Amish Scarecrow Murders

by Samantha Price

  “Oh.” Ettie was shocked and felt bad. “I don’t want to keep it.”

  “It’s all right, he’s got another one.”

  Ettie looked down at the walking stick in her hand. “Thank you. I suppose I should make another appointment while I’m here.”

  “He said he can recommend some other doctors for you. I’ll write them down.”

  “I don’t want to go to another doctor.”

  The receptionist walked back behind her desk and started writing. Then she handed a piece of paper to Ettie. “I’m sorry, but the doctor would prefer you go elsewhere.”

  “Pardon?” Ettie was sure she hadn’t heard correctly.

  The woman grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh. He doesn’t want to see me again?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  Ettie turned around and walked toward Elsa-May.

  “What’s happening?”

  “I’ve been sacked as a patient.”

  Elsa-May’s eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open.

  “It’s true. And, don’t say another thing about it.” On the way back to Selena’s car, Ettie grumbled. “I feel so bad.”

  “Don’t let it upset you.”

  Embarrassed, Ettie had to tell Selena what had happened. Selena just grinned, and then she laughed about it until tears rolled down her cheeks, which made Ettie laugh too, and feel better about the whole thing. Elsa-May looked at them like they'd gone mad.

  Over breakfast the next morning, Ettie remembered Kate was moving away. Even though Kate was no longer in their community, Ettie wanted to see her before she left. Besides, she had told Kate she would. “You know what we have to do today, Elsa-May?”

  “Nee, what?”

  “Visit Kate.”

  “We just saw her at the funeral.”

  Ettie nodded. “I know, but I said we’d stop over and say goodbye before she left.”

  “Okay. We can do that.”

  Chapter 12

  Ettie’s head swirled and she closed her eyes. She was transported to Kelly’s office and he towered over both her and her sister.

  “I’ve got my eye on the two of you.” He turned away from them and then spun back around with a newspaper in one hand. “All the victims were ex Amish or had a link to the Amish. Someone has a grudge and we have to figure out who.”

  “We?”

  “Mrs. Smith, all you need to do is ask around.”

  “We’ve been doing that.” Ettie looked over at Elsa-May who huffed.

  “We’re getting a bit old for this kind of thing. All we want to do is enjoy our last days here. Is that too much to ask, Detective?” Elsa-May said irritably.

  He sighed and pulled one of his gruff faces.

  Ettie was ready to go. Solving mysteries was what she thrived on, but she’d given her word.

  “Mrs. Smith?” Detective Kelly leaned in toward her.

  Licking her lips, Ettie looked over at her sister once more. “What do you think, Elsa-May?”

  “You know what I think.”

  Ettie nodded. "Jah, I do. And I’m sorry, Detective Kelly, but I’ve given my word.”

  He opened the newspaper and flung it down on his desk. “How will you feel if you open the paper tomorrow and see another murder like this and you might’ve done something to prevent it?” He stabbed his finger hard on the picture of the crime scene. Ettie looked down. An evil scarecrow stared right back, a threatening click-click-clicking sound in the background. Fear paralyzed her—she couldn't breathe. She jolted awake, gasped a ragged breath, and looked around to see she was in her living room. Her heart was pounding.

  “What is it, Ettie?” Elsa-May was right there, still knitting as she always did after dinner.

  “I had the most awful dream. I’d given my word to you that we’d no longer help Kelly.”

  “That doesn’t sound too horrible. Haven’t you given your word to me before?”

  “Nee, not as a binding promise, and it truly was a horrible dream. Kelly was urging us to find the person responsible for the killings, the one who has a grudge against the Amish. Then he pointed to the newspaper and there was an awful photograph of a menacing scarecrow. I sensed great evil. What a relief to wake up, sitting here with you and your knitting. I even heard your needles clicking, except it seemed to come from that horrible scarecrow.”

  Elsa-May sighed and put her knitting in the bag by her feet. “It’s nearly bedtime. Would you like a cup of hot tea?”

  “Don’t you care? Where’s your empathy for what I’ve just been through?” She pulled up her sleeves and looked at her wrists. “Look—I’ve broken out into a cold sweat.”

  “It was just a dream.”

  Ettie’s shoulders slumped. “It felt more powerful than that. Almost like it was a warning something bad was going to happen. Like one of those stories in the Bible.”

  Elsa-May pushed herself to her feet. “I’ll check that we’ve locked all the doors and windows. That should make you feel safe and we’ll say an extra prayer for Gott to watch over us and our loved ones.”

  “Yes, you do that, and yes, I’ll have a cup of hot tea please when you’re ready. And yes, let's say those extra prayers.” While Elsa-May checked the windows and doors, Ettie wondered what more they could do.

  Once they each had a cup of tea in hand, Ettie said, “I wonder if we’ve met the killer or know of him.”

  Elsa-May took a sip, and then placed the cup back down on the saucer balanced on her lap. “Let’s say it’s the same killer … wait, are you talking about the old murders or the new ones?”

  “Hmm. If it’s the same man, we know he’s got to be a certain age. We’d have to think that he would’ve been twenty at least when he committed those murders, so by now he’d be what, seventy or so?”

  “Who are our suspects?”

  Ettie sighed. “Don Shallot, Eli’s neighbor, Kevin. David—Eli and Kate's son.”

  “He’s only in his thirties.”

  “I know, but he had a big falling out with his father, as we heard.”

  “Hmm. It would be easier to find out if we knew whether we’re looking for one killer or two."

  "The differences are significant, aren’t they?”

  “Over the years, he might’ve decided to do things differently.”

  Ettie shook her head. “I wouldn’t think so. The person who kills with a gun might not like stabbing someone. It’s too close for comfort. Like how I like to eat my cake with a fork so I don’t get my fingers dirty.”

  Elsa-May scowled at Ettie. “It’s hardly the same thing.”

  “I know, but it’s a preference.” Ettie put her hands in the air. “Fork or fingers, gun or knife?”

  “There’s no point even talking about this with you.”

  Ettie took another sip of tea while Elsa-May stared at her. “I think we need to tell Kelly that Selena saw her ex-fiancé. I think he’s dangerous.”

  “We don’t know it was him for sure and Kelly’s got so many other things on his mind.”

  “I know, but I believe that man’s been abusive in the past despite her remaining quiet about that. He might wish her harm.”

  “Say we mention it, what can the police do anyway?”

  Ettie sighed. Nothing was ever done unless someone got hurt. “Nothing I suppose.”

  “That’s right. They can’t do anything until after he does something.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to mention it.”

  Elsa-May jutted out her bottom jaw. “Selena should tell Kelly, not us.”

  “Why don’t you suggest that to her?”

  “I will.”

  “Good.” Ettie drank the rest of her tea in silence, while Elsa-May finished hers, too, and then started back at her knitting.

  Chapter 13

  That night, Selena couldn't sleep, she’d been tossing and turning pretty much all night, and it was five o'clock in the morning when she gave up her quest for slumber, got dressed, and made herself a cup of hot milk.<
br />
  Sirens wailed through the air, and then they got closer. Selena froze. Then she heard something out the front door, a loud noise. She ran to the living room window and looked out. Five policemen with guns drawn were running to her front door while blue and red lights whirled, lighting up the pre-dawn.

  She hurried to the front door and opened it. “What's going on?”

  She was grabbed and pulled aside by one officer while the others ran past her into the house.

  “Are you okay, Ma'am?”

  “I’m fine. What’s this about?”

  “Are you alone?”

  “Yes.”

  “One of your neighbors called in. Have you heard about the murders around here lately?”

  “I have.”

  “Someone left a scarecrow in your front yard.”

  Selena looked past the officer and saw the scarecrow.

  A white car pulled up as the other four officers completed their search and joined her and their fellow officer at the door. “Nothing,” one of them said.

  They all stared at the man getting out of the white car and Selena recognized him as Detective Kelly.

  “Did you see anything, or hear anything, unusual last night?” asked one of the officers standing with her.

  “No. I didn’t.”

  “Wait here.” The officers walked back to their cars and two of them spoke with Kelly.

  Detective Kelly then looked over at Selena and then more words were said.

  Finally, Kelly approached her.

  “Hello, Detective Kelly.”

  He eyed her carefully. “I remember the face, but I can’t place—”

  “I’m Selena, a friend of Ettie and Elsa-May. I spoke to you at the funeral of Eli Schaeffer.”

  “That’s right. I’m sorry, I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

  “This is Gabriel Yoder’s house. He’s a friend of Ettie and Elsa-May’s too.”

  “Ah, yes that’s right. Selena ... Lehman. Now I remember. We first met after that friend of Gabriel’s was killed months back. An old man he used to look after, just like he looked after your grandfather.”

  “Well, he was a friend of my grandfathers, and of the other man. I don’t think he looked after them.” She hoped Kelly wasn’t suggesting anything negative about Gabriel. “Ettie and Elsa-May told me about the scarecrow murders, but I never expected to be targeted. Do you think he was going to murder me?”

  Slowly he nodded. “That was my first thought. You were on the force, weren’t you?”

  She nodded. “Briefly. I miss it.” She looked around, trying to keep calm. “Do you think this is some kind of a joke? A practical joke by some neighborhood kids?”

  “No. It’s no joke. Tell me what happened from start to finish. Can we sit somewhere?”

  “Sure, sorry. Come inside.” Once they were seated, she said, “I didn't hear a thing all night. And I couldn’t sleep, so if there was anything to hear, I would’ve heard it. I don’t know anything.” Her hand flew to her throat. She had nearly been killed! She had her gun under her mattress, but she might not have been able to get it in time.

  “Ms. Lehman, are you okay?”

  “I think so. It's a shock.”

  “Mind if I take a look around?” he asked.

  “Of course not. Look all you want.”

  She sat frozen still while the detective looked around the house. He came back several minutes later. “No sign of anything in here.”

  “There was no intruder here last night. I was awake all night. Maybe I drifted off a little, now and again, but I never truly slept.”

  “Perhaps he left the scarecrow as a warning.”

  “A warning about what?” she asked.

  “That’s something I can't tell you just yet.”

  “You mean you know and can't tell me, or that you don't know?”

  He rubbed his chin. “Between you and me, this case’s got me baffled." He ruffled what was left of his hair and then smoothed the few strands back. “Are you staying here by yourself?”

  “I am. This house belongs to Gabriel Yoder as I said. He also owns the house next to Ettie and Elsa-May.”

  “Yes, I know him. Might I ask why you're living here?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Slowly, he nodded. “If you’re a friend of Mrs. Smith’s, I thought it might be.”

  “It is.” She took a deep breath. “You see, I inherited a house from my grandfather—my Amish grandfather. He had a strange kind of a will that I had to be thirty or married to inherit the house. Until then it was entrusted to a caretaker.”

  “Let me guess—Gabriel Yoder was the caretaker?”

  “That's right.”

  “And, I don’t see any ring on your finger. Have you reached the ripe old age of thirty?”

  “No, not quite and I’m not married yet like I thought I’d be. Another long story. I had someone I was close with—a lawyer—he managed to get all those silly conditions waived and I now own the house.”

  “Ah, friends come in handy.”

  “Some do.”

  “Why did you move here? Was it just the lure of the inherited dwelling?”

  “I was in a relationship with the lawyer I just mentioned. We were going to marry. When I changed my mind, he started terrorizing me.”

  Kelly's eyebrows shot up nearly to where his hairline would've been if it had not receded. “Is that so?” He pulled out a notepad and pen from his pocket. “What’s his name?”

  She shook her head. “Eugene Ryder. Why?”

  “You’ve had a nasty breakup by the sounds of it.”

  “Yes, but, as much as I don’t like him anymore, he wouldn’t be involved in any of this...”

  “I’d like to speak with him anyway.”

  She grimaced. If the police contacted him, she knew his abusive messages would start up again. She’d been enjoying the quiet. “He’s in England. He left a couple of weeks ago and he’s still there.”

  “Nevertheless, give me all the details starting with his name.”

  “I just said his name. Eugene Ryder.” She held her head. “This is all so overwhelming.”

  “Do you want a drink of water?”

  “No. I’m okay. I just need a moment.” She took a couple of deep breaths. “Okay, sorry, what did you ask me?”

  “Eugene Ryder—how can I contact him?”

  After she'd given him all the details, she said, “Don't waste your time on him. He's got nothing to do with it.”

  “Tell me when your relationship with Eugene went south.”

  “It was fine until my grandfather died, and I came here. Well, it wasn’t fine, but I didn’t realize that until I had some space from him. He was always controlling.”

  “Start there. What happened when your grandfather died?”

  “I drove down here and visited the house because my fiancé wanted to know how much it was worth. I wanted to keep it, of course, but if selling it gave us more of a head start to our future I was willing to do it—that was what Eugene wanted me to do. There were so many memories, you know? That was why I didn’t want to sell. They were vague memories, but there was still a warm familiarity about the house and that includes this whole area. That’s why I came back here now.”

  Detective Kelly nodded. “That answers my next question about why you moved back.”

  Selena nodded. “I had to contact Gabriel because he’s been the caretaker of the house since my grandfather died. I asked him if he’d find me somewhere to live since the occupants of my house hadn’t moved out yet.”

  “Go on.”

  “Gabriel told me he had a lovely house for me to stay in until they move out. So, with that news I sublet my apartment. I had no idea he was giving up his own house for me. He insisted that he wanted to buy another house anyway.” She shook her head.

  “You don't believe him?”

  “I'm not sure. He didn't really have a need for another house.”

  “Investment?”

&nbs
p; Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “Probably, but he’s not making money out of it at the moment, he's renovating it. He’s not accepting money from me to stay here, either.”

  “I think I'll have to have a talk with Gabriel Yoder.”

  “Oh no, don’t suspect him. He’s completely harmless, believe me.”

  The detective chuckled. “I’d be a rich man if I had a dollar for every time someone told me that. It’s part of the job to question everyone. I'm sure you remember that from your training.” Scratching the side of his head, he looked around. “You’ll have to find somewhere else to stay.”

  She nodded. “I know. I don’t feel safe here now. I'll book into a bed and breakfast.”

  “Good idea. I'll have a couple of my people stay here with you until you pack your things.”

  “Thanks. It won't take me long. I'll just throw a few things in the car.”

  “Very good. I'll have one of the officers give your car a careful looking-over, too.” He stood up. “You haven't been in town long, have you?”

  “Only a couple of days.”

  “And have you talked to many people?”

  She swallowed hard. She had talked to the man who owned the red truck, but she couldn’t tell him that. “I went to the funeral the other day and talked to people. I saw you there.”

  “That's right. I remember that we spoke briefly there.”

  She nodded. “I’ll make some calls to find somewhere to stay.” She picked up her cell phone. “Better yet, I might drive to Ettie and Elsa-May’s house and see where they suggest. I could stay where I stayed last time I was here, but I’d prefer to be closer to people. That was close, but I’d prefer something a little closer yet.”

  “Okay.” He handed over his card. “My numbers there. Text me the address of the place where you’ll be staying.”

  She looked down at the simple white card as she took hold of it and then tucked it into her cell phone cover. “Sure.”

  “I'll also find out what I can about this ex-boyfriend of yours.”

  “He was actually my ex-fiancé, and he’s out of the country at the moment.”