Lost

by Samantha Price

  "That's Earl's old boss, Harold Appleby."

  "Has he stayed in contact with you over the years?"

  "No. He had a big divorce. I think he lost his firm and things went bad for him.”

  “After Earl went missing?"

  “Before, I think.”

  "So does that mean he lost his job?"

  "Who, Earl? Or do you mean Appleby?”

  “Oh, sorry, Appleby.”

  “I think the firm stayed in place, but Appleby lost the job as director. He had some kind of a breakdown, or so I heard."

  When Ettie looked back, Kelly was nowhere to be seen and Appleby was talking to someone else.

  "Well, I better go and mingle," Mrs. Quinn said.

  "Yes, of course." Ettie could barely keep the smile off her face over the woman using the word that had irritated her sister. If only Elsa-May had been there to hear it.

  She took a bite of her lettuce sandwich and was disappointed that there wasn’t even any butter on the bread. As planned, Ava was now talking to the first wife and Elsa-May was talking to Carl. Ettie made herself a cup of tea from the help-yourself tea and coffee items, then took small steps closer to Harold Appleby while he was speaking to another man.

  As soon as the man stopped talking to Appleby, he turned around and started talking to somebody else. Something about the man unsettled Ettie. There was a deep coldness in his dark eyes. Maybe her hunch was right. Earl had given him his baby girl, thinking she’d have a better life, and then Appleby lost his job and was divorcing.

  Suddenly there was a break and Appleby was looking lost, as though he needed someone to talk to. This was Ettie’s perfect opportunity, but she froze to the spot. What if this man was the murderer?

  He could’ve killed Earl when Earl expressed his disappointment in the life his daughter had been forced into. Further scenarios ran through Ettie’s head. The man was once in a high-powered position. What if he had paid someone to lure Earl somewhere, to Simon and Gertie's rental house, and then Appleby killed him or had him killed. Simon had seen the killer and confronted him and then Simon was killed to silence him.

  Ettie turned around and walked away, choosing to pass up her opportunity altogether. A better option was to find out what Kelly had found out about the man. Kelly knew something about him, and it was more than him being Earl Quinn’s former boss.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The drive back in the taxi was strangely silent, as Ettie and Elsa-May had decided they would all wait until they got back to their house to discuss what they had learned, so the taxi driver wouldn’t overhear.

  As soon as they walked in the house, Elsa-May leaned over and picked up Snowy and then sat on her chair while Ettie and Ava sat down on the couch.

  "That was quite eventful," Ettie said. Then she looked over from Ava to Elsa-May. "Well, what did you both learn?"

  "You go first, Ava," Elsa-May said.

  "As you know Harold Appleby was there and I saw Kelly talk to him before he left."

  "Before he left?"

  "Detective Kelly. He didn't stay long. As soon as he spoke to Appleby, he left. What did you find out from Appleby?" Ava asked Ettie.

  Ettie licked her lips. "I didn't get to talk to him."

  "Oh, that's too bad," said Ava. "I found out from Julie that when Earl disappeared he was going to Pittsburgh to speak to somebody about their daughter, just as you had wondered."

  "Did Julie know who her daughter was adopted out to?"

  "All she said was she knew that a lawyer arranged it, and she had left everything up to Earl. She said Earl was uneasy before he left on his last business trip. He told her he had a meeting with someone about their daughter. He wouldn’t tell her anything more than that."

  "If we’re right about Appleby having adopted their daughter, Julie didn't know him, because she didn’t speak to him today, and surely she would've."

  "You’d think so," Elsa-May said.

  “And what did you say the reason was that you were asking her?" Ettie asked Ava.

  "I just said what you told me to say, that a friend of ours had gone missing and we thought it might have had something to do with Earl's death."

  "Very good. And what about you, Elsa-May? What did you find out?"

  “I talked to Carl and asked him if he knew why his brother was going to Pittsburgh. He said he thought it was something to do with his work. He didn’t say much at all."

  "That's right, according to wife number two," Ettie said.

  “But not according to wife number one,” Ava said.

  "So you didn't really get any useful information out of Carl at all?" Ettie asked Elsa-May.

  "Nee. And that's perhaps because he didn't know anything."

  "I think we'll have to go back to see Detective Kelly tomorrow and find out what he knows about Appleby. I've got a hunch he knows something."

  Ava sprang to her feet. "I should go home now. I've got lots to do."

  "Thanks for helping out again today, Ava. We don’t want to keep you from your home duties."

  "You're welcome. Any time at all. I love helping with your mysteries."

  Ava said goodbye to the elderly ladies and then rubbed Snowy’s head before she headed out the door.

  "Jeremiah made a good choice there," Elsa-May said of her grandson.

  "Jah, they make a good pair."

  They sat in silence, each mulling over the day's happenings.

  Just as Ettie rose to her feet to make them each a cup of tea, Snowy barked and rushed to the door. Ettie changed direction and headed to the door muttering to herself that she thought she’d heard a car. Kelly was standing on the other side of the door and Snowy bounded at him. After Ettie opened the door, Kelly bent down and picked Snowy up and held him out at arm’s length.

  "Take the dog would you, Mrs. Smith? I don't want to get fur on my suit."

  Worried about his stitches, Ettie carefully took Snowy from him and shut him in Elsa-May’s room.

  "Take a seat," Ettie said when she returned and saw him standing up while talking to Elsa-May, who was still seated. He sat down on a wooden chair opposite Ettie’s couch.

  "We were going to come see you tomorrow.”

  "What about?" he asked.

  "About Appleby," Elsa-May said.

  He narrowed his eyes at them. “What’s he done?”

  “You might be able to tell us that,” Ettie said.

  "You saw me talking to him at the funeral?"

  "Yes. Would I be right in thinking that he adopted Earl’s child? Is that why you were speaking with him?"

  "That is correct. He did indeed adopt Earl’s baby. She’s an adult now.”

  “Appleby was going through a divorce just before Earl disappeared," Ettie said.

  "And that’s something that Earl would’ve been upset about," Elsa-May added.

  "That's along the same lines as what I'm thinking. When Earl approached Appleby about his disappointment over his daughter’s life of stability being turned upside down, Appleby didn't want his own life disrupted further. Earl was seeing what he could do legally, and he probably told Appleby he was out to get his daughter back.”

  “So you suspect him?”

  “In my mind that's a motive for murder," Kelly said.

  "I can see that some people would think that to be true," Ettie said.

  "It's more vitally important than ever that you find your friend. We need to interview her if we’re ever to get justice for Earl Quinn."

  "I don't know what else we can do," Elsa-May said. “We've called everybody we know and no one’s seen her."

  Kelly flung his hands in the air. "Dig deeper. Call everybody again."

  "We don't want to alarm anybody," Ettie said.

  "Why not? At least that way it might make her easier to find," he said.

  "That's true. I hadn't thought of that."

  "You must find her." Kelly rose to his feet.

  "Will you stay and have a cup of tea with us?"

&nbs
p; "Any other time I'd love to, but I’ve got far too much to do. Can I trust you both to bring Gertie in for questioning as soon as you find her?"

  Elsa-May said, "It sounds like you think we’re hiding her somewhere.”

  "All I want is to see her in my office within the next couple of days. Do you think you can do that?" He looked from one sister to the other.

  "We’ll try," Ettie said.

  "We’ll do everything we can," Elsa-May added.

  "Good." The detective gave a sharp nod before he headed to the front door.

  Ettie managed to get there first and open the door for him.

  Out of the side of his mouth, he said, "I'll expect to hear from you soon."

  "Goodbye."

  Ettie sat heavily on the couch.

  “What do you think of that, Elsa-May?”

  Elsa-May picked up the knitting by her feet. “Let Snowy back in by us, would you?”

  Ettie rose to her feet. “Well?”

  “I’ll tell you when you get back.” Hurrying to open Elsa-May’s bedroom door, Ettie wished her sister wouldn’t be so bossy and stubborn.

  Snowy scampered into the room, passed Elsa-May, got into his dog bed and made himself comfortable. He didn't even bother with his usual routine of sniffing where Detective Kelly had been.

  “There, happy now?” Ettie said to Snowy, who just looked up at her.

  “Denke, Ettie. We’ll have to go back to Gertie’s house and call everyone in her address book again. Surely someone would have to know something. Maybe Amos has remembered something.”

  “What if the murderer has got her?”

  Elsa-May stopped knitting and fastened her blue eyes onto Ettie. “That would be dreadful. We can’t think things like that.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Elsa-May and Ettie had the taxi let them out at the road close to Gertie’s house. That way they could walk up the driveway and get into Gertie's house without alerting Amos from next door. With him looking over their shoulders, they figured they wouldn't be able to have a good look around Gertie's house for clues to her whereabouts.

  They saw that their plan hadn't worked as a dusty looking Amos walked toward them. Clouds of dust rose from his clothing as he patted himself down.

  "What happened to you, Amos?" Elsa-May asked, staring at the black smudges down one side of his face.

  "I lit a fire this morning and my chimney started smoking. I was just cleaning it."

  "How would you manage to do that by yourself?" Ettie asked.

  “I get up on the roof with chains, and I lower them down and then lift them up, and I do that a few more times, working all the way around the chimney, and that cleans it out. Then I go inside and clean up the mess.”

  “How often do you do that?” Ettie asked.

  “Every few years. Whenever it starts smoking.”

  “Amos, have you ever found anything that’s come out of the chimney?”

  “What do you mean, Ettie?”

  “That book I saw in your house—the one that looked all old and black.”

  A smile brightened his face. “Jah, that came out of the chimney. It might have been there for a long time.”

  “What was in it?”

  “Books are no good to me. I never learned to read.”

  “Mind if I take a look at it?”

  Ettie and Elsa-May followed Amos into his house, and he handed the book to them. "I don't know what it was doing there in the chimney."

  “What is it, Ettie?”

  “Just a moment.” Ettie carefully opened the brittle pages. “It's got names and dates here. Just names and dates." She slowly lowered the book, and said, "Elsa-May, it's got Earl Quinn's name in it and what must be the date he died next to it, and it's got…" Elsa May shook her head and looked down.

  "What is it, Ettie?"

  "Aaron! Aaron’s name is there as well, with the date next to it.” Ettie stared back down at the page. “I can't make out the first digit, but it is May 1956."

  Elsa-May's fingertips flew to her throat. "Nee!"

  Amos said, "What does this mean?"

  "We’re not sure, but this must've been left by the man who lived here before you. He must've hidden it on a ledge inside the chimney."

  Elsa-May said, "Amos, can we hold onto this for a few days?"

  "Keep it. It's no good to me. No word on Gertie?"

  "Nothing more, but the police are still confident that she's just gone somewhere and she’s okay."

  “You think the man who lived here before me killed that man you found?”

  “Maybe,” Ettie said. “It’s not for certain.”

  “That’s why the police are so interested in me? It’s not me, it’s the haus?”

  Elsa-May nodded.

  Amos looked down at his dusty clothes. "I'll go back to cleaning out the bottom of the fireplace. Do you need me to help you with anything?"

  "Nee. We might just have another look around Gertie's place again."

  "And we’ll call everyone listed in her address book."

  "Very good. And please let me know as soon as you hear anything." He shook his head. "I feel so useless just doing nothing to help find her, but I don’t know where to go or where to look. I feel I should be doing something but I don't know what to do. If only I could go somewhere and make sure she's okay."

  Amos’ bottom lip started wobbling and Ettie hoped he wouldn’t cry. “It’ll be okay. She’ll come back. Can I make you a cup of tea or something?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll have to get back to work on the fireplace in case the night is cold.”

  "As soon as we know anything we’ll tell you."

  “I appreciate it,” he said.

  “We’ll leave you to your fireplace cleaning.”

  They left Amos and hurried into Gertie’s house and sat down on the couch. They saw around ten names with dates next to them, listed in chronological order. Then Ettie opened the next page and they saw Simon’s name. His was the last in the book, with his date of death beside it.

  Elsa-May bounded to her feet, letting out a scream, and the book skidded across the floor. "Ettie, Simon’s name is in here.”

  "Jah, I saw that." Ettie was too shocked to move.

  They both knew that the man who’d lived in that house before Amos, whatever his name was, he was in all probability a killer.

  "The man who lived here must’ve been hired by Appleby to kill Earl, and then he had to kill Simon because Simon saw him do it.”

  “That makes sense, but what about Aaron? Why’s his name in the book?” Ettie asked.

  “What was her other husband's name—the Englischer that she married after Aaron died?" Elsa-May sat down with her hand on her chest. "Give me a moment." Elsa-May glanced over at Ettie. "You look calm."

  "I might look it but my heart is pounding and my hands are shaking. I can't believe this. No wonder Gertie disappeared. I wonder what else she knows."

  "A lot more than she told us, I think."

  "How are we going to find out the name of the Englischer she married?" Ettie asked.

  "Amos is the only one who seems to know that she married him."

  "And she mentioned that he died too, didn't she?"

  "Yes, she talked about two husband's dying, remember?"

  "I do. Or it was something like that. Didn't she just say two men she loved died?"

  Elsa-May sighed. "I’m not certain. I should’ve been listening more carefully. You go ask Amos his name while I sit here and recover."

  Ettie rose to her feet, picked up the book and placed it on the couch beside Elsa-May. "I'll be back in a minute."

  Ettie walked over to Amos' house. Just as she approached it, she heard scraping noises. The front door was open and she knocked on the doorframe. "Amos?"

  "Oh, come in, Ettie."

  "Just a quick question. Do you know the name of the Englischer that Gertie was briefly married to?"

  He stood up from his crouched position over the fireplace, and he
drew his eyebrows together and rubbed his forehead. “I think it was a funny kind of a name. Maybe it was an Italian name. It might come to me later.”

  "Let me know when you think of it."

  "Why is it you want to know? Do you think she's gone to see him? Because he's dead."

  "Jah, we heard that. We just thought his name might be in the book of names that you gave us."

  "We just have to hope and pray that Gertie comes back to us safely."

  "That's what we're doing. Denke. I'll leave you to your fireplace project." Ettie walked out the door. Once she got talking to him, Amos was just like a regular person and not as menacing as she had first thought.

  Ettie burst through the door of Gertie's house. “Wouldn’t it make sense that the name of Gertie’s Englischer husband would be in the book since she’s convinced the murders are linked and Aaron’s name is there?”

  Elsa-May glanced at the book beside her. "I don't want to touch the book anymore — the book the murderer wrote in."

  Ettie picked up the book and sat down beside Elsa-May. “We wouldn’t know which one would be his name, and I suppose it wouldn’t help us find Gertie anyway.”

  They both stared down at the book.

  "We'll have to take it to Detective Kelly," Ettie said.

  "Let's do it now, right away. The quicker we do it, the quicker he might be able to find Gertie."

  They took Gertie's address book with them, too, so they could make further calls from the phone near their own home.

  Chapter Sixteen

  As soon as Ettie and Elsa-May sat down opposite the detective, Ettie handed him the book.

  "What's this?"

  "Amos, the man living in the house next to Gertie found this in his chimney a long time ago."

  "We think it belonged to the murderer and he wrote down everybody he killed and on what date he killed each of them."

  Detective Kelly carefully placed the book on the desk. "And how many people have touched it?"

  "Ettie, me, and Amos. And," said Elsa-May with a shudder, "the killer."

  He shook his head. "This is evidence." He opened the drawer and pulled on disposable gloves and then he looked through the pages. “And Amos has only just realized what it is?”