[Jessica] You may be holding a vital piece of evidence.
What I'm holding is the pitchfork that killed Jacob Beiler.
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
Well, you finally mastered the violence that shamed you.
Wanna step outside and see?
When I left the barn last night,
I thought I heard someone outside.
You'll arrest me? On what charge?
I didn't kill Jacob.
Then you've got nothing to worry about.
Papa?
Papa!
It's not the baby.
Something terrible has happened.
An offense against God's most holy law.
[cheerful orchestral music]
[man] Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!
Go!
Hyah! Hyah!
Go! Go!
Hyah! Hyah!
Onward! Hyah!
[rooster crowing]
[gentle music]
[cows mooing]
[Jessica] It's beautiful, isn't it?
It's like stepping back in time.
I imagine these farms haven't changed much in 100 years.
Neither have the people who work them.
Oh, sorry. I forgot you don't smoke.
Well, fortunately, it's a habit
that I never acquired, although my husband, Frank,
used to smoke a pipe now and then.
So did my father.
He carved it himself out of some cherry wood.
Aw, Frank would have envied him.
He had a real appreciation for handmade things.
-Must run in the family. -[Jessica chuckles]
Traveling 50 miles to buy a quilt?
Well, not just a quilt.
A handmade Amish quilt
for my nephew's anniversary.
You know, but honestly, Reuben,
you didn't have to spend your Sunday driving me out here.
I mean, you're my publisher's liaison man, not my chauffeur.
It's really above the call of duty.
[laughs] Not if I can get you to take a quick look
at those contracts our New York office faxed.
Besides, as long as you're in Philadelphia,
your comfort and convenience
-are my top priorities. -[horse whinnies]
-Reuben! -[tires skidding]
[wood cracking]
[dramatic music]
Mrs. Fletcher, are you all right?
Well, I'll survive. What about you?
-Fine. -[horse whinnying frantically]
As soon as I chew out the kid who did this.
Hey!
-Hyah! -Hey, stop!
Hey! Come back!
Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!
Hyah! Hyah!
-Hyah! Hyah! -[Reuben] God.
-Go! Hyah! -Stupid Amish kid.
I just hope he didn't break the front axle.
Otherwise we're in for a walk.
-[groans] -Reuben, what is it?
-[exhales] -What is it?
My back. Muscle spasm.
Is there something that I can do?
You don't have a muscle relaxer on you, do you?
[sighs]
I'm going to go and get help. I'll be back as soon as I can.
Before we ask the Lord
to end the drought that plagues our land,
let us offer up a silent prayer
to reaffirm our faith
in His judgment and mercy.
[knocking at door]
-Oh, I'm so sorry to disturb you. -We are at worship.
Any souvenirs you want you'll have to purchase in town.
Oh, I don't want souvenirs.
-I need help. -What is it, Jacob?
Oh, forgive me, but there's been an accident.
A young man driving a buggy forced our car off the road,
and my--my friend has been injured.
Oh, hitch up your wagon, Jacob.
Please, please come in.
Thank you.
There has been an accident.
-[people gasping] -A buggy and car.
Jacob is getting his wagon, but we may need help.
[men speaking German]
Excuse me, please.
This accident, you said a young man was driving the buggy?
-Yes, yes. -He's hurt?
No. At least he didn't seem to be when he drove away.
He was not hurt?
And he did not stay to help?
Well, I think that he was more shaken than we were.
Danke.
If you would ride with me, please, we can lead the way.
Oh, yes, of course. Thank you.
Bishop Burkhart, I thought this might be of use.
Oh, ja. Good, Mrs. Beiler.
Bring it and come with us.
[indistinct chatter]
[groaning]
Reuben! It's Jessica.
I've brought help.
[soft dramatic music]
The wagon is ready.
Hello, Jacob.
Perhaps if you could get him to the house and call a doctor.
We are Amish.
I'm afraid the nearest phone is halfway into town.
Well, there must be something that we can do.
There are some herbs that might help.
Bring him to the house. I'll gather some.
[Jacob] No, Rebecca.
This man is shunned.
Take him to the house.
He'll be better once he gets some rest.
Oh, no, please, let me do this.
Oh, only if I can help.
You know, I really appreciate this, Mrs. Beiler.
You know, not many people would bother to help someone
they didn't even know,
although I do take it that Reuben Stoltz
is hardly a stranger around here.
Well, he was born and raised in the faith.
We grew up together.
Reuben is Amish?
Not anymore.
When a man turns his face from God, he must be shunned.
The bishop lifted his shunning until he's able to leave.
Well, I imagine that will partially depend
on the condition of Reuben's car.
Were you able to tell how badly it was damaged?
Work is verboten on the Sabbath.
Oh, yes, yes, of course.
I was just telling your wife
how very kind people have been.
So if you will point me in the direction of town,
I will find a garage to send a tow truck.
The only garage in town is closed on Sundays.
Oh?
Really? Well, um...
[Rebecca] You and Reuben are welcome to stay
until Jacob can take you to town in the morning.
Rebecca.
Oh, that's awfully kind,
but really, we--we can't impose.
Oh, it's no imposition.
Christ bade us put charity above all else.
Isn't that so?
[dramatic music]
My wife is right.
Christian charity demands our hospitality.
[Jessica] You know, I don't think I've ever tasted
an apple dumpling quite like this.
-What do you call it? -Schnitz und knepp.
Well, it's delicious. [chuckles]
Well, it's plain but nourishing.
[Reuben] Huh. It reminds me of that joke we played on Daniel Schuler.
[both laughing]
Joke?
[Reuben] I was pitching a softball game.
When Daniel came up to bat,
I switched the ball for a whitewashed apple.
-[both chuckle] -I'll never forget
the look on Daniel's face when he whacked that ball
and it splattered all over the place.
[both laugh]
It's a sin wasting an apple
God intended us to eat.
Well, I'm sure the Lord wouldn't begrudge a harmless joke.
No, but Jacob would, wouldn't you?
Seems like some things never change.
You being perhaps the best example?
Or have you finally mastered the violence that shamed you?
-Want to step outside and see? -Reuben, please.
[horse whinnies]
[knocking at door]
Franz, Ethan. Please, come in.
-Guten abend, Rebecca. -Guten abend.
Mrs. Fletcher, this is our neighbor
Franz Kaufmann and his son, Ethan.
Ethan?
[chuckles] You've grown.
I didn't recognize you when you nearly ran us down.
You're still free with your accusations, Reuben?
Mrs. Fletcher, you saw him too.
Yes, I'm sorry to say I did.
We wouldn't come at supper, but...
Ethan has something to say.
I didn't mean to. Honest, Reuben.
I didn't see you till it was too late.
I was just so...
Anyhow, I'm sorry,
and whatever the cost to fix the car, I'll pay.
Thank you, Ethan.
Seems fair to me.
[Jacob] Ethan!
You haven't heard from me yet.
I'm sorry for leaving worship,
but I'd heard all that before.
I spoke for your benefit.
I'm tired of hearing that all young people are unworthy.
Ethan!
You should discipline the boy.
A two-month curfew will give him time to repent.
Two months?
[horse whinnying]
Two months is too long, Jacob.
Spare the rod, spoil the child.
All I have since Esther died is that child.
I tell you plain.
Whatever it takes,
I will not let you drive him away.
[solemn music]
We go.
You go, Papa. I'm going to walk.
Ethan...
you were wrong.
It is God's will that you do this thing.
No, Papa.
It is Jacob Beiler's will.
He speaks for God.
Then he speaks for a God...
I want no part of.
-Do not blaspheme. -Papa!
Can't you see what he is?
He's cold, self-righteous, mean-spirited.
Reuben was right to get away.
Is that what you will do? Run away?
Then you are no son of mine.
Papa, please.
He doesn't leave me any choice.
The old ways, Papa,
they're fine for you,
but I'm not going to live my whole life
with someone like Jacob
telling me what I can and cannot do.
[horse whinnies]
[horse chuffs]
Whoa, whoa.
Whoa.
Franz, did I just see Ethan running into the woods?
Ja.
Bishop, you and me, we have to talk.
What is the problem, Franz?
Jacob Beiler is the problem.
He just gave my son a two-month curfew.
Two months?
Ah, I will talk to Jacob.
And will you talk to him one month from now?
And six months from now and a year from now?
He does not speak for God, Bishop.
He speaks only for himself.
Something must be done about him.
That will not be easy.
He is an elder.
For now, ja,
but maybe not for long.
[dramatic music]
The towels are by the basin and fresh soap and water.
Oh, I'll be fine, Rebecca, really.
I wonder what happened to Reuben.
Well, what do you mean?
Well, he said he needed to walk off his dinner,
but that was over an hour ago.
Oh, well, I wouldn't worry about Reuben.
-He has always liked to walk. -Ah.
He knows the land around for miles.
Well, if you're settled, I'm to bed.
-Thank you. -If you do need anything else,
Jacob will be up another hour.
[clock chiming]
-Mrs. Fletcher. -Oh, I'm so sorry.
I didn't mean to disturb you.
But I left my bag somewhere down here.
Ah, there it is.
Well... good night, then.
[horse whinnying]
[rooster crowing]
[soft music]
[birds cawing]
[soft dramatic music]
[dramatic music]
[soft indistinct chatter]
I'll be honest, Mrs. Fletcher.
I've never seen anything like it.
But I can tell you one thing.
Whoever hung Jacob up on that pole
had to be strong, and he had to be an outsider.
An outsider?
Well, the Amish don't believe in violence.
It goes against their religion.
Murder goes against everyone's religion, Sheriff.
Please, trust me, ma'am.
These Amish fellas, they're supposed to let themselves
get beaten to a pulp rather than put up a fight.
Now, I can't see any of them
stabbing somebody with a pitchfork.
Jacob was killed with a pitchfork?
I'm sorry.
I probably shouldn't have mentioned it.
I'd be grateful if you wouldn't also,
at least until the coroner confirms it.
[knocking at door]
[woman] Ah, welcome, Bishop.
-Come in, please. -Oh.
Bec, I came as soon as I heard.
Jacob was a good man.
You can be sure he walks with God.
Thank you, Bishop.
Mrs. Beiler, Rebecca,
I'm sorry. I truly am.
I know it's been a terrible shock,
but I was hoping you might be able to answer a couple of questions.
For God's sake, you see how upset she is!
Can't this wait?
[Sheriff] If it could, I would, but it can't.
Rebecca, can you tell me
when it was you last saw Jacob alive?
Last night.
He stayed down here to count the collection
when I took Mrs. Fletcher up to her room.
I was tired, so I went straight to bed.
That must have been after you went to the barn.
To the barn?
I'm sorry, but I happened to see you
as I was pulling down the shades in my bedroom.
Oh, yes, I remember.
I went to check on Annie.
Annie?
-Who's Annie? -My cat.
Her first litter is due anytime now,
but she was well and I came up to bed.
You turn in too?
Not right away.
I took a walk after dinner, got back about 10:00.
Nobody was up, so I went to bed.
Uh-huh.
So it seems Mrs. Fletcher was the last one to see Jacob
when she came to get her purse about--about 9:00.
And you didn't see or hear anything unusual last night?
Don't you think we would have told you if we had?
[Sheriff] Take it easy, Mr. Stoltz.
A temper like yours can lead to trouble,
but then I guess you know about that.
The Sheriff is only doing his job
as he sees fit, Reuben.
Yeah, well, I've got a job too
and that's seeing Mrs. Fletcher gets back to Philadelphia.
Oh, please, I'm sure that we can work something out.
[Sheriff] No problem.
We've got a bus that leaves for Philadelphia every day at 2:00.
I'll have one of my boys run you into town for a ticket.
Thank you, Sheriff. That's very kind of you.
[Jacob] Thanks anyway, Sheriff, but as soon as my car's fixed,
I'll be driving Mrs. Fletcher back.
You want to get your car fixed, that's fine with me.
About leaving town...
don't even think about it.
Or what?
You'll arrest me?
On what charge? I didn't kill Jacob.
Then you've got nothing to worry about.
[soft dramatic music]
I'm sorry about all this, Mrs. Fletcher.
Here I drive you 50 miles to get a quilt
-and look what you get. -[scoffs]
Please don't worry. I'll be fine.
Well, the least I can do is pay for your ticket.
Nonsense. I would have taken the bus anyway
if you hadn't offered to drive me.
I guess I thought coming home a big shot would prove something.
I don't know.
At least let me pay for the ticket.
Don't be silly.
Now, check with the garage and find out when they can pick up the car,
and then I'll join you when I'm finished, okay?
Okay.
Oh, hello, Ethan.
-May I help you? -Oh, yes, thank you.
Oh, didn't I see you at the prayer meeting yesterday
sitting way off in the back?
Uh, yeah, that was me.
Would you like one of the quilts?
Well, I'd love to bring one
to my nephew and his wife for their wedding anniversary,
but they're all so beautiful. I can't make up my mind,
but I think that I like this one best.
Mm, yeah, that's my favorite too.
Mm-hmm.
Seems very reasonable.
-May I give you a check for it? -Yeah.
I don't want to carry it around with me all day.
Um... would you mind holding it for me until my bus leaves this afternoon?
I'll wrap it and put your name on it, okay?
Thanks.
-I'll give you a hand. -Ah, thank you.
Tell me, when is your baby due?
Oh, are you all right?
[breathing shakily]
Oh, yes, well, why don't we have a little sit-down over here for a minute?
[crying] I'm sorry.
Oh, please, don't apologize.
I've been told that having a baby
can be like an emotional roller coaster, right?
It's not the baby.
Something terrible has happened.
An offense against God's most holy law.
It's about Jacob Beiler, isn't it?
Do the police know who did it?
Oh, not yet, but they're working on it.
Sheriff Haynor says he can find a needle in a haystack,
so it won't take him long to search the barn.
Yes, well, can't help but think
that Sheriff Haynor is exaggerating a little bit,
but I'm sure they're doing their best.
[door clicks]
[women laughing]
[women gasp]
I'll put your package in the back.
Now, if you folks will just
keep the car in line with my truck,
everything will be okay.
Thanks. I don't think it could be done without you.
I feel useless not being able to help.
Glad to be of help.
You just favor a while that back, Reuben.
Well, these mailboxes didn't seem to do your car any good...
[chuckles] or vice versa.
You got a smoke?
Thanks.
Got a light?
You got a problem, Mr. Stoltz?
I thought you might have...
seeing as how we found this out in...
Jacob Beiler's barn.
We also found some hay
stained with what I'm willing to bet
was Jacob's blood.
The only thing we haven't found
is the pitchfork that killed him,
but I sure found the man that used it.
Reuben Stoltz, you're under arrest
for the murder of Jacob Beiler.
[dramatic music]
[handcuffs click]
[Reuben] I've got a lawyer friend who'll tear this case to shreds.
[Jessica] Yes, well, I think that you may have to try to reach him.
He's out of town until tomorrow.
But once he hears, he'll come down on this with both feet.
Well, from the looks of it, he's going to have to.
I know how it looks.
I hated Jacob. Everybody knew that.
But I'm telling you, Mrs. Fletcher, I didn't kill him.
Look, Reuben, I have to admit that I found
the open hostility between you and Jacob very puzzling.
J-Jacob is the man who had me shunned.
Violence is contrary to the Amish laws, Mrs. Fletcher.
Five years ago...
Jacob and I had a fight,
not just words, a physical fight,
and when I couldn't repent my actions...
he had me shunned.
And is that why you went away?
You know what it's like being shunned?
It's like being dead.
People you've known all your life...
people you love...
They can't look at you
or talk to you...
or even sit near you.
It's like you died,
only your body doesn't know it.
It keeps on eating and sleeping
and working
until one day, you wonder why?
What's the point?
[sighs] That's when I left.
About your quarrel with Jacob...
[exhales] it takes two to fight.
Did he defend himself?
Yes, yes, but I nearly killed him.
But why? I mean, what was it about?
He said some things
I still can't repeat.
[sighs]
But I've never touched him since.
Well, unfortunately,
Sheriff Haynor doesn't seem to agree,
and then finding your cigarette lighter in the barn
didn't help him to change his mind.
I already told him I had a cigarette
in the barn last night after my walk.
I must have forgotten my lighter on my way to bed.
Well, in that case, since no one else smokes,
I'm sure that the police
will find the cigarette butt to prove it.
Uh... no.
I mean, I tossed the cigarette outside on my way back to the house,
and with all the comings and goings this morning,
I doubt the police are ever going to find it.
You may be right.
[scoffs] But I can't help thinking
that you know more than you're saying.
-Are you accusing me too? -No.
No, I want to help you, Reuben.
But to do that,
you're going to have to trust me with the truth.
You want the truth?
I didn't kill him!
That's the truth.
[dramatic music]
[Rebecca] Reuben's in jail?
That's why I came back.
I thought if there's anything else
that you could remember about last night, anything at all, it might help him.
But I told the police everything I know.
-You heard me. -I heard you tell the Sheriff
that you went to the barn to check on your cat,
but the way you crossed the yard,
the frightened way you looked back at the house...
I sense there was more to it than just tending a pet.
I'm only asking for the truth, Rebecca.
It's the only thing that will help.
But it won't. Don't you see? It's just going to make everything worse.
Please, Rebecca,
last night, what happened in the barn?
[soft dramatic music]
It was all my fault.
Reuben.
No, Reuben, please.
Things are different now.
You left and I married Jacob.
When I heard,
I couldn't believe it.
I knew you'd be married someday, but--but Jacob?
It seems strange, I know,
but Jacob was kind when I needed kindness most.
It tore me apart your being shunned,
but when you left, Reuben, it nearly killed me.
Jacob was there to pick up the pieces.
Jacob was always there.
If you asked me here
-to listen to you sing his praises, I-- -No.
I asked you to meet me because
I know the truth about what happened between you.
He told you?
Not until after we were married.
Then he actually bragged to me one night
about how he deliberately goaded you
into that fight with him.
I don't understand.
Telling you I was a tramp,
that I betrayed you with him
the night you missed the Kruellers' barn dance.
Terrible lies, Reuben,
and he knew you'd do anything
to stop him from spreading them.
He wanted me to fight him?
Jacob knew you'd never repeat the things he said
for fear of hurting my reputation,
and without a full confession, you could never repent.
So the bishop would be forced to have you shunned.
Reuben, don't you see?
Jacob wanted you shunned.
He wanted me himself.
My God.
What kind of man is he?
No, Reuben, that's not for us to judge.
Listen, the important thing is
that you must confess the provocation you were under and repent.
-Reuben, you can come home. -How?
How can I repent something I've never been sorry I did?
Rebecca, I fought to save you
from exactly what happened to me,
and I would do it again.
But I can't lie to God, Bec.
Not...
not even to be-- to be near you.
So this is what you do behind my back.
Jacob, it's not what you think.
No, of course not.
It's simple Christian charity, ja?
Tell me.
Does my wife's hospitality extend to our bed?
No, Reuben, no! Not again.
Please, not for me.
[tense music]
You wronged me, Jacob.
-Get back to the house. -But you don't understand.
Go!
I must think on this.
The clock was chiming 9:30 when I came in.
Mrs. Fletcher, I would never have left Jacob alone if I had known.
Of course not.
But why did he go to the barn in the first place?
Well, he must have come to bed early
and saw I wasn't there and came looking for me.
But when I left the barn last night,
I thought I heard someone outside.
Now, I never saw who it was, but...
I mean, who else could it have been except Reuben?
I mean, he must have pretended to leave and then waited until I was gone and...
I'm not so sure.
When I came downstairs to find my purse last night,
Jacob was reading a note.
It may not mean anything,
but I couldn't help but notice him
trying to hide the note in the collection box.
It might be wise to have a look at it.
But I don't have the collection box.
Franz Kaufmann offered to take charge of it this morning.
[soft dramatic music]
Ethan?
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.
Actually, I was hoping to talk to your father.
He's not here.
And from the looks of things,
you're not planning on staying around here much longer yourself.
I'm not going back on my promise, if that's what you think.
I said I'd pay for the car and I will.
Whatever the cost, I'll send.
I'm not worried about the money, Ethan,
but if your leaving has anything to do with Jacob's death...
Jacob's dead?
[horse whinnying]
You were thinking maybe of running away?
I'm not running away, Papa.
I'm leaving.
Running away, leaving, it's all the same.
A guilty man can never escape the eyes of God.
What are you talking about?
Oh, Mr. Kaufmann, please.
You may be holding a vital piece of evidence
that the police may want to examine.
What I'm holding is the pitchfork
that killed Jacob.
Where did you find it?
The cave by the river
where it was put by my son.
No!
"Thou shalt not kill, saith the Lord.
Do violence to no man."
Yet you have raised your hand and killed Jacob Beiler.
And now, God help me...
I must take you in.
[dramatic music]
I don't know anything about that pitchfork.
I didn't do it! Papa, make them believe me.
Papa! Papa!
Papa?
Papa!
You're a lucky guy. You know that?
Most men would have let you fry,
than have to see their own son convicted of murder.
Something on your mind, Mr. Stoltz?
Hmm?
No.
Where do I sign?
Bottom line.
[cows mooing]
[soft dramatic music]
[Reuben] Once I stop to get my briefcase, we'll be back in Philadelphia in no time.
Well, there's really no rush.
I mean, to be honest, I'd rather arrive in one piece
than set any new world records.
Sorry. Guess my mind's somewhere else.
Ever since the Sheriff released you,
you've seemed preoccupied.
Have I?
Of course, it's terrible for the Kaufmanns,
but I should think that you'd feel relieved
now that Ethan's been arrested for the murder.
He's just a dumb Amish kid.
What does he know about murder?
A great deal, according to the way the Sheriff sees it.
Haynor couldn't see the floor if he fell on his face.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid young Ethan's the one in for the fall.
-But that's crazy. -Why, Reuben?
How can you be so sure that he's not guilty?
I just am. That's all.
No, that's not all.
The way you've acted ever since they locked up Ethan...
What is it, Reuben?
Why are you so sure they're wrong?
Because...
he's telling the truth.
Ethan didn't hide that pitchfork.
I did.
[Jessica] You hid the pitchfork, Reuben?
Please don't ask me to explain.
I can't say any more.
Rebecca already has.
W-what did she tell you?
Everything, up till the time
that she came back to the house about 9:30,
including the fact that she heard someone outside the barn
as she was leaving it.
Well, it couldn't have been me.
Why not?
Reuben, innocent people are being hurt.
If you know something, please, you've got to tell me.
I wouldn't have gone back at all if I hadn't seen the lantern burning.
I went to check.
I got to the barn and went in.
That's when I saw Jacob.
I tried to help him, but it was too late.
As I stared down at him,
I knew Sheriff Haynor would think I killed him
because of what had happened between us before.
That's when I knew I had to hide his body
someplace where it couldn't be found till after I'd left.
The scarecrow idea had come in a flash.
I figured, what better place
than to hide his body in plain sight,
then clean my prints off the pitchfork
and chuck it in the cave I used to play in as a kid.
I didn't count on your early morning walks
or your sharp eyes.
Still, there's something that puzzles me.
I mean, if you were trying to protect yourself from suspicion,
why dispose of Jacob in a way that demanded such strength?
I mean, the Sheriff was bound to think that only a man could have done it.
I don't follow.
I believe that you moved the body to protect someone all right,
the same person you protected five years ago,
Rebecca.
Do you honestly believe Rebecca could kill her own husband?
No.
But you do.
[birds cawing]
Reuben!
Oh, Reuben, God be praised.
You're out of jail.
Yes, just long enough to get Mrs. Fletcher back to Philadelphia.
Then I'll be back to make sure Ethan is released.
Ethan Kaufmann?
His father found the pitchfork in a cave that Ethan often went to.
Pitchfork? What pitchfork?
Jacob was killed with a pitchfork?
Bec, I thought you knew.
The Sheriff wanted to keep it quiet a while.
In fact, no one knew
that Jacob had been killed in the barn like that
until Sheriff Haynor arrested you.
Oh, my goodness.
Is something wrong?
Yes, with me,
for not having realized it sooner.
Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, I'll get your quilt.
It's not about the quilt, Sarah,
but I think you know that.
I don't understand.
Well, neither do I, completely.
But with your help, I'll do my best to try.
Try to what?
Understand why you killed Jacob Beiler.
I'm sorry, Sarah.
I can only try to guess at the circumstances behind it,
but it was you, wasn't it?
I knew the police would find me out. All I'd have to do was wait.
Well, the police know nothing about this.
Well, then how did--how did you know?
I didn't,
until I remembered something that you said this morning.
Sheriff Haynor says he can find a needle in a haystack.
So it won't take him long to search the barn.
Until Sheriff Haynor arrested Reuben after our talk,
no one knew that Jacob had been killed in the barn,
except the person who killed him.
When I sent Jacob a note to meet me there,
all I wanted to do was talk to him.
What happened, Sarah?
I got to the barn a little early, but Rebecca and Reuben were there.
Then Jacob came out and there was nearly a fight,
but Reuben left,
and Jacob sent Rebecca into the house.
I thought she might have heard me, but she didn't look to see.
So I went into the barn to talk to him.
He was furious about the note.
He said Rebecca would have seen it if he hadn't found it first,
and then he burned it.
Oh, so that's what happened to the note.
Mm, up in smoke.
Just like his promise to have the bishop lift my shunning.
[Rebecca] Please, Jacob,
I know what we had together was wrong, but you said if I kept quiet.
I know what I said, but things have changed.
[scoffs] I couldn't believe it.
How could I raise my baby alone?
An outcast.
Then I told him I was going to repent and tell the bishop everything.
And that's when it happened.
You go to the bishop and I'll deny every word.
And who do you think he'll believe? Me, a deacon of the faith,
or a common adulteress?
We'll see who he believes when I'm holding your child in my arms.
We'll see who everyone believes. [gasps]
You think I'll allow you to shame me?
You think I'll be ruined by you?
Let me go!
I won't let you do this to me, Sarah!
[screaming] Please stop!
[grunts]
[whimpering]
Stay away from me.
Stay back! Stay away!
[suspenseful music]
Stay away.
Stay away!
-[grunts] -[screaming]
Oh, God!
Oh, no!
[breathing shakily]
I didn't mean to kill him. It was an accident.
I know I should have gone to the police,
but I didn't think anyone would believe me.
I do, Sarah,
and I believe the Sheriff will too.
[dramatic music]
[Reuben] So what do you think will happen to her?
Well, I'm no lawyer,
but the Sheriff seems to think that it's a case of self-defense,
pure and simple.
And I have a feeling that the jury will agree.
Still, it'll be hard on Sarah going through all this alone.
Oh, she won't be alone.
No one with faith is ever really alone.
Faith like Jacob's I could do without.
[Bishop] Jacob was a weak man.
His faith was not a refuge
but a weapon he used to hide his sins,
and God alone will judge him for it.
As for Sarah, I've already called off her shunning.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Yes.
It's a miracle how, now the truth is out, everyone is all forgiveness.
I'll get the car.
Reuben is still shunned.
Tell me, Bishop.
Why haven't you forgiven him?
I would gladly, if he asked me to,
but he's not yet ready for that.
When will he be ready?
Surely, that's a puzzle you can solve.
After he forgives himself?
[chuckles] Amen.
[soft music]
[cheerful orchestral music]