Material Witness

by Vannetta Chapman

  It attracted attention, drew more people to the area, and added to his list of crimes.

  Through the trees, Shane spotted Levi’s horses in the pasture. Then he glanced down and saw what he had hoped he wouldn’t see. He knelt on the path and checked, checked to be sure he wasn’t wrong.

  But he knew he wasn’t.

  The thin steady lines, approximately two feet apart, ran steady and true. They ran straight toward the pond, and there wasn’t much doubt in his mind as he hurried to catch up as to what they were.

  Marks, left by Aaron’s wheelchair.

  He shouldn’t have been surprised. The kids had told him where they were going — they’d been determined to confront Thomas — but Shane’s heart still sank. He ran faster, skidding to a stop when the pond came into view.

  As with every investigation, he was intensely aware that one mistake on his part could lead to someone’s death.

  His mind took it all in, everything in front of him, and his heart wanted to rush ahead, to take the lead. He pushed the urge back, took a knee, and forced his heart rate down.

  Silently he slung the rifle around to a shooting position and peered through the scope. There was the smallest of clicks as he released the safety, but the cry of a hawk covered it.

  Deborah stood in front of him on the trail, her hands bound behind her. As he watched, Martha crept forward and pulled Deborah off the trail and into the brush.

  Thomas never saw it. He was too busy prodding Callie forward, onto the dock that jutted out a good ten feet into the pond.

  Sunlight glittered off of Aaron’s wheelchair where he was positioned to Shane’s left, most of him hidden by tall grasses, trees, and Max’s fur.

  Where was Matthew?

  Shane didn’t doubt for a minute the boy was here. Considering the position of the other two, he guessed he’d be on the western shore of the pond, probably stationed behind the boulders. He scanned the pond’s shores through the rifle’s scope and found Matthew’s wool cap — not to the west but to the south, directly opposite Thomas.

  Thomas was still shouting at Callie, prodding her down the dock. He hadn’t noticed Deborah was gone yet, but he would.

  Shane gripped the rifle and stepped out onto the trail.

  Chapter 29

  DEBORAH HAD BEEN PRAYING the entire time she walked down the trail behind Callie.

  Then Levi’s barn had exploded, literally burst into the sky — boards, roof, and hay scattered into the air as if a tornado had come along and thrown it willy-nilly.

  Callie had stumbled, Deborah bumping into her.

  They stood there, pressed together, staring at the smoke rising above the tree line. The smell of fire filled the air.

  What was Thomas thinking? The place would be crawling with Amish folk in twenty minutes, families intent on putting out the blaze. Now he’d never escape.

  He’d pushed them on, and the pond had already come into view when Thomas stepped between them. He’d rammed the rifle into Callie’s back and told her to walk out onto the far end of the small wooden dock.

  When Thomas had looked at the quilt, Deborah had known they’d have to tell him something or he’d kill them where they stood outside the barn. Callie had diverted him to the pond, bought them a little time, but both Deborah and Callie knew there was no treasure in this pond. Now everything was coming to pieces.

  So Deborah continued praying.

  She reminded herself that God was in control, that he would provide a solution.

  And she kept her eyes open, watching for a chance to escape.

  When she felt small hands tugging on her arms, she thought she must be dreaming. But Martha’s eyes were so wide with fright, she knew it wasn’t her imagination. With her finger pressed to her lips, her daughter urged Deborah into the bushes.

  Martha had pulled the thick tape off Deborah’s hands and was rubbing the circulation back into her wrists.

  Deborah had a dozen questions, and there was no doubt she was going to punish her daughter for being here, but all of that would have to wait. As they watched, Shane stepped out onto the trail.

  At the same moment, Thomas began hollering at Callie and waving one arm in the air while he threatened her with the rifle.

  “What do you mean you don’t know where the treasure is? You brought me out here, Harper.”

  “And you were supposed to meet me at the abandoned farm.”

  “Where you had no intention of going. It’s a good thing Jolene put the tracker in your bag or I would be there — caught no doubt by the good detective — and you’d be here. Here finding the treasure that belongs to me.”

  “But we didn’t —”

  “Shut up! It didn’t work out like you planned. Now for the last time tell me where the money is!”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You do, and you’ll stop lying, or—”

  “She’s not lying, Thomas.”

  Thomas jerked around, toward Shane. When he did, he grabbed Callie by the throat, dropped his rifle, and pulled a knife out of his belt. It was such a fluid motion, Deborah wondered if it was something he practiced at home, like children practiced baseball swings.

  “How would you know?”

  “Because I told her to set up the decoy. Because there isn’t any treasure, and I think you know it, which is why this needs to end now.”

  “If that’s true, it’s going to end with her on the bottom of this pond.”

  “Doesn’t have to be that way.” Shane took a step toward Thomas, and Thomas tightened his grip on Callie’s neck.

  From where Deborah hid, she could see all the color leaving Callie’s face.

  “Give me my money, and I’ll leave. Then you can have the girl.” Thomas must have seen something on Shane’s face, because suddenly he was smiling. “Is that what you want detective? The girl? Well, she’s all yours. But not until I have what is mine.”

  “You can’t leave the way you came, Thomas. The place is crawling with police and plain folk. You just blew up your brother’s barn.”

  “Wasn’t an accident. It was a diversion. I’ll escape with what is mine while the other officers are dealing with the mess I left.”

  “That doesn’t bother you?”

  Deborah wondered why Shane was provoking him. Wasn’t his job to calm the man down?

  “Why should it? Even now they’ll be planning to build him another. By this time next week a grander one will stand in its place. I’ll waste no sympathy on Levi.”

  “Who is your sympathy for then? Mrs. Knepp? Jolene? Do you reserve it for the women you kill?”

  “Shut your mouth, Detective, or there will be one more name to add to that list. All I want is my money, then I’ll be on my way.” He swiftly cut the tape binding Callie’s hands, then replaced the blade at the base of her throat.

  “I’m freeing your hands so you can show me where the money is. No wrong moves or the blade will go into your pretty white skin.” Never taking his eyes off Callie, he added, “Detective, you need to drop the rifle and put your hands in the air. Now where’s the money, Harper?”

  When she still didn’t speak, Thomas allowed the blade of the knife to pierce Callie’s skin. A small trickle of blood made its way down her neck, and though she didn’t utter a single cry of pain, Shane did as Thomas instructed.

  “This is your last chance, Harper. We’re going to sidestep our way to the end of this dock, so I can keep an eye on the detective while you retrieve the money.” Thomas practically whispered the words into Callie’s ear, but Deborah could hear them clearly. It seemed the entire world should be able to hear them, for suddenly everything was quiet. Even the birds had ceased their racket. “I want the money, and I want it right now, or I’m going to bury this blade in your throat.”

  What happened next occurred so quickly Deborah didn’t understand it even though she was watching closely. Martha’s hands were clasped in hers, Thomas’ blade was pushed into Callie’s neck, and Shane was standing with hi
s hands up in a surrender position, his rifle on the ground at his feet.

  Then there was the sound of a bird flying through the trees, followed by a thud and a scream.

  Aaron knew the second Matt let the rock fly. He’d been staring at Thomas, refusing to be distracted by anything else that was going on around him, refusing to think about the smoke in the air from the burning barn.

  This was the man who had started the nightmare.

  The man who had stepped up behind Mrs. Knepp and sent her sprawling to her death in Callie’s parking lot.

  The man who had stared into his eyes on Thursday evening, then disappeared into the darkness.

  This was the man who had killed the woman, Jolene — killed her by holding her head under water in a barrel meant to be a game.

  Aaron knew Martha had pulled her mamm out of harm’s way. He knew it was Shane who was negotiating with Thomas, though he hadn’t turned to look at the man whom he had started referring to as The Law in his head.

  No, he kept his eyes locked and focused on Thomas, and he kept one hand on the top of Max’s head. The dog had begun trembling at the sight of Callie, but he hadn’t moved, hadn’t so much as whimpered. Did he realize a single sound could give away their presence? Could send the knife more deeply into his owner’s neck?

  Aaron kept his eyes locked on Thomas as all these terrible thoughts flew through his mind. He understood now Thomas had only one goal in mind.

  Money.

  It’s what he had been about from beginning to end.

  The pursuit of money.

  And nothing would stand in his way.

  Well, he wasn’t the only one who could remain focused on a single goal.

  Nothing would stand between Aaron and doing his job.

  So he concentrated on Thomas and waited for Matt to send the rock slinging through the air.

  When it hit with expert precision, blood splattered all over Miss Callie. Aaron didn’t have time to think about whether the blood was Thomas’ or Callie’s. He did as they had planned. He released Max and uttered the words, “Go, Max. Chase.”

  Max needed no urging.

  He flew through the air as fast as the rock had sailed from Matthew’s slingshot.

  He flew through the air, aiming directly for Thomas.

  Thomas had dropped the knife when his hand had been hit by the rock. He was screaming and cursing and trying to stop the flow of blood.

  Callie was running toward Shane, who was shouting: “Get down!”

  But there was nowhere to “get down” to, so she jumped into the pond with a splash.

  Aaron watched, fascinated and horrified, as Max took a final leap toward Thomas. Too late, the man looked up and saw the sixty-five-pound yellow Labrador sailing through the air toward him, teeth bared, a snarl coming from his throat so fierce it raised the hair on the back of Aaron’s neck.

  He rolled his chair forward in order to have a better look, and that was when he saw Shane stoop, pick up his rifle, and aim it toward Thomas.

  “No!” Aaron hollered, afraid Shane would miss and hit Max.

  But Shane had no intention of firing the rifle. He checked it once to ensure a bullet was in the chamber, then walked down the wooden dock, his boots echoing across the planks.

  Thomas was lying on his back, clutching his hand to his chest, blood soaking his shirt, and Max stood on top of him — teeth bared in his face, barking and growling more furiously than Aaron had ever heard him.

  “Get him off me. Can’t you see I’m bleeding? Get this mutt off me.”

  Shane said nothing to Thomas. He did reach down and pull Callie out of the water.

  Chapter 30

  SATURDAY MORNING Melinda stood in the October afternoon sunshine, looking up at the frame of the new barn. It was literally crawling with men, all of whom had been there since sunrise.

  “This is my third barn raising, and I’m still not used to the sight.” Callie placed her casserole on the table, pushing it in between the other dishes.

  “I can’t count how many I’ve seen.” Melinda turned and smiled at Callie. “I suppose it will always surprise me how quickly they can work to build what is needed.”

  “How are the boys?” Callie asked.

  “Gut. Noah and the bishop are meeting with them once a week. Though we are glad they were there to help catch Thomas, we want them to understand the seriousness of their actions. We are a peaceful people, and what they did was not in accordance with our teachings.”

  Melinda reached out and touched the small row of stitches above Callie’s right eyebrow. Her fingers brushed lightly over the bump. When Callie winced, she pulled her hand away. “Sorry. It still hurts?”

  “Not much. Mainly my pride was bruised. To survive Thomas’

  threats, rifle-waving, and his knife, only to hit my head on the side of the dock …” She shook her head. “I’ve always been a klutz.”

  “Careful, Callie. That’s my girlfriend you’re talking about.” Shane slipped an arm around Callie’s waist, and Melinda watched her blush a deeper red than the bandana she’d tied around Max’s neck.

  It seemed to Melinda they made a lovely couple. She also thought Callie could use someone to look after her. Shane Black might be the perfect man for the job, and it was plain from the look in his eyes that he was more than willing to dedicate himself to the responsibility.

  “Sorry I couldn’t be here sooner. I wanted to ride along when Thomas was transferred.”

  “He’s in Fort Wayne now?” Callie pushed her hair behind her ears.

  “Yeah. Adalyn was making sure he was situated well.”

  Deborah, Esther, Trent, and Gavin joined them as Shane caught everyone up. “Since Thomas accepted the plea bargain, his case will be heard more quickly, but it’s still going to be six months to a year before we know exactly what the terms of his incarceration are.”

  “Why so long?” Melinda asked.

  “Two separate cases — one for Mrs. Knepp, the other for Jolene Dowden.”

  “Why did he kill Jolene, Shane? Do you know anything more about their relationship?” A frown creased Deborah’s forehead.

  “They’d been sharing an apartment for some time. Neighbors we’ve interviewed say they fought often, but as to why he chose to kill her that day during the festival … we may never know. He hasn’t said so far. He is now under a physician’s care in the prison system, which includes a complete psychiatric evaluation. Perhaps we’ll know eventually.”

  “And Jolene’s parents?” Callie reached down for Max.

  “We were able to contact them. Jolene ran away years ago. Her parents weren’t even aware she was in Indiana.”

  They were all silent as they considered the two women who had lost their lives. Finally Trent raised his camera and clicked a photo of the barn raising. When everyone gave him a critical look, he said, “What? Oh, the camera.”

  Melinda stared down at the table, but Callie socked him in the shoulder.

  “Ouch! Why did you do that?”

  “Amish. No pictures. You know the drill.”

  “Oh. That. I’m doing a follow-up story on Thomas, and the destruction of Levi’s barn is another charge Thomas will have to answer for.”

  “Nope. Levi isn’t pressing charges.” Shane pulled down on his Cubs cap.

  “I’m not surprised,” Deborah said. “He always held out hope for his bruder — hope that he would return to the plain ways, that he would come home.”

  She returned Joshua’s hug as he ran up and threw himself around her legs. Then he was off again, running after the older children. “Is Levi still in Fort Wayne?”

  “He is. After all Thomas did — the murders, blowing up his barn, trying to take all the money … Well, Levi said we all have regrets. He wouldn’t leave until Adalyn did.” Shane shrugged. “He should be here any minute. Visiting hours end early on Saturdays.”

  The image of Levi ministering to his brother sank in around them as the sound of hammers nailing board
s filled the air.

  Finally Trent asked the question that had occurred to Melinda more than once. “What about the money?”

  Everyone turned to stare at him.

  “I know, it’s a crazy thing to ask, but what about the money Thomas was after? Or was that something he made up? Was there a treasure?”

  Esther, Melinda, and Deborah shared a look — a look that Callie pounced on.

  “What is it? Did you figure out the last piece of the puzzle?”

  “Why would you say that?” Melinda murmured, moving to the tables and straightening the long line of dishes.

  “Oh, I’ve seen that unspoken language thing between you before. Shane, interrogate them. Make them tell us.”

  Shane laughed and pulled her closer. “Can’t we eat dinner first? I’m starved.”

  They did eat dinner first. Levi arrived and sat with his wife, Sadie, at the middle of the table. After the meal, men gathered up their tools and promised Levi they would return on Monday to finish the barn. Women picked up their dishes and pulled Sadie into a hug. The words danki and gern gschehne were passed back and forth dozens of times, like a blanket of blessings wrapped around a family of friends.

  By then evening had fallen.

  And all who remained were Sadie, Levi, and a few of their grandchildren, who were upstairs preparing for bed. Melinda had heard the children ask their parents for permission to spend the night with their grandparents. It was a conversation repeated in many Amish homes on Saturday evenings.

  Downstairs, Melinda, Esther, and Deborah sat on one side of the table — their own children taken home by their husbands. Gavin and Shane sat on the other with Callie between them. Max waited outside on the porch, curled contentedly near the door.

  Sadie and Levi sat beside each other at the end of the table, looking tired and confused.

  Melinda wondered if they should have waited, but the three women had agreed this was best. They had agreed the quilts’ story would be revealed this evening.

  “We know you’re all tired,” Melinda began. “But the three of us —”

  She looked to her right, to Deborah, who smiled encouragement, then to her left, to Esther, who reached for her hand and squeezed it tight.