A Dark Amish Night Read online

  After everyone was settled in for the night inside the house, Quinn walked the half mile back to the cabin he’d been staying in. Though he was tired and his cot called out to him, he made himself a pot of coffee. When the coffee was done, he put it in a thermos, got in his car, and drove back to Hannah’s place. It was going to be a long night of watching over Hannah, her children, and now the Troyers. But it had to be done. For all he knew, his suspect was still nearby and that sent another shiver down his spine.

  Quinn made several walks around the outside of the house and found no sign of anyone. He went back to his car. Now that he was sure those in the house were safe for the time being, at least, it was time to start calling in some help. The campsite still needed to be gone over to look for any evidence that could lead them to the killer. Timothy would need to have twenty-four seven protection until whoever killed his father was locked up for good. Quinn needed help only the Feds could provide. He took out his cell phone and scrolled for the number he needed. Oliver Platt. He and Ollie went way back to when they were both rookies on street patrol.

  “Ramsey! Do you have any idea what time it is? You old son of a gun, what’s up?”

  “Nice to talk to you too, Ollie. Well, I won’t beat around the bush I need some help from the FBI regarding a murder case I’m working on, and I was hoping that help could come from you.”

  “Sounds like I better get a cup of coffee and get woke up. Okay, start talking ’cause I’m getting out of bed.”

  Quinn spent the next several minutes going over the case with Ollie, and he hung up the phone with the reassurance from his old buddy that a forensic team would be down first thing in the morning to go over the campsite. Ollie also promised he’d get himself put in charge of the investigation from his end.

  Sipping on hot coffee from his thermos, Quinn surveyed the house again from his car with the night googles. No movement anywhere. Where are you? You scumbag, I know you’re not far and I will find you.

  One thing Quinn Ramsey was known for was that he always got his man, and this time would be no exception.

  The rest of the night was quiet with no more disturbances and Hannah was the first to wake inside the house. Just as the sun began to rise on the new day she got up from her cot in Ruth Anne’s room. She’d given Abe and Millie her and Eric’s room. It was the least she could do. Abe and Millie were newlyweds who were living with Abe’s parents until they could establish their own farm. Such was the way with most Amish newlyweds. Hannah was relieved when Bishop Miller suggested that having the couple to stay with her would be an ideal situation for Hannah until she could get moved.

  It was a good arrangement for everyone as Abe would be able to start a crop in her fields and with some help he could tend the crop through the summer and harvest. Hannah agreed to split any profit with the couple and that would help them to get a start towards gaining their own farm. And this is how the Lord works for the good of all. Hannah sent a thank you up to heaven as she started breakfast for everyone. It was not long before the little house filled with the wonderful smell of frying bacon and strong coffee.

  Hannah stepped out on the front porch and noticed Quinn’s squad car at the end of her drive. He must have spent the entire night watching over her. Hannah was touched by Quinn’s protectiveness. Given her limited interactions with the English, especially the men, Hannah was surprised and perplexed by Quinn. She was not expecting such loyalty and steadfastness from someone outside of her Amish community. And he’d held her so tenderly last night when she thought she would breakdown with worry for Timothy. It had been in that moment Hannah realized she could trust Quinn with her life and her children’s if necessary. The thought both terrified her and brought her great comfort at the same time. I fear that one day I may have to make a decision regarding the Sheriff and I pray I make the right one. Hannah shook her head and thanked the Lord that day was not this day as she walked across her lawn to invite Quinn in for breakfast.

  A Dark Amish Night

  Chapter Eight

  After breakfast Quinn took Abe for a walk around the perimeter of the farm. Quinn was glad for a chance to talk to Abe and ask some questions as well as to let Abe know the Feds were coming.

  “So, Hannah tells me you and Millie are newlyweds.”

  “Yes, we were married last November.”

  “Well congratulations then.” Quinn almost added a “son” at the end of his congratulations but thought better of it. Even though Abe was a fresh faced pup, who was only just beginning to get his beard in, the thought of calling anybody “son” just made Quinn feel old. Even so, Abe was a big guy. He stood at least six foot four and had to weigh in at no less than two hundred fifty pounds. In the English world Abe was grade “A” linebacker material and that made Quinn glad for him to be here looking after Hannah. Abe’s sheer size was sure to be a deterrent to any would be attacker.

  “Okay, Abe, if you look across the field over in that area there you’ll see where the campsite is I found. A forensic team is on its way here now to gather any evidence they can from it. So no worries when you see them over there. They may want to come to the house to gather any evidence they can from our little visitor last night as well. I can wish now that we’d not put Timothy’s room back together now, but it just seems like the more important thing is that the boy be spared the further trauma of knowing his room has been pilfered through.” Quinn had a feeling he was somehow going to regret putting Hannah’s fears and Timothy’s feelings before good detective work, but that was how Quinn did things. People always came first with him.

  Abe spoke up in a deep baritone voice. “Bishop Miller wanted me to work on getting a crop in the field as soon as possible. So how long do you think the English workers will need on the campsite before I can start to plant the field?”

  “Oh, I’m sure they’ll be done today sometime and you could start planting tomorrow. So what are you planting this late in the season?” Quinn was suddenly very interested in what the young man was planning to do on the farm.

  “Only one thing you can plant this late in the season, pumpkin.”

  “Pumpkin sounds like a fine idea for a crop. I guess you’ll be using that tractor that’s stored in the barn for plowing, but I thought the Amish didn’t use tractors, so I was hoping you’d fill me in on that.”

  “Well, about ten years or so ago the plain folk came together with the Bishop and decided to amend our community Ordnung allowing for the use of tractors. Some people left the community after that because they disagreed, but most, like my family, stayed. This land here is hard for plowing and it takes a lot of horse power to pull a plow through it. More horses than one man on a plow can manage. Not to mention the overhead of feeding and sheltering more than twenty head of horses can get real expensive and time consuming. So our Ordnung was amended to allow for tractors for the good of the people in the community.”

  “And the phones, are those in the Ordnung as well?”

  “Yes, the Bishop has allowed for each of the plain folks to have one phone in each home for emergencies in light of the fact that we in this community are so far spread apart from each other. Some folks have ’em, some don’t. It’s the same with electricity and running water. The New Order Amish allows for those things, but some folk have them and some don’t.”

  “I see. So, tell me about this Ordnung, what’s that exactly?”

  “Each community has their own set of bylaws called an Ordnung. The plain folk can come together to ask for a change or amendment to the Ordnung, but ultimately the Bishop and the deacons have the final vote on anything related to the Ordnung.”

  “And how do the Bishop and the deacons get assigned to their post?”

  “The plain folk nominate them and then they are chosen by lot.”

  “As in their names are drawn?”

  “Yes.”

  Quinn let his curiosity subside and continued to walk with Abe around the farm and explained that someone would be watching the farm duri
ng the day and that he himself would be taking the nightshift. He also told Abe about the radio walkie-talkie that he’d given Hannah. “I don’t care if its day or night, Abe, you call me if you need me. You do understand that there is someone out there that for whatever reason wants to harm this family, right?”

  “I understand and I’ll radio you if something comes up, Sheriff. Bishop Miller says that we need to cooperate with you to keep Widow Hershberger and her children safe.”

  “Good. Now I’m going to head back over to the cabin I’m staying in and try to get some sleep before that forensic team gets here. Remember, anything happens or seems out of the ordinary, you call me.”

  Abe nodded his assent and walked back to the house.

  Hannah watched Quinn’s squad car pull away from the house and sighed. How did Quinn become such a loyal friend in so short amount of time? She just couldn’t quite imagine her life without him, not that she wasn’t grateful for the support and companionship Abe and Millie provided. God knew she appreciated them both, but with Quinn she felt safe and protected in a way she’d not been since Eric died. This was dangerous grounds she was walking on and Hannah knew it. Falling in love with an English man was tantamount to treason and would get her shunned, or worse, her children would be outcast. It would be better for her and her children if Quinn stayed far away from them and the sooner she got her family off this farm and into town the sooner Quinn would no longer have to stay close. Dear Lord, let us get off this farm as soon as possible.

  The sound of the tractor in the barn starting up startled Hannah from her musings. Abe wasn’t wasting anytime in getting started on the planting then. Hannah wished him well with the crops. Abe would have to work day and night, though, to get the planting in and then to keep the crops watered. Hannah hoped to have her own business up and running long before the pumpkin crop was ready for harvest. Still, it would be nice to see someone working the land in Eric’s stead.

  Millie had the kitchen cleared of the breakfast dishes and was sweeping the floor when Hannah came back inside.

  “Millie, you shame me girl, but I thank you so much for the help. I’ll just go upstairs and check on the children.”

  Millie, who never said much anyway, only waved and smiled as Hannah headed upstairs. Ruth Anne was in her room trying to make her bed by herself.

  “Well now, there’s a good girl, doing chores without being told.” Hannah beamed at her daughter who laughed and smiled adoringly.

  “Look, Mamma, look. I make my bed.”

  “Yes, and look what a fine job you’re doing of it. You keep at it while I go check on your brother.” Hannah went down the hall to Timothy’s room and knocked on the door.

  “Timothy, you all right?” When no answer came Hannah knocked again and opened the door. The room was dark with no light with the heavy curtains pulled tightly shut over the window. Timothy was fully dressed and lying atop his bed not moving.

  “Timothy, are you not feeling well?” Hannah rushed over to place a hand on her son’s forehead in fear he might have a fever. Just as she laid her hand on his head he jerked away from her touch.

  “Go away, Ma. I don’t need you fussing over me. I’m fine.”

  “Timothy, what’s gotten into you? Why are you behaving like this?” Hannah sighed. “Look, I know you miss your Pa. I miss him too. We will always miss him, but your Pa wouldn’t want you acting this way. It hurts, yes, but we have to go on. I hope that I can make a good living for us when I open my bakery up in town and maybe you’re a little nervous about moving off the farm, but I promised Bishop Miller I would keep the farm for you. You understand that don’t you? I’m keeping the farm so it will be yours one day, right?

  “I don’t want this stinky old farm. I hope we leave here and never come back.”

  “Timothy, this was your father’s dream. How can you be so disrespectful? Your father would’ve wanted you to have this land for your own family one day.”

  “I told you I want off this farm and I never want to come back. We’re not safe here. They came looking for me, didn’t they? You and Sheriff Quinn tried to hide it from me, but they came here for me didn’t they? That’s why my room was all messed up.”

  Hannah tried to hide her shock at Timothy’s revelation. “What do mean, they?”

  “The ones who killed Pa.”

  “Timothy, do you know who hurt your father? If you do, you have to tell me. We have to let the Sheriff know so he can find the people who did this.”

  Timothy turned his back to his mother. “I don’t know nothing. Go away, NOW!”

  Hannah tried everything to get her son to talk to her, but nothing worked. Finally, she gave up and went downstairs. She knew she would have to relay this new information to Quinn, but she wanted Quinn to get some sleep after being up all night, and she hoped that Timothy would come around on his own. Oh, Eric, what happened to you? And what does our boy know about it?

  When her questions went unanswered she put on her apron and got ready to start her daily chores. In her usual manner, Hannah would put her worries aside with good hard work. Her first order of business would be sorting out household items she could start packing away for the move. Millie was eager to help and Hannah wouldn’t say no to that.

  Quinn woke to the noon day sun shining through a small, curtain-less window in the cabin. Disgusted with himself for sleeping longer than he’d intended, he jumped up, poured some cold water over head and pulled on his clothes. He checked his cell phone messages and ran to his car. Sure enough, Ollie had called couple of times already. The forensic team was waiting for him at the office to lead them to the abandoned camp site. He made a quick call to his deputy to let him know he was on his way.

  Despite running late, he stopped by Hannah’s to see if everything was good there. I’ve got to find some way to get her out of this farm house and into a safer place in town. Quinn realized his problem was not so much in dealing with Hannah, but in having to jump through hoops for what he considered the layers of rules for the Amish. He would still do his best to help her abide by her faith as long as she and the children were safe. Anything beyond that and he was prepared to either move in with her or have her move in with him until this murdering jerk was behind bars for good. One thing Quinn was sure of, this guy was getting bold to come right into the house. There could be no doubt the murderer was looking for Timothy. What does that boy know that he’s not telling? And why isn’t he telling it?

  Abe was on the tractor in the field with several neat tidy rows of red dirt plowed. He tipped his hat to Quinn in the distance. Quinn knocked on the door and Hannah answered. The site of her took Quinn’s breath away. Hannah was always so fresh, and even in her plain Amish attire, she was absolutely lovely. Quinn had to catch himself before he started making cow eyes at her.

  “Good afternoon, Quinn, I wasn’t expecting to see you back so soon, but come on in. I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”

  “That’s all right, Hannah, I have to be getting on to the station. Got some people waiting on me. Wow, it looks like you’re busy anyhow.” Quinn couldn’t help but notice the stacks of boxes that had already been packed and sealed scattered around the front room.

  “Yes, I want to get this done so I can get started on opening my bakery in town as quickly as I can. Sure you don’t want a cup of coffee? I’ve got some strudel cooling on the counter.”

  “How ’bout I take some to go?”

  “Sure, I’ll just wrap you up some to take back to town with you.”

  Quinn followed Hannah into the kitchen and watched as she carefully wrapped the entire strudel for him to take. “So, has it been quiet here since I left this morning?”

  “Well, there hasn’t been any more signs of our visitor from last night, but Timothy figured out that visitor was looking for him. He’s frightened, Quinn, my boy is scared out of his mind, and he won’t talk to me about it, and he won’t come out of his room either. I just don’t know what to do.”

  “There
has to be something the boy isn’t telling us. He’s got to know something or he saw something. There’s no other explanation.” Quinn took a deep sigh. “I’ve got to get into town right now, but I’ll be back later this evening. I think maybe it’s time for me to have another talk with Timothy. Don’t tell him I’m coming. Let him calm down, and maybe between the two of us we can get him to talk, okay?”

  “It sounds like that’s about all I can do. Maybe together we can get something out of him.”

  Quinn made it back to the office with only half of the strudel left. His old pal Ollie was standing out in front of the Sherriff’s office smoking a cigarette in a standard issue plain black suit.

  “Well, Quinn, I been here cooling my heels for a good couple of hours. Don’t tell me you already got this one solved and won’t be needing my services after all.” Ollie was only half joking. He knew Quinn to be a solid detective who had the most impressive track record of any one. Quinn Ramsey was an old dog who never lost a bone, ever. Ollie was one of the few people who knew why Quinn left the city. Crying shame about that wife of his, a murder-suicide as it was.

  Quinn slapped Ollie on the back. “Good to see you, Ollie. I wish I could tell you this case was all wrapped up, but to tell the truth I need you more than I ever have. Quinn caught Ollie up to speed and the both of them went inside to wait for the forensic team to arrive.

  “So, how’s that partner of yours? Maggie, that’s her name right? She still looking good and keeping you at bay?” Quinn remembered Ollie’s partner well. There was a time Quinn had given Maggie more than a passing glance.

  “Maggie’s still around. She asks about you sometimes. So did you and her ever…”

  “NO! She and I never...” Quinn cut Ollie off but there was no mistaking the mischief in his old friend’s eyes. Ollie was teasing and Quinn had taken the bait.