An Unbroken Heart (32 page)

Irene and
Mamm
sat on the couch opposite the officer, and Andrew took a seat next
to them. After seeing his mother's reaction to the police officer, he didn't know
how long he'd be able to keep the letter a secret. He was sick and tired of secrets
anyway. The truth needed to come out, regardless of what his father had written.

Riley's brow furrowed, and he glanced at his notes again. “Do you know the Schrocks?”

“We all know each other around here.” Andrew's tone was noncommittal. He didn't trust
this guy, and he wanted him to finish his business as soon as possible. He glanced
at Irene, who looked paler than she had before.

“So you're aware of the accident that killed Mr. and Mrs. Schrock?”

“Very aware.” Andrew fisted his hands. “I'd appreciate it if you'd get to the point.”

“We have a new lead in the case.”

“What lead?”

“You'll need to answer my questions first.”

Andrew paused, giving the guy another wary look before turning to his mother. “Are
you all right?” he whispered to her and his sister in
Dietsch
.

“Ya,”
Irene said. But her mother only nodded, bunching her skirt in her hands.

“Are any of you familiar with a man named Cameron Crawford?” the officer asked.

What did Cameron have to do with any of this? “He was here a few days ago,” Andrew
said. “He had a flat tire on his truck and he was waiting for a tow.”

“Was anyone with him?”

“His daughter.”

“A baby daughter,” Irene said, emphasizing
baby
.

The deputy looked at his pad again, made a mark with his pencil, then looked up.
“Did he mention anything about an accident?”

“You mean his wife's?” Irene interjected.

“No, although we're aware she died in childbirth.”

Andrew frowned. He'd known Crawford's wife had died, but during his daughter's birth?

“How awful,” Irene whispered.

Riley's expression was emotionless. “Did you get a look at his truck, by any chance?”

Andrew shook his head, his patience paper thin. “What does this have to do with what
happened to Joanna and her parents?”

“You know the Schrocks well, then?”

“Joanna is . . . was my fiancée.” Andrew's jaw jerked. “And I'm not answering anything
else until you tell me what's going on.”

“Fair enough. We got a tip from the auto shop that replaced Crawford's tire. Apparently
there was damage to the truck consistent with a recent accident. When the mechanic
asked if they could fix it, Crawford refused. We've been asking for information
about this case since the accident. Newspaper articles, even a few TV stations picked
it up. Fortunately this guy is a news junkie, and he went with his gut and called
us. That's what led me here. Other than the motel where Crawford stayed and waited
for his truck to be ready, this was the last place he was seen. Do you have any idea
where he was going?”

“No.” Andrew tapped the toe of his boot against the wood floor.

“He said something about going south,” Irene said. “He was ready for a new life for
him and his daughter. He had bad memories of Langdon.” Her eyes widened. “You think
he had something to do with the Schrock accident?”

“Yes,” Riley said. “We do.”

“That can't be true,” Irene said. “I don't think you have the right person.”

“Irene,” Andrew said, his voice holding warning.

She ignored him. “Cameron is a kind man. He's suffered a horrendous tragedy, and
he's trying to take care of his baby. I'm sure the damage to his truck could have
been caused by anything.”

The deputy looked at her for a long moment, his expression as hard as stone. Irene
shrank back, looking more weary and ill than before. Andrew turned to Riley. “That's
all we know.” He rose from the couch. “I hope you find the person who caused the
Schrock accident. I really do. But you won't get any more answers from us, because
we don't know anything else.”

Again, the deputy didn't move, his gaze focused on Andrew as if he were trying to
determine if Andrew was telling the truth. Finally he rose. “If you do hear from
Crawford, please let me know.” His hardened facade softened a little. “I'm from Holmes
County. I know a lot of Amish, and I know you people, as a rule, do not like to deal
with law enforcement. But since you have a personal tie to this case, I hope you'll
reconsider if you learn anything. I'm sure your fiancée wants closure.”

Andrew stepped forward, ignoring the stab of pain he felt at the deputy mentioning
Joanna was his fiancée. “Have you talked to her?”

He shook his head. “Not recently. We tried to question her about the accident after
it happened, when she was well enough to talk. She doesn't remember much of it, and
not enough to help with the case. I don't want to put her through any more stress
unless it's necessary.” He pulled out a card from his shirt pocket. “I'll leave this
with you. If you hear anything or see Crawford again, let us know. You may not know
this, but if you decide to help him, you can be charged with obstructing justice.”

He heard his mother suck in a breath. Andrew went to her side. “We understand.”

The deputy nodded. “Maybe we'll have some good news soon about the case. Our office
will keep you posted.”

Andrew went to the door and opened it. The deputy nodded and left. When Andrew closed
the door, he turned around. Both his mother and sister were upset. “Is there anything
about Crawford that you're not telling me?” he asked, looking pointedly at Irene.

Wide-eyed, she shook her head. “
Nee
. And I can't believe he's the one who caused
the accident. He wouldn't do that.”

“Irene, we don't know anything about him.” Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. Crawford's
eagerness to leave, his unease around all of them, now started to make sense. He
was guilty. Andrew knew it in his gut.
And the man was in
mei haus
.

“We should tell the Schrocks,” Andrew said. “They would want to know about this.”

“But Cameron didn't do it,” Irene insisted. She shrank back. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't
have said so much to the deputy.”

Andrew looked at her. At the time he'd been shocked at her vehement defense of Cameron.
But then he started to feel the same way. The man who had been in his house, who
had partaken of their hospitality and allowed his sister to care for his daughter
. . . He had a hard time reconciling that he was same man who had taken
Herr
and
Frau
Schrock's lives and injured Joanna.

“Will you two tell me what's going on?” Naomi asked.

Andrew filled her in.

“I refuse to believe he's the one,” Irene added. “He was too kind and loved his daughter
very much—”

“And that's what worries me.”

Both Andrew and Irene looked at their mother. She still looked slightly pale, and
Andrew wanted to know why she had assumed the deputy was here because of his father.
There were too many unanswered questions concerning his parents, and he would get
to the bottom of that later. Right now he wanted to know what his mother meant.

“I don't understand,” Irene said.

Naomi looked at her, then at Andrew. “You'll understand when you have
kinner
of
yer
own. You'd do anything to keep them safe. To protect them.” She licked her lips.
“The love Cameron has
for his daughter could have driven him not only out of Langdon,
but also away from the police.”

Andrew sat back, confusion warring within him. His mother's words made sense. He
couldn't imagine being a single father, especially at Cameron's age. When Cameron
was talking about losing his wife, Andrew had thought about how afraid he'd been
when Joanna was in the hospital. He'd been so afraid he'd lose her.
I lost her anyway.

But not the way Cameron had lost his wife. Or Asa his fiancée. Or even how his mother
and father had lost each other. They were still married, at least according to his
father.

“What would happen to Lacy if Cameron went to jail?” Irene asked quietly.

“I imagine the
Englisch
legal system would put her into foster care.”

“We don't have any proof of that.” Naomi put her hand on Andrew's arm. “If we hear
anything, we'll report it. It's our duty to do so. But I don't think we'll ever see
Cameron or Lacy again.”

“What do I tell Joanna?”

“
Nix
. Don't tell her about this.” Naomi looked at Irene. “You don't say anything,
either.”

“How can I keep a secret like that from her?” Andrew ran his hand through his hair.
Although they weren't together anymore, he didn't want to keep anything from her.
He was tired of lies and deception.

His mother looked at him, pleading in her eyes. “Andrew, I know you want to be honest
with her. I understand that. But bringing this up—especially when we don't know the
whole story—could really hurt her and her sisters. And what if nothing comes of it?
If the deputy is wrong, then you've upset them for
nothing. Sometimes we have to
do things we don't want to do to protect those we love.”

He looked at
Mamm
, and he knew she wasn't just talking about Joanna. And as much
as he didn't want to accept it, he also knew she was right about Joanna. Somehow
he had to reconcile keeping this from Joanna until the authorities apprehended the
perpetrator—whether it was Cameron or someone else.

Andrew looked at his mother again. As their gazes met, they both knew the truth—Cameron
had caused the accident. The knowledge was churning in his gut. But there was nothing
he could do about it. He could only pray the police would find him. Justice had to
be served. Joanna and her family deserved that. And in serving that justice, Cameron
would lose his daughter. Despite everything, Andrew felt sympathy for the man.

“I'm going upstairs,” Irene said.

After his sister left, his mother started toward the kitchen. Andrew stopped her.
“
Mamm
. I need to know what happened to
Daed
.”

His mother froze. “You read his letter?”

Andrew nodded. “I guess you were the one who put it on the coffee table.”

She nodded.

He took a step toward her. “He said he didn't leave us for someone else, that you
are still married. And why did you think the police were here for him?”

She went to sit down on the couch. Andrew joined her. He'd never seen his mother
look so sad, even in the days after his father left. “I'd hoped
yer daed
wouldn't
have said anything to you. I didn't want you to know about this.”

“Know about what?”

“The truth.” She looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “What we've been lying
to you and Irene about all these years.”

Andrew clenched his teeth together. “He didn't run off with an
Englisch
woman, then?
He wasn't lying about that in his letter?”

“
Nee
.
Yer vatter
is in witness protection.”

His eyes grew round. He wasn't even sure what that was. “Witness protection?”

“To keep him safe. To keep us safe.” She sighed. “I met
yer vatter
when I was fourteen.
He was fun. Adventurous.
Mei
parents had me when they were in their forties, and
mei vatter
had died when we moved to Florida from Pennsylvania. I was eighteen when
mei mamm
passed away.”

He nodded. He'd known his maternal grandparents had died before he was born, but
his mother never talked about them.

“I grew up in a very strict household, and as an only child I was sheltered. When
we moved to Florida, I met
yer vatter
. He was like a breath of fresh air to me. I
fell in love right away. He loved me too. But I didn't know everything about him.
I didn't realize that while we were dating, he was selling drugs.”

Andrew's jaw dropped. His father was a drug dealer? “Why did you marry him, then?”

“Because he had stopped. He really had. He had renewed his faith and commitment to
the Lord. It wasn't until you and Irene were born that the past caught up with him.”
She looked away. “It always does. The police tracked him down and brought him in
for questioning. They arrested him, then offered him a deal—he could avoid jail if
he helped them break up the drug gang he'd been a part of. He agreed, and I paid
the bail money to get him out of jail. While he was out on bail, someone tried
to
kill him. We found out the drug dealer he worked for wanted him dead.”

“Because he was giving them up.”

“
Ya
. And because they were—are—dangerous people. We're sheltered here in Birch Creek.
That's how
yer vatter
wanted it. He wanted to make sure his family was far away from
the drug gang. We had made plans to move together as a family, but the police had
other ideas.” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “He had to go into witness protection.”

Andrew fell back against the couch. “Why didn't you tell us? Why lie?”

“To protect you and
yer
sister.”

“We wouldn't need protecting if he hadn't committed crimes in the first place,” Andrew
muttered.

“You're right.”
Mamm
took off her glasses and rubbed her red-rimmed eyes. “He made
some horrible mistakes. He's also paid for them.”

“So have you. We all have.” He shook his head. “Why didn't he come back?”

“The FBI arrested most of the drug gang. But not all. They couldn't find two of them.
To save
yer vatter
's life, he had to change his identity. He's also being watched
by US Marshals. They keep him safe.”