Page 16 of Among the Innocent

Dalton slowed the SUV’s speed to make the turn. Dust billowed past them. Even in the air-conditioned interior, the heat from outside beat through the windows.

The narrow drive contained dozens of potholes. Like many of the men around the community, Eva’s father farmed for a living. Her mother kept the house along with Eva. Gertrude probably sewed quilts and wall hangings to sell in town for extra income, much like Leah’s mother had.

The small farmhouse came into view backdropped by a larger red barn. The weathered and peeling white paint of the house was a stark contrast to the red of the structure.

Dalton stopped out front. He touched her arm as she started getting out of the vehicle. “Hold up a second.”

Leah resisted the urge to jerk away from the personal contact. Instead, she squared her shoulders and faced Dalton. Once more, she wondered why someone who could probably have his choice of positions would come here when he had no connection with the area.

He frowned at her reaction. “Do you remember the names of Eva’s parents?”

Leah pulled in a breath and answered in a less-than-steady voice, “Noah and Gertrude.”

When he continued to watch her without responding, Leah got out and tried to collect herself. After what had happened to Beth, her emotions were all over the board.

Leah remembered Gertrude as a stern woman who had a handful of boys. Eva was the last child and the only girl.

Dalton followed her up the steps. They stood side by sidein silence and waited for someone to answer the door. The midday meal would be finished by now—the men returned to the field. Gertrude and Eva would be cleaning or doing other household chores.

The door opened. It took Leah a moment to realize the young woman standing before them was Eva. Her dark brown eyes held curiosity. “May I help you?” Eva’s attention lingered on Dalton, a little smile playing on her lips. Even this Amish girl wasn’t immune to his good looks.

“Eva?” Leah’s use of her name brought the younger woman’s attention back to Leah. Recognition widened her eyes. Leah doubted if Eva remembered her from when she was Amish, but the story of what happened to her family had been talked about in the Amish community for many years.

“You are Leah Miller. The one—” Eva stopped. She didn’t need to finish for Leah to understand what she meant.

“That’s right.” Keeping the resentment out of her tone was hard. It wasn’t Eva’s fault. If the nightmare had happened to anyone else but Leah, she, too, would have been curious.

“Is your mother here?” Leah asked

Eva looked from Leah to Dalton. “Mamm is in the kitchen. My daed and brothers are in the field.”

“Can you get her please?”

Eva turned on her heel without answering. The screen door slammed behind her.

“I sure hope she knows something about this man Beth was seeing,” Dalton whispered. Had Beth and Eva been close enough to share such secrets? She and Colette sure hadn’t.

Two sets of footsteps came their way. A much older-looking Gertrude appeared in the open door while Eva hovered in the background, her expression anxious.

“What is this about?” If Gertrude recognized Leah, she didn’t acknowledge it.

“May we come inside, Mrs. Hostetler?” Dalton asked quietly.

Like many Amish, Gertrude appeared wary of police presence. She stepped back without giving a verbal consent.

Dalton opened the screen door and waited for Leah to go ahead of him. Gertrude led them into a small family room similar to that in the Zook home. A place to gather after a hard day’s work.

Gertrude stood stock-still, waiting.

“We’re here to speak with Eva actually,” Leah told her. The young girl fidgeted nervously beside her mother.

“Eva?” Gertrude’s tone held shock. “Why?”

“It’s about Beth Zook.” Leah kept her attention on Eva as she delivered the news. “I’m afraid I have some bad news. Beth was killed sometime last night.”

Gertrude gasped. Her wild eyes gave away her struggle to comprehend words that were not familiar to her or her people. “Killed?” She dropped down to the sofa, her chin trembling.

Tears hovered in Eva’s eyes. The news came as a surprise.

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