They traveled in silence to the old doors at the end of the long corridor that connected the safe house to the bishop’s home. Adriel Schrock, the oldest female on the farm, waited on a wooden bench outside Council Hall as usual.
The female was almost five hundred years old, two hundred years older than some of The Elders on The Council, but she was a female and, therefore, not invited to attend council meetings. However, she never missed a summit, even if she could only attend from the outer side of a closed door.
Eavesdropping was her way of staying abreast of The Order’s political business. Although she was on the outside, she was an extremely powerful immortal. Jonas had no doubt she heard every whispered word from within the hall.
“Good evening, Adriel.” He nodded as he passed.
“Jonas.” Her shrewd gaze followed him, and he resisted the urge to twitch under her scrutiny. Adriel had been around for a long time and would be able to spot any subtle changes.
Holding the door for his son, Jonas stepped inside and let the heavy oak creek shut with an echoing thud. His stare immediately found his father, Ezekiel, on The Elders’ bench. The bishop’s empty seat did not go unnoticed.
“Welcome, Brother Jonas. Brother Adam,” Abraham Gerig, the eldest male member of The Council, greeted. He would be presiding over the meeting in the bishop’s stead.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Jonas replied, taking a seat on one of the many pews that faced The Council.
“We ask that you join us up here, Brother Jonas.” Abraham gestured to an isolated chair set before The Council. “We would like to get started straight away. There is much to discuss this evening.”
There was a tiredness in Abraham’s eyes that marked his time on this earth. However, the Gerig family was not a long lineage. After losing his mate on the ship over from Europe three centuries back, the Gerig clan had ceased to grow.
“Of course.” Jonas casually moved toward the designated chair, disguising his pain and blanking his mind from curious eavesdroppers nearby. He kept his expression friendly and greeted Abraham, “Good day, brother. May I ask of your family? I assume Abigail is well.”
It was only Abraham and his daughter Abigail living in the Gerig house. The girl had become a source of pity for most members of The Order. At two hundred and seventy-some years, she had the autonomy of a child. Abraham rarely let his daughter out of his sight. He was old, alone, and eternally set in his ways. Jonas briefly regretted that the bishop would not be questioning him this night.
“No need for niceties. Let us move this along,” Abraham grumbled.
Jonas took the seat at the front end of the room to face the others and removed his hat.
“Let the record state that on this second Tuesday of November, The Council is questioning Jonas Hartzler, son of Council Elder Ezekiel Hartzler, on the whereabouts of his daughter Larissa Hartzler Hostetler, wife of Silus Hostetler.” Abraham folded his hands and set his stare to Jonas. “Questioning will begin with Council Elder Damascus Hostetler, father of Silus Hostetler. Do you object, Brother Jonas?”
“No, sir.” There was no doubt in Jonas’s mind that Silus had instructed his father on precisely what to ask.
“Very well. You may begin, Brother Damascus.”
Damascus Hostetler faced Jonas, his chair creaking in the quiet room. “Jonas, when was the last time you saw your daughter Larissa?”
“The evening of my son Adam’s wedding.”
“And when was that exactly?”
“The last Tuesday of this past August.”
“Was that the same day that your other son, Cain, left the farm?”
“Yes, but I believe Cain and Larissa did not leave together. Cain had been injured, and Silus removed Larissa from the situation and took her home immediately. That was the last I saw her.”
“Are there any other witnesses to Cain’s presence post-Larissa’s absence?”
“Yes. Bishop Eleazar King can vouch for my son’s presence at the farm late that evening. He was retaining Cain in a cell.”
“Let the record show that the bishop is not present to concur.”
Ezekiel interjected on his family’s behalf. “Let the record also show that Bishop King’s personal log will note that while my grandson was in his custody, he was also released that same evening. I beg your pardon, early the following morning, after my granddaughter was declared missing by her husband, Brother Silus Hostetler.”
“Very well,” Damascus stated, turning back to Jonas. “Did your daughter speak to you or your wife about possibly running away?”
“No.”
“You seem awfully certain of that. Perhaps you should take a moment before speaking for your wife with such conviction.”
“I do not need a moment to think. I know my wife. She keeps no secrets from me. Neither she nor I had any knowledge of Larissa’s intentions to leave the farm.”
“Is it true that the evening of her disappearance, the vehicle from your son Adam’s journey into the suburbs also disappeared?”