by Dana R. Lynn
It hadn’t seemed like too much then, but her faith hadn’t been destroyed yet.
Was it destroyed, though? Granted, she hadn’t communicated with God for a long time. She had gone her own way, but maybe some kernel of her faith had survived. That kernel was slowly coming back to life now.
For that, she’d be forever grateful. It would help her make it through her life without Abram. She ached at the thought of leaving him behind. But there was really nothing else she could do. Abram deserved a wife who was as strong in her faith as he was.
No, she was making the right decision. She would try to find fulfillment as a single woman. No man had taken his place before; she didn’t see that changing in the near future.
When her statement was done, she capped her pen and handed the signed statement to Lieutenant Greer.
“Have you interviewed Gary yet?”
He shook his head. “No, unfortunately. His lawyer won’t be able to arrive until tomorrow. So we’ll have to wait. Sorry about that.”
She shrugged. “Not much you can do about it. We’ll have to come back tomorrow. Then we’ll be able to move on.”
“Oh, by the way, I thought you should know that your friend was released from the hospital.”
“What!” She gaped at him.
“Yep. He’s at the Plain and Simple. He’s still under care, but he insisted he didn’t need to remain there.”
She could believe that. Shane hated hospitals, although she knew he’d take care of himself. She couldn’t wait to see him!
Marshal Delacure drove Katie and Abram back to his family’s home. Abram seemed to sense that Kate wasn’t in the mood to talk. She felt like she’d been wrung out until she was ready to break. When they arrived back at his parents’ house, they sat down and ate some of the dinner that Fanny had left for them.
Abram asked her if she wanted to sit on the front porch for a few minutes. The desire to say yes was so great that she bit her lip to keep it in. She needed to start distancing herself. The events of the night had shown her how vulnerable she was. Even worse than that, though, she was dragging Abram into her drama with her. He should have the opportunity to meet someone and marry. She was holding him back. It hurt to think of him with another woman, having children and growing old with her.
But how could she deny him that? Abram was a good and honorable man. He deserved more than she was able to give him.
With that thought, she declined to sit and talk with him. Instead, she went upstairs, her steps heavy as if her boots were filled with cement. Climbing into her bed, she let the tears streak down her face and soak into the pillow.
She’d return home free from Gary, but her heart would stay behind with Abram.
THIRTEEN
Katie slept in well past the normal breakfast time the next day. She woke when the sun was high in the sky. Her sleep had been disturbed the night before with nightmares. Most of them were too murky to recall anything more than Gary’s face, although she had seen Evan Stiles’s face in a couple. She woke up every hour and a half or so, then it took her at least thirty minutes to fall back to sleep.
She might have been tempted to leave her bed, but she didn’t want to wander around someone else’s home. When she fell back into an exhausted sleep around five o’clock in the morning, she didn’t wake again until after seven thirty. Abram, Sam and David would have already left for work.
She suddenly remembered what Lieutenant Greer had said. Shane was awake, had been released from the hospital and had checked into the bed-and-breakfast.
Gasping, she threw back the covers and dashed out of bed to get dressed. Throwing her hair up in a bun, she pinned it in place before donning her kapp, never thinking about how natural the actions were. She paused. She’d put her hair up in that fashion daily as a teenager. When she left the community, she’d wanted nothing more to do with anything Amish. Fortunately, she’d met Holly Blake while working at the Amish-run bakery in town. Holly was already nineteen and a college student. She was looking for a roommate. Kate had moved in and found a job as a waitress. Holly was a political science major. She and Kate would talk about law enforcement. Kate realized she could help others the way she hadn’t been able to help herself. The day she was accepted into a program, she felt free and empowered. She’d immediately gotten her hair chopped off to right below her ears. The first day, she felt sophisticated. Soon, she realized how much more challenging it was to deal with short hair. Ensuring it looked neat and tidy was an ongoing struggle. It would have been easier to keep it long. Then she could have pinned her hair up whenever she felt like she needed it out of the way.
She had considered getting her ears pierced—the ultimate defiance. Hair grew back in time. Putting a hole into one’s ears was a bit more permanent. In the end, she decided she wasn’t one to volunteer for pain that wasn’t necessary.
“Boots, boots, where are my boots?” Muttering, she found her boots and tucked her feet into them before moving downstairs. Abram was in the kitchen, sitting at the table with his mamm.
She could do nothing to stop the surge of joy that shot through her and warmed her face.
“Abram! You didn’t go to work today?” She’d hoped he might stay home, but hadn’t thought it likely. He had other responsibilities.
“Clearly.” He took a deep swallow of his water and then put the cup down, smacking his lips in an exaggerated fashion. “Mamm, as always, your breakfast was delicious.”
His mamm laughed. “Flatterer. Katie, there’s plenty left. Help yourself.”
She didn’t even try to demur. Flying to the stove, she shoveled a spoonful of the sausage and egg casserole onto a plate and hurried to the table. “I remember your casserole. It still is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.”
Fanny blushed at the praise and smiled.
“What are your plans today?”
Kate looked at Abram. “I want to stop by the bed-and-breakfast and see Shane.”
“Ja. I figured you would. I’ll hitch up the buggy and we’ll be able to go. How long do you need?”
She shrugged. “Ten minutes?”
It wouldn’t take hardly any time at all to finish her breakfast and brush her teeth. On top of being hungry, she was in such a hurry to see her partner and friend, she barely tasted the food as she scooped it into her mouth, chewed and washed it down with a fresh cup of coffee.
The coffee, she had to admit, was better than anything she’d ever had at the police department.
In just under ten minutes, she was out the door and climbing up into the buggy beside Abram.
“I have so much to update Shane on.”
He nodded.
She was a little startled that he didn’t seem to have more to say. “Abram? Is something wrong?”
He shook his head, then shrugged. Which wasn’t much of an answer.
“I’m not sure I know what that means. Yes, there is something wrong or no, there isn’t? If you don’t have time to take me to the bed-and-breakfast, I’m sure I can find another ride.” She tried to hide the spurt of hurt she felt at his attitude.
“Nee. I don’t mind taking you. Of course, I don’t!” Abram stared ahead as he maneuvered the mare around the corner. “It’s not that there’s something wrong. Not exactly. I don’t want you to think I’m mad or anything.”
She tapped the toe of her boot on the floor as she waited for his response. “Well, then what is it?” Suddenly, she was concerned. “Did I do something wrong?”
He laughed. “Of course not! I’m so happy to get to know you again, even though I’ll admit to being a bit annoyed at first.” His jaw worked. “The problem is your partner.”
“Shane?” Nothing could have astonished her more. “What’s the matter with Shane?”
“Nothing!” He tightened his shoulders and let them drop again. “Nothing is wrong with Shane. I’m
grateful Gott gave you someone to watch over you all these years. He and his wife sound like wunderbar, gut people.”
“They are. Shane has been a big brother to me for so long.”
He laughed again, but it was almost a bitter sound. “I’m being irrational. I find that I’m jealous of Shane.”
“Jealous!”
“Ja. He got to see you grow into yourself, be more confident. There are so many memories he has that I will never share. It’s not logical. I have no explanation for how I feel.”
She shook her head, amazed. “I never thought of any of that. But, Abram, you know that this attraction between us, you know nothing can come of it.”
His face sobered. Ack. So much sadness there! She dropped her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see it.
“I know it. I’ve known it since you showed up. You aren’t Amish, and I will never leave where Gott has placed me.”
It was only a few words, but those few words took all the joy she’d felt when she’d first seen him this morning and chucked it out. The casserole she’d devoured sat heavy in her stomach.
Her heart was as gray as the thunderclouds hovering angrily in the sky above them.
* * *
Shane Pearson greeted them both like long-lost friends, despite the fact that he’d never seen Abram before. Abram liked that the man was concerned for Katie, but still respected her ability as a police officer. He found that in spite of his initial jealousy, Shane was the type of man he’d be happy to call a friend.
Katie smiled and injected a bubbly tone into her voice, but Abram was able to see through it to the shock as she saw how badly Shane had been hurt. Underneath the shock, though, her love for the man was clear. That was all Shane saw.
It had been as he’d told Katie. He had nothing personal against the man. It was the fact that Shane had been with Katie as she was growing that he resented.
Well, resent was a strong word. He didn’t wish to deny Shane a part in those experiences. Rather, he wished he could have been a part of them, too. That might have been enough to cure him of the aching sadness enveloping his heart.
Katie took her time to update Shane on what had occurred while he had been in the hospital recuperating. She did gloss over the events with Gary. Oh, she let him know that Gary had ambushed them, and that he was arrested. She also made mention of the fact that she was pressing charges against him for something he’d done years ago.
Katie had not gone into any further details, though. Shane had stared at her, his eyes searching as though he were trying to discover her secrets, but then he let the matter go.
How much did the man know? Probably not much, Abram decided. Katie was not one to unburden herself on others. Even those who were closest to her.
“Well, with Gary out of the way, it seems to me this Evan dude is the next guy we should be looking at. Are you sure he’s not the leader?” Shane took a sip of the Mountain Dew he was drinking that morning.
Abram shuddered. “How can you drink that stuff?”
Shane smirked. “Guess it’s an acquired taste.”
Abram was glad he’d never acquired it. “I tasted that stuff exactly once. Way too sweet for me. And I couldn’t sleep that entire night. No one warned me about the caffeine level.”
“The caffeine is the best part. How do you think I managed to complete all my paperwork?”
Katie laughed and shook her head at the both of them. Abram could tell by the whimsical look at her expression that she was pleased they were getting along so well.
“All right. You two are ridiculous. I just want to put that out there, so we are all aware.” Katie tugged on her bonnet straps. “To answer your question, I am fairly certain that there’s someone else above Evan. Someone giving the orders. When he tried to abduct me from the hospital, he told me his boss was displeased with him.”
Shane stroked his chin. “You know, by my count that makes at least twice he’s botched an attempt to kidnap or kill you. And if he was the one to cut the bridle, three times. If I was any kind of boss, I’d fire someone who couldn’t do the job right.”
“Four times,” Katie corrected him. “He shot at me when I was at Bishop Hershberger’s house.”
Shane straightened. “I hadn’t heard about that one, kid.”
She flushed. Abram liked the way the other man looked after her. When she went back, she wouldn’t be on her own.
He wished he could claim that privilege of caring for her.
“Four times,” Shane breathed. “Kid, I don’t think he’s going to be around much longer.”
They all let that sink in, troubled.
“You think the boss will probably eliminate him.” Katie’s voice was flat.
“I do.” Shane rubbed his hands on his knees, the corners of his mouth dropping down. “Actually, I’d be astonished if you found that guy alive. In my book, I’m guessing he’s already messed up way too many times.”
Katie sat back, unhappiness etched across her face. “So we’re looking for a body.”
Shane nodded. “Yep. You’re looking for a body.”
FOURTEEN
They sat with Shane for a few more minutes. When Kate glanced up at the clock, she gasped and shot to her feet. She had no idea it had gotten so late.
“Shane, I’m supposed to be at the police department today. They’re going to interview Gary. I hate to rush.”
Shane waved her apology away. “No worries. Gotta do what ya gotta do. I’m glad y’all stopped by. I have to get ready myself. I want to begin interviewing the staff today.”
She gave him a quick hug, mindful of his injuries, then she was off.
“Hold on, Katie.”
Impatient, she frowned as she spun to face Abram strolling toward her as if he had all day.
“What?”
“I have the keys, as they say.”
It took her about two seconds before she burst into laughter at his way of saying he was the one driving the buggy.
“I wouldn’t have left without you. But now that we think Evan is probably dead, as well, I’m anxious to get this case solved.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to call them back. Not the bit about wanting to find justice, but the fact that once the case was solved, she’d be gone. They both knew there was no way around that. Neither one of them was ready to admit how strong the feelings were growing between them.
It would be useless, anyway. Nothing either of them could say would change the fact that regardless of the faith that was brewing in her soul, she was not and would not become Amish. That part of her life was done.
As tempting as it might be to ask Abram to come with her when she left, she wouldn’t do that. Number one, he would refuse. She knew that he was a man who put his faith first. Always. And she respected him enough that she would never try to get him to change that. She almost thought that if Abram left the Amish community, then part of his soul would shrivel.
She would never ever ask that of him.
They boarded the buggy again. Abram grabbed the reins. Suddenly, he flicked a glance toward Kate. “How would you like to drive?”
Her mouth dropped open. “You already lost one buggy because of me. Now you’re just asking for trouble.”
He smiled. The corners of his mouth trembled before he chuckled. She crossed her arms over her chest. There certainly hadn’t been anything humorous in her comment.
“You used to always tell me I was trouble when we were growing up, remember? Anyway, it was not your fault that the buggy was destroyed. But I am serious. If you wanted to try to steer the reins, I’ll let you. Here.” He scooted over slightly and handed her the reins. He stayed close in case she needed help. It was a surprisingly intimate experience. Her cheeks heated up, and she had to clear her throat several times. When his fingers brushed hers, she wondered if it was deliberate.
After about five minutes, she handed the reins back to him. She’d had all she could take. Any more and she’d melt into a puddle of goo on the floor of the buggy. She needed to keep her head on straight.
Abram didn’t comment when she scooted away, widening the gap between them.
In fact, he didn’t say anything until they were on the way to the police station. Glancing under her lashes at him, she saw his face was flushed, too. That hadn’t been the brightest thing they’d ever done.
When they arrived at the station, they were ushered into a room where they could see the interview in progress. She hadn’t known how much she needed to see Gary admitting to his crimes. While she cringed, and her stomach wanted to revolt listening to his smarmy comments and self-satisfied smirk, knowing that he was in that room, on his way to prison, because of her was a good feeling.
Abram moved closer and nudged her with his shoulder. “You okay?” he mouthed.
She smiled. Yeah, she was fine.
Or she would be.
They were leaving when Lieutenant Greer called out to her. “Kate!”
Changing direction, she and Abram crossed the room. “Yes, sir?”
He motioned for them to come with him. Confused, Kate and Abram looked at each with raised eyebrows, but they followed without comment.
He led them into the conference room where they’d met the night before. Was that really less than twenty-four hours ago? Gesturing for them to sit, he closed the door.
“One of the officers just called in a 10-100.”
Kate stiffened. “A dead body? Who was it?”
She held her breath. She could only think of two people that he would specifically mention to her. However, if Beth had been found, there was no way he would be sitting here so calmly telling her about it. She had seen his emotion the night before. No. It had to be Evan Stiles.
He nodded to her, his face solemn. Death was never something to rejoice over, not even if it involved a criminal. Death was always serious. “I’m still waiting for the photos and a positive identification. I fully expect it to be Evan Stiles.”
