Simple Deceit (The Harmony Series 2)
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At that moment several things happened at once. Mary shouted, “No!” and stood to her feet. Eric pointed his gun at her, and I heard a gunshot. But instead of seeing Mary take a bullet, I watched a slow stain of blood spread across Eric’s chest as he fell to the ground.
Chapter Seventeen
Sam reached for another hot muffin. “I feel like a fool,” he said. “I should have realized Eric was up to no good.” He put the hot muffin on his plate next to the sausage and cheese omelet Jessica had just delivered to the table. “I thought the only thing he had his eye on was you.”
I shook my head. “I guess I’m not as irresistible as you thought. Turns out my land was my best asset in Eric’s eyes.”
“This whole thing is my fault,” Grant said. “I should have realized something was wrong with that guy. When Eric first came to me, he said I’d been recommended to him, but he didn’t seem to know any of our clients. I should have pressed him, but I didn’t. I realize now he only looked me up so he could get to you.”
“Mary told him about you, Grant. You had no way of knowing what Eric was up to. And you have nothing to feel bad about. Eric fooled everyone. He and Mary are the only people at fault. They’re the ones who chose a path of deceit.”
“Well, Eric will have a long time to think about his choices in prison.” Sheriff Taylor stuck a mouthful of Hector’s banana pancakes in his mouth.
“I sure was wrong about you,” Sweetie said to the sheriff. “Here I thought you were a meddlin’ busybody, and it turns out you was keepin’ an eye on those two rattlesnakes all the time.” She cut off a piece of sausage and held it up to her mouth. “But how’d you know they was up to no good?”
Pat swallowed his food and wiped his mouth. “I heard rumors about Eric Beck from several sources—that he was working with a group of very questionable people and that he had his sights set on this area. I didn’t know Harmony was the target at first, but after following him around some, his motives became pretty clear. I did some research on him and found his high school records. I saw that Mary Whittenbauer had gone to the same school. I started hanging around here, keeping an eye on both of them. When I heard her act like she’d never met him before, I knew they were in on it together.”
“That’s why you was near the orchards the night of the fire. You was watchin’ Eric,” Sweetie said. “You mighta saved Gracie’s life.”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what he was going to do at the time. I figured he wouldn’t risk another murder. I was sure wrong about that.” He scooped up a big forkful of scrambled eggs. “I did try to protect Sam and Gracie by telling that Mennonite pastor I was watching Sam’s place after the fire so Mary would hear me and carry the information back to her partner. I just didn’t count on Eric confronting Gracie here. Good thing Sam told me you were having dinner with Mary Monday night,” he said to me. “I followed you and snuck into the back.” He shook his head. “No one locks their doors in this town. Strangest thing I’ve ever seen. Glad the back door was open that night, though. I almost waited too long.”
“Yeah. Thanks for delaying until the very last second to waltz in and shoot Eric,” I said. “Made everything much more exciting.”
The sheriff grunted and stuck the eggs in his mouth.
“And by the way, just what were you doing behind my house with a flashlight?” I asked.
He chased the eggs down with a mouthful of coffee. “Just following Eric. He’d been out there earlier in the day. I think he was just sizing up your property, trying to figure out how many trees they’d need to clear out for their resort.”
“That explains why he knew just where my driveway was even though it was covered with snow. And he was aware that I own thirty acres. I’d never told him that. Wish I would have put two and two together a little sooner.”
“None of those comments caught your attention because you never suspected Eric was up to anything,” Sam said. “I was suspicious of him, but not for the right reasons. I was too busy being jealous to realize what was really going on.”
“I guess you’re right,” I said. “But now I can see all the clues I missed. Mary’s mention of fishing and swimming and Eric’s comment about Rand making money ‘free and clear’ from the sale of his property. Eric would have known there was a mortgage on that land if he was really going to buy it.” I shook my head. “And that stupid story about his supposed ex-girlfriend. He concocted that to make me unsure of our relationship. To make me doubt you.” I reached over and took Sam’s hand. “I’ll never allow anyone to come between us like that again.” I laughed lightly. “Of course, the biggest clue I missed wasn’t anything natural. It was spiritual.”
“What do you mean?” Grant asked.
“When an old Mennonite woman told me she had ‘a stirring inside my spirit that tells me something is wrong,’ I should have listened. Ida was right all along. Next time something stirs inside her, I will be the first person in line to pay attention.”
“Pat, when did you suspect Eric had killed Rand?” Sam asked.
“Right away. I wish I’d seen that comin’. I’d like to have prevented it. In the end, all I could do was get the body to the coroner as quickly as possible so he could back up my suspicions. After he got a chance to look closely at him, he discovered that Rand had been asphyxiated before he was dumped in the snow. I knew Eric was responsible, but I still had no direct evidence.” He shook his head. “I’m just sorry things got so serious before I was able to prove his guilt.”
I grunted. “No one’s as sorry as I am. I think I lost about ten years of my life that night in the restaurant. Thank God you came in when you did. I thought Eric was going to shoot Mary—or me.”
“Unfortunately, he almost did.”
“So he’ll recover completely?” Sam asked.
Pat chuckled. “Yes, but I doubt he’ll be able to use that right arm to hold a gun for a long, long time.”
“And what about Mary?” Sweetie asked. “Is she goin’ to jail?”
“I think she’ll get a deal from the prosecutor for turning state’s evidence. Whether or not she gets jail time or probation… I just don’t know. But I don’t think she’ll be back here anytime soon—if ever. Turning the restaurant over to Hector seems pretty final.”
I agreed with him that we’d probably seen the last of Mary, but in an odd way, I felt some pity for her. She’d been stupid and careless, but she almost died in an attempt to save my life. The notion that all this time she’d hated me because of Sam made me sad. Shows what unforgiveness and deception can do. Mary’s life would never be the same. Learning a lesson from the tragic results of the last few days forced me to forgive her—and Eric—as quickly as I could. I didn’t want the same kind of poison festering inside my soul.
“More coffee?” Jessica’s smile was evidence that her life was improving. Her daughter, Trinity, was at home with her grandmother. She’d taken a job working at the restaurant after deciding she didn’t want to go back to school. I wasn’t certain it was the best decision, but Jessica didn’t want to face the boy who had taken advantage of her insecurity and then pushed her away when she became pregnant. At least for now, she had a place to work and a loving environment at home.
Sweetie held up her cup. “I’ll take some more. Hector makes a good cup of coffee. Not as good as mine, but it comes pretty close.”
“I’m glad you like it,” she said. She filled Sweetie’s cup and warmed up everyone else’s.
“Thank you, Jessica,” I said with a smile.
“Actually, it’s Jessie,” she responded. “I—I decided I want to be called Jessie from now on.”
“I like it,” I said. “Jessie it is.”
She twirled around and headed toward another table. A new name for a new person. It was a good sign.
I gazed around the room. The restaurant was full. Mary’s Kitchen would continue but with Hector at the helm. Running the restaurant was the answer to his prayers. Several of the town’s women were helpi
ng Carmen stay in bed by doing her housework and caring for her children, and now the Ramirezes wouldn’t have to worry about paying the bills.
“I’m still worried about that casino,” Sweetie said, her mouth full of scrambled eggs. “What’s gonna happen with that?”
Pat chuckled. “Let’s just say that our county government is going through a thorough housecleaning. Everyone involved with Eric’s shady group is being shoved out of office. Several will be prosecuted for taking bribes. I don’t think anyone will be talking about a casino in this area for a long, long time.”
“Well then, everything turned out all right, didn’t it?” She stabbed another sausage and happily stuffed it in her mouth.
“I guess it did,” he replied.
The sheriff finished his breakfast and stood to his feet. “Thanks for askin’ me to eat with you folks. I enjoyed it. But it’s time for me to head back to the office. I’ve neglected it way too long chasin’ after this case.”
Sam stood up and held out his hand. “Thanks for everything, Sheriff. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“Happy to help. Y’all take care now.”
I grabbed my coat. “Wait a minute, Sheriff. I’ll walk out with you.”
Sam gave me an odd look, but I smiled and motioned for him to sit down. I had something to talk to Pat about that couldn’t wait. He held the door open for me, and I stepped out into a cold but sunny day. The roads had improved greatly, although snow still covered everything else. When we got to his car, the sheriff turned to me.
“Did you walk me out here because you think I’m too old to make it alone, or did you have another agenda? You’ve thanked me enough for a while.”
I leaned against his truck and stared at him. “Well, I have a question, Sheriff. Just when do you intend to tell Sam the truth?”
He eyed me suspiciously. “Tell him the truth about what?”
I wrapped my arms around myself to stave off the cold. “The night I drove your truck from the orchard to the house, I went through your glove compartment. I was looking for evidence because I suspected you were the person who’d knocked me out.” I waited for his reaction, but his expression didn’t change. “I saw the picture. At first I didn’t recognize the people, but the boy seemed so familiar. It kept bothering me. And then a couple of days ago I remembered something you said to me when you pulled my car over on the way to Harmony. You mentioned blood ties. Finally everything clicked.”
He stared past me. “And what was it that clicked, Gracie?”
“You’re Sam’s father.”
He didn’t say anything, just kept looking at something over my shoulder.
“That’s why you started hanging around, asking questions right after you took office. It’s also why you kept such a close eye on us throughout this whole ordeal. You were protecting your son. Actually, I should have figured it out sooner. When you pulled me over on the way to Harmony, probably so you could check me out to see if I was someone you wanted in Sam’s life, you made that strange comment about blood ties. You were talking about yours and Sam’s.”
Finally he met my gaze. I detected a shadow of apprehension in his eyes. “I didn’t know about him until two years ago. Bernie found me in Colorado. It wasn’t hard. I was the sheriff of a much larger area than this. She was sick. Real sick. She told me about Sam and gave me that picture. Then she told me where he was. Not long after that, I found out Morris County needed a sheriff because theirs had quit. I offered to fill in until a new sheriff was elected. Luckily, I won the election.”
“I can’t keep this from Sam for long, you know. If he finds out I knew and didn’t tell him… Well, I can’t take that chance. One thing I’ve learned since coming to Harmony is that secrets don’t keep here. Eventually the truth comes out. It would be best if you told him yourself, though. And soon.”
He nodded. “I know. But give me a little time, please. I want him to trust me before I tell him who I am.”
I patted his arm. “You saved my life, you know. I don’t think there’s much more you can do to get on his good side.”
He grunted. “I’ll tell you what. If you’ll keep my secret for a while, I’ll tell you one. And trust me, you really want to know this.”
“Okay. As long as you realize I won’t wait too long.”
He stuck his hand out. “Agreed.”
I shook it. “Okay, so what’s the secret?”
“I ran into Sam yesterday in Council Grove. He was coming out of Meyer’s Fine Jewelry.” He grinned at me. “He had a little black box in his hand and a great big smile on his face.”
He tipped his hat and started toward his car. But before he opened the door, he turned around and looked at me. “By the way, you’re right,” he said. “I was checking you out that day on the road to Harmony. Just so you know, you passed.” With that, he got in his car and took off.
I stood there and watched him drive away. I’d meant what I said about secrets. I’d had to tell Sam that Eric had kissed me, and that I’d told him about Sam’s mother. It wasn’t easy to confess, but I knew if we had a future together, he needed to know. He not only understood; he blamed himself for putting me in a situation where I felt I had no one to talk to. I think I fell in love with him even more at that moment—if it’s even possible. I’d keep Pat’s secret for a while. I owed them a chance to work it out. I prayed Sam’s decision to let go of the pain from his past would allow him to open his heart to his father.
Cora Crandall called out my name, and I waved to the three of them as they went into the restaurant to meet with Grant. I looked across the street to see Molasses hitched to Gabe and Sarah’s buggy, waiting to take her owners home. All in all, Harmony was back to normal.
Hopefully things would stay quiet for a while. I’d learned something important over the last few days. Just because a storm comes, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve stepped out of God’s will. It just means you have to find the rock God sends to hold you up. I had no doubt I was exactly where I was supposed to be. For a while I’d looked at the storm. From now on, I intended to keep my eyes on the Rock.
I looked up as the sun poked its head from behind the clouds that had covered Harmony for quite some time. Today promised to be a beautiful day. Sam had asked me to dinner at a very nice restaurant in Topeka. He said he had something important to ask me. I headed into Mary’s with a smile on my face. Yes, today certainly promised to be an exceptionally beautiful day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nancy Mehl is the author of six novels, one of which, For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls, won the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Award in Mystery. Her new Harmony Series takes her a step away from the mystery genre she’s used to and into romantic suspense. “This series is a little different for me,” she says. “But that element of mystery has followed me to Harmony. I hope mystery readers will find a little something for them in this new venture. It has been so much fun creating the town of Harmony and getting to know the Mennonite people a little better. I hope I’ve done justice to their wonderful legacy and incredible spirit.”
Nancy lives in Kansas with her husband, Norman; their son, Danny; and a puggle named Watson. She spends her extra time with her volunteer group, Wichita Homebound Outreach.
Nancy’s Web site is www.nancymehl.com, and you can find her blog at www.nancymehl.blogspot.com. She loves to hear from her readers.
OTHER BOOKS BY NANCY MEHL
THE HARMONY SERIES
Simple Secrets
HOMETOWN MYSTERIES
Missing Mabel
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirtee
n
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
OTHER BOOKS BY NANCY MEHL