Elsa-May stood there looking, hands on hips, in disgust at her baking efforts. “Now, what are we going to do with this cake?”
“The only thing we can do is throw it away.”
“It seems a waste.”
“You eat it then.”
Elsa-May sighed. “I suppose you're right.”
Ettie picked up the plate of cake. “Why don’t you have a little sleep?”
“I can't do that. It's the middle of the day.”
“It won’t hurt. I won’t tell anyone.”
“I suppose I could.” Elsa-May headed into her bedroom and after Ettie threw the cake in the trash, she sat on the couch pleased and satisfied to have some quiet time to herself. She rarely got time alone during the day, so she closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence. There was no one to reprimand her, no clickety-clack of knitting needles—a constant sound whenever Elsa-May was around, and no one to tell her she could’ve done things better. Snowy made a giant leap and jumped up beside Ettie and cuddled up next to her.
Ettie closed her eyes and stroked Snowy’s long white fur while she pondered who might’ve killed Ebenezer and why. What made it all the more difficult was the mystery surrounding his coming to the community.
The next thing Ettie knew, someone was shaking her awake.
Chapter 26
Ettie opened her heavy eyelids and saw a large dark shape hovering over her. She was startled until she realized it was only her sister.
“I can't sleep,” Elsa-May told her.
Ettie blinked in an effort to wake herself a little more. “Did you try?”
“I did.”
“You could’ve let me sleep.”
Elsa-May took a couple of steps back and tied the cord of her dressing gown. “I didn't know you were asleep. I thought you might be dead.”
“Dead?” That made Ettie bolt to an upright posture on the couch.
“I wasn't sure.” Elsa-May spoke calmly as she sat down in her chair.
“Is this what things have come to? Every time I sleep you’re going to think I’m dead?”
“I didn't give it too much thought, Ettie. Just that if you’d died I’d rather know about it now than later on tonight.”
Ettie frowned at her sister. “Would it have ruined your dinner plans?”
“Nee, but it got me to thinking, where would I live if you’d died?”
Ettie folded her arms, not liking the subject of the conversation. “And what did you decide?”
“I thought I’d live with Ava and Jeremiah. They have the grossdaddi haus attached to theirs.”
“It sounds like you thought about things for more than a fleeting moment.”
Elsa-May picked up her knitting and gone was the last bit of Ettie’s peace. “I don't think I’d like to live by myself.”
“You’d have Snowy.”
“He could come with me to Ava’s. I'm sure they wouldn't mind.”
Ettie stared at her sister in disbelief. “You’ve created a whole other life in your head that doesn't include me.”
Elsa-May looked over the top of her glasses. “You’d be dead, Ettie.”
Ettie opened her mouth not knowing what to say. Anyway, her sister’s health wasn’t great, so surely, she’d go first and Ettie hadn’t planned a life without her. “I’d be dead, would I?”
Elsa-May continued, “In my mind, you were when I was thinking those things.”
Snowy jumped down from the couch and scratched at the back door.
“Ah, I locked the dog door.” Their conversation was interrupted by Elsa-May unlocking Snowy’s door so he could get outside. When Elsa-May headed back to her chair, Ettie wasn’t ready to let go of the subject.
“Did you enjoy your new life where I was dead and you were living with Jeremiah and Ava?”
Elsa-May stopped still. “Nee. I missed you and the life I have here. Nothing was ever the same again.”
Ettie smiled, pleased to hear she’d be missed. “And why?”
Elsa-May didn’t sit back down, instead she walked over to Ettie, leaned down and gave her a hug. It was just a quick embrace and a rare moment that they showed their affection.
“I’m not dead just yet,” Ettie said.
“Me too,” said Elsa-May as she headed back to her chair.
Her words didn’t make much sense for someone who was normally so precise.
At lunchtime the next day, the sisters were delighted when Ava stopped by. They’d only just finished piping the frosting on Kelly’s cake and were getting ready to leave. Ava had saved them a taxi fare.
On the way to the station, Ettie was worried. “I hope he’s not mad with us again.”
“Me too,” Elsa-May said.
“What have you found out so far?” asked Ava. “Let’s talk our way through it and something might fall into place.”
Ettie began, “Okay. I once thought it was the neighbors. I can’t remember their names, so I’ll call them Jack and Jill.”
“And why did you think they did it?” Ava asked.
“I can’t say they did it, but he had a bandaged hand. Then there’s the nurse—she was the first one to strike me as questionable—who might’ve been after Ebenezer’s money.”
“Not likely, Ettie. He never agreed to give her anything,” Elsa-May said.
“So she claims. How do you know that? He could’ve realized the kind of woman she was and then strung her along for the sake of her visits. He might’ve lied. He wouldn’t be the first man who ever lied to a woman.”
“That’s possible, I suppose, but wouldn’t she have made certain of that before she killed him?” Ava asked.
“Well then, it could’ve been the fruit boy.”
“Why?” Ava asked.
“Because ... Ebenezer might’ve complained about a moldy apple.” Elsa-May giggled at her own words.
Ettie shook her head. “Can't you come up with something better?”
Ava laughed and said, “So, the suspects are the neighbors, the nurse, and the fruit boy? Oh, and the wife?”
Slowly, Ettie nodded. “That’s about right.”
Ava threaded her prayer kapp strings through her fingers while she held the reins in one hand. “What about the workers from the farm next door?”
“Jack and Jill’s cottonseed farm?” Ettie asked.
“Jah.”
“There aren’t any. They’re all seasonal workers. They don’t live there and I don’t think Ebenezer would’ve known any of them. He wasn’t the kind of person to make himself known to strangers.”
Elsa-May turned around and looked at Ettie. “What about Cain and Abel? It happened once before. What if Levi killed his own bruder? He moved and changed his name to get away from him. It must’ve been a dreadful shock when Ebenezer moved so close to him.”
“For what purpose, Elsa-May?”
“Hatred? Loathing, or maybe in anger?”
Ettie groaned. “It’s got to be Elaine. She wouldn’t have run if she wasn’t guilty. It’s looking more like her every minute. The only problem with that is, she’s come back—and the blood samples didn't match hers. If she was guilty surely she would’ve kept going. Someone tried to emulate her handwriting with those notes in Ebenezer’s haus.”
“But who and why?” Elsa-May asked.
“When you answer that, you might have your killer,” Ava said.
“Then what about the fruit boy and Jack Simpson being friends? That makes no sense.”
“I know.”
After Ava parked the buggy, Elsa-May took the cake into the station while Ava and Ettie waited in the buggy.
A few minutes later, she was back. “He wasn’t there. I left it at the front desk for him.”
“Did you make that statement?"
"I asked them, and no one knew I was coming. They asked me to call back later.”
“Strange.”
“Where to now?” asked Ava. “I’ve got another hour before I have to get Aaron from Mamm.”
“Just take us home denke, Ava,
” Ettie said.
Ava took them home and before her buggy got to the end of the road, Elsa-May and Ettie saw another buggy approaching.
“Who’s that?” Elsa-May asked squinting.
“It’s Gabriel.”
Elsa-May chuckled. “He always cheers me up. I’ll get the teakettle on.”
“I’ll wait here for him.”
Moments later, Gabriel jumped out sporting a wide grin, and hurried over to Ettie. “I can’t tell you how happy I am. Oh, where are my manners. How are you on this lovely day, Ettie?”
Ettie glanced up at the gray sky. Lovely to some, she thought. “I’m good. Come inside, Elsa-May’s putting the teakettle on for a nice cup of kaffe.”
“Okay.” He took off his hat, wiped his feet and stepped through the door. “I’ve got the most wonderful news. I asked Selena a question and she agreed.”
Chapter 27
Ettie’s mouth dropped open. That had to mean Selena was joining them and then they were getting married. What else could the question be? “Don’t say another word until Elsa-May’s here. Elsa-May! Come out here now!”
Elsa-May hurried out of the kitchen tying her work apron around her back. “Hello, Gabriel. What is it, Ettie?”
“Sit down. Gabriel has something to tell us.” Ettie held onto Gabriel’s arm and guided him to the couch. “Now go on, tell us.”
“I have some exciting news. I asked Selena something and she agreed.”
Ettie leaned closer. “Is that something you’re going to tell us or do we have to guess?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “She’s moving into my haus.” When they looked horrified, he added, “It’s not like that. I’m moving out.”
“She’s moving into your place and you’re moving out?”
“That’s right, Elsa-May.”
“Why would you do that?” Ettie asked.
He faced Ettie. “She had to find somewhere to live in a hurry and she loves my haus.”
“Where will you go?”
“I just bought the place next door to you.”
Elsa-May held her throat. “What?”
“Next door. The empty house. The man sold it to me at a cheap price.”
“Do you remember what happened there?” Elsa-May asked.
“Jah. Of course. That’s why it was cheap, he said.”
Ettie couldn’t keep the smile from her face. Her prayers had been answered. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in years.”
“I’m happy you’re pleased, Ettie. And you, Elsa-May?” He looked at Elsa-May.
“I’m in shock. We’d love to have you for a neighbor, Gabriel.”
“I might not be there for long because when we’re married I’ll move back into the other house.”
Ettie nodded. “It’s good to have a plan, I suppose.” After Gabriel talked for a little while about how wonderful Selena was and how beautiful her eyes were, Ettie turned the subject around to Ebenezer.
“You were wrong, Ettie.”
Ettie stared at her sister wondering what she was talking about. “About what?”
“You said no one would buy the house in the wintertime and someone did.”
Slowly, Ettie nodded. Then she asked Gabriel, “You told us the other day that Ebenezer was sad about something on the last day you saw him.”
“That’s right he was.”
“Have you given much thought to what might have brought on that change in his mood?”
“No, but something else happened while I was there.”
“What?” the sisters said in unison.
He swallowed hard. “It might mean nothing, but he didn’t have the money to pay for his food delivery. He had it every other time, so I thought it a little weird.”
“Food was delivered that day?”
“That’s right.”
“I paid for it. It wasn’t much, but Ebenezer seemed embarrassed that I paid for it.”
Elsa-May crossed her legs at her ankles. “Did he normally pay for the food on the day of delivery?”
“Jah. He said he hadn’t been to the bank this month to get his money.”
“Hmm.”
“Does that mean something?” he asked.
“I’m not certain what, but maybe it does.”
* * *
Ettie woke up in the early hours of the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. Then something occurred to her and she hurried into Elsa-May’s room.
“Elsa-May, wake up.” She shook her sister’s shoulder
“What is it?”
“The letters we found. I’m sure they were written in the same handwriting as the notes.”
Elsa-May sat up rubbing her eyes. “What letters?”
“The ones that were addressed to the neighbors.”
“You're only realizing that now.”
“Well, no. I’m not certain.”
“Then why wake me?” Elsa-May flopped back onto the bed and turned away from Elsa-May.
Ettie sighed and made herself a cup of hot tea. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep.
Once Elsa-May was awake, Ettie convinced her they needed to go back to Ebenezer’s house and take a look at those letters.
They were walking to call for a taxi when one drove right past them. Elsa-May raised her hand and managed to attract the driver’s attention.
* * *
It was still early in the morning when they walked through the front door of Ebenezer’s house.
Ettie went over to where she’d left the letters on the couch. They were still there. She sat down and lifted them onto her lap. Elsa-May sat next to her. “Well, what do you think?” asked Elsa-May. “Is that the same handwriting?”
“I’m certain of it.”
“The same person who wanted to meet him at the boundary was writing letters to the neighbors. Read them, Ettie.”
Ettie opened the first one and read it quickly. “It’s to both of them next door and it’s from Elaine. She’s plotting with them to get Ebenezer off the land and now we have proof. It was her.”
“Is that right?”
“Elsa-May, we’re going to have a pre-dinner get together with the people who knew Ebenezer.”
“We are?”
“We are. Come along, we’ve got to write the invitations. I’ll have Ava deliver them. I’ll even invite Elaine.”
Chapter 28
Two evenings later, Ettie was pleased when all the people she’d invited had come. Amongst them was Ebenezer’s killer. She was certain of it and tonight she was going to coax them into admitting it.
Halfway through the evening, Ettie made her move. She stood up and spoke in a loud voice. “Thank you all for coming. You think you’re here for Christmas cake and to bid farewell to our dear friend, Ebenezer.”
“Aren’t we?” someone in the room called out.
“You’re here because you all knew Ebenezer, and his killer is in this room.” A hush swept across the room.
“I hope you don’t think it was me again,” Elaine said.
“Ettie. I hope you're not going to say Levi did it?” Helga said.
“Just listen to her,” Elsa-May called out.
Ettie continued, “At first it was obvious. Then too obvious to be true, so all the evidence was swept to one side after excuses were made.”
Blythe Simpson said, “Why would you have Patricia Stuart in your house? A woman with no warmth and no humanity? She’s a viper, a vixen, and she was out to get his money.”
“Now wait a minute!” Patricia jumped to her feet. “It was probably you or your husband. Gabriel told me you were trying to force Ebenezer out of his house so you could buy his land.”
Gabriel stood up. “Now wait a minute. I’m not sure of anything.”
Elsa-May stood up. “Everyone keep calm. Sit back down, and let Ettie talk.”
One at a time they all sat down. Ettie waited until she was the only one who remained standing.
“This is ridiculous,” Pete Ross,
the fruit boy, said.
Elsa-May leaned toward him, and shushed him. “Shhh.”
“Elaine, did you book into Deer Acres on the day or the days surrounding Ebenezer’s death?”
“No and I didn’t go to the hospital either and I had no knife marks on my hands like they tried to make out.”
“Then what made you choose to stay at Deer Acres when we saw you, if you’d never been there before?”
“The detective accused me of staying there, and I guess that name was in my head when I needed a place to stay after they realized I’d been wrongly arrested. I’m sorry, I know I told you to come back the next day, but I just couldn’t stay.”
“Don’t give it another thought,” Elsa-May said.
Ettie looked at Elsa-May clamped her lips and gave a slight shake of her head, telling her to keep quiet. Then she looked at Jack. “Jack, you had cuts on your hands from the murder weapon and so did Levi.”
“So what? That doesn’t prove anything.”
"But lying about it might," she countered.
"Hmmph," he grumbled.
“Patricia, two days before Ebenezer was found dead, you made a large deposit into a bank account. And, I’m guessing you’ve got more cash hiding somewhere. Ebenezer’s money.”
Patricia jumped to her feet. “I don’t have to listen to this.”
“You took Ebenezer’s money that he had hidden in his closet. Money that he’d saved over the years and he figured out it had to be you who took it. He threatened to expose you. Then you framed Elaine.”
“You’re absurd. It’s all lies!”
“When you were snooping around his house, you came across some of Ebenezer’s wife’s identification documents and used them when you booked into the hospital. It wasn’t the closest hospital either because you didn’t want to bump into someone you knew. Then to further cover your tracks, you booked a room at Deer Acres under Elaine’s name. You found the letters from Elaine trying to work with the neighbors to sell them the land if they could get Ebenezer to leave. You copied that handwriting.”
Elaine called out. “And she must’ve forged my writing everywhere she had to sign papers.”
Amish Winter Murder Mystery Page 12
