“I saw him,” I said, but Jake frowned.
“She did nothing wrong,” Jake said.
The chief stepped closer. “I’ll do my job if you don’t mind. Weren’t you involved with a barn burning here a few years back? Did you arrive with the intention of burning this barn down too?”
Jake didn’t look away, but he clamped his lips together.
“He came because I asked him for help.” A blue-white flash told me my photo had just been taken. “He was never charged or found guilty.” Another flash, but I couldn’t run away.
To my surprise, Stephen stepped in. “Jake didn’t burn the first barn down. I was with him that night and can attest to that. My guess is someone noticed his car parked outside earlier that night and reported it. The barn was still standing when he and I and a few buddies took off.”
The fire chief’s expression turned severe, his eyes bulging. “Why didn’t you speak up? Maybe you were the guilty party.”
“Absolutely not.” Stephen stood tall and looked the man in the eyes. “Just a friendly card game and a couple bottles of beer, and then we went home. No kerosene lanterns, no smoking, no matches.”
“But that was then and this is now. Were you Jake’s witness today?”
“No, I can’t vouch for him. We haven’t been friends for years. But everything Evie said about Ralph is true. He’s been breaking into the nursery’s café and stealing food. Then he upped the ante and took Glenn Yoder’s dog right out of the man’s house.”
“Any witnesses?”
“No.” Stephen swiped his mouth.
The fire chief stepped closer, his gaze intense. “Can this Amish woman be trusted?”
“Yes, but after tonight I have to wonder about her common sense. She was with Jake Miller.” Stephen’s lips formed a grim line.
“Maybe I should take her down to the station.”
“No need,” Stephen said. “Her name’s Eva Lapp, and she won’t run off. I’ll keep an eye on her. She lives and works at the nursery and reports directly to me until Glenn Yoder returns.”
The officer looked over to Jake. “Would she take off with Jake? What’s to keep him here?”
Jake must have heard his name. He spun around. “I’m not running away. After I help rebuild this barn, I have to care for my ailing father and his farm.”
“You’d better not leave town, or I’ll issue a warrant for your arrest.”
“The fire was an accident, and I wasn’t responsible. Nor was Evie. If she hadn’t insisted on coming over here to look for Heath, the Schmuckers’ horses, cow, and Heath could have been lost.”
“Let’s get something straight.” The chief narrowed one eye. “If you two hadn’t been poking around on private property, this barn might not have caught fire. For all we know, Ralph may have slept in here a hundred times.” The corners of his mouth drew back. “No matter, really, as the owner probably won’t press charges. What’s with these Amish?” he asked the air.
“Forgiveness,” Stephen said, for which I was grateful.
“But they carry it too far when they stop us from doing our job.” The police chief glanced over to the Schmuckers’ residence. “I need to get a statement from the owner.”
The crowd watched the smoke and smoldering fire. It wasn’t long before slow-moving cars and buggies caused a traffic jam. A truck honked, frightening a buggy horse into rearing. Wayne, in his sleek squad car, sped up and came to a stop at the side of the road. He got out and positioned himself in the center of the lanes. “Nothing to see,” he said as he motioned cars to continue. “Keep moving.”
“Isn’t that Eva Lapp?” a woman said from her buggy to her female passenger. I recoiled and pretended I couldn’t hear her stringent voice. “She’s the one who had a baby—”
I should be used to malicious gossip, but I’d suddenly heard enough. Like a cork popping off a bottle of sparkling apple cider, I twirled around, rage oozing out my pores. “None of that story is true!”
The two women stared back in silent surprise. The driver prompted her horse to move forward.
“May I be of help?” Bishop Harvey asked me, seeming to appear out of nowhere.
I wanted to sink to the ground and ooze into a puddle. “I’m sorry I lost my temper. I wish I could apologize to those women, but I don’t see the buggy anymore through all that traffic.”
The bishop’s voice sounded kinder than I expected. “It’s not easy turning the other cheek seventy times seven times, is it?” He stroked his beard.
“But surely it is for you,” I said.
“Nee. I’m human, just like everyone.” I might have missed his smile if his upper lip hadn’t been shaven. “You’re a gut girl, Eva. Why don’t you settle down and join the church?”
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“A lifetime commitment should not be made on a whim. But consider your other choices carefully.”
I watched both Amish and Englisch men help the firemen contain the fire. Jake was arguing with a fireman, their voices rough, reminding me of the dogs that used to menace me on the way to school when I was a girl. I bet those mongrels wouldn’t have bothered me with Heath and Missy there to protect me. I glanced down at the two Labs and was pleased to see them sitting at my side, gazing up, waiting to escort me home.
THIRTY-THREE
During the sleepless night, images of the fire assaulted my mind. The flames and hoses spewing water jostled and competed with one another. Somehow, though, I managed not to dream about Ralph and his possible demise.
The next morning, sunshine illuminated the cabin as I dressed for work in a daze. My clumsy hands pricked me twice with straight pins while fastening on my apron, which still reeked of smoke. I wriggled into my sweater, which also carried the noxious odor. When I opened the front door, a cloud of stinky, damp air drifting from the decimated barn
