. “Why don’t you just go back and talk to her? See how she feels about you? Wouldn’t that be better than sitting around here wondering all the time?”

  “Come on. I explained it to you before. There’s no place for Hannah and me. She belongs there and I—well, I don’t know where I belong but it’s not in Willow Trace. Anyway, my father doesn’t want me back. He made that very clear.”

  “So, I guess you don’t want to talk to him, then?”

  “My father? Like he wants to talk to me. Ha, ha. Right.”

  “Well, he’s here. And he’s not asking to see anyone else.”

  “Dat is here? In the Philadelphia Police Department?” Elijah stood and looked toward the reception. Just beyond the door he could see him, his father, pacing back and forth.

  Tucci stood and motioned toward the door. Preacher Miller stepped through dressed in his Sunday best, black trousers, white shirt, black hat, suspenders. He made his way toward the center of the room where Elijah stood, mouth half-opened in disbelief.

  “Father. I—I—”

  “No, son, it is I who have come to do the talking today.” His father spread his feet, leaned back on his heels and placed a hand firmly on Elijah’s shoulder. “Let me speak.”

  Elijah nodded, his eyes fixed toward the floor. Even though he was not sure he could bear to hear any more harsh words, especially in front of his colleagues. Most likely, his father ha
d come to deliver a formal statement, something kin to a shunning. He’d been waiting for it. Possibly that was why he hadn’t gone back to face Hannah and his inescapable feelings for her. Now he was glad he had stayed away from Willow Trace.

  “What I have to say is simple,” he continued. “The elders have decided that it is unfair to punish you for using your weapon when you, in fact, have never taken your vows to the church. You are in no way required to follow our beliefs. I was wrong to speak so harshly to you. You are welcome to come home anytime. To visit. Or to stay, should you find yourself called to join the church. That would be a most pleasing event to your mother and me. In either case, Elijah, I am proud of you. You chose a different path than I wanted for you, but on it you have made a good life and you have become a good man. I am as proud as any father could be.”

  “Is this true, Father? I am welcome to join the church?”

  “If you feel this is where the Lord has called you, yes.”

  “It is.” Elijah nodded. “I want to come home.”

  * * *

  Hannah wiped down the exam table and instruments in Abigail’s clinic with a mixture of alcohol and water. It was five o’clock and Abigail had no more midwife appointments for the day. In fact, Abigail and Brittney had taken the horse and buggy to the butcher’s to fetch some lamb for a stew, and Hannah, instead of joining them, was able to enjoy a delectable moment of solitude. Life with Abigail Miller didn’t allow for many of them. There were always so many people coming and going. And much more conversation than Hannah had ever been a part of at the Nolts’.

  Which was why she did not jump when a knock sounded at the door after hours, a “walk-in” patient, Abigail called those without an appointment.

  “Coming.” Hannah put away the cleaning rag and checked to see that her hair was still tightly tucked away in her Kapp. She pressed the white apron with her hands and opened the front door. “Miss Miller is not in at the moment. You are welcome to…”