Love Inspired Suspense June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2, page 33
“Get out!” Amity demanded.
Liddie pushed open the door and slid out, her feet sinking into the mud. She scanned the area. Could she run and make it to the tree line? To the neighbors? Would anyone even be there? Her mind flashed to that horrible day Jimmy Demmer had taken her and her sister into the empty field not that far from here. She had survived that. She could survive this.
A hollowness expanded in her chest. She prayed Daisy told her father enough information to find her before...
Before what...?
“Amity, why are you doing this?” she tried again.
The teen waved the knife around, making Liddie calculate if she could outrun her.
“Go! Go! Go!” an internal voice screamed. Adrenaline surged and she spun on her heel. The mud made it like a skating rink and she went down hard. She yelped her frustration. Amity was on her, pressing the knife casually against her neck. One false move and her life would be over. No more worries about her future. She fought the tears that burned the back of her eyes. Why had she been so indecisive? Easy to do when she had a choice.
A future.
Liddie asked in an even voice, “What do you want from me?” Did she have a crush on Jonah? Liddie had long suspected the young woman wanted her out of the picture, but she had no idea of the lengths she’d go.
“Stand up,” Amity commanded Liddie. Slowly, she stood and gingerly touched her coat with mud-caked hands. Amity positioned herself behind her and pushed. “Get moving.” Liddie moved forward, her boots slipping in the mud until they reached a wooden back porch with spongey floorboards. “Open the door.” Liddie did as she was instructed. The metal hinges groaned. “Go in!” Apparently, the girl would only speak in short, declarative statements.
Liddie entered the small space that served as a kitchen. A pan of something burnt rested on one of the burners, dirty dishes sat in the sink, something small and fast skittered across the counter. Goose bumps blanketed Liddie’s arms. She slowly turned around, but nothing prepared her for what she saw: the wild-eyed look of her neighbor clawing at her hair, yanking it out of her tight bun.
“Amity, everything will be okay,” Liddie said in the best soothing tone she could muster. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“You. Ruined. Everything.” Spittle flung from the teenager’s mouth. “Everything!” she screamed, her face contorting in rage.
Liddie racked her brain for something to say. To somehow calm this girl down. “Who lives here?” She measured her words, trying to act casual. The old trailer seemed closed up and smelled stale.
“You don’t understand any of this, do you? It’s all about you.” Amity jabbed the knife into her side, stopping short of cutting her. “You couldn’t leave it be.”
Liddie narrowed her gaze, taking a step back, creating a fraction of space between her ribs and the weapon. The air was charged with a frantic energy that made it hard for Liddie to think straight. She held her questions, giving Amity room to talk.
“He didn’t want to raise our family here.”
A blanket of pinpricks smothered Liddie as realization finally wormed its way into her consciousness. The red van.
“He only needed one more growing season to have enough money to take us away from here and you ruined it all. We were going to get our own house away from all the dumb rules. Away from everyone who would have shunned me for not being a good girl.”
“Amity, you need to be reasonable.”
Amity held up her hand. “I’m done being reasonable.” She leaned back against a plaid couch that separated a seating area from the tight quarters of the kitchen. She set the knife down on the cushion behind her. Liddie quickly lifted her gaze away from it so that she wouldn’t realize her potential mistake. A faraway look descended into Amity’s eyes. “Jonah was too busy with work. He never paid attention. The path was clear until you came on the scene. Your daily walks.” Her eyes narrowed. “And Daisy.” Amity shook her head, as if working it all out. “No one would have believed her if you hadn’t kept pushing it. She’s a stupid kid. No one listens to kids.”
“Some people do.”
An ugly expression crumpled Amity’s face. “That’s where you made a mistake.”
“It’s over, Amity. Dean’s in jail.”
“And I’m stuck in this stupid town.”
Liddie had to keep Amity talking. Had to find a way out. “I didn’t know you and Dean were dating.”
Amity’s eyes flared wide, then narrowed into dangerous slits. “We were going to get married as soon as he had enough money. I found the land for him to grow the marijuana. I knew Jonah would never, ever find it. He had no interest in farming.”
“And Maggie.” Tears burned the back of Liddie’s eyes at the mention of the poor woman who had lost her life. Who would never see her children grow up. But Liddie was still here. She could see these things. Do these things. She had a future if only she could escape.
“I don’t know why Maggie went back there. To the greenhouse.” Amity’s nose scrunched up at the mention of it and she scrubbed away at her scalp again, as if lice had sprung from the old cushions and infested her hair. Her bun hung loose and strands sprang out of the hairpins in all directions. “No one had been in the greenhouse for years. Maggie’s parents only farmed a fraction of the land. It was a perfect choice.”
Amity shook her head slowly, red suddenly rimming her eyes. “He didn’t want to hurt her, but she would have ruined everything. His friend Oliver was there that day so spaced out—on some crazy drug, not marijuana—that it was easy to convince him he had done something wrong. You know?” she added casually. “They grew and sold marijuana, but they were into scarier drugs. I think they fried Oliver’s brain. It didn’t take much to convince him and the sheriff’s department that he did it.”
“Did Deputy Banks know what his nephew was doing?” Liddie whispered through a throat tight with emotion.
Amity made a horrified sound with her lips. “No way. That man is clueless. He believed each and every one of Dean’s lies. I suppose families want to believe what they want to believe.” Amity thumped Liddie in the chest with a bony index finger forcing her to take a stumbling step backward. She caught herself on the counter. “You were the only person left in our way.”
“Oh, Amity. You have to stop this now.” She swallowed, feeling the walls growing close. “No one else has to get hurt.” She felt behind her and picked up a glass jar and calculated the risk of smashing it over her captor’s head.
Amity’s eyes grew dark. “I’m already hurt. There’s no going back.” She leaned over and snatched the knife and hoisted it menacingly. Liddie feared if she moved even an inch, her unstable neighbor would plunge the blade into her heart.
* * *
The engine of the patrol car revved as Deputy King floored it. “I’m not going to turn on the siren. We don’t want to spook her.”
“If we can find her.” Jonah searched the properties on Younge Street. There were so many places to hide a van. “They could be miles away by now.” He felt sick to his stomach. How had he not realized how troubled his neighbor was?
“I don’t think so.” Deputy King slowed and pulled over to the side of the road and put the gear into Park. She leaned forward and pointed through the windshield. “Look there.”
Jonah squinted. The back end of a van stuck out from behind a trailer deep among the trees. His heart raced. “Is that it?”
“I can’t be sure, but I think so.” The deputy gave her location to dispatch and asked for backup. “I talked to Eddie at length after Dean was arrested. He told me his nephew had a piece of land he was hoping to build a house on. He gave me the address. I was out here the other day, checking it out. I think he was trying to rationalize why he was intent on growing marijuana at all costs.”
“Including killing Maggie,” Jonah said flatly. “Did the deputy mention Dean’s ties to my neighbor?”
“No, he didn’t mention anyone else.”
“Okay.” Jonah patted his thighs nervously and pushed his felt hat up farther on his head. “Guess we won’t find out if that’s them unless we go—”
“Whoa, whoa...” Deputy King said. “We have to wait for backup.”
“The Amish might not be a fan of law enforcement, but we both know that’s going to take more time than we have.” Without waiting for a response, Jonah pushed open the door and climbed out and ducked his head back into the opening. “I’m going to check out that van.”
The deputy’s eyes widened as she reached for her door release. “You need to wait.”
Jonah didn’t wait.
Behind him, he heard the thwack of the overgrown brush as the deputy jogged up behind him. “Wait!”
Jonah spun around. “I’m not going to wait. Either come with me or wait for backup. Your choice. I’m not going to lose someone I love again.” He was too jacked up on adrenaline to analyze what he had just said. But he knew deep in his heart that he had fallen hard for his children’s nanny.
The deputy muttered something under her breath as she unholstered her gun and slipped in front of him. “Stay behind me.”
When they reached the van, Jonah noticed the markings on it. It was definitely Dean’s. His mouth went dry as he turned to look at the window of the run-down trailer, cloudy from dirt.
A crash sounded from the far side of the trailer. “I’m going to check that out,” the deputy whispered. “Stay here behind the van.” She paused for a fraction, narrowing her gaze. “Stay low.”
Jonah hunkered down on the side of the van as the deputy crouched low and ran around to the front of the trailer. He wasn’t going to stay here and wait. He had to take action. With his back close to the van, he moved toward the trailer. He peered around. The back door swung freely in the breeze.
Heart beating wildly in his chest, he ran to the back and stepped up on the old porch. He stood off to one side, and reached over and flung the door all the way open. He peeked around and his stomach bottomed out. Amity held a knife to a cornered Liddie. Jonah exploded inside. The powerful smell of decay nearly overpowered him.
“Help me!” Liddie hollered.
Jonah grabbed Amity’s wrist and yanked the knife away from her. “Enough!”
A scream ripped from the teenager’s throat as she lifted her fist. Before he had a chance to do anything, Liddie planted both hand on the girl’s shoulders and shoved her. Amity landed with a crash in the tight space between the bench seat and the cabinets.
“Everything’s ruined!” she muttered, all the fight having drained from her. “Everything.”
Deputy King arrived and did a double take. “Everyone okay?” Without waiting for an answer, she scooted past them and yanked Amity to her feet. “What’s that red stuff all over the windows? Is someone bleeding?”
“No. I threw a jelly jar but I missed my target.”
“Lucky for your target.” The deputy nudged Amity forward. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Jonah and Liddie followed the deputy outside. As the deputy stuffed Amity into the back of the patrol car, he turned to Liddie. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
Jonah touched her face gently and whispered, “Are we done with all of this?”
A slow smile brightened her face. “Yah, I’m definitely done with all of this.”
* * *
With the adrenaline ebbing from Liddie’s system, a quiet trembling coursed through her and she couldn’t stop shaking. “We need to get the children,” Jonah whispered, dropping his hand from her face. She immediately missed his calming touch. He ushered her to the patrol car.
Deputy King stood outside the open car door. “I called off backup, but I did request a ride for you two.” She tipped her head toward the passenger in her back seat. Amity had her eyes closed and her head tilted back. It looked like she had exhausted herself. “They’ll be here in minutes. You both okay?”
“Yah, thank you,” Liddie said. She crossed her arms tightly across her midsection and tried to stem the quiet quaking that threatened to consume her now that the danger had passed. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. She didn’t know how she had stopped Amity from stabbing her. She swallowed hard, trying not to imagine how differently this could have ended.
Thank Gott for protecting me.
“After I take Amity in, I’ll come by your house so I can get your statement.” The deputy flipped up her collar against the breeze. “Unless you changed your mind about the hospital.”
“I don’t need the hospital. I’m fine.” Gott had been watching over her, that’s for sure. And then Jonah showed up. She thought, at first, that she had willed him into appearing.
“Are you sure?” The concern in his voice warmed her heart.
“I promise you, I’m fine.”
“You know how to take care of yourself.”
She could only imagine the scene Jonah encountered when he burst into the trailer.
“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure Amity gets proper care,” the deputy interrupted. “I grew up Amish and it wasn’t that long ago that I was a teenager. I have to wonder what’s gotten into some of these youth. I certainly don’t look forward to paying her family a visit. They’ll be devastated.”
“They’re gut people,” Jonah said, frowning. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to learn Daisy or Andy had done...” He let his voice trail off.
“Your children would never,” Liddie reassured him. Yet Daisy had witnessed so much violence in her short life. An ache twisted Liddie’s gut at the mere thought of it, convincing her more than ever that she wanted to be a part of Daisy’s healing process. She met Jonah’s warm gaze. She prayed their blossoming romance didn’t fizzle, leaving Daisy as collateral damage. Maybe it wasn’t a risk worth taking. Maybe she should stop this courtship in its tracks, securing her nanny position instead. Making sure she was there for Daisy.
But even that couldn’t last forever.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jonah asked, his warm voice a balm to her frazzled nerves. “You look lost.”
Liddie shook her head and smiled. “I’m cold.”
The deputy extended her hand. “There’s your ride. The sheriff’s department will pay the fare, don’t worry.”
Jonah opened the back door and Liddie climbed into the back seat. Thankfully, the heat pumped from the vents. She held up her hands to warm them. Feeling Jonah’s steady gaze, she turned and raised her eyebrows expectantly. A flutter of attraction warmed her heart.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” He gently touched her hand and left it there.
“Me, too.”
When they reached his farm, the children and Ellen were waiting for them.
Ellen met them outside on the porch. “Mr. Lapp brought us home. We wanted to be here when you arrived. Poor Daisy.”
“Where is she?” Liddie asked.
“In the house with Snowball.”
Liddie gave Jonah a quick glance before rushing into the house. She sensed Jonah behind her, but kept her focus on his daughter. She crouched down in front of Daisy as she petted her constant companion. “How’s Snowball?”
Daisy looked up through her long eyelashes. “Gut.”
Liddie settled in cross-legged on the floor. “You did a very brave thing at the Lapps’ farm.”
Daisy straightened. “Why was Amity mad at you?”
“She got involved with some bad people and she was afraid I was going to tell on her.”
Daisy pressed her lips into a thin line. “Did you tell on her?”
“I didn’t know she had done anything wrong. But now she’s in jail and she can’t hurt me. Or you. Or anyone. Not anymore.”
Daisy’s eyes grew wide. “She can’t hurt anyone?”
Something in the seriousness of Daisy’s questions sent Liddie’s heart racing. “Did Amity hurt you?” Her mind went back to the day they found Daisy locked in the barn. Dean had already confessed, but had Amity been involved, too?
The little girl lifted one shoulder. Jonah knelt down next to them. “I promise you no one is going to hurt you or your brother.” He placed a hand on Liddie’s shoulder. “Or Liddie.”
Daisy nodded, more confident this time. “Or Snowball?”
Jonah reached out to pet the dog and his hand collided with Liddie’s. “No one that I care about.”
“Gut, because she told me I could have Snowball as long as I never told anyone that she played a trick on me.”
“What trick?” Liddie found herself holding her breath, waiting for the answer.
“She locked me in the barn after that bad man grabbed me. She said if I told, she’d take back Snowball.” Daisy started to cry. “And hurt him.”
“That will never happen. I promise,” Liddie said around a lump of emotion in her throat.
“Come sit with me,” Ellen said, drawing in her granddaughter. “We’ll cuddle by the fire.”
“Thank you,” Jonah said.
Liddie pushed to her feet and caught Jonah’s attention. She asked him to join her on the front porch so they could talk in private.
“I can’t believe Amity was involved in all this.” His anger charged the air.
Liddie reached out and boldly brushed the back of his hand. “Amity’s going to get the punishment she deserves, but that’s not what I want to talk about.”
When she dropped her hand, he reclaimed it and warmth spread up her arm from his touch. She dipped her head, suddenly feeling shy. He tilted his head. “What’s on your mind?” The question felt intimate as he stood inches from her, the warmth of his body noticeable with the surrounding cool fall air.
“I don’t ever want to let your children down,” she whispered, the words strangled with emotion.
“You’d never let my children down.” He gently squeezed her hand. “You’ve been the best thing that has happened to them.” He seemed to cut himself off short, but she suspected he was going to say, “and me,” which made what she had to say so much harder.
