Read Online Scrapped by Mollie Cox Bryan - Free Book Online

realized some people equated their garb with a peaceful, simple life, but it unsettled Annie. She was aware of the “romantic” notions the public held about Mennonites and their “peaceful,” simple lives. Maybe she was too cynical and world weary, but she would not be surprised to learn of more stories like the one she’d just read about Mary Schultz. She was a young Mennonite woman who recently murdered her father with an axe, claiming he’d abused her. Now her lawyers were claiming she was mentally unstable. And who wouldn’t be after years of abuse? Annie knew that was one hell of a story—a story the woman was not telling and one the courts were also keeping under wraps.
    Annie glanced around the church and noted how different it was than the Episcopal church in town. No statues of Jesus on the cross, no stained-glass windows, and no carpeting. It was austere and simple. Annie felt okay about being in this space, whereas the bigger town church made her uncomfortable.
    She shifted around in her seat; Bryant looked back at her. God, that man annoyed her. He could certainly be more helpful. Annie felt another set of eyes on her; she looked across the aisle at a young woman, who smiled shyly. She was blonde and pale, with a large mole on the side of her face, and looked to be about eighteen or nineteen. She wore the white prayer cap of all the young Mennonite women. She must have known Rebecca and maybe even Sarah. Annie made a mental note to try to talk to her during the wake.
    A wailing sob came from the front of the room—Rebecca’s mother—and her husband placed his arms around her. They looked in the direction of the simple wooden casket, which was closed, of course. Their daughter had been hacked to pieces, covered in flour, with rune symbols carved into her. How would they ever get over this?

Chapter 15
    Vera knew that it was expected that she attend funerals—even as a child, she went along with her mother. Beatrice had always said it did no good to shield children from death. It was a part of life. But Vera did not think she would want Elizabeth anywhere near this place.
    She heard a baby cry and turned to watch the mother scuttle off during the service. Maybe she had nobody to keep the baby. Her eyes met the other woman’s, and she made a connection with a sympathetic smile. Mothers knew what it was like to have a crying baby at a church service or concert. She was still amazed at how becoming a mother had opened her heart. Other mothers. Other children. Babies. She only wished that she could have more children—her heart was so full.
    She brushed some lint off her black wool slacks. Her mother had rolled her eyes at her when she saw she was not wearing a dress. But Vera didn’t care. It was cold, and these days pants were every bit as appropriate as a skirt. She stood with the rest of the crowd as the family exited the room to go to the basement, where the food was already laid out, awaiting the bereaved family and other mourners.
    Vera could not help but wonder if the murderer was in the crowd. She looked over those gathered. There was John DeGrassi, from the only Italian family she knew, a simple, hardworking shopkeeper. He owned the only general store in Jenkins Hollow. His eyes were heavy with grief, she decided. He was not a killer.
    Then there was Shelly Martin, dressed in a dark floral dress, whose daughter, Christy, had recently gone off to school to study physical education. She was one of Vera’s best dancers but had decided against a career in the field. Smart cookie. Shelly had always had a bit of a dark side. She dyed her hair platinum blond and sported several tattoos. But could she kill someone?
    Detective Bryant glanced toward Annie. He was watching her. Annie received much male attention everywhere she went. She was beautiful in a unique way—dark skin, high cheekbones, large brown eyes, thin, tall. Damn, she could have been a model. But she was too smart for that—you could see