Marta Perry - Murder in Plain Sight

“Tell her we’d like to talk with her.”

Jacob spurted off almost before she’d finished speaking. She glanced at Trey. “Byler. She’s surely not related to the police chief?”

“Everybody is related around here, if you go back far enough, especially if they have a German name.”

“I can’t tell if Jacob doesn’t know anything or was stonewalling a nosy adult.”

“I don’t think it’s that. Maybe just a little shy of talking to a woman lawyer.” Trey’s voice warmed. “You’ll have better luck with Peggy. She works at the bakery in town, so she’s in contact with English all the time.”

When Jacob came back with the young woman, Jessica saw that he was right. Peggy had a pert smile and a confident manner that seemed to say she could fend for herself.

“You understand what we want, Peggy,” she said, once the introductions were made. “Anything you know about Thomas’s relationship with Cherry Wilson, anything you saw or heard that night at the party.”

Peggy nodded. “The first part’s easy,” she said. “He didn’t have a relationship with her at all. In his dreams, maybe. Oh, she smiled at him sometimes, teased him a little bit, but she did that with all the boys. I think she liked to see them get all ferhoodled and embarrassed-like.”

“It sounds as if you didn’t like her much.”

She got a guarded look for that. “I didn’t know her. She wasn’t interested in being friends with girls.”

“So that night-did she get Thomas um…ferhoodled?” Interesting word, that.

“Ja.” Peggy frowned. “It seemed like she was paying a lot of attention to Thomas. She kept giving him drinks.”

“Was he drunk?”

“Getting there, I think.”

“Nobody interfered?” Trey asked.

“Jacob and I tried, but Thomas wouldn’t pay us any mind. He was all wrapped up in Cherry.” She shrugged, but there was an edge of hurt in her voice, making Jessica wonder what her feelings were for Thomas. “So we figured he was old enough to know what he was getting into.”

“Did you talk to him again that evening? See him?”

“Not talk to him, no.” Peggy’s face lost some of its confidence, making her look younger. “I saw him going outside. Staggering so he could hardly walk. I started after him, thinking he needed help. But when I got to the door, I saw that Cherry was with him. Had her arm around him, practically dragging him to her car. So I figured he didn’t need my help.” She looked suddenly lost. “I should have done something, shouldn’t I?”

Her expression went straight to Jessica’s heart. “I don’t know what you could have done then, Peggy. But you can do something now. We might want you to testify at the trial. Can you do that?” She had second thoughts, not sure if an Amish person was permitted to do such a thing.

“Ja, I will,” Peggy said instantly. “Anything for Thomas. And Bishop Amos says if we are asked, we must obey.”

“Good.” She clasped the girl’s hand. “Thank you, Peggy.”

“A little progress,” Trey said after Peggy rejoined her friends.

She nodded, feeling the smallest ray of optimism. “From what she said, Thomas was already pretty far under the influence when he left the party. That makes it less likely he’d be able to stage an attack.”

“Yes.” Trey frowned. “A lot depends on when he was given the drug. What does your expert say?”

“We don’t have an answer from him yet. Leo’s going to call him again tomorrow.”

“If you get…” Trey’s voice trailed off as there was a movement of the kids around them.

The girls had formed a line and headed into the barn, falling silent as they went through the door. The boys shuffled around, seemingly reluctant to follow, but then a few brave souls started after them.

“The singing is about to begin.” Trey held out his hand. “Want to stay for a while?”

“That sounds good.” Besides, she told her skeptical side, she might come across someone else who knew something if she stayed. She took his hand and they walked into the barn together.

Inside, the girls sat on benches along one side of a long row of tables. The boys, shuffling and nudging one another, jockeyed for position opposite them.

Jonas Miller, surveying the proceedings from a post near the door, turned to give them a welcoming smile. “Komm, wilcom. The singing will begin in a moment.” His eyes twinkled. “As soon as someone is brave enough to start.”

He moved off in answer to a question from someone, and Trey tugged at her hand. “I’ll show you the best place to watch.”

He led her to a sturdy wooden ladder-one of several that led up to the loft that surrounded the barn floor. “Up you go.”

She looked at it doubtfully. “You first.”

“It’s perfectly safe.” He climbed up quickly then held out his hand to her, smiling, his face intriguing from the inverted angle. “Come on.”

Glad she’d worn slacks and sneakers, Jessica clambered up the ladder and onto the floor of the loft.

“Over here.” Trey lowered his voice as it grew quieter below them. He led her between bales of hay to a spot about midway along then sat on the edge of the loft and drew her down next to him.

She sat cross-legged. Stacks of hay bales surrounded them, forming a little alcove in which they could sit overlooking the scene below without being too noticeable. The only light was from lanterns, and the loft behind them was dark. The barn grew silent. How could that number of teenagers possibly be so quiet?

A boy’s voice lifted in the first notes of a song. Immediately the others joined in, their pure young voices rising in unison, unaccompanied. Jessica’s breath caught. It was beautiful. Bare and untrained, the voices nevertheless touched her heart, even though she didn’t understand a word they sang.

“They’ll sing familiar church songs.” Trey’s lips were so close to her ear that his breath ruffled her hair. “At least, familiar to them. Later, they’ll probably branch out into some old folk tunes. Some congregations don’t allow that, but Bishop Amos doesn’t mind.”

She nodded, caught in the web of the music and his closeness. Inappropriate, the little voice at the back of her mind commented, but she didn’t seem to care.

The voices continued, moving easily from one song to another as someone started each one, seemingly at random. She imagined the notes of music rising to the roof of the barn and beyond, to the silent stars.

Jessica wasn’t sure how long they sat motionless, entranced by the music, but at last movement below caught her attention. Jonas Miller and a woman who was probably his wife carried jugs of what looked like cider and pitchers of water to a table against the wall.

As if that was a signal, no one started a new song. Instead, the young people got up, stretching, talking, some of them pairing off as they headed to the table for a drink.

“Is it over?” She could hear the reluctance in her voice. She didn’t want it to end.

“Just recess for a drink.” Trey stood, stooping under a slanting beam. “Stay put. I’ll go down and get us something.”

She tilted her head back to look up at him. “How do you propose to carry glasses up the ladder?”

“Don’t underestimate me,” he said, smiling. He was gone before she could scramble to her feet and follow him.

She watched his long, lithe figure move easily down the ladder. No, she wasn’t making the mistake of underestimating Trey, not on any count. He was too sure of himself and his place in the world for that, to say nothing of having far too much influence on her feelings.

She shouldn’t let that happen. She had to keep in mind that their goals weren’t necessarily the same, just because they coincided for the moment.