Tiffany appeared beside Miriam, startling her. “Quite a PDA,” she said.
“What’s a PDA?” Miriam whispered.
Tiffany chuckled. “Public display of affection. It looks like we have some interesting guests.”
Miriam sighed. That certainly seemed to be the truth.
Chapter 3
Miriam was preparing breakfast for the guests, when Tiffany raced into the room. “It’s the sheriff!” she shrieked.
Miriam frowned. Whatever could the sheriff want? she wondered. Miriam hurried to the front door, Tiffany on her heels. She flung the door open to see flashing red and blue lights on the vehicle outside.
“Sorry to disturb you again, Mrs. Berkholder,” the sheriff said, “but there’s been an incident in town. One of the jewelry stores was robbed last night. The funny thing is, only one diamond necklace was stolen. It wasn’t a valuable necklace, and the thief ignored far more valuable pieces of jewelry.” He scratched his head. “What’s even stranger is that the thief climbed up a drainpipe. Someone would have to be agile to do that.”
“But what does that have to do with me?” Miriam asked, puzzled. “Please don’t tell me this has anything to do with Captain Kidd’s treasure.”
The sheriff wiped a weary hand across his brow. “I certainly hope not this time, for your sake, Mrs. Berkholder.” He rubbed his chin. “No, it seems unrelated.”
Miriam frowned. “So then why did you call by to tell me?”
The sheriff hesitated and looked at Tiffany. “Miss Bedshill, can you tell me the whereabouts of your car?”
Tiffany pointed to the barn. “It’s next to the barn. You can see it clearly from here. Why?”
The sheriff wasted no time in coming to the point. “A car matching the description of your car and with your plates was seen speeding away from the jewelry store in the middle of the night, just after the time the crime was perpetrated.”
Tiffany’s face went white. “But, but…” she sputtered. “I haven’t driven it for ages, not since I turned Amish!”
The sheriff crossed his arms over his chest. “So why do you still own the car?”
Tiffany shook her head in obvious frustration. “My parents were angry that I joined the community. I took the car back to them and left it there when I broke the news to them. We had an awful row, so I took a cab home. Anyway, about five or so days later, they sent the car back to me.”
“Why?”
Tiffany shrugged, and wiped a tear from her eye. “I haven’t spoken to them since we had the big row. They sent people who work for them to bring the car back to me. I asked them why, but they didn’t know. I didn’t know what to do with the car, so Mrs. Berkholder said I could leave it here.”
“And where are the keys to your vehicle?”
Tiffany looked at Miriam. “I keep the keys,” Miriam said.
“And they would be whereabouts now?” the sheriff asked. “Mrs. Berkholder, could you please see if you still have the keys?”
Miriam nodded. She went back into the house with Tiffany and the sheriff following her. She went into the kitchen and opened the top drawer to the old oak dresser. The keys were gone. Miriam spread around the contents of the drawer, but it was apparent that the keys weren’t there. She turned to the sheriff. “The keys are missing.”
“Who knew the keys were there?” the sheriff asked her.
Miriam thought for a moment. “Well, it wasn’t a secret.” She shrugged. “I mean, everyone knew. Jonas knew, and his workers James and Ethan did, too. My daughter, Rachel, probably knew and of course Tiffany knew. I don’t expect any of the guests knew, because I haven’t seen any of the guests in the kitchen yet. Oh, I almost forgot. Mrs. Douglas came to the kitchen last night with Heather Hanson and Susan Smith to ask for Advil. The Advil was in the same drawer as the keys, so any of the women could have seen the keys.”
The sheriff appeared to be thinking this over. “Would you mind having a look around to see if anything else is missing or if anything is out of place?”
Oh no, it’s happening again, was all Miriam could think. It was bad enough that Captain Kidd’s treasure had interrupted her life ever since she arrived at Eden, but now there was a jewelry robbery in town, and it was in some way connected with her Bed and Breakfast establishment. What was she to do?
Upon reflection, Miriam realized there was nothing she could do. She searched the kitchen and the office, but could find nothing untoward. “That’s the only strange thing I can find,” she said to the sheriff upon her return.
“And you didn’t take the car out last night?” he asked Tiffany.
Tiffany’s face changed from ashen to pale green. “No, I certainly didn’t. I told you, I haven’t driven the car since I joined the community. You can ask around.”
The sheriff held up his hands. “Now, miss, I’m not accusing anyone. I’m just trying to get the facts straight. Mrs. Berkholder, by the number of cars outside, I assume you have several guests?” Miriam nodded, but before she could respond, he pushed on. “I need to see your register, please, and I will need to speak to each of the guests.”
“They’ll all be down for breakfast soon,” Miriam said in a small voice. She didn’t think that being interrogated by the sheriff before breakfast would endear anyone to her B&B.
Miriam and Tiffany stayed in the kitchen while the sheriff questioned each guest in turn. The sheriff then went to look at Tiffany’s car and found the keys in it. He bagged them.
When the sheriff drove away, Miriam and Tiffany served breakfast to the guests in the dining room. “Please accept my apologies for the police intrusion,” Miriam said, eyeing the guests warily.
“Oh, it’s all a bit of excitement, isn’t it, dear,” Ava Douglas said excitedly. “I can’t wait to tell Cuddles. The two of us usually have such a boring life, but now there’s been a bank robbery real close to us!”
“It was a jewelry theft, actually,” Kevin Smith pointed out.
Ava tittered. “Oh dearie me, was it? Oh well, that’s even more exciting, isn’t it! Do you think it was a cat burglar? The sheriff said the thief climbed up a drainpipe.”
“What was that old movie with a cat burglar?” Susan Smith asked. “Was it Rock Hudson or Jimmy Stewart?”
Her question was met with blank faces, but Ava spoke up. “It was Cary Grant, of course.”
“Jake Reeves isn’t here,” Miriam said to Tiffany, when the guests were happily discussing old Hollywood movies that Miriam knew nothing about.
“I saw the sheriff questioning him not too long ago,” Kevin piped up. “Maybe he’s gone back to his room.”
Miriam nodded. “Tiffany, would you please knock on Mr. Reeves’ door and tell him that breakfast is ready?”
While Tiffany was away, the guests excitedly discussed the robbery. “Did the sheriff say how much was stolen?” Heather Hansen asked. “Would it be worth billions? Thousands? Will it be on the news later?”
Miriam was at a loss how to respond, when Tiffany returned. “There’s a Do Not Disturb sign hanging on his door.”
Miriam nodded. “Tiffany, we’ll keep some scrapple warm for him.”
Miriam and Tiffany always ate breakfast with the guests. The guests came to Eden Bed and Breakfast to have a full Amish experience, and Miriam was amazed at the way in which Tiffany’s website had brought in more guests. The girl truly was a blessing from Gott, even though she seemed to be the exact opposite when she had arrived. It was true that Gott works in mysterious ways.
When Miriam and Tiffany returned with cereal and fruit to finish the breakfast meal, Jake was sitting at the table. “Mr. Reeves,” Miriam said, “I’ll just get you some warm food.”
Jake looked around the table. “Have I missed something?”
“We’re just finishing breakfast,” Kevin Smith told him.
Jake looked confused. “So why are you serving cereal and fruit now?” His comment was addressed to Miriam.
“In our community, we often finish break
fast with cereal, fruit and milk,” Miriam explained. “I can’t say that’s the same for Amish everywhere, because every community will do things somewhat differently. It is the case in our community, however. Would you like me to fetch you your hot breakfast?”
“No thanks.” Jake nearly spat the words. “I couldn’t sleep last night, not with all the noise. I’ll just have coffee, thanks.”
“What noise was that?” Miriam asked him, puzzled.
“Well, the noise didn’t last long. I thought I heard someone outside my window making noises in the bushes and then I heard the noise again a few hours later.”
Miriam thought on what Jake said. Jake’s room was directly above Ava’s room. “Did you hear any noise, Mrs. Douglas?” she asked her.
“Please call me Ava,” she said. “No, I didn’t, but then I sleep like a rock. Why, the devil himself wouldn’t be able to wake me once I’m in a deep sleep.” She looked from Miriam to Tiffany and then back again at Miriam. “Oh, I mean no offense.”
Miriam was puzzled. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“By mentioning the devil. I hope that didn’t offend you.” Before Miriam could respond, she pushed on. “Isn’t it exciting, all of us being suspects in the bank robbery?”
This time nobody pointed out that it had been a jewelry robbery and not a bank robbery. Miriam was beginning to think that Ava Douglas was a little eccentric. “Did anyone else hear noises outside last night?”
Bruce and Heather, and Kevin and Susan shook their heads.
Miriam bit her lip. The four of them were on the other side of the house to Jake and Ava. Clearly, someone had broken into Eden and stolen Tiffany’s keys. But how did they know the keys were there? It just didn’t make any sense.
Chapter 4
Miriam had gotten into the habit of having two dinners a week for all the guests. Tonight she was going to serve chicken pot pie. Miriam checked the chicken and found it had cooked nicely, so she added potatoes along with some celery and carrots to simmer for an hour.
She was adjusting her apron when Jake came in. “Is that girl still working?” he asked abruptly.
“Do you mean Tiffany?” Miriam asked him.
He nodded.
“Is there something you would like?”
He nodded again. “I get very hot at night and sweat, so I’d like more linen in my room, please.”
“Sure, I’ll fetch Tiffany. Is now a suitable time?”
“Yes, it is. I just wanted to walk around the grounds. That is, if you have no objection?”
“Of course not. Please feel free to enjoy the pond, and the gazebo.” Jake left, and Miriam found Tiffany polishing a large mahogany cabinet in the sitting room. “Tiffany, Mr. Reeves wants more sheets taken to his room. Would you do that?”
Tiffany looked relieved to be doing anything other than polishing. At least she’s not pretending to be allergic to polish now, Miriam thought, as she returned to her meal preparation.
Miriam turned her attention to making pot pie noodles. She made a hole in a cup of flour and dropped the egg in, and then stirred it with a fork. She added a pinch of baking soda and half a teaspoon of salt and then carefully added the right amount of milk to make firm dough. Miriam was rolling the dough thin when Tiffany returned.
“I think Jake Reeves is the thief!” Tiffany said, rather too loudly.
“Hush!” Miriam held her finger to her mouth. “Someone might hear you. Why do you say that?”
“Because he has diamond earrings in his room!”
Miriam cut the dough into squares. “Tiffany, that doesn’t mean he’s a thief. They are likely his earrings.”
“I don’t think they’d suit him,” Tiffany said with a laugh.
Miriam shook her head. “Tiffany, you know what I meant, that he owns those earrings. Perhaps they’re a gift for his mother, or his girlfriend. Besides, if he was a thief, he’d hardly leave his ill gotten gains out on display.”
Tiffany shook her head. “That’s just it—they weren’t out on display.” She stopped speaking for a moment, and her cheeks flushed red. “I wasn’t snooping, truly I wasn’t. It’s just that I carried in sheets and didn’t see he had a bag in front of me so I tripped over it and fell hard.” She pulled down a sleeve and pointed to her grazed elbow. “See! Anyway, I tripped over his bag and the earrings fell out. Do you think we should tell the sheriff?”
Miriam bit her lip. That was a good question. Should she tell the sheriff? She didn’t want the sheriff to come and frighten her guests away, but then again, what if Jake was indeed the thief?
Miriam was deep in thought, but looked up to see Tiffany hopping from one foot to the other. “What is it, Tiffany?” she asked. “Was there something else?”
Tiffany nodded. “You know the newlyweds, Kevin and Susan Smith? Well, when I cleaned their room this morning, I noticed that the couch in their room was made up.”
Miriam was puzzled. “What do you mean that it was made up?”
Tiffany clasped her hands. “I mean, you know, made up as if someone was sleeping on it overnight.”
Miriam tapped her chin. “That’s a little strange, but perhaps they had an argument. Anyway, Tiffany, we mustn’t breach our guests’ privacy. Whatever they do is their own concern, and it’s not for us to comment on it.”
Tiffany was not deterred. “But don’t you see! What if they’re only posing as a married couple in order to hide their clandestine activities! They could be the jewelry thieves and they’re only pretending to be a married couple. You saw how they were all over each other yesterday, and now they’re sleeping apart? Newlyweds? Something just doesn’t add up.”
Miriam shook her head. “Maybe not, but we still shouldn’t pry, Tiffany. Now don’t you have some polishing to do?”
Tiffany went back to her polishing with a skip in her step. Miriam smiled to herself. Tiffany had not long been in the community, so Miriam suspected she was looking for excitement. Miriam had never been anything but Amish, but she figured that anyone who had left the Englisch world and joined the community would have to find it quite difficult at first and not as eventful as their old life.
Still, was Tiffany right? Someone had taken Tiffany’s car and robbed a jewelry store. It only stood to reason that it was one of the guests. And now there were diamonds in Jake’s room, and not only that, but the very affectionate newlyweds appeared to be sleeping apart. Was there something going on? It seemed that there was. “Wu schmoke is, is aa feier,” Miriam said aloud. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Miriam spun around at the sound of someone clearing their throat. “Jonas! You startled me!”
Jonas smiled. “You were miles away, Miriam. What did you mean by your comment?”
“No, I don’t like to gossip, Jonas.”
Jonas frowned so deeply that cracks formed around his eyes. “Something is troubling you, Miriam, and the sheriff is concerned about the guests. Maybe you should tell me what’s going on. It’s not gossip; it’s a conversation between two gut friends.”
Miriam nearly said, ‘Is that what we are, gut friends?’ but she caught herself in time. Jonas was not dating another woman, but he wasn’t dating her, either. She at times was certain there was something between them, or was it simply wishful thinking on her part? Were her feelings for him truly not reciprocated? Did he really only see her as a gut friend? Was his kindness toward her simply the kindness anyone from within the community would show to another? The only way by which she would find out for sure would be to ask Jonas, and there was no way she was going to do that. Miriam looked up to see Jonas staring at her, clearly waiting for an answer. “It might be nothing…” Her voice trailed away.
“But?” Jonas prompted her.
“Tiffany tripped over a bag in Jake Reeves’ room and diamond earrings fell out, and when she was cleaning the newlyweds’ room, she saw the couch made up as if someone had been sleeping there all night. It mightn’t mean anything at all, though.”
“
It might mean nothing, but it might mean something,” Jonas said, reaching under his hat to rub the top of his forehead. “Can Rachel and Isaac come and stay with you for a while? I’m concerned about you.”
Miriam shook her head. “Nee, Hannah is teething, so changing her routine might upset her. I don’t want to disturb them.”
“Should you speak to the bishop?” Jonas said, concern evident in his voice.
“Nee, I’m sure everything will be fine,” Miriam said, although she was not convinced. “I just don’t know whether I should tell the sheriff about the diamond earrings and the newlyweds sleeping apart.” As soon as she said the words, she felt foolish. “Nee, of course I won’t. That does sound rather silly, now that I think about it.”
Jonas frowned. “Miriam, I’m concerned about you living here alone when the sheriff seems to think one of the guests is a jewelry thief.”
Miriam waved his concerns away. “The sheriff hasn’t arrested anyone, and I certainly have no jewelry to steal. If the thief is one of the guests, then surely the sheriff’s visit would make a thief more cautious.”
Chapter 5
The next morning, after Miriam and Tiffany had prepared and served breakfast for all the guests, they set off for the widow Yoder’s haus. The bishop had asked Miriam to visit Esther Yoder. She was elderly, and had insisted on living by herself for some time. The bishop had told Miriam that Esther had a daughter, but that the two of them didn’t get on too well. Esther’s son, a farmer, had sold his own farm in another community and bought a farm nearby. His farmhouse had a grossmammi haus behind it, and he was soon to move the widow Yoder into it.
Both Miriam and Tiffany had gotten up an hour earlier that morning, to attend to their chores in order to free up the time to visit the widow Yoder. They were awfully busy at Eden with so many guests, but Miriam knew it was a priority to visit the sick, the elderly, and those in need. She also knew it would be a good experience for Tiffany to see how the Amish treated everyone.
Amish Romance Page 2
