Off the Grid (Amish Safe House, Book 1) (10 page)

All the ladies nodded their agreement.

“Beckie, do you think the developer have
killed Joseph?” a lady asked.

“
Nee
, Abigail, that would make the
owner of the farm a suspect,” Beckie said, “and the developer would
have no reason to kill Joseph if he was selling. In fact his death
would slow down the whole process, even stop it, if his heir didn’t
want to sell.”

“I guess you have a point,” Abigail said,
“but does that mean the wealthy
Englischer
did it? I’ve
heard he has quite the temper.”

The oldest lady, Naomi, leaned forward once
again. “If he found out that Joseph was selling out, maybe. That
would give him the motive. Plus he’s quite handy with firearms
since he’s gone hunting every hunting season right from the time he
was a boy.”

“What does he hunt?” Kate asked, shooting a
look at the elderly lady. She had no idea that Esther’s mind was so
sharp. In fact, she had no idea that the Amish ladies would be so
analytical, let alone show the slightest interest in the
subject.

“Enough now,” a frowning lady by the name of
Gloria said, her lips tightly pursed. “We are here to knit, not to
spread unfounded rumors about our neighbors. The Bible says,
‘
Whoever keeps his tongue and his mouth shut keeps himself out
of trouble
.’ That kind of talk is what gets a woman stuck
without a husband.” She looked pointedly at Kate.

Kate stared at her feet. She had just been
censured by one of the ladies, but she hadn’t blown her cover, not
even close. After all, several of the ladies were quite keen to
discuss the matter, and this came as quite the surprise to Kate.
The Amish were managing to surprise her each and every day. They
were nothing like she had imagined.

“Oh, don’t be so
Scripture smart
,
Gloria,” Lillian said with a wave of her hand, earning for herself
an angry glare from Gloria. “I’m sure Katie will find herself a
gut mann
in our community; isn’t that right, Katie?”

Katie forced a smile onto her face.
Not
if I can help it
, she thought.
I don’t want to be Amish any
longer than I can help it
.
Besides, the only man I have my
eye on, is Officer Ryan Weaver
. She suppressed a smile at the
thought of him.

At least Kate now figured that she had two
suspects, and each had a motive. The first suspect was the son who
had left the community after falling out with his parents. Was it
simply a case of an adopted child leaving to seek out his
biological parents? Beckie seemed to believe he wasn’t a bad
person, but Kate had to wonder whether the older woman was right or
whether she was simply blinded by the child she knew, instead of
the adult Moses had become. Kate was only too aware that such
things sometimes happened with civilians who were too close to the
suspect. Nevertheless, Moses was certainly a suspect, at least in
her eyes.

The second suspect was the wealthy man from
the farm on the far side of the Byler farm. Money was one of the
main motives in murder cases. At the very least, the wealthy
landowner would have to have been upset by Joseph Byler’s intention
to sell the farm to a developer who was putting power lines right
through the middle of the property.

If Joseph Byler had completed the sale, then
at some point, the wealthy landowner could be forced to allow the
power lines right through the middle of his land. Worse still,
there was even a chance that he could be forced to sell his land.
Kate doubted he would ever receive a price even close to what the
land was worth. All this added up to making the man the leading
suspect in Kate’s mind.

By the time the knitting circle ended for
the night, Kate could not wait to get back to her cottage. She
planned to ask Beth for a herbal concoction which she could smear
all over her sore hands to relieve the aches from the torture she
had put them through. Knitting! Who would’ve thought it could be so
hard? The knitting circle was also a surprise; who would have
thought that Amish women would be so keen to look into the
intricacies of a case?

Kate had made up her mind. Tomorrow she
would go and see Officer Ryan Weaver. She imagined the police
wouldn’t take her seriously, but she could not let that stop her.
If only she could flash her badge and tell them that she was a U.S.
Marshal, then they would sit up and listen. Instead, she had to
keep up her act and just do the best she could, while not revealing
her true identity.

And, as much as Kate didn’t want to admit it
to herself, it would be nice to see Ryan again. She had to tell
herself in advance not to think of his handsome face. No good would
come of it; after all, he thought she was an Amish woman. It wasn’t
as if they were both
Englischers
. Kate suppressed a chuckle
when she realized she was even beginning to think in some
Pennsylvania Dutch words.

But there was one thing for sure. No matter
how she felt about the handsome police officer, there was no way
that she was spending the rest of her life in this town. For now,
she would settle with helping to solve a murder and ensuring the
right person was caught and punished.

Proverbs 19: 23.

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and
whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

Chapter
15
.

As Beth’s daughter, Rose, drove Kate into
town, Kate rebuked herself for allowing her heart to beat a million
beats faster at the thought of Ryan. But still, it happened, and
she was also aware that she blushed when she was around him. If her
co-workers ever knew a man could have such an effect on her, she’d
never hear the end of it.

Right now, however, Kate was going to the
station to share what she had found out last night. She presumed
she would be met with the same condescending attitude as before.
If only they’d catch the mole soon
, she thought.
Then I
could return to my old life and all this ridiculousness would be
over
. Life was complicated enough without having to live a
double life. Worse still, she was doing it without television, the
internet, and cell phones – without mirrors, even! And she hadn’t
worn make up since she arrived in town. She had no idea how she
looked without makeup, given that there were no mirrors. She had
tried to look at her reflection in the base of a pan, but all she
had been able to see was a blurred outline of her face. It made her
realize just how much she had relied on appearance in her old
life.

The second Kate stepped into the police
station, her stomach twisted in knots. She was not used to being on
this side of the desk. Oh, how the tables had turned.

“Good morning,” Kate said in the most polite
voice she could muster. “Is Officer Ryan Weaver in, please? I’d
like to speak to him.”

The frowning female officer looked up at
her. “What’s your name?” she snapped. “I’ll see if he’s
available.”

“Kate Br… Katie Lambright,” Kate said,
hoping that the officer didn’t notice her lapse.

The officer simply picked up the phone,
waited a moment, and then barked, “Katie Lambright at the front
desk to see you.” After a moment, she grunted, and hung up the
phone. “He’ll be right along.”

“Thank you.” Katie looked at the woman, but
she was already looking down, making notes on a sheet of paper in
front of her. Katie looked around the room. What should she do:
stand there, or sit on a chair?

After a moment of indecision, Katie headed
for a chair, but just then, Ryan walked in.

“Ms. Lambright.”

“Katie, please.”

“Katie.” He smiled and Katie almost clutched
her stomach due to the fact that a thousand butterflies seemed to
be flying around in her insides.

“Come along to my office.”

Katie followed the cop down a long corridor.
It smelled of coffee, and another smell she was unable to identify.
A few officers were chatting amongst themselves, and shot her
curious glances as she passed.

The corridor opened up to a large room, and
there was a dim hustle and bustle as uniformed cops moved this way
and that. There were desks here and there, each one with a
computer, each one with various personal effects and
photographs.

When they arrived in his office, Ryan
indicated she should take a seat. He too sat down and surveyed her
in silence, leaning back in his chair, his knuckles drumming next
to his keyboard. “What can I do for you?”

All of sudden Katie was nervous. “I came
across some evidence,” she said, “and I thought I should bring it
to you.”

Ryan sighed and folded his arms. “I don’t
understand why you want to be involved in this case. You’re not an
investigator. Please remember, someone was murdered and you were a
witness to the perpetrator. You need to keep a low profile. The man
saw your face, and you really need to hope that he thinks you can’t
identify him. What if something were to happen to you? Are you
prepared to face that?”

Kate squirmed in her seat. “I have two
suspects.” As soon as her words were out, Kate thought that they
were ill-chosen, but it was too late now; she’d just have to press
on. “The son, Moses, stands to inherit the property. He had a
falling out with his father some time back. The other suspect also
stands to gain financially. Henry Moore is the wealthy landowner on
the other side of Joseph Byler’s farm. Joseph Byler was selling to
a developer who intended to have power lines put right through the
farm. If that had happened, then the power lines would be extended
right through the entire Moore farm.”

Ryan looked surprised. “You think Henry
Moore is a suspect in this murder? His family’s highly respected in
this town.”

“I don’t suppose the gun left at the scene
was licensed, so that’s no help, but he’s a hunter who has
experience with firing a weapon,” Kate said. “Plus with Joseph
Byler dead, he doesn’t have to worry about losing his farm or
letting it go for a cheap rate.”

“Really? You know for certain that the son,
the heir, won’t sell Mr. Byler’s farm to the developer?” Ryan
asked, “‘cause if you did know that for certain, then perhaps Henry
Moore would be a suspect, but you don’t know that, do you?”

Kate cast her eyes downward and shook her
head.

“Katie, the police exist for this very
reason.” Ryan’s tone was gentle. “Thank you for coming today, but
please leave the investigating up to us. I also suggest you don’t
continue to ask questions around town.”

“But I was told that information at the
knitting circle,” Kate protested, realizing how lame that sounded
as soon as she said it.

Ryan’s mouth twitched upwards at the
corners. “Katie, we have experts to do the investigating. Leave the
investigating to us, and you stick to your knitting.” He smiled
politely at her.

Kate narrowed her eyes.
Could he be any
more condescending if he patted me on the head?
she
thought.

“It is just that you need to let the police
do their job.”

Kate nodded. There was nothing more she
could say, but she most certainly would be doing some
investigating, and the handsome Ryan Weaver would not have to know
that she was doing so. It was some time before she had to meet up
with Rose, so she would head straight to the library to do some
research. She knew where it was; she had passed it on the way to
the police station.

Matthew 10: 16
.

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the
midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Chapter
16
.

By the time Kate arrived at the library, she
was sweating under her thick, cotton dress. The bonnet was even
worse, covering most of her head, making her hair damp and stuck to
her scalp.

The town was small and quaint, and the
library was tucked away in a corner sitting in the middle of a
paved lot. It was a far larger building than she had expected.

Kate stopped just inside the entrance,
turning her face upwards as the cool air from the air conditioner
washed over her body. The interior of the library was spacious and
open, with a front desk off to the right, and shelves of books to
the left. Kate walked forward, looking to the left, hoping to see
the computers, but when she couldn’t locate any, she decided to ask
at the front desk.

At Kate’s library back home, one needed to
be a member of a library to use their internet, so there was a good
chance she would soon be back at the front desk even if she had
found the computers without help.

The library was all but empty. Kate could
see an older woman sitting alone in an oversized chair, reading a
book, and a man in his twenties moving about some nearby rows. As
for employees, the only one she saw was a woman with a stern face
flipping through a magazine behind the counter.

Kate made her way toward the help desk, and
stopped before the woman. “Excuse me,” she said, and the woman
looked up. “I need to use the internet; can you tell me where the
computers are?”

The woman flipped her magazine shut, and her
right brow raised on her forehead. “The internet?”

Kate was confused for a moment; she still
wasn’t used to being Amish. The reasoning behind the woman’s shock
came to her a moment before the woman spoke again.

“I didn’t know Amish people could use the
internet.”

“Oh,” Kate said, thinking quickly. She
glanced at the little, gold name tag on the woman’s shirt, in an
effort to stall a bit longer. “Well, Sandra, we can use it for
business purposes. The bishop has to okay it, but you know, the
world has changed, and a lot of customers are looking for goods all
over the country.”

“Is that right?” Sandra asked.

Obviously, Kate wasn’t sure if that was
right or not, but it sounded good, and she stuck with it. “Yes,”
she said.