Read Online Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo - Free Book Online

even better forum for gossip. “Did Bonnie or either of the girls mention any problems? Family problems? Money problems?”
    “They mentioned no such thing,” Alma responds.
    I look at William. He’s standing so close I can see the crumbs from his breakfast toast in his beard. He smells of pig shit and hot lard. “Do you know if they had any enemies?” I ask. “Anyone who might have been unhappy or angry with them?”
    “They were good neighbors.” William shakes his head as if still reeling from news of their deaths. “A happy, generous family. I do not understand how this could happen.”
    “Has anyone made any threats against them?” Glock asks.
    Alma looks upset. I can’t tell if it’s from the news of her neighbors’ deaths or something else. “Everyone loved the Planks. They were very kind.”
    “What about the kids?” I press. “Did any of them ever get into trouble?”
    Alma shakes her head. “The children were well behaved. Even Mary, who was going through her
rumspringa.
”
    Rumspringa
is the “running around” period Amish teens go through when they turn sixteen or so. It’s their time to experience the world without the social constraints of the Plain life. Usually, that entails some drinking and generally harmless misbehaving; nothing excessive. It’s the period in which teens decide whether or not they want to be baptized. Most ultimately choose to join the church. I’m one of a small percentage who did not. But I had my reasons.
    Footsteps on the stairs snag my attention. I look over to see two young boys wrestle down the steps. They notice Glock and me, and freeze, giving us dual deer-in-headlights looks.
    “No roughhousing inside,” William scolds.
    His wife gives me a weak smile. “Our boys, Billy and Isaac.”
    “Do you mind if I ask them a couple of questions?” I know sometimes kids see things, know things parents do not.
    For an instant, Alma looks alarmed, and I realize my being formerly Amish only goes so far when it comes to bridging gaps.
    William calls the boys over and addresses them. “Billy. Isaac. Chief Burkholder would like to ask you a few questions.”
    I almost smile when both boys’ eyes widen. “Just a couple of easy ones,” I say in an attempt to put them at ease.
    Both boys have thick blond hair blunt cut above their brows. Isaac is younger and looks at me as if I’m about to drag him off to prison for the rest of his life. Billy appears to be about fourteen or fifteen. But there’s a childlike innocence in his expression that belies his age.
    I offer my friendliest smile. “How old are you guys?”
    “I’m eleven,” Isaac says, his chest puffing out a little.
    “That’s pretty old.” I smile, but my attempt at juvenile humor falls flat. I turn my attention to Billy. “How about you?”
    “He’s fifteen.” Isaac answers for his brother.
    “Did either of you happen to see anything strange over at the Plank farm the last few days?”
    “What do you mean by strange?” Isaac asks.
    I shrug, noticing the younger boy is much more articulate than his olderbrother. “Any English cars? Or maybe a buggy you didn’t recognize? Strangers visiting? Anything like that?”
    “No.”
    “Did you hear anything?” Glock asks. “Unusual sounds? Shouting? Crying?”
    “No.” Isaac looks toward his parents for direction. “Did something happen to the Planks?”
    “I saw Mary’s underwear!” Billy blurts the words, then slaps his hand over his mouth, his cheeks reddening.
    The odd comment garners everyone’s attention. Only then do I realize that while Billy is older than Isaac, his mentality is that of a much younger boy. I discern a slight speech impediment. He rounds his Rs and skipped pronunciation of the D altogether. The incidence of mental retardation is slightly higher among the Amish in comparison to the general population. There are several theories on the cause, the most prevalent being the small size of the gene pool. The majority of