Page 25 of An Evil Heart
“Do you think Fisher is capable of violence?” I ask.
He tightens his mouth as if reluctant to say. “He’s an asshole. He’s a mean drunk. Saw him get into it a few times over the years.”
“With who?”
“Just those clowns he hangs out with. I saw him get in a fight once at the Brass Rail, too. He’s a dirty fighter.”
I write all of it down. “Can you tell me how you spent your morning this morning?”
“Me?” His face darkens. “You think I…” He cuts the words short, looks down, shakes his head. “Maybe you ought to be asking Vernon Fisher that,” he snaps.
“Everyone gets asked,” I tell him. “Including you.”
He raises his head, looks from me to Skid and back to me. “I went to work, like always. You can check with anyone there. Left the house around six thirty or so and drove straight there. Clocked in at seven.”
“Did Aden have a cell phone?” I ask.
“No, but he was going to get one,” he tells me.
“How long had he been onrumspringa?” I ask.
He recognizes my pronunciation and looks at me a little more closely. “You’re the cop used to be Amish.”
I nod.
After a moment, he shrugs. “Aden started running around three or four months ago. I mean, he was twenty-one. Past time to have a little fun if you ask me. But talk about a fish out of water. Early on, the guy didn’t even know how to drink. You know how it is when you’re Amish. You go from living a godly life to hanging with the devil. I reckon I corrupted him.” He laughs, but there’s a shudder in his voice, as if his emotions are still too close to the surface. “He liked the freedom and all, but I figured he was going to get baptized pretty quick. He was seeing that Byler girl.”
“Emily Byler?”
He nods. “Aden was pretty smitten with her.”
“Do they get along?” I ask.
“They were tight. Everyone figured they were going to get married.”
“Did Aden see any other women?”
He looks away, shoves his hands into his pockets, and shrugs.
“Wayne?”
He sighs. “He might’ve… you know, seen one or two over the last few months. English girls, you know.” A ruddy hue climbs into his cheeks. “Look, he’s a guy. He’d just discovered his freedom. He liked women, if you know what I mean.”
“Any angry boyfriends?” I ask. “Or husbands?”
“No, ma’am, nothing like that. I mean, he’s pretty discreet about stuff like that. Especially since he was Amish and… you know, seeing Emily and all.”
“Do you have any of their names?” I ask. “The women he was with?”
“No, ma’am.”
I shove the notebook into my pocket. “Do you mind if we take a quick look around?”
His eyes skate from mine to Skid and back to me. “If you think it’ll help…”
He seems surprised by the request, so I add, “With your permission to search, I can forgo getting a warrant. That’ll save us some time. The sooner we can find the person responsible and get him off the street, the better for everyone involved.”
“Sure, just… do whatever you need to do. I’ll let you in.”
