Lizzie and I rushed into the dining room and watched out the window as Levi’s buggy pulled up to the railing in front of the restaurant. He jumped out and tied up his horse, Stormy, while the other men climbed out and waited for the sheriff to join them. Two men got out of the car, the sheriff and Roger Carson. Everyone in the dining room was unusually quiet as the men walked single file up the steps and entered the room. I was alarmed at the expression on Levi’s face. Although his cheeks were ruddy from the cold, beneath them, his skin was ashen. The look in his eyes made my breath catch in my throat.
Lizzie and I stood there as if our feet were glued to the floor. There wasn’t a sound from those gathered in the room. Before the sheriff had the chance to speak, the front door opened and another group of people shuffled inside. Most likely the folks who’d been waiting at Harold’s or Aaron’s. Some of them quickly found a seat. The rest stood expectantly near the back of the room.
I wanted to hear about the woman on the road—yet I didn’t. At that moment, I wished I were somewhere else. Anywhere else. I wondered if Lizzie felt the same way. I snuck a look at her. Her face was set like flint, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
“Well?” she said finally.
Sheriff Timmons removed his hat. Roger stepped up next to him, almost as if he were trying to offer support. He cast a quick glance around the room, looking rather uncomfortable until he saw Noah. Having a friend nearby appeared to relax him a little.
“She was definitely murdered,” the sheriff said slowly. “It’s too early to conclude that this is the work of the serial killer I told you about, but I certainly can’t rule it out. The KBI has taken over the case and will make that official determination.” He spoke without hesitation, but it was obvious there was something else on his mind. I tried to catch Levi’s eye, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“You’re not telling us everything,” Lizzie said bluntly. “What is it? Is she one of us?”
Their silence alarmed me. The men looked back and forth at each other. Sheriff Timmons began to say something when the door to the restaurant opened, and Harold Eberly rushed in.
“John Lapp said he was turned away on the road out of town. Some men, official types, told him he couldn’t use the road, Sheriff,” Harold said in a loud, angry voice. “Many of us need to get to our homes. Why are we being forced to stay in town?”
The young sheriff frowned at Harold. “I’m sorry, but the KBI has closed the road until they finish gathering evidence. Shouldn’t be too long.”
“My little girl has been through enough,” Harold insisted. “She needs to go home.”
I heard Lizzie grunt. “Harold Eberly, you hush up. A woman has died. I don’t think asking you to hang around for a while is out of line.”
Harold’s mouth dropped open, but instead of arguing with Lizzie, he turned and stomped out the door. He probably realized that trying to win an argument with Lizzie was an almost impossible task.
When the door closed behind him, she hurried over and locked it. Then she gazed slowly around the room. “I’m not planning to kick anyone out,” she said, “but if you came here out of some kind of morbid curiosity, I’d like you to leave. People of faith should be showing respect, not acting like the world.”
A few people hung their heads, and I marveled at her boldness. After several seconds, she pointed at the sheriff, who was staring at her in surprise. “Okay, so what are you keeping back? Do we know her?”
Noah, who had been watching this scene unfold from a corner table stood to his feet and came over to stand near his brother and Roger.
“It’s not anyone from Kingdom,” Levi said in a low, strained tone. “She’s a stranger.” Even though I was thankful for the good news, his solemn manner frightened me.
“Levi, what’s going on?” Noah asked.
Although it seemed to take great effort, Levi lifted his eyes to his brother’s. “Do . . . do you remember the book of martyrs I lost a few weeks ago?”
“Yes,” Noah said slowly, looking confused. “What about it?”
Levi seemed incapable of continuing. Finally Noah looked over at the sheriff. “What’s he talking about?”
Sheriff Timmons took a deep breath and let it out. “The dead woman— Levi’s book was clutched in her hands.”
No one said a word for what seemed like hours but was surely only a few seconds. For some reason all I could do was stare at the young sheriff. His eyes were locked on mine, and I couldn’t break my gaze away. When Lizzie spoke, it finally shook me out of the strange stupor that had overtaken me.
“Are you saying you think Levi killed someone?” The incredulity in her voice triggered a reaction inside me.
“That’s ridiculous,” I sputtered, finally finding my voice. “Are you insane? How could you—”
“Callie!”
Levi’s harsh tone startled me. “But this man—”
Roger took a step forward. His normally ruddy complexion was redder than normal. “The sheriff isn’t saying Levi killed that girl,” he said in a soothing tone. “He’s simply trying to find out what happened. Of course Levi had nothing to do with this. But we do need to figure out why the book was found at the crime scene.”
“How can you be sure it was your book, Levi?” Lizzie asked. “I know the book you mean. There are quite a few copies in Kingdom.”
Levi sighed. “It’s mine, Lizzie. It has my name written on it.”
I started to say something, but Sheriff Timmons raised his hand. “Please, everyone, calm down. If your pastor had anything to do with this, he’d have to be the stupidest man alive. The book wasn’t accidentally left at the scene of the crime. It was purposely put into the dead woman’s hands. Unless he wanted to be caught, no murderer would do something that dumb.”
“Of course he wouldn’t,” I said. “But why would anyone put Levi’s book there?”
“That’s the question we’re asking,” Timmons said. “I wish I had the answer, but I don’t. Not yet.”
He glanced around at our obviously concerned expressions. “Try not to worry. I don’t believe anyone thinks Levi is a viable suspect. If this is the work of the serial killer, twenty years ago Levi was only a child. He couldn’t have been running around the county killing women. One of the KBI agents said that, in his opinion, the book was an afterthought. Like the killer decided at the last minute to put it there.” He frowned at Levi. “But I have to warn you, Pastor, the authorities will question you. They’re going to want to know how the killer got that book and why he felt the need to leave it at the scene. Right now, your book might be the strongest piece of evidence they have. Finding out how it got there could lead them to their suspect.”
Levi nodded but stayed silent. I wanted to forget decorum, run over, and wrap my arms around him. But propriety kept me from following my emotions. It hurt that I couldn’t offer him any consolation.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help them catch the man who did this,” Levi said in an even tone. “I doubt there’s any information I have that will help, but I’ll certainly try.”
“I know you will,” the sheriff said. He gazed around the packed room. “Most of you will be interviewed too. We need to know who came down that road and when. You might have noticed something that will help our investigation. Even if you don’t realize it.”
“I don’t know, Sheriff,” Noah said, frowning. “She would have been hard to see. Anyone driving a buggy—or a truck that sits high like mine—could have easily missed her. And with the snow—”
“I’m aware of that,” the sheriff said. “It’s possible several people went right past her without realizing she was there. We still need to know everyone who drove down that road between late last night and this morning, before she was discovered.” He nodded toward Roger. “My deputy will be interviewing you. Please give him your information—and the names of anyone else that might have been out there during the time in question.” He looked out at the crowd. “All we can do is try our best to uncover the truth. Anything you can remember—especially anything unusual—could really help us.”
The silence that followed the sheriff’s statement made it clear that people were already turning the sheriff’s request over in their minds.
“Have you found any clues?” Lizzie asked. “Anything that might point to the killer?”
Timmons shrugged. “There are all kinds of things out on the road near the victim,” he said. “We’ve found scraps of papers and material. A bottle opener, two pencils, and a pen. Some change. We’re keeping all of it, but so far, we don’t have anything that connects us to any certain suspect.”
“Harold said you closed the road outside of town?”
“I didn’t. The KBI did. No one can travel that way until the KBI decides to open it again.”
“It’s not just Harold who goes home that way,” I said. “Many of our people live outside the town itself. Especially the farmers. How long must they stay here?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. One of the agents promised he’d let me know as soon as the road is clear.”
“That means you’re stuck too,” Lizzie said.
The sheriff nodded. “I hope that won’t be a problem.”
“Don’t be silly,” Noah said. “You’re welcome here.”
“Of course you are.”
I jumped at the sound of Jonathon’s voice. I’d forgotten he and Ebbie had gone with Levi. Although Jonathon seemed to be handling the situation well, Ebbie was quiet. Too quiet. Sadness was etched into his features. His usual smile had been replaced with something dark and sorrowful. It hurt me to look at him. Ebbie was such a tender man, easily touched by the pain of others. He caught me staring at him and turned toward the door.
“I’ve got to tell Hope I’m back,” he said softly. He tried the door, but it was still locked. After bumbling around with it for a moment, Noah stepped over and turned the lock. He put his hand on Ebbie’s shoulder for just a brief moment. It was a sweet gesture of comfort and brought tears to my eyes. We could get through this. As a family. I pulled my shoulders back and tried to sound determined.
“If folks can’t get home, they’ll probably want something to eat,” I pointed out. “Are we ready to serve that many people?”
Lizzie put her hand to her forehead. “It’s all prepared, but I’m going to need some help.”
“What can I do?” Noah asked.
Lizzie seemed to come to life. “First of all, would you drive over to my parents’ house? Tell them to keep Charity until we come for her. Warn them that it might be late. I don’t want her anywhere near here right now.”
“I’ll have to tell them what’s going on,” Noah said slowly. “Your father will probably run right over, searching for information.”
Lizzie shrugged. “If he does, he does. I’ll deal with him if that happens. My mother can watch Charity. She’s good with her.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of it, and I’ll be back as soon as I can so I can help you serve.” He grabbed Lizzie’s hand. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” He quickly kissed her forehead. Then he grabbed his coat from the rack near the front door and left.
Lizzie blinked several times and looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I hope he’s right. I really do.” With that, she turned around and headed for the kitchen.
I realized Sheriff Timmons was still standing in the middle of the room with Roger. He looked decidedly uncomfortable. Before I had a chance to say anything, Levi walked up to him.
“Why don’t you and Roger have dinner with us, Sheriff?” he said. “Lizzie’s a great cook.”
Timmons looked relieved. “Thank you, Pastor. I’d appreciate that. Didn’t have time for lunch today, so I must admit to being a little hungry.”
“Thanks, Levi,” Roger said. “One of Lizzie’s amazing meals is just the ticket. While I’m waiting, I’ll start taking statements.”
Levi pointed toward an empty table. The sheriff walked over and sat down while Roger began circulating through the room with a notebook. I hoped people would talk to him. Right now folks seemed more interested in studying the new sheriff than in listening to anything Roger might have to say. I was proud of Levi for caring about the young lawman’s feelings, even in a tense situation like this. I hurried over to the table.
“What can I get you, Sheriff?”
He smiled at me. “What do you recommend, Miss—”
“It’s Callie. Just Callie.”
He took off his hat and set it on the chair next to him. “Okay, just Callie. What do you recommend?”
I smiled at his joke. Under the circumstances, it was a little hard to feel relaxed, but he’d managed to lighten the atmosphere just a little.
“Some nights, like tonight, Lizzie focuses on a few special dishes. We’ve got meat loaf, fried chicken, and chicken-fried steak. But if you want a hamburger, a sandwich, or a steak, she can make that for you.”
“I recommend the chicken-fried steak,” Levi said. “It’s incredible. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.”
“I love chicken-fried steak,” the sheriff said. “Haven’t had one for a long time. You two just talked me into it.”
“Good choice.”
“You might as well order the same thing for Roger,” Levi said with a smile. “You know that’s what he wants.”
I nodded and wrote it down on my note pad. Roger ordered chicken-fried steak whenever it was on the menu. I was on my way to the kitchen when I heard the front door open. The wind had picked up and it blew through the room, knocking napkins off tables and rattling the windows. Snow swept past the entrance and onto the floor, where it quickly melted while the flames in the fireplace danced wildly. Aaron Metcalf closed the door as quickly as he could. I waved at him and then hurried back to the kitchen where Lizzie was busy cooking up a storm.
“Levi’s eating with Sheriff Timmons and Roger,” I told her. “All three of them want chicken-fried steak.”
She nodded absentmindedly but didn’t say anything. I knew her well enough to know that she hadn’t really heard me.
“Lizzie, did you hear what I said?”
“What?” She stopped breading steak and frowned at me. “Yes, I’m making chicken-fried steak. Can’t you tell?”
“Oh, Lizzie.” I walked over and put my arm around her. “I’m worried too. But this murder has nothing to do with us. These men from the KBI will figure out who killed that woman, and then we’ll all go back to normal. Won’t we?”
She looked at me, a strange expression on her face. “I hope so, Callie. I love this town, but I truly wonder if we can continue to weather these storms and stay untouched. Suddenly I’m not so sure.”
Her words caused a chill to run through me, and I let her go. “But earlier you said the devil didn’t have a chance against us. That God would protect us.” Even though her words echoed my own thoughts, for some reason I felt distressed. Lizzie was usually a calming voice when dark clouds gathered. I needed her encouragement, her assurance that everything was going to be okay. What she’d said only brought the darkness closer.
“I need three chicken-fried steak dinners for Levi, Roger, and the sheriff,” I said quickly. “We’ve got a full house. I should get out there and take some orders.”
“Okay.” She reached out and caught my arm before I could get to the door. “Callie, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. It’s just that . . .” She stared past me, a forlorn look on her face. “How am I going to explain this to Charity? I hate telling her about the horror in the world. It tears me up.”
“I’m so sorry, Lizzie. It didn’t occur to me. Having a child is a huge responsibility. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be sometimes.”
Lizzie smiled sadly. “Yes, difficult and joyous, all at the same time. Just ignore me. I’ll figure it out. God will give me the right words, I’m sure.”
I nodded. “You’ve raised a wonderful child. She can handle this. I truly believe that.” I turned to go but then stopped. “Lizzie, why would someone put Levi’s book in that woman’s hands? I can’t understand it.”
“I don’t know. Maybe the killer found it somewhere and wanted to draw attention away from himself.” She sighed deeply. “Don’t think about it, Callie. You know Levi had nothing to do with this. Allowing yourself to consider anything else is useless.” She offered me a weak smile. “We really don’t have time to discuss it now. Let’s get these people fed, okay?”
I tried to nod but couldn’t stop the tear that fell down my cheek.
Lizzie put her hands on my shoulders. “I’m sorry, Callie. This is obviously harder on you than I realized. What can I do to help?”
“It’s not that. It’s—”
“It’s what?” she said. I could hear the concern in her voice, but it was colored with impatience.
I looked into her eyes. “It’s that book, Lizzie. I’m afraid of what it means.”
Lizzie frowned at me. “What are you talking about? What do you think it means?”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “If you weren’t distracted, you’d have seen it too.” I tried to control my trembling. “Oh, Lizzie. Levi misplaced that book somewhere in town. Probably at the church—or maybe here in the restaurant. That means that only someone who lives in Kingdom could have found it. Doesn’t that mean that the killer is almost certainly one of us?”
At first Lizzie only stared at me, but as she considered my words, her face went slack. “I . . . I hadn’t considered . . .”
I grabbed her hands with my own and pulled them off my shoulders. “It seems so clear to me. No one from the outside could have taken it. Someone who lives here had to place that book with the body. Someone we know.”
“Oh, Callie. I’ll bet Levi left the book in his buggy when he went to Washington. Anyone could have taken it when he stepped away. I’m sure it wasn’t anyone from Kingdom.”
I was so frightened for Levi I hadn’t thought of that. People in Kingdom bought a lot of their supplies in Washington. Levi traveled there frequently. I felt a rush of relief. Maybe Lizzie was right.
Before I could respond, the door to the kitchen swung open and Levi walked in. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said, “but you have a full dining room, Lizzie. I thought you might need some additional help.” His voice trailed off as he noticed the looks on our faces. “What’s wrong?”
Lizzie swung away from me and picked up some steaks that had already been floured and seasoned. She tossed them into a large pan of hot grease. The loud pop and sizzle broke the tension that filled the room.
“Nothing,” she said brusquely. “We need to get to work before we get so far behind we can’t catch up.”
Levi nodded. “What can I do?”
Suddenly, the door to the kitchen swung open again. “We’re full up out there,” Noah said, a concerned look on his face. “What’s going on?”
Lizzie quickly explained the situation, and within a few minutes, Levi and Noah were carrying out plates and taking orders. When we finally caught up, they sat down to eat with the sheriff, who still looked uneasy. Given the stares he was receiving, it was understandable. Once Roger had circulated through the room, he joined them.
After toting coffee around, I went back to the kitchen. “Everyone’s been served,” I told Lizzie.
She smiled at me. “Thank you, Callie. And I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I want my daughter to grow up in a safe environment. That should be Kingdom. When something like this happens, I take it personally. I didn’t mean to pass along my discouragement to you.”
“I understand. I really do.”
She nodded. “The truth is, even with the challenges we’ve faced, life is better here. I guess I want perfection, and even Kingdom isn’t perfect. No matter where you live or what you do, the devil is out there trying to get in.”
“Well, we just won’t let the devil overtake us,” I said. “Ruth told me once that it’s actually our reaction to bad things that makes or breaks us.”
Lizzie leaned against the cabinet behind her and studied me. “Ruth is a wise woman. She’s right, and so are you, as long as we’re not ignoring the truth.” She was quiet for a moment before saying, “Callie, I also want to apologize for what I said about your father. I didn’t mean to poke my nose into your business. Will you forgive me for that too?”
I nodded dumbly, not knowing what to say.
“Thank you. I think I’ll shut up for the rest of the night. Seems to be the only way I can keep myself out of trouble.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “First of all, I doubt you could stay quiet very long. Secondly, I would hate it if you stopped talking to me. Besides, I think I’m the one who’s opened her big mouth too much today.”
She chuckled. “Well, then I’m in good company.” Her eyes narrowed as she studied me. “You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“No, there hasn’t been a moment.”
“Well, there’s a moment now. You said you wanted meat loaf?”
I nodded. “I can’t think of anything that sounds better. It’s hard watching everyone else eat when you’re so hungry.”
Lizzie busied herself with preparing a plate for me. “Has my father shown up yet?” she asked as she added mashed potatoes and gravy to my dish.
“I haven’t seen him. Not sure why.”
She shrugged. “Maybe he decided to stay out of the situation for once.”
“Maybe.”
I found that hard to believe, although I didn’t say it. There are some people in life who think they have all the answers, and Matthew Engel was one of them.
Lizzie came over and put the plate down in front of me. “Too late for coffee?”
“Actually, I would love a cup. I’m asleep on my feet.”
Lizzie poured two cups of coffee and sat down across from me.
“Have you eaten?” I asked.
She laughed. “You know better than that.”
I did. Lizzie was a nibbler. She was always worried about her food, wanting it to be the best it could be. She dished out samples of everything as soon as it was done, checking the flavor. By the time food was ready to be served, she’d actually eaten enough for an entire meal. No matter how much she ate though, being on her feet so much helped her to burn off extra calories. Her slim figure proved it. I, on the other hand, was constantly being urged to eat. I’d always been small. Instead of three large meals, I usually ate four or five times a day. Smaller portions. I’d eaten this way as far back as I could remember. However, today, all the turmoil had kept me from grabbing anything. I was just about to say something when I heard a commotion from the dining room. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen door, flinging it open. Lizzie and I got there just in time to see Sheriff Timmons and Roger following behind three men in dark suits and coats who were leading Levi toward the front door of the restaurant.
“What are you doing?” Lizzie cried.
Noah glared at the men and then turned toward us, his eyes wide with emotion. “They’re arresting Levi. They think he murdered that woman!”