Amish Baby Mystery Read online

  Amish Baby Mystery

  Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Book 6

  Samantha Price

  Copyright © 2016 by Samantha Price

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.

  This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  ETTIE SMITH AMISH MYSTERIES

  About Samantha Price

  Chapter 1

  “It looks like the rain’s going to hold off this morning. Are you going to take Snowy for a walk now?”

  From her chair, Elsa-May squinted toward the window in the living room, and then looked up at Ettie hovering over her holding Snowy’s leash in her hand. “I took him yesterday.”

  “That walk wasn’t very long because it rained, remember?”

  “I suppose I should take him, otherwise he’ll end up chewing the house to pieces again all day.”

  Ettie looked down at Snowy, who was sleeping at Elsa-May’s feet, and then leaned down and clipped the leash onto Snowy’s collar before she handed the other end of it to Elsa-May. “There you go.” Ettie was keen for a few minutes peace and with both Snowy and Elsa-May out of the house; she’d get exactly that.

  Once Elsa-May had taken hold of the leash, she glared up at Ettie. “Why are you trying to get rid of me? What are you up to?”

  Ettie placed her hands on her hips. “I’m not up to anything. There’s a break in the rain so you should take him for a walk now. They tell me it’s going to rain over the next few days. Who knows when his next walk will be if you don’t take him now?”

  “Are you sure you’re not up to something?”

  “What could I possibly be up to? Do you think I’m going to bake a secret pie while you’re out? While you’re out on your fifteen minute walk?”

  Elsa-May sneezed. “Maybe I’m allergic to Snowy. Perhaps I’m getting a cold and should stay inside. You take him for a walk.”

  “The doctor said that you need to walk—there’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “That’s debatable,” Elsa-May said under her breath.

  Ettie ignored her sister’s comment but grew more annoyed. “You’d think of anything to get out of it. Any excuse at all.”

  “That’s not fair to say when I’ve walked him nearly every day since we got him, and don’t say that I haven’t!”

  Ettie leaned down and rubbed Snowy’s fluffy head while Elsa-May pushed herself to her feet.

  “I’ll have a pot of hot tea waiting for you, and I’ll see if I can rustle up something nice for Snowy. Take an umbrella just in case it rains, and take your shawl.”

  “Ettie, I’m not five years old. I do have a brain in my head to think for myself.”

  Ettie remained silent as she watched Elsa-May place her black over-bonnet over her white prayer kapp and toss her black shawl over her shoulders.

  “I’ll see you soon, then,” Elsa-May said.

  “Can’t wait,” Ettie said under her breath, wondering if she should tell Elsa-May that she’d forgotten the umbrella. Finally, she would have fifteen minutes peace, maybe more if the rain held off. Unable to keep the smile from her face, Ettie turned and headed toward the couch.

  “Ettie!” Elsa-May screamed after she’d closed the front door.

  Thinking that Elsa-May had slipped and fallen on the wet steps, Ettie rushed to the front door and swung it open to see if Elsa-May was okay. On looking closer, she saw Elsa-May was leaning over and looking into a basket.

  Thinking that their neighbor had dropped off some more vegetables or fruit for them, Ettie said, “There’s no need to scream. You gave me a terrible fright.”

  Elsa-May straightened up. “Ettie look inside the basket, will you?”

  The next thing Ettie saw was the very last thing she expected. Ettie stared into the basket to see a small baby fast asleep. “Is that a real boppli?” Ettie asked in shock, wondering if it was just one of those lifelike dolls that looked like a baby.

  “Help me, Ettie, we must get the boppli out of the cold.”

  Ettie picked up one side of the basket and Elsa-May, with Snowy’s leash slipped over her wrist, took hold of the other. They carried the basket into the warmth of the kitchen and placed it on the table.

  “Where did the boppli come from?” Ettie asked.

  “I don’t know. He was just there when I opened the door.”

  “He? How do you know he’s a boy?”

  “I don’t. I just assumed; that’s what the Englischers do—pink for girls and blue for little boys.”

  Ettie stared down at the baby, and at the bottom of the Amish baby quilt was a blue blanket.

  “Where did you come from?” Ettie asked, peering down at the little baby who, she guessed, was a newborn—not more than a week old.

  “I don’t know where he came from any more now than the last time you asked me.”

  Ettie looked across at Elsa-May, wondering what her sister was complaining about now. She wasn’t aware that she’d asked Elsa-May anything. “I was talking to him, not you.”

  “Well, he’s asleep so he can’t hear you.”

  Ettie frowned at her sister. “Is he Amish or an Englisch woman’s baby?”

  Elsa-May shrugged her shoulders and then shook her head.

  “Well, what will we do? Did someone leave him here because they don’t want him?”

  “They could’ve. He’s an Amish baby I’m certain of it,” Elsa-May said as she studied the baby.

  “Whose would he be, then? Why would they have brought him to us? I’d think that if anyone was going to give their boppli away, they’d give him to a childless couple or someone who had a large familye.”

  “I think you’re right for once, Ettie. It doesn’t make sense for someone to bring a baby to a couple of old girls like us.”

  Unsure of whether her sister had just insulted her or given her a compliment, Ettie decided this was not the time to inquire—much less care. They had to find out why the baby had been abandoned and to whom he belonged.

  Elsa-May leaned down and unclipped Snowy’s leash. “Off you go, boy,” she said before she collapsed onto a kitchen chair.

  Ettie sat opposite with the baby on the table between them. “Do we know any young lady who might have been expecting and was trying to hide it?”

  Elsa-May’s gaze flickered to the ceiling. “I can’t think of anyone right away.”

  “How about a woman who has a lot of kinner and doesn’t want any more?”

  “Humph. Debbie King has too many of them to count. Then there’s Becky Fuller who had her eleventh last year. She’s put on an enormous amount of
weight. No one would ever know whether she was expecting or not.”

  “That’s true, and she looks so pale and worn out all the time. Then there is Sarah Miller who has twelve and she always looks happy, but perhaps an extra would tip the scales in the opposite direction,” Ettie said.

  They both peeped over the top of the basket at the baby.

  “Does he look like a Miller, or a Fuller?” Elsa-May asked.

  Ettie shook her head. “He just looks like any other boppli. We won’t be able to tell until he gets bigger.”

  “We can’t keep him for that long, Ettie.”

  “We can’t give him away either, Elsa-May. Someone left him with us because they knew we’d take good care of him. And do that, we will.”

  Elsa-May pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. “What do you plan to tell people? Will you say Myra suddenly had a boppli and left him with us?”

  “That’s a gut idea except Myra is too old to have a boppli now.” Myra was one of Ettie’s daughters who had left the Amish years ago. “They’ll take him away and who knows what will happen to the poor little mite. If we call the police, they’ll put him in an Englisch foster home until they sort things out, and then…”

  “We can’t be certain he’ll be well cared for can we?”

  Ettie shook her head.

  “Ettie, we must find out who dropped him here so we can figure out what to do.”

  After she stood up, Ettie lifted the blue blanket hoping to find some clue to his identity. “There’s a note, Elsa-May!”

  “Nee!” Elsa-May pushed the chair out and stood up with her eyes bulging. “Why didn’t I see that?”

  “It was under the quilt—tucked in and hidden by the blanket.”

  Elsa-May grabbed the note from Ettie’s hands and read it aloud. “Please don’t let an Englisher take my baby. Don’t let anyone know you found him or his life will be in danger. Keep him safe!”

  “Let me see!” Ettie plucked the note from her sister’s hands. After she'd silently read it, she placed it on the table beside the basket.

  Both ladies sat back down, stunned.

  “Why would his life be in danger?” Ettie asked.

  “Someone is hiding him with us. Maybe they don’t want us to keep him long-term, they could be hiding him for a short time.”

  “But who and why?”

  “Do you think we should call Detective Kelly?” Elsa-May asked.

  “Nee, didn’t you read the note?”

  “Jah, I don’t think we should call him either, but I was just seeing what you thought.” Elsa-May bit her lip. “What do we do now? We can’t keep a boppli. People will want to know where he came from.”

  “We need a plan. We can create a cover story to mask the truth until we figure out what to do. We’ll need diapers and baby food, and also clothes.”

  Elsa-May frowned. “He won’t be on food he’s too young.”

  “Stop arguing with me all the time. You know what I mean. He’ll need formula, and bottles—all that.”

  Elsa-May added, “Also some tiny clothes.”

  “You stay here with him and I’ll go out and get everything he needs. Okay?”

  “Hurry, though. I don’t know what I’ll do if he wakes up and cries and I’ve got no bottle to give him.”

  Ettie rose to her feet. “I’m on my way. Don’t answer the door to anyone. I have an uncanny feeling about this.”

  “Me too, Ettie, me too.”

  Chapter 2

  When the taxi brought Ettie back home from the store, she stepped up to the front door and heard the baby’s cries. After she had placed the bags on the doorstep, she opened the door.

  “Ettie, where have you been?”

  She picked up the bags, moved through the doorway and kicked the door shut with her heel. “I’ve only been gone half an hour. I had a lot of things to get. How is he?”

  Elsa-May was pacing up and down with the baby who was well and truly awake. “Hungry. That’s how he is. Mix up that bottle. I’ve already got a pot of water boiling on the stove ready to warm the bottle.”

  While Elsa-May continued to pace up and down with the crying infant, Ettie heated the bottle of formula. After five minutes, she tested it on her wrist.

  “Should be all good now, Elsa-May.”

  “Finally!” Elsa-May said as she walked into the kitchen.

  “Go sit on the couch and I’ll bring the bottle out.”

  Elsa-May sat on the couch and Ettie handed her the bottle. She put the bottle in the baby’s mouth and he sucked eagerly.

  “He looks so hungry. I wonder when he was fed last.”

  Elsa-May shook her head. “Who would leave a baby on the step like that when it’s been raining for days?”

  “What if they were watching from a distance until you opened the door?”

  “They could’ve been,” Elsa-May said staring at the baby. “Nee. I remember I looked around and saw no one.”

  “I’ll look for more clues in the basket.” Ettie went back to the kitchen and lifted the blue blanket out of the basket and then studied the quilt. She raced back into the living room with the quilt in hand. “Elsa-May, isn’t this one of the quilts from Bethany’s store?”

  Elsa-May frowned at the quilt that was one inch from her face. “Hold it further back; I can’t see properly.” When Ettie held it further away, Elsa-May said, “Jah, it is. I sold one when I was working in her store and it was exactly that pattern. I remember because I’d never seen that design before.”

  “I didn’t sell one, but I remember this pattern. Bethany told me that most of her quilts are only available in her store. Except for the well-known patterns that she knows people will ask for.”

  “I don’t think that would be correct. That could’ve been a sales pitch.” Elsa-May gave a chuckle.

  “Bethany wouldn’t need to give me a sales pitch. She said she has a lady making quilts exclusively for her store. If this is one that her lady sewed, there wouldn’t be that many of them around.”

  “And?”

  “We go and ask Bethany how many of this style she’s sold.”

  “That’s a long shot, Ettie.”

  “That’s the only shot we’ve got so far. Other than that, we visit all the women in the community with lots of kinner and also all the single women who might be trying to hide a boppli that they’ve had out of wedlock. Do you know how many single women and married women are in the community?”

  “That would be time consuming, Ettie, but maybe that’s what we might have to do. Besides, anyone could’ve made that quilt.”

  “I’m certain it’s the same as the exclusive ones made for Bethany’s store.”

  “If you’re certain, it’s worth talking to Bethany. I can’t help feeling that it’s somehow wrong for us to hide him here like this.” Elsa-May stared down at the baby.

  “What choice do we have? The note said that his life was in danger.”

  “Do you think that’s true?”

  Ettie nodded. “We have to think it’s true because if we don’t believe it and we’re wrong… I just couldn’t see any harm come to the little bu.”

  “Why don’t you phone Detective Crowley and tell him you have a hypothetical question to put to him about what would happen if someone found a baby?”

  “I can’t do that—he’d guess. He’d ask a lot of difficult questions at the very least.”

  “He might guess that someone you knew found a baby but he wouldn’t know that it was us.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Do you think I should? I know he’ll say that the baby would have to be handed in to social services or some temporary care thing the government has arranged. Then, he’d go to a foster home while they try to find the mother.”

  “Get the notepad out, Ettie.”

  Ettie walked to the bureau and got out a pen and a notepad. Then she sat on one of the chairs opposite Elsa-May. “Jah?”

  “Write down what we have to do. First, we have to phone Crowley and
see what he has to say. Then we, or you, have to go into town and talk to Bethany about these quilts.”

  “And?”

  “We’ll know what we have to do when we find out what Crowley and Bethany have to say.”

  Ettie sighed. “Okay.”

  “And meanwhile, we can’t let anyone know that we have a boppli here—and that means no one.”

  “Agreed,” Ettie said and then added, “Not even Ava when she comes to visit?”

  “Ettie, I’m not the gossiper.”

  “Are you saying that I am?”

  “Well, you do have a habit of talking to everyone.”

  “Talking is not gossiping.”

  Elsa-May raised her eyebrows and then stared down at the baby in her arms. “I think he’s finished.” With his tongue, the baby pushed the nipple out of his mouth. “Did you see that, Ettie?”

  Ettie rose to her feet and then leaned over to stare at the baby. “He’s so tiny, Elsa-May. Do you realize that ours were that small once?”

  “So long ago.”

  The baby stared into Elsa-May’s face.

  “He seems quite taken with you, Elsa-May.”

  Elsa-May chuckled.

  “Well, you’ve fed him, you’ve walked him up and down and now you’ll have to change his diaper.” Ettie giggled.

  “That’s not fair. I’ve done all those things so you should take your turn doing something for him.”

  “I went out and got the formula and the diapers. I got those disposable ones so no one would see the cloth ones on the line.”

  “You mean so you don’t have to wash them?” Elsa-May said.

  Ettie giggled. “That was an added benefit. I remember washing diapers out by hand when I first got married, before we had our gas-powered machine. I had to boil the water in the big copper kettle. I’m glad those days are long behind me.”