Vow of Silence Read online

  “Me too…”

  As the Schwartz farm came into view, anxiety thrummed in her veins, her pulse raced, and her palms began to sweat. She wasn’t sure she could do this. Hannah knew what they were going through. She’d been there herself not so long ago, and the memories were still too fresh, her grief too raw.

  They pulled into the driveway and Josiah turned off the car. He might have sensed her mounting panic because he made no move to get out. “You ready?”

  Her anxious gaze darted to his and the strength staring back at her helped calm her jangling nerves. “As much as I’m ever gonna be, I guess.”

  As Josiah hopped out of the car, dread settled low in her gut like a lead weight. She took a couple of breaths, trying to push back the panic. It wasn’t working, because

  she startled when the passage door swung open.

  “Come on, Hannah. You can do this.”

  He was right. She could do this—for Cassie, and Abby, she could do this. All she needed to focus on was getting out of the car and putting one foot in front of the other. The sooner she did that, the sooner it would be over. She reached down and collected the mincemeat pie she’d made, and accepted Josiah’s offered hand, ignoring the flutter of feminine awareness flittering to life inside her when his fingers firmly gasped hers. She climbed out of the car and ignored the niggling disappointment when he let go of her hand. He closed the car door and escorted her to the house, his hand hovering near her low back, not quite touching her, but making her all too aware of its presence.

  They stepped onto the porch and he reached around her to knock. There it was again…that scent she couldn’t seem to get enough of. He positioned himself behind her so she was the first face Abigail’s parents saw when they opened the door. Josiah understood their barriers to him and the outside world. It impressed her to see the care he took to approach them with so much consideration, unlike the federal officer who’d come to Hannah’s house after Cassie died.

  He’d been so cold and impersonal. Truth be told, the man had scared her. She wasn’t used to dealing with Englishers and his gruff demeanor intimidated her. She’d said as little as possible during that first meeting and had made every effort to avoid him after that. Considering Josiah was here taking over the investigation for the FBI, Hannah could only imagine the other victims’ families hadn’t been any more receptive or forthcoming to Special Agent Riker than she had been.

  The door opened with a protesting creek, and Mr. Schwartz filled the doorway. She knew the Schwartz, but not as well as others. As she stood on the other side of the screen, she realized none of that mattered, the kindred spirit of grief connected them. Her heart ached for the pain and sorrow reflected in the man’s eyes. Hannah understood what he was going through, how hard it was to have police officers coming into your home so soon after a tragic loss, wanting you talk about something your mind couldn’t fathom. The questions only compounded the pain and guilt, planting seeds of doubt and blame into the minds of grieving family members.

  “Mr. Schwartz. I’m Cassie Beiler’s sister—”

  “I know who ya are, Mrs. Adams. How can I help ya?”

  The man hadn’t opened the door wide enough to see Josiah standing next to her. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say but being on the other side of that door a month ago, Hannah knew what not to say—placating platitudes were the last thing this man needed or wanted to hear.

  Digging deep, she muscled up her courage to do what she wished someone would have done for her—be transparent and honest. “I wanted to bring ya this minced meat pie and tell ya how sorry I am. I’m here to try to help. I know the last thing ya want is to talk about what happened, but the police need our help so they can catch the man responsible for this. Detective Troyer asked me to come with him because he thought it might be easier to talk to someone who’s been through what yer all goin’ through.”

  Henry’s eyes glistened and her own began to sting. With a curt nod, he stepped aside and opened the door for them to enter. Hannah handed him the pie plate and he thanked her for her kindness. It didn’t escape her notice that Henry hadn’t acknowledged Josiah, but he didn’t seem to mind the slight. Josiah knew the rules, and although her heart no longer shunned him, it didn’t mean the rest of the community wouldn’t.

  “Come on in and sit down.” He led Hannah into the kitchen and offered her a lemonade. Josiah took the seat beside her.

  “Where is Mrs. Schwartz?” Josiah asked.

  When Henry responded, it was to speak to Hannah.

  “Mrs. Schwartz has taken to her sick bed.”

  Josiah pulled out a notepad and pen. “I’d like to start by telling you I’m deeply sorry for your loss. And I’ll be as brief as possible. Can you tell me where Abby was headed the night she disappeared?”

  Henry kept eye contact with Hannah as he answered. “She went to the church to drop off some preserves for the bake sale, then she went to the Hennessey’s to deliver some lavender and a meal. Mrs. Hennessey hasn’t been feeling well.”

  “That was the last time she was seen?”

  Henry nodded.

  “Did she ever mention the names Caroline Yoder or Catherine Johnson?”

  “No.”

  “Did she have a boyfriend? Was anyone courting her?”

  “No.”

  “Did she ever speak of leaving the church?”

  “No!” Henry’s angry glare snapped to Josiah. “We’re not all heathens like ya. And I’ll not have ya ruinin’ my daughter’s reputation by suggestin’ such a thing!”

  “Mr. Schwartz…” Hannah reached across the table and laid her hand on the old man’s. “I don’t think Detective Troyer is suggestin’ that at all. But he’s wonderin’ if the girls have been associatin’ with Englishers? Four of our girls have been taken and killed. He’s tryin’ hard to catch whoever did this. Please, help us…”

  Henry met Hannah’s pleading stare and exhaled a troubled sigh. “Her mother might have mentioned somethin’ to me. A comment Abby made a while ago about not bein’ sure if she wanted to take her vows. But she’s been attendin’ her classes at church and meetin’ with Deacon Schrock just as she’s s’posed to.”

  “So was Cassie. They were good girls, Mr. Schwartz. No one is questionin’ that. I think…I think Cassie had a cell phone. Do you know if it’s possible Abby could have had one, too? Maybe if Detective Troyer could find their phone records…”

  Hannah wasn’t thrilled about disclosing private information about Cassie, but as defensive as he was, she didn’t think Henry was going to offer up questionable details about his daughter if Hannah didn’t take the first step.

  She shot a quick glance at Josiah, wondering if he was upset she’d taken over his questioning, but he seemed content to listen and take notes. This was why he’d brought her along, after all, to diffuse tensions and get these people to open up.

  “I don’t know… She would have hidden it from us if she did. Yer welcome to check her room. But please, leave it the way you found it.”

  “Of course…” Hannah gave his hand a grateful squeeze. “Thank you.”

  They visited a little while longer, and Hannah asked Henry many of the same questions she remembered Special Agent Riker asking her. They didn’t all make sense to her, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed Josiah was doing a lot of writing, so they must mean something to him. Henry was a lot more relaxed and forthcoming with her. And on the occasion, when Josiah would need to ask a question or clarify something or other, she could see the man’s demeanor change. He made no attempt to hide his disdain for Josiah, but then this was how the shunned were treated. Right or wrong, it rankled her nerves. Why would Josiah ever want to stay here if this was how he was going to be welcomed? But then he’d never said anything about wanting to come back to the fold.

  They stood, and Josiah pocketed the notepad as Henry led them down the hall to Abby’s room.

  “Do you know Saul Heinz?” Josiah asked, his tone casually conversational.


  “Yes. He rents the back field from me. Why?”

  “Was he here at the farm the day Abby disappeared?”

  Henry thought about it a moment and nodded. “He arrived about an hour before Abby left, but wasn’t here very long. Something on his sickle broke, and he had to leave to get it repaired.”

  “Why are ya askin’ about Saul Heinz?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say. But when we’re finished here, may I please see your barn?”

  …

  “Is that what I think it is?”

  “Yep…” It didn’t take Joe long to search Abby’s room and locate the secret panel in the back of her closet. Inside the small crevasse was a portable cell phone charger.

  “I don’t s’pose there’s a phone in there?” she asked, peering over his shoulder.

  “No, we’re not going to be that lucky. She probably had it on her when she was taken. Just like Cassie… I’ll check to see if any attempted 911 calls were made on the dates the girls were taken. If we can locate a cell tower, then we can narrow down a search radius.”

  “Can you do that? Trace these phones?”

  “Not without a number, and they’d still have to be on. After this much time, the batteries will be dead. But if I can find a number, I can search the phone records.”

  “Cassie’s boyfriend should have her number.”

  “Yes, he should. You up for a road trip tomorrow?”

  She looked surprised that he was inviting her along. Maybe it was a mistake, but she’d been invaluable with Henry Schwartz, and it just didn’t set right cutting her out now. And none of that had anything to do with him wanting to spend more time with her. Nope… None. At. All.

  “We can’t go today?”

  “No, it’s getting late. And Hershey is an hour drive from here. Today we’ll finish retracing Abby’s last hours. Tomorrow we’ll find Cassie’s boyfriend.”

  Hannah nodded. “Are ya goin’ to tell Mr. Schwartz about the phone?”

  Joe returned the charger to the small hole in the wall and replaced the panel. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Won’t change how we proceed. A forensics team will come in here tomorrow and search her room for clues. If they find the charger, they’ll log it then, and he’ll be notified.” He stood and carefully closed the closet door, mindful to leave everything exactly how he’d found it.

  “Are we finished here?”

  “For now. I want a quick look at the barn before we leave. I’ll walk you to the car.”

  “Ya don’t honestly think Saul Heinz had somethin’ to do with this, do ya?” Hannah asked as Josiah escorted her across the lawn.

  “I’m not ruling anyone out at this point. And I’ve got a man who knows at least two of the victims and had contact with each of them the day they disappeared. Let’s just say he’s quickly climbing the ladder of my suspect list.” Joe helped Hannah into the passenger seat and was about to close the door when he remembered to grab an evidence bag, just in case his hunch was right. “Excuse me…” He leaned inside and reached across Hannah to open the center console.

  “What are ya doin’?”

  He made the mistake of glancing at her and met eyes wide with surprise as she pressed herself back against the seat. He was closer than he’d realized, his face mere inches from hers. He’d startled her. Hannah’s lips parted, her breath kissing his cheek as her tongue nervously moistened her bottom lip. Shit…this was not the time or the place to be thinking the thoughts running through his head. “Just grabbing a pair of gloves and an evidence bag.”

  “Oh…”

  Was that wishful thinking or did she sound disappointed? Joe closed the lid on the center console and vacated her personal space. On his way to the barn, he pulled his cell from his pocket and placed a call to the sheriff’s department.

  “Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department…”

  “This is Detective Troyer. Can you transfer me to forensics?”

  “Just a moment please…”

  Elevator music serenaded him as he headed up the driveway. As he was about to enter the barn, a voice came across the line. “Forensics department…”

  “Detective Troyer here. I dropped off some evidence this morning to have it checked for prints. I’m wondering where we’re at with them.”

  “The binoculars?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Got a set of prints off the binoculars. I ran them through IAFIS and didn’t get a hit, so your peeping tom hasn’t been arrested before.”

  “What about Heinz?”

  “We got your request to print him. One of the forensic officers went out there this afternoon, but he wasn’t home.”

  “Sooo, no prints…”

  “Sorry. No prints. I can send someone out again tomorrow.”

  “Please do. And every day after that until you catch him at home. He’s a suspect in the Barber case.”

  “I’ll put it on priority.”

  “Thank you.” Joe disconnected the call as he entered the barn and headed to the loft. It was a long shot, but he’d be negligent if he didn’t at least check it out. Like Hannah’s barn, the loft was adjacent to the house. Joe made a quick sweep of the area before heading to the window. There were no inconspicuous bales out of place, but from the right angle, he could see directly into Abby’s bedroom window. Sonofabitch…

  Joe pulled on a pair of black latex gloves and knelt on the hay-covered floor, searching through the debris for anything that didn’t belong, anything with prints he could match to the shit he’d found in Hannah’s loft.

  What the hell…? Sunflower seed shells? Pulling an evidence bag from his pocket, he collected several shells from the debris.

  As he was rooting around, something black caught his eye. In the corner, beneath the scraps of hay, was a small square wrapper. He picked it up and inspected the serrated edge. It wasn’t just a wrapper, he realized, pulling out another evidence bag and slipping it inside. It was a condom wrapper. Which begged the question—who did it belong to? Would the prints on it match those on the binoculars? Only one way to find out…

  Chapter Fifteen

  The longer Hannah sat in the car, the heavier the reality of her situation weighed on her. The heartache and devastation in Henry Schwartz eyes… She couldn’t get the haunting memory out of her mind. She recognized that pain, that hopelessness, and being here was causing her to relive Cassie’s death all over again. Those emotions were still too fresh. In the moment, she’d been able to push through it and help Josiah, but sitting here now in silence, the tide of grief was rising and threatening to pull her under.

  Hannah buried her face in her hands, trying to fight back the memories. Breathe… Just breathe…

  The driver’s door swung open, and Josiah got inside. When the door closed, entombing them in silence, she could sense him watching her. His gaze was like a soothing touch, offering her comfort she didn’t want to accept. Thankfully, he did not speak, seeming to understand she needed a few minutes to pull herself back together.

  “You all right?” he asked after a few moments.

  No…no she wasn’t. In fact, Hannah was the opposite of all right. But she didn’t want him to think she couldn’t handle this and push her back to the sideline. “I don’t know how you do it.” She ran her fingers beneath her eyes, drying the moisture before lifting her head to meet his concerned stare.

  His brows drew tight in question. “Do what?”

  “Do this…” She waved her hand in the direction of the Schwartz house. “Deal with all this pain and suffering. Everywhere you look, you’re surrounded by violence and death. How does that not destroy you?”

  Josiah studied her, maybe considering his response, because after a minute he took her hand and gently brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “Who said it doesn’t?” The barely audible whisper was raw, and the honesty staring back at her made Hannah’s chest ache. “Every case, every victim, owns a piece of me. I imagine one day there will be nothing left.”<
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  He said it with such absolute certainty and acceptance that Hannah’s heart broke for him.

  Josiah cleared his throat as if to dislodge the emotions clogging it. His gaze darted out the window, making her wonder if he regretted the glimpse of his heart he’d just given her. But he didn’t know that in doing so, he’d just stolen a piece of hers. All these years, she resented him for leaving, blamed him for abandoning her. How could she hate him when it was so clear that the outside world needed him? It needed men like Josiah Troyer who would fight for victims, hunt down killers, and sacrifice their lives to make this world a better place.

  Josiah was a hero… And it took coming here and experiencing this to realize that. She was getting a look at what this life he’d chosen had cost him—and the price had been high.

  “You really impressed me in there with Henry Schwartz…” he told her, brushing his thumb over her knuckles again. He meant only to comfort her, but her body was responding to his touch in ways it shouldn’t. Her heart raced and the heat rushing through her centered low in her stomach, making her uncomfortable between her legs—achy…

  Nervous energy lit through her, and she pulled her hand away to smooth the wrinkles from her dress. She smiled sadly and shook her head. “It shouldn’t impress ya. I only asked him the same questions that were asked of me.”

  “Hey…”

  Reaching for her hands, he took them in his. She didn’t have the strength to pull away again. Even though it made her wanton and sinful, she desired his touch and was weary of fighting the pull between them. It’d been so long since she’d felt anything but pain and heartache; surely God would forgive her this moment of indulgence.

  “It doesn’t mean you still didn’t do great. Just like I knew you would. If I had been asking those question, Schwartz never would have told me the truth about Abby not taking her vows. There are similarities between these two girls. We could be finding a pattern here. Maybe Caroline and Katherine were talking about leaving the faith, as well.”