Marta Perry - Murder in Plain Sight

“You didn’t.” But the fact that he snapped the words gave him away.

“Maybe we’d better stick to business, since everything else seems to lead to an argument.”

He darted a look at her. “Isn’t that what lawyers do best? Argue?”

“No. At least, not me. But if you intend to pick on me because I’m an attorney, don’t bother with the lawyer jokes. Believe me, I’ve heard them all.”

He grinned, the tension between them collapsing like a spent balloon. “Too bad.”

“Isn’t it, though? Anyway, maybe you’d better tell me about this Amish teen party we’re headed for.”

He slowed down, watching for the turnoff. “It’s not exactly a teen party-or at least, not what you’d think of in those terms. This is a singing, held under parental supervision to some extent. If you’re picturing a mob of drunken Amish kids, get that image out of your head.”

“A singing. You mean, actual singing?”

He grinned. “Actual singing, although to be fair, most of the kids have other things on their minds. Each other, for instance.” He flipped the turn signal and made a right into a farm lane, following a string of Amish buggies. “Some probably have boom boxes in their buggies and maybe a few cans of beer tucked away, but for the most part, this will be pretty clean.”

“Thomas didn’t link up with Cherry at a party like this, then.”

“Not a chance.” He frowned. “There are always kids who push the boundaries. Most of them have a few English friends and get invited to wilder parties. That must be where he ran into Cherry.”

“So we need to find someone who knows about that, who maybe even went with him.”

“That’s right.” He pulled the truck to a stop under a drooping willow tree. All around them kids in Amish dress streamed toward the barn, glowing with light from a dozen lanterns. “The bishop told them to talk to us. We’ll just have to hope they take that seriously.”

He slid out, and she joined him before he could go around and open her door. He’d told her to dress casually, and he’d been relieved to see that she wore khaki slacks and a turquoise knit top instead of her usual suit. As she joined him, she pulled on a tan windbreaker.

“Ready?” He lifted an eyebrow at her.

She nodded. “Where do we start?”

“Let’s see if we can find Jacob Stoltzfus. He’s Thomas’s best friend. If anyone knows something, it will be Jacob.”

He touched her arm to guide her onto the gravel lane leading toward the barn. He’d agreed that they ought to stick to business. But somehow it seemed natural to let his fingers slide down her sleeve and entwine with hers, just as it seemed natural for her to return the pressure of his hand.

This wasn’t withdrawing from the feelings between them, he reminded himself. But at the moment, he didn’t seem to care.

THE ODDITY OF THE scene hit Jessica forcibly as she walked down the lane with Trey. All around them were young people in sober Amish dress, all moving in the same direction. If it had not been for the noise, she’d have found it almost frightening.

But the noise-that was familiar. It was like being in a crowd of kids on their way to a high-school football game. They chattered, they called out to friends, they laughed and teased each other just like any group of teens.

Trey took her arm protectively when she stumbled over a rough patch in the lane. “Easy. You don’t want to take a header on the gravel.”

“I’m not used to the dark.” She tilted her head back. “You never see the stars like this in the city.”

“One of the benefits of doing without electric light,” he said. “You can actually see the sky.

“You’ll be able to see better now.” They neared the barn, and Trey loosened his grip. “Tiki torches. I’ll bet that’s not something you associate with the Amish.”

“I have to confess, it never crossed my mind.”

Several torches lit the scene, helped by the glow of a bonfire. A group of kids played volleyball at one side of the barn, although it must be getting hard to see the ball. Others clustered around a table spread with chips, dip, nachos, brownies, even pizza.

Apparently Amish teens liked their junk food just as much as any other kids did. Boys nudged each other in greeting, girls giggled, heads together, glancing at the boys out of the corners of their eyes.

“Looks like any teen party anywhere, other than the clothes.”

He nodded, scanning the crowd. “They’ll go into the barn to start the singing before long. We should try to catch Jacob first.”

“Trey. Bishop Amos told us you would come by tonight.” The man who approached was no teenager-his beard nearly touched his chest. “Not that you wouldn’t have been welcome, even without the bishop’s blessing.”

Trey shook hands, grinning. “Denke, Jonas. Jessica, this is Jonas Miller, our host. It’s hard to believe his little Becky is old enough for rumspringa already.”

“Ach, the years pass quickly.” Jonas turned to her, eyes curious. “This would be Ms. Langdon, ja?”

“Jessica,” she said. “Thank you for helping us.”

He inclined his head, the movement grave. “The bishop has told the young people to speak with you. I think they will all cooperate.”

She met his gaze. “Does that mean some are opposed to what I’m doing?”

“There are those…” He paused. “All of us dislike the publicity, but most, I hope, know that you are doing what must be done to protect Thomas.” He glanced at Trey. “Trey is an old friend, ain’t so? You’ll stay for the singing and the food, ja?”

“Sounds good,” Trey said. “Let’s see how it goes. We’d like to have a word with Jacob Stoltzfus first, if he’s here.”

Jonas nodded. He walked to the volleyball court and tapped one of the players on the shoulder.

The boy turned, and Jessica saw his Adam’s apple bob and his eyes widen as he looked at them. She half expected him to dart away, but instead he came toward them.

Brown eyes in a round face surveyed them with some anxiety. Like Thomas, he looked younger than she knew he must be. He seemed stricken with speechlessness.

“We just want to talk for a minute,” Trey said, his tone reassuring. “This is Jessica Langdon. She’s Thomas’s lawyer.”

“Ja. I…I know.” He gulped.

She hadn’t imagined she was that intimidating. “You want to help Thomas, don’t you, Jacob?”

He nodded.

“You can help him by telling me what you know. His father said he was going to meet you that night. Is that right?” She’d started to say the night Cherry was killed, but she thought that might spook him entirely. And he surely knew what night she meant.

He glanced around, as if searching for a way to escape. “Ja,” he whispered.

“Were you going to the party together?”

He ducked his head in a nod. “Ja.”

This was an uphill battle. “How did you hear about the party?”

“Some English kid told Thomas about it. Said we could come.”

“What English kid?” Trey said quickly.

He shrugged. “Thomas didn’t say.”

She couldn’t be sure whether he knew or not. She glanced at Trey, his expression saying that he thought just what she did. The invitation could have been set up between Thomas and Cherry.

“Did Thomas talk about seeing Cherry there?” She pressed on, trying not to let discouragement show.

“No.”

Clearly she wasn’t going to get anywhere with this boy. Maybe Jacob would open up to someone, but not to her. She made a final try. “Is there anyone else here who was at that party?”

For the first time, some animation came into the boy’s face. “Ja. Peggy. Peggy Byler was there. Shall I get her for you?”