A Christmas Mourning
Page 6
“It wouldn’t belong to one of our guests,” Diane pointed out. “That dresser has been rattling like that since it was delivered.”
She parted company with Jakob’s warm shoulder to afford a better view of her aunt seated on the other side of the hooked rug. “But you bought it at Yoder’s, and the Amish don’t wear jewelry.”
“Auctions yield items from all sorts of places, Claire. Both Amish and English alike. That dresser could have been in a home or another inn before it ended up here.”
“Jakob is right, dear.” Diane followed the chain with her index finger from the clasp to the pendant and then lifted her gaze to Claire’s. “What happens if this pendant meant something special to someone?”
She considered her aunt’s words while returning her head to Jakob’s shoulder. “Well, we both feel like we’ve seen that same necklace before, so maybe it’s not that unusual and they can just buy another one?”
“It’s not the necklace I’ve seen before.” Diane returned her fingertips to the chain before finally settling on the pendant itself. “It’s this part.”
“The pendant?” Jakob asked.
“No, the—”
Bolting upright, Claire dropped her feet to the ground. “That’s it! Yes! The image! The rose against the half moon! It’s the same image on the back of all of those books you got me turned on to when I first moved back here! The . . .” She searched her brain for a name to go with the image in her head, but when she came up empty, she made a beeline for the bookshelf in the center of the built-ins. With little more than a peek at the shelves above and below eye level, she located the correct row, plucked a book from the center, and turned back to her aunt, waving the hard cover novel in the air as she did. “These ones . . . The Subject Murders by Jane Barrett . . . Which reminds me, when does the next one come out? It’s been a while since Philosophical Death came out, hasn’t it?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, you two. What does a mystery series have to do with that pendant?”
Available now for pre-order!
Excerpt from Portrait of a Sister
And look for Laura Bradford’s new
Amish women’s fiction novel,
Portrait of a Sister,
coming from Kensington in June!
Katie Beiler was always the follower to her twin sister Hannah’s lead. That is, until Hannah left their Amish upbringing for an English life—leaving Katie to find her own footing in a world that no longer looks as it once did . . .
Katie has always imagined her life being just like Mamm’s. It’s why she chose baptism and why she’ll soon marry Abram Zook. But ever since Hannah left, the only thing that truly makes Katie smile is the sketchpad in which she indulges her talent for drawing faces—a sin that, if discovered, could get her shunned by her family, her friends, and even Abram. Yet Katie sees her secret pastime as the only way to quiet a growing restlessness she’d just as soon ignore. That is, until their mamm’s untimely death brings Hannah back home to Pennsylvania, with a new outlook on life, a man she adores, and, soon, an invitation for Katie to visit her in New York City.
Suddenly, Katie is experiencing a freedom she’s never had, in a world she never imagined. She’s also spending time in the company of a fellow dreamer, someone who sees her as strong and brave and makes her laugh. But it’s when Hannah shows Katie’s drawings to a gallery owner that she truly finds herself at a crossroads between the only life she’s ever known and the powerful lure of an unfamiliar future.
• • •
Katie turned in time to see Hannah and Travis disappear inside the farmhouse with Mary and Sadie in tow. She looked down at her food and then back up at Miss Lottie, her voice barely more than a raspy whisper. “She does not look like Hannah.”
“Oh?”
“The Hannah I remember did not have such black eyelashes and such red cheeks. She wore the same clothes that I wear and did not hold hands with boys.” She bit into a slice of bread in the hope it would somehow steady the tremor in her voice, but it didn’t help. Instead, it simply confirmed her total lack of appetite. “I miss that Hannah.”
“Inside, she is still the same Hannah you remember, Katie. Makeup and English clothes can’t change that any more than a freshly scrubbed face and aproned dress can change who you are inside.”
Blinking against the sudden stinging in her eyes, Katie stared down at the chicken leg and green beans she knew she shouldn’t waste. “I miss her so much, Miss Lottie. I-I miss them both so much.”
“Your mamm is still with you, Katie.” Lottie placed her hand to her chest and closed her eyes for a brief moment. “In your heart and in your mind. Find comfort and strength in that.”
Comfort.
And strength.
Comfort and—
“And as for Hannah, she is only a bus or a train ride away.”
Slowly, Katie lifted her eyes to Miss Lottie’s, her lips quivering. “In a big city. With a job. And an apartment. And new friends. And”—her voice faltered—“Travis.”
“You have Abram, don’t you?”
She sucked in a breath. “H-how do you know about Abram?”
“Your mamm and I did not just sit and stare at one another when I came for a visit, dear.” Then, with a slight wave of her hand, Lottie got them back on track. “You are still Hannah’s sister, Katie. Nothing—not a city, or a job, or even a boyfriend—can change that.”
Oh how she wanted to believe Miss Lottie was right. But the nagging sensation in her chest refused to acquiesce.
“We used to do everything together. She knew what I was thinking before I did sometimes. But now”—Katie stopped, inhaled sharply, and then sank against the back of her rocking chair—“it is like she is a-a . . . stranger.”
“Give it time, dear. I suspect that will change.”
“But how?” she protested. “I do not live in her world and she does not live in mine. Soon, she will be just like all the English girls who stare at my kapp and dress.”
“That will never happen, dear. At least not in the way you’re implying.”
“You sound so certain.”
“Because I am.” Lottie shifted forward in her rocker, stopping its gentle motion as she did. “One only has to see what I see to know how much Hannah loves you.”
“See what you see?”
“Every time I spotted your sister in the crowd today, she was looking at you. With nothing but love in her eyes.” Lottie bent forward, retrieved her cane from the ground beside her chair, and readied it for the support she needed in order to stand. “Which is why you should go inside now and soak up every minute you can with her before she heads back to the city.”
“But I don’t know what to say . . . or how to be around her anymore.”
“Be yourself, Katie.”
She looked down at her own simple dress and tried not to compare it to Hannah’s formfitting one. “What happens if that is not enough?”
“It is.”
Swiping at the pair of tears that made their way down her cheeks, Katie pushed off the chair, held out her hand, and carefully helped Miss Lottie to her feet. Once the woman was fully upright and steady, she pulled Katie in for a hug.
“Your mamm loved you, Katie. Loved you with her whole heart. More than anything, she wanted you to be honest and true.”
Katie stumbled backward, her mouth gaped. “I did not lie to Mamm. Not ever.”
Miss Lottie quieted Katie’s protest with her finger and a gentle hush. “Being honest and true to yourself is every bit as important as being honest and true with everyone else, Katie.”
Available now for pre-order!
New Tobi Tobias Mystery
Be sure to look for the new
Tobi Tobias Mystery
by Laura Bradford,
And Death Goes To . . .
The Tobias Ad Agency is in the running for the coveted Golden Storyboard, and Tobi couldn’t be more thrilled—until she discovers it’s literally an award to die fo
r.
It’s an honor just to be nominated. But, let’s get real, Tobi wants to win. The St. Louis Advertising Awards are like the Oscars for her field, and Tobi is up for its most prestigious prize, Best Overall Ad Campaign. The competition is always fierce, but this year it’s killer . . .
Despite her high hopes, Tobi isn’t exactly shocked when she doesn’t win. But she is shocked when the winner, Deidre Ryan, takes the stage, only to plummet to her death as a platform suddenly gives way. After the police discover foul play, Tobi’s Grandpa Stu wastes no time in nominating suspects. But was Deidre the intended victim—or was someone else meant to take the fatal fall? Now it’s a race to catch a killer in the spotlight, before another nominee gets the booby prize and Tobi gets trapped in a no-win situation.
Available now!
The Amish Mystery Series
Be sure to look for all the books
in the Amish Mystery Series
by Laura Bradford!
Hearse and Buggy
Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace—in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in. Claire loves her new home, and she’s slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store’s former owner, the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can’t help but get involved.
Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly—and his Amish upbringing—as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him. Claire’s connections make her the perfect go-between.
As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk . . .
Assaulted Pretzel
The quiet town of Heavenly is buzzing with excitement over the latest guests at the local inn, Sleep Heavenly. Toy manufacturer Rob Karble is in town to meet the members of the Amish community who will soon be crafting a new toy line for his company. But when word gets out that Karble intends to use the Amish designs without employing the Amish to make them, someone sends the interloper to his final reward.
No one wants to believe anyone from the Amish community could commit such an act, but as Claire and Detective Fisher have learned, no one is above sin—or suspicion.
Shunned and Dangerous
Claire has always been game for a good puzzle, so when she hears that Mose Fisher has made one of his famous corn mazes, she can’t wait to walk the paths and test her skill. But she’ll have a much more serious puzzle to solve when, deep inside the maze, she discovers the body of Amish dairy farmer Harley Zook.
It won’t be easy for Detective Jakob Fisher to investigate a murder on his own father’s farm—not after being shunned by the man for leaving the Amish community and becoming a cop. With Mose himself as a suspect, and old family secrets cropping up, it’s up to Claire to help catch the killer before she finds herself at a dead end.
Suspendered Sentence
After the Stoltzfus barn catches fire, Claire is awed by the response of the community. Hundreds of Amish men gather together to raise a new barn for the family in a matter of days. But in the midst of the work, a human skeleton is unearthed. Found with the remains is half of a friendship bracelet last seen on Sadie Lehman, an Amish teen long believed to have left her strict upbringing for the allure of English ways.
Now Detective Jakob Fisher—once a member of the Amish community himself—is determined to solve the young woman’s murder. With Claire’s help, he must dig into the past and bring to light long-buried secrets—secrets that someone is willing to kill to protect . . .
A Churn for the Worse
When an Amish farmer is found dead in his barn, his family accepts his death as God’s will. But Detective Jakob Fisher knows the farmer didn’t hit himself in the head with the shovel lying beside his body. And when it comes to light that a stranger appeared at the farmer’s home and now money is missing from their milk can, Fisher suspects robbery as the motive—especially when another Amish family is victimized.
Getting to the truth proves difficult, however, since Fisher has two strikes against him in the eyes of the Amish—his chosen career, and the Amish roots he left behind. Desperate to stop a murderous thief, Fisher turns to Heavenly Treasures shop owner Claire Weatherly for help. The trust she’s earned from the Amish community enables her to go where the detective cannot—straight into the path of a killer . . .
Books by Laura Bradford
The Jenkins & Burns Mysteries
Deadly Readings
Deadly Getaway
Deadly Expressions
Deadly Ambition (a novella)
The Amish Mysteries
Hearse and Buggy
Assaulted Pretzel
Shunned and Dangerous
Suspendered Sentence
A Churn for the Worse
Amish Mystery Short Stories
A Christmas Mourning
Plain as Day
The Tobi Tobias Mysteries
Death in Advertising
30 Second Death
And Death Goes To . . .
The Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries
Éclair and Present Danger
The Silence of the Flans
The Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries
(written as Elizabeth Lynn Casey)
Sew Deadly
Death Threads
Pinned for Murder
Deadly Notions
Dangerous Alterations
Reap What You Sew
Let It Sew
Remnants of Murder
Taken In
Wedding Duress
Needle and Dread
Romances
Kayla’s Daddy
A Mom for Callie
Miracle Baby
Storybook Dad
About the Author
Laura Bradford is the national bestselling author of the Amish Mysteries, the Jenkins & Burns Mysteries, the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Tobi Tobias Mysteries, and the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries (written as Elizabeth Lynn Casey). Laura is a former Agatha nominee and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award in romance. In her free time, Laura enjoys making memories with her family, traveling, baking, and visiting the sea lions at the Central Park Zoo. For more information and all the latest book news, visit her website at www.laurabradford.com.