BOBBY AND REUBEN WALKED INTO EILEEN’S on the Square in downtown Wooster. The waitress who met them at the door smiled and grabbed two menus.
“Hi ya, Sheriff,” she said with a quick wink. “Any place special you two want to sit?”
“Over by the window would be fine, Jolene,” Bobby answered.
They made their way to the back of the restaurant, Jolene leading the way like a pilot dolphin. As they passed tables, people nodded and smiled, reached out to shake Bobby’s hand, or nodded at Reuben.
“People here know you, Reuben,” Bobby said.
“That’s from growing up here. I used to cut a pretty wide swath through Wooster when I was younger.”
Jolene got them to their table, dropped the menus and, after asking whether they wanted coffee, headed off to the kitchen.
“Do you ever miss those days, Reuben?” Bobby asked, setting down the menu.
“What days?”
“You know, the days when you were cutting a wide swath through Wooster,” Bobby said.
Reuben looked at his friend and smiled. “Bobby, you became my friend at a very difficult time of my life,” he said. “I wouldn’t be baptized, my family wouldn’t speak to me, and I was pretty sure that God didn’t even exist. I was finished with being Amish. When I joined the Marines with you, I did it because I believed you when you said that everyone had an obligation to stand up and defend the country that provided them with blessings found nowhere else on earth. I don’t regret serving my country. What I deeply regret is killing the men I faced across those trenches. They were men just like you and me, and they deserved to live out their lives with their wives and children.”
Reuben reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. In the back section was a piece of paper. He pulled it out. It was a photo of a young Japanese man in the uniform of the Imperial Army. He was standing beside a lovely Japanese woman. She was dressed in a traditional kimono and holding a small boy. The man was stiff, very military in his bearing, and looking straight at the camera. The woman was looking up at the man, and it was plain that she loved and admired her husband.
“I found this picture on the body of the sniper I killed that day you and I and Thompkins were on patrol. This man had a family—a wife who obviously loved him and a son who grew up without ever knowing his father. Bobby, this man could have been me or you or any of us who fought in that war. I’ve kept it with me all these years to remind me that it’s wrong to kill other men. I’ve never been able to forget the surprised look on his dead face when I turned him over on that jungle floor. So no, I don’t miss any of that. And as for the wide swath I cut, some of it with your able help I might add, I just chalk that up to sheer stupidity. And if you think about it, I’m sure you’ll agree with me.”
Bobby smiled ruefully and then glanced around. “Don’t tell any of my old drinking buddies, Reuben, but I have to admit you’re right. The only good thing about the good ol’ days is that they’re gone.”
Jolene glided back to the table with two cups of hot coffee. She put them down on the table and then pulled a pad out of her apron pocket and a pencil from behind her ear.
“What’ll it be, boys?” she asked.
Bobby picked up the menu. “You’re going to have to give me some more time. We got to talking.”
“Sure, take your time,” Jolene said, and then she left.
Both men perused their menus for a few moments. Bobby peered over his and asked, “So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Reuben closed his menu and looked over at Bobby. “I need to ask you some questions about the car Jerusha found Jenny in, and I need to find out what you know about the man they discovered in the pond.”
“That’s a long time ago, and remember, I wasn’t sheriff yet.” Bobby said, looking back at the lunch menu.
“Well, did you ever do any investigation? I mean, just out of curiosity? After all, you’re as close to her as a biological uncle.”
Jolene returned, pencil and pad in hand.
Bobby handed her his menu. “Hot turkey sandwich with a side of fries, Jolene, and I’m fine with the coffee.”
Reuben nodded. “Sounds good, Jolene. That’s what I’ll have also.”
Jolene picked up the menus and headed for the counter to put the order in.
Bobby turned back to Reuben. “Since you ask so direct, the answer is yes, I did do a little investigating. I was reorganizing the old sheriff’s files, and I came across that folder, so I sat down and read through it. As I remember it, the car was stolen in New York. The owner was contacted, but since it was totaled and had been in the water for five months, he didn’t want the car back, so it went to the junkyard and was scrapped.
“The police and sheriff’s departments had gone over the car and made some interesting discoveries. There were several glassine bags in the glove compartment that had stayed sealed under the water. The bags contained an unknown substance. The lab boys determined that it was heroin. I believe there were also some empty bottles. That, along with the hypodermic needle in a nice little kit, convinced the investigators that whoever was driving the car either used or sold drugs and drank a lot. Not a lot to go on.”
Reuben interrupted. “What about the man in the pond?”
“I was coming to that,” Bobby said. “The investigators can’t be sure that the man in the pond was even connected with the car. More than likely he was, but there’s nothing to link the man and the car together.”
“Was there any identification, anything that could be traced, that would help determine who the man was?”
“None,” Bobby replied. “The only thing that was unusual was a pretty spectacular tattoo—the kind you see the Navy boys sporting, with two flags on each side, the Statue of Liberty in the middle, and the words ‘God Bless America’ on the top. It was pretty deteriorated, but it was big enough to figure out what it was. Still, he would have to have a criminal record with the tattoo listed as an identifying mark to be able to trace him with it. And that’s a needle in a haystack because there were probably thousands of guys with that tattoo. As far as fingerprints, his fingers were mush, and it was impossible to get any prints from him. The whole story is pretty much a dead end, really.”
Bobby paused for a minute and then asked a question. “So, my old friend, why do you want to know all this? I thought it was a closed case as far as you and Jerusha were concerned.”
“Yes, it is all in the past. Jerusha and I seldom think about it.”
“What then?” Bobby asked.
Reuben looked down at the table. “It’s Jenny. She’s been pestering us with questions, and the whole issue of who she really is has become of great importance to her. Her head is filled with all kinds of fantasies about the possibilities.”
Just then Jolene returned with lunch balanced on her arms. She bent down and slid the first plate of turkey in front of Bobby and then handed Reuben the other one.
“Hot plates,” she said with a grin.
“Didn’t seem to bother you any,” Bobby said.
“I’m a tough old biddy,” Jolene answered as she headed off.
“Back to Jenny,” Bobby said.
“I think Jenny is going to ask you to help her find out about the man and the car,” Reuben said slowly.
“What if she does?”
“I’m asking you not to help her. I’m afraid for Jenny. She’s headstrong and determined, and this crazy idea of hers could lead her to places she doesn’t need to know about. If she comes to you, I’m asking you to put roadblocks in her way, to hedge her in. The world isn’t for Jenny. She belongs with us, with her Amish family, in Apple Creek. I’ve seen what’s out there, and I know that the plain way is best, especially for Jenny.”
“But, Reuben,” Bobby said, “she’s almost grown up. You can’t run her life forever.”
“Our way is different from the Englisch way. We want our girls to be safe and secure while they’re at home and unspoiled when they marry. As long as Jenny is under my roof, I’m responsible for her. When she marries, I will hand that responsibility over to her husband.”
“Can I remind you of something, old friend?” Bobby asked quietly.
“I know what you’re going to say. Yeah, I do feel most secure when I have rules to follow. Call it a weakness if you want, but to me, it can also be a strength. But, in spite of what you might think about me, I’m not trying to impose my rules on Jenny for the sake of having my own way. It’s because she’s my daughter, like flesh and blood to me. I love her very much, and to the extent that I can, I want to keep her from the pain.”
Bobby looked at Reuben. There were tears brimming in his eyes. Reuben quickly wiped them away with his sleeve.
“Okay, Reuben,” he said, “I’ll do what I can. But Jenny is headstrong. I may not be able to keep her from finding things out on her own.”
“I’ll worry about that part,” Reuben said. “I’m only asking you to intervene if she comes to you. I’m not asking you to lie, I’m just asking that you not volunteer information or lead her down a path that will start her thinking. She’s a very intelligent girl, and if she gets on a scent, she is relentless. I know it’s awkward for you because I also know how much you love her too.”
Bobby took a bite of his turkey and sat silently chewing it. “If Jenny asks, I’ll only tell her what she could read in the newspaper. After all, she works at the library, and if what you say is true about her determination to find her birth parents, she’s probably already way ahead of me. I won’t volunteer any information, but that’s about all I can do.”
“That’s enough for now,” Reuben replied. “And I thank you for your help.”
Bobby poured some cream into his coffee and stirred it thoughtfully. “Sure, Reuben, it’s not a problem. I want the best for her too.”