Secrets in the Grave (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 3) (19 page)

The paramedics went to work, splitting up to check the vital signs of each girl. “How long ago did they have the plant in their mouths?” the man asked as he checked Christina’s pupils with a small flashlight.

“It’s been about fifteen minutes since the girls came in complaining of belly aches. They were drooling, too. That’s when I asked what they got into,” Mrs. Stoltzfus answered.

“Raymond, how bad is it?” Serenity asked.

Raymond exhaled, glancing from Serenity to Ada Mae. “It looks like these folks have saved the little girls with their quick thinking. We would have administered the charcoal at the hospital, but it might have been too late.” His gaze fell on Ada Mae. “Good job.”

She nodded curtly. Before she turned away, her face flushed.

The paramedics, with the help of the Amish women, loaded the girls into the ambulance with their mothers. I watched the vehicle carefully maneuver around the fidgeting horses, waiting until it reached the roadway before blaring their sirens. I figured the local authorities were used to dealing with emergency situations arising in the Amish settlement. From what I’d witnessed, they were doing a fine job adjusting to the cultural differences.

“That was insane,” Serenity mumbled. She’d walked up quietly behind me to stand at the porch railing.

I placed my hand over hers. “Never a dull moment.”

Jonas and Ada Mae came through the front door together. Standing side-by-side, I saw the sibling resemblance. They were both tall, proud people. Looking at them now, I had a difficult time feeling anything except respect for them. Their knowledge and ways had saved my niece and another child.

“Thank you for what you did in there,” I said, extending my hand to Jonas. He grasped it quickly, with a small smile.

“It’s what we were born to do. The Lord gave us the ability to heal. We are under his guidance always.”

I didn’t bother to reach for Ada Mae’s hand. I knew the Amish ways. She’d be uncomfortable with such contact. I met her gaze and nodded my thanks. She smiled back weakly and glanced away.

“Mr. Peachey, do you have a few minutes to answer some more questions about the Kuhns’ case?” Serenity asked.

I glanced at her, thinking it wasn’t the right time for another interrogation.

“Sure.” Jonas looked at Ada Mae, who shrugged back at him. “We can spare that much time, I think.”

We waited for the crowd to disperse as we stood beside Jonas’ horse and buggy. Verna had driven the buggy to the Stolzfus’ farm after her father and aunt had been spirited away by Serenity in her car. The Amish girl stood a little ways down the hill, talking to Mervin. He had been one of the boys who’d ridden throughout the neighborhood spreading news of the girls’ poisoning. His limp was gone and something about his straight-backed posture made me confident
that the injuries to his heart from Naomi’s death were healing, too.

I smiled. It was amazing what a girl could do for a boy.

Serenity saw the look on my face and raised her brows. I lifted my chin and her gaze followed the direction to the love-struck teens. Now that the emergency had passed and the stormy skies were lifting, exposing shards of bright sunlight, I felt hopeful again. Serenity and I would be all right.

The area around the buggy fell quiet, and Serenity pulled out her notebook from her pocket. She flipped through the pages, reading briefly to herself. She looked at Jonas.

“Mr. Peachey, do you have tansy ragwort and pennyroyal among the herbs you keep?” Serenity asked.

Jonas turned to Ada Mae, who answered the question. “Yes, we keep all kinds of herbs in supply.” She pointed back to the Stoltzfus house. “You never know what you’re going to face on any given day. Those girls would be dying, beyond help right now, if I had to take the time to search out the ingredients needed to force them to regurgitate the plant.”

It made sense. I glanced at Serenity, anxious at her narrowed gaze.

“What do you personally use those two herbs for?” Serenity continued.

Ada Mae didn’t hesitate. “The tansy I give for worms. Sometimes I make a concoction to keep the insects away. Pennyroyal helps keep a woman’s bleeding regular and less painful. It soothes PMS symptoms,” she said.

Serenity took a deep breath. Her gaze swept between Jonas and Ada Mae, but landed squarely on the woman when she said, “Do you have any idea why those two ingredients would be mixed together and drank as a tea?”

Ada Mae’s eyes widened. “Why, no one in their right mind would drink those two together. They are tricky on their own. Combined, they might be very dangerous indeed.”

“Were either of you aware that Fannie was five months pregnant?” Serenity plowed on.

Jonas reddened with embarrassment, glancing away. He mumbled. “No. That’s not something I knew of.”

Ada Mae frowned. The expression made me stare harder at her.

“I suspected she was,” Ada Mae admitted. “For my people, it’s not expected that an unmarried woman will be pregnant. She complained of belly aches in the morning and I gave her peppermint tea to calm her stomach.” Ada Mae shifted on her feet, taking a sharp breath. “She told me that her menses were off and asked what herbal remedy might help. I told her to try a small amount of parsley in her tea.”

Serenity digested Ada Mae’s words and then shut her notebook. “We’re still working on the person who shot out your window. We have an idea who it might be, but don’t have anything definitive. If you see any cars, especially dark colored, four door types parking near your farm, please call me immediately.” Serenity handed Ada Mae a business card.

Ada Mae flicked her hand over her shoulder. “Like that one?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Serenity said smoothly. She tipped her hat at Jonas and Ada Mae before nodding her head for me to follow her down the driveway.

When we got close enough to see inside the black, four door sedan, my chest tightened.

Eli Bender sat in the front passenger seat.

19

SERENITY

S
eriously?
Eli Bender’s lips were pinched and a wavy fold of thick, brown hair dropped down from his straw hat to almost cover one of his eyes. He was a good looking young man and the arrogant lift of his chin told me he knew it. It was the same attitude that had made me suspicious that he’d been the one who shot Naomi. She’d been pregnant with his child at the time. Combine that with the teen’s defensive posture and he’d been a main suspect.

When I leaned into the vehicle, I studied the driver as well. I guessed her to be in her thirties. She was a heavy-set woman with short cropped, blond hair and thin lips. I couldn’t see her eyes from the wide brimmed sunglasses she wore, but she smiled at me.

“Hi there, Sheriff. Are the girls going to be okay?” the woman asked in an overly familiar fashion.

Her outgoing manner bugged me. She was trying too hard.

“They’re on their way to Blood Rock Regional Hospital,” I said. “What’s your name?”

“Jenny Reynolds. I drive the Amish to make some extra cash,” she answered.

I tilted my head to look at Eli. He pushed the hair from his brow and stared back.

“And what are you two up to?” I directed the question at Eli, but Jenny answered.

“I was taking Eli to the crew he works with when we passed by some neighbors on the road. They told us what happened and I thought we’d stop in to see if there was anything we could do to help. Now that we know they’re already on their way to the hospital, there’s no need for us to intrude.” Jenny smiled brightly, shifting the car’s gear stick.

Her sudden desire to be away made me raise my hand. “Hold on a minute.” I gazed at Eli. “I didn’t get to talk to you the other night. I have a question for you.”

Eli snorted.

“Do you know Hannah Kuhns?” Eli’s body stiffened. It was as if I’d brought up Naomi.

He recovered quickly. “Of course I do. She lives in our community. We all know each other to some extent.”

“She’s the same age as you, isn’t she?” I didn’t miss a beat.

“I think so. What does it matter?” Eli asked, his lips twisting. His blue eyes squinted into the sun light.

The kid still had one hell of a chip on his shoulder.

I leaned in further. Eli held his ground. I dropped my voice and ignored Jenny’s gaping mouth. “I’m only going to ask you this one time, Eli. I really hope that you learned from Naomi’s case how important it is to be fully honest with the authorities.” He lifted his eyes, waiting. “Are you courting, hoping to court or involved with Hannah Kuhns in any way, shape or form?”

Eli’s shoulders slumped and his mouth opened. My breathing slowed with anticipation.

Just as Eli was about to speak, Jenny out maneuvered him. “Is this formal questioning, Sheriff? Because it doesn’t seem proper if it is.”

My gaze shot to Jenny. I removed my sunglasses, narrowing my eyes at her. I took a measured breath, reining in the explosion of anger at the sight of the woman’s feigned ignorance.

“It was simply a question. And if Eli answers it honestly, there won’t be any need for anything more formal,” I said, returning my gaze to Eli.

“Nope. She’s just another girl around here,” Eli said, staring straight ahead.

I noticed the lift at the side of Jenny’s mouth.

Pulling my notebook out, I walked to the back of the car and wrote the license plate number down.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jenny called, leaning out the window.

“You have a tail light out. I’m mailing you a citation when I get back to my office. Be on the lookout for it.”

“You can’t do that!” Jenny shouted.

“Actually, I can.” I flipped the notebook shut.

Jenny’s mouth rounded into an O, but she didn’t say anything else. Eli didn’t make eye contact with me as the car backed up and rolled back down the driveway.

Falling into line right behind the car was the Peachey’s buggy. Verna’s hand shot out the small, square window at Mervin. He waved back, smiling.

A moment later, Mervin was trotting down the driveway on his horse.

I rested my hands on my hips, staring at the various modes of transportation departing from the Stoltzfus’ farm. This was one of those times when I actually stopped to think how odd it was.

“What’s going on in your head?” Daniel’s voice cut though my thoughts.

“Eli just lied to me. I’d bet money that he has something going on with Hannah Kuhns and that’s why he had a falling out with Arlo Thomas. Only a girl makes young men act so unreasonable,” I said, sighing.

“What does it matter who he’s sweet on? I don’t see the connection,” Daniel said.

I glanced up at his tall frame. He was frowning, which wasn’t unusual, but the set of his jaw and the tightness around his eyes told me that he had things other than Eli Bender on his mind. I looked away. I was the reason he was so stressed. I should have bought the damn test and gotten it over with. I owed it to the man to at least give him an answer. He’d always been good to me. More than good, actually.

But this wasn’t the time to get into that. I flushed the line of thought away and listened to the retreating
clip clops
of the horse on the pavement. I couldn’t say much about Hannah. Seeing her buy a pregnancy test seemed too personal to mention. Even if it wasn’t, I wasn’t sure if it played into Fannie’s situation. Either way, it made me extremely uncomfortable that two young women in the same Amish household became pregnant without a marriage or official courtship. The odds were stacked heavily against something like that. I’d learned a long time ago that when things appeared off, they usually were.

“I have my reasons,” I said. “Have you already made plans with Elayne for dinner tonight?”

Daniel growled. “That’s not fair. I spent time with her last night to help you with the investigation. That’s it.” He looked at me sternly. “Don’t make something out of nothing.” He took a breath and when he continued, his tone was softer. “I was hoping you’d join me. I’d be happy to grill steaks at the house or we could check out the new Italian restaurant on Main Street. It’s your choice.”

I fought the smile that threatened to erupt on my lips. To have a quiet evening was a novelty. Fannie’s pale form lying on the examining table flashed before my eyes. I still didn’t want to let it go. I might never be able to figure out what happened to Jonas’ wife, Robyn, but Fannie’s death was fresh enough that I could discover the truth.

Jonas was creepy, but he’d proven to be helpful in a strange, supernatural kind of way. Ada Mae was one of the few Amish women I’d met who was confident enough to take action into her own hands to save lives. They’d saved a couple of girls, making them valuable members of this community.

Maybe Fannie had tried to abort her own pregnancy by mixing ingredients together, not fully understanding the risks. I rubbed the side of my temple, pushing at the throbbing that was beginning to grow.

“Let’s just eat in. I’m not in the mood for being out in public tonight.”

“Sounds wonderful.” Daniel smiled, taking my hand as he walked me to my car.

“Wait!” I looked over my shoulder. Anna Bachman scuttled down the hill towards us. We stopped and waited for her.

“I’ll give you a ride to the hospital if you want,” Daniel offered his mother.

“Oh, that would be very welcome,” she said. The apron she’d been wearing that her granddaughter had thrown up in was gone. “I wanted to get cleaned up,” she said.

Daniel bent down and kissed me on the lips in front of his mother. I stood stiffly beneath him at the abrupt action. Anna’s eyes widened, but she didn’t comment.

“What time are you coming over?” Daniel asked.

“It won’t be too long. I have some matters to wrap up at the office,” I said.

Anna spoke up. “Once again, I find myself in your debt, Sheriff.” I shook my head, beginning to interrupt her when she stopped me with a raised hand. “If you hadn’t gone to get Jonas and Ada Mae, bringing them back so quickly, those precious children would be with the Lord.”

I swallowed and glanced away, heat warming my cheeks. Bishop Esch stood quietly to the side. Our eyes met. I got the feeling he wanted to talk to me.

“I’m just glad I was here to help,” I told Anna.