Undercover Amish (Covert Police Detectives Unit Series Book 1)

by Ashley Emma

  “You’re right. Everything does happen for a reason. But I still can’t believe Ian was the arsonist who killed your family. What happened that night?” Isaac asked gently. When she didn’t respond right away, he said, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

  She looked at him again. “No, I’ll tell you. That was the night I sneaked out to see you. I threw pebbles at your window, remember? We talked for a while as I stood outside your window, then I ran back home. When I got there, the house was overtaken by flames. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to rescue them, but I knew I couldn’t. It was too late. Then I saw a shadow moving, and I saw Ian. He was wearing an angry clown mask. We looked at each other, then he walked away. He could have killed me, but he just watched me watch my house burn down. He took away everything I loved.” One tear spilled over onto her cheek.

  Isaac stopped walking, so Liv did too. They stood in front of the woods, away from the houses.

  “But you got through it somehow.” He stared at her a moment, in what looked like awe. “You know, Liv, you are the strongest person I have ever met. No matter what you face, you remain strong.”

  Liv smiled shyly, blushing. “Thanks, Isaac.”

  She could tell he meant it as she looked up into his green eyes, glowing with what she knew was love for her. She felt so unworthy of his love, but she knew he’d insist on the contrary.

  The truth was, she loved him so much it hurt. She couldn’t have ever lied about that. She reached up, touched his face, and smiled. Liv didn’t think about leaving, or the case. Just Isaac, here and now in this moment together.

  He covered her hand with his and whispered, “I love you.”

  Her heart twisted in agony because she couldn’t stay. But she ignored that fact, too.

  If all she had was right now, she’d regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t kiss him.

  He stared at her, and for a moment she wondered if he could see inside her mind. She looked into those green eyes again, unable to look away even if she wanted to. She thought of every moment they had ever spent together, from their dating days as teens, to the day she had gone to him after killing Jake, and all of the time they had spent together since she had returned. No one had ever been there for her like Isaac had.

  “Liv, please. Kiss me.”

  She grabbed his suspenders and brought her lips up to his. He wrapped his arms around her, then he pulled away after a moment, but she pulled him right back. Joy, excitement, and longing filled her. The world slipped away and all that was left was the two of them. Nothing else mattered. She reached up and grabbed a fistful of his wavy hair and took in a deep breath, finally leaning back to look at his face.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he stammered, turning red. “We aren’t supposed to kiss until marriage.”

  “Oh… Right.” Embarrassment colored her cheeks. What had she been thinking? Kissing Isaac was not part of the job description.

  “Look, I’d love to kiss you again, but we can’t. Not just because it is against the Ordnung. I personally believe that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, as it says in the Bible, and that we are to keep ourselves completely pure until marriage. Okay? That means no kissing.”

  She sighed. She had grown up on the same principles. Besides, she really shouldn’t be kissing him when she would only have to leave soon. She would only become more attached to him, making it harder for the both of them when she left.

  Who was she kidding? Liv was already very attached to him.

  “You’re totally right, Isaac. I’m sorry, too.”

  “It’s okay. We just have to be more careful.

  “Listen,” he said as they continued to walk. “I haven’t really been able to talk to you much about your faith. I know you are considering staying here, but what about your faith? If you did leave, would you at least remain Christian?”

  Guilt stabbed through Liv when she remembered she had lied to Isaac when she told him she was considering staying. She had had to in order to get him to help her.

  “Well, if I did leave I would definitely still want to be Christian,” she said, telling the truth. “I miss the close relationship I used to have with God. But I’m not sure if I can ever get that back.”

  “Sure you can.”

  “Isaac, I’ve killed people,” she blurted. “I had to shoot kidnappers and murderers while doing my job, but it was always in protection of myself or others. I know God says not to murder, and I don’t think that is considered murder if they were threatening lives, but do you think He thinks it is?”

  “I don’t think so. But either way, God will forgive you if you ask Him.” Isaac squeezed her hand.

  Liv had expected Isaac to shrink back at her confession, but he remained by her side. Nothing seemed to fluster him.

  “Well, I have done a good job of ignoring Him all these years,” she muttered.

  “Come on, Liv. You know God still loves you and wants you back. You’ve just got to repent and start reading your Bible and praying again. That’s how you’ll get close to Him.” Isaac gave her a gentle smile, his thumb drawing circles on her hand.

  “I know,” she sighed. “But sometimes I feel awkward praying or reading the Bible. Like I’m unworthy.”

  “Well, you’re right. We are unworthy of God’s love. But don’t feel awkward talking to Him. He loves you more than you will ever know. It might only be awkward at first.”

  “You’re right, Isaac. You’re absolutely right.” She looked out into the fields again. “I’m going to start reading my Bible and praying again.”

  As they continued walking, they approached the Sullivan’s house. Liv peered closer.

  “Look, Isaac!”

  The word help was written on the basement window again.

  “I have to go in there. Someone inside needs help.” Liv bolted toward the house, Isaac following close behind.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Liv ran to the Sullivan’s driveway and their barn as Isaac continued to follow her.

  “Diana and Samuel aren’t home. Their buggy is gone.” Liv ran around the back and opened the backdoor. It was unlocked, of course. No one in the community locked their doors. “You should stay here.”

  “What? No. I can help you. I’m coming with you. And don’t you need a search warrant or something?” Isaac asked.

  “Not if someone is in imminent danger. It’s called exigent circumstances. That writing on the window tells me someone needs immediate help.” Liv walked inside, opened the basement door and went down the stairs.

  “Okay, now let’s look for some type of lever or secret door. Sometimes it can be hidden behind something like furniture. One time I found one underneath a washing machine,” Liv whispered, starting to feel along the cement walls for cracks.

  Isaac nodded then started searching. For several minutes they felt along every wall, looked behind every box or piece of furniture.

  Liv sighed. “Maybe I was wrong.”

  “No, don’t give up yet. We’re already here. Let’s keep looking. He might have hidden it really well.” He approached the wood pile and looked behind the stacks of wood, his hands grazing over the roughness of the wood.

  Something in his mind twitched, a flash of a memory appearing for a moment. The feeling of the rough, splintery wood in his hands came back to him as he had stacked it here.

  With Samuel’s voice in the background.

  Instantly Isaac knew he had been here recently. He reached up to his head and felt the bump that was still there. Had he gotten injured here?

  Simultaneously, like water flowing from several streams into the ocean, the memories of his attack came rushing in.

  He had been talking and laughing with Samuel, helping him stack the wood. Isaac dropped a piece and bent over, retrieving it. That was when the lever had been pushed down by the wood, lever that blended in so well with the stacks of firewood. Then sharp pain had rattled the back of his skull and knocked him to the floor.

/>   Samuel had knocked him out with a piece of firewood.

  “Liv!” he whispered, calling her over. He told her about his memories.

  “That was why they found traces of wood in your head!” She kept her voice low. “Do you remember where the lever is?”

  Isaac felt around, poking around with his flashlight.

  There it was.

  A concealed wooden lever which could easily be mistaken for a piece of firewood in the stack.

  They looked at each other, then Isaac pushed it down. The rectangle shape of a door appeared, something they never would have noticed before. A secret door, hiding who knows what—or who.

  Liv stepped forward gingerly, seeing a light on in the secret room which instantly was turned off. She raised her gun and swept the room.

  “Police. Who is in there?”

  There was no answer, but there was a shuffling noise. There was a small bed, a toilet, a dresser, and a desk in the corner.

  A thin, pale young woman cowered there, shaking in fear.

  A thousand questions clamored in Liv’s mind. She had been right. But why was this woman locked in here? “What is your name?”

  “You saw what I wrote on the window?”

  “Yes. That’s why we’re here. To get you out.”

  “I thought I wanted to escape, but I’m too afraid. You should go,” the woman said, hiding behind the dresser in the corner. “Please. Just go. And don’t tell anyone I’m here.”

  “No. I can’t do that. My name is Olivia Mast, and I’m an undercover police detective. This is Isaac Troyer. He lives in this community. Now, I need to know your name.”

  The woman only stared at her, trembling.

  “Your name,” Liv said, firmer this time. “Tell me now.”

  “My name…” The woman spoke barely above a whisper. “My name is Ava Sullivan.”

  “Ava?” Isaac and Liv both whispered in unison.

  “Everyone thinks you’re dead,” Liv told her, shaking her head. There was so much to tell this woman, and so much to ask her, but they only had a few minutes. “Why are you down here?”

  “Really, you can’t be down here. If Samuel finds out, it will be very bad,” she stammered, pushing her blonde hair out of her brown eyes. “My mother and brother went out to run errands but they could be back any minute.”

  Ava did look a little like an older version of Jill Johnson. A thin, pale, timid, older version. And she also resembled Liv’s deceased little sister, Beth.

  Liv pushed those thoughts from her mind. “Look, I won’t let Samuel hurt you ever again. Please, just tell us why you are down here. So you wrote help on the window today and the other day?”

  “Yes. Sometimes they let me out into that room for a little while. Sometimes I write help on the window, but no one has ever seen it or done anything about it…until now. I did it the other day too, but then I got afraid Samuel would see it so I wiped it off after a little bit.”

  “I saw it. That’s the reason why we came. Who kept you down here? Was it your parents and Samuel?” Liv asked.

  Ava nodded slowly. “My father put me down here when I was little. My mother always knew, and Samuel has known since my father died.”

  Liv went into the other room and quickly used her cell phone to call her captain. He was sending them backup to arrest Diana and Samuel.

  “Look, I know we have so much more to talk about. But it’s not safe for us to stay here with your mother and brother possibly coming home any minutee. We need to get you out now, okay?” Liv reached out her hand. As she walked closer to Ava, she noticed neat stacks of paper covered in writing. One of the top pages said Freedom: a novel by Ava Sullivan. Another stack had a paper on top of that one saying The Queen’s Secret: a novel by Ava Sullivan. There were a few more stacks that Liv guessed were manuscripts as well.

  Well. Ava certainly had been busy during her time down here.

  Ava darted back to the corner like a threatened mouse. “No! Samuel will find out! He’ll be so angry! He’ll hurt me, and probably you too.”

  “I told you, we won’t let him hurt you.”

  “No. I can’t go with you!”

  A door upstairs opened. Boom boom boom. Samuel’s footsteps pounded upstairs, resonating through the basement.

  “They are home!” Ava whispered.

  “Come on. We have to go right now. You’ll be safe with us.” Isaac stepped sideways to get closer to her. He bumped into a table with a metal bin on top of it which promptly fell on the concrete floor with a crashing bang.

  Liv winced. “What, are you trying to wake up the dead? Let’s go. Now.”

  “He heard us. Come on, Ava,” Liv urged and beckoned for Ava to come.

  “I can’t!” she cried, keeping a hand on the cold wall.

  “This may be your only chance of escape!” Isaac backed out of the room.

  Liv ran to the side of the stairs, planning to knock Samuel out once he ran by her.

  “Get her out of here!” Liv told Isaac.

  “She won’t come,” Isaac cried, trying to coax Ava out of the room.

  “Throw her over your shoulder, drag her, carry her, I don’t care. Just get her out!”

  The cellar door flung open and Samuel bounded down the steps. “Who is down there?” he yelled. Once Samuel was past her, Liv lunged at him, trying to knock him out with the edge of her .45, but he darted away and she missed. He threw a punch at her, and she dodged it, spinning around into a roundhouse kick, her foot hitting his side.

  He stumbled, then saw Isaac. Samuel turned and jumped on top of Isaac, tackling him to the floor.

  “I told you to stay away from here!” Samuel shouted, punching Isaac in the face.

  “No!” Liv screamed, trying to kick Samuel off Isaac. Isaac fought Samuel back, but he was no match for the angry criminal.

  Liv pushed Samuel, and he lost his balance. That was when Liv brought the gun down on his head as hard as she could, knocking him out. He crumpled to the floor, and Liv pulled out one of two pairs of handcuffs that she had attached to her holster and handcuffed him.

  “The police should be here any second,” Liv said, seeing Ava standing in the doorway. “I called them.”

  “What about Mamm?” Ava asked.

  As if on cue, Diana ran down the steps. “Samuel? Samuel!”

  Diana looked at Samuel slumped against the wall, Ava standing in the doorway, Isaac watching, and then Diana’s eyes fell on Liv and her gun.

  “What did you do?” she screamed, raging towards Liv. Diana struck out at her, but Liv blocked it, firmly grabbing Diana’s arms and pulling them behind her back, snapping another pair of handcuffs onto them. She had brought two, suspecting both Diana and Samuel were guilty.

  Liv said, “Diana Sullivan, you are under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law—”

  “No! You can’t do this. I was protecting her!” Diana shouted, trying to wriggle free, but Isaac came and helped Liv hold her still.

  Liv finished reciting her Miranda rights. “Diana, I am a detective from Covert Police Detectives Unit. And yes, I can do this. What you didn’t have the right to do was hold your daughter captive here for almost her entire life.”

  Diana’s eyes darted back and forth between the only two children she had left. Liv watched as Diana realized she and Samuel would go to prison and Ava would be set free.

  Diana whipped her head around to face Liv and cried out, “You took all my children away from me!” She let out a scream of frustration, then collapsed to the floor.

  Liv knelt down next to Diana and whispered, “I know you were a victim of the abuse from your husband as I was a victim of Jake’s abuse, even though you denied it. You went through the same thing I did. You and I have a lot in common. But I would never, ever hurt someone else on purpose like you hurt Ava. I was defending my own life when Jake died. You stole years from Ava when you could have set her free, and there is no excuse for that.”

  �
��But we would have gone to prison!”

  “And now you are.” Liv stood up and looked out the window to see flashing red and blue lights from the police officers responding to her call for backup. Officers stormed into the building and led Samuel and Diana away.

  Ava watched as the commotion died down, silently standing in the doorway. Liv and Isaac stood by her.

  “Ready to go?” Liv held out her hand to Ava. Who knew what she had been through these past two decades of her life?

  Ava’s soft brown eyes fell on Liv’s outstretched hand offering freedom. Would Ava be brave enough to take it?

  Liv grinned, feeling an overflowing joy as Ava took her hand. She led her outside, Isaac close behind.

  As they stepped out of the house and onto the grass, Ava shielded her eyes from the setting sun. She probably hadn’t seen sunlight in so long.

  “You’re very brave, Ava.”

  Ava just looked around wildly at all of the fields, trees, and farms, taking it all in. Liv couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling. Happy? Excited? Afraid? Overwhelmed?

  Several families had heard the police sirens and had crowded around outside to see what all the ruckus was about. When they saw Liv walking Ava out of the house, several people gasped.

  “That’s Ava Sullivan!” a woman shouted, recognizing her. “She’s alive!”

  More people gathered around, all asking questions and talking amongst themselves. Liv, Isaac, and Ava watched as Samuel and Diana were taken away in police cars.

  “I can’t believe this is finally all over,” Ava said quietly.

  “Ava, you may have to testify in court about this.”

  Ava gave her a timid look. “Testify? Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly.”

  “You’re a lot stronger than you think. I can tell,” Liv told her. “So, why did they keep you down there all those years? What happened?”

  “Well, it all started the day my father tried to kill my mother. I saw him try to choke her. I walked in on it. I was maybe five or six, and they were afraid I would tell someone. So my father came up with a plan. He brought us kids to the pond to swim, then left us there, telling Ian he was in charge of watching me because he was the oldest. Then, while my brothers were playing a game with their friends and not paying attention, my father came back and snatched me away, telling me he’d hurt me if I made a noise. So I let him hide me away.” Ava sighed and looked at the ground. “I couldn’t fight him.”