She thought of the seventeen-year-old, sent away at what had probably been the most difficult time of her life. Maybe they deserved it.
That wouldnt be for the police to judge. Or you either, for that matter, at least not without knowing more than you do now.
She had a sneaking suspicion he was right about that, but she wasnt about to admit it. Trey Alter had too self-satisfied an opinion of himself already.
If the police chief wont talk to me, what makes you think hell talk to you? She recognized an edge to her voice. He probably heard it as well, but he didnt react.
Well, for one thing, hes known me all my life. And for another, Im an officer of the court, which gives me some status with him. Trey took a few steps past her. Lets get away from the falls so we can hear ourselves think.
Amanda had almost become used to the roar, the way they said people who lived in Niagara Falls no longer heard the sound. But she had been straining to speak above it, so she nodded, following him back away from the rocks.
Is there anything else you want to see here? Trey didnt sound impatient, shed give him that, but he might well want to get back to work.
Id like to find my mothers vantage point of the falls, if I can. She felt herself getting defensive. And no, I dont think its going to tell me anything after all these years. Id just like to see it.
He nodded as if it was perfectly reasonable. If hed been annoyed with her, he had himself well under control. Sure thing. It shouldnt be hard to find. Did you bring the photo with you?
Amanda retrieved it from the pocket where shed stowed it for safety. Drat the manwhy did he never react the way she expected?
Holding the photo, Trey paced slowly along the bank of the stream, looking up repeatedly to compare the view to the image. On the opposite side of the rushing stream, the thick growth of rhododendrons made an impenetrable barrier. The painting had to have been done from this side.
Trey reached a point at which a slight curve in the streambed had left a little spit of sand and gravel. He stopped, making the comparison again.
Got it. I thought it might have been about here. Take a look.
Amanda stepped out onto the sandy spot and looked from the photo to the falls. Youre right. What made you think it might be here?
He shrugged. Ive tried to get a good photo of the falls a few times. This is the only vantage point that lets you get in both the top and the bottom.
Amanda stood where she was for a moment. She could so easily imagine Juliet on this spot, the legs of the easel shoved into the sand, a brush behind her ear and another in her hand, brooding over the canvas as she so often did.
As for the other person Juliet might have been imagining in the scene...to Amandas disappointment she could see nothing at all. Didnt they say that blood called to blood? If so, either hers was deaf or she was on the wrong track entirely.
Then it hit her. This whole thing started because the autopsy on my motheron Juliet Curtissshowed shed never had a child. So wouldnt the postmortem have shown, at least, whether Melanie Winthrop had carried a child to term? If so...
Trey seized on the fragment of provable fact. Im no expert, but Id think it would. If they bothered to do a full autopsy in a case of accident. But if they did, the results should be in the coroners records, and I ought to be able to access those.
So, youre going to check the coroners records. She surveyed him. Youre going to talk to the police chief. What am I going to do?
She could swear there was a twinkle in Treys eyes. I suppose its too much to hope youll go back to your motel and wait for answers. Or better yet, back to Boston.
You sound like Robert McKinley, she said sourly. I cant do nothing.
I suppose not. He sounded regretful. What about the newspaper accounts from the time? I dont know how much theyd have reported, but it might give you a fuller picture of the events.
That was going to be my first stop before you sidetracked me. I suppose the newspaper has the files? Ive already checked online, but the archives of the paper dont go back that far.
Trey bent to ruffle Barneys ears absentmindedly. They havent been in a rush to digitize them. Theres not that much call for old copies. The historical society has some, but they wouldnt have digitized anything that recent.
There must be some way of finding them.
He nodded. The library has all the back issues on microfiche. Itll turn you cross-eyed searching, as I know from experience, but you should be able to find what you want there.
Good. Something she could do, at least. Ill work on that this afternoon and check back with you. I just wish I could find a place to stay in town. That drive back and forth to the motel is getting old already.
Trey frowned, looking down at Barney. I just might be able to find a place that wouldnt mind a well-trained dog around. He grinned. Even if he did flunk out of service dog school.
The tension involved in being on this spot slid away as she smiled in return. Where? Lead me to it.
Theres an Amish farm near here that takes farm-stay guests in the summer. They recently added a cottage, complete with gas heating and lighting. They dont normally take guests this time of year, but they might be persuaded to accommodate a friend of mine.
Is that how everything around here operates? She couldnt help but ask the question. Based on the good old boys network?
He shrugged. You might be able to ignore your neighbors in the city, but not in a place like Echo Falls. If youre done here, we can check it out now.
Her spirits lifted. Great. Thanks, Trey. Impulsively she put out her hand.
He took it in both of his, and in that instant the mood changed abruptly. A not-so-lighthearted connection grabbed her, skittering along her nerves from their clasped hands. Their gazes caught, arrested as the attraction ricocheted between them.
The moment seemed to last forever. Then Trey dropped her hand as if hed seized something hot. His breathing came as fast as if hed been running, and hers was about as bad.
Well. That was unexpected. Unwelcome, she added defiantly. She didnt have room for complications right now, so this had to stop before it started. Didnt it?
* * *
BY THE TIME theyd gotten back to the car, Trey had given himself the lecture of the daynamely, dont get involved. Relationships were difficult no matter where you lived, but in a small town, they could lead too easily to disaster, as he knew from experience.
Like the situation with Marcie Hampton last year, the then-new teacher at the high school. Theyd gone out three times...count em, three...and the town had had them all but married.
Worse, Marcie had been infected by the assumptions, thinking their relationship more serious than it was. It had led to a messy breakup that he was determined not to repeat. Since then, hed been considerably more circumspect.
Trey darted a sidelong glance at Amanda as they reached the main road. She seemed as reluctant to recognize that blast of attraction between them as he was. That should make it easier to keep their relationship strictly business.
He glanced in the rearview mirror to find that Barney was watching him with what seemed like skepticism in his eyes.
He glanced in the rearview mirror to find that Barney was watching him with what seemed like skepticism in his eyes.
Is the farm with the cottage far from town? Amanda broke the silence between them.
Not far. About three miles. Amos and Sarah Burkhalter took over his parents dairy farm a few years ago, and they added the farm-stay business to make a little extra in the summer. Sarah and the kids handle most of it. With eight kids between five and nineteen, the extra income is welcome.
Eight. She shook her head. I know the Amish have big families, but Im still amazed at how well they manage. I have friends with one or two who cant seem to keep up.
Everybody works on the farm. It keeps them busy and out of trouble, for the most part.
Im sure that boggles the minds of their English farm-stay visitors. I remember the first time I saw a barefoot Amish boy chasing a gigantic Holstein into the barn for me to examine. I wanted to run to the rescue, but luckily I had better sense.
He frowned, remembering her business card. I thought your practice was with small animals.
Yes. Amanda clipped off the word, and he saw her hands clench. After a moment, she went on. I was originally a partner in a large animal practice in Lancaster County. But it...didnt work out. Trey had a sense of something suppressed. So I went back to Boston.
Her lips closed firmly. Obviously time for another subject of conversation. Luckily, they were coming up on the Burkhalter place.
Here it is, on the right. He nodded to where twin silos and a windmill loomed over a cluster of white frame buildings. Like I said, the Burkhalters dont usually take guests this time of the year, but Ill sound them out.
Fine. She looked back at Barney. Well be on our best behavior, right, Barney?
The dog whined in response to his name, and his muzzle poked between the seats as he attempted to lick Amandas face. They both chuckled, and the tension between them seemed to disappear.
When Trey pulled up at the back door of the farmhouse, Sarah was already coming outside with a welcoming wave, her youngest hurrying to keep up. When little Mary Elizabeth saw that Trey wasnt alone, she took up a hiding place behind her mamms skirts.
Trey, wilkom. We werent looking to see you today. Sarah must be around forty, he knew, but she had a rosy, youthful face, and her brown hair didnt yet show any signs of gray. She smiled at Amanda. Youve brought company. Komm, the coffee is hot and theres apple pie.
Whoa, slow down. He grinned at Mary Elizabeth, for whom he had a soft spot. Sarah, this is Amanda Curtiss. Shes visiting Echo Falls for a while. Amanda, Sarah Burkhalter. And that pretty girl is Mary Elizabeth.
Sarah, its nice to meet you. Amanda didnt attempt to shake hands, probably knowing that might make Sarah uncomfortable. She knelt and smiled at the little girl. Im Amanda. Would you like to meet my friend? She pointed to Barney, looking out the car window at them.
When Mary Elizabeth nodded, Amanda opened the door, and Barney leaped out lightly. At a command, he sat at her side, ears cocked, head on one side as he looked at the child. She edged out from behind her mother and petted him tentatively.
While the two of them were getting acquainted, Trey explained Amandas predicament. I thought you might want to rent out the cottage to her.
Sarahs question showed in her face as she looked from Amanda to the dog.
Barney is well trained, Amanda said quickly. I can promise he wont go off chasing the stock. Id be grateful for the chance to stay here, if you agree.
Amandas a vet, Trey added helpfully. She worked in Lancaster County for some time.
Sarahs expression relaxed. Guess you know your way around a farm, then. Komm, well look at the cottage.
By the time theyd looked around the simple two-bedroom cottage, Sarah and Amanda were chatting like old friends, and he was confident that this one aspect of her problem was solved. As for the rest...well, he didnt feel so hopeful. If she was Melanies daughter, it would have to be proved, and he didnt know what Elizabeth Winthrops reaction would be to the prospect of an illegitimate great-granddaughter showing up.
His uncomfortable line of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Amos, Sarahs husband. Sarah filled him in with a quick rattle of Pennsylvania Dutch, at the end of which he nodded.
Wilkom, Amanda. Were glad to have you here. He gave a quick glance at his wife. Is there any apple pie left, by chance?
Only because I hid half a pie from you and the boys, she said. Komm along to the house, all of you. Well have a little snack, yah?
The women went ahead, and Amos fell into step with Trey. He gave him a nudge with his elbow strong enough to make him stagger. So you finally found a woman willing to look twice at you. Looks to me like you picked a fine one.
Business, Trey said quickly. Shes here on business.
Tell that to someone who hasnt known you most of your life, Amos said, his face splitting in a grin. I saw the way you looked at her. Youre caught at last, aint so?
No such thing, he said firmly. Im doing some legal work for her, thats all.
If you say so, Amos said, but Trey knew he wasnt buying it.
Just the kind of talk he didnt want to get around. And if he knew Sarah, she was thinking exactly the same thing as her husband. Maybe this hadnt been such a good idea after all.
CHAPTER FOUR
AMANDA HAD INTENDED to spend the afternoon at the library, but since Sarah said she could move in right away, Amanda headed back to the motel to check out and pack. By late afternoon, shed settled in the cottage and was busy familiarizing herself with the workings of the gaslights and heating.
Barney, after giving the cottage a thorough going-over, had apparently decided to lay claim to the hearth rug in front of the fireplace. He circled a couple of times, sighed and lay down, resting his head on his paws.
Im glad you approve, she told him. Since Im not sure how long well be here.
She glanced at her watch, realizing that it was too late for even a cursory survey of the librarys files. That would have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, she could make an opportunity to talk to Sarah. From what Trey had said, theyd lived here for ages. Sarah might remember something of the accident to Melanie Winthrop, even if it were just what Amanda had already heard.
Pausing at the window, Amanda looked down the lane that led to the farmhouse. A stand of evergreens surrounded the cottage, cutting off her view of most of the farm buildings and giving the cottage an air of privacy.
Treys mention of her work in Lancaster County had probably sealed the deal, influencing Sarah to accept her. The Amish here were most likely one of the many daughter settlements from the Lancaster County Amish. She was annoyed that just the unexpected mention of that time had the power to make her stomach clench. Had he wondered why shed been so terse about it?
Probably not. Trey barely knew her, even though they had been forced into a situation of some intimacy. He certainly didnt know about the disaster that had sent her scurrying back to Boston and her mother.