Abandon the Dark

by Marta Perry

  “Where did they go?”

  “Maybe around the house,” Rachel said, hurrying on to the far side, where a gravel drive led from the back yard to the road in front.

  Lainey joined her, staring uselessly at the empty drive and beyond it at the deserted street. “How could they disappear so fast?”

  Rachel shook her head. “If it was a kid, I suppose he threw the rock or whatever it was and then ran. But this is unheard of in Deer Run. Nobody would break Rebecca’s window. People love her.”

  “Somebody did.” Lainey spun, scanning the area back toward the dam again. “Do you suppose they could have gotten out of sight in the woods that quickly?”

  She took one step in the direction of the path behind Meredith’s house, but Rachel grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t.”

  Lainey stared at her in surprise, and Rachel’s color heightened.

  “Sorry. But I don’t see how anyone could have gotten that far without our seeing them. And the dam...”

  “Has some negative connections for you, obviously.” A shiver moved across Lainey’s skin. Apparently she wasn’t immune to that feeling. “Well, I guess I’d better go in and check on the damage.”

  “We can probably fit some cardboard over the window for tonight,” Rachel said, seeming automatically to include herself in the problem. “I’ll send my brother over to repair it properly tomorrow.”

  “I can call a repairman....” Lainey began, but Rachel shook her head.

  “Nonsense. What are neighbors for? Anyone in town would do that for Rebecca.”

  Lainey fished out the key ring and let them in the back door. As she moved to turn on the lamp over the table, the glass crunched underfoot.

  “A rock,” Rebecca said, stating the obvious. They both stared at the jagged, golf-ball-size stone that lay on the floor. “It could have been picked up anywhere.”

  “Like the creek, for instance?” Lainey said.

  “I suppose.” Rachel went to the closet and fetched a broom and dustpan. “I think you’ll find a few cardboard boxes in the hall closet. Rebecca usually kept some there.”

  They worked together silently, disposing of the broken glass and patching the hole with a square of cardboard.

  “There,” Rachel said, putting the last strip of tape in place. “That should do to keep out any wildlife until tomorrow.” She shot a glance at Lainey. “Are you going to report this to the police?”

  Lainey’s first impulse was to say yes. No one should be allowed to escalate simple Halloween pranks to the level of destruction of property.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t dismiss from her mind that whispering voice on the phone. I know where you are.

  Impossible. Wasn’t it? Still, how extensive would a police response be? She didn’t want her problems in St. Louis to become public property in Deer Run.

  “I don’t think so,” she said slowly. “No point in stirring up trouble.”

  It was always possible that trouble had found her, whether she did any stirring or not.

  * * *

  JAKE MENTALLY RAN through the property list as he drove down Main Street to pick up Lainey. Rebecca was, as many Amish were, rich in land but poor in terms of cash.

  He’d already decided on the best property to put on the market. Now he had to convince Lainey to follow his judgment, and this afternoon’s little trek would be crucial in that regard.

  The truth was that he still didn’t know where he stood with the woman. Her attitude toward him seemed to change from moment to moment, and that totally inappropriate flare of attraction he felt for her simply complicated matters.

  Business, he told himself. This afternoon was strictly business. Anything else would be both ethically wrong for an attorney and a serious mistake personally. He’d already caused enough problems for one lifetime by plunging into a relationship with someone who didn’t share his values.

  Jake pulled into the gravel drive and stopped by the front porch. Rachel’s younger brother, Benj, a straw hat pushed back on his head, was heading toward the back of the house, a toolbox in one hand. Like most Amish boys in their early teens, he had a look of growing out of his black pants and light blue shirt. Benj raised a hand in greeting and disappeared around the corner of the porch.

  The front door clicked and Lainey came toward him, a patchwork bag swinging from one shoulder. Today she wore a skirt that fluttered around her calves, seeming to invite a second glance despite its length. Or maybe that was just him.

  Jake reached across to swing the door open for her. “All set?”

  “I guess so.” She slid in, her expression shielded by the dark glasses she wore.

  “Looks like Benj Weaver is doing some work for you.” He backed out onto the street.

  “Yes.” The reply was short. Perhaps Lainey realized that, because she shrugged slightly and took off the glasses, dropping them in her bag. “There’s a broken window in the kitchen. Rachel volunteered her brother to fix it, and he seems to know what he’s doing.”

  “You don’t need to doubt that. Amish boys his age have already learned all sorts of handy things that the rest of us would struggle with.” He cast a sideways glance at her face as he took the road out of town. Lainey seemed tense out of proportion to a broken pane of glass. “What happened to the window?”

  She hesitated a moment before flicking a guarded glance his way. “Somebody pitched a stone through it. Halloweeners, I suppose.”

  “Halloweeners?” His fingers tightened on the wheel. “I’m not saying that kids don’t get into trouble in Deer Run, but that sort of vandalism is rare. When did it happen?”

  “Last evening, just as it was getting dark. I was outside, talking to Rachel, when we heard the noise. We ran around to the backyard, but whoever did it had vanished by the time we got there.”

  He frowned, not liking the sound of this. “Did you call the police?”

  “For a broken window? Of course not.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I’m sure it was Halloweeners. They’d thrown corn at the house the evening before.”

  “There’s a big difference between tossing a handful of dry corn and pitching a rock through a window.” His concern deepened. What was going on in his quiet little town? “Vandalism directed specifically against the Amish is rare here, but it does happen. I think you should report it.”

  “No. I appreciate your concern, but I’d rather not.”

  Lainey’s words had been spoken normally enough, but her fingers twisted against one other in her lap, as if she were fighting with herself. She spoke again before he could press her, maybe to head him off.

  “While Rachel and I were talking, Laura Hammond came out of the house across the street with the woman who owns the B and B.”

  “Jeannette Walker,” he supplied the name. “Jeannette seems to be looking after Laura since Victor...now that Victor is deceased.”

  “Laura ran over to us before Jeannette could head her off.” Lainey gave a little shiver, as if shaking something off her skin. “She was...odd.”

  “That’s Laura, all right.” He tried to keep his voice light and wasn’t sure he succeeded. “Some people seem to remind her of Aaron’s death and just—” he took his hand from the wheel to gesture “—just set her off. It’s as if she’s never gotten past what happened that summer. I hope she didn’t upset you.”

  “Of course not.” The emphasis she put on the words seemed overdone.

  Should he pursue the subject? Before he could decide, he spotted the lane he’d been looking for. He slowed the car, flicking the turn signal.

  “To return to the business at hand, I thought you should at least have a look at one of the farms Rebecca owns.” He eased the car down the gravel road over the ruts made by the milk trucks. “This is Zeb’s place.” He reached the top of a gentle grade and stopped. “You can see it’s a dairy farm. Zeb usually has sixty to seventy cows, and that’s considered a large herd by local standards.”

  Lainey shot him a quick glance an
d her lips quirked. “I suspect you realize that no, I couldn’t have told you it was a dairy farm. I don’t mind admitting that I’m out of my depth here.”

  If she really accepted that, it might make her more amenable to following his suggestions. Somehow Jake thought that might be too easy.

  Lainey leaned forward, one hand against the dash, to gaze at the pastures and cornfields, the large barns and the twin silos. “My uninformed opinion would be that it’s worth quite a bit.”

  “Upwards of a million, I’d say. Prices for farmland have been going up steadily.” He hesitated, but this may as well be said. “I agree with you that Rebecca wouldn’t want to sell out from under any of her family. But if her condition drags on for an extended period, it may be time to think about the rent Zeb is paying. At the moment, it’s a pittance in comparison to what it should be.”

  Lainey’s eyebrows lifted. “And which of us wants to be the one to tell Zeb that?”

  “Neither, I guess,” he admitted. “But if the situation requires it, I’ll deal with him.”

  “Thanks. But I have a feeling he’ll know who to blame anyway.”

  He couldn’t help but smile at her expression. “Cheer up. Maybe we can make a quick sale of a parcel nobody cares much about.”

  “I wish I knew what Aunt Rebecca would do.” Her shoulders moved restlessly. “She may have been putting too much faith in my judgment.”

  Since that was his opinion, he couldn’t argue, but at least Lainey seemed aware of the issues. That was progress.

  Jake turned the car carefully in a spot where the lane widened out a little, mindful of the blackberry brambles that grew rampant on either side. As he drew out onto the highway, Lainey glanced toward Zeb’s place.

  “Are the other farms Aunt Rebecca owns similar to this one?”

  He shrugged. “Similar, yes. Zeb’s is the largest and most successful. In some ways, he’s as clever about finances as your great-uncle had been. He’s been able to put his money into stock since he hasn’t been paying off a mortgage, and from what I’ve heard, he has an eye for a good deal, too.”

  Lainey nodded, pushing her hands back through her hair, a move that had him noticing how it curled against the smooth skin of her neck. “And to think I had the idea that life was less complicated here.”

  “Less complicated?” He repeated her words, thinking of all that had transpired in the past few months. “I suppose a town like Deer Run has its share of issues and tragedies. They’re just on a smaller scale, for the most part, than in the city.”

  “You’re thinking of Aaron Mast’s death,” Lainey said. “It certainly had far-reaching consequences, didn’t it?”

  He nodded, sending a quick glance at his map, propped on the console between them. The old grist mill property was just a couple of miles down the road, so they’d stop there next. He brought his mind back to her question.

  “If Rachel hadn’t returned to Deer Run and started talking to Meredith about what they remembered from that summer, I don’t suppose the truth would ever have come to light. And Meredith’s mother...” He let that die out.

  “Poor woman. So much tragedy to grow out of a simple summer romance.”

  “Not so simple. Romantic relationships between Amish and English are always difficult. Romeo and Juliet stuff, I guess.”

  Lainey frowned. “When Laura spoke to me last night, it was as if she thought we’d been a part of that.”

  He glanced at her in some surprise. “Weren’t you? I mean, from all I’ve heard from Meredith and Rachel, it sounds as if the three of you were like little shadows, following Laura and Aaron around that summer.”

  “I don’t remember.” Her blue eyes darkened with concern. “That’s strange, isn’t it? Rachel and Meredith seem to recall every day of that summer, and for me it’s just a haze, with a few little bright spots here and there. And a few bad...” She stopped, as if she’d said more than she intended.

  He studied her face, considering. “Bad what? Memories?”

  Lainey looked down, her dark hair screening her face. “Bad dreams. Nightmares. Not remembering anything, just knowing something bad happened.”

  He hesitated, not sure what to say. “If it bothers you...have you looked at the scrapbook you girls kept that summer?”

  She shook her head, still not looking at him.

  “That might bring back some memories,” he said. “As I mentioned, it’s full of your drawings.”

  Lainey finally met his gaze, lips quirking. “I might be embarrassed to see them.”

  He let that slip away. What difference did it make to him, anyway, whether she remembered that summer or not? Trouble was that he couldn’t seem to stop feeling responsible for her.

  Lainey glanced up, seeming startled, when he pulled the car off the road under the trees. “Why are you stopping?”

  “Next spot on the tour,” he said. “Rebecca has a parcel of about five acres that includes an old grist mill.”

  Lainey glanced ruefully at her sandals. “I’m not very well dressed for tramping through the woods.”

  “It’s just a hundred yards or so to the mill. We may as well take a look at it as long as we’re here.”

  He got out and walked around the car. Lainey slid out with a certain amount of reluctance.

  “If I get poison ivy, I’m blaming you,” she said.

  He touched her arm, leading her toward the path. “I’ll buy the calamine lotion,” he said. “Come on. In my opinion, this is the most logical property to put on the market, so I want you to see it.”

  The path was narrow, so Jake led the way, on the lookout for poison ivy or snakes, either of which, he figured, wouldn’t endear him to Lainey.

  “Maybe I will ask Meredith and Rachel if I can see the scrapbook.” Lainey’s words startled him.

  He halted, turning to look at her. A shaft of sunlight, slanting down through the leaves, gilded her face, and her eyes were very serious.

  “And maybe that was a dumb suggestion of mine,” he said. “If you’re already having bad dreams about what happened—”

  “I’d rather face it than hide from it, even so.” Her chin came up on the words. “And after all, it’s all over now. The truth has come out, and the person who killed Aaron is dead himself.”

  He nodded slowly. That was right, wasn’t it? Still, he couldn’t quite squash the single doubt remaining in his mind. “I suppose....”

  It was no good. He’d have to tell her the possibility that troubled him, especially since Laura had started showing an interest in her. It seemed he couldn’t maintain a businesslike detachment where Lainey was concerned.

  “As far as the rest of the world is concerned, that’s true. It’s all over.” He hesitated, frowning. “The trouble is that I was there when Victor killed himself. I saw his face, and Laura’s. And I can’t quite rid myself of the thought that he might have been covering up for someone he loved. That the person who actually killed Aaron might be Laura herself.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  FOR A MOMENT Lainey just stood, aware of Jake’s gaze on her face, trying to accept what he’d said. She couldn’t.

  “Laura? Kill someone?” Lainey saw in her mind that almost childlike face. “That seems impossible. She’s so...” Words failed her, and she gave an amorphous gesture.

  “Now she is,” Jake agreed. “But that’s not who she was twenty years ago.”

  “But why? I might not remember much, but I do know she loved Aaron. Why would she do such a thing?”

  He shrugged, beginning to walk again. The trail was narrow, forcing her to stay behind him, and her skirt brushed against tall weeds on either side. The trees seemed to hem them in, creating a sense of privacy.

  “Maybe he wanted to break up with her.” Jake tossed the words back over his shoulder. “Maybe she wanted to break up with him. There could be a lot of reasons.”

  “Romances end all the time, but most of them don’t result in murder.” Or suicide attempts, her mind taunted.<
br />
  “From what I’ve been told, their relationship was pretty intense.” He paused, turning to look at her. She hadn’t stopped as quickly as he had, and her stride had taken her a bit too close to him for comfort. Somewhere ahead of them there was the sound of running water...a stream, probably.

  “I don’t know if Rachel mentioned it, but apparently Laura was pregnant. Add that into the mix and—” He shrugged. “Look, I’m not saying I’m sure of anything. But if Laura is showing an interest in you, it might be best to be on your guard.”

  As if she didn’t already have enough people who seemed to see her as a threat. “I doubt I’ll ever see her again. Certainly not if Jeannette Walker has anything to say about it. The woman’s like a mother grizzly with one cub.”

  Jake’s face relaxed in a grin. “She is, isn’t she? And not above pulling some dirty tricks to get what she wants, if all I’ve heard about her is true.”

  “Since I don’t have anything she wants, that should be no problem.” He was probably exaggerating the whole thing. After all, Laura’s husband had confessed. What more did he want?

  “You think I’m making a mountain out of a molehill,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “Maybe I am. Just—be careful.” He circled her wrist with his fingers, and her skin seemed to warm at his touch. “Okay?”

  “Okay.” She sounded a bit breathless, but he was turning away already, dropping her hand. Maybe he hadn’t noticed.

  “Well, there’s the grist mill, or what’s left of it.”

  She stood next to him, staring. They’d come out of the trees into an open space—a narrow valley with a stream running through it. Beautiful, the way the sun filtered through the leaves and touched the water with light. She’d love to draw it, but that wouldn’t do justice to the effect of the light. It reminded her of the quilt Aunt Rebecca had made. Sunshine and Shadows—that was the perfect description of the scene as well.

  The building seemed to loom over them, providing the shadows. Three stories high, of weather-beaten planks that had long since lost any paint they possessed, it squatted next to the stream like some prehistoric monster.