Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 6

by Samantha Price

  Ettie sighed and cut up another piece of pancake. “I wonder what the autopsy will reveal. She could’ve killed him to put an end to his brutality.”

  “Then why wouldn’t she have just said so?”

  “She’d be terrified. Scared of going to prison, going through court, and all the rest. It’s easier to blame it on masked men who were supposedly robbing the place.”

  Elsa-May nodded. “I think you might be right. Only, no one said ‘masked men,’ did they? Shall we say something to Kelly?”

  “Nee. We’re only guessing.”

  “Okay, you’re right. It’s got nothing to do with us anyway,” Elsa-May said.

  “She did say it was masked men, now that I think back, but if she was in her bedroom how would she know if there was more than one, or that they were wearing masks or not?”

  “Maybe she heard their voices or saw them running away.”

  Ettie nodded and made a mental note to ask Stacey if that was so.

  “I figured out why his pajamas were on the floor.”

  Ettie stared at her sister. “Go on.”

  “He knew who it was and it was someone he was trying to impress. So, he quickly threw on a suit and tossed his pajamas to one side where they wouldn’t be seen.”

  “I don’t know about that. His suit would’ve been in his bedroom closet, so surely he would’ve gotten dressed in there and discarded his previous clothing there.”

  “That’s true.” Elsa-May nodded. “I can’t think of another reason.”

  “Also, it was odd that Stacey said they were in bed, but then—”

  A knock sounded on their door interrupting Ettie.

  “Who would that be?” Elsa-May asked.

  “That’s Kelly’s knock.” Ettie hurried to the door. “Hold the dog back, Elsa-May.” Snowy was hot on Ettie’s heels and Elsa-May barely managed to grab his collar before Ettie reached the door.

  “Good morning, ladies.” It was indeed Detective Kelly standing there smiling in a crumpled brown suit.

  “You must never sleep,” Elsa-May stood behind Ettie with Snowy in her arms struggling to get to Kelly.

  It looks to me like he might have slept in that suit, Ettie thought.

  “I’m used to it. My poor wife, however, is not. Not yet. Can I come in?”

  “Sure you can.” Ettie stepped back and knocked into Elsa-May, who huffed and poked her in the ribs.

  “I’ll put Snowy in my room.”

  “You do that, Elsa-May,” Ettie said. “Come and take a seat, Detective.”

  When the three of them were seated, Kelly interlaced his hands and placed them in his lap. “What do you know about your neighbors?”

  Ettie looked over at Elsa-May, wondering where to start. “There was always something funny about them.”

  He tipped his head to one side. “How so?”

  “He was so aggressive to her, and he’s been that way to us too.”

  He nodded looking thoughtful. “Yes, I was here on one or two of those occasions. What about Mrs. Charmers?”

  “She opened our mail and then brought the letters to us,” Elsa-May said. “That’s why Ettie thinks she’s strange.”

  “What do you know of their background? Where they came from and such.”

  “They said they moved here because they wanted to live in a quiet neighborhood.”

  “Yes, and he would never allow her to have friends visit her at the house. They have no children and she doesn’t work outside the home and I believe he has some kind of job in an electronics company. Is that right, Elsa-May?”

  “I believe so. In the back of my mind, I heard where he worked, but I can’t remember now, not exactly.”

  “You’re both wrong about his employment—his most recent employment, I mean. He’s recently become a chef.”

  Ettie and Elsa-May looked at one another, in shock. “A chef?” Ettie asked.

  “Like a cook?”

  “That’s right, Mrs. Lutz. He works at a pizza restaurant. He works the day shift.”

  Ettie tapped a finger on her chin. “Stacey never told us he was a chef. He doesn’t even look like one.”

  “A pizza chef you said?” Elsa-May asked Kelly, still in disbelief.

  “That’s right.”

  Elsa-May shook her head. “Well, I never.”

  “Why does it shock you so much?”

  “I thought I heard where he worked and it wasn’t at a restaurant. And chefs, I thought, were younger. He looks too grim to be doing something fun all day such as making pizzas. I’ve always seen that as a happy person’s job because cooking is creative.” Elsa-May looked downward shaking her head.

  A smile brightened Kelly’s face. “That’s what he does. It’s an upmarket restaurant, a pizzeria in fact. It’s not one of those belonging to a chain. He’s also the manager and that might have created him some stress. That could explain his demeanor.”

  “Anyway, do you know what or who killed him?” Ettie asked.

  “Not yet. They’re doing the autopsy now. That brings me to Mrs. Charmers. Does she seem like a stable person to you?”

  Ettie pulled a face. She didn’t want to cause the detective to be suspicious about Stacey, but the woman was weird and Ettie had always considered her to be that way. “It’s hard to say.”

  “It seems he was strangled. That’s the most obvious conclusion at this point,” Kelly said. “I won’t know for certain until I get the autopsy report.”

  “We couldn’t help noticing that tie around his neck,” Elsa-May said.

  “And the marks,” Ettie added.

  Kelly nodded. “Have you seen any strangers lurking about the area in the last few days?”

  Ettie and Elsa-May looked at one another. “No.” Elsa-May shook her head. “And I'm out walking with Snowy every day.”

  Ettie leaned forward. “Have there been a lot of robberies in the area? We’ve heard of none.”

  “Not a lot, but there were two a few streets away in the last few days. Although, up until a week ago this was one of the quieter neighborhoods. I’ve only ever come here to speak with the two of you in the years I’ve been stationed here. That’s why I’m wondering if it’s not a robbery, but rather an intended, premeditated murder.”

  Ettie was happy to hear she and the detective were thinking along the same lines.

  “And you think Stacey murdered Greville?” Elsa-May asked.

  He shook a finger at her. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I don’t think anything at this stage until I get the autopsy report in my hands. I just wanted to get some intel from the two of you.”

  “Some what?” Ettie tilted her head to one side.

  “Never mind.” Kelly sighed. “Intel—intelligence, information, that kind of thing.”

  “I heard a scream and then Ettie and I went over there. When we got there, she’d already called the police, and ambulance and …”

  “And, Elsa-May checked him and he wasn’t breathing.”

  “Ettie was just about to feel for a pulse in his neck when she saw the tie, and that's when we heard the ambulance. She had already felt for a pulse in his wrist and there wasn’t one. They got here fast.”

  Slowly, Kelly nodded. “Did she say what was stolen from the house?”

  “She said there was nothing missing. She hasn’t noticed anything gone. None of their valuables were missing. She said she only had her rings and some cash that was in the bedroom.”

  Elsa-May cleared her throat. “It seems that they disturbed the robbers just in time.”

  “If there were any robbers.” Kelly pushed out his lips.

  “You think she killed him?” Elsa-May asked again.

  Kelly opened his mouth to respond and Ettie cut across him. “You’re wrong. He was the aggressive one.” Ettie wasn’t sure what had happened but she didn’t like Kelly assuming someone was guilty at this early stage. It was best to keep an open mind until there was more information.

  Kelly grinned. “We shall see.”
/>
  “What are you thinking?” Ettie asked the detective.

  “Time will tell. It’s my job to suspect everyone close to the deceased until we find our man … or woman.” He stood. “I’ll be in touch. Good day.”

  Both ladies stood and showed Kelly to the front door.

  “That was a quick visit,” Elsa-May said to Ettie once she’d closed the door.

  “He sure was asking us a lot of questions. The police didn’t come and ask questions like they said. Maybe Kelly told them he’d do it.”

  “That’s only normal he’d ask questions, Ettie.” Elsa-May sighed.

  “Go back to bed, you look tired.”

  Elsa-May rubbed her eyes. “I’ll be okay. I’ll have an early night tonight.”

  Ettie walked over to the window and looked out. “Elsa-May, he’s walking over to Stacey and her sister. They’re still out there. That’s odd. I thought they would’ve left ages ago.”

  “What do you think he’s saying?”

  “I’m not sure, but it’s times like these it would be good to have the ability to read lips. They’re talking standing close to one another and glancing back at Stacey’s house. It looks like they’re cooking something up.”

  Elsa-May chuckled.

  Ettie turned around and stared at her. “What’s so funny?”

  “You said, 'cooking something up,' and he was a chef.”

  Frowning at her sister’s weird sense of humor, Ettie looked back out the window while Elsa-May sat down and reached for her knitting in the bag by her feet. “Oh, that was quick. Now he’s leaving. He must’ve surely told her she was needed down at the station to be interrogated. I think he suspects her especially after what he said to us.”

  “Could be. Did you see those arms and shoulders on the sister, Ettie?”

  “Jah, I did, why?”

  “She’s well-muscled. She’d have enough strength to strangle someone, even Greville.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Not about the sister, but about Stacey being too small to have the strength to choke him.”

  “Jah, you’re right. She’s far too small to have overpowered a big man like Greville. I always thought he might’ve killed her.”

  “You were wrong.” Elsa-May looked over the top of her glasses at Ettie and then Ettie looked back out the window.

  “It was probably the sister who did it with those strong arms of hers.” Thoughts whirled in Ettie’s head at a million miles per minute. “What if someone knew he was violent with Stacey, and they went around there to reason with him and then things got heated?” Ettie looked back at Elsa-May in time to see her pained expression.

  “In the middle of the night? No one wants to be reasoned with at that hour.”

  “Jah, of course you’re right.” Ettie looked back out at the crowd. There must’ve been around thirty people and many of them were taking photographs and still paying no mind to Stacey and her sister.

  “I usually am right.”

  Ettie looked back at Elsa-May. “Well, what do you think happened, since you’re so clever?”

  “Just what she said.”

  “She wanted you to lie about hearing a car. A minute ago, you didn’t believe her at all. Why the flip-flop in your thoughts?”

  “She’s scared and confused, that’s all. Stop trying to make something out of nothing, Ettie. Isn’t it traumatic enough that our neighbor was murdered?”

  Elsa-May was the one making a fuss. Ettie tried to keep quiet, but then it got too much. “You said the sister did it with those muscled arms, and before that you said you didn’t believe Stacey. You can’t deny it. You said that about the sister only two minutes ago. Then you had that theory about the pajamas on the floor.”

  “That was wrong of me. I shouldn’t have said such a thing. You’re a bad influence on me.”

  Ettie groaned. No matter which way Elsa-May looked at things, it always ended up being Ettie’s fault. To the click-clack of Elsa-May’s metal knitting needles, Ettie pushed her annoyance aside and looked out the window once more. Once the crowd in front of the house dwindled to a few people, Ettie went into the kitchen to start the after-breakfast washing up.

  Chapter 5

  A little later that day, a knock on their door made both sisters jump. Ettie had been quite unprepared for visitors as she’d been talking with Elsa-May rather than looking out the window.

  “Who’s that?” Elsa-May asked.

  “Answer it and find out.”

  Elsa-May walked to the door glaring at Ettie.

  “It’s hard to see from inside the haus,” Ettie told her as she followed along behind.

  “You’re up now, so why did I need to get up?”

  “You need the exercise. You shouldn't stay in one place for too long. Remember what your doctor said?”

  Elsa-May hushed Ettie and then opened the door. Stacey was in front of them with her sister behind her.

  “I’m going to Evelyn’s house. She’s been kind enough to write down her phone number and address for you in case Elsa-May remembers the thing she’s forgotten.”

  “I thought you’d left already,” Ettie said.

  “We did and then I remembered I have hardly any food in the house. I don’t like a bare cupboard. My sister took me down to the store and now that there’s no one outside my house, I can drop some shopping in.”

  Ettie thought it odd she’d think about food at such a distressing time, but maybe she was trying to stay grounded and be mindful of everyday things. While Stacey introduced the sisters to Evelyn, Ettie leaned across her sister and grabbed the piece of paper in Stacey’s hand. “Thank you. And, do tell us when the funeral will be.”

  Evelyn stepped forward. “It’ll be as soon as possible after they release the body. We’re just waiting on that now.”

  “Oh, Evelyn, please don’t call my husband ‘the body.’ It sounds so cold.”

  “I was just trying to let the ladies know he’ll be buried as soon as we possibly can. And, you might have to lease your house rather than sell. It’s always hard to sell a house where someone’s been murdered. I think, by law, you have to tell people that these days.”

  “Where will I live if I sell?” Stacey asked.

  “You can live with me until you sort yourself out.”

  “I don’t need to be sorted out. No, I have a home right here. It makes no sense for me to move or to leave it. I’m happy here.”

  Ettie wondered why she’d be happy living in a place where her husband was murdered. How could she ever feel safe there again?

  “No, Stacey. You can’t stay here after what’s happened in this dreadful neighborhood.” Evelyn then looked at the sisters and gave an apologetic smile. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Your house is lovely.”

  “So is mine,” Stacey said. “And I won’t leave it.”

  “Let’s think about that later. Right now, I need to get you away from this … place.”

  Stacey looked over at the sisters. “Thanks for everything. You’ll know where to find me in the meantime.”

  “Bye, Stacey,” Ettie said.

  “We’ll see you soon, Stacey, and it was nice to meet you, Evelyn.”

  Evelyn shot Elsa-May a smile and then moved Stacey along toward her car. When Elsa-May closed the door, she looked at the paper in Ettie’s hand. “Keep that in a safe place.”

  “I will. I’ll put it right over here on the bureau. Right by where we keep our coins for phone calls.”

  “Good.”

  “Did you really think it was nice to meet Evelyn?”

  Elsa-May grimaced. “Nee, she was a dreadful, rude woman and so bossy.”

  Typical older sister, Ettie thought. “Then why did you say it was nice to meet her?”

  “It’s just a regular thing that people say.”

  “When you say something you don’t mean, it’s called a lie.”

  “Nee, Ettie, it’s being polite. You could take a lesson from that.”

  Ettie’s mouth o
pened wide. “Do you think I’m rude?”

  “I didn’t say that. I’m going to let poor old Snowy out of the bedroom and then I’ll make us another pot of hot tea before you repair that fence.”

  “It’s done, remember? I did it while you were making the pancakes.”

  Elsa-May nodded and Ettie didn’t say anything further because she was too annoyed with Elsa-May. Instead, she sat down on the chair by the window and looked out expecting to see Evelyn and Stacey driving away in the car. “She’s coming back, Elsa-May.”

  Elsa-May looked up from opening her bedroom door to let Snowy out. “Who?”

  “Stacey. She’s coming back to our house.” Ettie hurried over to the door and opened it.

  “I didn’t want to say in front of my sister, but would you help me find out who did this to Greville?”

  Ettie gulped and didn’t know what to say.

  “How would we do that?” Elsa-May asked, over Ettie’s shoulder.

  “Well, I did ask the detective if he was a friend of yours and he said no.”

  Ettie and Elsa-May looked at each other, each knowing the other's thoughts. It was one thing for them to deny being a ‘friend’ of his, it was another thing entirely for him to deny a friendship.

  “Go on,” Elsa-May urged.

  “I asked why he was visiting you so often and he said you help him sometimes with crimes that happen within the Amish community.” She went on to explain, “Because Amish people are odd and keep to themselves.” When Ettie and Elsa-May didn’t comment, she added, “And that’s why you can help him—because they talk to you.”

  “Odd, are we?” Elsa-May crossed her arms over her chest, and Ettie nudged her in the ribs.

  Ettie looked at Stacey’s sad face and wanted to help her, even though she didn’t think they could. “That may be so, or not, but how would we help? Greville wasn’t Amish and doesn’t know any Amish people, from what you’ve said, so I don’t see—”

  A tear fell down Stacey’s face before she wiped it away. “You won’t help me?”

  “We’d like to, but we don’t know you or Greville that much. And we don’t even know anyone who knew him,” Elsa-May said. “Do you see why it would be difficult?”

  “We would if we could.”

  Stacey looked from one sister to the other. “You two were my closest friends these past months since we’ve lived here. Won’t you even try?”