by Debby Giusti
The older woman grabbed Julianne’s hand. “You know this is not true.”
“But that doesn’t ease my pain.”
“Have you told William you are leaving?”
Julianne nodded. “Last night.”
Aunt Mary tilted her head. “He did not mention this at breakfast. What about your farm?”
“I’ll talk to Harvey before I leave. He mentioned selling the property for me. I trust him and know he’ll help me find a buyer.”
Her aunt sighed. “I will pack my things, as well, but I will see you soon, yah?”
“For sure.” Julianne handed her a card. “This is my cell phone number. The phone shack is close to your house. Call me when you get home so I know you made it safely down the mountain.”
“I will call to make sure you are home safely, as well.”
Her aunt lifted a strand of hair from Julianne’s cheek and wrapped it behind her ear. “Your clothing from yesterday is clean. I folded your things and left them on the counter. Your car keys are there, as well.”
“Thank you, dear Aunt Mary.”
“You are a wonderful woman, Julianne, but you still carry the weight of grief on your shoulders. Give your pain to Gott. He loves you even more than I do.”
Aunt Mary opened her arms, and Julianne stepped into her loving embrace. Her own mother was gone, but Julie had the love of another gut woman to warm her heart.
She kissed her aunt’s cheek. “I need to go, but first...”
Julianne placed the laundered clothing in her bag, pulled out the envelope she and William had found in her brother’s room and placed it in her aunt’s hands.
“It’s money Bennie saved for his future with Emma. With Mose in jail and a baby on the way, she’ll need financial help. Would you ask Will to make sure Emma gets it?”
“She’ll need it for sure,” Aunt Mary said as she hugged Julianne once again.
Before climbing into her car, Julie glanced at her old home in the distance. She needed to stop there one more time before she left Mountain Loft.
Turning onto the main road, she was flooded with memories, all good. She thought of the times she and Bennie had run through the pastures and played games of hide-and-seek in the wooded area behind the house. As children, they’d pretended to be spies and pirates and explorers, and had a secret knothole in an oak tree where they’d hidden tiny treasures.
She turned into her drive, parked near the back porch and stepped from her car. For a long moment, she studied the farmhouse and wished her life had taken a happier path. A happy path, instead of the painful reality of what had happened.
If only she could step back into her Amish life before everything had changed. If she had been able to absolve her brother of wrongdoing, she and William might have had a second chance to right the wrongs of the past and embrace the future together. Now, that hope was gone.
A breeze rustled through the trees, and a shaft of sunlight fell on the old oak tree, inviting her forward. More memories assailed her as she neared the Hidden Secrets Tree, as she and Bennie had called it in their childhood.
Resting her forehead against the tree, she sighed. If only Bennie would forgive her for telling their datt about his meeting that night. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Rubbing her hand over the tree’s gnarly bark, she imagined Bennie’s laughter and the sparkle in his eyes. The memory washed over her and brought with it a cleansing of sorts, as if some of the guilt she carried had been wiped away.
“You were a gut brother, Bennie.”
She stood for a long moment basking in the memories, and then, pulling in a deep breath, she peered into the knothole and smiled as she retrieved a bag of toy coins Bennie claimed were gold bullion when they’d pretended to be pirates. There was also a rusty sheriff’s badge for their make-believe games of cops and robbers.
Overcome with nostalgia, she clutched the items to her heart and smiled, feeling a connection with her brother. Before turning away, she checked the hole once again. Her fingers touched a hard, smooth surface. Unsure of what was hidden there, she pulled out the object.
Her heart jolted. Bennie’s cell phone. The battery had long ago lost its charge, but another check of the hiding spot revealed the phone charger.
In her mind’s eyes, she saw Emma pull an imaginary cell phone from her pocket and lift it to her ear.
Julianne stared at the mobile device. Her heart raced. She knew without a shadow of a doubt the evidence Bennie had collected was stored on the phone he had hidden in the old oak tree.
* * *
Julianne arrived in town and headed for Jones Grocery. Harvey wasn’t there, but Nancy smiled from behind the counter. “Hello, dear, can I help you find something?”
“I’m going back to Dahlonega and wanted to talk to Harvey about my farm. He said he’d help me sell it or perhaps even buy it himself.”
“Buy your farm? Oh, my.” Nancy raised her hand to her throat. “I’m not sure about that.”
Undoubtedly, Julianne had spoken out of turn. Not wanting to cause Nancy upset, she tried to backtrack. “Perhaps I misunderstood.”
“I’ll call Harvey and let him know you’re here.” Nancy pointed through the back hallway. “You can wait for him in his office.”
“Would you mind if I charge my brother’s phone while I wait?”
Nancy looked confused. “Your brother’s phone?”
“I have the charger, but it didn’t work in my car. All I need is an electrical outlet.”
“Of course, dear. That will be fine.”
Julianne remembered Harvey’s office from when she was young and spent time in the grocery with Anna. The walls were covered with photos of the Joneses and their only child. The pictures of Anna tugged at Julie’s heart.
She plugged in the charger and waited for Bennie’s cell to engage. In a matter of minutes, the screen lit up. She touched the Home button and was prompted to enter a pass code.
What would Bennie have chosen? She tapped in his birthday, which was rejected. She tried Emma’s birthday and was relieved when the phone opened. She hit the Mail icon and scrolled through a number of emails, some from William and some from Bennie’s other friends in town. Before she had scrolled too far, she found a message Bennie had sent to himself.
Three files appeared when she clicked on the message. Opening the first one, her pulse quickened as she glanced at the header—Mountain Loft Investments—followed by a list of Amish names, many of which she recognized. Sums of money were typed next to each name.
Amos Koenig—ten thousand dollars.
Zachariah Beechy—twenty-five thousand dollars.
Abraham Schwartz—forty thousand dollars.
Her heart lurched. Each of the men had either gone missing or was dead. Another name farther down the list made her lean closer.
Daniel Graber—fifty thousand dollars.
She stared at her father’s name. Just like the other Amish farmers, her datt had invested his savings, and probably the nest egg he had hidden at home, in hopes of making a profit. The bank account she had inherited after his death had revealed little return on his investments.
Getting involved in an illegal scam didn’t sound like her father. He and the other Amish farmers had probably thought Mountain Loft Investments was a legitimate operation.
The door to the office opened, and Harvey stepped inside. “Nancy said you want me to sell your property?”
Before she closed the file, she glanced at the name typed on the signature line at the bottom of the investment form.
Harvey Jones.
Shocked to see him standing before her, and even more shocked to know he was the corrupt businessman, she couldn’t think of anything coherent to say. She kept seeing the man who had attacked her the night she arrived home. Why hadn’t she recognized Harvey?
She jammed the phone in her pocket and stumbled to her feet. “I—I need to go.”
He closed the door behind him. “What’s your hurry, Julianne?”
Her heart lodged in her throat. “William’s waiting for me outside.”
“Nancy told me you found your brother’s cell phone.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have Bennie’s phone.”
“Of course you do. You could never lie.” He stepped closer. “From the look on your face, you must have accessed the files he saved from my computer.”
“You were looking for the hidden files that first night you attacked me, weren’t you, Harvey? And again the night of the storm. Why’d you wait five years to search for the evidence?”
“Anything Bennie had taken would have gone unnoticed in an empty farmhouse as it fell into disrepair. When the county issued the new policy about abandoned property, I started to worry. Knowing you would return home made me all the more determined to find the evidence.”
“Why did you do it?” she demanded, brokenhearted that the man she held in such high esteem was involved in a deadly scheme.
He shrugged. “I got into financial planning to help my Amish friends make a profit, which they did, at first. After a few bad investments, I had to work harder to catch up.”
“You were using their money.”
“I was trying to make up for my losses.”
“Your losses of their money. You wanted Bennie to work with you, but he realized your investments were a way to keep you solvent. You met with him that night, didn’t you?”
She saw it all play out just as she had imagined. “You argued, and when my datt came downstairs to investigate what was going on, you shot him.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
He lunged for her. She screamed and struggled to pull free. He wrapped his arm around her neck and dragged her into the rear storage area. She thrashed as he opened the walk-in cooler and shoved her into the cold interior.
“Help!” she screamed, her breath frosting the air.
“The cooler’s soundproof, Julianne. No one will hear you.” He tied her hands together with twine, then rummaged in her purse and pulled out her car keys. “We’re going for a ride.”
“You’ll never get away with this, Harvey.”
“I didn’t kill you five years ago, Julianne, which was a mistake. I won’t make that same mistake again.”
* * *
Unable to keep his mind on anything except Julianne, William gave up working in the pasture and returned home. He needed to talk her out of leaving Mountain Loft, although he feared nothing he said would change Julie’s mind.
He had struggled through the night, trying to find a way they could be together. He wanted her to return to the faith, but Julianne had turned her back on Gott. Unless she came to a better place with the Lord, she would never become Amish again.
Stepping into the kitchen, he expected to see both women. Instead, he saw only Aunt Mary. Her face was drawn and her eyes downcast.
An ominous pall settled over him. “Where’s Julianne?”
“She’s gone, William. She said to thank you and tell you how much she appreciated your hospitality.”
His heart lurched. “Why didn’t she say goodbye?”
“She told you last night she was leaving.”
“Yah, but I thought she meant in a day or two.”
He glanced through the still-open doorway to the Graber farmhouse in the distance. “What about her property?”
“Harvey Jones said he would help her with the sale and let her know about any interested buyers. She planned to talk to him before she left Mountain Loft.”
If she stopped in town, she could still be there. “How long ago did she leave?”
“Two hours at the most.”
His heart sank, but he couldn’t stay on the farm and do nothing. He wanted one more chance to convince her to change her mind.
“I’m going to Mountain Loft.”
“She’s gone, William.”
“I’ll follow her to Dahlonega if need be.” He started for the door. “I let her slip away from me after her father’s and brother’s deaths. I can’t make that same mistake again.”
“There’s no hope, William. She doesn’t want to be Amish.”
“She doesn’t want Gott in her life, that’s the real problem. I pray He’ll give me the words to convince her of His love. Then maybe she’ll be convinced of my love, as well.”
He raced to the barn and hitched Sugar to the buggy. With a flick of the reins, he guided the mare onto the main road. Catching up to Julianne in her car would be impossible, but if Gott willed them to be together, the impossible would come to pass.
“If only it could be so,” William said with conviction. “If only.”
TWENTY
William’s heart sank when he didn’t see Julianne’s car in front of Jones Grocery. He hurried inside and waited as Nancy rang up a customer and handed the lady her purchases. Once the woman left the store, William moved to the counter.
“Have you see Julianne? She planned to stop in this morning.”
Nancy’s eyes widened. “Julianne Graber?”
Was there any other Julianne in town? “She wanted to talk to Harvey about her farm.”
The woman averted his gaze. “You’ll have to ask my husband. Harvey was here earlier.”
“Where can I find him?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
“Nancy, it’s very important that I find Julianne.”
“He had a meeting with the mayor.”
“Was that after he talked to Julie?”
“I... I’m not sure.”
Not sure or wouldn’t tell him. Nancy Jones looked unduly anxious. Was this a bad day for her, or was she hiding something from him?
The bell rang as the door opened. Eli Krause’s datt entered the store.
“May I help you?” Nancy seemed eager for a distraction.
The Amish farmer nodded to Will and approached the counter. “I wanted to check on my investments.”
Nancy tugged at the collar of her dress. “Harvey will be back later.”
“He’s in a meeting with the mayor,” Will volunteered.
The guy scratched his head. “I just saw the mayor at Country Kitchen.”
“My mistake.” Nancy laughed nervously. “He was meeting with Brad Abbott.”
Mr. Krause looked confused. “Brad was having coffee with the mayor.”
“Then Harvey will return soon for sure.”
“I’ll stop back later.” Krause nodded to William and left the shop.
Nancy began unpacking a carton of canned goods.
“What’s going on?” Will demanded.
She ignored his question. “I’ll tell Harvey you were here.”
“Did Amos Koenig and Zachariah Beechy give Harvey money to invest?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She placed the cans on a nearby shelf.
“Both men invested money with Harvey, didn’t they, Nancy?”
She dropped one of the cans and turned toward him. Her eyes were wide, and her face was tight with worry. “You can’t prove anything, William.”
“You mean I can’t prove Harvey took money from unsuspecting Amish farmers.”
“He made good investments. They made money, until—”
“Until his investments went bad. Did Amos Koenig and Zachariah Beechy confront him when they realized he’d lost their money?”
“Of course not.” She tugged at her hair.
The woman was unraveling in front of him. “Nancy, I need to find Julianne. She’s with Harvey. Am I right?”
She nodded.
“Take me to them, and everything will be okay. I can help Harvey with the inve
stments. In fact, I have a large amount of cash he could invest for me. He’ll be able to pay off his debts and be in the black again.”
Her face brightened.
“I want to help,” he repeated. “But you need to take me to Harvey.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. Harvey will be relieved. You won’t have to worry anymore.” He glanced behind the counter. “Where are the keys to your car?”
“In my purse.” She rummaged in her handbag. “We’ll take my Highlander. It’s locked in the garage behind the store. Harvey never wants me to drive it, but he won’t mind today.”
“You lock your SUV in the garage?”
“Except when Harvey takes it for a spin at night.”
William’s chest tightened. “What color is your car?”
“It’s a white four-door.”
Good ol’ Harvey Jones, a man everyone liked, had driven the car that chased after Julianne the night she arrived home. The same car that had tried to push them off the mountain.
He took the keys out of Nancy’s hand. “I’ll drive. You can direct me.”
“Did you know Harvey’s family has a gold mine? He always wanted to strike it rich. Harvey says we’ll find our gold someday.”
Harvey would do anything to strike it rich. Even commit murder. William had to get to him in time or Julianne would be the next to die.
* * *
The road was treacherous and steep. William kept Nancy talking to calm her nerves as they drove up the mountain.
“Harvey wanted to help the Amish farmers,” she explained. “He told them he could grow their savings. He was thinking of their future and the well-being of their families.”
In Nancy’s warped mind, her husband was an altruist instead of a thief. All William could think of was the pain Harvey had caused and what he would do to Julianne.
“We both wanted to leave Anna with a sizable inheritance.” Nancy gazed out the window and rubbed her hand over the glass. “Sometimes I see her. Anna was such a pretty child.”
“How far are we from the mine?”
“The next road to the right.”
William made the turn Nancy indicated. The dirt road dead-ended at the mine. Julianne’s car was parked near the entrance.
