would come after this young woman to shut her up.
It was his job to make sure they failed.
He spoke quietly, calmly. “I know it was horrible, Lizzy. But I need a description of the man who shot Bill.”
Lizzy squeezed her eyes shut, as if she could force herself to forget the events of the day. He knew the feeling. “He had dark curly hair. Dark brown eyes. I’m certain that I would know him if I saw him again.”
He frowned as he considered what he knew. “The man, do you think he got a good look at your face? Could he recognize you?”
He had to assume that he had, but he knew that to many Englischers, all they would notice was the kapp and the dress. With her black bonnet on, it was possible that the man wouldn’t have gotten a good look at her.
Her nod was emphatic, tearing that hope to shreds. “For a moment, before he shot out the window, he looked directly into my eyes. He chased me, too, in his car. When you pulled me over, he continued past us.”
The only car to pass them had been the one that he’d thought he’d been sure had been speeding. Unfortunately, he had not been able to get a plate number or even much information in regard to the make and model of the vehicle. Determined to pay attention and get all the details he could from the witness, he turned back to her. Her wide blue eyes were pinned to his face. She let out a sound that was half sigh, half strangled sob.
“I think if you had not pulled me over, he would have caught up with me and killed me, too.”
* * *
Within minutes, Lizzy saw lights flashing in the side mirrors of Isaac’s police car. The backup he had called for had arrived. She was glad, but she also squirmed internally, uncomfortable at once again having to deal with the Englisch police. The other officer drew over to the shoulder, pulling behind Isaac’s car. The lights remained on, splashing blue and red in a steady pattern against the interior of the car.
“I’ll be right back.” Isaac got out of the car and sauntered over to the other officer. She twisted her neck around and watched the two men talking. Both of them scanned the road. A time or two, they glanced in her direction.
This is the second time today I have been left waiting in a car. She shook her head at the ridiculous thought. This time, Lizzy did not mind being in the car alone. It gave her the opportunity to gather her thoughts and compose herself.
Lord, help me be calm. Still my heart.
Lizzy was drained by the morning’s events. Would she ever be able to forget the sight of Bill’s body falling, crumpling to the ground in a heap? Or the cold face of the man who shot him? She shuddered as his face filled her mind. Poor Sue. Her friend would be devastated. Although Lizzy had not had the best impression of Bill in the few hours she’d known him, she knew that Sue had adored her younger brother. She had talked about him every time they’d traveled together.
And now he was gone.
Hugging her arms around herself, she shivered, a mixture of cold and the reaction to the morning’s events setting in. Her eyes sought out Isaac, the one thing that had steadied her through the dreadful past hour.
Then she rebuked herself. She was being silly. Gott had brought her through it. Isaac had just been the means that Gott had used.
Isaac had been Plain once. He didn’t have to tell her that. With a name like Yoder, there was a possibility, of course. But when he had spoken to her in the language of the Plain folk, she had been astonished. What had driven him from his community to become something so foreign to their culture as a police officer? She would never ask, of course. Such things were personal, and frequently painful.
Not that she had anything against the police. Her sister, Rebecca, was married to a very fine young police officer, Sergeant Miles Olsen. In fact, Miles had saved Rebecca and Lizzy’s life several years ago. Four years ago, to be exact, when Lizzy had been almost seventeen. A man who had held a grudge against her older sister and some of Rebecca’s friends had started attacking them one by one. He had killed one of them. Then he had kidnapped Rebecca and Lizzy together. She would never forget being held hostage in that cold, damp basement by the brutal man, not knowing if they would survive. Miles Olsen was an officer with the LaMar Pond Police Department. He had been on the case and had been assigned to work with Rebecca. It had made sense. Rebecca was profoundly deaf, and Miles was raised by his deaf grandparents and uncle, which meant he was fluent in American Sign Language, or ASL, and could communicate with Rebecca, while the other officers needed an interpreter to talk with her.
When she and Lizzy had been taken, Miles had rescued them. He had also been promoted to sergeant for his outstanding work and heroic efforts. He and Rebecca were now married and had a small son. Miles was perfect for Rebecca. Gott had provided her with a man who could protect her and communicate with her. Lizzy was very happy for her sister. She had met several of his police officer friends, too. They were all a nice group of men and women.
But that did not mean she was comfortable asking the police for assistance. She did not have a choice, though. A man had killed Bill, her driver’s brother. The Amish might not turn to the police for help normally, but the Englischers did.
For Sue, she had to do what she could to cooperate and help them find the killer.
Another thought crossed her mind. What if this man that shot Bill found her? Memories of being chained up in a basement with her sister and another woman flooded her mind, causing a visceral reaction. Cringing away from the memories, she realized that she was pushing herself back against the seat of the car.
She could not allow herself to dwell on those memories. It would only unsettle her. Pressing a hand against her stomach, Lizzy tried to will away the queasiness and the sick feeling that arose whenever she remembered those past events. The man who had kidnapped her was in jail. He was never going to get out. She knew that. He had been charged with several counts of murder and assault. She needed to stop letting these memories and fears have so much control over her.
Lizzy did the only thing she could do and pushed the thoughts out of her mind, distracting herself with watching Isaac and his friend. It helped. For now. As she watched, a tow truck pulled in front of Bill’s car and the driver hopped out. He began to hook up the car. Soon he had the car secured and was off. The moment seemed surreal. Just a few hours before, she’d been a reluctant passenger in the car because the driver was a man, and now he’d been shot before her eyes.
Within ten minutes, Isaac returned. He buckled his seat belt and tossed her an absentminded smile. Again, the question rose to mind: Why had he become a cop?
It wasn’t hard to imagine him wearing a straw hat and dressed Plain. Even with the gun at his side and the fancy uniform, there was something about him that radiated Plain.
Isaac pulled away from the curb. “We are going to go a mile down the road and turn around. Then we will head back to the Carstairs place. Check out the scene. I am hoping that you will be able to identify the body, and maybe even give us a better description of the shooter. I hope you will be willing to identify him.”
She could hear the question he was not asking. Would she be willing to come in and work with the police?
“Jah, I hope so, too.”
His shoulders relaxed. He had expected her to refuse.
“I
