Wicked Legacy (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 10) Read online

  Praise for Serenity’s Plain Secrets

  “A well-crafted tale of murder begotten by the collision of two incompatible worlds.” Kirkus Reviews

  “Lamb to the Slaughter was an easy, enjoyable read that I completely enjoyed. I was over the moon excited to hear that there will be more books in this series. Serenity and Daniel will solve cases involving Amish communities throughout the Midwest!” Caffeinated Book Reviewer

  “I would highly, highly recommend this one…From the mystery, the characters and the writing this is a fantastic book! I can’t wait for book two!” Lose Time Reading

  “From the prologue to the last chapters, Lamb to the Slaughter had me instantly hooked. Ms. Hopkins is a master at pacing and setting up her stories in a way that has readers connected to both the characters and the story line.” Love-Life-Read

  “This book had it all!! Murder, mystery, forbidden romance and left you needing to read the next book in the series ASAP!! Loved this book!” Curling Up With a Good Book

  “Karen Ann Hopkins has delivered with Lamb to the Slaughter. I love the uniqueness she brings to the mystery genre, and I will DEFINITELY be reading more from her in the future.” Unabridged Bookshelf

  “The characters are complex and dimensional, whether they have a large or smaller part to play in this story, and it really added such a richness that I enjoyed.” Bewitched Bookworms

  “Lamb to the Slaughter is a must read for fans of mystery novels. Karen Ann Hopkins made me a fan with her YA Temptation series, and she’s made me an even bigger fan with this murder mystery.” Actin’ Up With Books

  “An intriguing tale full of mystery and suspense.... LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER had me thinking and rethinking the entire time.” I Read Indie!

  “I’m so glad that this is going to be a series; because it’s one of the greatest murder mysteries that I’ve read in a long time.” Little Miss Drama Queen

  “Simply put Karen Ann Hopkins, takes her readers to a new level of Amish fiction and suspense.” Deitre Helvey Owens at Once Upon a Twilight

  “Lamb to the Slaughter will keep you at the edge of your seat. Don’t miss this nail-biting experience!” Her Book Thoughts

  “Lamb to the Slaughter is a stunningly suspenseful read that will have you flipping pages long after bedtime. You won’t want to miss it!” Bittersweet Enchantment

  “Whispers from the Dead is my favorite book so far this year!” Unabridged Bookshelf

  “I give Whispers from the Dead a 5 out of 5! This installment explores how big city problems don’t necessarily stay in the big city…it makes for a steamy and seductive read.” Bewitched Bookworms

  “Loved this book! This book gives you everything…kids buying illegal narcotics, revenge burnings, overdoses, secrets, lies, kidnapping and several shootings, and all in one northern touristy Amish community.” Curling Up With a Good Book

  © 2021 Karen Ann Hopkins

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 9798741666425 (paperback)

  Books by Karen Ann Hopkins

  Serenity’s Plain Secrets

  in reading order

  LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER

  WHISPERS FROM THE DEAD

  SECRETS IN THE GRAVE

  HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

  PAPER ROSES

  FORBIDDEN WAYS (a romantic companion novel)

  EVIL IN MY TOWN

  UNHOLY GROUND

  SWEET REGRETS (a romantic companion novel)

  BLOODY TIES

  THE WIDOW

  WICKED LEGACY

  BLOOD ROCK (coming in 2021)

  Wings of War

  in reading order

  EMBERS

  GAIA

  TEMPEST

  ETERNITY

  The Temptation Novels

  in reading order

  TEMPTATION

  BELONGING

  FOREVER

  DECEPTION

  JOURNEY (coming in 2021)

  Willow Creek (in partnership with HarperCollins/One More Chapter)

  For you, Larry and Tammy. Family is everything. Thank you for being supportive, always kindhearted, and introducing me to The Serenity Prayer. Love you both!

  The Serenity Prayer:

  God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. –Reinhold Niebuhr

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’m always grateful to Heather Miller for her stellar proofreading skills and Jenny Zemanek of Seedlings Design Studio for the gorgeous covers! Appreciation to Ricbre for the beta read and her insightful suggestions. EbookPbook provided the formatting of this book.

  Preface

  June 29, 2000

  Melinda King peddled as fast as she could even though her legs ached and her lilac colored, polyester dress was damp with sweat. The small breeze made from her gliding movement didn’t alleviate the sweltering heat. Tree branches were still, birds weren’t singing, and there was little activity on the roadway. Summer had arrived with an abrupt hot spell that Melinda normally wouldn’t have minded. She loved the warmer months. It was when she got to go down to the river after chores for a swim. And swimming was one of her favorite things to do.

  Melinda was slender and athletic. Working on her aunt and uncle’s dairy farm for the past six years had given her a strong, athletic body. She didn’t mind the work either. Melinda enjoyed caring for the cows, and the early routine suited her just fine. She’d celebrated her eighteenth birthday a few days earlier with a pretty pink strawberry cake made by her aunt, and a small gathering of family and friends. One of those friends in attendance had been the handsome Mark Yoder. Only a year older than her, Mark had started to show her favor during the wintertime, but their courtship had not truly begun until May when he’d finally asked her uncle for permission to court her. Melinda enjoyed Mark’s company, although she wouldn’t admit to being overly fond of him yet. Mark was a little arrogant, and even though he worked hard on his family’s construction crew, he tended to procrastinate on important matters, like buying a new buggy horse when his gelding was having lameness issues—or beginning to court a girl he’d been sweet on for over four years. Melinda took some comfort in the fact that at least he’d gotten around to asking, and their romantic journey had officially started.

  Life was good enough. At least it had been until a half hour ago when Melinda had spotted the black SUV parked at the top of the driveway leading down to the schoolhouse. She’d volunteered to assist her friend, Patricia, with the classes that day since Patricia’s usual helper had gotten a nasty bite when the poor girl had fallen into the family’s pig pen. It had already been a busy day. She’d woken extra early, feeding the cows and finishing her barn chores before the sun had even come up. The bike ride to the schoolhouse had been tedious and supervising the two dozen students hadn’t been much better. By the time Melinda had opened the schoolhouse doors to allow the children some fresh air and exercise, she was exhausted. Normally, Melinda didn’t pay much attention to the goings-on of the Englishers, but this vehicle’s license plates caught her eye, making her heart rate soar and prompting her to sprint to her bike and follow the well-worn path through the trees to Burkey Road.

  Nevada. The plates said Nevada. Miranda replayed the information over and over in her head on her mad dash home. She felt her white cap loosening from the greater speed she pushed herself to reach, but she didn’t bother to press the pins that held it in place further into her bun. T
here wasn’t time enough for even that simple gesture. When the gravel driveway to the dairy farm burst into view, she blew out a little breath of relief. She was almost there.

  Bumping over the small stones, she made her way directly to the telephone shed. Jumping off the bike, she let it drop onto the ground unceremoniously, and bolted inside the small, white-boarded building. Her hand had barely closed around the telephone receiver when she heard the door slam shut behind her.

  Melinda whirled around, letting go of her only chance of escape to clutch her hands to her chest. “What do you want?” she nearly shouted.

  One of the men that faced her was middle aged and balding. His round gut heaved as if he too had sprinted into the shed. The other man looked only to be a few years older than herself. His muscular, wiry frame told Melinda that she couldn’t fight this man or make a run for it. The hard set to his square jaw let her know that there wouldn’t be any sweet talking her way out of it with him either. The thing that mainly made her heart thump madly was that these two weren’t Amish.

  “You know what we want,” the older man said after catching his breath. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.”

  Melinda swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “How did you find me?” she said quietly, working to keep her voice from cracking.

  The hard-faced man snorted. “You might be pretty enough, but I really hope you ain’t as dumb witted as that.”

  Melinda’s lips stopped trembling and her legs weren’t as weak as they were a moment ago. She might be many things, but she wasn’t dumb. The sickly feeling in her stomach turned to fire as she glared back at the man. He returned her hostile look with his own expression of admiration.

  “Did any of my people send you here?” Melinda asked, becoming stronger by the minute.

  It was the heavy-set man who answered her. “When you were nowhere to be found in Mt. Carmel, we did a little detective work and discovered your family had relations here in Blood Rock.” His twisted smile made Melinda numb inside. “I believe your aunt and uncle own this farm, and one of the ministers, Aaron Esch, is a second cousin of yours. It made sense to come here first. But we had a list of other communities to visit if you didn’t turn up in this one.”

  Melinda swallowed again. Her mouth was dry. She only had one more chance to change her destiny. Her parents, some relatives, and even Aaron had already donated the money to save her. The thick wad of bills was in an envelope, tucked safely away between her mattress and the bedspring in her bedroom.

  “I have money. A lot of money. I’ll give it to you if you leave me here—”

  The older man shook his head, still smiling. The younger one took several steps to reach Melinda in a blur. He grabbed her arm, jerking her even closer. She tried to struggle, but his grip was like steel. When she quieted, his gaze traveled the length of Melinda, prompting her to close her eyes and silently pray to God for a miracle. “Do you think you’re the first King girl who’s tried to bribe us?” He brought his mouth to her ear. “There’s nothing more valuable than your body, you know that. Over time, you’ll earn out a hell of a lot more than your traitorous family might have raised.” His voice became more coaxing. “It will be easier on you if you if you accept your fate and come willingly.”

  Melinda’s eyes popped open. Shards of afternoon sunlight streamed in through the only small window in the shed. The light caught particles of dust floating in the air. Her captor’s breath was too close, and she saw the beads of sweat trickling down the sides of his forehead. This had always been inevitable. Her family attempted to hide her—to save her—but they had failed.

  Melinda knew this day was coming, and mentally, she’d somewhat prepared for it.

  She lifted her chin high, watching both men closely. She would learn their names, and in time, she’d become their friends. She couldn’t stop what was going to happen to her, but there were ways that she could improve her circumstances. Ways to gain some control over her future.

  She dropped her head, keeping her eyes glued to the wooden floor. “I’m done fighting. No need to hurt my arm.” Lifting her eyes just a notch, she glanced up under her long lashes to glimpse the hard-faced man. It was difficult to pull off the flirty look under the circumstances, but she did the best she could.

  “What’s your name?”

  The man let go as the corner of his mouth softened, rising into a smirk. “I think you’re going to do really well, Melinda King.”

  1

  October 1st, 2016

  I didn’t think I’d ever seen Marshal Toby Bryant without his cowboy hat on. As I plucked a fry off my plate, I searched my memories. Nope. Even when we’d run for our lives through Ogden’s forest, the man’s hat hadn’t come loose. It made me wonder if he took it off in the shower.

  “When was the last time you took off that hat, Marshal?” I tried not to smirk but was not successful.

  Toby’s brows arched as he cocked his head. “There are only two events that usually get me to take it off. Washing up and—”

  I cut in. “Don’t go there.” I held up my hand, shooting Toby a warning glare and then glanced at Bobby. Blood Rock’s coroner was barely paying attention to us. He was too busy sifting through the pile of files in front of him.

  Nancy’s Diner wasn’t crowded at this late hour, and only a few patrons occupied any of the tables close to our booth. A mixture of bright red plastic seats, wooden chairs, and the retro black and white checkered flooring gave the restaurant a cheerful vibe. Behind the counter was a mural of downtown Blood Rock. I often found myself staring at it while I ate. Lampposts beyond the windows shined brightly, lighting up Main Street. The wind had picked up enough to send dainty-looking leaves spiraling through the air. Autumn was my favorite time of the year. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to enjoy the crisp air and colorful Indiana landscape today. I’d been too preoccupied with the Marshal’s sudden visit. Now that we’d eaten most of our dinner and cracked a few jokes, I was ready to hear why Toby was here in the first place.

  I pushed my plate aside and after taking a sip of cola, I leveled a hard look at him. “So, what gives? You must have a better reason for coming to town other than a nice homestyle meal at Nancy’s.”

  Toby leaned back and chuckled. “Don’t forget the pleasant company.”

  Bobby finally raised his head, twirling the end of his white mustache between his fingertips. “As much time as Marshal Bryant spends here in Blood Rock, maybe you should offer the man a job, Serenity.”

  I snorted and Toby continued to smile. “Oh, I don’t know. I might be tempted, but I rather enjoy roaming too much to settle down in one jurisdiction,” he said.

  I figured the lawman was being sarcastic, but with Toby, it was hard to tell. He was a workaholic, and he didn’t seem to have many family or friends besides the handful of us here in Blood Rock who he’d latched onto for some reason. The marshal seemed to really like our little town. Lord knows there was more than enough criminal activity here to keep anyone in law enforcement busy.

  “Seriously, Toby. When we talked on the phone the other day, you mentioned Melinda King. Did you really find her?” I was starting to lose patience.

  “I sure did. You’ll never in a million years guess where.” Toby’s smug look irritated me.

  Daniel had hauled construction materials to a jobsite that evening. Glancing at the wall clock above the counter, I figured he was probably close to home by now. The job kept me away so much that when I finally had a little free time, I wanted to spend it with my husband. Now that we were officially in baby-making mode, the time was very well spent.

  Wiping the smile quickly off my face, I raised a sterner gaze at Toby. “I don’t play guessing games. You ought to know that by now.”

  Toby gave a small shake of his head and crossed his arms on the table. “A brothel. I found the bishop’s long-lost Amish runaway i
n a Nevada brothel.”

  He had managed to thoroughly shock me, which wasn’t an easy thing to do. I leaned forward, my heart racing a bit. “You’re kidding? She’s a prostitute?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bobby had perked up, but I kept my attention on Toby.

  “She runs the damn place. Melinda King is the Madam at the Wild Colt Ranch,” Toby said.

  “Unbelievable,” I muttered. “Bishop Esch must have figured the girl would end up in a bad place or he wouldn’t have given you the mission of tracking her down.”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s such a bad place, Serenity.” He smirked back at me. “I can guarantee she makes a hell of a lot more money than you do.” He nodded at Bobby. “More than you, too.”

  “It’s not just about money. Surely, you of all people understand that,” I countered. “What she’s doing is illegal in every single state except Nevada.”

  Toby scrunched up his mouth. “That’s true, but it’s all business at the Wild Colt.”

  “Couldn’t you have told me about this on the phone? I would have related the information to the bishop, for the good it would do him.” I took another sip of my cola and slumped back. It wasn’t surprising that sex workers earned more than law enforcers.

  “If that’s all there was to it, yeah, a phone call would have sufficed,” Toby said.

  Adrenaline surged through my veins. My personal experience had been that whenever an ex-Amish person was involved in a case, things were bound to get wild. “Go on. I’m listening.”

  “My investigation led me straight to Nevada, where I went undercover to find out exactly what Ms. King has been up to all of these years—”

  I interrupted. “When did she leave the community?”

  “Summer of 2000. Melinda King had just turned eighteen. Her backstory is interesting as well. When she was twelve years old, she moved from her home in the Mt. Carmel Amish settlement to live with relatives in Blood Rock.”