by Amy Lillard
“Once we’re married—” Hiram started, but Kappy didn’t let him finish.
“We’re not getting married. I thought I made myself clear.”
“I know what you said,” Hiram returned. “But I also know that you and I are meant to be together.”
She resisted the urge to close her eyes and let those words settle around her like a warm blanket in wintertime. How she wished that were true. “I think you should go,” she said.
Something flickered through his eyes. He pressed his lips together then stood. “This isn’t over, Kappy.”
She stood as well. “Jah. It is.” Because there was nothing left to say. They were just too different for anything other than friendship to exist between them.
She walked him to the door, her hands shaking.
Thankfully, he didn’t try to kiss her. He just wrapped one of her cold hands into his own and squeezed her fingers, a gesture of support and affection.
But if she was being honest with herself—really, truly honest with herself—she would admit that she wanted Hiram to love her as much as she loved him. As much as he had loved Laverna. That was something she’d never get, and she wasn’t willing to settle for less.
“I’ll see you,” he said.
“Jah,” she returned, then watched him get into his buggy and drive away.
She eased onto the porch and sat down in her swing. She should be inside making kapps, replenishing the stock that she had sold over the last week that she had been busy with Ruth’s death and subsequent murder. But she didn’t think she could concentrate. Plus, her hands were shaking.
Her gaze wandered over the fields of rippling corn, the patchwork fields dotted with white houses and red barns. Blue Sky was such a peaceful place to be. Or it had been, until Ruth was killed. Now it seemed as if Kappy’s life had been turned onto its ear. So much had happened in the last few days.
She mulled it all over in her mind, turning each aspect of the last few days around and around, trying to find something they had missed. But there was nothing. They were at a dead end, no pun intended. They could go no further. Ruth was gone, Jimmy was in jail, and they were out of possible witnesses.
She absolutely hated the thought of poor, sweet Jimmy locked up behind bars. So she could only imagine how Edie felt about it, coming home for her mother’s funeral only to have her brother dragged away for the crime.
The wind softly rustled around her. Clouds moved over the mountains and cast shadows below. The faraway sound of an engine mixed with a quick clip-clop of horse hooves on asphalt. How she loved the valley. The quiet, peaceful, rustling valley.
I wonder what Edie’s doing?
Without another thought, she pushed up from the swing, called for Elmer, and headed for the Peachey house.
It was a short walk on such a beautiful day. Kappy strolled down the driveway, then the short distance to Ruth’s driveway and up the small incline to the house. Elmer loped along at her heels. Only one car passed as she walked, a small red vehicle with four doors and a flat back end. She grabbed Elmer into her arms to keep him from giving chase. In a second, they were gone. They didn’t look suspicious, but the red brought to mind the button that Edie so adamantly believed was a clue.
Kappy smiled, set Elmer back on his paws, and shook her head just a bit. Poor Edie. She was so determined to find the real killer that she saw clues where there were none. What they needed was something good. Something solid. Like an enemy. Maybe someone Ruth had feuded with. But that was impossible. Everyone loved Ruth Peachey.
Yet someone had killed her.
If Sherlock Holmes were here, he or Watson would deduce that the chances were greater that Ruth was killed by someone outside the community. It made more sense that way for sure. Especially with strangers from all over the place coming to her house to look at the puppies. And if they arrived in the car . . . Well, look how quickly the red car had disappeared. Just a few moments ago it was there, and in a flash it was gone. Along with all her hopes. There was no way they would be able to track down the killer who could be anywhere.
Then the idea struck. She took off running around to the barn. Elmer chased behind her.
“Edie? Edie! Where are you?”
Edie came out of the small barn office, her green flip-flops slapping against her heels. She wore skintight black pants and a green-and-black zebra-print T-shirt that hung off one shoulder. The slouch showed one hot-pink bra strap. Her eyes lit up when she saw Kappy. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to visit, but I thought of something on the way here.”
“What is it?” She had to shout over the barking dogs. Elmer ran up and down the fence, happy to see his family once again.
“Have you looked through Ruth’s appointment book?” Kappy asked.
“I glanced through it a little more, but it’s not that interesting.”
“I think it may be the key to solving who killed her.” As she said the words aloud, Kappy’s excitement grew. “If we can figure out who all came by that day. And cross-reference it with her call log and her appointment book—”
“—then we can narrow down who killed her,” Edie finished with her. “Kappy, you’re a genius.”
Kappy smiled, but shook her head. “Not really. It just took some time to think about it.”
“Let’s go look.” The words had no sooner left Edie’s mouth than the barking changed from one of greeting to a warning that someone was out front. Someone who didn’t belong there.
“Are you expecting company?” Kappy turned to Edie.
The blonde shook her head. “Are you kidding? No one within ten miles of the place will even speak to me.” She started toward the barn door.
Kappy followed behind, nearly as anxious to see who it was as she was to get started on searching through Ruth’s ledgers.
A shiny black buggy had pulled up Ruth’s drive. For a moment Kappy thought it might be Hiram coming to look for her again, but quickly pushed that thought away as a gray-haired gentleman got out.
“Do you know him?” Kappy asked out of the corner of her mouth.
“How am I supposed to know him?” Edie returned. “I don’t even live here.”
But Kappy didn’t know him, either. She knew most everyone in the valley, regardless of their church affiliation. But this man she’d never seen before.
He walked toward them, his expression open, though there was a sadness about his eyes.
“You must be Ruth’s daughter.” He reached out a hand toward Kappy.
“I’m Ruth’s neighbor. She’s her daughter.” Kappy pointed to Edie, who gave a small waggle of her fingers in lieu of a wave.
Shock overtook his features but then disappeared as quickly as it came. “It’s nice to meet you.” He shook Edie’s hand and turned back to Kappy and shook hers as well.
“I’m sorry,” Edie said. “But you seem to have me at a disadvantage. Who are you?”
He flashed them a charming smile that somehow didn’t quite reach his eyes. “My name is John David Peight. I live over close to Belleview.” He inclined his head in that general direction.
“I see,” Edie continued. “And how do you know my mother?”
The expression on his face drooped a bit at the edges, yet even then Kappy was sure he was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen, Hiram included.
“I guess you could say your mother and I were friendly competitors.” As he spoke he reached into his pocket and pulled out a plain white business card. Kappy read the simple black lettering over Edie’s arm. Peight Pups—If you need a dog we have it.
Edie studied the card, then turned her attention back to the man in front of them. “You’re a dog breeder?”
“Jah, that’s right. One of the best there is.”
Chapter 10
Edie’s hands trembled as she handed the card back to John David.
“You can keep that.”
Edie tucked the card under the edge of her bra strap, then somehow m
anaged to face the man. “So you breed beagles as well?”
“Among other hounds. They’re my specialty. Bloodhounds, black-and-tan hounds, beagles, bassets. Mostly hunting dogs.”
“I see,” Edie said. She whirled around to face Kappy. “Can I speak to you for a moment please?” She cast a furtive glance at John David. “Alone.”
If he thought the request was odd, John David didn’t utter a word.
Edie snagged Kappy’s sleeve and dragged her toward the entrance of the barn. “He breeds beagles,” she practically hissed.
“I know. I heard.”
“Do you know what this means?”
As far as Kappy was concerned it meant a lot of things. “That Ruth is not the only beagle breeder in this area?”
“It means that he could be our killer.”
Kappy slowly turned to look at John David Peight. He didn’t look like a killer. Not that she really knew what a killer looked like. But if she did, she wouldn’t think one would resemble the man standing in the driveway right then, doing his best to pretend that they were not looking at him. His single suspender was smooth black and without any frays, his pants almost creased in the front. His shoes were clean with only a thin coat of dust covering them. His shirt was tucked in neatly with barely a wrinkle, despite the heat the day had brought.
“For a killer he’s very neat.”
“Just because he’s a killer doesn’t mean he has to be messy.”
Kappy turned back to Edie. “Just because he’s a beagle breeder doesn’t mean he’s a killer.”
“Think about it. Ruth’s dogs are the best. You’ve seen them. You see what she can charge for them. This man comes in, wants to breed hunting dogs, and he can’t get anywhere because my mother’s taking all the business. So what does he do? He sneaks in, hits her on the head, and kills her so he can take over.”
And Kappy thought she read too many mystery books. “The theory is sound except for one thing.”
“What’s that?” Edie asked.
“He hasn’t shown any violent tendencies.”
Edie blew her bangs out of her face. “Pfft . . . like that matters. He can be like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
“Who’s that?”
“Never mind. But I say we keep an eye on him.”
“No accusations?” Kappy asked.
“None for now.”
Kappy nodded. “Agreed.” They turned and together walked back over to where John David stood.
“So you and my mother were friends?”
“I wouldn’t say friends,” he said, his eyes guarded, his wary smile tacked firmly in place.
Edie cast Kappy a look.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, John David. But does this visit have a purpose today? We’re very busy.”
“Oh, jah, of course. I’m sorry. I just wanted to come out and give you my condolences.”
“Thank you,” Edie murmured. “Did you also know my brother has been jailed for the murder?”
John David’s lips pressed together. “I had heard as much, but I’ve been hoping it was just a rumor. Jimmy is a good kid. And there’s one thing I know for certain, he would never hurt Ruth.”
At least they all could agree on that.
“I thank you for coming by, John David,” Edie said.
“You have my card,” he said with a nod. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
Edie shot him a most charming smile. “You bet I will.”
They watched him climb back into his buggy. He gave them a quick wave, then he was gone.
“So what do you make of that?” Edie asked as John David’s buggy disappeared down the lane.
“I don’t know,” Kappy answered truthfully. She knew Edie was ready to try and hang John David without any more information than what they had. But she wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was guilty. He was hiding something, that much she knew. But whether it was good or bad remained to be seen.
“Well, I’m moving him to the top of my suspect list.”
“Based on what?” As far as Kappy was concerned, there were no suspects in this case. Unless she counted the man in the green shirt and the woman in red, both of whom might be merely figments of all people’s imaginations. Not to mention the man in the blue shirt.
“His shirt, for one. Didn’t you notice?”
Kappy’s heart gave a hard pound. “What about his shirt?”
“It was apple-green just like Nathaniel said.”
Kappy waved away her half-baked theory. “They have whole bolts of that at the dry goods store, Edie. It’s not like only one person can get their hands on it. The whole community will have a shirt made out of it by the end of the month. And why would he wear that shirt over here, knowing that he wore it the last time he came over?”
Edie chewed on her thumbnail. Kappy could practically see the thoughts tumbling around in her brain, ideas and speculations. She was sure it was a mess in there. “I don’t know, but there’s something about him I don’t like.”
“I agree, but I still don’t think he’s a murderer.”
Edie stopped chewing. “You agree with me?”
Kappy nodded. “Jah. He’s hiding something, that much I’m sure of, but the rest . . .” She shook her head. “Just because he’s hiding something doesn’t mean he’s the killer.”
Edie’s shoulders slumped. “I know. But I need somebody to be guilty fast. I need to get my brother out of jail.”
“We have to get the right person in jail, otherwise we’re doing no better than the police right now.”
“I just don’t know how they can say he’s guilty.”
“Jack Jones told me that he confessed.”
“What? Jimmy confessed to killing our mother?”
“Apparently, but you know how hard Jimmy can be to understand from time to time, and he was crying so hard when I was here. I don’t even know when they talked to him. I stayed with him those first couple of days, but I had to go home a couple of times for different things. They must’ve come when I wasn’t here.”
“I knew it.” Edie pounded her fist into the palm of her other hand. “They set him up.”
“I don’t think so. I think it was just bad timing. Why would anybody want to accuse Jimmy of anything?” And she had seen the look in Jack Jones’s eyes when he had to have Jimmy arrested. She could tell that it bothered him. If he had any other choice he would have taken it. But with a confession. . . Even Kappy knew enough to know that a confession meant an arrest.
“Hello?”
Kappy and Edie both turned as Jay Glick, the neighbor who lived behind Ruth, came walking around the side of the barn. He carried a foil-covered plate in one hand.
“Hi,” Edie said.
Jay’s eyes skimmed right over Edie and settled on Kappy.
“Hello to you, Jay Glick,” Kappy said. His shun was obvious to her, but she wasn’t sure Edie had noticed.
Kappy’s mind was still going in circles trying to figure out the connections and why anybody would want to arrest Jimmy. The most valuable thing he had were his rabbits, and that wasn’t saying much.
“Anna Mae said I should bring you this pie.”
Edie’s eyes lit up like the Christmas lights they strung down Main Street each year. “Pie?”
Jay kept his eyes on Kappy.
“Shoofly?” Kappy asked. Anna Mae Glick was known for her shoofly pie.
“Chocolate shoofly. She found the recipe in the back of a magazine at the doctor’s office. She’s been chomping to try it ever since.”
“Danki,” Edie said. She reached for the pie, but once again Jay pretended she wasn’t around and passed it off to Kappy.
This time Edie did notice, and her brown eyes filled with hurt. It was one thing to know that people would shun her but quite another to live it.
“Hard to believe that Jimmy was capable of such violence.”
“Jimmy didn’t do anything.” Edie charged toward Jay, but Kappy held her off, distrac
ting her by handing her the pie.
“I’m not convinced Jimmy did it.”
“What about the man in blue?”
“I thought you didn’t see anything that day,” she said, even though Anna Mae had said otherwise.
“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.”
“What about him?” Kappy asked.
“How does he fit into all this?”
“How would I know?”
“Has the daughter decided what she’s going to do with the land?”
“I don’t know,” Edie replied. “Why don’t you ask her?”
Kappy shook her head. “It’s too early to make a decision yet.”
“It’s never too early,” Jay returned.
Kappy gave a discreet cough.
“I’m willing to pay market value and cash. You won’t get a better offer. And with Jimmy’s troubles, he’s going to need a good attorney.”
Neither one of them had thought about that. They had been more interested in clearing his name from the source instead of in court. But Jay was right. Jimmy would need an attorney. Kappy wasn’t sure how “good” worked where lawyers were concerned, but if Jimmy had confessed even though he was innocent, he would need the best. And in the Englisch world, the best meant money.
She turned to Edie, but she shook her head. “I’m not selling. Especially not to him.”
Kappy turned back to Jay. “No decision has been made yet.”
“Oh, yes, there has,” Edie interjected.
Jay gave a quick nod. “So you’ll be in touch?”
“When a decision is made, you’ll be the first to know.”
Edie threw her hands up in the air. “I love being invisible. It brings me such joy.”
“Hush,” Kappy chastised, then waved as Jay started back across their joined properties. “You might need that money.”
“He’s not the only buyer in these parts,” Edie groused.
“But if you need a quick sale, sounds like he’s your man.”
Edie crossed her arms and frowned. “Why would I want to sell Jimmy’s house to a man who wouldn’t even speak directly to me?”
