CHAPTER 32

The worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.

Or so says the Bible with regard to hell.

Had I not had those conservative moral values branded into my brain at a young age, I might have believed Jonas Hershberger tried to commit suicide. But I don’t. The Amish believe in living their lives the way Jesus lived His life. Forgiveness and humility are part of that undertaking. Suicide happens, but it is rare. And it is the one sin for which no forgiveness is granted.

My wipers wage a losing war with the snow as I park next to Mona’s Escort. I spot Pickles’s old Chrysler along with a city car. Glock’s vehicle is glaringly absent. I hit the ground running and enter the reception area with a swirl of snow. Mona stands near the switchboard with her headset on. “What happened?” I ask.

“Jonas tried to hang himself. Detrick and Pickles are in the basement with him now.”

“He okay?”

“I think so. He’s conscious.”

“Call an ambulance.” I rush to the rear hall, and take the steps two at a time to the basement. The jail is outdated and small with two six-by-six cells and a tiny jailer area. I emerge from the staircase to see both Detrick and Pickles standing over Jonas, who is sitting on the bench.

“What happened?” I ask.

Both men swing around to look at me, obviously surprised by my presence. “You are not authorized to be here, Burkholder.” Detrick’s face is red. His bald head gleams with a sheen of sweat.

I step closer for a better look at Jonas. His hands are cuffed behind his back. Shoestrings from his boots are tangled around his neck. I see bright red abrasions just below his jaw line.

“Idiot tried to hang hisself,” Pickles says between pants. “Sheriff got here just in time to stop it.”

Considering what I’ve discovered recently about Detrick, I have a terrible feeling that’s not the way things really went down.

The sheriff starts toward me. “What are you doing here?”

A ripple of uneasiness goes through me. I have a sinking suspicion he’s going to throw me out. I look at Jonas. “What happened?” I ask quickly in Pennsylvania Dutch.

Jonas looks at me, his expression shaken and afraid. “I was sleeping and the English policeman attacked me.” He motions toward Detrick. “He choked me with the shoestrings from my boots.”

Detrick reaches me, moving in close enough to invade my space. “I asked you a question.”

I meet his gaze. “I thought I might be able to help with the language barrier.”

“If I need your help, I’ll ask for it.”

All I can think is that Jonas is in danger. “He needs to go to the hospital. Get checked out.”

“Looks fine to me.” Detrick’s eyes narrow. I see cunning and wariness in their depths. He knows I’m lying, but he doesn’t know why. “You need to leave, Kate. Now.”

Leaning close, he makes a show of sniffing me. “Have you been drinking?”