Murder, Served Simply (19 page)

T
he next morning, as I drove to the hotel to pick up Ryan for the excursion to Nahum's shack, I kept hoping that he had forgotten about it so Jonah and I could go on our own. No such luck. Ryan waited for me on the hotel's front porch.

He climbed into the car, holding two travel mugs of coffee. He handed one to me. “Extra cream and sugar, just as you like it.”

I accepted the mug. “Since when have you encouraged my sugar habit?”

He buckled his seat belt. “Since I've been trying to win you back,” he said matter-of-factly. “Watching your high sugar consumption would be a tiny price to pay to be with you.”

I sipped the coffee and didn't reply. He had made it just how I liked it. Drat.

Ryan glanced in the backseat. “No Oliver?”

“I thought it would be best to leave him at home with Dodger and my parents. I don't know what to expect at Nahum's and neither should you. The guy is a loose cannon.”

Ryan straightened in his seat. “All the more reason I should go along to protect you.”

I rolled my eyes.

The woods near Nahum's house weren't discoverable by GPS, and I had to follow the directions that Jonah had given me the day before in the library parking lot. I turned down a one-lane road that I suspected was dirt or gravel under the thick layer of snow. I gunned the engine of my car and pushed through the terrible conditions. In snow this high, even my SUV could get stuck, and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in the winter on a country road alone with Ryan Dickinson.

“Is it wrong that I have the theme music of
Deliverance
playing over and over in my head?” Ryan asked.

I groaned. “You are such a city boy.”

I saw sunlight reflecting off the orange “slow moving vehicle” triangle on the back of Jonah's buggy before I saw the buggy itself. I started to relax. Jonah would provide a buffer between Ryan and me.

I parked behind him. “We're here,” I said.

Ryan glanced around. “Where is here?”

I unbuckled my seat belt. “I don't know, but this is where Jonah asked me to meet him, so it must be close to Nahum's home.” I opened the door. “Come on, City Boy.”

Ryan grinned.

Okay, the teasing was a bad idea. It was only encouraging him.

Jonah raised his eyebrows at me when we stepped out of the car.

“Ryan's coming along with us. I hope that's okay.” I pulled my purple stocking cap down over my ears, thinking that I should have doubled up on the long underwear. It was freezing.

“Oh-kay,” my best childhood friend said in a voice that implied you had better tell me why later.

I buried my gloved hands into my pockets and tried to make myself as small as possible. The smaller I was, the warmer I would be. “So where's Nahum's cabin? Just beyond those trees?”

Jonah nodded. “
Ya
, but it is a ways yet. This is the closest we can get by buggy. From here, we walk.”

“Walk?” Ryan asked, peering into the dense forest. “Are you serious?”

Jonah smiled. “Of course. If you want, you can wait here for Angie and me until we come back. I hope you both have your snow boots on.”

I was dressed for the North Pole. Ryan wore a hat, scarf, and leather gloves with his expensive long winter coat. Jonah made a face. “We might have to go through some brambles.”

“Fine with me,” Ryan said. “I can always buy another coat. Angie is the only irreplaceable thing here.”

Jonah's eyebrows disappeared under the long bangs of his bowl haircut. “All right. Follow me.” Jonah stepped through the tree line.

I followed him, but Ryan hesitated. I looked back. “You coming? You can stay here like Jonah said.”

Ryan frowned. “Of course I'm coming,” he said as if he never had any second thoughts.

Once we broke through the tree line into the forest
proper, the snow wasn't as deep and the walking became easier.

“The dense tree coverage holds back some of the snow,” Jonah said. “But don't be fooled. There are some very deep drifts back here. Watch where you are walking.”

I concentrated on my footing and tried not to think about how angry Mitchell would be if he knew where I was at the moment. Or how much angrier he would be if he knew that Ryan was with me. I sighed. The sooner Ryan went back to Dallas, the sooner my life became less complicated. I glanced over my shoulder. Ryan stared at his feet as he walked. His wool coat was dragging in the snow. An unexpected smile formed on my lips as I watched him. Ryan was a long way from the courtrooms and posh dinner parties of Dallas. So was I.

Ryan looked up and caught me smiling at him.

Shoot. I spun around, but not before a hopeful look lit in his eyes. Bringing Ryan on this excursion had been a very, very bad idea.

I picked up my pace and caught up to Jonah, who moved through the forest with the confidence of a lumberjack. I hopped over a fallen log to catch him.

“Don't get too fancy with your steps,” Jonah said. “You don't know what is under the snow. There could be a log or rock that will make you fall.”

He had a point. I took my steps much more carefully after that.

Snow crunched under my ugly boots as we crept through the forest.

“I can't believe I let you talk me into this,” Jonah grumbled under his breath.

“Come on, you used to always be up for an adventure.” I jumped over a fallen log.

“That was before. I have a family to worry about now.” He took the edge off his words with a grin. “You know I got in a lot less trouble with
Daed
and
Mamm
when you moved away.”

I snorted. “That's not how Anna tells it.”

He stepped closer to me. “What's he doing here?”

I sighed. “Ryan figured out where I was going and insisted that he come along or he would tell the sheriff what I was up to.”

“We can't have that,” Jonah said.

“No, we can't. Mitchell would—”

He put a finger to his lips.

“Do you hear something?” I whispered, listening. All I could hear was the steady crunch of Ryan's footsteps in the snow as he caught up with us.

“I thought I did. It might have just been a squirrel. The woods will play tricks on you if you're not careful.”

I stumbled on a rock buried in the snow; then I bounced off a sapling, which dumped its snow down the back collar of my coat. “Yeow!” I cried.

Ryan ran to me. “Angie, are you okay?”

“Could you make any more noise?” Jonah asked.

Ryan helped me up.

“I'm sorry. It caught me by surprise. That's all.” I brushed what snow I could off me.

Ryan still gripped my elbow.

“Ryan, I'm fine. You can let go of me now,” I said.

He dropped his hand.

“Shh!” Jonah held a finger to his mouth. “I thought I heard something again.”

The three of us stood frozen and listened to the woods. In my mind, I heard the theme music of
Deliverance
too. I had Ryan to thank for putting that idea in my head.

A flock of hardy starlings twittered above us.

“Was it the birds?” I whispered.

“I hope so,” Jonah whispered back. “Nahum would not like it if he thought we were sneaking up on his cabin.”

I shivered.

“Let's keep moving,” Jonah said, holding a branch until Ryan and I passed it.

He let go of the branch and it whipped back, releasing a cloud of snow in its wake. “You don't think your
mamm
will bring up the time I broke her favorite lamp when we were kids at Christmas Eve dinner, right?”

I laughed. “What made you think about that?”

“It's been on my mind. I don't think she's ever forgiven me. Maybe she won't. She said nothing to me on the progressive-dinner wagon ride.”

“She's biding her time,” I teased. “But I predict before they head back to Texas, you will hear about the incident at least twice.”

Jonah sighed. “I have a feeling my boys will grow up with some stories like that.”

“Ethan and Ezra already have more stories than they could ever possibly share when it comes to mischief making.”

Jonah laughed.

Ryan was silent during our conversation, but I knew he was listening to every word.

We heard a snap like a limb breaking in the forest and then the whoosh as it tumbled through the trees to the forest floor.

“Is it safe here?” I asked.

“Sometimes tree branches will crack under the weight of snow and ice.”

Great.

“That makes me feel safe,” Ryan muttered.

Jonah shrugged. “Just be on the lookout for any falling branches.”

Duly noted.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes. I listened for more falling branches.

“I know Amish live off the grid, but aren't they supposed to be close to their district?” Ryan asked.

Jonah glanced over his shoulder. “Most live closer together, but there are loners even in the Amish world. Not many. Amish who want to live outside of the community are looked down upon.”

“I'm guessing Nahum doesn't much care what his district says,” I said.

“Nahum doesn't care what anyone says about him. He is still Amish in how he dresses and what technology he uses, but he doesn't answer to any district. From what I hear, his old bishop doesn't know what to do with him and would like him just to stay away.”

“Then why was he upset about Eve Shelter being in that play?” I asked.

“From what I gather, he still believes in the Amish religion. He just interprets it as he sees fit. I guess Eve's acting didn't follow whatever it is he believes about the Amish.” Jonah stepped over a rock peeking out of the snow. “You will be able to ask him yourself soon enough. We are almost to his cabin.”

The trees parted into a clearing. In the middle of it was the small building. The word “shack” was a perfect description for it. It had four walls and a roof, but they looked like they were held together by a little glue and prayers. Nahum stood on the roof with a shovel, pushing large piles of snow over the side.

“What is he doing?” Ryan asked.

“He's shoveling his roof. Just like heavy snow can break branches, it can also cave in a roof,” Jonah whispered.

“Sheesh, should I be worried about my house?” I asked.

Jonah shook my head. “
Nee
. Nahum's roof is flat. Yours has a peak. It should be fine as long as we don't get five feet of snow.”

My mouth fell open. “Does that happen?”

“Rarely.”

That didn't make me feel better either.

Nahum's head snapped up. “Who's there?” he bellowed from the roof.

I winced. We had been found out.

“I
said, ‘Who's there?'” Nahum bellowed again. “Show yourself.” He held the shovel like a javelin as if he would throw it at us as soon as we appeared out of the trees.

“Okay,” Jonah whispered. “Here's your chance to talk to him. But when I say it's time to go, it's time to go. Understand?”

“All right,” I said.

Jonah looked to Ryan. “What about you?”

“Fine with me.” Ryan folded his arms. “The sooner we get out of here the better. The man looks deranged.”

Jonah nodded and started toward the clearing. Was he agreeing with Ryan that Nahum was deranged?

Jonah glanced over his shoulder when Ryan and I didn't follow him. “Are you two coming? You were the ones who wanted to talk to him.”

“He does look a little crazy,” I said.

“That's because he is crazy,” Jonah whispered before stepping out of the trees.

Oh well, that made me feel so much better. I followed Jonah into the clearing. Ryan was a few steps behind me.

Nahum pushed a large pile of snow off his roof, and it cascaded over the side like a snowy waterfall. He then climbed down the ladder. “Jonah Graber, what are you
doing on my land, and what are you doing bringing
Englischers
here?”

Jonah greeted Nahum in Pennsylvania Dutch. “Stay here,” Jonah whispered to us, and cautiously approached the other Amish man.

The two men spoke in their own language, and Nahum repeatedly jabbed his shovel into the snow as if to make a point.

“I'm thinking this was a very bad idea,” Ryan whispered into my ear.

I would never let him know it, but I silently agreed. It would have been better for me to speak to Nahum on neutral ground, and preferably somewhere he didn't have access to a shovel.

Jonah waved us over. Ryan and I shuffled within ten feet of them. I hoped that was out of range of the swinging shovel.

“We wanted to talk to you about your niece,” Jonah said in English.

“You and everyone else.” Nahum leaned on his shovel. “The sheriff and one of his deputies were here just after first light. Doesn't anyone understand that I have work to do? My homestead is not going to take care of itself.”

I suspected that he used the word “homestead” loosely. Broken bits of furniture and farm equipment poked out of the snow in the yard. With the snow as
deep as it was, it was hard to tell from where exactly all the pieces of metal and wood originated. We would have to watch our steps. I tried to remember when I last had a tetanus shot.

“What did the sheriff want?” Jonah asked.

Nahum glowered. “Same as you wanted, to talk to me about the girl.”

“You mean your niece,” I said.

“Anyone who would fall under the world's spell like that is no relation of mine.” He spat.

Ryan wrinkled his nose. Nahum certainly wasn't the kind of guy he usually hung out with. The corporate crooks Ryan represented in court were much more refined.

“What did you tell them?” I asked.

“That I didn't have anything to do with her falling. It was
Gotte
's justice being served. She had it coming for falling away.”

I took a step back from his venom.

Nahum glared at Ryan. “Who are you? You look like you're from the city. Are you a fed?”

Ryan cleared his throat. “I am from the city. I'm not a federal agent. I am here as Angie's friend to protect her.”

“Protect her from what?” He snorted. “From me? You have no need to worry on that account. I don't have any interest in hurting anyone.”

“But Eve—,” I started.

“I told you I had nothing to do with that,” he snapped. “Since I am still here as you can see, the policeman believed me.” Nahum abandoned his shovel and walked
toward his front door. “You can come in if you want. I have
kaffe.
”

I raised my eyebrow at Jonah.

“A cup of
kaffe
would be nice,” Jonah said, and followed the other Amish man through the door.

Ryan grabbed Jonah's arm. “Do you think this is wise?”

“Nee,”
Jonah said. “But we came all this way for Angie to ask him her questions. It's best to get that over with, and it's too cold to stand out here all day.” Jonah followed Nahum into the house.

I waited a couple of beats before I followed.

The door creaked on its hinges when I pushed it in. I definitely would not have gone inside had I been alone. I'm not that dumb. I wasn't even sure if we should be inside the shack with Nahum. Hadn't everyone been telling me for the last two days that he was crazy?

Inside the shack, there was one simple open room. In today's Realtor-speak, they would spin it as an open floor plan. The room was sparse and surprisingly clean. Apparently, Nahum just tossed unwanted items into his littered front yard. A dry sink and small table with four chairs denoted the kitchen area. There were no dishes in the sink, and the counter was bare and dry.

Nahum's sparse wardrobe hung from pegs lining the wall next to his bed.

A black potbellied stove sat in one corner of the single-room cabin. A rocking chair with a worn black leather Bible sat on top of it. Nahum removed one of the cast-iron burner covers with his bare hands. I winced. The metal had to be hot. He filled a blue speckled
coffeepot with coffee grounds and scooped snow out of the bucket.

I did my best to hide my grimace. Any of the germs in the snow would boil out. At least that was what I told myself.

“Have a seat.” Nahum gestured to the table.

Jonah and I sat. Ryan remained standing near the door. I knew it was for easy escape if need be.

Nahum picked up the coffeepot from the burner on the potbellied stove. “
Kaffe
just needs a warm-up. It won't be long.” He looked at me. “It might be a tad bitter for you, but it's how I like it.”

Interesting that Nahum would like his coffee bitter. Somehow that seemed the perfect flavor for him.

The Amish man grabbed three empty white mugs from the cupboard and set them on the table. He sat in a third chair. “What can I tell you about Eve? That is what you want to know, right?”

I nodded.

“Eve was the perfect name for her—the first woman to have sinned. Eve Shetler was fallen just like the original Eve.” He slammed his fist on the table.

Jonah caught the mugs before they toppled over. Fortunately, they were still empty. Ryan took a step toward the table, but Jonah shook his head. Ryan fell back into his post by the door.

I gritted my teeth. I respected the Amish and their beliefs, but equating Eve's dream of being a star in a play to original sin was a little much for me to swallow. How could this man be Rachel's father? Rachel was the sweetest, kindest person I knew. Maybe it had been for the
best that my friend had been raised by her mother's family. I hated the thought that she might have grown up with this man.

“Yes, Eve left the Amish,” I said, “but every Amish person has to make that choice. Even you made one. Are you just bitter because she left the Amish for New York?”

“Why should I care where she went when she left the county? I only care that she came back and disgraced our people in such a public way. Don't you realize that those
Englischers
producing the play made everything they could out of the fact that Eve had been raised Amish?” He stood and picked the coffeepot up off the burner. He brought it back to the table and filled the three mugs. The coffee looked as appetizing as one of Willow's signature teas. “They will make just as much out of her now that she's dead. It's all a popularity contest. She did not have to come back here and stir up all this trouble.”

I didn't touch my drink; Jonah glanced inside of his mug but made no move to sip from it either. Nahum took a long pull from his coffee, unconcerned that it was blazing hot.

“Maybe she wanted to see her family again. Maybe this was the best way to do that,” I said.

Nahum snorted. “My brother won't see her.”

“Why did you have such a problem with her being in the play?” I asked.

“Because she mocks the Amish.” He smacked his hand on the table this time. Jonah was ready and steadied all the mugs.

“Why do you care?” I blurted out. “You aren't really part of the Amish community.”

Jonah looked as if he wished I were in striking distance so that he could elbow me in the ribs.

Nahum peered at me over his coffee mug. “I'm still Amish and can take offense at someone making a mockery of my people.”

I opened my mouth, but Jonah jumped in. “Every person must make their decision during
rumspringa
whether to stay within the community or go. Eve made hers.”

“Then she should have gone and stayed gone. I went over to that hotel and told her as much. Not that she listened.” Nahum's eyes narrowed.

I leaned forward, and the chair beneath me creaked. “When was that?”

“The day she died. A few hours before she went onstage. I went to the hotel to talk to her and found her outside in the snow. She screamed when I walked up to her. I wasn't going to hurt her. I just wanted her to know that she wasn't welcome here.”

That must have been right before I nearly hit Nahum with my car in the parking lot. I suspected Eve already knew by that point that many Amish didn't want her in the county, especially those in her own family.

“Why did she scream?” Ryan asked from the doorway.

Nahum turned to him as if he had forgotten Ryan was there. I knew I almost had because all my energy was intent on Nahum and watching for what he might do.

“Because she was afraid,” was Nahum's simple answer.

“Afraid?” Jonah asked.

“She looked it to me. Or maybe she was just skittish. I told her my piece. Whatever good that did, and she claimed she had to stay in the play. She didn't have a choice to back out now, even though she was sorry how the Amish in Rolling Brook felt about it.” He gripped his mug. “She had to be lying. She had a choice.”

Maybe she didn't
.

“Did she tell you why she had to stay in the play?” I asked.

“
Nee
, one of those play people showed up then and told me I had to leave.”

“Who was it?” I asked.

“I don't know any of their names. They are all
Englischer
s.”

“What did he look like?”

“He was a short, wiry man with a mustache. Eve didn't seem to care for him, but she went with him.”

Jasper, I thought. “Why do you say that?”

“She said that he couldn't tell her what to do because he wasn't the director. The man turned bright red. If I had not been standing right there, he might have struck her when she said that.”

I frowned. If Nahum thought that Jasper wanted to hit Eve, would he have been angry enough to cut the rope of her swing? I swallowed. Poor Eve. What kind of torment had the girl been facing on the day she died? “She endured a lot to come back and see her family,” I said.

Nahum set his mug back on the table. “I already told you that my brother would not have seen her. My brother won't even see me. He believes he is such a righteous man because he follows all the district rules. He is weak to allow the bishop to think for him. I made that mistake once and will never again.”

I saw Jonah's jaw twitch.

“What decision was that?” I asked.

He glared at me over his coffee mug. “None of your business.”

On a hunch, I said, “Was it about Rachel's mother?”

Jonah's head snapped in my direction. He had not expected that question. I hadn't either.

“What do you know about it?”

“I know Rachel is my dearest friend, and you are her father. I know there has to be a reason that you left your daughter and your district when Rachel was a baby. It was because of her mother, wasn't it?”

Tears gathered in the Amish man's eyes and rolled down his weathered cheeks. “The bishop killed my wife.”

Jonah dropped his spoon and said a not-very-nice word in Pennsylvania Dutch.

“What?” I asked.

“He's the reason she is dead. After my daughter was born, my wife was in a bad way. The midwife said that she could not help her. I went to the bishop to ask for guidance.” He pounded his fist on the table again. “The bishop told me to take her to the
Englisch
hospital in Canton. I argued with him, saying it would be better for her here in her home. He told me I was wrong.

“As a
gut
Amish man, I did as the bishop told me. I took her to the
Englisch
hospital, and the doctors hooked her up to all sorts of machines. She died in a most horrible way, surrounded by beeping and whirling. I will never get those sounds out of my head. It was the bishop's fault. And my fault too for not trusting
Gott
that she would get better at home. Instead, we put our faith in
Englisch
doctors. No good comes from the
Englisch
ways—that's what I learned. I left my district.”

I swallowed. Did Rachel know all of this? I doubted it. “Did you leave your family's business at the same time?”

“
Nee
. I planned to still work there too, until I saw the bishop's influence washed over my
bruders
. I saw what they were doing in following the bishop's worldly ways. They put a telephone inside the office, and the worst yet, they wanted to sell Christmas trees to the
Englisch
. I had to leave. I would have no part of it. If they wanted to join the world, that was their choice, but they were not taking me with them. I knew what would come of it.”

“What about Rachel?” I asked quietly.

Nahum wiped a tear away. “Her mother's sister was a
gut
, steady Amish woman. She was the best one to raise the child. She is better off without me in her life.”