Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 3 Page 17

“What did he say?” Linda asked.

  “He said he’d be right over and asked if we would stay put.”

  Ettie breathed out heavily. “We’ve got friends waiting in the car.”

  “You must have them come inside, Ettie. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. You get them and I’ll fix us something to eat.”

  Ettie went out to the car, while Linda headed to the kitchen. Ava, Holly, and Ettie came inside. As soon as they'd sat down, they heard a car. Ava jumped up and looked out the front window. “Is that your friend?”

  Florence was the first to make it up off the couch to look out the living room window where there was a clear view of the road. “She’s doing a runner!”

  “Ach nee! Kelly will blame us. Quick, Elsa-May, call him again and tell him what just happened.”

  “Can you see her plate number?” Elsa-May asked.

  “Nee, but they’ll find it quickly once they know their names and address,” Ettie said.

  Elsa-May was quickly making the call. She was able to give him Linda’s last dialed numbers because Linda had fled without her mobile phone.

  Kelly asked them—again—to stay put until he arrived.

  “What’s going on?” Holly asked.

  “Was that Linda driving off?” Ava asked.

  “Yes, we’ve called the police and they’re coming here right now. Detective Kelly told us to stay put.”

  “How exciting!” Holly said.

  “Perhaps she found she didn't have any coffee, so she's driven down to the shop to get some?" Florence suggested. Then Florence giggled. “Wouldn’t we look silly if that’s all she was doing?”

  Ettie shook her head. "That's not likely by the speed she took off at."

  Holly said, “She's done a runner for sure."

  Ettie and Elsa May stared at each other and Ettie knew they had the same thought. They were going to be in terrible trouble with Detective Kelly. They would have to sit and listen to him reprimand them for going to see Linda rather than giving him Linda and Reginald's address.

  And for the first time, Ettie would have to agree with him that giving Kelly their address would’ve been a better idea. They’d done a silly thing. Linda had openly admitted that her husband had taken that gun to rob people. They all could’ve been in harms way, even Ava and Holly who’d stayed in the car.

  "I wonder if Reginald will come home?" Florence said.

  "Not for a while," Elsa-May said. "His number was one of the numbers Linda called before she left—going from the name in the phone."

  The five of them sat in the living room waiting for the detective

  "This is quite exciting. It beats staying home watching the TV all day," Holly said.

  Seeing the worried look on Ava’s face, Ettie asked, "Are you worried about what Jeremiah will say?"

  "I am. If I’m late getting home, I’ll have to tell him where I was. He’s already asked me not to get too involved with you when you help the detective."

  "If it comes to that, I'll have a talk with him," Elsa-May said. “But we shouldn’t be home too late. It’s not that far.”

  "Thank you, Elsa-May. He listens to you."

  Ettie turned to face Florence. “So Dustin didn’t mention he was a twin on any of his visits?”

  “Nee, I already told you I didn’t know. I last saw his, Dustin’s father when he was a boy of about seven. I never kept in touch with any of Morrie’s family. Why would I?”

  “I don’t know, but then again, you’ve hardly told us much about Morrie at all,” Ettie said.

  Florence pursed her lips looking none too happy. Then they heard cars come screeching to a halt. They all stood to see Detective Kelly's car pull up at the house followed by two police cars.

  He got out of the car and hurried to the door and Ava opened it before he reached it.

  "Is everybody okay?" he asked as he hurried inside.

  "Everybody’s fine," Ava said.

  "They’ve caught Linda and they're taking her in for questioning."

  "Great! They've got her?" Holly asked.

  The detective stared at Holly. "Who are you?"

  "She's a friend of mine," Ava said.

  Detective Kelly nodded and then sat down as four uniformed police officers made their way through the house

  "Tell me everything,” he said. “Tell me exactly what happened."

  "It was my idea," Florence said.

  "So you did have their address after all?" Kelly glared at Florence.

  "Yes, I did, but I didn't want to get anybody in trouble. That’s why I kept it to myself."

  "Just tell me what happened and please try to remember everything Linda said to you."

  They gave Kelly Linda’s cell phone and then told the detective everything about their visit.

  "Don’t they need to have a warrant or something?" Holly asked as everyone watched the police officers take a laptop and a computer out of the house.

  "They were about to be served with a warrant today,” Kelly said.

  "They were?" Florence asked.

  "Yes, it seems his van was caught on CCTV leaving the scene of both crimes."

  "His big campervan?" Florence asked.

  "Apparently so. I'm afraid you're going to have to give statements."

  "Even me?” Holly said.

  "Yes, everyone in this room will need to give statements."

  Ava held her stomach. “But we've already just told you everything we know."

  "Yes and you’re going to have to repeat it all in your official statements.”

  "How exciting!" Holly said once more.

  “Now do you believe me about the gun being the same as the one at my home?” Florence asked Kelly.

  “Yes, it seems likely,” Kelly said.

  “What I’d like to know is why they had to burn down my home!”

  “Hopefully, we’ll find that out in due course.”

  “Linda admitted that her husband used my gun and then put it back.”

  Kelly nodded. “I think you should save your talk now for when you’re interviewed.”

  Once everyone was in the car, they followed Kelly back to the police station, closer to home and the one where Dustin had been arrested. After they had all made statements, Holly drove them home.

  It was well after dinnertime when the three elderly sisters walked through the door. They’d stopped to get takeout burgers on the way home. Holly had taken Ava home first because they were all concerned about being late and having Jeremiah arrive home to no Ava and no dinner.

  “I sure hope Jeremiah likes burgers,” Ettie said as they sat down to eat their burgers at the kitchen table.

  “I’m sure he would,” Elsa-May said.

  “If he doesn’t, he should stop being so fussy!” Florence said as she unwrapped her burger.

  Elsa-May broke off a piece of burger and gave it to Snowy, who was sitting at her feet.

  “That was an exhausting day,” Florence said.

  “Florence, how easy is it to get in to see Dustin?”

  “You have to call and book the visit. They’ll let you in to see him and talk with him through a screen, but it’ll be a non-contact visit.”

  “What are you thinking, Ettie?”

  “I’m thinking of going to see him.”

  Elsa-May tipped her head to one side. “Really?”

  “Jah. Why not?”

  Elsa-May raised her eyebrows. “Okay. What will you ask him?”

  “I’ve got a list of questions.” Ettie tapped her head. “It’s all up here.”

  “I’ll have to come with you. He doesn’t know you.”

  “Jah. Shall we do it?”

  Florence’s eyes twinkled. “I think we should.”

  Chapter 17

  The next afternoon, Ettie and Florence arrived at the prison by taxi. They had been told to be there for security screening one hour prior to their booked visit.

  “It’s intimidating,” Ettie said looking up at the double-wired fences with layers of
rolled barbed wire across the top.

  “It gets worse,” Florence whispered as they proceeded further.

  Once they were through to the visitors’ gates, they gave their names at the desk. There were four armed-guards standing near them. Then they joined other visitors who were sitting, waiting.

  Ten minutes later, a German Shepherd with a prison guard holding his leash walked up to them. “Don’t touch the dog!” the guard ordered gruffly.

  The dog sniffed each person, heading down the row.

  Then everyone was ordered to move to another area. On the way there, they were escorted by two armed-guards.

  “I feel like I’ve done something wrong,” Ettie whispered to her sister.

  Florence whispered, “It certainly makes you feel that way.”

  They came to another area where they had to take their shoes off, putting them in a basket to be x-rayed.

  “What’s this for? I thought you said it was a no-contact visit,” Ettie said.

  “It is. But they x-ray the shoes and then we have to walk through a scanner.”

  Ettie pulled a face. It was certainly a process just to visit someone. Now Ettie knew why they had to be there an hour before. Once they walked through the scanner, they were allowed to put their shoes back on.

  They were then directed to booths and told to wait.

  “More waiting?”

  “It won’t be long now,” Florence whispered back.

  “Will he be able to hear us?”

  “Jah.” Florence nodded.

  Five minutes later, a row of prisoners filed past them. Then a young man was directed to their booth by a guard.

  He sat down and smiled at Florence. “Thanks for coming again.”

  “My pleasure. This is my sister, Ettie. She’s helping your lawyer to get you off.”

  “You are?”

  Ettie nodded.

  “Thank you. I’m glad you believe me.”

  Ettie shook her head. “I don’t.”

  Florence gasped. “Ettie!”

  Dustin opened his mouth, but no words came out.

  “You lied about knowing Allissa,” Ettie said.

  When he remained silent, Florence looked at him, and said, “You must tell the truth if you want our help.”

  He leaned forward. “I was scared; that’s why I said that I didn’t know her. I didn’t really know her, I just saw her at school, but I spoke to her once and that was just before she got killed.”

  “Is that why you lied—because you thought you’d be blamed?” Florence asked.

  Ettie dug her sister in the ribs. She didn’t want her to influence what Dustin was telling them. He’d lied once, so it’d be easier to do it again. “Keep going, Dustin.”

  Dustin looked at each of the two women in front of him, and then looked down.

  “What did you say to her?” Ettie asked.

  He looked at Ettie. “I told her to stop stringing my brother along. He was in love with her and she was using him and she had that idiot boyfriend.”

  Ettie asked, “What did she say?”

  “Nothing! She slapped me across the face and told me it was none of my business. She yelled at me and told me my brother was a stalker. Then I left.”

  “Where did you go?” Florence asked.

  “That explains it,” Ettie said.

  “What?” Dustin asked.

  “The DNA under her fingernails. She slapped your face?”

  He nodded.

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Florence asked.

  “I did! I told the police, but they didn’t listen.”

  “Did you tell your lawyer?” Ettie asked.

  Dustin shrugged his shoulders. “He thinks I’m guilty, so what does it matter?”

  “You’ll have to tell your lawyer,” Florence said.

  “Why did you go out of your way to help your brother when you don’t get along?” Ettie asked.

  “He’s a total jerk, but he’s still my brother.”

  Ettie and Florence stared at each other.

  Dustin continued, “No matter which way you look at it, there’s no proof that I didn’t do it. The police need to find the person who did it. That’s the only way I’ll get off the charges.”

  “You should’ve told the truth from the start.” Florence shook her head.

  “I did! As far as I could, I did. I didn’t know what was going on and didn’t even know they’d searched my car and found that gun until I was at the bail hearing.”

  Florence gasped. “I thought you told me you saw them find the gun when they pulled you over?”

  He shook his head. “I knew nothing about the gun. I only saw it at the bail hearing. I thought I’d been arrested for DUI. I didn’t know they were charging me for Allissa’s murder, and then they talked about the gun they’d found. They had the gun there as evidence and that’s the first time I’d ever seen it. They said I had it hidden in the car.”

  “We still don’t know who killed Allissa,” Ettie said.

  Florence leaned forward and whispered to Dustin, “Don’t you worry, Dustin, Ettie has a nice policeman working hard to get you out.”

  “Really?”

  He looked relieved, but Ettie was worried about him having false hope. “We’re doing all we can.”

  “Thank you, Ettie.”

  Ettie smiled at him and in that moment she too believed that he was innocent.

  A bell rang, signifying their visit had come to an end. They stood up at the same time as Dustin. A large prison guard stood next to Dustin and walked away with him.

  Ettie looked at her sister who looked as though she would cry. “Don’t worry; something will come to light to get him off.”

  “He’s still in jail even after Linda admitted Reginald was the one who used the gun.”

  “I know, but at least Dustin will be cleared of those two murders. Now we just have to have him cleared of the charges for Allissa’s murder.”

  “Well, let’s do it.”

  Ettie looped her arm through her older sister's and together they walked to the exit while being glared at by two heavily armed prison guards and one serious-looking German Shepherd.

  “We’re slow because we’re old,” Ettie said trying to lighten the moment as they shuffled past the guards. It didn’t work; none of the guards changed their stony expressions.

  Once they were outside the gates, Florence looked at the prison. “What a dreadful, dreadful place.”

  “It is. We have to get him out of there.” Ettie glanced back at the huge wire fence with the twisted barbed wire on top. “It was bad enough being a visitor. I felt guilty. I probably would’ve admitted to a crime if they’d questioned me—out of fear alone.”

  Florence tugged at her sister’s sleeve. “We still don’t know who burned my house down and the police haven’t found out who really killed Allissa. It makes sense that it was Linda and Reginald who burned down my house because of the gun. What do you think?”

  “If they’d taken it before, why not just take it again? Why destroy your home?”

  “I don’t know,” Florence said as they walked closer to one of the three waiting taxis.

  “I’m going to call Detective Kelly and ask him to come for dinner. Perhaps if we put our heads together, we can find something we’ve been missing.”

  “Do you think so, Ettie?”

  “That’s what I’m hoping. We have to call Dustin’s lawyer and tell him what Dustin told us. It might get him off because now we know that the DNA got there because Allissa slapped his face. And that explains the marks on his face in his arrest photos.”

  “We’ll head to the first public phone box and call him from there.”

  "Let's go home first and make sure it's okay with Elsa-May."

  Chapter 18

  When they got home, Ettie told Elsa-May about her idea of inviting Kelly to dinner.

  “What does he like to eat?”

  “Fast food.”

  “I know that, but we
can’t feed him that. What else does he like?”

  “He probably is like most men,” Florence said. “He likes anything that he doesn’t have to cook himself.”

  Elsa-May and Ettie looked at each other.

  “Elsa-May, what were we having for dinner tonight?’

  “I was just going to make us cabbage soup.”

  “Really? What else do we have that we could cook?”

  “We could make a lamb roast with roasted vegetables.”

  “Jah, I think he’d like that more.”

  “Call him now, Ettie, before he makes plans,” Florence urged.

  “Okay, I will.” On the way to the front door, Ettie saw that Snowy was fast asleep. She took money for the call from the jar on the table near the entrance and stepped outside. A cool breeze blew over her as she continued down the front steps of her house.

  On the way to the shanty, she replayed everything in her mind. The mystery was like a giant puzzle, they had some of the pieces, but the other pieces were missing or didn’t fit. Hopefully Kelly would offer some information while he was relaxing over dinner.

  Ettie picked up the receiver, and then dialed Kelly’s cell phone number.

  “Detective Kelly.”

  “Oh, it’s you?” Ettie asked.

  “Mrs. Smith?”

  “Yes, it’s me. I didn’t expect you to answer.”

  “You called my mobile phone.”

  “Okay.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Elsa-May and I were wondering if you’d care to join us for dinner tonight.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yes, tonight. If you can’t make it, what about tomorrow night?”

  “Tonight suits me. Thank you, I’ll look forward to it.”

  “Good, good.”

  “What time would you like me to be there?”

  “How does six sound?” Ettie asked.

  “That’s a little early for me.”

  “Seven?”

  “That’s better if that’s not going to put you out.”

  “Seven will be fine. We’ll see you then.”

  “Very good.”

  Ettie hung up the phone, pleased that one part of her plan had worked. The other part was that Kelly would tell them some information that would help to free Dustin Gandara. Or at least help them figure out who had placed the gun in his car. They already knew why; it had to be to implicate Dustin, but who would want to see harm come to him?