Plain Truth

“She mentioned a few problems, but nothing about any outbursts on his part. Still, she might have glossed over the severity of their situation.”

“One of the CID agents from post plans to question him later today.”

“Is he a suspect?”

Zach shook his head. “Not at this point.”

“You’re sure? Because if you do suspect him, then I’d be worried about the twins’ safety.”

“After I drop you off, Doc, I plan to pay the grandparents a visit.”

“We’ll go together. Their house is on the way.”

“Didn’t the ER doctor prescribe rest?”

“A house call won’t tax me unduly. Plus it will ease my mind to know the girls are all right.”

“We’ll make a short visit. Then you’re going straight home.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

He laughed. “You’re mixing branches of the service.”

“Whatever works.” She smiled. “But do me a favor. My first name’s Ella.”

“And I’m Zach.”

She pointed to the upcoming intersection. “Turn right. Then make another right at the four-way.”

She stole a glance at his sturdy shoulders and strong hands. Quin had been a small man. Zach was the exact opposite. He was all brawn and muscle, with deep-set eyes that continued to glance at her.

The strange ripple of interest she felt surprised her. Her marriage had been a failure. She wouldn’t try again with any man. Her clinic and her work provided everything she needed. And more.

“There’s the house. On the left.” She pointed to the two-story colonial with a circular driveway.

“I don’t want you to overdo it,” Zach cautioned again.

“I’m okay. Really. Ensuring the twins’ condition has improved will be better than any meds the doctor at the hospital could have prescribed.”

After Zach parked, Ella stepped from the car. Together, they walked to the front door, and he rang the bell.

Lucy Landers, the twins’ grandmother, cracked open the door. Her hair was pulled into a bun, and she wore a white apron over a calico dress. “Yes?”

“Mrs. Landers, I’m Dr. Jacobsen from the Children’s Care Clinic. I’ve been treating the twins and wanted to ensure they were feeling better.”

“Oh, forgive me, Dr. Jacobsen. I didn’t recognize you.” She opened the door wide. “Come in, please.”

Ella introduced Zach. “Special Agent Swain is from Fort Rickman. He’s investigating what happened at my clinic.”

The older woman’s eyes filled with tears. “My husband has been at the hospital all night. The doctors told him the next twenty-four hours are so important.”

Ella reached for her hand. “The medical personnel know what they’re doing.”

Mrs. Landers sniffed. “I hope you’re right.”

Ella glanced around the living room with its simple furnishings, and peered into the hallway. “What about the girls?”

“They’re still sleeping.”

“Did either child run a temperature in the night?” she asked.

The woman shook her head. “I checked them often. They stayed cool.”

“May I see them, Mrs. Landers?”

“Of course.” She motioned for Ella and Zach to follow her, and stopped at the threshold of a small bedroom where the twins lay sleeping.

Ella quietly approached the double bed and touched each child’s forehead, relieved that both girls felt cool and afebrile. One of the twins blinked her eyes open.

“Hi, Stacey.” Ella smiled down at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“Does your tummy hurt anymore?”

The little girl shook her head. “I’m hungry.”

Ella glanced at the grandmother. “Seems Stacey is ready for breakfast.”

“I’m so glad.” The woman held out her hand. “Come on, sugar. Let’s go into the kitchen. I’ll fix you a soft-boiled egg on toast. Won’t that taste good?”

The child looked at her sister. “What about Shelly?”

“She’ll wake up soon, sugar. When she does, I’ll make her an egg, too.”

Ella checked the second twin, who stirred and then snuggled down even deeper into the bedding.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” Ella whispered to Zach as they left the room. “I’m relieved knowing the girls are better.”

“Can I fix something for you folks?” Lucy asked from the kitchen. “How ’bout some coffee?”

“I need to get back to the clinic,” Ella said. “If anything changes, call me there.”

The front door opened and the twins’ grandfather entered the house. Heavyset and in his late fifties, Mr. Landers wore a plaid shirt and dark slacks.

“Are the girls sick again?” he asked in lieu of a greeting.

“No, sir.” Ella shook her head. “Both of them seem better. Stacey’s in the kitchen waiting for your wife to fix her something to eat. Shelly’s sleeping, but her fever has broken. I expect both girls to be back to normal by tomorrow morning.”

She introduced Zach.

“You’re from the fort?” the older man asked.

“That’s right, sir. I’m with the Criminal Investigation Division. We’re looking into your daughter’s attack. Mrs. Landers said you were with her at the hospital on post. How’s her condition?”

“The doctor said she’s critical and wouldn’t let me stay with her long.”

“That’s standard policy for patients in intensive care,” Ella tried to explain.

He nodded. “Hugh and I took turns. He’s having a hard time, and I’m worried about him.”

“Grandpa!” Stacey ran from the kitchen and into his open arms.

“How’s my Sassafras?”

“I’m not your Sassafras, Grandpa. I’m your Sweet Tea.”

His eyes widened. “Then you’re not Shelly?”

The little girl giggled. “Shelly’s a sleepyhead. Grandma said she’d wake up soon.”

“You’re feeling better, honey?”

The child nodded. “And hungry. Grandma wants to know if you’ll eat some eggs.”

“Tell Grandma I’m hungry enough to eat a bear.”

The girl laughed and raced back to the kitchen. “Grandpa wants bear with his eggs.”

The older man’s eyes clouded. “Don’t know what we’d do without those girls.”

“Sir, does anyone come to mind who might want to harm your daughter?” Zach asked.

He hesitated. “Hard to say.”

“So there is someone?”

Mr. Landers nodded. “Levi Miller.”

“Has he caused problems, sir?”

“Not problems, but he’s passed by a number of times in the last couple months.”

“I’m sure many Amish farmers and their families drive their buggies in front of your house,” Ella said. “You live on one of the main roads in this area.”

“But Levi is different.”

“How so, sir?” Zach asked.

“He always had his eye on Mary Kate.”

“Levi has a wife,” Ella insisted. “They’re expecting a child.”

Landers snarled. “That doesn’t make a bit of difference to some men. If I see him hanging around again, I’ll give him a piece of my mind.”

“Might be wise to notify the police, sir, if you have a grievance against Mr. Miller,” Zach cautioned.

The older man bristled. “I can take care of my family and don’t need the cops.”

“Sir, your daughter is in ICU. Someone shot her. I beg to differ. You do need law enforcement.” Zach handed the man his card. “If you see Levi around here, call me. I’ll question him.”

“I’m not sure you can help.” Mr. Landers excused himself and headed for the kitchen. “You folks can let yourselves out.”

When they’d stepped outside, Zach turned to Ella. “At some point, I’ll need to talk to Levi Miller.”

“Let me know when, and I’ll go with you. Levi’s wife is a patient of mine.” Ella headed for the car and thanked Zach as he held the door for her, before he rounded the vehicle and slipped behind the wheel.

“Mr. Landers isn’t a very welcoming man,” he said as he turned the car onto the road.

“He’s worried and not thinking rationally.”

“I’m sure that’s the case,” Zach agreed, “although there might be some truth to what he told us.”

Ella didn’t want to see Levi pulled into the investigation. He was a good man and a helpful neighbor. Again, she thought of how life had changed since the attack.

Staring out the window, she took in the rolling hills and farmland that she loved. In the distance, she could see a number of Amish homes. Their way of life had attracted her after Quin’s death, when she didn’t know where to go or to whom to turn. She’d found comfort here and a sense of welcome from some of the families.

But all that had changed when the intruder broke in last night. Could he have been stalking Mary Kate? If so, Ella refused to believe that Levi was the assailant. He was a man of peace with a sweet wife and a baby on the way.

Zach parked in her driveway and walked her to the front door of the clinic. She pulled the key from her purse, stuck it in the lock and turned the knob.

Glancing into the waiting room, she gasped. Her heart skittered in her chest and the fear she had felt last night returned full force.

“What’s wrong?” Zach asked, dropping his hand protectively on her shoulder.

“The attacker,” she whispered, unable to control the tremble in her voice. “He returned. This time, he destroyed my clinic.”

FOUR

Zach grabbed Ella’s arm and stopped her from entering the clinic. “Wait in the car. You’ll be safer there. I want to check inside to make sure no one’s lying in wait.”

Her eyes widened. “You think the attacker from last night came back?”

“He wanted something he didn’t find. Any idea what that could be?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I...I thought he was after Mary Kate.”

“Which might be the case. What about the children’s medical records? Could there be something in their charts that he doesn’t want revealed?”

“Maybe.”

Zach stared at Ella for a long moment and then pointed to the car. “Stay in my vehicle and keep the doors locked while I search the clinic.”

Thankfully, she complied with his instructions and hurried there. She slipped into the passenger seat, hit the lock button and nodded to him when she was securely inside.

Zach pulled out his phone and called Sergeant Abrams. “I’m at the Children’s Care Clinic. Looks like the perpetrator from last night came back. I’m going in to do a search. The doc is outside in my car. I’d appreciate a couple of your people to process the scene. We might find a print that matches something from last night.”

Disconnecting, he tugged back his jacket and slipped his SIG Sauer from its holster. He doubted the perp was still on-site, yet he didn’t want to go in unprepared. The guy wanted something, or perhaps he’d left something behind and returned to retrieve whatever he’d lost.

Cautiously, Zach entered the clinic, his eyes scanning the room, left to right. He hugged the wall and stepped through the waiting area. The door to the office hung open. Zach stared through the doorway, searching for anything amiss.

The perp had been thorough. The drawers of the doctor’s desk hung open, and the contents lay scattered on the floor. Manila folders from the file cabinet were strewn helter-skelter about the room.

Had he been hunting for a certain patient’s records? If so, who and why?

Zach checked the closets, where someone could be hiding. The medication cabinet was locked. From all appearances, drugs hadn’t been the reason for the break-in.

After moving into the hallway, Zach searched the two treatment rooms, then headed to the door that opened into Ella’s residence.

He entered the kitchen, a warm and welcoming room with a round table positioned in front of a bay window. A yellow print tablecloth matched the valances that hung at the windows, and a bouquet of fall flowers adorned the middle of the table.

Zach remembered his home when his mother was still alive. She’d loved flowers and always had them in the house.

They bring God’s beautiful nature indoors, he recalled her saying as she’d arranged a bouquet in a crystal vase that had been passed down from her mother. The memory made him pause and stare at the mums on the doc’s table. His mother had been a woman of faith, but God didn’t play favorites. Or so it seemed.

Shaking off those thoughts, he moved quickly through the living room, then checked the master bedroom with an attached bath and the guest room with its own bath. A third room served as an office. Unlike the clinic, this one had pictures of children on the wall. Zach stepped closer.

A few of the girls wore long dresses, and some boys had dark trousers and hats that covered their bobbed hair. Amish children. From what he knew of the sect, they didn’t like photographs. Evidently the doc had gotten special permission to snap the shots.

Diplomas from a number of universities hung near the pictures, along with a picture of Ella and a slender man of medium height with deep-set eyes. He was frowning, as if the photographer had surprised him when he didn’t want his photo taken.

Ella stood awkwardly at his side, her hand reaching for his. Had the stoic husband rejected his wife’s attempt at closeness, or was that merely Zach’s imagination adding a dramatic spin to the reality of what Ella’s life had been?

He liked to think he could read people, but the doc was a closed book. Her husband appeared to be equally hard to read.

Turning from the photos, Zach backtracked through the clinic and hurried outside to where Ella waited in his car.

“Did you find anything?” She opened the door as he neared.

“Nothing except a lot of chaos in your office. The treatment area and your residence seem untouched, but the guy was looking for something. Patient records are scattered on the floor. Any ideas?”

“None at all. You tell me what someone might want.”

“Information. He attacked Mary Kate. Perhaps he followed her to your clinic, then cut the electricity so he could enter in the dark. He attacks her, probably thought he had killed her, which may have been his goal.”

Ella’s hand rose to her throat. “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do her harm.”

“What information could he be searching for in your patient files? Tell me about the girls’ condition.”

She shrugged. “Childhood enzyme deficiency is a newly emerging condition. There’s a symposium this coming Friday in Atlanta that will focus on a number of conditions, including CED, followed by a charity dinner that will celebrate the research center’s success. The proceeds raised will help Amish families with their medical bills and also fund the clinic to ensure the research continues.”

“The research center is where your husband worked?”

“That’s right. The Harrisburg Genetic Research Center.” She pointed to her clinic. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to go inside and assess the damage.”

Zach held up his hand. “Not yet. The local authorities have to process the crime scene first. You wouldn’t want to contaminate the evidence.”

“Contamination is something found on a petri dish,” she groused.

He tried not to smile, knowing she didn’t think waiting on the porch was humorous. Nor did he, but her nose wiggled sometimes when she was upset, which he found amusing, if not charming.

“Does anyone else have a key to your office?”

“Just my nurse and nurse-receptionist, but I trust them completely. I’m more inclined to think someone didn’t secure the doors last night. Who was the last one here?”

“We’ll ask the officers when they arrive. Sergeant Abrams is on the way.”

Ella rubbed her forehead. “Everything still seems so foggy about the attack. I lost consciousness briefly. Short-term memory loss sometimes follows, which seems to be the case.”

“Have you remembered anything else?”

She shook her head. “Only my surprise in finding someone standing by my desk. He raised the light he was carrying, and I was caught in its glare. I couldn’t see his face. Then...”

Zach saw the anguish in her eyes.

“I...I remember his kicks. The pain. I couldn’t breathe.”

“You fought back.”

“Did I?”

Zach reached for her hand. “Look at your nails and the scratches on your skin.”

She glanced down at her broken fingernails and scraped knuckles.

“Does that surprise you?” he asked.

“A little, but it makes me glad. Quin...” She hesitated before adding, “My husband claimed I never stood up for myself.”

“Maybe you didn’t need to assert yourself when he was around.”

“You mean because Quin kept me safe?”

Zach nodded. “That sounds logical to me.”

“From what I’ve seen of you, Special Agent Swain, you are a protector. My husband? Not so much.”

Her comment about being a protector gave him pause. He hadn’t been able to protect his mother, and while that was long ago and he’d been a young boy, the memory troubled him still.

“You’re a doctor,” he said, hoping to deflect the conversation away from himself. “You save lives. That’s a big responsibility.”

“I like children. Being a pediatrician seemed like a good fit, but you’re giving me more credit than I deserve.”

Before Zach could reply, a patrol car raced along Amish Road and turned into the clinic drive. Sergeant Abrams stepped from the car and nodded as he approached.

“Doctor.” He glanced at Zach. “Long time no see, Special Agent Swain.”

“Sorry to call you out again.” Zach extended his hand. In short, clipped sentences he explained the chain of events that had them hanging out on the porch of her clinic.

“I’d like to go inside as soon as possible to assess any damage that may have occurred,” Ella said.

“Yes, ma’am. Just as soon as we take some photos and make a sketch of what we find.”

“We?” She glanced into his car, then raised her gaze as another police sedan approached the clinic and turned into the parking lot.

“Officer Taylor,” Abrams said by way of an introduction as the driver came forward.

“Sir.” The younger cop nodded respectfully before shaking Ella’s and Zach’s hands.

“We met last night,” Zach said with a smile.

“You brought your camera?” the sergeant asked.

“Yes, sir. I’ll take pictures inside. Shouldn’t be too long.”

“I don’t see why I can’t enter my own clinic,” Ella complained.

“Let us get the photos first. Then I’ll want to talk to you,” Abrams explained.

“More questions?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The two officers entered the clinic. Ella turned to Zach. “You don’t have to babysit me.”

He didn’t need to hear the frustration in her voice or see the firm set of her jaw to know the doc was upset. “This is all SOP—standard operating procedure—with law enforcement. It’s not personal, Ella.”

“Remind me to tell you the same thing when your office is trashed.”

Perhaps he needed to be more considerate. Getting her mind on something other than her clinic might help.

Zach pointed to the small house on the property next door. “Tell me about your neighbor.”

Ella followed his gaze. “Levi Miller and his wife, Sarah, are a nice young couple. They’re expecting their first child. Sarah is a patient.”

“You deliver babies, too?”

“I can. The Amish hesitate going to large medical facilities and prefer to have Amish midwives or other local medical personnel assist with their deliveries.”

“You’ve been here five months, and it seems you have a good number of patients from the charts strewn about the office.”

“I had trouble at first. After the first couple of families sought my help when their children were sick, word spread. Cash can be a problem for the Amish. Sometimes I’m paid in produce or baked goods, sometimes homemade sausage and milk and cheese.”

“That hardly covers your mortgage.”

“No, but I get by.”

“What’d you do before this?” Zach asked.

“You mean in Pennsylvania?”

He nodded. “You talked about your husband, but you haven’t mentioned what you did.”

“Quin worked for a research clinic that was headquartered in Harrisburg, as I probably told you last night.” She raked her hand through her hair. “I’m still fuzzy on a lot of things.”

“I thought the Amish were in Lancaster County.”

“That’s the largest community, but Amish live near Carlisle, as well. Besides, a well-known clinic handles the area around the towns of Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand. Quin’s group covered some of the other areas.”

“And you?” Zach asked.

“I had a pediatric clinic in Carlisle.”

“Where the Army War College is located.”

“You’ve been there?” she asked.

“A few years back. Carlisle seemed like a nice place. Dickinson College is located there.”

“That’s right.”

“What made you move South?” he asked.

She tilted her head and shrugged. “I needed a change. I would always be Quin Jacobsen’s widow if I stayed there. I wanted to make my own way.” She smiled weakly. “That sounds self-serving, but I don’t mean it in that way. Quin was a larger-than-life type of guy, speaking academically. Sometimes I felt dwarfed by his presence.”

From the short time Zach had known Ella, she seemed down-to-earth and committed to her patients. Thinking of the picture he’d seen of her in the office, he could understand what she was saying.

She rubbed her hands together and glanced at her clinic. “What’s taking so long?”

“I’ll check.” Zach hurried inside and found Abrams. “The doc wants to assess the damage. Have you gotten all the photos you need?”

“Almost. Taylor needs to take a couple of her desk and then we’ll be finished.”

“What about fingerprints?”

“We lifted a few from the file cabinet and the folders strewn over the floor. Two or three look promising. I’ll run them when I get back to headquarters.”

“You’ll let me know?”

“As soon as I hear anything.”

As Taylor snapped shots of the desk, Zach stepped closer. He leaned over the engraved invitation he’d seen the night before.

Abrams glanced over his shoulder. “From the looks of that, the event appears to be a snazzy gathering. The doc seems more like a country girl.”

“I’m sure she would fit in no matter the environment.”

“You’re probably right.” The older officer looked around the clinic. “Looks like we’ve got what we need for now. Tell the doc she can come inside.”

When Zach opened the door, he was surprised to see a young man standing on the porch with her.

Ella introduced him as he neared. “Special Agent Swain, this is my neighbor, Levi Miller.”

The neighbor was dressed in the typical dark slacks held up with suspenders. A wide-brimmed hat sat atop his blond hair, and he wore a cotton shirt probably sewn by his wife.

“You live in the next house?” Zach pointed to the small one-story home.

“Yah. My wife and I live there.”

“Did you hear anything last night, Mr. Miller?”

“I heard the storm.”

“Did you hear sirens or see the police here?”

The man’s face clouded. “My wife glanced from the window. She was worried about Dr. Jacobsen.”

“But you didn’t check on her last night,” Zach pressed.

“That’s why I came today.” The Amish man turned to Ella. “You are all right?”

“Someone broke into the clinic. He shot Mary Kate Powers.”

Levi’s face blanched. “She was hurt?”

Ella touched the Amish man’s arm. “Quite seriously, I’m afraid. She’s at the hospital on post and is in critical condition.”

“May Gott’s will be done.”

Zach didn’t understand the comment. “You know Mary Kate?”

“Her parents have a home not far from here. We knew each other as children.”

Zach wondered if that friendship had continued into adulthood.

“What about the twins?” Levi asked. The concern in his voice was clearly obvious.

“They’re fine,” Ella assured him. “Thankfully, they were asleep in the treatment room, and the attacker left through the front door after accosting their mother.”

Levi let out a ragged breath. “I am relieved.”

“You know the twins?” Zach asked.

The Amish man steeled his gaze. “Twins are easy to recognize, Special Agent Swain. They have been getting treatments at the Children’s Care Clinic for some months now. I have a farm and work outside. Of course I have seen them.”