The Amish Witness

Elizabeth remained silent beneath the verbal slap of his tone. She knew it was pain speaking.

Mary stood and gathered up some of the empty platters. “What does it matter now, Thomas? It happened so many years ago. Elizabeth has kumm home. Let us be happy about that.”

“I am sorry if I upset you, Mary. But I am confused.” Again he turned his focus on Elizabeth. “Why is asking a simple question so difficult to answer? If Hannah loved it here as much as you say, if you are as close as sisters, then why hasn’t Hannah returned with you?”

“Because Hannah’s dead.”

Mary gasped. “What? Hannah died?” She placed the platters back onto the table and sank down into her chair.

Elizabeth’s words caused a heavy silence to descend on the room for several seconds.

Thomas, appearing surprised and chagrined, spoke more softly. “I am sorry you lost your friend. That must have been very difficult for you.”

“She was so young,” Mary said. “You never told me she was ill. I would have told you to bring her home. I would have helped care for her. When did this happen?”

Elizabeth knew she’d have to tell them the details. She should have told her mother last night, when she showed up on her doorstep unannounced. But she’d played mind games with herself, pretending that if she didn’t say the words out loud then they wouldn’t be true.

She folded her hands together again and braced herself. “Hannah wasn’t ill, Mamm. She was murdered.”

Neither Mary nor Thomas spoke, they simply glanced at each other then back at Elizabeth and waited.

Her thoughts did a somersault through her mind. How much should she tell them? How much was their right to know versus her desire to dump this heavy burden on other shoulders, too? With every passing second she was certain it had been selfish to come home and bring a potential danger with her. What had she been thinking?

She hadn’t been thinking. She’d simply known the Amish community always took care of their own, and her love of that community, her need for their guidance and their help, had brought her home.

“Tell us what happened.” Thomas’s calm tone soothed her. His strength gave her courage.

“Hannah and I had just rented a condo together. I was helping move some of her things. I came in the back door and—and...”

Mary reached over and clasped Elizabeth’s hand.

Elizabeth glanced back and forth between her mother and Thomas. She only saw empathy and kindness looking back. She inhaled deeply then continued the story. “I saw Hannah lying motionless on the floor of the kitchen. A man was bent over her, his hands around her throat.”

Mary cried out and offered a quick prayer.

“Go on, Elizabeth.” Thomas’s entire demeanor offered her encouragement and strength.

“I screamed when I saw what was happening. The man stood up and raced toward me. I turned and ran as fast as I could. He almost caught up with me but I got away.”

“How?” Mary asked.

“I learned how to drive while I was gone, Mamm. I jumped in my car and drove away.”

“And Hannah?” Mary asked.

“I called the police and then doubled back to the complex. Shortly after I got back, I saw them carry her body out on a gurney to the coroner’s van. There was nothing more I could do for her so...” She threw a glance between them. “I came home.”

Mary got up and threw her arms around her daughter. “As you should have.” She tilted Elizabeth’s chin to look at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I should have,” Elizabeth replied. “I’m sorry, Mamm.”

“Now I understand.” Thomas’s voice caught both women’s attention. “The man who attacked you in the barn. He murdered Hannah and he followed you here.”

Elizabeth nodded.

Mary gasped again. “Is that who you were looking out the window for this morning?”

Elizabeth hugged her mother tightly. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I never should have come home.”

“Nonsense.”

“You don’t understand, Mamm. I have brought danger home to you, to this community.” Elizabeth sprang to her feet. “I need to leave.”

Mary caught her hand and stopped her. “Leave? Where would you go? What would you do? You cannot face this terrible thing alone.”

“Mary is right.” Thomas gestured to the seat Elizabeth had vacated. “Sit. Have another cup of coffee. We’ll talk and together we’ll decide what the right thing is to do.”

“Thomas.” Elizabeth’s eyes pooled with tears. “The man knows I can identify him. He can’t afford to let me get away.”

“What do you think he will do?” Mary asked. “Do you think he will try to kill you, again?”

“Ja, Mamm.” Elizabeth lowered herself back into her chair. “And anyone else who tries to help me. That’s why I have to go. I was wrong to come and it would be wrong to stay.”

“It is wrong to leave.” The iron steeliness crept back into Thomas’s voice. “Running is not the answer to problems. I would have hoped you’d have learned that lesson by now.”

A heated flush painted her cheeks. She knew his words had a double meaning. She hadn’t run away before. She had chosen to leave. For him. For his happiness. But she knew he couldn’t know that.

“I won’t be able to live with myself if anyone gets hurt because of me.” Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

“No one will get hurt. The Amish community takes care of its own and you are still one of us, Elizabeth. We will talk to the bishop and ask his guidance. Everything will be all right.”

“Thomas is right. The bishop will have sound advice.” Mary sat down again. “Don’t worry. Gott will protect us.”

“He didn’t protect Hannah.” Elizabeth regretted the words the moment they left her lips.

“You must not question Gott,” Mary said, reprimanding her. “It was His will that Hannah be called home. And we must place this problem in His hands. He loves us. He has a plan for our lives. Whatever happens it will be His will. Trust Him, Elizabeth, always.”

She lowered her eyes in chagrin. “I do, Mamm. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

“Finish your coffee.” Thomas gestured to her mug. “Tell us everything. We will make a plan to keep you safe.” Thomas’s resolve remained solid and steady.

Elizabeth dared to relax a moment, to allow someone else to help her carry the burden. The ghost of a smile crossed her lips as she looked at Thomas. He had always been there for her. He was there for her now. But she couldn’t miss his thundercloud expression as he said one more thing.

“This plan, Elizabeth, will not include running away.”

THREE

Elizabeth moved quickly through the barn toward the rear exit.

“Where are you going?” Thomas stepped out of the shadows.

She startled and spun in his direction. “Don’t creep up on me. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

“You’re too young for a heart attack. And I’m not the one who appears to be creeping around.”

“Don’t be foolish. I’m not creeping anywhere.”

“I thought you’d be in the kitchen helping Mary clean up,” Thomas said.

“And I thought you’d left for home.”

“I was leaving.” He came closer. “But I remembered one of the horses has a sore on his leg and I wanted to take a second look at it.” He grinned. “Your turn. What are you doing scampering through the barn?”

“I don’t scamper.”

He raised an eyebrow and grinned. The Elizabeth he had known all his life never walked if she could avoid it. She scampered, scurried, skipped and frolicked through life. It did his heart good to see that some things about her hadn’t changed.

“I was going to check on my car.” She waved her hand toward the rear barn doors. “I’ve got it under a tarp behind the barn.”

“And you think one of the livestock took it for a joyride?”

Elizabeth laughed at his foolishness, which was exactly what he wanted. He’d always tried to make her happy and her life carefree. He knew she needed a heavy dose of that now. Besides, he had always loved to hear the tinkling sound of her giggles and was not disappointed to hear them now.

“That is a ridiculous notion and you know it.” But she covered her mouth to stop a giggle anyway and he smiled. “If I am going to stay, I have to get the car shipshape and ready to sell.”

“If you stay?” he asked.

“We haven’t spoken to the bishop yet. He might not want me to stay.”

Thomas grinned. He didn’t speak but sent her a knowing glance.

“Okay. So he’s probably going to let me stay. But I’ll still have to sell my car.”

“How did it feel to be able to drive your own car?”

“I must admit that is one of the Englisch luxuries I really enjoyed.”

“Will you miss it?”

“Nah. If I feel like driving, I’ll climb on one of the plows and take a spin in the fields with the horses.”

Now Thomas had to laugh, as his mind painted a picture of that event.

“I find it hard to picture you behind the wheel of a car,” he said. “You seem more the buggy type.”

“I am the buggy type. Always have been. But I loved my little Honda Fit, with its racing stripes on the side.”

“Honda Fit?”

“Yep. C’mon. I’ll show it to you.”

Like a flash she was off, scampering across the barn floor toward the back exit. Thomas chuckled, pushed off from the stall he’d been leaning against and lumbered after her.

“Thomas.”

The urgency in her voice made his blood run cold. What if that man had returned? He raced toward the back of the barn. When he cleared the open doorway, he skidded to a stop.

Elizabeth stood to his right, leaning heavily against the barn wall.

Thomas shot a hurried glance in every other direction, trying to find the danger or intruder, but saw nothing. His eyes moved back toward Elizabeth and his heart squeezed. She looked so fragile and small and scared. Her body trembled and the piece of paper she held in her hand rattled.

“Elizabeth? What’s wrong?”

The blood had drained from her face. She was almost as white as the paper she held in her hands. Fear widened her eyes and she didn’t speak. Shakily, she held out the note.

He slid it from her fingers. Anger coursed through his body when he read the words:

I want what is mine. I will contact you again soon with a time and place to meet. Tell no one. I warn you, give it to me or die.

* * *

“Kumm in. Sit down.” Bishop Eli Schwartz ushered Thomas, Elizabeth and Mary into the front room. His wife, Sarah, offered them tea and cookies, which they gratefully accepted. Once his wife had left the room, the bishop turned his attention to his guests.

“Welcome back, Elizabeth. It is good to see you again. I heard you were back. Are you here for a visit or are you planning to stay?”

Elizabeth wasn’t surprised he had heard she was back. Nothing traveled faster in the Amish community than news. She tried unsuccessfully not to squirm in her seat. Instead she attempted to hide her nervousness by clasping her fingers tightly in her lap.

“My intention, Bishop, was to be baptized and move back permanently.”

“Wonderful.” The bishop’s gaze flew from one to the other before it settled on Elizabeth. He raised a brow. “And now?”

Thomas glanced at her for permission and when she nodded he took over the conversation. She listened with only half an ear as he filled in the bishop on everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

She released a breath and relaxed. She knew she shouldn’t be relying on Thomas. She should be explaining the circumstances to the bishop on her own. She was strong, independent and hadn’t needed a man’s help for seven years. She didn’t need a man to speak for her now.

But having someone to talk to, someone to comfort her, someone to make her feel protected and safe, even if just for a little while—was that really so bad?

“Elizabeth?”

She startled at the sound of her name.

“The piece of paper?” The bishop held out his hand.

Elizabeth drew the folded paper from her apron pocket and handed it over.

The older man studied it, deep furrows appearing in his forehead and at the sides of his mouth. Then he folded the paper and handed it back to her.

“Who else knows about this?” he asked.

“No one.”

The bishop nodded, leaned back in his chair and silently stroked his beard.

“I am willing to leave, Bishop, if you think it would be best for everyone else,” Elizabeth said.

“I am sure Gott has waited patiently for you to return, to repent and be baptized.” The bishop smiled, sipped his tea and then placed the cup back down on the side table. “I know your mamm has waited many years for you to find your way home. Now you are here. That is a gut thing. Who am I to send you away?”

“But this man?”

“We will deal with him. I will speak with the elders and tell them what is going on. Meanwhile, you need to go home. Keep your eyes open. Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t do anything foolish.”

“Should we tell the sheriff?” Thomas asked.

Elizabeth knew it was hard for him to ask that question of the bishop because the Amish do not like to involve the Englisch, especially law enforcement, in their lives.

“I don’t think that is necessary yet.” The bishop nodded toward Elizabeth’s pocket, which housed the note. “The man wants to meet with Elizabeth. Until he contacts her again, I do not believe she is in any immediate danger.” He stroked his beard again. “What do you have that he wants? What did Hannah give you?”

“She didn’t give me anything. I don’t know what this man wants.” Elizabeth tried to remember every conversation between them on the day of Hannah’s death.

“Wait!” She leaned forward. “I have a carton of Hannah’s belongings. I dropped the one I was carrying into the condo when I ran for my life, but I had another one still in my car.” She couldn’t keep the excitement and hope out of her voice. “That must be it! Whatever the man wants must be in that box.”

“Where is this box?” the bishop asked.

“On the floor of the backseat of my car.” She shot a hurried glance at each one of them. “I completely forgot about it. It has to be in the box. I don’t have anything else.”

“Gut.” The bishop’s lips twisted in a wry grin. “For now, we will play his game. We will let him think we are willing to return this elusive item. No sheriff. Not yet. Let me discuss it with the elders first. You go home and search through that box. Whatever was worth killing poor Hannah over should be easy to recognize. When we know what we are dealing with we will decide the proper way to proceed.”

The bishop stood, indicating the meeting was over. Thomas, Elizabeth and Mary stood, as well.

“Denki, Bishop Schwartz, for seeing us without notice. We appreciate it,” Thomas said. He placed a hand under Elizabeth’s elbow. “I will do my best to keep an eye on things at the farm the best I can and I will try to keep Elizabeth and Mary safe.”

“Gut.” The bishop nodded. “I will speak with the others and get back with you shortly. Elizabeth, if there are any problems, ring the porch triangle and we will all kumm running.”

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Bishop.”

“Meanwhile, stay safe. Go about your business. Prepare for your repentance and baptism. Let us pray about what the next move should be. And let me know immediately if there are any more letters.”

“Denki. I feel better already.”

Thomas helped both women into the buggy, then went around to the other side. After nodding goodbye to the bishop, he clicked the reins and guided the horse back toward the main road.

“See, Elizabeth,” Mary said. “The bishop will know what to do. Everything will be all right.”

They’d traveled about a quarter of a mile when Thomas spoke. “I thought the meeting went well. I told you the bishop would not ask you to leave.”

“It’s not that. I knew Bishop Schwartz would allow me to stay. He has known me and my family since I was born.”

“Then what is it?”

“The danger is real, Thomas. I am not afraid for myself, but what have I brought to the community?”

Thomas placed his hand over hers. A pleasant tingling sensation raced up her arms. Even now, she could still be affected by the mere touch of his hand.

“We will keep you safe, Elizabeth. The whole community will be watching for strangers and things that are out of place.”

“I know.” A pounding headache formed in the sinus area above her eyes. “But what if it isn’t enough? What if he hurts someone?”

“Maybe we will find what he wants in that box in your car. We will give it to him and he will go back to Philadelphia.”

“Do you really believe he will take the box and leave?”

“If he wanted you dead, he had the few extra minutes to do it in the barn before I could reach you.”

Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face as she realized the truth of his words. He could have killed her in the barn. Almost did. But a sense of dread filled her. What if he was lying? What if he had no intention of letting her live once he’d gotten what he came for? She’d seen his face. She was a witness to his crime. She’d lived in the Englisch world long enough to know criminals didn’t leave witnesses behind.

“What you have is more important to him right now than you dead.”

The truth of his words gave her a little inner peace.

“What do you think Hannah put in the box?” he asked.

“That’s just it, Thomas, I don’t know. And I’m scared to death to find out.”

* * *

The steady clopping of the horse’s hooves was the only sound for several more miles as Thomas pondered the day’s events. He’d make sure Elizabeth and Mary were settled in and then he’d have to head home. His former in-laws would be bringing the kinner home soon.

A smile bowed his lips at the mental image of his two precious children. Gott had blessed him with two precious gifts—his smile widened—even if one of those gifts was perpetually drawn to dirt and mire.

His smile didn’t last. How was he going to keep Elizabeth and Mary safe when he was miles away on his own farm?

He couldn’t and that was unacceptable. He had to find a way to protect them daily. But how?

“You’re awfully quiet, Thomas. Is something wrong?” Elizabeth studied him closely.

Something wrong? Everything’s wrong.

When he woke this morning his only thought was getting his chores finished for Mary in time to get back home to take care of his own farm and his kinner. He’d never expected his world to be turned upside down. But the unexpected events in this life reminded him that he was not in control, Gott was.

“Nothing’s wrong, Elizabeth. Just thinking through the day’s events,” Thomas replied.

When Elizabeth smiled at him, his heart skipped a beat. After all these years she could still stir deep feelings in him and, for a moment, he hated himself for that weakness.

“It’s been a crazy day,” she admitted.

“Ja.”

“Denki, Thomas.”

He glanced her way and for an instant was lost in the sky-blue depths of her eyes.

“I know you weren’t expecting to see me,” she said. “And...well, I am grateful for all you have done. Helping my mother on the farm. Taking me to see the bishop. You didn’t have to do any of it and I want you to know I appreciate it.”

Thomas nodded. “Many things have passed between us, Elizabeth, and many years. But not so many that we can’t consider each other a friend.”

Did her smile dim when he called her a friend? Was it possible she harbored deeper feelings, too? No. His mind played games with his hopes. If she’d cared for him as he’d cared for her, she would never have left.

She twisted her hands in her lap and gazed off in the distance.

“Elizabeth?”

She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop thinking about the note.”

“The note is keeping you safe,” Mary said. “It’s giving you time to find out what this mystery item is. There is nothing to worry about. Gott will protect us.”

“Mary’s right,” Thomas said. “I’d say the man got what he wanted for now. He frightened you. He put you on edge. He has you looking over your shoulder at every shadow and jumping at every sound.”

Thomas clicked the reins and the horse broke into a trot as their buggy turned onto the dirt path leading to the house.

“This will be over soon, Elizabeth,” Thomas assured her. “The first thing we need to do is search the box.” He pulled the buggy in front of the porch and helped both women down. Mary climbed the steps to the house, while Elizabeth almost ran toward the barn.

Thomas tied the reins to the porch railing then walked toward the barn, where Elizabeth had disappeared only moments before. Could the words he’d offered her for comfort turn out true? Would it be that easy? Give the man what he wants and he’ll leave them alone? What could be so important it was worth killing an innocent woman to get? His curiosity grew with each step as he neared the barn.

Mary cried out. “Thomas. Elizabeth. Kumm quickly.”

Thomas spun back toward the house and ran. He burst inside. The older woman was pressed against the wall, her knees nearly buckling.

“Mary?”

“Mamm?” Elizabeth whooshed through the doorway and came up short behind him. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Mary lifted a trembling hand and pointed.

“Oh, no!” Elizabeth whispered as both of them looked in the direction Mary had indicated.

The house had been ransacked. The cushions of the sofa and chairs had been gutted with something sharp and stuffing covered every surface. The end tables were overturned, some broken.

The destruction spilled into the kitchen. Every cabinet door hung open. Every drawer was pulled out and emptied. Silverware and cooking utensils had been carelessly tossed across the linoleum. Canisters of flour and sugar were emptied onto the floor. Pots and pans had been thrown haphazardly into the messy concoction.

Every nook and cranny had been searched, every chance to destroy something had been taken.

“He was here,” Mary whispered. “That evil man was in our home.”

Elizabeth rushed to her mother’s side and wrapped her arms around her. “It’s okay, Mamm. We’re okay. We aren’t hurt. This is just stuff. We can fix stuff, right?”

Mary nodded, a stunned expression still deeply etched on her face.

Although Thomas knew Elizabeth was doing her best to comfort her mother and ease her fears, she couldn’t hide the tremor in her own voice from him. He knew her too well. She was terrified.

Both women looked at the destruction surrounding them and remained speechless.

Suddenly Mary headed toward the stairs. “He must have gone upstairs, too.”

Thomas stopped her before she could reach the bottom step. “I will kumm back and take care of whatever damage was done. Right now we have to leave.”

“Leave?” Elizabeth threw him a questioning glance. “Where will we go?”

“Home. With me.” Thomas shot Elizabeth a look that let her know he would not take no for an answer. “But not before we retrieve that box and take it with us. It’s time to see what is so important inside.”

FOUR

Elizabeth couldn’t stop tapping her toe or fumbling with her fingers in her lap. The steady sound of the horse’s hooves clomping up the lane did little to calm her frayed nerves.

“It will be all right, Elizabeth.” Thomas smiled and she assumed he was trying to reassure her. “That man does not know where you are going. You and Mary will be safe with me.”

If he only knew. The stranger wasn’t what made her pulse race and her body tremble with nervous energy. It was seeing his family home, meeting his children. Witnessing a life she’d always wanted but couldn’t allow herself to hope for.

“I’m not afraid, Thomas. I know you will do your best to protect us.”

The buggy turned onto a dirt lane between two white picket fences and her heart stuttered. She could see a two-story white clapboard house in the distance, with a large front porch. Two adults sat in rocking chairs watching a young boy run around the yard. She saw all of them turn their way as the buggy approached.