Page 13 of Among the Innocent

“I’ll let you take the lead with Colette since you two are friends.”

Leah rousted herself from troubled reflections. She turned and found Dalton watching her with a curious look on his ruggedly handsome face. Dalton Cooper was one of those men who would grow more attractive with passing time.

Their eyes held. A flicker of something she couldn’t name made it hard to breathe normally. Leah forced her attention away. Her tears were just below the surface, and the last thing she wanted was to fall apart in front of the new chief.

“Leah?” Dalton’s husky tone reached out to her. A shiver passed through her frame.

“Yes, I’m sorry. That’s fine.” Leah stared up at Colette’s simple home.

“Are you sure you’re up to this? If it’s too much, you can wait in the patrol.”

She’d been pitied, felt sorry for, tiptoed around for years. She didn’t want it from Dalton.

“I’m fine. It’s just...” She didn’t finish. “Do you think he really killed Ellis?” She blurted the words out.“You thought he’d protect you, but I proved he was no match for me.”

Dalton rubbed his throat. “It’s possible, or maybe he’s simply playing with you. If he’s been following your activities, he’d realize Ellis and Marge cared for you. Probably figures his claiming responsibility would cause pain.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “There are more questions than answers at this point. We’ll have to look closer into the call Ellis responded to on the night he died.”

The interior of the SUV became claustrophobic. Leah needed air. She stumbled from the vehicle. A few beats later, Dalton exited the car as well.

Leah stepped up on the porch and knocked a couple of times. Beside her, Dalton shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels.

Somewhere inside the house, a baby cried. Colette had married David Stoltzfus the year after Leah left the faith. Though she hadn’t spoken to the other woman since the funeral, Colette had still invited her to attend the wedding. Leah hadn’t gone. It was just too painful to see the people she’d once been close to.

Footsteps headed toward the door. A second passed before it opened and a somewhat older and more frazzled Colette stood there, a baby on her hip.

Colette’s mouth fell open when she spotted Leah.

“Hello, Colette.”

“Leah.” Her smile froze when she noticed the man in uniformbeside her. Colette gasped and lifted her chin. “Something has happened.”

Leah remembered Colette had been with her at the hospital when Ellis confirmed her family had all succumbed to their injuries. Now, she must do the same. “I’m afraid so. May we come inside?”

“Jah,” she said eventually, and yet she didn’t move. Leah gently pulled the screen free and stepped inside with Dalton.

Colette blinked several times before fixing her attention on the sleeping child in her arms. “Let me put Sadie down first.” She headed down the hallway without waiting for an answer. Two children, a boy around six and a girl who could be three or four, peeked their heads out from the kitchen, watching as Leah and Dalton moved to the living room to wait.

Colette said something to the two kids. They disappeared into the kitchen. Soon, Colette returned, her worried eyes skipping from Leah to Dalton.

“Colette, this is Dalton Cooper. He’s the new chief of police.”

Colette didn’t acknowledge Dalton. “What has happened, Leah? Please, tell me.”

“I’m afraid it’s bad news. You should sit.”

“Tell me,” Colette insisted.

“It’s Beth, Colette. I’m so sorry. She’s gone.”

A wealth of emotions chased across her friend’s face. Shock, followed quickly on its heels by heartbreak. Tears filled Colette’s eyes. She dropped to the sofa, covering her face while her shoulders quaked with sobs.

Leah sat beside her. “I’m so sorry.”

Colette struggled to collect herself. “Gone? How? What happened to my sister? Was it an accident? Sometimes the cars in town go much too fast around the buggies.”

Leah briefly looked to Dalton. “I’m afraid not. We found her in my old barn.” Getting the next part out was hard. “She was murdered.”

The connection wasn’t lost on Colette. “The barn? The same place where ...?” She didn’t finish. Didn’t need to. The horror on Colette’s face would be forever branded in Leah’s memory. “Who would do such a thing? I just saw her. She spent the night here a few days ago. We attended service together.” Her voice broke in a sob. “I cannot believe she is gone.” She searched Leah’s face as a new horror dawned. “Have my mamm and daed heard?”

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