Danger in Plain Sight (27 page)

“I’m afraid Esther doesn’t remember or communicate.”

She almost said “yet” and deleted it. Eli Bredbenner might be nothing more than an inept businessman who’d bitten off more than he could chew, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

“Too bad,” he said. “We would like to see her now, ja?”

Libby’s gaze flickered to the daadi haus door before she could stop it.

“I’m afraid not,” she said quickly. “She’s not seeing anyone but family.”

“But you are not family,” he pointed out.

“I’m only here to help with Esther.” She moved, positioning herself between them and the daadi haus door.

“But we are such old friends.” He took a step toward her. “She will want to see us.”

Libby stood her ground, but her heart was thudding uncomfortably. “I’m afraid not. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to let you see her when the family’s not here.”

“My wife can slip up for a moment.” Bredbenner caught his wife’s arm, pushing her forward. She certainly didn’t look as if she had any need to see Esther.

“Esther is sleeping. She can’t be disturbed.” An icy trickle fluttered down her spine. What would she do if he tried to walk right past her?

Bredbenner took a step closer, his smile seemingly forgotten on his face. Libby froze, fists clenched. It was one thing to practice self-defense moves in a gym and another to anticipate using them on someone in a quiet Amish kitchen.

The back door opened, and Bishop Amos walked in, wiping his boots carefully on the rag rug, and the tension in the room dissipated into nothingness.

“Ah, Libby, there you are. Isaac said there might be some coffee on the stove for me.” He nodded gravely to the other two. “Eli. Mary. Have you come to call?”

“Ja, but this Englischer won’t let us see our sister Esther.” Bredbenner spoke in the dialect, but Libby had no trouble understanding.

“Ach, Libby is the nurse, and we must mind what she says,” Bishop Amos said in English, his tone cheerful. “We will tell Rebecca that you came to call.”

Bredbenner stood for a moment, his face stiff. Bishop Amos never lost his smile, but something inflexible appeared in his face.

Bredbenner shrugged, taking a step back. “Ja, denke. Tell her that we wish her well in her recovery. Komm, Mary. We must go.”

Shepherding his wife ahead of him, Bredbenner went out the back door. Libby let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and met Bishop Amos’s gaze.

“I’m glad you came in when you did. He didn’t want to take my word for it that Esther was sleeping.”

Bishop Amos’s expression was unreadable. “Esther is fortunate to have such a loyal watchdog on duty, ja? I am glad that you are here, Libby Morgan.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

LIBBY COUNTED THE minutes until eight o’clock. If Adam didn’t turn up tonight…

He would. She didn’t really doubt that. However much he might disapprove of her actions, he wouldn’t let her down.

She stepped into the enclosed porch, zipping her jacket. She patted her pocket, making sure the brochure and her notes were there. As she reached for the flashlight that hung from a nail, the door into the farmhouse opened. Isaac stood there, and she stiffened.

But he didn’t seem to be wearing his usual disapproving frown when he looked at her. “You are going out to call your mamm, ain’t so?”

Libby nodded. She held up her cell phone. Thank heaven she’d thought to slip it in her pocket. “I promised I’d be in touch every evening.”

“That’s gut. I…I think that you are going outside to call because I would not like the use of the phone in the house.” He seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say. “You are Esther’s friend. If you want to use your phone in the house, I do not object.”

For a moment Libby didn’t know what to say. From Isaac, this was a huge concession.

And all the while, she was lying to him by her actions. Saying she was doing it for Esther’s sake didn’t make her feel any better about it.

“Thank you, Isaac. That’s very kind of you. But I—” She glanced at the phone, still in her hand. “For some reason, I get better reception outside, anyway. But thank you.”

Managing a smile, she hurried out before she had to tell any more lies. She had no choice. But that didn’t make her feel any better.

Clouds had thickened, and a chill wind snapped at her cheeks. She’d really need the flashlight tonight. She headed across the yard.

Be there, Adam. I don’t want to carry this information alone any longer.

The stable door stood open a few inches. Isaac wouldn’t have left it that way, so Adam must be here.

Libby slid through the gap, swinging the beam of the flashlight around. “Adam? Are you here?”

A step sounded behind her, too close. She whirled, raising the flashlight as a weapon.

“Easy.” Adam caught her hand. “It’s me.”

Libby took a shaky breath. “Sorry. I guess I’m a bit jittery.”

“A bit?” He took the flashlight and set it on a straw bale. “What’s going on?”

Where to start? “Do you happen to know if Jason Smalley makes a habit of stopping at the coffee shop in Springville?”

“Maybe. I don’t follow him around. Why?”

“Because a thirtyish guy who looked like a businessman asked Esther’s physical therapist a lot of questions about her at the coffee shop this morning.”

Even in the dim light, she could see Adam’s eyes narrow. “Jason. That’s suggestive, especially after—” He stopped.

“After what?” He was trying to hold something back from her. She knew it. “Listen, if you’re going to start keeping secrets from me…”

“All right, all right.” He lifted both hands palms toward her in a gesture of surrender. “I had a little chat with Jason’s father today. Leonard actually tried to find out why Jason wanted the investigation stopped—maybe he feels he owes us something. Anyway, Jason’s answer was that he liked doing favors for influential people. What did the therapist tell this person?”

“Just something vague. He wouldn’t talk about a patient.” She shook her head, trying to shake off the nagging worry. “But Esther
is
doing better. She’s starting to talk. People are bound to hear about it, and that could increase the danger to her.” She shivered, rubbing her arms.

“Sit down here. You’re cold.”

Adam drew her down onto a straw bale. Reaching up to the row of hooks above her head, he pulled down a buggy robe and tucked it around her, then sat down beside her.

The warmth she felt was from him, not the blanket. She gave in to the temptation to slide a little closer.

“If Jason Smalley is involved somehow—” She stopped. “I just can’t imagine that. He doesn’t strike me as brave enough to do anything worth killing for.”

“No, but obviously he’s not too scrupulous about using his influence. Maybe trading favors with people.” Adam made a sound of exasperation. “Ever since that business your brothers got involved in, I’ve been looking at people differently. Who’s trading favors with each other, bending the rules in someone’s favor? It doesn’t matter to me whether they fancy it up by calling it a secret society, it’s still wrong.”

“The old boys’ network is just another version of it.” She considered. “I suppose, human nature being what it is, people are always more ready to do something for someone they think can return the favor.”

“So who is Jason Smalley doing favors for? I wonder what he’d say if I asked him that.” Adam’s voice always had that edge when he spoke of Jason.

“I don’t think you’d better,” she said. “He does have some political clout.”

Adam seemed to draw away from her, even though he didn’t actually move. “That won’t keep me from doing my job.”

“Look, I’m not arguing with you.” Adam’s unbending allegiance to the law was admirable, but she didn’t want to see him sacrifice his career to it. “I’m just saying you don’t have any evidence that he’s done something wrong. Better wait until you do.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Some of the tension seemed to ease out of him. “Guess I’m feeling a little touchy on the subject. It’s beginning to look as if Frank Albright might be the person who swayed the zoning board in Tom Sylvester’s favor.”

“Albright? Wasn’t he your football coach in high school?” She could hardly forget that when Trey had spent four years quoting “Coach’s” advice on anything and everything.

“Yeah.” A muscle in Adam’s jaw twitched. “If there’s one person I figured was a straight arrow, it was Frank Albright. And your dad, of course.”

“I’m sorry.” What else could she say? “It’s tough to find that your idol has feet of clay. Are you sure?”

“No.” He snapped off the word. “I’m going to see him tomorrow.”

He obviously wasn’t looking forward to it, and she couldn’t blame him. Adam would follow the trail wherever it led, even when it hurt him, because that’s the kind of man he was.

“Something else happened today.” She pulled the brochure and prospectus notes from her pocket. “I found out what’s been troubling Isaac. He’s invested a considerable sum in a building project, mainly because it’s run by another Amishman, Eli Bredbenner.”

“There’s been a problem with it?” His interest was sharp.

“It hasn’t been paying off the way Bredbenner promised. Apparently, from what Rebecca told me, a number of others from the church invested, as well as Isaac. And Esther didn’t want her brother to get into it. Apparently she questioned this Bredbenner pretty intensely.”

Adam adjusted the flashlight to scan the papers, not speaking.

“And if you’re going to tell me that an Amish person wouldn’t run an elaborate scam like this—” she began.

“Quit putting words in my mouth,” he said, still focused on her notes. “I wasn’t going to say anything like that. Seems to me the Amish would be particularly vulnerable to being cheated by someone they trust, especially another Amish person. Did Isaac talk to you about this?”

“No, Rebecca did. Apparently he’s very sensitive about it. He certainly wouldn’t be happy if he knew she’d told me. Is there any way you can investigate it?”

He nodded, stuffing the papers in his pocket. “I know a guy with the state police who’s handled cases like this. I’ll start with him.”

“Good.” She shivered again. “The way Bredbenner looked at me—”

Adam jerked around, grabbing her shoulder. “What do you mean, looked at you? You didn’t go after him on your own?”

“Of course not. But he came here, he and his wife. They acted as if it was a friendly call, and they wanted to see Esther. I didn’t let them.” Cold snaked down her spine. “Maybe I’m overreacting, seeing menace from everyone who asks about Esther’s health. But I didn’t like it—”

The stable door scraped, and a light flashed on. Libby’s breath caught. Isaac Zook stood there, staring at them.

“So this is what you do when you say you are talking to your mother.”

It was over. Isaac would make her leave, and then Esther would have no protection.

“Isaac, I—”

Adam stood, his arm around her bringing her up, as well. He actually chuckled.

“Come on, Isaac. Don’t tell me you and Mary Ann never slipped off to the barn to steal a few kisses during your rumspringa, because I wouldn’t believe it.” His hand tightened on her shoulder, as if compelling her to agree. “Libby and I aren’t doing anything worse than that.”

Isaac took a step closer, his gaze going from one to the other. “This is true, Libby?”

She slid her arm around Adam’s waist. “Guilty, I’m afraid.”

Isaac’s face relaxed in a half grin. “Why? You two don’t need to hide, do you? Now, Mary Ann’s father—he figured she could do better than me.”

“Mary Ann knew her own mind,” Adam said easily. “As for Libby—well, she’s just not ready to tell everyone about us yet.”