Lamb to the Slaughter (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 1) (19 page)

The change in the young man’s face was quick. His eyes widened and his mouth opened wide. “Why, of course she was alive. You don’t think that I shot her, do you? I loved Naomi. I never would have hurt her.”

I believed him. But, Serenity must not have, because when Eli flung the door open and stepped out of the Jeep, she was faster than him and met him as he stood up. By that time, several of the boys had gathered in front of the welding building, along with Nathaniel Schrock, the owner of the business.

Serenity pressed her hand into Eli’s chest and informed him that he was being brought in for his failure to disclose information linked to a questionable death or words to that effect. She efficiently had the cuffs on the boy as she told him his rights in a few heartbeats.

The rain had turned from a misty sprinkle into a proper down pour. Through the loud droning of the rain pelting down, Eli cried out that he was innocent and how he’d never hurt Naomi.

When Nathaniel came to me with a face full of distress and questions, I tried to speak to the man and calm his worries, but before I could say much, Serenity called me back to the SUV.

“Look, Daniel, we’re taking him to the station. Now, you can help me get him in the Jeep and make this easier or I’ll stand out here in the rain with him until Todd arrives. Which will it be?”

I didn’t think Eli Bender shot Naomi, but Serenity needed my help and that was my priority. I stepped forward and placed a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “Listen, everything is going to be all right. But you have to come into town with us. Fighting is only going to make things worse.”

Eli said, “Nathaniel, will you call my folks and let them know what’s happening?”

“Of course, Eli, stay strong. The Lord is with you,” Nathaniel said. He turned and ran into his shop to make the call.

Serenity had the door open and Eli in the back seat a second later. She climbed in next to him and I ran around the Jeep and jumped in.

It seemed like the drive to the little police station in Blood Rock was the longest of my life and not just because I was
chilled from being soaked in the rain. I continued to glance in the rearview mirror at Eli, who was hunched in the corner, staring out of the window. Serenity never took her eyes off of him and her hand was poised on her holster. The quaint investigation had turned suddenly ugly and I didn’t like the feel of it one bit.

Todd met us in the parking lot when we pulled in. He disappeared with Serenity and Eli for about an hour before I saw them again. I waited in the uncomfortable chair in front of the dispatcher’s desk with a million thoughts racing through my head. I needed to talk to Serenity and I’d wait for her, even if it took all night.

When Serenity finally came around the corner and saw me, her eyes widened in surprise, but only briefly. She motioned for me to follow her down the hall, which I did. When we were both in her small, gray hued office, she closed the door and turned to face me.

“Thanks for all your help. I’m sorry that you had to be there for that. I thought if I waited, the Amish people would have spirited him off to some hidden community that he would’ve blended into easily and we’d never have found him.”

“Do you really believe that he shot Naomi—
really?
” I said, reaching out to catch her arm.

She looked down at my hand and squinted. I let go. The brief contact with her skin had distracted me, almost making me lose the energy to argue.

She took a deep breath and said, “He has the motive. He was with her right before she died. And his community went to extreme lengths to keep his relationship with Naomi a secret. That’s enough evidence to hold him for more questioning,
especially with his failure to bring pertinent information to our attention about the crime.”

“You still don’t know for sure there was a crime committed,” I said, running my fingers through my hair and wondering how the hell I became so emotionally invested in all of this.

“I’m going with my gut on this one. If that girl died completely from an ill-fated accident, then why the hell is everyone constantly lying to me? There are two important things that we know for sure in this case. One, Naomi Beiler was shot and two, she’s dead. I’m not going to brush this under the carpet because Tony Manning, the mayor…or
you
want me to take it easy on the Amish. This entire investigation has been a fiasco from day one. No one is acting the way they should.”

Serenity’s face was flushed and her lips pouted as she glared up at me. At that moment, I found her completely irresistible. This was likely the last time I’d be working with her on the case now that she thought she had her man. In an instant, I decided that she could ignore the fact that we’d shared a kiss, but I wouldn’t. Dammit, it had been a lifetime since I’d felt so drawn to a woman. I aimed to leave her with something to remember me by.

I stepped forward and before she could back away, I caught her waist and pulled her closer. I only fleetingly thought about her gun and her ability to use it, before I brought my mouth down to hers. She was ridged with shock, but I continued to move my mouth against her lips until they softened and finally received my tongue. Her stubborn body melted into mine as her mouth hungrily accepted my kiss. At the point when I knew she was completely mine, I stepped back.

I looked into her eyes, which were now dark with passion and said, “Try to forget that one.”

It was difficult, but I turned and left the room. Maybe I was being immature, but, man, did it feel good. I was betting that kiss would finally wake Serenity up and she’d realize that she wanted me.

Besides, I believed to the core of my heart that Eli wasn’t her man. She’d be calling me when she discovered her mistake. And she’d be remembering that kiss when she dialed my number.

18

NAOMI

October 14th

L
ydia glanced over her shoulder while she walked with her sister, Rosemary, up the stone path to their house. Her puckered mouth and narrowed eyes made her look like a sick squirrel. How glad Naomi would be to never have to see her again.

Will’s hand reached over and grasped hers in a tight squeeze. The feeling that his touch evoked was different this time. Oh, the dancing butterflies were still there, but there was also peaceful warmth spreading through Naomi. All she needed in the world was Will. He would take her away from all this and love her forever.

“What are you thinking?” Will’s voice pushed through the dreamlike haze.

Naomi gazed back at him with eyes full of love. After a deep breath, she said the words that had been on the tip of her tongue the entire time since he’d picked her and the other girls up from the butcher shop.

“Can we go to Montana now?”

“
Now
—are you serious?” Will said, almost stopping the truck in the road.

Naomi nodded her head vigorously. “I’m ready to go. My shunning is up next week and then I’ll have more freedom to sneak out.”

Will appeared to be thinking hard and then he nodded softly. “Yeah, we can do it next week. My parents will be surprised, but they’ll understand. They’ve been expecting it for a while.” His gaze became serious. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this? I mean, once we get out west, I won’t be able to bring you home easily if you change your mind.”

“Yes. I’m absolutely sure. I want to be with you. And there’s no way that’s going to happen if I don’t run away. Besides, I’ve always wanted to go places and see things—together we can do that.”

The following few minutes were not nearly enough to properly make their plans, but they tried anyway, deciding on the day and place. By the time they pulled into Naomi’s driveway, her heart was leaping in her chest.

Naomi brushed her hand softly over Will’s before she clutched the door handle in her hand. “Thank you for taking me with you.”

Will grinned. “Hell, I can’t leave the woman I love behind, now can I? Be careful over the next several days and don’t go getting into any more trouble.”

When Will winked, Naomi melted a little more inside. She wished that they were leaving that day instead of the following week. But she had to be patient. They had the rest of their lives ahead of them after all.

Even before her hand turned the door knob, Naomi felt a prick of uneasiness. When she did step into the kitchen she wasn’t surprised to see Bishop Esch sitting at the table with her Father and Mother. She straightened her back feeling braver than she ever had. All Naomi had to do was survive the next six days and she was out of there for good.

Before Naomi could speak, Mamma said, “You best be sitting down over here, Girl.”

Mamma pushed a chair away from the table and Naomi moved quickly to take it. Once she was seated with three pairs of eyes watching her closely, Naomi said to the bishop, “Hullo, what brings you by today?”

Bishop Esch sighed, and after scratching his beard for a second, he said, “I was discussing your attitude during our counseling sessions with your parents. Quite frankly, Naomi, I don’t have the feeling that you are at all remorseful for your actions with Eli. And now, after all the sinning, you’ve gone and quit the boy. I’m confused by your behavior, and see this as a sign of trouble brewing for you.”

Naomi processed what the man said quickly in her mind, taking in the disapproving look from Da. She didn’t even need to glance at Mamma to know how enraged she was. There wasn’t much she could do, except try to hold things together a little while longer.

Naomi bowed her head and in her saddest voice she murmured, “I know. I’ve been very tired lately, what with all the work at the house and the butcher shop combined.” She raised her eyes to meet the bishop’s gaze, which if she wasn’t
imagining it, might have softened a wee bit. “I am feeling overwhelmed with my duties and I think that it’s affected my attitude lately.”

The bishop glanced at Dat who was nodding his head slightly in understanding, but Mamma sat silently with the steely look of a woman who had no sympathy left in her.

“We all work hard, Naomi. That is our way in life, especially the women. But, even so, we can help you if you are having difficulties dealing with your situation.” Bishop Esch turned and said to Dat, “Timothy, do you know of a way that this girl’s load could be lightened for a while?”

Naomi couldn’t believe what she was hearing and she brought her bottom lip back up as she glanced at Dat who was straightening his beard, looking very uncomfortable.

Before her father could say a word, Mamma’s hand shot out, pointing at Naomi. “Why, this is just an excuse the girl is making to get out of her duties.”

“Now, Patricia, I’m not saying that Naomi should be excused from her chores or her job. I’m simply suggesting that you both take into account what she has told us today. It is my position in the community to assist our people, even the young ones, when they have problems.”

Mamma rose from her chair and for a second, Naomi thought that she would leave the room, but instead, she pointed her finger once again at her. “I tell you, this girl has the devil in her. She’s always sassing me and sneaking around. I don’t trust her.”

Naomi absorbed the words in shock—
the devil?
Mamma was losing her mind, Naomi reasoned to herself. But even though she understood that the woman who had given birth to her, and never had more than an ounce of affection to share, was
insane, her heart still wilted at her mother’s statement. The knowledge that Mother didn’t love her at all slammed into her gut. Naomi sucked in a deep breath and wiped the tears that were beginning to trickle down her cheeks.

The bishop motioned for Mamma to sit, but she ignored him, and said, “I have spoken my mind on the matter.” She turned and left the room. It seemed, with her exit, all the anger and hatefulness left too.

Dat remained silent, but the bishop shook his head and said, “Timothy, I do not agree with your wife. Naomi is rebellious, but that is all.” He stood in a fluid motion not expected of a gray bearded man and said to Naomi, his eyes dead serious, “I’ll continue to counsel you, Naomi, until the shunning is complete, but I expect to see improvement in your willingness to obey and be submissive.”

Bishop Esch walked to the door in long strides, followed closely by Da. Just before he stepped out, he turned and said, “And you really should reconsider your relationship with Eli Bender. Settling down with a fine young man might be just what’s needed to sow your wild oats.”

When Naomi was finally alone, she exhaled. Her mind raced with the craziness of it all. The bishop was pushing her into a marriage with Eli, her Father couldn’t find his tongue even though Naomi’s life was crumbling around her…and her mother hated her. The excitement she’d felt earlier when she knew that she’d be escaping was thoroughly drenched now.

The touch of Emma’s small hands on her knees brought Naomi’s head down. Without any thought at all, she pulled the small child up and hugged her tightly. What would her little Emma do when she was gone? As the child’s hair tickled
Naomi’s noise and her fingers kneaded her arm, the doubts came rushing in.

Naomi was suddenly terrified about what she was planning to do.