“I thought you’d say that. I’ve already called for a taxi. I hope you’re ready to go.”
Ettie picked up a basket. “I’ve packed us some food for the trip.”
“That wasn’t necessary. I’m sure there’ll be food on the way.”
“I don’t want to go hungry or find that I don’t like the food that’s available. I don’t want to have to eat a bag of chips like we’ve so often had to do. This way we can have a proper meal.”
Elsa-May nodded. “Denke, Ettie.”
Snowy jumped up at Elsa-May and then pawed on her leg. “He knows we’re going somewhere.”
“He’s a smart dog.”
“You can’t come with us, Snowy. I’ll take you for an extra long walk when I get home.” Elsa-May patted his head and he lay down on the floor.
A car horn beeped.
“That’ll be our taxi.”
When they told the taxi driver where they were off to, he made some inquiries and got them to the proper bus station. “There’ll be a bus leaving here in half an hour.”
“Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.”
When they were heading into the bus station, Elsa-May said, “He was a friendly man, Ettie.”
“He was and I think you were being a little too friendly with him.”
“Jah, you’re right. I was too friendly.”
“You agree with me?”
“I do. I miss having a man around. A man to do all the little things that need repairing around the haus.”
“We’ve got enough people who are willing to do things for us.”
Elsa-May sighed. “It’s not the same.”
“Well, you’re not getting married again at your age, and leaving me alone.”
“Nee, I wouldn’t marry again. Sometimes I miss what was. Do you remember how it was when you were the central person in everyone’s lives? The hub of the familye?”
“Jah, when our kinner were young.”
Elsa-May nodded. “What we said mattered then and all my kinner came to me with their problems and told me their hopes. Now, I’m not told anything.”
“It’s a cycle, Elsa-May. We need to enjoy this time of our lives too. Our parents probably felt just the same as we’re feeling now.”
“I know, but I just got to thinking how it used to be. Now our kinner hardly visit us.”
“That’s because we live so close we see them all the time at the meetings.”
“I’m just thinking…”
“Well, don’t think! All this emotion just from talking to the taxi driver?”
Elsa-May remained silent and Ettie could see that her sister was stuck in this loop of melancholy thoughts. “We need to keep busy, Elsa-May. Remember when we were wondering if Paula had a dark past?”
Elsa-May nodded.
“We have to ask her family the right questions.”
“Do you think we should’ve let them know we were coming?”
“Nee, because they might have told us not to bother.”
“Jah, good point. We’ll have to hope that they’re home.”
* * *
“Is this it?” Ettie looked up at Paula’s parents’ home as the taxi pulled up in the street.
“This is the address I got from the bishop.”
“It doesn’t look very grand. I thought the family was wealthy.”
The taxi driver, overhearing Ettie, said, “This is one of the better streets in these parts.”
“I see. Thank you,” Ettie said. “How much do we owe you?” she asked the driver.
While Ettie was paying the driver, Elsa-May tugged on her sleeve.
“Ettie, look! There’s someone coming out of the house. That could be the brother. Come on.”
“I’m coming. You go on ahead.”
Ettie finished paying the driver and then caught up with Elsa-May who was striding toward the young man. The man clicked a remote control and the lights of a nearby car lit up.
When he saw them approach, he stood still. “Can I help you?”
“We’re friends of Paula and we’ve come to talk to her family. Would you be a family member?”
“I’m her brother, Jason. My parents aren’t home, and that’s just as well because you wouldn’t get a very good response from them. Have you come to ask how Paula is?”
“We were told that her condition hasn’t changed,” Ettie said.
“I know. I just phoned the hospital and was told the same.”
“We’d just like to ask you some questions if we could.”
“Questions about my sister?”
“Yes.”
“Go right ahead.”
“This is quite a delicate matter. Do you know why your sister left the furniture store where she was working before she joined our community?”
“I do and by the sounds of it, you do too.”
Ettie and Elsa-May looked at each other.
“My sister was strung along for years by that man saying he was going to leave his wife. He never did. And then he took on a female business partner, and my sister was pushed to one side. How do you think she felt about that?”
“Not very good, I would imagine,” Ettie said, feeling sorry for Paula wasting years on the wrong man.
“That’s when she left the store, when the business partner came to work there?” Elsa-May asked.
“I talked her into leaving. I told her she couldn’t wait around forever. She’d already wasted enough of her time on him. He’s probably giving the business partner the same line about leaving his wife.”
“Possibly,” Ettie said.
“I went to see him myself and told him what I thought of him.”
“What happened,” Elsa-May asked.
“I told him my sister was considering telling his wife and telling his new business partner about the relationship they’d had.”
“Did Paula tell anyone about their relationship?” Elsa-May asked.
“No and I’d wager Cameron George knew Paula would never talk. She’s too much of a peaceful person who wouldn’t like to make waves. Anyway, he just laughed in my face.”
“Yes, she seems a quiet person,” Ettie said.
“She joined the Amish because she’d lost faith—I think. She was looking for something to have faith in,” he said. “Now we’ve lost her to the Amish.”
Elsa-May said, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but Paula would feel she was lost but now she’s been found.”
He tossed his dark hair back and laughed. “I’ve heard it all before. My parents made us go to church when we were younger and I never bought into it, but my sister is more gullible than I am. She needed a crutch, and then she ran into some Amish people somewhere along the way when she was feeling down. They must’ve recruited her.”
“That’s not our way,” Ettie said with a frown.
“She’s Amish now, and she had to come by that decision somehow. I remember her telling me about a family she met.”
“The Lapp family?” Elsa-May asked.
“Yes, I think that’s what their names were.”
“She lived with the Lapps before she moved into her own house. Have you visited her since she joined us?”
“I didn’t visit her when she was staying with that Amish family. I went to see her once or twice after she’d bought the house.”
“What was it, once, or was it twice?” Elsa-May asked.
Ettie looked at her sister and wished that she’d gone alone to talk with Paula’s family. Questions like that would definitely get anyone off track.
The brother didn’t seem fazed by Elsa-May’s blunt tone. “I believe it was twice. Once when she first moved in, and then a couple of months after that. I called in to see if she was okay.”
“So that was the last time you saw her?” Elsa-May asked.
He tipped his head to one side. “How are you trying to help my sister?”
“We’re trying to find out who did this to her.”
Elsa-May added, “Your answers ha
ve been a big help so far.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help. I don’t know why they aren’t letting family in to see Paula, though, especially since she might not make it.”
“They aren’t letting anyone see her,” Ettie said, “When you visited her, did she say anything about having an enemy or someone she’d upset?”
“The only person she would’ve upset would be Cameron George.”
“What did she do to upset him?”
“Just what I told you.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll have to go soon. It was my mistake telling him that she was thinking of telling his wife. I just wanted to give him a fright—nothing more.”
“You think it was Cameron George who hurt her?”
“I absolutely do. And I hear his wife’s locked up for it and he’s free.”
“Did you tell the police all you told us?”
“I was here when the police came to talk with my parents. They didn’t take the line of questioning down the road that you have. So I didn’t mention anything. If my sister doesn’t pull through, that’ll be a different story. I’ll find out myself who did this to her and make them pay.”
“Is there anything else you need to tell us?” Ettie asked.
He shook his head. “Not right now. I can’t think of anything.”
“You’ve been very helpful.”
“Did you know my sister very well?”
“We did. We were going to see her the very morning that all this dreadful business happened. We hadn’t seen her in a while.”
Ettie nodded. “We were dreadfully shocked when we heard the news.”
“I imagine it would’ve been shocking.” He glanced at his watch again. “If you ladies will excuse me, I’m running late for a meeting.”
“Thank you once again. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Bye now,” Ettie said.
They stood on the edge of the street watching Paula’s brother drive away in a black car.
“That’s another black car, Ettie.”
“And another tall man with dark hair. His number plate is nothing like the one Elizabeth gave to Kelly, though.”
“What do you think about his story?” Elsa-May asked.
“What did you think?”
“Do you believe him?”
“Maybe. He seemed quite believable,” Ettie said.
“I wonder if he might have had some reasons to want his sister out of the way.”
“Like what?” Ettie asked.
“It occurred to me that he didn’t want us to speak with his parents. He seemed to act relieved that they’re not home. You know, how he spoke about them in a negative way as if they would be hostile with us.”
“Jah, but that goes along with what the detective said about them saying that we were a cult.”
“I suppose so, but I don’t want to be turned off from talking to them.”
“Are you suggesting we should wait for them to come home?”
Elsa-May nodded. “That might be a good idea.”
“What? Do you want to wait for them to come home? With no food and no water?”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Ettie.”
“I’m not being dramatic. You were the one who ate all the food I brought with us. No wonder you’re not hungry.”
“We’ll wait here for an hour and then if they haven’t shown up we’ll go and get something to eat somewhere and then come back.”
Ettie smiled. “That sounds like a good idea.”
Ettie and Elsa-May found a seat at a nearby bus stop where they had a good view of the comings and goings at the house.
They only had to wait half an hour before a white sedan pulled into the driveway and into the garage. As soon as the car was inside, the doors closed.
Elsa-May slapped Ettie on the shoulder as she said, “Come on; that’ll be them. Let’s go.”
“Give an old girl a minute,” Ettie said before she stood up. Elsa-May hadn’t waited, and Ettie made spritely strides to catch up with her at the bottom of the driveway.
“I’ll go knock on the door,” Elsa-May said.
“I’m right behind you,” Ettie said in a quiet voice.
An elderly man opened the door.
“Would you be Paula Peters' father?” Elsa-May asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m a friend of hers.”
“Have you heard what happened to her?” he asked as he looked from Ettie to Elsa-May.
“Yes, that’s why we’re here.”
“Would you like to come in?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you, if you don’t mind.”
“If I minded I wouldn’t have asked,” he said with a smile. “Come through and I’ll call my wife.” The man yelled out to his wife.
He showed them through to the sitting room.
Ettie wasn’t expecting such a good response from him and hoped that his wife would be just as nice. While they were waiting for Paula’s mother, Ettie and Elsa-May introduced themselves.
“There you are,” he said when his wife walked into the room. “These ladies know Paula.”
She opened her mouth as though she was a little surprised and then she sat down.
After the introductions were over, Elsa-May said, “We’re here to ask you a couple of questions.”
Ettie added, “Only because we want to know who harmed Paula.”
“We told the police everything we know.” Mr. Peters said.
“There might be something that you didn’t think was relevant,” Ettie said.
Elsa-May asked, “What did you know about the furniture store where Paula worked?”
Paula’s mother said, “You know about the affair?”
Ettie and Elsa-May nodded.
“We’ve heard some talk that there was an affair and that she was dumped for the new business partner,” Ettie said.
Elsa-May stared at Ettie, “There’s no need to put it quite so brutally.”
“Well that’s how I heard it happened,” Ettie said. She turned to Paula's parents. “I’m sorry, if I’ve said something wrong.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Paula’s mother said, “It seems that’s just what happened even though it took place well over a year ago.”
“The police told us that Cameron George’s wife is accused of assaulting Paula. It seems she found out that Paula was having an affair with her husband,” Mr. Peters said.
“That’s what they think,” Elsa-May said.
Mr. Peters narrowed his eyes. “But you think something different? You think Cameron George did this to her?”
“Is that what you think?” Mrs. Peters asked.
“We don’t know. Do you know if Cameron George ever gave Paula a locket?”
“She wouldn’t have told us if he had. She kept the whole thing secret until she told us she was joining you people.”
“Paula gave us a few surprises that day. She told us she didn’t even want us to name her in our wills.”
Mr. Peters continued, “She said her inheritance was not an earthly one, but a heavenly one. I don’t have a lot, but I worked hard so I have something to leave both my son and my daughter. It hurt me when she turned her back like that.”
Mrs. Peters began to cry. “They won’t even let us see her, even though she might not make it.”
Mr. Peters put his arm around his wife. “We’ve just come from the hospital. They’ve run all the tests they can, and they won’t know more until she wakes up.”
“Do you know anybody who would want to harm Paula?” Ettie asked. “Besides the Georges?”
While Mrs. Peters shook her head, Mr. Peters said, “No!”
“I’d reckon it was something to do with Cameron George,” Mr. Peters said.
Ettie and Elsa-May walked out of the house half an hour later.
“We didn’t learn much,” Ettie said.
“Not much. Do you think they had more information they were keeping to themselves?”
“I don’t think so. I think they woul
d’ve told us.”
“I can’t help thinking we’re missing something.”
“Jah we are. We’re missing knowing who attacked her.”
“You know what I mean, Ettie.”
“I wonder if she’d been threatened before. And if she had been threatened, who would she have told about it?”
“Would she have gone to the bishop?”
Elsa-May shook her head. “The bishop didn’t know anything about it. He would’ve said something to the detective, wouldn’t he?”
“You know him better than I do. What do you think?”
“With something as important as this, I do think that he would’ve mentioned it.”
“So we can take it that the bishop doesn’t know?” Ettie asked.
Elsa-May nodded. “Now, who were Paula’s closest friends in the community?”
“She seemed to be very close with Mrs. Lapp.”
“Ach nee! We don’t have to go back there and talk to them again, do we?”
“The last time we were there was the only time that they know we visited them because the first time they weren’t home. We only spoke to Obadiah and he probably didn’t tell them we had visited. He doesn’t talk much even to his parents.”
“That’s true. So how do we approach this?”
“Let’s figure something out on the bus back home.”
Chapter 11
Ettie and Elsa-May figured out that if cake had worked in getting Elizabeth to talk, it might also work on Mrs. Lapp.
They went to a cake shop as soon as they got off the bus.
Elsa-May walked in first and right away pointed at a passionfruit sponge with thick icing. “That looks like a nice one.”
“You’re just saying that because of the thick icing.”
Elsa-May chuckled. “I do have a sweet tooth and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Nothing wrong with it unless you’re trying to lose weight.”
“I’ve already lost some,” Elsa-May protested.
Ettie frowned at Elsa-May and looked her up and down. How she thought she’d lost weight, Ettie didn’t know. She certainly looked the same size, and her clothes didn't look any looser, but Ettie wasn’t going to tell her that.
“Do you think she’d like the passionfruit one, or the chocolate cake?”
Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 3 Page 7
