Lamb to the Slaughter (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 1) (28 page)

“Hey, whoa, why are you running from me?” I exhaled in irritation and from the short run. I rested my hand on the boy’s arm, feeling the shaking of his body beneath his wool coat.

“Sorry, I got to get to the house is all.”

“Why?” When the boy shifted quietly on his feet, avoiding my gaze, I surged on, “Your name is Mervin, right?”

Mervin nodded his head, but still avoided looking at me.

“Hey, I didn’t come here to scare you. I just wanted to ask you about your injury.” He glanced at me for a second—long enough for me to see his bright green eyes and the freckles covering his nose.

“How did you hurt yourself?” I said softly. My heart sped up when he turned back and met my gaze fully. The kid had a kind face. He also had the expression of a boy about to tell a secret.

“Get off this property.” The woman’s voice blasted. I looked up to see Mervin’s mother, Esther, standing on the porch, glaring at me. Her pointy face was pale and dry looking—and very unhappy.

“Esther Lapp, isn’t it? I’m sorry to come over unannounced, but I had a couple of questions to ask you.” I began to move forward, hoping to calm the woman, but I stopped dead in my tracks when she continued to rant.

“I won’t be talking to you, Sheriff. You can be on your way now.”

The picture before me certainly wasn’t the stereotypical Amish woman that most people imagined. Esther’s face was frozen in a scowl of anger that seemed at odds with the neat bonnet and navy blue dress she wore. Her behavior left me no doubt that she had something to hide. The only problem was that my gut instinct and a conversation at the Diner wasn’t enough to bring the woman in for formal questioning.

I let my hand drop from Mervin’s arm, and he glanced up one last time before he leaped the steps, two at a time and disappeared into the house. The almost pleading look he’d sent me in that instant was enough to make me sure that Esther
Lapp was definitely hiding something, and that her son didn’t want her to.

I tried to process the encounter in my mind as I drove. I’d already passed several buggies and slowing down, I prepared to be patient as I came to another one on a steep grade. I brought the car to a crawl and let some space develop between me and the buggy, hoping not to intimidate the driver into asking too much of his horse on the hill. It still amazed me that there were people nowadays using horse and buggy as a mode of transportation. But here I was living in a place where it was mainstream to do so. The world was a funny place.

The ring from my cell startled me, and I grabbed the phone.

“Aunt Rennie, it’s me.”

Will’s voice sounded abnormally subdued. “What’s wrong, Will?”

“Nothing serious, I just wanted to talk for a while.”

“Where are you?” I asked, anxiety growing inside of me.

Will didn’t hesitate, but answered with a stronger voice, “I’m parked on Burkey Road.”

“
Why?
”

“This was where I was supposed to pick up Naomi. I guess I thought hanging out here for a while might make me feel closer to her.”

Without much thought, I said, “I’m nearby—wait for me and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“All right. Thanks, Aunt Rennie.”

My patience at following the buggy that was going about two miles an hour was over. I sucked in my breath and tapped my foot on the floor waiting for the damn thing to crest the hill so that I could pass.

The top of the hill finally came, and after checking that the coast was clear, I pulled out around the buggy. Glancing over, I spotted Bishop Esch’s long snowy beard. I almost waved to him, but changed my mind when he didn’t look my way. As his buggy was growing smaller in the rearview mirror, I saw him pull off the road.

I tried to remember what I’d seen there when I’d passed, but the only image that sprang to my mind was an old tobacco barn that sat quite a ways off the road in a stand of vine covered trees. The driveway had been more like a path, dotted with large puddles along the way. With the darkness almost complete, I wondered what the the bishop would be doing in such a place. Then again, my mind reasoned, maybe he was just turning around.

I lifted my foot from the gas pedal and moved it toward the brake for a second, feeling the urge to turn around myself. If Will hadn’t been waiting for me, I would have. Letting the strange vibes go, I pressed the gas down and sped up.

Turning onto Burkey Road, I spotted Will’s truck alongside the road. I parked behind the dually, and not waiting for him to come to me, I left my car and jogged up to his. Slipping in the passenger side, I quickly judged Will to be emotionally sound with a glance. A soft country crooner song was coming from the radio and I gritted my teeth wishing he’d either turn it off or change the station. But I didn’t tell him that.

“What are you really doing here, parked on the side of the road alone?”

Will smiled the same smile that probably made Naomi fall in love with him. “I’m not alone now.”

“Seriously, what do you hope to accomplish here?” The roadway was dead quiet. I couldn’t help the shiver that touched my skin when I peered sideways and into the corn.

“I could ask you the same question. After all, you were pretty damn close by.”

He had me there. “Watch your mouth, Will. Remember, you’re not supposed to cuss around relatives.”

He laughed, and it sounded genuine, lifting my own spirits. “But, you’re not a relative, just Aunt Rennie.”

“I’m the sheriff. Really, you ought to show more respect,” I said, feigning anger.

Will was silent for a minute and I was about to speak when he finally opened his mouth. His words made me sit up straighter and stare at my nephew.

“Will you take a walk with me to the place where Naomi died?”

“Whatever for?” I spoke the words carefully and slowly. I didn’t need any more surprises today.

“I don’t know for sure. It’s as if I have this pull to be there, you know. I don’t understand it myself.” He shook his head, looking confused.

“It’s already dark outside. It would be impossible for us to find our way out there now.” I looked at the corn plants again, seeing a dark wall that looked impenetrable.

Will’s voice grew excited as he said, “No, we could do it. See the moon is out, and I remember that the night Naomi
died was very much like this one. Please Aunt Rennie, will you go with me?”

I met his gaze and I knew for certain that if I didn’t go with him, he’d end up going alone some other time. The last thing any of us needed was for him to be traipsing around where his girlfriend was shot.

My mind made up, I touched the door handle. Before I got out, I told Will that we’d pull the cars up the tractor lane which ran between the corn and the hedgerow. I said that that it was to keep the vehicles safe, but in actuality, I was worried that someone, especially an Amish someone, would spot the vehicles and raise questions.

I made sure my gun was loaded and in the holster beneath my jacket and that my cell phone was on vibrate in my pocket, then the two of us started up the tractor path, following the soft spray of moonlight that lit the way. After a few minutes of hiking, my eyes were accustomed to the low light and I could actually see fairly well.

Will stayed close beside me, his arm occasionally brushing mine as we walked. I couldn’t help but think how creepy it would be to be out here all alone, and again the picture of the pretty Amish girl invaded my mind.

“You never did tell me why you were driving around in the Amish community?” Will asked in a loud whisper that made me smile.

“It’s not a big secret or anything. I was checking up on a lead—
attempting
to question a couple of Amish people.”

“They wouldn’t talk to you?”

“Nope, I’ve discovered that they’re all a bunch of tight lipped…” I almost said something that was not kind at all, but
a thought occurred to me and I stopped instead. “Whoa, Will. Wait a minute.”

I looked around trying to get my bearings right. When we’d driven the vehicles to the place where Naomi was found, we’d come this way and then turned, and crossed over the cut part of the field to get to the body. I knew that we were in the right place. If we headed to the left, we’d be at the spot that Will wanted to go in a few minutes, but I hesitated, more interested in the other direction.

“What’s wrong?” Will asked, moving to stand closer.

“Nothing, I was just thinking. Todd, Jeremy and I traced Naomi’s possible trail back to her farm. It made perfect sense, and wasn’t really an issue, but…” I paused looking to the right at the small trail that was not glaringly open, but definitely was there if you looked for it. “None of us noticed this trail before.”

“What’s the big deal? I’m sure there are dozens just like it along this hedgerow.” Will’s words were skeptical, but his voice wasn’t. He’d already taken a step in the direction of the opening and was now facing me with an expectant look on his face.

“Well, for one thing, it’s in a direct line to where we found Naomi, which means that the person who shot her could have followed the same path to get to the tree stand where Bobby believes the bullet came from. Secondly, it looks fairly well used—as if someone has worn it out recently.”

Just saying it caused my heart to begin racing. But from fear or excitement, I wasn’t sure. What I did know was that I was suddenly ready for a longer hike than I’d originally anticipated.

I eyed my nephew up and down, seeing a strong young man before me. “Are you up to this Will?”

“You know I am.”

I nodded and looking back one last time in the direction of the shooting, I stepped ahead of Will and into the darkness of the tangle of branches.

32

DANIEL

November 18th

I
wasn’t surprised that Serenity wasn’t home—already figuring that she wouldn’t be there. As I drove through the quiet streets of town, the street lamps lighting the way, I blew out a nervous breath. She probably wouldn’t even talk to me. Saying I was sorry or that I’d made a mistake wasn’t going to cut it with Serenity. But I had to try anyway. The pretty little sheriff was wrong about Eli. I knew it in my heart. Now I just had to convince her of it.

Pulling into the police department, I noticed that only a few cars were left in the parking lot, and Serenity’s was not one of them. Disappointment flashed through me, but I parked anyway, determined to at least find out where she was. My feelings for Serenity ran too deep to simply walk away now. I’d made a blunder for sure, but I’d followed my gut with Eli. Remembering how she kissed me back the other morning and how willing her body had been in my arms, I hoped that I
could make amends with her. Maybe if I handled the situation carefully, she’d forgive me.

Walking into the brightly lit hall, my eyes had to adjust to the shock of it. The dispatcher didn’t know where Serenity was. Just when I was about to give up, I spotted Todd turning into a room down the corridor. I quickly walked that way, and after a rap on the frame of the open doorway, I proceeded in. Todd looked up, showing no surprise at seeing me.

“Good to see you, Daniel. What brings you in so late?”

Todd’s voice held a hint of sarcasm, which I ignored. “I’m looking for Serenity. Any idea about where she’d be?”

Todd pushed the papers away from him and leaned back in the chair, his hands folded on his belly. The smug smile was annoying, but I had no choice except to wait for him to answer if I was going to have the opportunity to get things straightened out with Serenity that evening.

“Hmm, I’m not really sure where she is. You know, Serenity is a busy girl.”

Sighing, I prepared to leave, not interested in playing mind games with Todd. My talk with the sheriff would just have to wait until morning.

When I was almost through the doorway, Todd spoke again, “Wait. I might have an idea,” he paused, as if debating whether to tell me, and said, “Today at lunch, my fiancé said something about an Amish family that piqued Serenity’s interest. She hauled butt out of the Diner. I assume to go talk to the people.”

“Which family?” I asked as my heart slowed.

“I don’t have the foggiest idea. Heather knew though, but wasn’t comfortable divulging information about a patient. Funny thing was that Serenity seemed to know who Heather
was talking about. Sort of like some pieces of a puzzle fell into place for her.”

“And you haven’t heard from her since? Isn’t that a bit strange to you?” I said, looking out the small window at the cold, dark night. My mind was getting jumpy with all kinds of worried thoughts.

Todd nodded slowly and looked up to meet my gaze soundly. “Yeah, actually it is little weird. She always touches base with me throughout the day. Course, I didn’t have an ordinary afternoon myself—spent it wedding shopping. You wouldn’t believe all the shit that’s involved with getting hitched; a cake, flowers and the goofy little things you give away at the place settings.”

I partially ignored him, not interested in the least about his wedding, except to feel sorry for any fool girl stupid enough to take vows with the man. What was bothering me more was the fact that he didn’t know where Serenity was.

“Have you tried her cell?” Todd asked.