Amish Winter Murder Mystery Read online

  “Hello, I have some good news. It’s the best news I’ve had in years. Certainly the best news I’ve had today, since I spent most of it at the funeral. I never like going to funerals.”

  “We could use some good news,” Elsa-May called out from her chair.

  “We could indeed. Come in out of the cold.”

  Gabriel walked in, took off his coat and hat and Ettie took them and laid them on the side table near the door.

  “Put the teakettle on, Ettie.”

  Gabriel raised his hands. “Nee, not for me. I’m fine. I’ve just come from the bishop’s haus and I’ve had far too much to eat.”

  Ettie took him by the arm and guided him toward the couch and then she sat down while he remained standing.

  “Tell us this good news, Gabriel.”

  “It’s Selena Lehman. She finally returned one of my calls this morning and told me she’s coming back! Remember her? She's Abner Troyer’s granddaughter. Her mother ran away from the community, but Selena has one fond memory of visiting her grossdaddi.”

  “That’s wunderbaar. Is the King family moving out of the haus her grossdaddi left for her?”

  He lowered his tall frame onto the couch. “Nee. They’re having trouble finding another place big enough for their family. Also, she doesn’t get it officially until she’s thirty or married.”

  “Humph. We slept four to a room in our day,” Elsa-May said.

  “That’s the only thing holding her up from coming here. She won’t force the Kings to leave, and she’s sublet her apartment already and has to be out soon. She’s asked me to find her a house. Can you imagine that? She’s asked me!”

  “That’s … exciting for you.” Elsa-May grinned.

  “She’s the woman for me. I knew it the first time I saw her. Gott sent her to me. I prayed for him to go anywhere into the world and bring the right woman to me. Then she appeared.”

  “Is she joining us?” Ettie asked.

  “Her words were, she might—might think about it.” He stared at Ettie and then looked over at Elsa-May.

  Elsa-May smiled at him and started another row of knitting. “You’re quite fond of her I see.”

  “More than that. When she’s around, I can smell the air and the trees. I can even feel the air on my cheeks when there’s no breeze. It’s like I come alive only when she’s near.” When neither of them commented he cleared his throat. “Have I come at a bad time?”

  “Nee, we’re just upset over Ebenezer.”

  “Ah, that’s a loss. A sad loss to all.”

  “Did you know him well?” Ettie asked.

  “I became close in the last few months after Selena’s grossdaddi died. They were friends, the two of them.”

  “Really?” The fact Ebenezer had a friend was news to Ettie.

  Elsa-May took off her glasses, folded them into the neckline of her dress, then popped her knitting into the bag by her feet. “Is that right?”

  “Jah, I was there nearly every day since Selena’s grossdaddi went to Gott. I missed one day and that was the day they found him.”

  “And what made you miss that day?” Ettie asked. “I heard he was missing for a couple of days.”

  “Nee, Ettie. He wasn’t seen for a couple of days, by Helga. That didn’t mean he was missing.”

  “He was never missing, Ettie.”

  “What prevented you going there that day?”

  “Someone let my horses out.”

  “That’s dreadful.”

  “I know. But I found them and they were safe, so there was no harm done.”

  “Who knew you visited him?” Elsa-May asked.

  “I’m not sure. Everyone, I think.”

  “Did you see other people while you were there? Or do you know who else he was friendly with?”

  “His nurse, Patricia, and Pete, the man who delivered the food. They were the main people I saw. He talked about the woman next door like she was a friend, but I never saw her.”

  “That’s interesting. Do you know anyone who might’ve wished him harm?”

  “Nee.”

  “Why and how did you get to know him? He hadn’t been to a meeting in years.”

  “Like I said, when Abner died, I missed him and gave it some thought about who else I might talk to so I could gain wisdom. I remembered Abner asked me to take him to Ebenezer's once, so I stopped by and Ebenezer and I had a good talk. I kept going back.”

  “And, did you gain wisdom?” Elsa-May asked.

  “That’s not for me to say.” Gabriel chuckled. “What I found was a friend.”

  “Did he talk about anyone he didn’t get along with?”

  Slowly he shook his head. “Are you trying to find out who killed him?”

  “Jah, and anything you could tell us might help. Anything at all that you might think of.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Isn’t it better to leave things in Gott’s hands rather than seek earthly justice?” He clasped his hands together in his lap and when neither lady answered his question, he said, “He was annoyed with his neighbors, or more accurately the neighbor man, but he never said why.”

  “Did he get along with the nurse?”

  “He looked forward to her visits. She was often there.”

  “And, how often was that?”

  “Once a week, I’d say. Not officially, but she’d often stop by to say hello when she was passing by. That’s all I know. I wouldn’t know who’d want the old man dead. If I can think of anything I’ll let you know. Selena might be able to help. She was once a police officer.”

  Ettie shook her head, pretty sure all his conversations would come back around to Selena. “She wouldn’t be able to find out any more than Detective Kelly, but denke anyway.”

  “It would give me an excuse to call her. I told her about Ebenezer already. I tell her everything.”

  Ettie saw stars in his eyes every time he mentioned Selena. She remembered back to when she was young and in love, and hoped Gabriel wasn’t heading for a fall. After all, Selena had only said she ‘might think about’ joining the community. To Ettie, that did not sound hopeful.

  “There is the haus next door. They can’t sell it, so whoever is controlling ownership of it might consider leasing. What about that for Selena?”

  “Nee, Elsa-May. I couldn’t ask her to consider a haus where someone was murdered. Denke for the thought anyway. She loves my haus. I need to find her something like mine. Now, if she’d marry me we could both live there together.” He threw his head back and laughed.

  “That would be ideal, and she’d have to join us to marry you, of course.”

  “That’s what I’m praying for. Have you seen her eyes?”

  Elsa-May shook her head. “Haven’t noticed.”

  Ettie shrugged her shoulders.

  “They’re the most amazing green you’ve ever seen. Gott took the best shades of the trees and the grass and sprinkled them into her eyes. Then he kissed her hair with shades of gold from the morning sun.”

  Ettie had to press her fingernail into the palm of her hand to stop herself from laughing.

  Elsa-May cleared her throat. “She likes your haus?”

  “Who wouldn’t? It’s delightful. I’ve made it into a home. I take care of it and clean it every day and keep it … well, clean. I’d make Selena a wunderbaar husband.”

  Elsa-May leaned forward. “I suppose you’ve told her that?”

  “Of course.”

  Elsa-May giggled.

  “My prayers are that one day we’ll marry. Someday soon, she’ll see I’m the only man for her.”

  Ettie wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to ruin his hopes and dreams, but what if his love for Selena blinded him to single women within their community? “I hope you won’t be disappointed.”

  “She’s moving here, Ettie. My prayers are already working. He’s heard them.”

  Ettie had to laugh at the silly grin on his face. He was a happy man to have around, but would Selena eve
r join their community? Or was it love’s foolish dream?

  “One thing happened that I thought was odd. The last time I saw him—Ebenezer—he seemed bothered by something.”

  Ettie leaned forward. “Did he say what was wrong?”

  “Nee. I asked him if I’d done something to upset him and he said I hadn’t. That’s all he said.”

  “How was he acting?” Elsa-May asked.

  “Like he was depressed. He was down about something.”

  * * *

  When Gabriel left, Ettie and Elsa-May sat back down in the living room after waving goodbye to him.

  “What do you think about that, Elsa-May? Ebenezer was upset over something.”

  “It could’ve been anything. I’m more concerned about Gabriel’s love for an outsider.”

  “It’s unrequited love."

  "Jah. Any warning we’d give him would go in one ear and out the other. Love is blind and it’s also deaf.”

  Ettie giggled. “All his common sense has gone and he’s the only one who can get himself through this and drag himself out the other side. It’s safe for him to love someone whom he’ll never marry. He’s scared of marrying. That must be it.”

  “Ettie, you talk a lot of gibberish. He’s in love with her, he’s not scared of anything.”

  Ettie pursed her lips. Wasn’t she allowed to have her own opinion? “Anyway, it’s odd that he'd been to Ebenezer’s every day, and yet Helga made no mention of him.”

  “Jah, I noticed that too. Either Helga wasn’t telling us the full truth, or Gabriel wasn’t. I think Helga is keeping things from us.”

  “Tomorrow we meet with Patricia, and then we’ll know more. We could visit Helga after that.”

  Elsa-May nodded. “We’ll do that.”

  Chapter 12

  The next morning, Ettie’s heart thumped hard when she saw Detective Kelly getting out of his car in front of their house. She studied Kelly’s face to see if he was angry. She couldn’t tell if he was or wasn't because he always wore that same grim face. Had he heard they’d arranged to meet the nurse? That was the thing that worried her. She flung open the door just as he stepped onto the porch.

  His face softened into a rare smile. “I have a piece of information you might not know.”

  Immediately, Ettie was relieved. “Come inside and sit down.”

  Kelly followed Ettie, and nodded to Elsa-May who sat knitting in her usual chair. Kelly chose to sit on one of the wooden chairs that were lined up in a row opposite Ettie’s spot, which was the couch.

  “What is it that we might or might not know?” Ettie asked.

  “It seems that the neighbors, Jack and Blythe Simpson, wanted to buy Ebenezer’s land.”

  Ettie gasped. “How do you know that?”

  He smirked. “I just asked the right people the right questions.”

  Ettie looked over at Elsa-May who seemed just as surprised. Wouldn’t Gabriel have known that? Ettie wondered.

  Elsa-May looked over the top of her glasses at him. “Who inherits Ebenezer’s land and his house?”

  “He left everything to your community.”

  Ettie’s mouth fell open. “That's the first time we’re hearing about this.”

  “Your bishop knew.”

  “That's something we didn't think to ask him, Ettie.”

  “Well, now you know.” Kelly smiled.

  “Do you think they killed him over something to do with the land?”

  “Probably not because now they don't get the land.”

  “Unless the bishop sells it to them,” Ettie said. “They might have a better chance now than when Ebenezer was living on the land. Where would he have gone if he sold?”

  Kelly shook his head. “But still, it doesn’t seem a valid motive to me. This was a crime of anger, not a carefully planned killing.”

  “That's right. That’s what we thought. Ettie said—”

  Ettie butted in, “So why was he killed? Someone got into an argument with him and it wasn’t planned, is that what you think, Detective?”

  “That, Mrs. Smith, is one of the things we're trying to ascertain.”

  “What about your forensic evidence?”

  “Wait a moment; back up a minute,” Elsa-May said. “He left the land and everything to the community?”

  “That's right.”

  “What is it, Elsa-May?”

  “In the back of my mind … there’s something there, but it’s just not coming to the front.”

  “What?” Kelly asked.

  “I don’t know.” Elsa-May continued on with her knitting without saying anything.

  Ettie didn’t place much store in whatever was in the back of her sister’s mind since she hadn’t remembered who Ebenezer was. She smiled privately, imagining the poor lost thought trying to meander its way out.

  The detective rubbed his neck and Ettie knew he was bothered by something. Then he exhaled deeply. “I'm under a lot of pressure from higher up to get this case solved. I don’t mind telling you I’ve got a higher than average record for closing cases, but if the media gets hold of this they can make it into a circus. That's why I need to wrap it up before fear spreads through the community, and I’m not talking about just the Amish community.”

  “We’re doing all we can,” Ettie said.

  He nodded. “I know you are.” He clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “Surely there are other people you can question and delve into things further?”

  Ettie raised her eyebrows. “I did ask our cousin, Deirdre, from Divine Creek. I asked her if she knew about Ebenezer.”

  “Tell him the story, Ettie.” Elsa-May rolled her eyes at her sister, and continued, “I’ll tell him. When Ebenezer came to this community he told people he was from Divine Creek. Ruth Esh contacted the bishop of Divine Creek and asked him a few things about Ebenezer’s background—his family and such. It was her job to do so. He wrote back informing her he’d never heard of him. Yet, Ebenezer had told Ruth that he was one of the founding members.”

  “Ebenezer told Ruth he was a founding member of the Divine Creek community of Amish people?”

  “That's right and it was a lie.”

  Ettie cleared her throat. “You see, our cousin used to live in Divine Creek and now she doesn’t.”

  “It no longer exists,” said Elsa-May.

  Then Ettie commented, “She lives in Walnut Creek now.”

  Detective Kelly’s head was swiveling from one sister to the other.

  Elsa-May laughed. “We thought it funny about her living in places that end in the word ‘creek.’

  “And?” Detective Kelly asked, now looking at Ettie.

  “And … what?”

  “What did your cousin say? Does she know anything about Ebenezer? Their bishop said he wasn't from there, so does that mean he wasn't?”

  Before Ettie could answer, Elsa-May said, “Ruth thought that Ebenezer might've been shunned at the time and that's why the bishop might’ve refused any knowledge of him. That’s why Ettie wrote to our cousin.”

  He shook his head. “You wrote a letter? Snail mail style?”

  “Yes.” Ettie was pleased with herself until she saw Kelly continuing to scowl at her. “What’s the matter?”

  “Couldn't you have just called her? Don’t most of you have phones in your barns or something?”

  “She doesn't have a phone. I could’ve called her neighbor. I didn't think of that. I could’ve called her neighbor to deliver her a message. A message to write to me and let me know what she knew about one Ebenezer Fuller, but I would still have been waiting on a letter back since we don’t have a phone either.”

  Kelly huffed. “Would you please do that Mrs. Smith? At least it would speed the process. I really need to find out who wanted the old man dead. He had nothing of value. As far as we know, nothing was stolen.”

  Elsa-May shook her head. “He wouldn’t have had anything of value.”

  “It's a mystery all right, but one that is vita
l I solve, and sooner rather than later. Time is of the essence. I'd appreciate anything you two can do to help me out.”

  “We’ll ask around more,” Ettie said. “And I’ll call my cousin’s neighbor today.”

  “Thank you. It would be very much appreciated.”

  “Of course.” Ettie leaned forward. “What do you think about the nurse?”

  Kelly stared at her. “Patricia?”

  “Yes—she was at the funeral.”

  “She's got nothing to do with it.”

  Ettie narrowed her eyes at him, wondering why he was so adamant.

  “Did you check her background?” Elsa-May asked.

  “More importantly, did you check her hands to see if she had cuts on them? She’s always wearing gloves every time I’ve seen her.”

  “Most people do in this weather, Mrs. Smith. I don't have time for you to go barking up the wrong tree. Wait a minute, how many times have you seen her?”

  Ettie gulped, but was saved by Elsa-May.

  “You've checked into her background then?” Elsa-May asked once more.

  He nodded and gave a grunt. That told Ettie he most likely hadn’t checked too closely, otherwise, he would’ve said so with conviction. “I know you don't think there's anything suspicious about her, but I do. We also found out that a patient left her money. Ava found that out from the computer in the library.”

  “I know that already. When I was questioning Patricia, she came right out and told me. She was upfront about the whole thing. She had no idea the man was leaving her money and she donated it to charity.”

  “I see.” Ettie remained quiet about her intended meeting with Patricia later in the day.

  “Why do you think she's innocent? Do you think she’s too beautiful to be a killer?”

  Kelly went red in the cheeks at Elsa-May’s question. “Murderers come in all shapes and sizes, but she doesn't fit the profile. And remember, Ebenezer didn't leave anything to her. He left it to the community.” He wagged a finger at both of them. “I'm relying on you two to help. I know there’s something you’re both missing. Someone in the community must know more than they’re letting on. There must be some clue, something you've missed. Someone must've had a falling out with him somewhere along the way. It wasn’t a stranger. I’ve had enough experience on the force to know that.”