“That’s not good,” Jeremiah said.
“Should I stay with her?” Ava asked.
“She said she was fine and just needed a little rest. And you don’t want to catch a cold, do you?” Ettie asked.
“Nee, I don’t.”
“She’ll be fine. She’s just had breakfast and we’ll be back in a few hours.”
Jeremiah turned his horse around and headed back down to the main road. Ettie had a lot to tell Ava, but not while Jeremiah was around. If they discussed what Florence thought to be true, Jeremiah would think they were gossiping. She’d wait until Jeremiah was out of earshot.
Chapter 8
“What do you make of it all, Ettie?” Ava asked after Ettie filled her in on the mysterious events surrounding Levi’s death.
“So far, I see no reason to believe that he was murdered. It seems that it’s just a coincidence that he was talking to her like that on the very day that he died. And you know that I don’t believe in coincidences, so the whole thing unsettles me.”
“I think that deep down you agree with Florence.”
“Maybe I do.”
They walked over to the bishop’s house where everyone had gathered, and Florence came out to greet them. They were just about to walk inside when they saw John’s red car stop close to the bishop’s house.
“I’m going over to speak to him,” Florence said as she started walking.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Not me. I’ll go inside and say hello to some people.” Ava headed to the house while Florence and Ettie walked over to John, who’d come alone.
“Hello.” He nodded to both women. “Things have taken a sour turn and my poor wife is too upset to come out today.”
“What’s happened?” Florence asked.
“The man next door, Eric Johnston, just dropped a bombshell on us. He told us that he gave my father eighty thousand dollars in cash as a deposit on the land back when he wanted to buy it. He still wants the sale to go through, minus the eighty thousand dollars, of course.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“He gave Levi cash, you said?” Ettie asked.
“My father didn’t trust banks unless he had to.”
“Do you believe the man?” Florence asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe Levi has got the money hidden around the house somewhere.”
“He didn’t mention to me that he was thinking of selling,” Florence said.
“He told me he was considering it. It was when Eric lost his accreditation. My father told me he came to the house yelling at him. Dad said if he was that upset about it, he could buy him out. Then they struck a deal, which my father probably went back on when he had time to think it through. You see, Dad could’ve given the money back to Eric for all we know, and now I have no proof. If Dad had returned the money, he wouldn’t have given two thoughts about the receipt.”
“Does the man next door have proof that he gave your father a deposit?”
John slowly nodded. “Yes. He said he has a receipt signed by both of them. He showed me a copy and left it with me. I’m not sure if it’s genuine or not.”
“Oh dear,” Florence said.
“You got that right. It looks like my father’s signature, but he signed it slightly different every time he wrote it. Anyway, I’m putting that out of my mind. Today, I’m saying the final goodbye to my father. I’ll handle everything I need to, but later.”
The three of them made their way into the house. It was an open casket viewing and when everybody had paid their respects, the coffin was covered over and then it was carried out by six men to the specially made funeral buggy.
Once the funeral buggy was ready to proceed to the graveyard, everyone followed behind it in their buggies, creating one long funeral procession. Although, there weren’t as many buggies as usual following along at this funeral. Levi was to be buried in the Amish and Mennonite cemetery, as was the custom for the people in their community.
As Ettie stood at the freshly dug grave with the handful of people who were gathered, she suddenly remembered the nurse. Levi had been upset because the nurse had taken his money. What if it wasn’t just the money from the cookie jar—what if Levi had been talking about the eighty thousand dollars?
When the bishop started talking, Ettie made a mental note to raise that with Florence and John later, after the funeral.
The bishop gave a small talk about life and death, and how death was not to be feared, as it was part of the cycle of life. Ettie was again reminded that this earth was not her true home.
When the people dispersed to go their separate ways, Ettie grabbed onto Florence’s arm and, making sure no one could hear what was said, suggested that they should look closer at the nurse.
“You think the nurse stole that large amount of money?”
“He had money missing, and he said that the nurse had taken his money. He was so upset about it that he called John even when they weren’t getting along.”
Florence nodded. “It was odd he didn’t call the police when he had that much money missing.”
“We’re talking about Levi, remember? He might have had some reason why he didn’t want to call the police.”
Florence rubbed her neck while looking at the ground. “What about the possibility that the man next-door might have made it all up? He might have lied about the money he gave Levi to make up for losing his accreditation. It could’ve been his way of being compensated—making Levi pay in the end.”
“And he went so far as to make a full receipt and forge Levi’s signature?”
“Things like that have been done before.”
“Why don’t we visit him tomorrow?” Ettie asked.
“Okay. What will we say?”
“We’ll ask him some more questions.”
“What about the nurse?” Florence asked.
“Jah, it seems odd that she was charged once. I wonder if she’d been charged for stealing. How could we find that out?”
“Your detective friend could find out,” Florence suggested.
Ettie shook her head. “He’s not my friend and unless it was his idea, he wouldn’t look anything up. Besides, he wouldn’t be able to tell us anything so confidential.”
“John’s policeman friend told him.”
“Jah, but he shouldn’t have and Kelly plays by the rules.”
“That’s a pity.”
Ettie glanced over and saw Jeremiah waiting by his buggy with Ava. “I’ll have to go. Shall we say ten tomorrow morning?”
“You’re not coming to the meal at the bishop’s haus?”
“Elsa-May has a cold and Jeremiah and Ava are taking me home early. I’m sure she’ll be fine, but I don’t like her to be alone when she’s feeling ill.”
“Okay. I’ll be at your haus at ten in the morning. Denke for helping me with all this, Ettie. I wouldn’t have given two thoughts to any of it if Levi hadn’t been so insistent that he was going to be murdered.”
“I understand. I have a feeling there’s more to this whole thing now, too.”
“Jah, eighty thousand feelings.”
Ettie nodded. “Exactly. Something’s not right.”
* * *
After Ava and Jeremiah delivered Ettie to her home, she said goodbye to them, pushed open her door, and then saw Elsa-May sitting in her usual chair, knitting. She still hadn’t gotten dressed. Her gray hair was caught up in a long braid that hung down one side of her body.
“How are you feeling?”
Elsa-May looked at her, but didn’t answer and her mouth was moving strangely from side to side.
“Are you eating candy?”
The knitting dropped into Elsa-May’s lap and she covered her mouth with her hand and then swallowed. “I was, until you interrupted me.”
“It’s not a good idea for you to have candy.”
“I only had a couple of pieces.”
“Are you feeling better?”
“A little.�
�
“Or did you just want to stay home and have some peace and quiet and eat things you’re not supposed to?”
Elsa-May gave a little laugh. “It wasn’t like that exactly.”
Ettie couldn’t blame her. There were days when she felt like doing nothing at all, too. She took off her over-bonnet and cape and then sat down on the couch beside Elsa-May’s chair. “It was an eventful funeral.”
“What happened?”
“John was there without his wife—”
“Levi’s son was at his funeral?” Elsa-May asked sarcastically.
Ettie ignored her and continued, “Lousy Levi’s neighbor told John he gave Levi eighty thousand dollars as a down payment on the orchard. It seems Levi was going to sell the orchard to him. And remember how Levi said the nurse stole the money?”
“I remember you mentioning that. But I had no idea that she stole such a large amount.”
“We don’t know that she did, not for sure. Everyone imagined it was a small amount Levi was complaining about her stealing, such as forty dollars at most, from the cookie jar.”
“So, she could’ve taken a whole lot more.”
“Jah.”
“Aren’t you back early?”
“I came straight from the cemetery. I was worried about you. If I had known you only wanted a parcel of time by yourself I would’ve stayed away longer.”
“Snowy and I were getting a bit lonely by ourselves. We don’t mind you coming back early.”
Ettie chuckled. “Florence and I are going to visit the neighbor tomorrow. John said the neighbor produced a receipt signed by Levi as proof of the eighty thousand down payment.”
“Levi was selling to the neighbor?”
“He said he would, so the neighbor says. Now the money’s missing, and I thought that perhaps that’s the money Levi was complaining about the nurse taking.”
Elsa-May nodded and Ettie gave a shrug.
“Why wouldn’t he have put it in the bank? Surely he wouldn’t have left that much lying around.”
“That’s something we’ll never know for sure because Levi’s no longer around to ask.”
Elsa-May put her knitting back in the bag by her feet.
Ettie asked, “Have you gotten over your depression about dying?”
“I wasn’t depressed. I was just talking about it. It’s called having a conversation. Nothing to make a fuss about.”
“It sounded a little more than that.”
Elsa-May laughed.
“And have you gotten over that cold that was coming on this morning? Was it just your idea of a way to have some peace and quiet?”
“Nee, but I did want to rest. You’re right about that and I feel better now denke.”
“Do you want to come with us tomorrow?”
“I think two people visiting the neighbor will be quite enough. I don’t think it’s good to have three of us there. Three’s a crowd.”
Ettie nodded. That meant Elsa-May would have more free time away from her.
“Well, don’t you think so, Ettie?”
“Jah, you’re right.”
“I usually am,” she said quietly.
“I just realized you’re hiding candy from me.”
Elsa-May fluttered her lashes. “I’m not hiding anything.”
“When did you get those candies?”
“Last time we went to the store.”
“We didn’t have candy on the list, and I didn’t see any amongst our groceries.”
“They were there. I didn’t manufacture them out of thin air.”
“Can I have one?” Ettie asked.
Elsa-May shook her head. “Nee. They’re bad for you.”
“They’re just as bad for you. I feel like a piece of candy right now.”
“You’ll spoil your appetite, Ettie.”
Ettie narrowed her eyes. “You told me you wouldn’t eat anything you weren’t supposed to.”
“Now you’re suddenly caring about my welfare and what I’m eating?”
“I always watch out for you. That’s why I make sure you go for a walk every day.” Ettie sighed. “Just let me have one small piece of candy?”
Elsa-May chuckled. “In the cupboard behind the sugar and don’t make a glutton of yourself.”
Ettie’s face lit up, and she pushed herself to her feet and headed to the kitchen. The sugar was kept on the very bottom shelf. She crouched down and when she reached around behind it she stopped. Suddenly visions of someone replacing the candy with a mousetrap jumped into her mind. She pulled the sugar out and when she saw the tin of candy, she giggled to herself about being so suspicious of her dear older sister. Of course Elsa-May wouldn’t have put a mousetrap where she told her the candy would be.
As Ettie stood up, the thought occurred to her that maybe Florence had blown this whole thing out of proportion in her mind. Just a simple comment from Lousy Levi about him imagining someone was going to kill him had made everybody look suspicious, when in reality, Lousy Levi might’ve died of a heart attack.
“Did you find them?” Elsa-May called out from the living room.
“I did. You had them well hidden,” Ettie called out to her sister.
“I was only looking after you.”
“I’m sure you were.”
Ettie popped a pink and white strawberries-and-cream candy into her mouth and savored the burst of flavor.
Chapter 9
Eric stepped out on the porch of his house as Florence and Ettie approached. When they got within speaking distance, he asked, “Did he send you over?”
“John?” Florence asked.
“Yeah.” He looked from one lady to the other.
Florence said, “No. Although he told us about Levi agreeing to sell you the orchard at one point.”
“He admitted it?”
Florence shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, he didn’t. I’m not sure what Levi said to his son. John said you told him that his father might have been thinking about selling the orchard to you, and that you said you gave Levi an amount of money for a deposit.”
“That’s right.”
“Can I see the receipt if you don’t mind?” Ettie asked.
“Yes, you can have a look. I made several copies. I gave one to John yesterday morning. Come inside and I’ll show you.” He walked into the living room, and invited them to sit down while he looked through some paperwork on a shelf.
“How long ago did this take place?” Ettie asked.
“See for yourself.” He grabbed one sheet of paper and handed it to Florence. Ettie moved so she could see what was written on it.
“This is dated a couple of months ago,” Florence said.
“There’s your answer,” he said with a flourish of his hands.
Florence asked, “Levi never told you the money had gone missing?”
“That’s not my problem. If he lost the money, that’s on him—it’s his fault, not mine. I handed it over, and I’ve got the receipt to prove it. If he chooses to lose it, burn it, give it away, it’s not my problem. That was part of the land deal.”
“Did you ever sign a contract for the purchase of his land?”
“That was coming. I gave the money to him in good faith. Anyway, if the sale’s not going ahead, I’m entitled to get my money back. That’s how things work. You tell John I want my money.”
“What is it that makes you want to buy the orchard so badly?” Ettie asked.
He sat down again. “I figured that was the only way to get my organic accreditation back. That was the only way I could stop the sprays coming onto my land. Levi was never going to make any attempt to prevent my land from becoming contaminated.”
Ettie pressed her lips together. “I don’t know anything about apple growing, particularly organic apple growing, but wouldn’t it have taken you quite a long time to recoup your money? I’m guessing you can’t go from using chemicals, and then the next season you’re suddenly organic.”
“You’re correct. I
t’s a process that will take some years, waiting to get the soil free of contaminants. But I’m dedicated to farming; it’s my life. I want to leave any land I own better than when I found it. Yes, I need to make money and make a living, but that’s not my primary concern. I’ll tell you one thing, though: I can’t afford to lose that money. Levi’s son needs to cough it up and give it back, or sell me the land minus my deposit.”
“You mean sell you the land as though he has the deposit?”
“Of course.”
“Why didn’t you go down the legal route in the first place, and do a proper contract for the sale?”
“Levi wasn’t the easiest man to deal with. I thought I’d tease him with a large cash amount. I thought it would be more tempting to see all the cash with his own eyes, knowing he could have more once the deal was done. I know he had the reputation for being mean, but I never thought he’d be dishonest to that extent.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe the money’s gone missing.”
“You never got the police involved?”
“No.”
“Have you talked to John about this?” Florence asked.
“I just mentioned we had a conversation about it.”
Seeing him look slightly annoyed with Florence, Ettie said, “I think what Florence meant to say was, did you get any indication whether John would sell?”
“I asked him if he would and he said he’d get back to me with a decision as soon as all the legal paperwork was done to get the orchard into his name. That shouldn’t take long.” He scratched his head in an agitated manner. “I’m just one step away from going to the cops about that money, don’t worry about that.”
“You don’t want to do that at this stage,” Ettie said.
“I’ve got eighty thousand reasons to go to the cops. You tell John I’m giving him three days to agree to sell to me or he can give me my money back.”
“Or what?” Florence asked.
“I’ll go to the cops, and the media. The newspapers and news stations would like to know how the Amish defraud people.”
“One person does not represent the Amish people as a whole. This is an isolated case,” Ettie said.
“Twist things any way you want, I don’t care. I just want my money back.”
Amish Cover-Up Page 5
