Who the Bishop Knows

by Vannetta Chapman

  “A storm?”

  “Summer storm. You know, when you can feel the electricity building up in the air.”

  “As far as I know, severe weather isn’t predicted.”

  “I’m not talking about the weather.”

  “Ah.” Henry waited, which Emma loved. Sometimes it took a few minutes to put her thoughts into words, and silence helped with that.

  “First Jeremiah was killed.”

  “A tragedy for sure.”

  “Then the funeral with his parents, who were understandably out of sorts, but… well, if I were to be blunt, his father seemed like a very difficult man.”

  “We must continue to pray for the whole family.”

  “Ruth’s goats and sheep on the loose during the dinner.”

  Henry only smiled at that.

  “The warning chalked on the side of your buggy.”

  “A prank, I would imagine.”

  “And now this! Seth and Roseann run off the road, right outside their own place!”

  “Actually, I think the accident began outside my place, but by the time the horse stumbled to a stop in the ditch, they were outside Seth’s place.”

  Emma choked on the piece of cookie she was swallowing. She coughed for so long that Henry hopped up to fetch her a glass of water, and then he stood behind her patting her on the back. She waved him away, but he didn’t sit down again until she pulled in a good, solid breath.

  “Don’t choke to death before I have a chance to marry you.”

  Emma could tell he was trying to add levity to the situation, but her ears were ringing and her pulse was pounding in her temples. She forced herself to calm down, took a long sip of the water, and then carefully placed the glass back on the table.

  “Henry, did you say it happened outside your home?” She pointed toward the road. “That the accident started there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And your buggy looks the same as Seth’s.”

  “You know all of our buggies are nearly identical.”

  Emma closed her eyes, determined to wish away the thought dominating her brain, but the effort was futile. “You both have beards, you’re about the same height, and basically you wear the same clothes.”

  She opened her eyes, leaned forward, and said, “What if they meant to run you off the road?”

  “Say again?”

  “What if the person who did this thought they were running you off the road? They could have thought they were following you home, or maybe they were aware of your address, and the buggies look the same… ”

  “Why would someone do that?”

  “Which scenario is more likely? That someone is cruising down a country road, minding their own business, and suddenly decides to run Seth and Roseann into the ditch, for no reason at all—”

  “Could have been an accident.”

  “You admitted Seth said it seemed intentional.”

  “He could have been mistaken.”

  “So we have three options.” Emma ticked them off on her fingers. “Seth is confused, and it was an accident. It was not an accident, and the person intended to run Seth and Roseann off the road—”

  “Maybe he simply doesn’t like Amish buggies.”

  “Or it’s our killer, and he thinks you know something. He’s warning you away.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Henry said, but the expression on his face told her he was worried.

  “First there was the warning on your buggy, and now a near-fatal accident.”

  “Could be a coincidence.”

  “Henry, we need to figure out who did this.”

  “Grayson is figuring that out. We don’t need to be involved this time.”

  “You told me you were going to start drawing. That you felt the need to try to help.”

  “And I meant to, but I’ve been rather busy of late.” He sipped from his coffee mug, and she knew he was considering what she’d just said. Finally, he leaned forward and tapped the table. “I will try to draw the night of the rodeo, but as far as involving ourselves, I think this investigation is best left up to Sheriff Grayson.”

  “I agree with you. Or I did, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “You feel strongly about this.”

  “We can’t just sit back and wait.”

  “Actually, we can.”

  “Not if you’re in danger. Not if this person isn’t finished yet.”

  “But, Emma, I don’t know anything.”

  “I know that. You know that. But Jeremiah’s killer? Something tells me he’s worried, and that his biggest worry is you.”

  Twenty-Eight

  Grayson stopped by Henry’s house later that afternoon.

  Before he could update him on any new developments in the case—or the lack thereof—Henry shared Emma’s concern that he might be the recipient of the killer’s attention.

  “I was made aware of the accident, but thinking the person intended to harm you seems like a jump in logic to me.” They were in Henry’s workshop. Grayson picked up a birdhouse made from old barn lumber. Henry had fashioned a roof from an old license plate and bent a discarded spoon to provide a bird perch. A sticker with the price of ten dollars was affixed to the top. “There’s nothing in Seth’s statement to suggest the person was aiming for you, though I’ll admit that sort of intentional aggression is out of the ordinary in this community.”

  “It’s certainly never happened here before, not to my knowledge.”

  “There was the fatality… What was the family’s name? Weaver?”

  “Terrible tragedy, but the driver was intoxicated. It wasn’t intentional in any sense.”

  Grayson sighed, pulled ten dollars out of his wallet, and handed it to Henry. “My wife will love this.”

  “Danki.”

  “How about in Goshen? Did your community experience any type of harassment there?”

  “Nein. The occasional accident happened, but it was mostly a case of distracted drivers. They’d speed up on a buggy, not realizing how close they were until they’d bumped into them.”

  “You do look alike.”

  “He’s twenty years younger.”

  “Can’t tell that when you’re following a buggy, and they do look identical.”

  “So you think Emma has a point?”

  “I think she could have a point, which isn’t quite the same thing. I don’t know how it will change our investigation, but maybe we should heed her warning. Maybe you should heed it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Keep your nose out of things. Lay low for a while. Don’t you bishops ever go on vacation?”

  Henry laughed at the frustrated look on Grayson’s face. “Emma and I will be traveling over to Westcliffe a few weeks after we’re married.”

  “That’s not a vacation. That’s a day trip.”

  “For Englischers maybe… ”

  “Seriously, Henry. Would you like me to have an officer put you on their route? Wouldn’t hurt to have someone passing by here every few hours.”

  “And see what? Oreo cropping grass in the field and Lexi chasing squirrels?” He put the money in an old cigar box he kept on a shelf behind him. “Sounds like a misuse of resources to me.”

  “At least promise me you’ll be extra vigilant.”

  “Of course.”

  “Maybe we should run a piece in the paper, declaring the police department is at a loss because Henry Lapp didn’t see a thing.”

  Henry didn’t answer that. He had no desire to see his name in the newspaper again.

  “There is one other reason I stopped by.” Grayson pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and laid it on the table between them. “This is a copy of one of the pages in Jeremiah’s notebook—the one his mother found. We think he was running a gambling operation on the side.”

  “Gambling?”

  “That’s the only logical explanation we can come up with given what you see there, and it would explain Piper Cox’s comment
that Jeremiah was arguing with someone over money.”

  “It’s just hard to imagine. Surely I would have heard something if a gambling ring was in my own district.” Henry pulled on his reading glasses and peered more closely at the sheet of paper. “What’s this column?”

  “Initials of the person who placed the bet.”

  “This?”

  “The amount of money wagered.”

  “And this?”

  “The odds.”

  “So this is the payout.”

  “Correct. It’s small-time stuff, as you can see, but it adds up to a fair amount of money.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t know. I would have intervened. This reflects badly on our community, plus it’s illegal. I had no idea Jeremiah had strayed so far.”

  “I’m not saying you should have known. People are good at hiding their real feelings as well as activities they’re ashamed of.”

  “Indeed.”

  “We’ve already figured out who the highlighted initials belong to, but these other ones… well, there isn’t exactly a directory of Amish youth.”

  “You think these are Amish names?”

  “There’s a good chance. Anyone you recognize?”

  “Well, maybe… but then it could be anyone.”

  “If you could take a guess, I could go and speak with them.” He held up a hand to stop Henry’s protest. “I won’t accuse them of anything, but it’s possible they know who could have been upset with Jeremiah. Who could have killed him. This list is as good a place as any to start.”

  So Henry gave him the names that might coincide with the initials, though he prayed it wasn’t true.

  MG—Mahlon Graber

  NK—Nathan Kline

  JK—Jesse Kauffmann

  LY—Lloyd Yutzy

  It was only four of their youngies, but still it pierced his heart to think they might have been involved.

  “Don’t look so devastated. I’ve seen bigger gambling operations at the local high school.”

  “High school?”

  “Sure. We had this one kid who would bet on anything—how many people would pass the science final, who would get a date with Joanna McBride, when the gym teacher was going to have her baby… ”

  “Who would bet on the birth of a child?”

  “You’d be surprised.” Grayson’s eyes had taken on a decided twinkle.

  “I’m missing the joke.”

  “It was me, Henry.”

  “You?”

  “I thought I was hot stuff when I was seventeen, smarter than the rest, definitely above the law.”

  “You took bets from other students… in high school?”

  “I even had some of the teachers in on it.” Grayson slapped his hat on his head as they walked back outside into the afternoon heat. “Fortunately, the principal who caught me put me on the straight and narrow, which is why I’m the upstanding citizen you see before you today.”

  When Grayson was back at his vehicle and Lexi had dashed off after a rabbit, Henry remembered what Chester had told him the day before.

  “If you’re planning on interviewing those boys in person, best get hold of Lloyd Yutzy tonight. He’s staying with Chester Yoder, but Chester told me Lloyd is probably headed back to Goshen by the end of the week.”

  “As in tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. I believe the bus for Goshen comes through early in the morning.”

  “Then I’ll see him tonight.”

  “Would you like me to come along?”

  “Not necessary. If I need you, I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

  “Would you mind if I spoke with them, in a group, and encouraged them to be open and honest with you?”

  “Actually, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Consider it done, then.”

  He’d been planning on starting a project for a garden bench an Englischer had hired him to do. After that he was going to begin drawing scenes from the rodeo, but the boys took precedence over that. He’d go to the phone shack, leaves messages for them, and then he’d spend some time in the Good Book. Because, honestly, he had no idea what to say to boys—young men, actually—who seemed determined to turn their backs on their faith.

  Twenty-Nine

  Transcript of interview between Monte Vista Sheriff Roy Grayson and Lloyd Yutzy, regarding the July 27 homicide of Jeremiah Schwartz. Audiotapes and a transcript of the interview are included in the permanent case file.

  Sheriff Roy Grayson #3604

  INTERVIEW WITH Lloyd Yutzy

  Case #4751.06

  8:15 p.m., Thursday, August 2

  Sheriff Grayson (SG): Could you state your name for the recording?

  Lloyd Yutzy (LY): Lloyd Yutzy.

  SG: Middle name?

  LY: No, sir. Most Amish don’t have middle names, at least not in Indiana where I grew up. We use initials instead. Mine is Y. Lloyd Y. Yutzy. I know that sounds strange, but we use our father’s last name for our middle initial.

  SG: Lloyd, I asked you to come into the station this evening because I have a few questions about your relationship with Jeremiah Schwartz.

  LY: Absolutely. I’d be happy to answer any questions I can.

  SG: I also want to remind you that you’re not under arrest at this time You’re free to leave or contact a lawyer at any point in this interview.

  LY: I’m sure that won’t be necessary.

  SG: Let’s start with the gambling records. Are these your initials referred to in Jeremiah’s notebook?

  LY: Yes, sir. They are.

  SG: So you placed bets with Jeremiah.

  LY: I did. Seemed harmless enough, though some might consider it a waste of money.

  SG: How much money would you say you’ve gambled with Jeremiah in the last year?

  LY: Oh, not much. I’m pretty careful with my money. Pretty frugal. It’s one of the things about Amish I suppose you know, since there’s a community here. We’re a bit tightfisted with our money.

  SG: So you’d be surprised if I told you that you’d lost nearly two thousand dollars in the last year?

  LY: I would be surprised. Yes, sir. Those were mostly fifty-dollar bets, so I’d be surprised to hear they’d added up to so much.

  SG: Can you tell me how this worked?

  LY: This?

  SG: The gambling. How did you place your bets? Or know what there was to bet on?

  LY: Oh, that. Well, Jeremiah would call and leave a message at a phone shack—didn’t really matter which one, because word would get around. Maybe he’d say Friday night’s rodeo, and we’d all know what that meant. He’d go on to list the events and the odds.

  SG: And how would you place a bet?

  LY: That’s what his cell phone was for. Now, technically we’re not supposed to have cell phones, but this was for work—at least that’s the way I believe Jeremiah thought of it, and so it was okay.

  SG: So you’d call his cell phone.

  LY: Yes, sir. We’d call him back and leave a message, like what we wanted to bet on and how much.

  SG: How did you pay up?

  LY: When Jeremiah was in Goshen, that was pretty easy. Once he’d moved here, it was a bit harder. If I’m to be honest, that’s part of the reason I came down. Quite a few people owed Jeremiah money, so I offered to bring it down to him.

  SG: Why would you offer to do that?

  LY: Probably had more to do with Naomi than with my kindheartedness.

  SG: Naomi Miller?

  LY: I took a liking to her last time she was in Goshen visiting, and I was hoping to begin courting her proper.

  SG: It’s my understanding that Naomi was dating Jeremiah.

  LY: Well, that may be, but Jeremiah told me he was moving west, and that he planned to do so alone.

  SG: What did you think of his involvement in the rodeo and of his plans to be on a television show?

  LY: Can’t say as I gave it much thought.

  SG: You didn’t feel that Jeremiah needed to be corrected, to be set
on the straight and narrow?

  LY: Why would I think that?

  SG: Apparently some in your community, some of the Amish young men, felt Jeremiah had strayed. They were giving him a hard time about it.

  LY: I’m not aware of any trouble Jeremiah had with others.

  SG: So you didn’t feel the need to correct him in some way?

  LY: No, sir. That would be the bishop’s job.

  SG: Back to the girl…

  LY: Naomi.

  SG: Jeremiah told you he was moving west.

  LY: He did.

  SG: What was your thought process when you found that out?

  LY: My thought process?

  SG: Did you see it as your opportunity to swoop into town and catch the girl?

  LY: I suppose you could see it that way. Yes, sir. I like to think that God was opening a door I’d prayed for long and hard. He was making it possible for me to court Naomi.

  SG: When you arrived in town, did you deliver the money to Jeremiah, the money from Goshen?

  LY: I did. When I first arrived here.

  SG: And when was that?

  LY: Before the rodeo… I think it was a Thursday. Yeah, the Thursday before the rodeo.

  SG: July 26.

  LY: Sounds right.

  SG: And you gave Jeremiah the money.

  LY: I did. He met me at the bus station. I gave him the money, and then he drove me out to Mary and Chester Yoder’s place, where I’m staying.

  SG: Do you know anyone who would want to harm Jeremiah?

  LY: No, sir.

  SG: Were you angry with Jeremiah?

  LY: No, sir.

  SG: Lloyd, do you know who shot Jeremiah Schwartz on the night of July 27?

  LY: I don’t. I wish I did, wish I could help you, but I don’t have any idea who would do such a thing.

  SG: Is there anything you’d like to add?

  LY: No, sir. I can’t think of anything that would be relevant.

  SG: That’s all the questions I have for now. If you think of anything else, especially the names of any persons who might have wanted to harm Jeremiah, please call me.

  LY: Yes, sir. I certainly will.

  SG: I understand you’re headed back to Goshen soon.

  LY: I haven’t quite decided when I’ll go back. The Yoders are real friendly people, and I’m enjoying my stay with them.