Elizabeth swallowed a cry as the shot echoed around them. Crouched as they were behind two trees, she couldn’t see the source of the gunfire. David’s swift reaction had saved them, but for how long?
What was happening? Remembering how David had been fired upon at the Amish Shoppe, she was sure this was no accident. Not the handiwork of a novice hunter with poor aim.
Quite the opposite. His aim was far too good, as he’d nearly hit them both. If David hadn’t been there, would she have survived this attack? Mayhap not. Grateful, she lifted her heart in prayer.
Lord, thank You for sending David to keep me safe. Please, continue to hold us in Your loving arms.
“Stay down,” David whispered. She was tempted to smile. In truth, moving was impossible with the way he had her sheltered against the tree, his body covering hers.
Then her heart sank as she realized they may be stuck there in the cold December wind, indefinitely. She shivered and tried to grab the edges of her cloak closer to her neck.
David didn’t move for long moments. She appreciated his protection, but didn’t want anything to happen to him, either. She peered out at their surroundings, trying to remember where the closest shelter might be.
The gunfire had stopped, but that didn’t mean the hunter wasn’t still out there, patiently waiting for them to reveal themselves.
The road they’d walked was to their left, but a wide expanse of snow-covered fields stretched beyond the wooded area to their right. In the distance, she could see Jacob Strauss’s barn. Jacob’s property was adjacent to hers, no doubt another reason he’d decided to court her.
Elizabeth tensed when she heard a whinny along with the clip-clop of a horse’s hooves hitting the pavement.
“Jacob is coming,” David whispered. “I’d like you to ride with him to the Amish Shoppe.”
“What about you?” She frowned up at him. “Certain sure Jacob will take us both.”
“I’m going to stay here and search for the shooter.”
“No! Please, don’t.” She twisted so that she could see his face more clearly. “You were injured last night—’tis not smart for you to be running about in the cold.”
“Instead, I should accept a ride from the man who likely assaulted me in the first place?” His tone was wry and held a note of steel.
“Ach, David, I understand your position. But we would be safe enough if we stay together, ja?” She hesitated, then added, “Please. I would rather stay with you than go alone with Jacob.”
There was a long moment before he blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay, we’ll stick together.”
“Denke,” she whispered.
When the horse and buggy came into view, David moved away from her just a few inches and raised his hand to attract Jacob’s attention.
“Whoa,” Jacob said, pulling at the reins. Then he scowled at them. “What is this? Why are you here?” Jacob looked from David to her, as if they’d been involved in something improper. She wanted to explain that David had saved her life, but David spoke first.
“Someone fired a gun at us.” David’s tone was curt. “We took cover near the tree, hoping the shooter would show himself. I would ask on Elizabeth’s behalf that you might give us a ride to the Amish Shoppe. I would like to prevent her from being hurt.”
Jacob appeared surprised, but then gave a brief nod. “I heard the gunfire,” he admitted with a frown. “I thought mayhap a hunter had gotten turned around to have ended up this close to the road and to my property. And Elizabeth’s, too,” he hastily added.
“That was no hunter,” David said firmly. The way he stared up at him, she felt he was waiting for Jacob to admit to assaulting him. But of course, Jacob didn’t say anything about that. “Will you please consider giving us a ride?” David pressed.
Jacob nodded again, stood and offered his hand. Elizabeth forced herself to take it, allowing Jacob to help her into the buggy. David quickly vaulted up under his own power to join them.
She was squished between the two men, which provided some additional warmth. Yet being this close to them made her very aware of how she preferred David’s unique scent, a mixture of her soap from when he’d washed up that morning, along with the hint of sawdust that clung to his skin.
She was aware that she was being ridiculous to think of such things. David was a dear friend, nothing more. And she was grateful to have his friendship. His companionship.
She slanted a look up at Jacob’s stern profile. Was he truly capable of shoving her to the ground and striking David in the head?
If so, he was doing an excellent job of hiding his guilt.
“Is there a reason someone would shoot at you?” Jacob asked, leaning forward to look at David.
“No reason that I can think of for anyone to target me or to come after Elizabeth.” David returned Jacob’s stare. “Unless you can think of someone who might do that?”
“No, yet it appears walking back and forth each day isn’t smart.” Jacob turned his gaze on her. “I will drive you back and forth to work, starting tonight.”
She wanted to decline his offer, but glanced at David to see what he thought. A pained expression crossed his face, before he slowly nodded. “Might be for the best, Elizabeth.”
“Of course, it is for the best.” Jacob was using his bossy, authoritative tone again, the one that put her teeth on edge.
“I will decide what is best for me.” She wasn’t in the mood to agree with spending another moment with Jacob.
Jacob appeared taken aback by her statement, but didn’t say anything more as the large red barn of the Amish Shoppe came into view. They were not late, thanks to Jacob’s buggy ride, but she was anxious to get inside.
Jacob pulled up in front of the front door, then jumped out to help her down. She accepted his hand, stepping back to give David room to come down.
“Denke, Jacob. I believe I will spend some time with my cousin Liam later today and as such, I will not require a ride home.” She turned away to hurry inside, with David following right behind her.
Thankfully, Jacob didn’t try to strong-arm her into changing her mind. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw him jump into the buggy and turn back toward his farm.
One problem solved for the moment.
“Are you really going to talk to Liam?” David asked as he escorted her down the center aisle to their respective shops. “I plan to tell him about the gunfire, so there’s no reason for you to be involved if you’d rather not.”
She grimaced. “It’s not our way to involve law enforcement in the Amish community, but I am concerned for you, David. Mayhap that was the same man who broke in here the other night.” She hesitated, then added, “Liam should be told about what happened this morning.”
“Aren’t you worried Jacob will say something to the elders?” David’s concern on her behalf was heartwarming. “I don’t wish for you to suffer repercussions from the community.”
“I will be fine, ja? There’s nothing for you to worry about.” She managed a smile as they reached their doors. “I would ask you to call Liam. When he arrives, we shall both speak to him about the gunfire nearly striking us this morning.”
“And we’ll also tell him about the person hiding in your barn, right?” David held her gaze.
The two assaults from someone hiding in her barn should be reported to the police. Especially if they were somehow linked together. But she shook her head. Mayhap it was a blurred line in the sand, but she felt certain sure Jacob had been the one in her barn.
But he couldn’t have been the one who fired the gun at them. There hadn’t been enough time for him to get the horse and buggy from his barn to reach them if he had done so.
“Not yet.” She used her key to unlock the door to her quilt shop. “See you later, ja?”
“Yes, of course. I’m here if you need me.” David slowly turned away to open his showroom.
She stood for a moment, feeling torn between David’s Englisch world, and her Amish community. It was something that had never happened before.
Two months ago, when David had been kidnapped by bad men who’d used him to draw his niece Shauna out of hiding, she’d gone to the police to voice her concern. That seemed the right thing to do, as David was of the Englisch world.
But this morning’s incident had taken place while they were still within the Amish community. She wanted to be true to her family, to her roots, to her traditions.
After removing her cloak, she sank into her sewing chair and bowed her head, seeking God’s help and guidance in doing the right thing.
Whatever that might be.
When he opened his showroom, David tried not to let his frustration with Elizabeth bother him. He idly rubbed the sore spot on his scalp, a reminder of how blessed he was to have survived both the assault and the recent gunfire.
Customers wouldn’t be arriving for twenty minutes yet, so he used that time to find the cell phone and call Liam directly, rather than going through the dispatcher.
“David? Are you okay?”
He couldn’t help but smile at the alarm in Liam’s voice. The sheriff knew David wouldn’t call without a good reason. “Yes, but there was another incident this morning while Elizabeth and I were walking from her house to the Amish Shoppe. Someone fired two shots at us, Liam. It was only through God’s grace that we escaped unscathed.”
“I’ll be right over,” Liam said. “I’ll need you to show me where you were when this happened.”
“I can’t leave until after closing. Friday and Saturday are our busiest days, especially considering Christmas is soon approaching.” And he needed whatever income he could earn these next three days. After that, sales would be nonexistent.
“What if I bring Shauna to watch the showroom? It’s important I find any evidence before the gunman attempts to get rid of it.”
David sighed. “That’s fine if Shauna doesn’t mind helping.” Shauna had worked his showroom before, so he had no qualms about her ability to sell his goods. In fact, she had helped him several times in the past. “But I’d still like to be back to work as quickly as possible. The Christmas rush is upon us, and I’d like to take advantage of that.”
“Understood. We’ll be there soon.”
David disconnected from the call, then replaced the phone. He tried to ignore the flash of guilt over using the phone for nonbusiness reasons.
Then again, if something happened to him, there wouldn’t be a business. And the same logic applied to Elizabeth, too.
He glanced through the main showroom window to where Elizabeth was working on a quilt. Like him, she used the downtime over the winter months to build up her stock.
She was so pretty it wasn’t easy to tear his gaze away. He quickly moved into the back workroom to examine the damaged baby cradle. The bullet had gone too far in for him to simply sand the damage away, so he set about measuring and making another panel to replace the damaged one.
He’d barely started hand sawing the board when he heard Shauna. “Uncle Davy? We’re here.”
After dusting off his hands, he went into the main showroom to join them. “Good to see you, Shauna.”
“Liam told me about the two incidents of gunfire.” His niece’s blue eyes, mirror images of his own, were clouded with concern. “I don’t like this. You need to stay with me and Liam for a while.”
“And leave Elizabeth vulnerable? No.” He hesitated, realizing that he and Elizabeth hadn’t really discussed their next steps after the shops were closed for the day. Would she allow him to continue sleeping on her sofa? Mammi Ruth would not be supportive of that, but someone had been lurking in her barn.
And they’d been shot at.
What was next?
“David, do you have any idea who could be doing this?” Liam pinned him with a knowing gaze. “I feel like there’s more to the story than you’re telling me.”
“I have some thoughts, but we can talk along the way to the area where the shooting took place.” He glanced at Shauna. “Thank you for taking care of the customers for me.”
“Any time,” Shauna assured him.
He followed Liam through the shops to the main entrance. Thankfully, Liam had driven his personal SUV, rather than one of the police vehicles. As Elizabeth’s cousin, Liam knew the Amish rarely came to law enforcement with their concerns.
As Liam drove, David quickly explained about the assault on Elizabeth, along with the one on him from someone hiding in Elizabeth’s barn. “She won’t be happy I’m telling you about the two assaults,” David said. “You know the Amish prefer to handle their own issues. But she does want you to know about the gunfire, and I can’t say for sure they aren’t related.”
“What happened after you were assaulted?” Liam asked.
He felt himself flush. “Elizabeth insisted I sleep on her sofa, which was very kind of her. However, I don’t believe she’ll allow me to do that again. I would hate to cause harm to her reputation, but her safety is a much bigger concern.”
“Exactly. I’ll talk to her, too and convince her to have you stay at least for a few days,” Liam said. “I’d feel better if she wasn’t alone in the house with Ruth.”
“Ruth does not have a high opinion of me,” David admitted. “But I won’t allow her disdain to get in the way of keeping Elizabeth safe.”
“I have a feeling Elizabeth’s mother-in-law isn’t happy in general,” Liam said. “Elizabeth believes she’s grieving over the loss of her son, which I can understand.”
“Yes.” David knew Liam had lost his wife and son a little over two years ago, but had found love again with Shauna. He was very happy for them.
Yet David privately thought that losing her son wasn’t an excuse for Mammi Ruth to make everyone around her miserable, too. Liam had withdrawn after his tragedy but hadn’t been angry with those around him. He sensed Mammi Ruth was angry that her son was gone while Elizabeth was still here.
“Slow down, Liam. The spot where we took cover is just a few yards ahead.”
“Those trees?” Liam asked gesturing to the right.
“Yes.”
Liam pulled over to the side of the road. He got out of the car, and David quickly joined him.
“We were here when the gunfire first rang out.” David stood in the spot they’d been less than an hour ago. “I pulled Elizabeth toward the trees, protecting her with my body, when we heard the second shot. I’m sure the bullet hit the tree inches from my head.”
There was a long moment as Liam examined the tree. “Found it.” Using a penknife, Liam pried the bullet free and dropped it into an evidence bag. “This slug is mangled worse than the one I pulled out of your baby cradle, but the lab may be able to match them up.”
“That would be helpful.” David gestured to the bullet. “Although if the shooter from this morning is the same one that broke into the Amish Shoppe the other night, I have more questions than answers.”
Liam nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. If the motive for breaking in wasn’t robbery, then what? Clearly the guy picked the lock to get access to the place. Was he looking for information?”
“What kind of information?” David looked at the bullet hole in the tree. “And if that’s all he wanted why shoot at us again? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“And you’re sure the man who you saw at the shop wasn’t this Jacob Strauss guy?” Liam asked.
“Jacob is very tall, and the guy I saw wasn’t. However, that doesn’t mean Jacob didn’t hire someone to do his dirty work. Jacob conveniently showed up to offer us a ride this morning, too.” The more he considered the recent events, the more convinced he was that Jacob was involved. “I still think he believes scaring Elizabeth will cause her to accept his courtship.”
“She’s not interested?” Liam asked.
“No, she has made it clear she has no interest in getting married again,” David assured him. “What’s really interesting is that she said she’d rather walk with me, than ride with him.” When he saw Liam’s eyebrows lever up in surprise, he quickly added, “Because we’re friends, nothing more.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. I’ll always honor her wishes.” David glanced around the area. “Is that all? I’d like to get back.”
“Just give me a minute to see where the guy may have been standing.” Liam strode away from the tree, at an angle that took him across the road. David tried to be patient but didn’t think finding the spot where the shooter had stood would be very helpful.
When Liam headed farther away, David considered walking back to the Amish Shoppe. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Shauna to look after his showroom, but more so that he didn’t like being so far from Elizabeth.
What if the shooter had watched him leave with Liam? The guy could right now be stalking Elizabeth, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Without even realizing it, he took several steps away from Liam’s SUV, heading down the side of the road.
“I found something,” Liam called.
“What?” David swung back to look at where Liam stood a good hundred yards away. He jogged over to meet him, praying Liam had found evidence that would implicate Jacob Strauss.
Or the man he’d paid to shoot at them.
Liam was kneeling on the ground near a scrubby bush. As David joined him, he could see a straight line from this location to the trees where they’d found the bullet.
“This must have fallen out of his pocket.” Liam pointed at a scrap of paper dampened by the snow. “It’s a partial business card, with a logo in the corner.”
David dropped down to look at it more closely. The snow made the colors blur, but the green blotch didn’t look familiar. “Why is this helpful?”
Liam stared for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “It looks a little like the logo for The Green Lake Grill Bar and Restaurant. Maybe the shooter spent some time there.”
“It’s possible.” The Amish did not frequent English establishments, especially not a place that offered alcoholic beverages. And it didn’t make sense that Jacob would meet there to hire someone to shoot at them, either. Wouldn’t he try to find someone he knew within the Amish community?
A chill snaked down his spine. Was he wrong about Jacob? Was it possible there was another motive for these attacks?
Had his criminal past finally caught up with him?