Anathema

  “I won’t be long.”

  Trudy nodded. “I’ll be here waiting.”

  Silence stretched out in the sugar shack. Hannah tried to make sense of it all. Why would Trudy help Reece get Caitlin and lure her here?

  THEY WERE ATOP a hillside, so Matt planted one foot on a fallen tree and stared through the gloom in all directions. He caught a break in the trees. “I think there ’s a cabin over there,” he said to Ajax. He took out his topo map and consulted it. The map said there was an abandoned sugar shack this way.

  “Let’s check it out.” Matt and Ajax plunged down the hillside. “Quiet, Ajax,” he told his dog. He didn’t want any barking to give them away.

  As they neared the structure, he recognized it from the pictures in Trudy’s album. He started toward a window, intending to peer inside and see if Trudy was there, but the door opened and Reece stepped out. Matt ducked out of sight, watching as the other man went up the trail toward where Trudy had parked the car. Great, maybe Matt could slip in and rescue his daughter and Hannah without any gunplay.

  When Reece was out of sight, he rose and moved toward the shack. The door opened again, and his grandmother stepped out. With a gun. His gaze went to the weapon in her hand. It was pointing at him. “It’s just me, Trudy. You can put that peashooter away.”

  “I don’t think I can, Matthew. Ease your gun out and drop it on the ground.”

  The hard, inflexible voice she used struck Matt in the heart. “Trudy, what are you doing?”

  Her finger tightened on the trigger. “Do what you’re told. You’re too much like your mother, always questioning things. Next time I’ll shoot out your kneecap. Now do what I say.”

  Matt struggled to make sense of this world gone mad. His grandmother held him at gunpoint. He’d stepped through a rabbit hole into another dimension. He glanced down at Ajax. Would he obey an attack command? Probably not. The dog had been trained to protect his grandmother, not attack her.

  “Drop your gun,” she said again. “And if the dog moves, I’ll shoot him.”

  Matt pulled out his gun and dropped it into the mud. “What’s this all about?”

  Trudy stepped away from the door and gestured with the gun. “Inside.”

  Matt let his contempt show in his eyes. He strode into the shack and stood in the doorway while his eyes adjusted to the dim light. Ajax trotted close beside him.

  “Daddy!”

  He swung toward his daughter’s voice. He ’d never heard such a sweet sound as her voice in that moment. “Caitlin?” Moments later, she was climbing his legs. He swung her up against his chest, and she clasped her arms around his neck. Ajax barked and danced around them as if he wanted his turn with her. “Quiet, Ajax.” The dog stilled and lay down under the window.

  “I knew you’d find me, Daddy.”

  He buried his face in her hair and fought the sting of tears. “You okay, princess?”

  “I want to go home.” Caitlin began to cry.

  “We will.” He glanced around and saw Hannah on the cot. He turned to face Trudy. “What’s going on here?”

  “It’s the final act in a long play, Matthew. I’m sorry you got caught up in it.” Trudy beckoned to Hannah. “I can’t let her continue the Schwartz tradition of destroying my family. Come here, girl.” Hannah’s eyes widened, but she got up and moved slowly to where Trudy stood. “Tie up my grandson.”

  Matt couldn’t let that happen. He’d be helpless to protect his daughter and Hannah. Backing away, he started for the door. Trudy wouldn’t shoot him.

  Before he got more than two feet, a shot rang out, and a bullet creased the skin on his arm. “I don’t want to shoot you, Matt, but I will if you force me to,” Trudy said. “Sit in the chair.” She gestured to a rickety wooden chair.

  Blood trickled from his arm. He lowered himself onto the chair. “What is going on, Trudy?”

  “Shut up. Hannah, tie him up.”

  Hannah bit her lip, then picked up the rope on the floor and moved to the chair. She began to wrap the rope around his wrists.

  “Get his ankles too,” Trudy ordered. “I’m going to check the bonds, so get them tight.”

  Matt flexed his wrists to give himself the most give as Hannah tightened the rope, then looped it down to his feet. Trudy stepped over to test the give, and he kept his muscles flexed until she nodded with satisfaction.

  She turned back to Hannah. “You, come with me. Leave the kid here with Matt.”

  Hannah glanced up at Matt with an apology in her eyes. Matt had to delay Trudy until he could get free. “I found a photo album. Some things are starting to make sense to me. My parents were never happy. All I remember as a kid was how unhappy my mom was. Dad never smiled. He killed himself. I think he was in love with Hannah’s mother. But that’s not Hannah’s fault.”

  “Her family has blighted mine for decades. But no more,” Trudy said.

  Hannah was frowning. “What are you saying?” she asked Matt. “I thought my dad dated your aunt.”

  Matt kept talking, straining at his bonds the whole time. Was there a bit of give? “There once were four friends. They all met in town, where they worked together at a local café. Patricia and David—your mom and my dad—were dating. Irene had a crush on the Amish boy—your dad, Abe—and the four of them double-dated. Your grandparents probably didn’t like that, but it was Abe ’s rumspringa and they hoped he’d grow out of it. But something went very wrong. Abe fell for Patricia and stole her from David. David never got over the loss, even though he married. The marriage was unhappy, and he eventually took his own life. Did I get all that right, Trudy?”

  “Shut up.” Trudy grabbed Hannah’s arm and dragged her toward the door. “Patricia was a cuckoo in our nest. And so is her daughter. You’re just like her, batting your eyes and enticing men into your web. First Reece and now Matthew. I won’t allow it to continue.”

  Hannah managed to tug her arm free. “Did you kill my parents?” Her eyes grew round with horror.

  “Of course I did. You didn’t think I would let them get away with destroying my family, did you? Hannah here told Irene her mother was finally pregnant again. That was the final straw. Patricia didn’t deserve a child after all she’d done. Then Hannah took my first grandson and ruined his life. She has to pay.”

  “Irene is Reece ’s mother,” Hannah said.

  Trudy scowled. “How did you know that?”

  Hannah went pale. “I ran into Ellen Long today. She mentioned it.”

  “Who’s his father?” Matt asked. He saw horror dawn on Hannah’s face.

  Trudy laughed. “It’s not Abe, if that’s what you’re thinking. I would have stopped that soon enough. It’s some loser who stayed at their commune a few months, then moved on. Irene had a nervous breakdown, so I took him.”

  “I thought he was a foster kid.”

  She waved the gun in the air. “A smoke screen.”

  “What about Cyrus?”

  Hannah answered. “I think he was just a dupe. His wife was having an affair with Reece. I’m guessing Reece mixed poison in with the sugar, then asked him to make cookies and deliver them to my parents when he went to pick out a quilt. The trail would lead back to the bakery, and it would look like he got caught up in his own murder plot.”

  Trudy squinted at her. “That Ellen is—”

  Hannah backed away from Trudy. “Why did you take my mother’s quilts?”

  “Jealousy,” Matt answered. “I saw a picture of you, Trudy. You were beside a quilt that looked like Patricia’s famous hummingbird quilt. She imitated your pattern and had more success than you ever dreamed of.”

  “All because she was Amish,” Trudy spat. She grabbed Hannah again and dragged her to the door. “But it all ends today.” She pulled her captive through the door and closed it behind them.

  Matt began to strain at his bonds. They didn’t give much, but he had to get free. Wrenching and twisting his wrists, he stretched and moved the rope until he began to feel a b
it of give, but it still wasn’t enough to slip his hands free. “Caitlin, come here. I need your help.”

  He could only pray his daughter had enough strength to loosen his bonds. When she was at his side, he instructed her to find the end of the rope and trace it back to the knot, then try to push the end through. She wasn’t accomplishing much. Finally, five minutes later, he felt it give and his hands began to pull free.

  THE MOSQUITOES CAME in hordes, eager for their blood. Hannah could see the same bloodthirsty intent on Trudy’s face. Trudy marched her down a muddy path toward the raging creek, fifty feet across at its widest point. The current had torn trees up by the roots, and giant sycamores rode the dirty waves in the churning water. The swollen creek had nearly reached two beached canoes.

  They skirted the water, and Trudy turned toward a small path that circled back toward the shack. An open cistern yawned in front of them, obviously just uncovered. It was about four feet in diameter.

  She stopped in front of the open hole. “Time to say good-bye, Hannah.”

  Hannah froze. What could she do? She cast her gaze back and forth across the area, but there was no place to hide. Trudy raised the gun, and Hannah expected the bullet to plow through her any second.

  “Trudy, no!” Reece ’s shout rang out through the trees.

  Hannah saw him rushing up the path toward them. His eyes wild and his face white, he was not the savior she ’d hoped for. He carried a gun in his hand. Trudy turned toward her grandson, her scowl deepening.

  He reached them and stopped by his grandmother. “You said we could leave, go our way. Hannah came back to me of her own free will. She had nothing to do with her parents’ sins. You promised you’d help me get her back. You never said anything about killing her.”

  Trudy slapped him. “You fool! She ’s got you totally flummoxed. Can’t you see she only came because she was sure you had the brat?”

  Reece put his hand to his cheek. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Do what I say, Reece. I’ve been working years for this minute.”

  Over Reece ’s shoulder, Hannah saw Matt and Ajax running up the path. She didn’t see Caitlin, so she prayed the little girl was on her way to safety. Trudy must have seen the expression on her face, because she turned to look.

  She pressed her lips together and raised the gun to point it at Hannah. “If either one of you moves, she ’s dead.” She pointed to the hole. “You’ve been looking for your mother, Matthew. Come say hello.”

  Matt came toward them, clenching his fists. “You killed my mother?” His face took on a stricken expression.

  “She killed my son.”

  “No, she didn’t—he killed himself.”

  “Because she wasn’t the wife he needed,” Trudy spat.

  Matt couldn’t engage that kind of irrational thinking. “You had Reece hire that woman to pose as my mother. Just so I wouldn’t look anymore, right? Did you think just any woman would pass for my mother? I remember her too well to fall for that masquerade.”

  Trudy waved her hand. “Hannah is about to join her. She can give her your greetings.”

  twenty-six

  “There have been cases of prejudice against the Amish in some

  communities. They are the perfect targets for hate crimes because

  they don’t fight back—they are peace-loving and gentle.”

  —HANNAH SCHWARTZ, ON The Early Show

  Trudy gestured with the gun again. “Would you like to say hello to your mother, Matt? She’s right down there if you’d like to stop in for a visit.”

  “Stop it!” Hannah shouted. “Just stop being such a cruel witch.”

  Trudy’s brows raised. “The mouse roars?”

  This was where bitterness led. Hannah got it now. Forgiveness was much more beautiful when contrasted with this vengeful woman. How had she been so blind? She found it hard to look away from that twisted mouth, those eyes filled with hatred and judgment. Had she looked like that to Ellen earlier today? Is this what Reece saw when he looked in her face?

  “Why, Trudy? Why all this hatred to people who never even hurt you? What did Moe ever do to warrant death?”

  “That was his own fault. The flowers were meant for his mother.” Trudy glared at Reece.

  “My aunt was a wonderful woman,” Hannah said. As long as she could keep Trudy talking, they might have a chance of being rescued.

  “She was a busybody. She came to see me after your parents’ funeral, all the way in her little buggy as if I would be impressed. She told me she ’d seen Reece coming out of Ellen’s house when Cyrus wasn’t there. She suspected Reece was a killer and came to tell me to be careful of him.” Trudy smiled. “She didn’t tell the police. She wanted to leave justice in God’s hands.”

  “And of course she had no idea you were involved,” Hannah said slowly.

  “When Reece told me what he ’d done to lure you back here, I knew Nora would have to die. She wouldn’t keep that information to herself.” She glanced up at Reece as though seeking his approval. “I put you first in everything.”

  “She never told me. You didn’t have to kill her.”

  “She would have.” Trudy’s voice was matter-of-fact. “Shoot her, Reece. You need to do it to be rid of her in spirit.” Reece shook his head and dropped the hand with the gun to his side, but she seized his arm. Her voice rose, and even the wind didn’t drown it out. “If it hadn’t been for me, you would have been out on the streets, Reece. We ’re in this together too far for you to back out now. It has to be done.”

  “Let me keep Hannah.” His voice was weak and pleading.

  “You’re so weak, boy. Would you fight me again? Want to knock me down like you did when you first got back? You’re pitiful.”

  Hannah’s gaze went to Matt, and she saw from his expression that he had heard Reece too. His nostrils flared, and his lips thinned. She could see his coiled muscles waiting to spring into action. They weren’t going down without a fight.

  “You’ve got my gun,” Matt said. “This time use it for a good purpose. Save Hannah and Caitlin.”

  “Shut up, Matthew!” Trudy transferred her glare from Matt to Reece. “Reece, you’ll do what I say.”

  Trudy finally seemed to badger Reece into submission. He brought the gun up and aimed it at Matt. “I’ll put your gun to good use, all right. You want to go first, big guy? See your mother?”

  Hannah stepped in front of Matt. “Let’s leave now, Reece. Just go away, you and me. Matt can keep Caitlin. That’s all she knows anyway.” She didn’t think Reece would be able to shoot her. He never destroyed his possessions. Matt made a grab for her to shove her out of the way, but she evaded him and began to walk toward Reece. “You don’t have to listen to her, Reece. Look at me. Let’s leave here, start a new life. You’ll never have to see her again.”

  “Reece, we have to end it here,” Trudy said, her voice steely and commanding. “She’ll never stay with you. You know that. She ’s sacrificing herself for her daughter. I’d shoot her myself, but you need to do it or she will always haunt you.”

  The tremble in Reece ’s hand was nearly imperceptible, but Hannah caught the slight movement. She sidled closer to her husband. She had to find the courage to forgive him, truly and from the heart. He would only recognize truth.

  She reached into the depths of her soul and found the courage. “I forgive you, Reece. I forgive you for every slap, every harsh word.” She was shocked to realize she meant it. She could look at him and see past his brutality to his pain. She ’d never dreamed it would be possible to give him grace.

  There was no way she’d be able to get the gun out of his hand, but he might leave with her. If he’d lay down the gun and let Matt and Caitlin go, she’d honor her promise. It would be a small price to pay for the life of her daughter and the man she loved.

  Trudy never gave her the chance to find out. “You’re so weak, Reece. I even have to save you from yourself.” She brought up her gun and aimed i
t at Hannah. “You’re just like your mother—a user.” Her finger tightened on the trigger. “She ruined everything that ever mattered to me.”

  Hannah stared down the bore of the revolver. The muscles in her legs coiled to spring away, but she knew at this close range, she had little chance of escaping. Before she could make the leap to death or life, Reece turned toward his grandmother. Everything moved as though in slow motion. Hannah heard him shout Trudy’s name. She saw the puff of smoke and heard the gun bark in his hand. The revolver recoiled, and Trudy began to fall.

  Matt hurtled past Hannah. “Run!” he shouted, tackling Reece. He bored the other man to the ground. “Get Caitlin from the shack!”

  Ajax barked and danced around the struggling men. Hannah rushed away. Her gut told her to stay and help Matt, but Caitlin was depending on her. She darted down the path toward the shack, but before she got there, Caitlin stepped in front of her. The little girl saw her and ran toward her. She was crying.

  Hannah grabbed her hand. She heard a shot ring out in the trees. Daring a glance back, she saw Reece stagger toward her, brandishing his revolver. His presence cut off their escape that way. The water was the only way out. Hannah raced toward the creek.

  She was an expert at canoeing, but with Sugar Creek so turbulent, it would be dangerous. Matt couldn’t be dead. She wouldn’t believe that. If she could get to town, she could send back help. If only she had her cell phone, but Reece threw it away. She deposited Caitlin into the bottom of a canoe. “Don’t move,” she said.

  As soon as the end of the canoe hit the water, the current grabbed it. She nearly didn’t make it into the canoe herself before the water flung the vessel into the middle of the creek. Too late, she realized how hard the waves would be to navigate. Caitlin sat on the bottom of the canoe. “There ’s a life vest under the seat—put it on,” she called to her daughter.

  Caitlin grabbed the vest and slipped her arms into it. Hannah glanced behind to find Reece in the other boat, coming after them. In the back of the canoe, Hannah dipped the oar into the water and used it to try to steer the vessel around the worst of the rapids. If she could guide them around this bend toward land and hide the boat, Reece would go on downstream looking for them.