Plain Truth. Debby Giusti

on the case,” he volunteered. “Her husband recently returned from the Middle East. Her father is concerned about the Amish man who lives next door.”

      “You mean Levi Miller?” Abrams asked.

      “Levi wouldn’t have done anything to harm Mary Kate,” Ella was quick to point out.

      “Why do you say that, ma’am?” the sergeant asked.

      “He and Mary Kate knew each other in their youth. I believe they were close friends.”

      The cop looked puzzled. “Amish and English, as they call us, make for an unusual friendship.”

      “They were young, Sergeant Abrams. That hardly seems strange to me.”

      “Yes, ma’am, but Mary Kate would have gone to Freemont High,” the sergeant said. “Levi Miller would have received his instruction at the Amish schoolhouse.”

      “They could still be friends even if they didn’t go to school together,” she insisted. “The Landerses live in this area. Amish children roam the fields and think nothing of walking great distances. They don’t have the fear that keeps some of the town children from wandering far from their homes.”

      Ella looked at Zach and then back to the Freemont officer. “As you probably know, the Amish children work hard, but when their chores are finished they’re free spirits. I can see Mary Kate getting to know Levi as a youngster.”

      “Yet her father seems to harbor a grudge against Levi,” Zach interjected.

      “Landers holds a grudge against a number of people in the local community,” Abrams volunteered. “He’s known as a grumpy old man.”

      “Are you saying his animosity toward Levi should be ignored?” Zach asked.

      “Hardly.” The sergeant shook his head. “We’ll take everything into consideration, but I’m not going to falsely accuse anyone based on what a crusty old codger has to say.”

      As Zach and he continued to discuss the case, Ella rubbed her neck. Her head pounded and her body ached from the attack last night. Ibuprofen would help, but she didn’t want medication, she wanted to breathe in fresh air and feel the sunshine on her face. A more holistic approach to healing.

      “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I’ve got a patio out back,” she said. “I just need some air.”

      Rubbing her temple, she hurried into her kitchen and out the back door. She had expected warm sunshine, but was instantly chilled by a stiff wind that blew from the west. Wrapping her arms around herself, she stared into the wooded area behind her house, seeing the fall colors and the branches swaying in the breeze. Overhead, geese honked, flying in a V formation. If only she could fly away from the chaos like them and find a peaceful spot to land that would calm her troubled spirit.

      Movement caught her eye and she glanced again at the woods. What had she seen? An animal foraging in the underbrush?

      Or...

      Ella narrowed her gaze and took a step back as if subconsciously recognizing danger. Her heart lurched. She turned and ran for the protection of her house. Tripping, she fell on the steps.

      A sound exploded in the quiet of the day.

      A ceramic flowerpot shattered at her feet.

      Another shot was fired and then another.

      She screamed, stumbled up the porch stairs and reached for the door.

      Zach was there, pulling her inside to safety. He shoved her to the floor and slammed the door. “Stay down.”

      “A man,” she gasped, her pulse racing, a roar filling her ears. “In the woods. He—he had a rifle...”

      Zach lifted the curtain ever so slightly and stared through the window.

      The two policemen raced into the kitchen. “Gunfire?”

      Zach pointed. “The doc saw a man at the edge of the forest.”

      “A dirt road runs parallel to the tree line.” Sergeant Abrams motioned to the younger officer. “We’ll head there from opposite directions.”

      Abrams radioed for more squad cars. “There’s a shooter in the woods behind the Children’s Care Clinic. We need to search the area and set up roadblocks. Someone needs to check the wooden bridge that’s along that road, as well.”

      Zach locked the doors when the two officers had left, racing away in their squad cars. The sound of sirens filled the air as more Freemont police responded to the call.

      Ella huddled against the wall in the corner, while Zach kept watch at the windows. The tension that lined his face spoke volumes about the danger, but she didn’t need to look at him to know that the situation had escalated.

      What she realized made her tremble with fear. Last night, the police were looking for an assailant who had broken into her clinic and attacked two women.

      Today that assailant had become a killer.

      And the person he wanted to kill was her.