death. Losing his wife had changed things for him.
Even experiencing death firsthand with Olivia, he couldn’t begin to understand how difficult the past four years had been for Rachel. Isaac told him about her father dying after he’d suffered a heart attack working in the field. If that wasn’t bad enough, her husband passed last year in a buggy accident...and now this.
“I wanted to wait up for Eva, but I grew sleepy.” Her voice trailed off. Was she reliving the nightmare? “Noah, I couldn’t breathe. He held his hand over my mouth and nose. I thought he would kill me.”
Noah had interviewed countless victims during his time on the force. He understood how difficult recounting the details of an attack could be. But Rachel wasn’t just any victim. He had a personal connection with her. Seeing her again made him feel like that young boy who had been crazy about her and desperate to find a way to defy his father and make her his.
“What happened next?” he gently asked when she grew quiet.
“He forced me out of the chair and tried to make me go with him.” She stopped for a breath. “Then he said, ‘He has plans for you.’”
His brows slanted together after hearing this again. “Have you figured out what he might have meant by that?”
Her beautiful gaze locked to his as realization dawned on her face. “Oh, no,” she whispered, her hand covering her mouth.
“What is it?” He dreaded her answer.
“I just remembered something that happened a few days ago when I was coming home from work at Christner’s Bulk Foods Store... I help Esther Christner out a couple of days a week,” she explained. “Noah, I think someone followed me from the town. When I was on my way home, a car sped past me and stopped suddenly halfway on the road. At the time, I thought the driver might have car trouble. But now, after what happened tonight...if another vehicle had not come along...” Her voice trailed off.
Noah’s gut told him the driver of the car had planned to take her then. The second vehicle had foiled the attack. Someone was deliberately coming after Rachel, and he needed to find out who before it was too late. For Eva. For Rachel.
Eva, where are you? Rachel felt so helpless. All she could think about was what might be happening to her sister.
Shutting out the dreadful thoughts was hard, but she had to keep it together for Eva.
She shifted in her seat. “Do you remember the Lapps live up this road on the right?” As much as she hoped they’d find Eva fast asleep at Anna’s home, she did not expect it.
“I do,” Noah said and glanced her way. “Until we catch this guy, the less you’re out in public, the better. The safest place for you now is at the station.”
He was worried about her. She understood, but she had to do whatever she could to find her sister because the thought of losing Eva was unbearable.
“I’m safe with you,” she said. “And Anna might tell me something she would be too nervous to say with just you alone.”
Holding her gaze a long moment, he sighed and tapped the radio on his jacket. “Janine, I’m making a stop at the Lapp place on Spruce before heading to the station. I have Rachel Albrecht with me. Walker knows, but I wanted you to be aware, as well. I’ll radio you when we’re heading your way.”
“Copy that,” the dispatcher said.
While Noah concentrated on his driving, Rachel tried to imagine him as a deputy sheriff. He’d loved working on his family’s farm and helping her daed out whenever possible. She’d always assumed he’d one day own his own farm, yet something had changed him.
Seeing him again after all these years felt unreal. When she’d first learned that his family had moved from the area, she’d been devastated. There had been no goodbye—no explanation. Her mamm was the one to break the news to her. All along, she’d known his family didn’t approve of their relationship, but she’d thought he would stand up for her. For them.
Back then, her whole world revolved around the time they spent together. Even though Noah wasn’t Amish, her young heart believed they could find a way to work through all the problems facing them as long as they had each other.
He caught her looking at him and she dropped her gaze to her hands. Her palms stung from the cuts there. The worry for Eva threatened to swallow her up. She was barely hanging on.
Noah turned off Spruce and eased the patrol vehicle down the potholed dirt road leading to the Lapps’ home. Once they reached it, he killed the engine. The house was dark inside. The family of six would be sleeping. Morning came early in Amish country. As dairy farmers, the Lapp men would be up before dawn to start the morning chores.
“We’re going to have to wake them. There’s no other choice.” He focused on his watch. “It’s almost two.” With a sigh, he glanced her way. “This won’t be easy.” Climbing out, Noah came around to her side. He’d grown up a lot over the years. Still, no matter how much he’d changed, when she looked at him, she saw the young boy she’d once adored.
Slightly taller now, he’d filled out from that lanky teen, but those brilliant blue eyes were much the same, as was the blond hair, though he’d cut it much shorter now. She’d thought about him a lot over the years. Wondered. Kept the pain to herself. Her mamm had been the only one who knew how broken Rachel was after Noah left.
“Ready?” he asked when she stood beside him.
Letting go of the past was hard. Her life had been blessed. She and Daniel had many happy years together. And a life spent lingering on regrets is a wasted life, her mamm always said.
She nodded, the hurt too fresh to trust her voice.
Noah stepped up on the porch with her. It took several knocks before someone rousted. Samuel Lapp opened the door a crack, holding a lantern high, concern etched across his face.
“Mr. Lapp, I’m sorry to wake you so early. I’m Deputy Noah Warren, and you know Rachel Albrecht. We need to speak with your daughter Anna immediately.”
Samuel’s gaze shot to Rachel. She couldn’t imagine how pitiful she must look.
“What is this about, Deputy?” Samuel asked.
“It’s about Eva, sir. She didn’t come home last night. Is she here?”
Samuel’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “Nay. Eva left hours ago.” The worst possible news. Rachel struggled to hold herself together.
“We believe your daughter may have been the last person to see her,” Noah said. “That’s why we need to speak with her.”
Samuel gasped, his bushy white brows shooting up. “What could have happened to Eva? This is a peaceful community. There’s been no crime.”
Noah glanced at Rachel. “We’re not sure. We’re hoping Anna can shed some light.”
“Jah,
