After all the rumors flying around at Thomas’ funeral, Thea wasn’t going to sit back and let her new friend, Austin, be blamed for something he didn’t do. As soon as it was dark, she went to her bedroom early and then sneaked out of the house. She took a flashlight and called a taxi from the barn, and had it pick her up from her nearest crossroad in ten minutes time. She ran from the house in the dark to reach the taxi in time.
She had the taxi driver take her to Austin’s apartment, hoping he’d agree with her plan. After the taxi pulled up outside the apartment block, she paid the driver, and then she walked toward his ground floor apartment with her heart pumping wildly.
Through the window, she could see the flickering lights of what she thought was a video game. After she had taken a deep breath to steady her nerves, she knocked on the door.
He opened it just a crack and peeked out. When he recognized her, he opened the door. “Thea!”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here so late?”
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah.”
Once she was inside, she wasted no time. “I thought we should do something about the rumors surrounding you and Thomas.”
He huffed. “Yeah? Like what?” His eyes dropped to the flashlight in her hand.
“I think we should look for clues in his barn.”
“You can’t be serious, Thea!”
“I am. We’ll wait until everyone’s asleep and no one will know that we’ve ever been there.”
“What are you hoping to find? The police would’ve been all over the place.”
“Maybe they missed something.”
He stared at her as though she were crazy. “Like?”
“I don’t know. We’ll know it when we find it.”
He shook his head. “Thanks for caring, but it won’t do any good. Besides, if we’re caught, we’ll be arrested for trespassing. Or, they might think I’m guilty and coming back to the scene of the crime. I’ve seen things like this on TV, where things go wrong because of people poking around.”
“Okay, I’ll go by myself, then.” Thea turned on her heel and Austin grabbed her arm.
“Don’t! It’s silly.”
“It is not! I thought you’d want to come with me, but I’ll go by myself.” She opened the door and once she was through, she slammed the door and ran into the night. On hearing his door click open, she turned around.
“Wait! I’ll come.”
She was relieved. She secretly didn’t know whether she would’ve gone to the dark barn by herself. Now with Austin there, it would give her courage. She waited for Austin to catch up with her.
“I think you’re mad. We can take my car.” He clicked a remote and the lights of a nearby car lit up.
“Good. We can park it up the road and then we’ll have to walk a fair way to the house, so they don’t see the car’s headlights.” Thea didn’t even dare to think what her father would say if he knew she was in an Englischer’s car.
They drove the ten minutes it took to get to Thomas' house and parked the car up the road as Thea had suggested.
“If only the night wasn’t so cloudy,” Austin said as soon as he got out of his car.
“It’s not too bad. We can’t put a flashlight on here, or someone might see us,” Thea said. “We’ll have to wait until we get to the barn.”
Together they made their way closer.
“Remind me why we’re doing this,” Austin whispered.
“I’ve got a hunch; that’s all.”
“You know something, don’t you? Do you know who killed him and you want to hide the evidence?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. Of course, I don’t know who killed him.”
“What’s the hunch about?”
“I dunno. Maybe I don’t have a hunch. Maybe I’m just curious to see if I can work out if it’s possible to die from falling out of the loft, or off the ladder. They weren’t sure what happened and I just want to see for myself.”
“Why don’t you go and ask his parents? You know them, don’t you?”
“Ask them to have a look in their barn, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“I wouldn’t like to do that.”
Austin said, “It’s possible to die from falling off a chair, if you fall the wrong way on your neck.”
“Yeah, but it’s unlikely. I just feel that something’s not right.”
“I hope this isn’t going to be a waste of time.”
“Are you sad that you’re missing out on your video games?” Thea asked with laughter in her voice.
“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”
“I’ve no interest in games. Games are for children and a total waste of time for adults. Now don’t talk; we’re getting too close. They might hear us.”
To get to the barn, Thea and Austin had to walk past the house. They stayed in the dark of the shadows the best they could. The only light around was the soft glow coming from an upstairs window of the house.
When they reached the barn, the door was slightly open and Thea went first, pushing her weight against the tall rough wooden doors.
She covered her nose when she breathed in a weird smell like sour grain. “Come on, Austin,” she whispered. “Stay close behind. We’ve only got the one light.”
“I’m right behind you. Should I turn the flashlight on now?”
“No. Wait until we’re further inside. You go first. I can’t see where I’m going.”
Austin took hold of Thea’s shoulders, made his way past her, and then he grabbed hold of her hand. “Stay close,” he said.
The next thing Thea knew, Austin pulled her to the ground with a thud. She sneezed when a cloud of dust invaded her nostrils.
“What are you doing?” she hissed as she straightened her prayer kapp.
“Shh! I fell over something.” Austin stood up and pulled Thea to her feet.
“What is it?”
“Dunno, I'm gonna put the flashlight on.”
“No, not yet. Go around it,” Thea ordered.
“It could be a sack of grain. Here." He put the flashlight into her hand. “Turn the light on now, Thea.”
“Okay, and then I want to get close to the loft.”
Before Thea could turn on the flashlight, the barn doors behind them flew open, and beams from a huge hurricane light lit up the barn.
Thea and Austin stood squinting into the light at the large man walking toward them.
“Is that you, Thea?”
It was Mr. Strongberg’s voice.
“Jah.”
“What are you doing?” He walked closer, and then Mr. Strongberg stopped in his tracks as he looked beyond them on the barn floor. “What have you done?”
Thea’s eyes followed Mr. Strongberg’s gaze. It was a body. When she realized that what they’d fallen over was the lifeless body of a man, she screamed and dropped her flashlight running to the door. Austin, frightened by her screams, jumped a few steps sideways and looked back to see what had terrified her.
“It’s a body!” Thea screamed again.
Austin’s mouth dropped open, as he stared at the corpse. He turned to Thea and pointed to her clothes. “Look!”
She looked down to see smudges of blood down the front of her dress and apron. Then she looked at Austin. “And look at you!”
Austin looked down to see blood down the front of his sweatshirt
Mr. Strongberg handed Thea his light. “What have you done? Have you killed him? Hold the light, and I’ll see if he’s still alive.”
“We didn’t do anything. We didn’t even know… We only came…” Thea stammered and couldn’t speak.
“Hold the light still,” Mr. Strongberg’s voice boomed as he leaned over the body. Seconds later, he straightened up. “He’s dead. I’ll have to call the police.”
“We should go now, Thea,” Austin said, backing away.
“No! Both of you stay here. They’ll want to talk to you.”
Mr. Strongberg took the light from Thea and stomped further into the barn.
Austin and Thea stayed near the open door of the barn, staring at each other in silence.
When Mr. Strongberg came back, he asked, “What’s the man’s name?”
Austin looked at the ground. “I don’t know.”
“We don’t know him,” Thea said. “We didn’t know he was here.”
“I have to talk to them again. Both of you stay here. Don’t go anywhere.”
Thea knew she was in terrible trouble and felt much worse for having dragged Austin into trouble with her. It had been a dumb idea to look in the barn especially when she had no real idea what she was looking for. A dead body was not what she'd had in mind.
Chapter 12
Ettie and Elsa-May had just gotten into Ava’s buggy when Doris Wyberger pulled up in her buggy.
Ettie stepped out to talk with her. “Doris, what’s wrong? You look very distressed.”
“I am. There’s been someone else found dead at the Strongberg place."
Elsa-May stuck her head out of the buggy. “Who?”
“I heard it was some Englischer and that’s all I know. And do you want to know something else?”
“Jah, what?” Ettie peered at her.
“He was killed in the barn, too. And they have the two people who did it.”
Ava stepped out of the buggy. “How did you hear all this, Doris?”
“I heard it from Alice, who heard it from Milly who heard it from Ruth Fuller, the baker. One of the policemen went in to get some bread on his way home early this morning.”
Ettie nibbled on a fingernail. “A second death in the barn.” Ettie considered that it looked less likely that Thea’s Englischer friend from the market was to blame, but who was?
“Jah, that’s two deaths. And I know something else.” Doris continued without drawing breath. “Wilma had been telling me that she’s seen strange lights in the barn ever since Thomas came back from rumspringa, nearly every night, and even after his death. When she first told me, I didn’t take any notice because I thought she’d gone daft and was thinking Thomas was trying to contact her, or something. But now…”
“What kind of strange lights?” Elsa-May asked.
“Like a flashlight?” Ava asked.
Doris shrugged her shoulders. “She didn’t say—just said that there were lights. She tried to send Samuel out to see if there was anyone there, but he kept telling her it was nothing and to go back to sleep. He finally agreed last night, and went out to check, and just as well he did because he caught the killers.”
“Who were they?”
“That, I’m not sure of. All I know is that there was a man and a woman.”
“What are you doing out so early, Doris?”
“I was just taking Alice some eggs. She’s not been feeling too well lately and I thought she might be able to use them.”
“Denke for stopping by and telling us, Doris.”
“I thought you might be able to use the information to tell that detective friend of yours, Ettie—about the lights in the barn all the time, I mean. I suppose Wilma might have already told the police, but then again, she might be too upset to think with a level head.” Doris stopped speaking and looked at the three of them. “Where are you all headed at this hour of the day?”
“We’re going to the library.”
“What for?”
“Ava wanted to use the computer and we’re going along for the ride.”
“Jah, we don’t get out much these days now that we don’t have a buggy of our own,” Elsa-May added.
“So, you’ll tell your detective friend about all the lights every night in the barn, Ettie?”
“I most certainly will. Denke; you’ve been a wunderbaar help.”
Doris’ face beamed with delight. “I’ll see you all on Sunday.” Doris clicked her horse onward.
Ettie got back into the buggy. “What do you think of that?”
“We should go to the police station to see who got killed and who did it.”
“That’s right. There’s no use looking anything up on the Internet unless we know more,” Ava said. “He could have the killer, or killers, arrested already.”
“Okay, I guess the library’s not that far from the police station. Let’s go.”
* * *
When they arrived close to the station, and Ava parked the buggy, she said, “I’ll stay here. I find the detective a little intimidating.”
“So do we,” Ettie said with a laugh.
“We won’t be long,” Elsa-May said as she got out of the buggy.
As they walked along the sidewalk toward the station, Ettie asked her sister, “Why did you say we mightn’t be long? You know we have to wait a long time for him sometimes.”
“Ava’s a big girl. If we’re too long, I’m sure she’ll come looking for us.”
“I suppose so.”
“I wonder who could’ve been murdered,” Elsa-May said.
“I hope it wasn’t any more of Thomas’ familye. How would Samuel and Wilma cope with another of their kinner being taken from them?”
“Let’s just find out. There’s no use putting the cow before the horse. Or, the bull before the plow. Goat before the cart? Or is it the…”
“Stop! You’re grating on my last nerve,” Elsa-May blurted out.
“That’s not very nice,” Ettie murmured to herself.
“It’s the cart before the horse.”
“Are you sure?” Ettie asked.
“Jah!” snapped Elsa-May.
Ettie and Elsa-May walked up the steps of the police station, and once they were inside, they stopped in front of the officer at the front desk.
“Good morning,” the young man said after he glanced up at them.
“Good morning. I wonder if we might have a word with Detective Kelly.”
“Have a seat and I’ll tell him you’re here.”
Ettie and Elsa-May headed over to the row of chairs. Most of the officers knew them by now and didn’t need to ask their names.
Minutes later, a frazzled looking Detective Kelly appeared at the end of the corridor and waved them into his office.
When Ettie sat down opposite him, she noticed that he looked worried and pale. “Are you all right? You look dreadful.”
“I’ve been better.”
He laced his fingers together and placed them on the desk in front of him. “I’m guessing you’ve heard there’s been another murder at the Strongberg farm?”
Elsa-May nodded. “We did, but we don’t know any of the details.”
“A man was hit over the head in the barn last night. Samuel Strongberg called us after finding the body.”
“Who was killed?” Ettie asked, hoping it wasn’t another of the Strongberg family.
“It was Bart Crittenden.”
“Thomas’ friend?” Ettie asked.
“The one in prison?” Elsa-May added.
“That’s the one.”
“How did he get out? Did he escape?” Ettie asked.
“No. He was just released on parole yesterday.”
Ettie pushed her lips together. “What was he doing there in the barn?”
“That’s what we don’t know yet,” Kelly answered. “According to Mr. Strongberg, his wife insisted he go to the barn because she’d seen lights flickering around in the barn at night for the past several weeks. When he looked out the window, he saw nothing but darkness. To make Mrs. Strongberg feel better, he went out to investigate. That’s when he found the body lying in the barn and he caught the two people red-handed and you’ll be surprised to find out who they are.”
“Who?” Ettie and Elsa-May chorused.
“Thea Hersh and Austin Hoag.”
“Nee, that’s not possible. Thea would never…”
“Thea would have no reason to…”
“It seems as though Thea has gotten involved with Austin and has gone down a bad path.”
> “What do you mean?” Ettie asked, knowing without a doubt in her mind that Thea was innocent.
“Austin has a record a mile long. Minor drug charges, petty theft, and the list goes on.”
“That’s awful,” Elsa-May said.
“Thea trusted him and thought he was such a nice young man.”
“Well, now they’re both under arrest on murder charges. They’re both sticking to the same story about finding the body there when they got there.”
“Perhaps it’s the truth,” Elsa-May said.
“Neither of them will say why they were there.”
“Oh, poor Thea,” Ettie said, shaking her head.
“Can we see her?” Elsa-May asked.
Kelly said, “She’s still being questioned.”
“Do her parents know she’s here?”
“She refused a phone call.”
“We’ll have to call her father right away,” Elsa-May said.
“Be my guest. You can talk to Simkiss on the front desk, and he’ll find the number for you.”
Elsa-May hurried out to call Thea’s parents, and Ettie leaned over the desk toward Kelly. “I’m sure this is just a terrible mistake.”
“It’s possible, but until they tell us why they were in the barn on the exact night that a man was murdered, I can’t help either of them.” He shook his head. “It’s not looking good for Austin with all his priors.”
Ettie straightened up. “That shouldn’t matter.”
Kelly held up his hands. “They were caught with the man’s blood on them—literally.”
Ettie huffed and folded her arms in front of her. “I’ve watched Thea grow up. She wouldn’t have been involved in anything bad, no matter what company she kept. Now, come to think of it, you mentioned lights in the barn before tonight. Doris was telling me about the lights earlier today, too. I wonder why there were lights in the barn. Do you think there were drugs hidden in the barn?”
“What makes you say that?”
“You said that this man, Bart something or other, was in jail for smuggling drugs. What if he had a lot of drugs and had to hide them before he went to prison and he hid them in Strongbergs' barn? Or, perhaps he had someone else hide them there. Drugs are worth a lot of money, aren’t they? And people kill for money.”
Amish Barn Murders Page 5
