“You’d be helping us greatly if you answered our questions.”
“Unless you tell me what it’s about, I can’t help you.”
Elsa-May stared at Ettie and then looked back at Breanna. “Did you go to Thomas’ funeral?”
“I don’t know the man. Why would I go to his funeral?”
“We were told you were there.”
Breanna frowned and was clearly growing impatient. She stood straight and held the door as if she were about to close it on them. “Well, I wasn’t. I don’t know what this is all about, but you’re wrong about everything. I don’t know anyone called Thomas.”
“You did go to his house, though.”
“Can you tell me why you’re asking all this?”
“Thomas was killed by someone, and then another man was killed, a man by the name of Bart Crittenden.”
Breanna held her stomach. “Bart’s dead?”
“Yes. You knew him?”
She shook her head, but it was clear from her reaction she did know him.
Breanna quickly hid her previous reaction, and her face was now expressionless. “What does any of this have to do with me?”
“We were told that you were Thomas’ girlfriend at one point.”
“You’re wrong. I’m sorry, but I have to get ready to go to work.” She took a step back inside the apartment.
“Have you been away somewhere?” Ettie asked.
“Yeah, I was away visiting my brother.” Breanna stepped back further, and closed the door without saying goodbye.
Ettie and Elsa-May walked away from the apartment building.
“What do you make of that, Ettie?”
“Weird. It wasn’t her at the funeral.”
“So she says, and that agrees with Ava's opinion from her picture on the computer, but she admitted going to Thomas’ house, but who sent her?”
“That’s what we need to find out.”
Ettie felt Elsa-May’s hands on her shoulders and then she was steered behind a tree. “What are you doing?”
“Sh! Look! It’s Detective Kelly.”
They were now both behind the tree so Kelly wouldn’t see that they’d been at Breanna’s apartment.
“This is where he was off to.”
“But how did we get here before he did?”
“He probably went somewhere else first. I’m glad he didn’t see us.”
They watched him until he disappeared into the apartment building.
“Let’s get out of here and go home real quick.”
Elsa-May pointed to the corner. “There’s a public phone up there. We’ll call for a taxi.”
“Let’s go. I hope he finds out more than we did.”
“Jah, like who made her go to the Strongberg haus. And what did she say? Someone made her go because Thomas wasn’t where he was supposed to be?”
“She said, ‘He didn't meet someone where he was supposed to.'”
“Maybe they tried to make him meet someone to get drugs, or to pass some on?”
Ettie and Elsa-May hurried up the road to call the taxi.
“If Spreed and Breanna Taylor weren’t at the funeral, who were the Englischers who were there? There was a man and a woman, according to Ava.”
“They could’ve been anybody. We’ll ask around later and see if we can find out, but they may not have anything to do with the deaths.”
“It’s an odd thing that Kelly didn’t go to Thomas’ funeral.”
“I think Thomas’ death was still labeled as an accident at that stage.”
“Ah, yes, I think it was.”
* * *
That night Kelly showed up see them right at dinnertime.
“Perfect timing, if you came for dinner.”
“I hadn’t planned to, but if you have enough…”
“Come inside. We’ve got plenty.”
Detective Kelly followed Elsa-May to the kitchen. “Ettie, I’ve invited the good detective to have dinner with us.”
Ettie was in the kitchen and she turned around to see him standing there. “Wonderful! I thought that might be you at the door. Have you come to tell us what you found out from Breanna Taylor?”
He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. “How did you know I talked to her? Never mind.” Kelly shook his head, and mumbled, “It’s probably best I don’t know.”
“Well?” Ettie asked as she sat down at the table next to him.
“If she knows anything, she’s not saying.”
“I know it’s turning this whole thing upside down, but what if it was Austin who organized this whole thing after all. He could be the Mr. Big of this whole drug thing.”
“Don’t be daft, Ettie.” Elsa-May scoffed. “Although, it would explain why Austin’s sister couldn’t explain, or didn’t know, where Austin’s beehives were. He claims to have organic honey. Most likely the only thing he’s guilty of is selling honey which he buys cheaply from a wholesaler and labels as organic when he wouldn’t have any idea of the quality.”
“Honey? Did you say 'honey'?” Kelly’s eyebrows flew upward.
“Yes. Austin sells honey and when he was in jail recently we talked with his sister who was looking after his market stall, and the funny thing was she couldn’t tell us where the honey was sourced.”
“And she’s his sister. We thought she’d know.”
Kelly looked worried.
“We saw a tin of cheap honey that he’d bought from one of those supermarket chain stores. I don’t think there’s a law against that, but I wouldn’t really know. What if they’re buying inexpensive honey and pouring it into their own jars and labeling it as organic? That’s your department, Detective, but I guess if it’s not against the law... although it’s at least unethical to make out his honey is something special when it’s not.”
“I’m not concerned about the ethics of selling honey and the claims Austin’s made about it. There’s something called THC marijuana concentrate and it looks like honey. They were smuggling drugs in the honey!”
“What are you talking about?” Elsa-May asked.
He rubbed his chin. “To keep things simple to explain, there’s a way of making a drug concentrate and the end result looks like honey. Have you heard of marijuana?”
“Yes,” Elsa-May said.
“So were they selling that at the market as well as the honey?” Ettie asked the detective.
“They could’ve had a few ‘special’ jars put aside for regular customers. And I’d guess that they might have been using Thomas’ barn as a place to make it.” He stared up at the ceiling, and then said, “That’s why there were the crockpot and the hairdryer.” He hit his head. “I don’t know how I missed it. There were so many things, all sorts of things, lying around in the barn that I didn’t recognise the homemade drug making equipment for what it was.”
“And maybe they were doing that at night, and that’s why there were so many lights on,” Ettie suggested.
“Yes, it’s possible.” Kelly picked up his phone, and the sisters heard him tell someone he was heading to the market and needed backup.
Then the ladies were left in the house alone.
“I’m guessing we’re dining alone, Ettie.”
“Looks that way. I do wish he’d slow down and have a decent meal every now and again. The market would be closed by now anyway. He’s not going to find anything tonight unless he knows where the honey is kept overnight.”
“When this whole thing is over, we’ll have him for dinner.”
“Jah, we’ll have to roast him slowly.” Ettie laughed at her own joke.
“I’d reckon he’d be a bit tough.” Elsa-May giggled.
Ettie said, “Good idea, though We’ll feed him up. With a good meal in his stomach, it might help him handle all that stress.”
Elsa-May suggested, “Why don’t we try to forget everything for tonight, enjoy our dinner, and then think about it all again tomorrow?”
“I’d like that.”
&nbs
p; Chapter 22
The next morning when Ettie and Elsa-May were eating breakfast, Ettie said, “I thought honey was just honey.”
“It just goes to show we’re never too old to learn some new things,” Elsa-May said.
“Austin and Thomas obviously knew each other. Austin probably had Thomas behave aggressively toward him at the market that day so the police would suspect him and then realize they were wrong.”
“Do you think Austin had planned to kill Thomas that day, is that what you’re saying, Ettie?”
“Maybe.”
“And you think Austin was the mastermind?”
Ettie nodded. “It’s an explanation.”
“Too many things don’t fit with that theory. It surely wouldn’t make sense to Thomas if Austin told him to act aggressively toward him and Thomas then was told to make a big deal out of Austin's words saying he’d kill him. What would that achieve?”
“Austin could’ve told Thomas that it wouldn’t look good for them to appear friendly. If people thought they were enemies, no one would suspect they were in cahoots with one another with the drugs.”
“Maybe Thomas held Bart’s money for him and when Bart got out of prison, he heard Thomas was dead and he came looking for the money. Austin killed Bart because—well it could’ve had something to do with the money. Bart could’ve come to him for the money.”
“Well, that’s an idea. I wonder what Kelly will find. Ettie, why would Roy lie about being with Thomas on the day he died?”
Ettie blew out a deep breath. “Perhaps we should pay him a visit?”
“At home, or at his work?”
Ettie shook her head. “Not at home in front of his wife.”
“We don’t know if he'll be at his office. He might be out working somewhere.”
“We could take our chances.”
“Should we take Ava with us?” Ettie asked.
“Good idea. She can explain about whatever it was Kelly thought was in the honey. She’s mixed with people while she was at college who could’ve been into that kind of thing.”
“Put Snowy outside and we’ll head to the phone and call a taxi and then we’ll call Ava and see if she’s home.”
“Do we have to put him outside? Look at him sleeping so soundly,” Elsa-May said as she gazed lovingly at her dog.
“That’s all he does all day.”
“Well, that’s what dogs do.”
“Not proper dogs, Elsa-May, just fluffy little dogs like Snowy.”
Elsa-May giggled. “I’ll put him outside in his kennel just in case we’re gone for a long time. Although, we’ll miss our morning walk.”
“Just walk when we come home!”
* * *
The sisters hurried down the road and called a taxi. While they waited for it to come, they called Ava and told her what Kelly had said about the honey.
“I’ve heard about the process. I’m not certain how it’s done, but Kelly is right, I know they use a freezer, a hair dryer, and something to heat it with. I don’t know any more than that,” Ava commented on the drug-making process.
“We’re waiting for a taxi to take us back to Roy’s place of business. We’re going to try to find out why he lied about being with Thomas the day he died.”
“Do you think you should?”
“Jah, why not?”
“Sometimes these things are best left alone. He might have been protecting someone.”
“Like who?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s what we need to find out, and Elsa-May and I think that Roy needs to say what really happened that day. Will you come with us?”
“Nee, I can't. I’m just on my way out.”
Ettie said goodbye and felt disappointed. It would’ve been easier to go if Ava had gone with them. “She’s not coming with us. She’s on her way out.”
“That’s too bad,” Elsa-May said.
“She thought Roy might have been protecting someone.”
“So, someone else might have been with him that day?”
“Possibly. Thea didn’t see anyone with Thomas at the market.”
On the way to the Spreed Roofing main office, Elsa-May leaned over and whispered to Ettie, “You don’t think Roy is involved in this whole thing, do you?”
“I wouldn’t like to think so, but why did he lie about being with Thomas?”
“Ava gave one reason and there could be many more.”
“We won’t know if we don’t ask.”
* * *
“How can I help you ladies today?” The woman at the main office of Spreed Roofing had recognized them from their last visit.
“We’ve come to talk with Roy Strongberg. Is he in at the moment?”
“Yes, he’s down in the yard. I’ll call him. Take a seat if you wish.”
Elsa-May and Ettie looked behind them and went to sit in the waiting area.
Before long, they saw Roy striding to the office. He walked inside and stopped still when he saw them.
“Hello.”
Ettie stood up. “Hello, Roy. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“Yes, come through to my office.” He gestured toward a door on the other side of the room. “Right this way.”
Once they were seated and the door was closed, Roy asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“Quite possibly,” Elsa-May answered.
“We know that you weren’t with Thomas the day he died, and it seems odd to us that you lied about it.”
“Do you mind telling us why you did that?”
“Like I told the detective when he asked the same question after talking to my wife, my wife has trouble knowing what are facts and what she makes up in her own head. I don’t know if you already knew that or not, but she hasn’t been well for some time.”
“I haven’t heard that,” Ettie said.
“Anyway, I did go to the market with him and he wanted to tell me something when we came home. I haven’t lied about anything.”
“Whose idea was it to go to the market?”
“I don’t remember who brought it up. It could’ve been Thomas who mentioned it. He was sweet on a girl who worked there.”
“Did your wife say she wanted meat?”
“Jah, but I think we already said we’d go and then she asked me to pick some up while I was there. Is that important?”
“It might be.”
“Do you know something I should know about how my brother died?”
“We’ve heard a lot of different things.”
Elsa-May added, “And we’re trying to sort some things out.”
“One of the things we heard is that Thomas and you had a falling out. You were going to go halves in Spreed Roofing and you cut him out at the last minute. And we heard that you two weren’t talking after that.”
“Thomas pulled out of the deal at the last minute and I nearly lost it to another buyer who wanted it. Anyway, I went into business with an Englischer, something I’ve regretted ever since. I offered to sell my shares back to them and they’re considering buying out my half share.”
“They?” Ettie asked annoyed about hearing ‘they’ again, just as she'd heard from Breanna. Who was this ‘they’?
“People Thomas introduced me to. That’s the odd thing. He knew them and advised me to have nothing to do with them.”
“That’s odd.”
“At this time of my life, I just want to run my own business without having to consider partners. Thomas had the right idea. Is there anything else?” He stared at Ettie and then looked at Elsa-May.
“Jah, that’s all. Denke for answering the questions we had.”
He rose to his feet. “Not a worry. Can I call you a taxi or something? I’d drive you myself, but I’ve got a time crunch, a meeting with a client.”
"Jah, denke, you could call a taxi for us.
* * *
Ettie and Elsa-May had heard nothing from Detective Kelly all day. Late that afternoon, Thea came to their h
ouse to speak to them while leaving her father waiting in the buggy.
“Come in. Does your vadder want to come inside?”
“Nee, I told him I wouldn’t be long. Did you know that Austin has been arrested?”
“Kelly was here last night talking about drugs in the honey.”
Thea wiped some tears from her eyes. “It’s true. Austin left early in the morning to turn himself in. He told me he was involved with drugs and said he’d probably go to jail.”
“I thought Kelly would’ve been there first thing.”
“The detective came about half an hour after Austin left. He came with
Police cars and dogs, and when they learned Austin wasn’t there, they loaded all the honey into a white van.”
“Don’t be upset, Thea. Things will go easier for him now that he's turned himself in.”
“That’s what the policeman said, but I’m still sad. Thomas was my friend, and I got to like Austin, and I thought he was a good young man, and now they’re both gone.”
Thea sobbed on Ettie’s shoulder and Ettie put her arms around her and patted her on the back while looking helplessly at Elsa-May. She had no idea what to say to comfort the girl.
Elsa-May put her hand on Thea’s shoulder. “Thomas is in Gott’s haus, and he’s at peace. This is the best outcome for Austin if he was involved in something that he shouldn’t have been involved in. As Ettie said, it’s a good thing he turned himself in before they caught up with him.”
“I hope they don’t think that Austin killed Thomas, because he didn’t.”
“You seem confident about that. Do you know who did kill Thomas?”
“Thea, if you know something, you must say so.”
When Thea remained silent, Ettie tried a different question. “How did it all fit in? Thomas was making drugs, wasn't he, and Austin was helping distribute them in the honey jars? Were they in the whole thing together?”
“Nee, Thomas wasn’t doing anything wrong, and he wanted them to stop using his barn. They said they’d find a different place.”
“Thea, who are ‘they’?”
“I don’t know. He only said ‘they’ this and ‘they’ that. He never named any names except Bart. Anyway, there was money—twenty thousand dollars that Thomas was hiding for Bart. Then, I think someone killed Thomas for the money. I guess Bart went looking for his money, too, when he heard about Thomas’ death. Thomas must have arranged to hide it in the barn. Or, Bart could’ve hidden it there before he went to prison.”
Amish Barn Murders Page 9
