Covert Amish Investigation

by Dana R. Lynn

The water was coming in from a hole near her feet. “Whoever shot her must have shot at her twice.” She pointed at the water spilling in through the opening near the woman’s feet. “That’s where the water is coming in.”

  “She’s not moving.” Abram leaned over.

  Beth’s color was bad.

  “Maybe not. But as of a minute ago, she was making noise. We have to get her out of there.”

  Kate frowned. They couldn’t step into the boat. It would be too unsteady, and the water was too turbulent for that kind of movement.

  “Maybe we can undo the rope and pull the boat to shore?”

  “Nee. That would take too long. She’s already been in the water awhile. I have a better idea.”

  “What are you doing?” she cried, alarmed, as Abram stood and moved perilously close to the edge of the dock.

  Abram grinned and gave her a thumbs-up before jumping into the frigid water next to the boat.

  * * *

  The water was absolutely freezing. He couldn’t stop himself from shivering, but he did his best to ignore his own discomfort to help the injured woman.

  “Whoever shot this poor woman needs to be arrested.” Katie’s voice shook with fury.

  “You’re not wrong,” he replied. He planted his feet as firmly as he could on the slippery rocks beneath the water.

  Abram reached out and hoisted Beth up out of the boat and into his arms. Soaking wet, she weighed more than he had expected. For a moment, he staggered under her weight before he managed to steady himself. The boat shifted and knocked into him. He barely managed not to fall over backward into the frigid water.

  Katie jumped down beside him. He frowned. He’d not intended for both of them to get wet. “Oops.”

  She looked at her apron. It was hanging below the water level. “Should have removed my phone first. How am I supposed to call for help?”

  “You left messages for Shane and Marshal Delacure, ain’t so?” he asked. She nodded. “Hopefully, they’ll get the messages and head out this way.”

  “Is she alive?” Katie hovered by his side. Before he could respond, she reached past him and placed her fingers against the pulse point at Beth’s throat. “Good, she has a pulse. But I don’t like her color. We need to get her warm.”

  “Let’s get up to the dock. Maybe there’s a blanket of some kind in the boat haus.” Abram nodded his head in the direction of the ramshackle structure on the edge of the dock. He was shivering in earnest, the wetness from Beth’s clothing seeping into his own. He kept this to himself. Katie was shivering, too, her waterlogged dress slapping at her legs as she moved. The wind from the storm amplified every chill.

  Slipping on the slick rocks, they made their way up the treacherous incline to the wooden dock. It was little more than a wooden bridge between the water and the dilapidated boathouse.

  Beth stirred, coughing.

  “It’s okay, Beth.” Katie patted the woman’s arm before bringing her hand back to rest on his forearm. He didn’t think she was aware of what she had done. “We’ll get you dry and then we’ll get you to the hospital to be looked at. You’re going to be fine.”

  He shifted his burden in his arms before lifting an eyebrow at Katie. “Will she?” he mouthed. He had his doubts. She’d lost some blood when she was shot. In addition, Beth seemed to have slipped back into unconsciousness. All movement had stopped again. A vision of Katie in his arms as he’d pulled her from Lake Sutter. He shuddered. A new fear entered his mind.

  “Has she stopped breathing?”

  Katie responded instantly to the desperation in his voice. She leaned closer, her kapp bumping into his chin. He halted to give her better access. Her face leaned over Beth’s, turning her cheek. He knew she was trying to feel the other woman’s breath on her face. When her eyes slipped shut in concentration, his roamed over the two women. They were both too pale. He knew they weren’t fragile, even if they gave that appearance. The past few days had shown him how strong and capable Katie was. And Beth had survived despite everything she’d been through. Still, he wished he could protect them from the evil that had invaded their world.

  “She’s breathing.” Katie turned her head to meet his eyes. When she spoke, her voice was a low murmur. “I hear a little wheezing.”

  That couldn’t be good.

  When she backed away, he hefted Beth higher in his arms so she was more secure and began to move again. The wind bit at his face and hands. He ignored his discomfort. Although he didn’t mention it, Katie had to be miserable. Her legs were bare below the end of her skirt. The edges of her lips were developing a blue tint.

  Arriving at the boathouse, Katie ran to the door, her gait awkward and uneven, probably due to the chill, and yanked the door. It opened with a slow, yawning creak. He turned sideways so Beth’s head wouldn’t hit the door frame and entered the small building. It wasn’t warm, but at least the wind wasn’t blowing on them any longer. That was definitely a blessing.

  “Do you see any blankets?”

  Katie made quick work of searching the house. “Aha!”

  Pulling a blanket out of the corner, she wrinkled her nose as a small mouse squeaked and ran under a pile of life jackets in the corner. The blanket had several holes where mice had chewed through it, but they weren’t in a position to be picky. It was tricky work, but they managed to get Beth cuddled up inside the scratchy blanket. The odor of mildew rose to his nose.

  “It smells.”

  Katie nodded. “I know. I don’t see another option. I have no idea how long she’s been in that water. Granted, the water isn’t freezing, but it’s cold enough. We have to get her warm.”

  If only they could leave. Then he remembered. She had called Shane several times. “When do you think your partner will get here?”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t know if he will. I had to leave a message. If he doesn’t check his phone, he might not get it. I don’t think I’ll be able to call him again.”

  He let that sink in. If Shane never got the message, no one would know to check for them here. They would be stuck here. Unless they walked.

  “We should start walking,” she said, echoing his thoughts.

  “Ja. Maybe Shane will cumme. If not, I hope someone will see us and decide to take pity on us.”

  She grimaced. “If our appearance doesn’t scare them off.”

  “We are a bedraggled bunch, ain’t so? But we look harmless enough.”

  Her glance held a world of sarcasm, but she contained whatever comment she might have made after peering at Beth again. It was hard to know how much the other woman was aware of or if she was able to hear them talking. He made a mental note to keep any negative thoughts to himself—at least until Beth was out of danger.

  “We should grab another blanket.” Katie reached out to grab another blanket, halting when a suspicious rattle came from the corner. Straightening slowly, they looked into the dark damp corner. Ohio didn’t have many venomous snakes. In fact, there were only three species in the area, but one of them, a massasauga rattlesnake, was staring in their direction, its head pulled back and its rattle raised in a clear warning. Its writhing gray body was covered with round black splotches.

  They were not going to be grabbing any more blankets.

  “I think we should leave,” he murmured out of the side of his mouth, keeping his voice low.

  “Agreed. Let’s go slow, though. We don’t want to appear threatening.” Katie moved back toward the door, her hand waving behind her as she felt around for the door. He kept his eyes on the snake so he could shout a warning if necessary. After a minute, the snake seemed to settle back down, although its malevolent gaze tracked them.

  “Yes!” Katie whispered. He chanced a glance her way. She’d found the door. She pushed it open, cringing back from the wind sweeping into the room, eliminating what little warmth had been present.
He preceded her through the door, bending his head against the blast of cold air. His eyes watered. Blinking, he lifted his head.

  “Katie, someone’s coming.”

  Katie emerged from the boathouse and turned to watch the person advance, squinting against the midday glare. The stiffness drained from her posture as she recognized the person moving purposefully toward them.

  “Oh!” Relief shivered in her voice. “I think it’s Natasha, the woman from the scuba team. I wonder if she was sent out to search for us. Marshal Delacure must have gotten my message. Well, we don’t need to drag the lake, but she might have a phone. Or at least a warm vehicle.”

  “Why isn’t anyone else with her?”

  She cocked her head and watched the other woman approach. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re driving separately?”

  The end of her sentence ended in a question. She stopped walking, her face growing tense. Kate no longer seemed excited to see the scuba diver.

  Unease slithered down his spine. Something wasn’t right. Her stride was almost angry. If there weren’t a dangerous predator inside the boathouse, he would have suggested they return there rather than face the menace he saw in Natasha’s posture.

  “If we start now, maybe we can go around the other side and go the long way to the road.”

  But they’d be too slow.

  “Too late for that, Abram.” Natasha reached them. Her dark eyes took in the whole scene. She sneered at Beth’s still body in his arms. “That woman has caused me more trouble than she’s worth.”

  Katie shifted. Natasha pivoted to face her, drawing a revolver from the back waistband of her pants. She held it like she knew what to do with it. Her expression said she had no problem with murdering three people.

  They had run out of options.

  SIXTEEN

  Abram didn’t know what sort of gun or what caliber it was. All he knew was that it looked deadly and Natasha had it aimed right at Katie. “Don’t even think about it. I know exactly why you’re here. You gave me a scare when I found the gun in your apron. I’m not going to give you a chance to make my life any more difficult. I have everything the way I like it, thank you very much.”

  Abram processed what he was seeing and hearing.

  Natasha Booth, respected daughter of Sutter Springs’s mayor and a member of the scuba team, was the leader of the crime ring that had forced Beth into hiding. More than that—this woman was a cold-blooded killer. She had killed Evan Stiles. And, even though it hadn’t been said yet, she was the one who’d shot Beth.

  By the way she was talking, she had no intention of letting any of them leave, alive.

  “Natasha, what’s going on?”

  Abram couldn’t believe Katie’s casual tone. She looked relaxed, but he knew her well enough to know that she was poised to act. Was she stalling for time? It made sense. If she bought them enough time, maybe Shane would show up. Or perhaps if she kept Natasha talking long enough, she’d figure out a way past her or be able to subdue her.

  He looked between the two women. Natasha was taller and muscular. But Katie was strong and intelligent. She was also fierce, and he knew that she never backed down in a fight.

  Natasha took a step closer. “I knew when Evan saw you at Beth’s house you were not what you seemed. The idea you might have been a cop crossed my mind.”

  “The explosion—”

  Natasha shook her head. “I told Evan it wouldn’t work. He insisted Beth would come back. A bomb would silence her for good. Except you and your partner were the ones who got caught in it. Not that I minded.”

  “You killed Evan.” Katie’s voice hardened. She wasn’t asking a question.

  “Of course, I did. He’d messed up too many times. People were bound to recognize him sooner or later.” She smiled. It was almost painful, the loveliness of her smile in the face of such horror. She had no regret for any of the pain she’d caused.

  “Ishmael?” he rasped, recalling the youth who’d overdosed. The Englisch police had written it off as an accident, but the teen had denied it.

  She shrugged. “He wasn’t supposed to be harmed. It should have been simple. But when people don’t follow the rules, they get hurt.”

  “He refused to sell drugs to other schoolchildren,” Katie hissed, fury in every line of her body. “You poisoned him, didn’t you? And Beth found out about it.”

  Natasha’s hold on her gun tightened. Abram expected a bullet to explode out of it at any second. She waved the gun briefly at Beth before training it back on Katie. “She was going to ruin everything. The previous boss had made mistakes, and when he went down, I saw an opportunity.”

  “You’re the mayor’s daughter.” Abram shook his head.

  Natasha’s upper lip curled. “Fat lotta good that’s done me. All my life, I’ve been restricted to act and look a certain way. My friends were picked based on suitability. Well, I found the chance to do something more and I took it. I was not going to allow some goody-goody destroy what I had built by running to the police. She actually thought she’d be able to run from me.”

  A dark light entered her eyes. She was done talking. Abram’s breathing was constricted. How would he save Katie? She began to bring the gun around.

  She was going to shoot Beth.

  Abram swung away, protecting Beth with his back. At the same instant, Katie went into motion, jumping forward and stretching out her arms for the gun. Natasha fell backward. With a holler, she rolled to her feet.

  “Get her to safety!” Katie kept her eyes trained on the furious woman slowly regaining her feet, the gun in her hand aimed straight at her.

  Katie’s glance flashed briefly in his direction before returning to Natasha. In that instant, he knew she was torn between fighting Natasha and protecting the civilians. He had to remove himself from that equation.

  His heart pounded in his chest. Every fiber of his being urged him to place himself between Katie and Natasha, but he knew she wouldn’t want that. Katie was doing her job now, and she would expect him to do his part to help her.

  Where could he take Beth? He couldn’t go into the boathouse, not while it was infested with poisonous snakes. He stepped off the main part of the dock and flattened himself against the side of the boathouse. There was a very narrow strip between where he stood and the dock ended. If he breathed too hard, they’d go over the edge. His arms were beginning to ache with holding Beth, but there was no place to put her down to give them a rest.

  “I’ve got her!” he yelled to Katie, letting her know he’d take care of Beth so she could deal with the dangerous villain.

  * * *

  Kate kicked the gun from Natasha’s hands. It flew through the air and landed in the water with a solid plop!

  The woman yelped, then immediately snarled. Her hands curved into claws as she shifted closer and closer to Kate. Keeping her gaze firmly locked with Natasha’s, Kate danced away from her, every movement a deliberate taunt. She needed to keep Natasha’s focus on her so she wouldn’t go after Abram and Beth.

  Abram could take care of himself, but she knew he’d die to save Beth.

  No one would die today, if she could help it. Not Abram or Beth. Not even Natasha, assuming it was possible to take her down easy. Hopefully, Shane got her message and help was on the way.

  She needed to keep the angry scuba diver busy until the authorities arrived.

  Natasha was out of patience. She shouted and charged, her head lowered as she leaned forward.

  Abandoning her thoughts, Kate met her charge and shoved. Natasha stumbled back. She tripped over the pile of lumber lying by a corner of the boathouse. Grabbing a long board with jagged ends, she advanced on Kate again. A confident smile spread across her face as she glanced at the board.

  Kate followed her eyes. Four nails with wicked, sharp rusty points jutted from the end. She’d have to be careful
. If only she had some sort of shield. Backing away, she scanned the area.

  “Katie!” Abram kicked a long wooden oar her way. Natasha went for the oar, but it skidded past her. Angrily, she swung her board at him. He jerked away, shielding Beth, but the edge caught him. He hissed as a nail struck him. When he went over the dock with Beth, Kate nearly dropped the oar. She held on to it at the last instant. She needed to take care of Natasha first.

  She heard some splashing in the water, and a low soothing whisper. It was hoarse, threaded with pain. She knew that voice. Abram was alive. He was hurt, but he was conscious and aware.

  Natasha and Kate circled each other like boxers in the ring. Natasha was strong and fit, and she was taller than Kate by a good four inches. She also had the advantage of a dangerous weapon in her hands.

  Kate, however, was a Wallmer Grove police officer, trained in self-defense. She knew by the heavy way Natasha moved about, and the awkwardness of her stance, that while the paramedic took good care of herself, she had no real training or fighting experience.

  Would that be enough to give Kate the edge she needed? It had to be. She couldn’t wait for Shane to show up with the cavalry. She needed to end this so she could go check on Abram and Beth.

  Resolve settled over her like a cloak. When Natasha swung at her with the board, Kate ducked under the wood and jammed the blunt end of the oar into the other woman’s stomach.

  “Oof.” Natasha dropped the board, her arms instinctively moving in to protect her belly.

  Kate ran at her, and wrapped the bigger woman up in her arms like a child. Natasha struggled against her hold, but Kate had her arms pinned against her sides. She swept her leg under Natasha’s and they both fell to the dock. With the speed and efficiency born of much practice, Kate had her on her stomach in under five seconds with her wrists crossed behind her.

  “Abram!” Kate shouted, her eyes scanning wildly. She had nothing to contain Natasha with and was forced to sit on her back to hold her down.

  Grunting, Abram emerged over the side, Beth over his shoulder. His arm was at an odd angle. He must have broken it when they went over.