Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 7

by Samantha Price

  “Anything is possible.” Ettie placed the newspaper back on the table with all the others. “Kelly wouldn’t have been old enough to be working back then. What about our old friend Detective Crowley?”

  Elsa-May shook her head. “Not old enough either.”

  “I would’ve thought he would’ve been. Either way, it doesn’t matter. We’ll still visit Kelly. It’ll give us an excuse to ask him some things.”

  Elsa-May shook her head. “I’m sorry I ever mentioned it to you.”

  “Too late. Anyway, I would’ve found out when I got here.” Ettie took hold of the newspaper again and held it up. “It’s here in black and white.”

  “Mrs. Smith,” the doctor called out through a barely opened door.

  “Off you go. And make sure you tell him exactly what’s wrong with you,” Elsa-May hissed before she stood to help Ettie to her feet.

  Ettie came out of the doctor’s office fifteen minutes later, walking with the aid of a walking stick. Elsa-May was fast asleep, her mouth open, with a glossy-paged women’s magazine spread open on her lap. Ettie walked closer and poked Elsa-May in her side with the end of her stick. Elsa-May jumped and looked about while the magazine toppled to the floor.

  When she saw Ettie, she frowned and looked down her nose at the offending walking stick, before she looked into Ettie’s face to give a stern glare. “What did he say?”

  “I’ve got a strained muscle, which will come good by itself if I don’t do anything silly.” Ettie rubbed her chin. “Not that I did anything silly in the first place. I was just bending down to let Snowy outside.”

  Elsa-May picked up the magazine and placed it on the table beside her. She curled her lip as she looked at the walking stick. “What’s that for?”

  “It’ll take the strain while I’m recovering. It’s come in handy already.” Ettie chuckled.

  “It’s not meant as a weapon, Ettie. Poke me again and I’ll snap it in half.”

  Ettie looked down at the stick wondering how strong it was.

  “What else did he say?”

  “Not much.” Ettie kept it to herself that he suggested she have physical therapy and that there was talk of having that therapy in a swimming pool. She’d told him she wouldn’t, so he gave her some exercises to do daily and advised her to use a walking aid at all times—another thing she wouldn’t do, although she was pleased at how beautifully the carver had exposed and highlighted the grain in this wooden stick. She found it ever so much more attractive than the canes one usually saw.

  “You won’t get better if you don’t—”

  “Of course I will. I’ll get better on my own. You watch.”

  Elsa-May rolled her eyes. “Let’s go home,” she said as she rose to her feet. “I was going to say, if you don’t rest.”

  Ettie leaned on her walking stick, her beady eyes fixed on her older sister. “Nee. You want me to go home, and I’m not going to.” She took a step closer and whispered, “I’ve got to find out more about these scarecrows. Don’t you want to know too, or did you forget where our next destination was? We agreed we’d see Detective Kelly.”

  Elsa-May sighed. “I meant, let’s go. I didn’t mean to say let’s go home. It’s a habit.”

  “Why didn’t you just say that?”

  “I’m not particularly looking forward to it and would rather not go. There, I’ve said it.”

  “I’m going to see Kelly whether you come with me or not. That was what we already decided.” Ettie headed to the door, her black boots and her stick clicking across the highly polished wooden floorboards of the waiting area.

  “Wait up. I’ll come.” Elsa-May moved more swiftly than Ettie to open the door for her. “The police station is only three blocks away. Can you walk that far? Or should I go back inside and ask them to call for a taxi?”

  “Nee. It’s too short a distance for a taxi. I can make it if we go slow.”

  They started walking and then Elsa-May looked down at the walking stick. “Did you buy that or did you rent it?”

  “I borrowed it.”

  “For free?”

  Ettie glanced at Elsa-May. “He said I needed a walking stick and then he pointed to the one by the door and said, 'like that one.'”

  “So, you just took it?”

  “Jah. On my way out.”

  “Ach, Ettie. You can’t just take something.”

  “I didn’t just take it. He said I needed it.” Ettie replayed the moment in her head. Had he meant her to take it, or not?

  “Jah, but there would’ve been some fee or something. They normally rent those things out.”

  “What?” Ettie frowned and looked down at the object. “It’s just a stick. I could’ve grabbed a tree branch and made my own.”

  “Jah, but you didn’t. Did he see you take it?”

  It was horrifying to Ettie to think she might’ve accidentally stolen something. “I don’t know. I think he was looking at his computer when I walked out.”

  “Walked out with his walking stick.” Elsa-May shook her head.

  “I didn’t know, Elsa-May.”

  Elsa-May sighed.

  “I’ll take it back next time I go and then I’ll pay for it.”

  Shaking her head, Elsa-May said, “That’s if they don’t file a police report about you by then. You’re a thief, a robber, a burglar. I only hope it wasn’t the doctor’s own personal property.”

  “He’s never used one before, but he did stay seated the whole time.”

  “Jah, and he didn’t walk out the door to call your name like he usually does. It wonders me how you just took it like that. That makes you a thief.”

  Ettie sighed. “It made sense at the time. Shall I—?”

  “Nee.” Elsa-May shook her head once more.

  “But …”

  “Let’s just put the incident behind us for now and continue on our way as we hope and pray the doctor has a spare.”

  Ettie was happy to do just that, for now, if it was possible for Elsa-May to stop talking about it and calling her accusatory names.

  Chapter 2

  Selena Lehman pressed a button to roll down her car window, and then she sat looking longingly at the house where her Amish grandfather once lived. Now, it belonged to her, thanks to the efforts of her ex-fiancé who had petitioned the court on her behalf. Her grandfather left it to Selena in his will. It was to be looked after by a caretaker until Selena was either thirty-years of age, or married. She was neither of those things just yet, but the house was legally hers thanks to that bit of legal wrangling.

  She’d only been through the house once since her grandfather died. Right after he died and without her knowledge, the caretaker had taken the liberty to lease the house to the Kings. They were a nice Amish couple with a multitude of children.

  Knowing Selena wanted to move in, the Kings had tried hard to find alternate accommodation. They thought they’d been successful, but the prospective landlord had refused them when he’d learned about the one additional child that was soon to arrive.

  Selena shook her head in dismay figuring they’d never move out, and she’d never get to live in her grandfather’s house. She’d never ask them to move out knowing they had nowhere to go.

  The rental amount the Kings paid was modest, a mere token, but they looked after the place well and the expenses were covered.

  Thinking the house would be vacated by the time she arrived, Selena had sublet her city apartment. That left her homeless until Gabriel Yoder, the caretaker of her house, had come to her rescue with a place to stay—his place. He informed her it would be empty because he was moving to a house he’d bought next to Ettie and Elsa-May, the two elderly ladies she’d met on her last visit.

  It’s a temporary measure that’ll work out best for both of us, Gabriel had said, referring to her staying at his house. When the Kings move out, you can move in there. He made it sound like she’d be doing him a favor by living in his house.

  She was grateful, but doubted
he had a good reason to move out. That was why she had to find something more permanent and find it quickly. There was no doubt in her mind that Gabriel was in love with her and had been since the moment they’d met. It was unnerving, but at the same time, she couldn’t deny that she liked him.

  The trouble was, she was only used to men who were different from Gabriel—more corporate types like her ex. Perhaps that was why her relationships had never lasted. Maybe God was behind her, pushing her to live here to rub shoulders with the Amish and learn more of her roots. She’d asked herself more than once if she might one day join the community.

  Often, she wondered what her life would’ve been like if her mother had stayed in the community rather than leaving as a young mother, when she—Selena—was a toddler.

  Still parked out in front of her house, movement caught her eye.

  The front door was opening.

  Her heart rate quickened as she shifted the car into gear and sped away hoping the occupants hadn’t seen her. The last thing she wanted was for the Kings to think she was spying on them.

  As she drove through the countryside, she calmed down and was able to breathe in the tranquil surrounds. She was going to love living in the country. Gone was the smog and the skyscrapers, the hectic traffic and the blank faces of strangers as they passed by in the street. A strange sense of peace crept into her heart—she’d finally come home.

  This was a new start—a new chapter in her life. A new life where her lawyer ex-boyfriend would play no part. Now that he was out of the country—on vacation in London—she wasn’t getting abusive text messages every five minutes. After their relationship ended, he’d offered to do the legal work for her over the house.

  Once it was all over, he acted like they were back together. When she told him they were still over, he got upset and then the abusive messages and texts started. They had gathered speed until he left on his vacation.

  When she pulled up outside Gabriel’s immaculately kept cottage, he came hurrying out with his usual ear-to-ear grin. It was hard to be sad or depressed around Gabriel's good nature and warm smiling eyes. He opened the car door for her.

  “Thank you, Gabriel.” In one hand, he held up a set of keys and then he placed them into her hand. “Thank you,” she said looking down at the five keys tied together with a piece of twine.

  “Did you have a good drive down here?”

  “I did. The traffic wasn’t bad at all.”

  “Good to hear. Come inside and I’ll show you around.” His gaze swept over her in an instant. “You’re looking wunderbaar. Just like I remembered you.”

  A giggle escaped her lips. He always made her feel good about herself, but sometimes all that attention overwhelmed her. She’d seen some of his house before, but not all of it. Leaving her luggage in the trunk, she followed him to the house. When they reached the door, he stepped back to allow her through. “Thank you.”

  “I’ve cleaned the place. I gave it a good scrubbing.”

  “You shouldn’t have done anything. I know you always keep it nicely.” She stepped into the living room and it immediately felt like home. That was possibly because of all those subconscious memories from when she was a child visiting at her grandfather’s house, which was so similar. The floorboards were highly polished, one blue-and-white patterned rug covered half the small living room where two, two-seater couches faced each other. A wooden coffee table stood on the rug in between them.

  “Have a seat.”

  “Thanks.” When they sat, she noticed an embroidered scripture plaque hanging above the fireplace to her left. The only other adornment was a small clock that sat on the mantle.

  “Can I offer you some tea?”

  “No. I’m fine, thank you.” She wondered who had crocheted the colorful throw that lay along the back of the couch. Probably one of the old ladies from his community. “I can’t thank you enough for this. I’ll be out of here as soon as I can. It’ll probably be a lot easier to find accommodation now that I’m here. It was a little difficult from a distance.”

  “I’m in no hurry to move back. Take your time. I’m making the other house just as comfortable as this one. It needs work. I had to get the electrical system disconnected from my new place.”

  “Oh! You have no electricity.” She’d forgotten about that. There’d be no Wi-Fi either unless she could pick it up on her phone. Which she'd have to remember to charge whenever she went into town.

  “Everything’s gas-powered.” He offered a warm smile, but she doubted he’d have a gas-powered TV. “Fridge and stove?” she asked.

  “That’s right.”

  “Good. It sounds like I’ll have a comfortable stay.” The weather was mild in the spring, so she wouldn’t have to worry about the heating system. Even though the house had a fireplace, she wasn’t used to how fireplaces worked. As far back as she could remember she’d lived in places with central heating.

  “Treat the place like your own. And … who knows what the future might bring?”

  She knew he had liked her from the very first time they’d met. He’d made no secret about it. Now she wondered if she’d done the right thing by accepting his kind offer. He was a nice man, handsome even, but she couldn’t see herself joining his community if that was what he was thinking. “I’ve got a pretty good idea what the future would bring and I hope you don’t think that you and I—”

  “Let’s take it day by day.”

  “I can do that.” Phew! She was off the hook. At times she daydreamed about life as a married and contented Amish woman, but since she had no hard and fast plans, she didn’t want to lead him on. “I’ll always be indebted to you for how good you were to my grandfather.”

  “We were good friends. There was no one like him.”

  “I wish I had gotten to know him better.”

  “I’ll tell you all about him. I’ve got so many stories.”

  Selena smiled. “I’d love to hear every one of them.”

  Chapter 3

  When Ettie and Elsa-May walked into Kelly’s office, he made no mention of Ettie’s walking stick even though he looked straight at it.

  He was a detective—wasn’t he curious at all?

  Ettie thought he knew them well enough that he should’ve inquired about it, if only to be polite. However, observing etiquette wasn’t one of Kelly’s strong points. She sat down on one of the two chairs in front of his desk and then leaned her stick against the wall beside her.

  Once Elsa-May was seated on the other chair, Kelly moved behind his desk and sat with a long, drawn-out sigh. “What can I do for you two today?”

  Were they that intolerable—that hard to put up with? With all the help he’d asked of them over the years and all the assistance they’d given him, he should’ve been more pleased to see them.

  Elsa-May leaned forward and jutted out her bottom jaw, the way she did whenever she was annoyed. “We’ve heard about the scarecrow murders.”

  He picked up a take-out coffee cup, frowning when he saw that it was empty, and tossed it into the wastebasket underneath his desk. Then, he casually nodded, and eyed each sister in turn. “That’s why you’re here?”

  “We thought you would’ve come to us,” Ettie said.

  His bored expression didn’t change when he said, “Maybe I didn’t want to bother you.”

  It was plain to Ettie that he was in one of his moods.

  Elsa-May leaned into the back of her chair. “Aren’t you happy with what we’ve done in the past?”

  “I am. You’ve been extremely helpful. I suppose you might be able to find out a couple of things.”

  Ettie tilted her head as she eyed Kelly carefully. He was pleased to see them; he just didn’t want to admit it. “You knew we’d come to you, didn’t you?”

  Satisfaction showed as a hidden smile hinting around his thin lips. “Truth be told, I was on my way to see you just now when they told me you were at the front desk.” The smile escaped, and he chuckled.

&nb
sp; Elsa-May smirked, and rested her hands in her lap.

  Kelly shifted in his seat. “Thanks. You’ve saved me the drive." Then his face went serious. "These two recent murders follow a pattern of a serial killer from back in the 1970s. The perpetrator was never found.”

  “Or she.”

  Ettie had to stop the giggle trying to escape her lips in reaction to her sister's incongruous comment. She put on her serious face. They were there to discuss murders after all. People had been killed.

  Kelly frowned at Elsa-May and then continued, “Four people were stabbed to death—sliced and diced. Their bodies were left in their houses, and scarecrows positioned in their front yards.”

  “'Four,' or was it five, as we've heard?”

  “Five, that's correct—sorry, I misspoke. That’s where the similarities appear to end. The original victims from the seventies were all stabbed. The two recent ones were shot with a twenty-two caliber gun.” Resting his arms on his desk, he leaned forward. “So. Is the same person responsible, or is it a copycat murderer?”

  Ettie tapped on her chin, wondering if Kelly meant that as a hypothetical question. “Let’s say the killer was twenty back then that would make him …”

  “Around seventy or so?” Elsa-May asked.

  “And if he was older than that back then, he’d be very old by now and not likely capable of doing this.”

  Ettie raised a finger in the air. “But it’s still possible. Especially with the change of murder weapon.”

  Kelly nodded. “We’re no closer. Take a look at this.” He stood and pointed to a map on his wall. “The blue push pins are at the scenes of each of the old murders and the red ones represent the new ones.”

  They were all in the same general vicinity.

  Ettie asked, “What do you want us to find out for you? We’ve heard talk that the two recent victims had left the Amish community.”