Then they saw Kelly pull up and he hurried over to them
“What happened here?” Kelly asked.
“Don Shallot happened, that’s what.”
He rubbed his chin. “I’m sorry we didn’t get here sooner. I talked to him only today.”
Selena said, “That’s what motivated him to finish the job he’d started.”
Kelly made no comment. He walked into the house, talked with the police and walked back out. “Good job for getting him red-handed. He was in it with the doctor. Dr. Grifford.”
“We know,” Elsa-May said. “He said that too.”
“We’ve got the doctor in custody and now we’ve got Don.” He smiled.
“He’d been watching the house. He was going to kill us all,” Selena said.
Ettie said, “He admitted what he did.”
“That’s good, now let’s hope he admits it down at the station. I’ll check back with you later tonight.”
“There’s no need. We’ll be fine,” said Selena.
“Tomorrow then.” He gave them half a smile and a nod and then left them.
The two police officers came out of the house. “You can go in now,” one of them said. “Are you ladies okay? Do we need to call the medics?”
“We’re okay,” Elsa-May answered. “Can we really go back inside now?”
“Yes. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“We’ll be fine. Our friend from next door should be here soon.”
* * *
When the police left, the three women moved into the house, closed the door and locked it.
Then they all collapsed onto the couch.
“I can’t believe anything of what just happened,” said Elsa-May.
“Me neither.” Selena shook her head. “Are you both okay?”
Ettie said, “We’re okay. I wonder how they arrested the doctor. What led them to him?”
“We’ll have to ask Kelly when he comes back.”
Selena said, “Probably the same clues that led you to him, Ettie.”
“Maybe.”
Selena sighed. “Gabriel’s not going to believe this.” Suddenly there was loud knocking at the door. Startled, they looked at one another. “I’ll get it.” Selena jumped up, and then hesitated when she got to the door. “Who is it?”
“Gabriel Yoder.”
Ettie thought it odd he used his last name. They weren’t expecting any other Gabriels.
Selena opened the door and he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “We’re fine.” She glanced over at Ettie and Elsa-May.
“I came as soon as I heard.”
“Come in and sit down.”
He took off his hat and walked inside. Selena locked the door behind him.
“You heard that Don Shallot was here?”
He sat down on a chair opposite the couch. “I heard police cars were here. I heard the sirens and then found out they were heading to your house.”
Ettie said, “It was Don Shallot. A man from a retirement home. A suspect in the original killings, but he didn’t do those ones. If we can believe what he said, anyway.”
“It was awful,” Elsa-May told him. “He pointed a gun at us.”
Gabriel gasped and stared at Selena. “You could’ve been hurt.”
“So could’ve we,” Ettie pointed out.
“Jah. You all could’ve been.”
Exhausted, Ettie closed her eyes while listening to the conversation, until the voices lulled her to sleep.
Ettie and Elsa-May didn’t see Kelly until four days later. They’d just finished washing up from the evening meal when he knocked on their door. Snowy started barking, knowing who it was behind that closed door. Elsa-May closed him in her bedroom as she mostly did when Kelly visited. The detective was not a dog lover.
“Come in.” Ettie was pleased to see him and opened the door wider.
“Thank you.” He stepped into the house and looked at Elsa-May who was sitting down, knitting.
“Sit down,” Ettie said.
As he walked to one of the chairs opposite the couch, he asked, “You’re by yourselves?”
“We are. Selena’s moving into a small house, and Gabriel’s there right now putting extra locks on the doors. But, she’s been too nervous to stay by herself yet. She’ll be staying here again tonight.”
He inched up his trousers and then sat down. “I can’t blame her for being nervous after all that’s happened.”
“There was one point when I was sure that Selena’s ex-fiancé was responsible for the killings.”
“She means the recent ones,” Elsa-May told him. “But she was also sure it was other people along the way.”
Kelly nodded. “It's a process. It’s important to let the facts speak for themselves and not be tempted to make the facts fit with the story in your head.” He tapped the side of his forehead. “I’ve learned that from being involved in over three hundred murder cases over the years.”
Ettie gasped. “That’s a lot.”
“It is. I do believe we've convinced the ex-fiancé it's in his best interests to disappear from her life.”
Elsa-May dropped her knitting into her lap. “That's good news. Is the doctor in jail?”
“Yes, along with Don Shallot.”
“Good. We were waiting to hear that, weren’t we, Ettie?”
“That’s right.”
He continued, “Both of them were denied bail. We’ve got enough rock-solid evidence for convictions for both of them. Don Shallot has confessed and his evidence will help us put the doctor away. We're also in communication with investigators in New York, looking into unsolved crimes with links to the Amish from the time Dr. Grifford spent out there. Killers like him are rarely able to just stop for years at a time. They usually escalate their dastardly deeds. He would’ve been smart enough to mark those kills with something other than scarecrows.”
“Why did the second fellow use scarecrows?”
“Seems he was an admirer of the doctor. That’s all I can tell of the situation so far. Anyway, we can rest easy, knowing they’re both locked up. Selena will be pleased to know that. She can start that carefree life now.”
“Yes. The life that she moved here for,” Ettie said. “Can we get you a cup of coffee and … maybe a piece of cake, Detective?”
He frowned. “As much as I’d like to, I shouldn’t. I’ve got Mrs. Kelly keeping my dinner hot.” He glanced at his watch. “It’ll be the first night this week I’ve gotten home before nine.”
Elsa-May grinned. “She must be a very patient woman.”
He nodded. “She is. I’m a lucky man.”
Ettie couldn’t get the doctor out of her mind. “I just don’t think the doctor had a good enough reason to kill people, or to have someone else do it. I’m sure people would’ve donated blood for his experiments.”
Kelly shook his head. “And they did. That’s not why he killed. He did it for the thrill and for the high it gave him. As for encouraging Don Shallot to kill, it was a sick satisfaction that came in the form of controlling another human being. Forcing him to kill and do his evil bidding. He probably had a good laugh about us trying to figure out about the scarecrows and why they were placed in the front yards.”
Elsa-May made tsk-tsk sounds. Then she asked, “Why did he put them there?”
“Most serial killers have a calling card. It’s a way for them to be remembered. It gives them a certain notoriety. Some of the more famous ones have left notes, playing cards, drawings, and one even wrote letters to the police and left them at the scene of the crime. One thing I didn’t tell the both of you was that on each of the victims were found small puncture wounds, and now we know why.”
“I was wondering about that when Don Shallot told us what he did. That would’ve shown up at the autopsy. I noticed nothing was mentioned about that.”
“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” Elsa-May said. “It’s
over with. Let’s talk about something happier, shall we?”
“How’s Mr. Yoder getting along next door?”
“Gabriel?”
Kelly nodded.
“Really well. I guess he’ll move back into his old place now. It’s not convenient putting his horse and buggy at the Troyers and having to walk there every day to get them, and to feed his horse and all that,” Ettie said.
“Oh no, Ettie.”
Ettie stared at Elsa-May. “What is it?”
“When Gabriel moves out of the house next door, you know what that means for us?”
Ettie shook her head. “Oh, new neighbors. I didn’t even think of that. I hope they’re nice.”
Kelly chuckled. “So do I. I think you’ve had enough excitement for a while, don’t you?”
“We certainly have,” said Elsa-May. “More than enough.”
He stood up. “I should go. The three of you did a great job.”
Elsa-May pushed herself to her feet. “Ettie saved us all.”
He looked down at the still-seated Ettie. “You did, Mrs. Smith?”
“Yes,” Elsa-May said, “She used her walking stick as a weapon.”
Pleased with herself and her walking stick, Ettie lifted it up.
The detective furrowed his brow. “Since when have you had a walking stick, Mrs. Smith?”
Ettie lowered it until it touched the floor. “You’ve seen it at least half a dozen times now.”
He shook his head. “I don’t recall.”
“It’s just a temporary thing.”
Elsa-May leaned forward. “We won’t tell you how she came by it.”
He eyed Ettie and then folded his arms. “Now, I’m interested. How—”
Ettie pushed herself to her feet and then glared at her sister. “Don’t you dare say a word.”
Elsa-May laughed and then Ettie giggled and shook her walking stick at her.
Kelly looked from one to the other as he edged his way to the door. “Perhaps it’s better I don’t know.”
Elsa-May opened the door for him and watched as he disappeared into the night. Once he was gone, Elsa-May let Snowy out of the bedroom. He ran around sniffing where Kelly had been. Ettie sat down and placed her feet on the coffee table. “All’s well that ends well.”
“For now.” Elsa-May sat in her usual chair and fished her knitting out of the bag by her feet, and Snowy gave up his sniffing expedition and curled up in his dog bed in the corner.
“Cup of hot tea?” Ettie asked.
“That would be lovely, denke.”
“Nee, I meant for you to get it.”
Elsa-May looked over the top of her knitting glasses to see Ettie holding up the walking stick, then she groaned. “Okay, I’ll get it.”
“Denke.” Ettie smiled, pleased with herself.
When Elsa-May had pushed herself to her feet, she glared at Ettie. “I don’t think you need that walking stick anymore. You walk quite well without it.”
“I do. I definitely do.”
Elsa-May gave a little nod and walked to the kitchen.
Ettie rested her head back onto the couch, closed her eyes, and stifled a giggle. She didn’t need the walking stick anymore, but she’d hold onto it for just a little longer. It really was a very nice walking stick.
I hope you enjoyed Amish Scarecrow Murders.
* * *
The next book in the series is:
* * *
Threadly Secret
When elderly Amish widow, Ettie Smith, was invited to the local fair to help judge the cookie contest, the last thing she expected was to find a murdered woman in the quilting tent. With so many people bobbin about, Ettie didn't want anyone to cotton on to what had happened, so quickly covered the body with an Amish quilt. Ettie forced her sister to inform the local detective, knowing he would only needle her about finding another murder victim.
Can Ettie and her sister stitch the clues together, or will this be one murder that will leave them completely unraveled?
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ETTIE SMITH AMISH MYSTERIES
Book 1 Secrets Come Home
Book 2 Amish Murder
Book 3 Murder in the Amish Bakery
Book 4 Amish Murder Too Close
Book 5 Amish Quilt Shop Mystery
Book 6 Amish Baby Mystery
Book 7 Betrayed
Book 8: Amish False Witness
Book 9: Amish Barn Murders
Book 10 Amish Christmas Mystery
Book 11 Who Killed Uncle Alfie?
Book 12 Lost: Amish Mystery
Book 13 Amish Cover-Up
Book 14 Amish Crossword Murder
Book 15 Old Promises
Book 16 Amish Mystery at Rose Cottage
Book 17 Amish Mystery: Plain Secrets
Book 18 Amish Mystery: Fear Thy Neighbor
Book 19 Amish Winter Murder Mystery
Book 20 Amish Scarecrow Murders
Book 21 Threadly Secret
Also by Samantha Price:
AMISH MAIDS TRILOGY
Book 1 His Amish Nanny
Book 2 The Amish Maid’s Sweetheart
Book 3 The Amish Deacon’s Daughter
* * *
AMISH MISFTIS
Book 1 The Amish Girl Who Never Belonged
Book 2 The Amish Spinster
Book 3 The Amish Bishop’s Daughter
Book 4 The Amish Single Mother
Book 5 The Temporary Amish Nanny
Book 6 Jeremiah’s Daughter
Book 7 My Brother’s Keeper
* * *
SEVEN AMISH BACHELORS
Book 1 The Amish Bachelor
Book 2 His Amish Romance
Book 3 Joshua’s Choice
Book 4 Forbidden Amish Romance
Book 5 The Quiet Amish Bachelor
Book 6 The Determined Amish Bachelor
Book 7 Amish Bachelor’s Secret
* * *
EXPECTANT AMISH WIDOWS
Book 1 Amish Widow's Hope
Book 2 The Pregnant Amish Widow
Book 3 Amish Widow's Faith
Book 4 Their Son's Amish Baby
Book 5 Amish Widow's Proposal
Book 6 The Pregnant Amish Nanny
Book 7 A Pregnant Widow's Amish Vacation
Book 8 The Amish Firefighter's Widow
Book 9 Amish Widow's Secret
Book 10 The Middle-Aged Amish Widow
Book 11 Amish Widow's Escape
Book 12 Amish Widow's Christmas
Book 13 Amish Widow’s New Hope
Book 14 Amish Widow’s Story
Book 15 Amish Widow’s Decision
Book 16 Amish Widow’s Trust
Book 17 The Amish Potato Farmer’s Widow
Book 18 Amish Widow’s Tears
* * *
For a full list of Samantha Price’s books visit:
www.SamanthaPriceAuthor.com
About Samantha Price
USA Today Bestselling author, Samantha Price, wrote stories from a young age, but it wasn't until later in life that she took up writing full time. Formally an artist, she exchanged her paintbrush for the computer and, many best-selling book series later, has never looked back.
Samantha is happiest on her computer lost in the world of her characters. She is best known for the Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries series and the Expectant Amish Widows series.
www.SamanthaPriceAuthor.com
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thaPriceAuthor
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