What the Bishop Saw , livre ebook

BOOKS BY VANNETTA CHAPMAN
T HE A MISH B ISHOP M YSTERIES
What the Bishop Saw
When the Bishop Needs an Alibi
Who the Bishop Knows

P LAIN AND S IMPLE M IRACLES
Brian s Choice
(ebook-only novella prequel)
Anna s Healing
Joshua s Mission
Sarah s Orphans

T HE P EBBLE C REEK A MISH S ERIES
A Promise for Miriam
A Home for Lydia
A Wedding for Julia
Home to Pebble Creek
(free short story e-romance)
Christmas at Pebble Creek
(free short story e-romance)

T HE R EMNANT
Overshadowed (free ebook short story)
Deep Shadows
Raging Storm
Light of Dawn
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Scripture quotations are taken from
The Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The New Life Version, Christian Literature International.
Cover by Bryce Williamson
Cover photos Brian Brown, ulimi. Oleg Saenko / iStock
Published in association with the literary agency of The Steve Laube Agency, LLC, 5025 N. Central Ave., #635, Phoenix, Arizona, 85012.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
WHAT THE BISHOP SAW
Copyright 2017 by Vannetta Chapman
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-6647-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-6648-1 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Chapman, Vannetta, author.
Title: What the bishop saw / Vannetta Chapman.
Description: Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2017. | Series: The Amish bishop mysteries; 1
Identifiers: LCCN 2016041355 (print) | LCCN 2016048106 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736966474 (softcover) | ISBN 9780736966481 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Amish-Fiction. | Clergy-Fiction. | Murder-Investigation-Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Christian / Suspense. | FICTION / Christian / Romance. | GSAFD: Christian fiction. | Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3603.H3744 W48 2017 (print) | LCC PS3603.H3744 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6-dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016041355
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
For My Friday Morning Prayer Breakfast Group
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is dedicated to my Friday Morning Prayer Breakfast Group. Ladies, you cannot possibly know how much I look forward to that weekly hour together-high-carb food, good friends, plenty of laughter, and the sweet offering of prayer.
I d like to thank the awesome staff at Harvest House. You all make the sometimes perilous job of writing a real pleasure. Gratitude to my agent, Steve Laube, who answers emails promptly and succinctly. As usual, I owe a giant debt of gratitude to my pre-readers Kristy Kreymer and Janet Murphy. You two ladies have eagle-sharp eyes and a good ear for how a sentence should sound. I also appreciate Patti Gallagher s input and her patience in answering my many questions about the Monte Vista, Colorado, area.
My family continues to support me through this journey. I wouldn t even attempt to do such a thing as write a novel without them. I love you guys.
I also would like to express my appreciation to my readers, who impatiently wait for the next book, devour it in a single day, and then email me asking when the next one will be available. You all are awesome!
And finally, Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).
Contents
Books by Vannetta Chapman
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Chapter Seventy-Six
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-One
Chapter Eighty-Two
Epilogue
Discussion Questions
Glossary
Recipes
Green Bean Casserole
Das Dutchman Essenhaus Raspberry Cream Pie
Apple Cinnamon French Toast
Amish Cheesy Casserole
Carrot Cake
Amish Coffee Cake
Peanut Butter Spread
Author s Note
About the Author
Find New Friends in the Women of Pebble Creek
Discover Stories of God s Unexpected Grace and Provision
All It Takes Is One Night to Plunge the World into Darkness
Ready to Discover More?
About the Publisher
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace in its various forms.
1 P ETER 4:10

Of all the senses, sight must be the most delightful.
H ELEN K ELLER
Prologue
Goshen, Indiana
H enry Lapp needed an escape.
He sat at the kitchen table, his chin propped on his hands, staring out the window at his brothers and sister. That was where he should be, in the field, playing ball. One glance at his mother told him that was not going to happen, which didn t stop him from arguing about it. At twelve years old, he d learned parents could sometimes be persuaded if one nagged with determination.
I promise not to bat.
Absolutely not.
I ll stand in the outfield. No one ever gets a ball to the outfield.
It s not going to happen. And baseball. I never want to see you playing baseball again. It s not up for discussion, Henry.
And yet we are discussing it, ya ? So maybe there s a possibility. He offered his crooked smile, the one that always made her laugh, but it did nothing to diminish the worry lines around his mother s eyes.
You ve been home three days, Henry. Only three days after what? Three weeks in the hospital?
He gingerly touched the side of his head. The stitches were gone. As for the three weeks, he remembered very little of that time since he d spent much of it in a medically induced coma.
His mother sat down beside him and waited until he turned his gaze from the window to look at her. You almost died, Henry. Your dat and I sat by your hospital bed, not knowing if you would wake up.
I m better now.
And we praise Gotte for that every night, but you will follow the doctor s orders. She said for you to take it easy for a few weeks.
Weeks?
Getting sick is easy. Getting well is the trick.
Not a gut time for proverbs, Mamm .
The best time for a proverb is when you think you don t need one.
But I m bored.
How about you write your mammi ?
I did that yesterday. Besides, writing feels like school, and it s summertime.
I ll have dinner ready in an hour. Until then, you can draw her a picture. She stood and turned back to the stove, and he knew the discussion was over.
At least he d given it his best try. He fetched a large sheet of construction paper and a pencil from the supply his mother kept near the table for school projects. He paused to consider what he should draw. Mammi was always asking about their church dinners. She missed the folks in Goshen since moving to Illinois to help one of his onkels . He would draw the picnic they d had the day before. He bent over the sheet of paper and set to work.
And then his father was coming in the back door asking about dinner, and his brothers were trooping in the front talking about the baseball game, and his little sister was standing beside him.
Look what Henry drew, Mamm . I can see me! And I can see my doll too.
That s great, honey. Now wash your hands.
Henry pushed the sheet of paper away and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he felt tired, as if he d been clutching the pencil for hours. How long had he been drawing? Before he could work out the answer to that question, his three brothers stepped behind his chair.
Whoa.
That s a little spooky.
Mamm , you d better come look at this.
Henry wasn t entirely sure what they were talking