Plain Danger (Military Investigations) Page 8

  “We went to Florida. Some of my wife’s family met us there.”

  “What part of Florida?”

  “Pinecraft. It is an area that adjoins the city of Sarasota.”

  “On the Gulf Coast,” Carrie said. “I usually go to Daytona or Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic side.”

  Ruth came from the house. Isaac motioned her forward and introduced her to Carrie. “Our son, Joseph.” He pointed to the young boy standing near his mother. Bailey took a tennis ball to the boy, who threw it into the backyard.

  Carrie laughed. “It seems that Bailey’s missed you.”

  “Joseph has missed the dog even more,” Ruth said with a knowing nod. “After your father was gone, the house was dark and lonely. We are sorry for what happened, but we are glad to see the house is open again.”

  “You’ve been traveling all day?”

  “On a charter bus.” Ruth gazed at the countryside and inhaled deeply. “The fresh air of home is good.”

  “It’s dinnertime. I’m sure you’re hungry. I made too many burgers, but it looks like the number is perfect if you join us?”

  Ruth looked at her husband. “We were going to have some cheese and bread, Isaac. The meat would be nice after the trip.”

  He nodded to Carrie. “You are generous. Denki, but we have work to do. The bread and cheese will satisfy us till morning.”

  “The meat will take about thirty minutes to grill,” Carrie insisted. “We can bring the burgers to you when they’re done. If you don’t have time to eat with us, at least you could share the food so it doesn’t go to waste.”

  Ruth watched for her husband’s reaction. He hesitated for a long moment and then nodded. “Yah, Gott would not want us to be wasteful.”

  “Thank you for your generosity,” Ruth said as she turned to follow her husband back to their house. “Joseph, you may play with Bailey until dinner is ready.”

  After they had taken the extra burgers to the Lapps and had dinner themselves, Carrie and Tyler stepped onto the front porch. “The stillness is comforting,” she said as her gaze took in the surrounding farmland.

  Turning, Tyler glanced at the old freestanding kitchen hugging the main house as well as the barn and the chicken coop. Even the field behind the house where he’d viewed Corporal Fellows’s body seemed peaceful tonight. Was he being lulled into believing everything would be all right?

  “It’s late, Carrie. You need to get some sleep. Thanks again for inviting me to join you for dinner.”

  She smiled. “We’ll do it again.”

  “Good.” He hesitated a long moment and looked down into her pretty blue eyes, the color of the sky on a summer’s day. A breeze stirred her hair, and the light scent of gardenias wafted past him. As much as he wanted to touch her cheek and feel the smoothness of her skin, he kept his hands at his sides and willed himself to step away.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” A heaviness settled in his heart. What was wrong with him? He was thinking foolish thoughts that could ruin their somewhat strained relationship. There was no room for romance when a killer was on the loose.

  He walked back to his house, thinking of the openness of her expression and how much he had wanted to draw her into his arms.

  EIGHT

  Carrie sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted. Before turning out the light, she checked Tyler’s number on her phone, relieved that she could call him if she needed help.

  Bailey whined and pranced around the room. She beckoned him closer and patted his head. “Is something wrong?”

  Glancing out the window, she saw the chicken coop, the barn and the old kitchen house. The moon peered through the cloud cover and cast its glow over the field where the soldier’s body had been found.

  The memory of what she had seen played through her mind. Needing to push away the too-graphic thoughts, she headed for the bathroom and drew water into a glass, then drank it down. Padding into the second guest room, she eased back the curtain and peered out the other side of the house, seeing Tyler’s ranch next door. A light glowed in one of the windows. Was he working late? Or staying awake to protect her?

  She dropped the curtain back in place and returned to her bed. Bailey settled on the floor nearby. Eventually, Carrie drifted into a fitful sleep.

  Again the memory of finding the body returned, only this time she raced after Bailey toward the mound of a digital-patterned uniform. Circling the victim, she looked down and screamed. The soldier wasn’t the man she’d found but Tyler.

  Her eyes jerked open. She gasped for air. Looking around the room, she tried to get her bearings.

  Sitting up, she wiped her hand over her eyes and shook her head to detach herself from the horrific dream. Dropping to her feet, she inhaled.

  A chill tangled along her spine.

  Smoke.

  Bailey?

  Standing, she glanced out the window.

  Terror gripped her heart.

  Fire!

  The kitchen house was engulfed in flames.

  Grabbing her phone, she screamed for Bailey, slipped on her robe and ran to the stairs. Taking them two at a time, she stumbled down the stairs, almost falling. Bailey stood at the door, barking.

  She hit the speed dial for Tyler. The call went to voice mail. Where was he?

  She disconnected, her fingers stiff, unyielding. The smoke drifted into the house. She coughed. Hit his number again.

  “Please,” she moaned. “I need help.

  The phone rang in her ear. She threw open the front door and raced into the night.

  Flames shot from the freestanding kitchen and licked the top rafter of the second story of the main house. The bedroom where she had slept just minutes before would quickly be engulfed in flames.

  The house.

  Her father’s house.

  “Carrie!” Tyler’s voice came from the phone. “What’s wrong?”

  “Fire. Help me, Tyler.”

  * * *

  “Fire, fire, fire.”

  Carrie screamed in the night as Tyler raced across the yard. She was too close, holding the garden hose and trying to put out the blaze with a mere trickle of water.

  “Get back,” he warned, pulling her away from the dancing flames.

  A door slammed. Isaac ran to the bell behind his house. He tugged on the rope. The toll of the bell sounded in the night over the crackling fire.

  “The men will come.” Isaac grabbed buckets from his barn and pulled water from the well.

  Just as he had promised, men ran from the neighboring houses and raced to the Harris home.

  Tyler called 911. “Fire on Amish Road.” He gave the address. “Tell the fire chief to hurry.”

  Eli Plank and his father, Simon, ran from across the street. They grabbed buckets and tossed water on the blaze. Other Amish men joined them and formed a bucket brigade, dousing the kitchen house.

  Tyler looked at the hose. “It’s been cut,” he told Carrie as he turned off the spigot. “Find duct tape. In the barn.”

  She disappeared into the building and returned carrying a silver roll. Tyler wrapped it around the split hose. Not the best repair but good enough to feed water through.

  He turned on the faucet. Water poured from the nozzle. Tyler wet down the side of the main house. A portion of the wood had blackened from the lick of flames, but the house hadn’t caught.

  He glanced at the bedroom above, knowing too well how close the fire had come.

  More men filled the gaps, even some of the women, all helping.

  Sirens screeched in the night; two fire trucks pulled into the driveway. Firemen dressed in turnout gear quickly attached their hoses and poured water onto the flames.

  Once the fire was under control, Tyler glanced around for Carrie and found her standing with eyes wide. “He wanted to burn down the house,” she said, her voice no more than a whisper. “He wanted to trap me inside.”

  She was right.

  The attacks had turned violent. Someone didn’t just want her t
o leave the area. He wanted her dead.

  * * *

  Carrie sat on the front steps and watched the firemen roll up their hoses and carry them back to their truck. Although her heart was heavy about the damage to the kitchen house, she was grateful for all those who had worked to save at least a portion of the structure. The huge fireplace, hearth and one of the two adjoining walls were still intact. When rebuilt, the structure would still maintain its historical significance, which was a relief, but she was most thankful that the main house had been saved.

  Bailey lay at her feet and watched the firemen.

  His tail wagged as Ruth Lapp approached carrying a sleepy Joseph in her arms.

  Carrie smiled at the sweet boy. “Did the noise wake you?”

  He nodded and wiggled free from his mother’s hold. She placed the boy on the porch step and watched as he wrapped his arms around Bailey’s neck.

  “Joseph was awake and worried,” Ruth said. “He feared Bailey had been hurt in the fire.”

  “They’re fast friends.”

  “Yah. He would like a dog, but Isaac is not interested in having an animal in the house.”

  The little boy looked up with big eyes. “I told Datt I would take care of the dog.”

  “I know, Joseph, but your father knows what’s best.”

  “I talked to Gott. He said a dog would be good for the family.”

  Ruth smiled. “You hear your own mind, Joseph.”

  “No, Mamm. I hear His voice.”

  Ruth turned as her husband approached.

  “The fire is out, but I will watch tonight,” Isaac said. “We do not want sparks to start anew.”

  Carrie stood. “Thank you, Isaac, and please thank our other neighbors. If it hadn’t been for your help and theirs, the main house would have caught fire.” She let out a ragged breath as she gazed up at the Harris home. “I can’t imagine what would have happened.”

  “The house would have been quickly engulfed,” one of the firemen chimed in as he approached. He nodded to Isaac. “Appreciate the help, Mr. Lapp. The water cooled everything down and kept the flames from spreading.”

  Tyler and the fire chief neared.

  “Looks like it was a set fire, ma’am,” the chief told Carrie. “A trail of accelerant led partially toward the house. The arsonist may have been interrupted.”

  “Bailey started barking, which must have scared him away. I looked outside as soon as I woke but didn’t see anything at first. Then the flames caught.” She glanced at Tyler. “That’s when I called you.”

  “I’m sorry, Carrie.” Tyler’s face reflected the regret she heard in his voice. “I was talking to Everett and didn’t realize you had phoned.”

  “Ruth heard Carrie’s screams and woke me,” Isaac interjected. “I saw no one. Only the fire.”

  “I’ll bring the fire marshal out this way tomorrow,” the chief said. “If you give me your cell number, Ms. York, I’ll call you ahead of time to make sure you’re home.”

  “That might be a problem,” Carrie said. “I’m going to town in the morning to meet with my lawyer.”

  “Not to worry. We don’t need to go inside the main house. I just wanted you to know I’d be on the property in case you came home to find two strange men prowling around your backyard.”

  The fire chief didn’t realize the significance of his comment.

  “Sir.” One of the firemen hurried toward the chief. “We checked the chimney and fireplace in the old kitchen house and found a loose brick.”

  He glanced at Carrie. “When we tried to replace the brick, we found a small journal that looks old.”

  Carrie took the leather-bound book from the fireman’s outstretched hand. He raised a flashlight and pointed to the page where a fragment of ribbon marked the spot.

  “The book fell open as we pulled it free. A few of the guys and I couldn’t help but notice the script,” he told her. “You don’t see writing like that these days. From the looks of the brittle pages, the journal has to be old.”

  Another fireman stood nearby. “Guess we were caught up in the moment, ma’am, and read a bit of the script. The page we saw mentions buried treasure and actually tells where it’s located.”

  Tyler looked over Carrie’s shoulder and read from the journal, “...turn at the twisted oak and walk toward the row of blackberry bushes...”

  Isaac rubbed his beard. “I’m not aware of a twisted oak.”

  Tyler nodded in agreement. “The tree’s probably long gone.”

  Carrie turned the page. “There’s more.”

  “You might want to check your property,” one of the firemen suggested. “Most folks believe gold is buried around here.”

  Joseph pulled on his mother’s skirt. “What if someone found the treasure, Mamm?”

  “They would give it to Carrie, Joseph. This land is hers now.”

  She smiled at Ruth. “I still consider it my father’s property.”

  Tyler’s face darkened. No doubt he realized she was distancing herself from the land and the confusion that continued to haunt her. If she got rid of the property and the house, would she be able to leave the memory of her father here in Georgia when she returned to Washington?

  Ruth stood and nudged her son. “I must get you home, Joseph.”

  The boy hugged Bailey and then placed his small hand in his mother’s. “Guten nacht,” he said with a wave of his hand.

  “Guten nacht,” Carrie repeated back to him.

  As she watched Joseph and his mother walk toward their house, Carrie sighed. Contrary to what she had wished the boy, the night wasn’t good, because an evil person had struck again. Carrie had been saved from harm, but would there be a next time, and if so, would she escape alive?

  * * *

  Tyler helped the firemen load equipment onto their trucks and raised his hand in farewell as they pulled out of the driveway. Then he joined Carrie, who’d been watching from the porch.

  Isaac stepped closer once the fire engines had turned onto Amish Road, heading back to their station. “I will check the kitchen house to make sure it is as the firemen said.”

  “Thank you, Isaac.” Carrie smiled. “And again, thank you for coming to my aid.”

  “Neighbors help neighbors. The fire could have destroyed your house and mine. Fire is always a concern. Gott woke you in time.”

  Tyler felt the warm grasp of the farmer’s friendship as they shook hands. “Thank you, neighbor.”

  “Yah, we are that.”

  Isaac nodded his farewell and walked toward what was left of the kitchen house.

  Tyler turned to Carrie. “I’m sorry that I didn’t answer your initial call for help.”

  “You couldn’t have known.”

  “But I told you I’d be there for you.”

  “And you were, Tyler, although I’m concerned because the attacks are escalating. He wants to scare me away, yet I’m determined to stand my ground, at least until I decide what to do with the house.”

  “Maybe you should move to a hotel in town,” Tyler suggested.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m staying here, in my father’s house. He won’t strike again. At least not tonight. Plus, knowing you’re next door is reassuring.”

  She turned toward the door. “I should go inside, although I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

  He pointed to the aged journal she still held in her hand. “You could read yourself to sleep.”

  She smiled and raised the small leather-bound book. “Catching up on family history sounds like a good idea.”

  “How soon do you plan to return to DC?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll know more after I talk to George Gates. What time did you want to go to town tomorrow?”

  “How does nine o’clock sound?”

  “Fine. I’ll call the garage in the morning. The new tire should be in. If nothing else needs to be worked on, I’ll be able to get my car back. Then I can travel to town on my own.”

  �
��That may not be the best idea. You need to be careful.”

  She nodded. “I’m all too aware of the danger.”

  In the distance, Isaac climbed the steps to his porch and entered his house. A soft glow of an oil lamp lit the downstairs window, only to be extinguished a few minutes later.

  “I’ll walk around the house a few times during the night to check on things, Carrie, so don’t worry if you hear someone outside. I want to ensure that the fire remains out and that no one tries to pull something like that again.”

  “How will I know it’s you and not someone out to do me harm?”

  “Call my cell, if you’re worried. I’ll answer.”

  “On the first ring?”

  He raised his right hand to his chest. “Cross my heart.”

  From the look that washed over her face, he knew his words had touched a place deep inside her.

  “My mother used to say that,” Carrie shared, her voice low and melancholy. “The funny thing is that she was talking about how much she loved me and how much she believed that my father would have loved me if he had been alive.”

  She glanced down. “Only she wasn’t telling me the truth, Tyler. She was telling me lies.”

  “From what I’ve seen, your father did love you. He kept the house and property so he could pass it on to his only child. That’s love. Your mother may have had problems of her own, and your childhood wasn’t what you would have wished it to be, but she loved you. Your father—in his own way—did, as well.”

  “I’m not sure.” Carrie clutched the leather journal to her chest. “Maybe I’ll find something in the pages of this old journal that rings true. At least now I belong to a family. That’s something I never had before.”

  “You have ancestors and a history.”

  “I hope it’s a good history, of good people of whom I can be proud.”

  “Your dad was a good man, Carrie. You can be proud of him.”

  “I hope you’re right, Tyler.” She hesitated for a long moment and stared into his eyes.

  He saw vulnerability and a woman who wanted to find her place in the history of this family. First she had to open her heart to her father. From everything that Tyler had heard, the sergeant major was a dedicated soldier and an honorable man, but he’d made a mistake in not contacting his daughter. If only Carrie could find the reason the sergeant major had stayed out of her life. If she knew why, she might be able to see beyond her pain and forgive her father.