Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 7

by Samantha Price

  The nastiness disappeared from his face. “Exactly.”

  “I suppose you already know that the people next door to you were once Amish?”

  “They didn't act like it. Aren't Amish supposed to be decent law-abiding citizens?”

  From the way he spoke, she could tell he knew they were ex-Amish. “I guess so. Are you saying they weren't?”

  “Eli couldn't have cared less about the law. She might have been alright, but you never saw nothin’ of her. He did all the talking. Every time I came to the door to sort something out, no one answered.”

  “You were trying to sort out the fence problem?”

  He grinned. “You know?”

  She was getting through to him, building rapport like she’d been trained. “I do. I’m a journalist—a researcher.”

  He chuckled. “Good for you. I told him the fence was in the wrong place and that was done by the people who owned the house before him, and he couldn't have cared less.”

  “That's dreadful. And what else did you do about the fence problem?”

  “He used to dry meat or something in his garage. Beats me what he was doin’ but it smelled dreadful.”

  “What did he say it was?”

  “I asked him once, but he wouldn't say.”

  “Well, hopefully your problems might be over now because it looks like the widow is moving up north.”

  He grinned. “My prayers have been answered if she’s sellin’ up.”

  Things were going well so she probed further. Making a wild stab in the dark, she asked, “Did you know John Fuller?”

  “I already told the police I only knew him because I did electrical work on his house once, and that's it. Why are you askin’ about him?”

  “You're an electrician?”

  “That's right.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell me for my story about the man next door?”

  “Nothin.’ Are ya done?”

  She was pleased he didn’t say more about John Fuller. She didn’t want him to think she was accusing him. “Yes. Thank you.”

  His head tipped to one side. “What newspaper are you from?”

  Was he onto her? She thought fast as she fixed a smile on her face. “I freelance. I sell my stories to whoever will pay the most.” She giggled and ruffled her hair hoping to take his attention away from asking too much more. “Thank you very much, and good day to you.” After she flashed him a smile, she turned and walked away. When she heard the door of the house close, she was relieved. She’d gotten away with it.

  As she headed back to her car, she noticed a faded red pickup truck in his rear yard. The beat-up vehicle seemed so out of place in the nice and neat neighborhood. She walked down the side path to his house and pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and took a couple of snaps with the phone’s camera.

  “Hey, get off my property.” He'd stepped back outside to holler at her.

  “Sorry, I'm going.” She hurried over to her car and when she got into the driver’s seat, she saw the man had gone back inside.

  “What is it?” Ettie asked.

  “Just let me drive away.”

  “Are you okay?” Gabriel asked.

  “Fine.”

  Once she was on the road and driving, she was able to breathe easy. “He didn’t say much. Not much that we didn’t already know. I saw a red pickup truck behind his house, though.”

  “Really?” Elsa-May asked.

  “Yes. I took a picture of it with my phone. I’ll show you as soon as we stop.”

  “A red pickup-truck?” Gabriel asked

  “Yes.”

  “Did you get the man’s name, Selena?”

  “No. Don’t you know it?”

  Ettie rubbed her chin. “I can’t recall that Kate told me.”

  “She probably wouldn’t know it was significant. Also, he knows John Fuller.”

  Ettie gasped. “Good work, Selena.”

  They all sat in Ettie and Elsa-May’s living room while Selena recounted the exact conversation between Eli’s neighbor and herself. Then she showed them the photo on her phone. “And this is the red pickup truck. It's old.”

  Selena was pleased—she’d even managed to get the plate number in the frame of her quick snap.

  “I wonder ... That might mean he was responsible for the old murders and the new murders,” Gabriel said.

  “Especially since he knew both John Fuller and Eli Schaeffer. I wonder why Kelly hasn’t arrested him.” Elsa-May tapped a finger on her chin, seemingly pondering her own question.

  “He'd have to be older than he looks, if so. What do you think we should do?” Selena asked. “I don't think Detective Kelly will be too happy to find out I was posing as a journalist.” Then she realized she’d stepped over the line. “He could take it that I was impeding his investigation.” She shook her head, disappointed with herself. “It was a silly thing to do.”

  “Don’t worry. It was Ettie’s fault. She shouldn’t have made you do it.”

  Ettie’s mouth fell open at her sister’s words. “You can’t blame me.”

  “Is there any other way we can let him know what we've learned without me telling him I talked to Eli’s neighbor?”

  “First thing tomorrow, Elsa-May and I will pay him a visit and we’ll tell him what we found out. He'll just assume we were talking to him.”

  “Yes, he’s used to us,” Elsa-May said.

  Selena nodded. “Okay. Good, but how will you explain the picture? He’ll know you don’t have a cell phone.”

  “We can mention we saw it in his yard,” Ettie told her, “because we did. We saw it in the photo of his yard ... on your phone.”

  “And we’ll make a note of the plate number,” Elsa-May added.

  Chapter 10

  The next day, Elsa-May insisted on making an appointment for Ettie with Dr. Grifford for the following day. When Ettie flatly refused to see him, Elsa-May, not wanting to pass up a free doctor’s visit, made the appointment for herself instead.

  With the appointment to see the doctor booked, they headed to the police station to talk with Detective Kelly. Ettie and Elsa-May were pretty excited to tell Kelly their news.

  They were shown to his office, sat in front of him and told him what they’d learned about Eli’s neighbor.

  He shook his head. “Kevin Quinn couldn’t have done it because he spent the night in prison for drunk and disorderly behavior on the night Eli was killed. We had him in custody.”

  “Oh,” Elsa-May said.

  That was the first time Ettie had heard the neighbor’s name. “He has a red pickup truck right there in his backyard.”

  Kelly nodded his head. “I know. I saw it when I questioned him recently. He bought it three months ago to restore it. I’ve seen receipts and checked it all through the DMV. It’s legit.”

  Ettie sighed knowing that they’d wasted Selena’s time and effort on Kevin Quinn. All for nothing.

  Kelly glared at the two of them. “Anything else?”

  “No.” Elsa-May shook her head.

  “Well, a few things have come to light,” he said.

  Ettie and Elsa-May looked at one another and then Elsa-May leaned forward. “What?”

  “How much do you know about Eli Schaeffer’s wife, Kate?”

  Ettie and Elsa-May looked at one another again.

  Kelly continued, “And about Mr. and Mrs. Schaeffer’s son?”

  “Not much.” Ettie didn’t want to reveal what they’d found out about Eli’s son just yet. Not until she found out if Kelly knew. Ettie tried to read Kelly’s face, but it was as deadpan as ever, telling her nothing at all. “Kate and Eli left our community not long after they married.”

  “Yes, and that’s going back many years,” Elsa-May said.

  “Hmm.”

  Ettie put her hands in her lap to stop them fidgeting. “What is it?” She didn’t really expect an answer. He only shared things with them on a need-to-know basis—his version of need-to
-know, not hers—and, even then, the information was given sparingly and begrudgingly.

  “Turns out, Eli had a sizeable life insurance policy.”

  “But … so, you’re saying you don’t think it’s related to the other scarecrow murder?” Ettie didn’t like the sound of that. Kate would’ve been the beneficiary and the son had talked her into moving to Canada with him and his wife. If the son was the killer ... was Kate the next victim?

  Elsa-May clarified her sister’s question. “So Eli’s death is not the same as John Fuller?”

  “We’re exploring all avenues. When we follow the trunk of the tree we also have to look at each branch and see where each branch takes us.”

  Ettie and Elsa-May exchanged glances, each knowing what the other thought. Kelly is finally losing his mind.

  Kelly continued, “These two recent scarecrow murders are connected. What we’ve found from forensics is that the same kind of dirt was on the scarecrows. A mixture of clay and ash. Meaning, they came from the same place. The killer made them at the same place. Now, with the murders in the seventies, the scarecrows were taken—stolen—from nearby fields.” He shook his head.

  “Interesting,” Elsa-May said, nodding.

  Ettie clicked her tongue. “Anything else you care to share with us, so you can help us to help you?”

  “Recently we’ve had reports of missing clothing from clotheslines. We now know where he got his clothes from for the scarecrows.”

  “For the recent scarecrow murders?” Elsa-May asked.

  “That’s right.”

  “So, the second killer—the copycat—is making the scarecrows, and the scarecrows used years ago were taken from the fields?”

  “Yes. That's what he just said, Elsa-May.”

  “I'm sorry. My mind was somewhere else.”

  Ettie shook her head. Too many pointless questions would enrage him. “One more question. I’m guessing the same gun was used in both of these recent killings?”

  “Correct.”

  “Then the two killings had to be connected. Do you think Eli’s son killed him, and also killed John Fuller?”

  Before Kelly could answer, Elsa-May blurted out, “Ettie! Selena might be in danger!”

  Kelly rubbed his chin. “So are hundreds of other people who’ve left the Amish over the years. How many would you estimate that number to be, Mrs. Smith?”

  “A handful—no, as many as couple hundred people, maybe, when you count the occasional whole families. I guess that's way more than a handful.”

  “So far, all the people who’ve been killed have been men. It’s unlikely she’s in danger.”

  Ettie wasn’t satisfied with that answer. Only two people had been murdered by this killer, if this murderer had not committed those murders in the seventies.

  Kelly’s mouth twisted to one side as he stared at each sister in turn. “I hope you've been putting serious effort into finding out what you can. It's bad to have two serial killers on the loose. One is bad enough. I’ve been working on it tirelessly. It’s my intention to find both scarecrow killers. If indeed there are two.”

  “We have been,” Ettie said.

  “I’m under a lot of pressure, as usual, to get this thing wrapped up.” At that moment, Kelly got a phone call and Ettie and Elsa-May excused themselves and said it was time they were going.

  As Ettie hobbled down the steps of the police station, Elsa-May said, “I’m worried about Selena.”

  “Me too. Let's see if we can talk her into staying with us for a while. A couple of nights with the inconvenience of sleeping on our couch is better than being murdered.”

  “That's right. I agree. It’s times like these I regret not buying a bigger haus all those years ago.”

  “It’s been fine for us.” Elsa-May reached out for her sister’s arm when Ettie overbalanced.

  “Stupid stick,” Ettie grumbled.

  “You’re just not used to it yet.”

  “Hmm. Anyway, let’s visit her and see if she’ll stay with us for a few days.”

  “Okay. I’ll get us a taxi.”

  When the taxi pulled up at Gabriel’s cottage where Selena was staying, they were pleased to see her car parked outside.

  “At least she's here,” Elsa-May said. “That’s half the battle to talking to her about this.”

  Ettie leaned over to pay the driver and then stepped out of the car. As the taxi zoomed away, they walked up the porch steps. “This place looks so nice, doesn't it?”

  “Yes. He keeps things lovely.”

  Before they reached the front door, it swung open and they saw Selena, smiling. “Have you been to see Detective Kelly?”

  “We have.”

  “Come in out of the cold.”

  She ushered them inside and they sat huddled around the open fireplace. “What did he say?”

  “Nothing much except—”

  Ettie couldn’t wait for Elsa-May. Her sister spoke so slowly sometimes. “It was the same gun used on both. The red pickup truck was—”

  “Was not the one we’re looking for and—” Elsa-May continued with a disapproving glance at Ettie.

  Selena looked quickly at one sister and then the other as each talked over the top of the other.

  “And," Ettie added, "Eli’s neighbor was in jail the night of the murder.”

  Selena nodded. “I see.” She’d wasted her time pretending to be a journalist. All that angst for nothing.

  “Ettie, why did you bother mentioning it was the same gun? That part was obvious. We already know it was the same person who did it and the same gun was used.”

  Ettie huffed. “We don’t know anything until we have proof. We didn’t know it was the same gun until Kelly confirmed it. The two shootings are connected.”

  Elsa-May shook her head. “I knew that already.”

  “That's interesting,” Selena remarked.

  Elsa-May looked at her. “What is?”

  Selena rubbed her head, not sure why she'd said that. She hoped the sisters wouldn’t start arguing with her, too. “All of it.”

  “Elsa-May and I are here because we’re worried about you. And we’d really like you to stay at our place for a couple of nights.”

  Elsa-May added, “A couple of nights at least.”

  “Thank you for the kind offer, but I won't hear of it. I can't put you out like that.”

  “You won't be putting us out. You'll be sleeping on the couch, if you say yes. It could save you from being killed. You used to be in the community, and that could make you a target.”

  “That's very kind of you. But I assure you, I'll be alright. The victims have all been male. And I have a gun—and I know how to use it. Besides, I'm pretty sure that the killer knew those two people and probably had arguments with them. I haven't had arguments with anyone. I'm new here. No one knows me, and for all those reasons I’m sure I’ll be safe.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Ettie said.

  “I’m in no danger.”

  “You really do have a gun?”

  “I do.”

  “You’ll stop a couple of old ladies from worrying if you stay with us.” Elsa-May grinned.

  Ettie wondered who the two old ladies were. Then she realized her sister was talking about the two of them.

  “I'll think about it,” Selena said. “Perhaps there won't be any more murders. It might stop at those two.”

  “There were more than two in the first spate of scarecrow murders,” Elsa-May told her.

  Ettie said, “Yes, but the person isn’t copying everything the last killer did, so doesn’t that make you think there are two different killers?”

  “My brain hurts from thinking about it all,” Elsa-May said.

  “Mine too, Elsa-May. Let’s think about something else for a while. I came here to have a quieter life and to relax and to recover from what I’ve been through.”

  “Oh dear, I’m so sorry for involving you too much, Selena.”

  “That’s perfectly fine.
I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

  “Perhaps then you wouldn’t mind driving us to a doctor’s appointment tomorrow?”

  Ettie was horrified. “Elsa-May! She just said she wants to relax. That doesn’t include being a taxi service.”

  “It’s all right. I’d be happy to do that. I’m still finding my way around. It’ll help me get to know the area. What time shall I collect you tomorrow, if I’m still alive?” Selena giggled as she spoke the last few words.

  “At ten,” Elsa-May said. "Please."

  “I’ll be there.” She stood up. “Now, can I interest either of you in mini cupcakes? I was out early this morning and got a supply.”

  Ettie leaned forward. “'Mini,' you said?”

  “Yes. They’re not as big as the ones I got last time.”

  Elsa-May grinned from ear to ear. “I might be able to fit one in.”

  “Good. I’ll put the kettle on and get us some.”

  When she was out of the room, Ettie whispered, “We could’ve gotten a taxi.”

  “No need.”

  Ettie rolled her eyes. “We should only ask her to drive us places in an emergency.”

  “You’re right, Ettie.”

  Ettie stared at her sister, who never agreed with anything she said. Now she knew if she wanted her in a good mood all she had to do was offer her cupcakes.

  Chapter 11

  The next day, Selena collected Ettie and Elsa-May and drove them to Elsa-May’s doctor’s appointment. Rather than wait in the car, Ettie decided to wait inside and Selena thought it best she go with them.

  Because she was a new patient, Elsa-May was given an information sheet to fill out. When the three of them were seated, Elsa-May said to Selena, “Do you mind writing it out for me? I can knit, but my fingers don’t like to hold a pen.”

  “Sure.” Selena took it from her. When it came to the section for phone, she said, “I’ll just put my cell phone down, shall I?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Do you suffer from—”

  “Just tick no for all those,” Elsa-May told her.

  Once it was all filled out, she gave it back to her to sign. Elsa-May looked it over. “Ah, next of kin. That would be you, Ettie.”