Page 21 of Shamed

“I like them just fine.”

I look at the elder man. “Do you mind if we take a quick look in the house, Mr. Graber?” I do not have the right to search the home of any individual without a search warrant issued by a judge. But if he gives me permission, I can have a look free and clear. Better yet, anything I find can be used to build a case against him.

“I don’t understand,” Edward says. “What are you looking for?”

“There was an incident at the Schattenbaum place this afternoon, Mr. Graber. Mary Yoder was killed. Elsie Helmuth is missing. As you can imagine, everyone is extremely concerned. I need to take a look in your house. Just to eliminate you and your son from the equation. Are you okay with that?”

A hard silence falls, thick and echoing. Edward Graber stares at me as if the news has rendered him speechless. His mouth opens, lips trembling, but he doesn’t make a sound.

Standing next to him, the younger man begins to shake. He’s clutching the gloves, slapping them against his thigh as if he wants to hit something. I think about his temper. His lack of self-control.

“You think my son did that?” Edward asks, his voice shaking.

“I think I’d like to get back out there and look for that little girl.” I look from father to son and back to the elder man. “It would be a big help if I could just have a look-see in your house and then I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Go ahead,” Graber says. “But I don’t like these questions.”

“Neither do I.”

I send Glock to the barn. I head toward the house. I hear father and son behind me, but I don’t wait for them. I go through the back door, enter a narrow porch that’s been enclosed and is being used as a mudroom. Boots lined up on the floor to my right. I pick up a rubber boot, check it for blood, check the tread. The size, which is thirteen. I look at the coats hung on wood dowels. Dry and clean. No blood.

The kitchen is a mess, but it’s the kind of mess that’s the result of two men living in close quarters without a woman. I tug open a couple of drawers. The only knives I see are cheap steak knives. I go to the living room. No sign of anything out of place. No footprints. Nothing that looks as if it would belong to a little girl.

There’s a single bedroom at the rear of the house. Large. A full-size bed. Faded Amish quilt. No closet. I look under the bed. Nothing. I check the bathroom. It’s filthy, but again, it’s normal wear and tear. I check the hamper. No bloody clothes or towels. I make eye contact with Edward and then take the steps to the second level.

There are two bedrooms upstairs. The first has a twin-size bed. A ratty blanket. A horse saddle on the floor. Another pair of boots. No closet. Nothing under the bed. The second room is littered with boxes. A woman’s dress hangs from a dowel on the wall. A kapp, strings hanging down. Mrs. Graber’s things, I think, and I take the steps back to the first level.

Edward and his son stand in the kitchen. The older man looks perturbed. Big Eddie looks on the verge of tears. “I ain’t done nothin’ wrong,” he whines.

I ignore him. “Is there a basement?” I ask.

The older man shakes his head. “No.”

I take a moment to make eye contact with both of them. “I’m going to have a deputy take a look around the pasture and field. Is that all right with you?”

“That’s fine,” says the elder.

“I appreciate your cooperation,” I say, and then I’m through the door.

Glock meets me at the Explorer. “Anything interesting in the barn?” I ask.

“Just a girlie magazine up in the loft, Chief.”

Rolling my eyes, I put the vehicle in gear and start down the lane.

I’ve just made the turn onto Township Road 4 when my cell chirps. I tug it out of my pocket, glance at the display. T.J. “Chief, I’m out here at Dick Howard’s place on Township Road 14 and Goat Head Road. Dick says he saw a pickup truck he didn’t recognize drive past his place right about the time the kid went missing.”

My interest surges. That intersection is just down the road from the Schattenbaum place. “Make or model?”

“No and no. Said he glanced out the kitchen window when he was fixing a sandwich and didn’t pay much attention.”

I think about the tire tread marks. “Full-size pickup?”

“Yeah.”

“Color?”

“Light. White or tan.”