A Perfect Square Read Online Free PDF Page B

explained. “We’ll have to give our statement again, and Officer Taylor hasn’t had a chance to actually question Esther at all. I think he didn’t want to go into detail with her in front of the
kinner.
”
    “County personnel?” Esther frowned as she motioned Leah away from Max. “You don’t mean — “
    But she didn’t have to say Shane Black’s name. Before she could finish her question, they all heard two more cars bumping down the lane and watched them pull into the now-crowded area surrounding the pond.
    Deborah would probably never feel completely comfortable with the county sheriff, who was tall, lanky, with dark, piercing eyes. But he’d saved her life. He’d been there for her and Calliewhen they needed him most. For that Deborah was willing to overlook the fact that some in their Amish community were ill at ease around him, including herself and Esther.
    Shane Black might not do things the way they wanted them done. He was patient to the point of resembling a bulldog more than a man at times, but he did it for the good of their community — the community of Shipshewana, both Amish and
Englisch.
    It could be for this situation, for the girl still waiting in the pond, that Shane was precisely the person they needed.

Chapter 6
    S HANE WAS FRIENDLY ENOUGH as he greeted everyone, though he was quick and to the point, no doubt wanting to get down to business. It seemed to Deborah that his gaze lingered a moment on Callie, but she might have imagined that.
    She had thought after the brush with death they’d experienced together, Callie and Shane might have a blossoming romance going on, but even after growing up beside
Englischers
, she still couldn’t claim to completely understand their ways.
    Stakehorn’s murder had been solved in June. Whenever Shane’s name was brought up, Callie still became flustered, but as far as she knew, Callie and Shane hadn’t shared even one buggy ride since that time.
    “You ladies found the deceased?” Shane asked.
    “I didn’t,” Callie squeaked.
    “Why are you in that dress?”
    “Why is everyone worried about my clothing? Maybe I like Amish clothes. Maybe it’s the new fall fashion.” Callie crossed her arms around her middle and pulled in her bottom lip.
    Shane placed both hands on his hips, scanned the site again, as if he were expecting another body to pop up, then focused on Callie. “I thought maybe you’d fallen in the water and Deborah had loaned you something to wear, but apparently not.”
    Callie stepped forward.
    Deborah recognized her posture and the expression on her face — she was ready to start an argument, and that would most certainly not help the situation right now. She needn’t have worried though, Shane had already dismissed her with a wave of his hand and moved on. “So who exactly — “
    “It was Esther and myself,” Deborah said, “and the children. But Taylor said they could go home with Jonas now.”
    Shane ran a thumb along his bottom jaw, and Deborah knew — she was certain beyond the smallest doubt — he was considering how to get a statement out of Leah and Joshua.
    “
Ya
, I’m taking them home now. I wasn’t even here, Shane. Haven’t seen anything other than my
fraa
, and I’d like to see her again before the day wears on too long.” Jonas nodded at the officer as he shifted Joshua to his other arm and reached down for Leah’s hand. “I know you’ll finish as quickly as you can.”
    Then he was gone, walking toward his buggy, not waiting for permission or any sort of confirmation. Deborah wanted to run after her husband and throw her arms around his neck. Thank him for bulldozing past Shane Black. She could tolerate standing here and answering his questions another hour or two, as long as their children were home and away from this scene of death.
    Shane mumbled something under his breath as Jonas walked away but made no move to stop him. Instead he turned and shouted at Trent, who was still snapping