Ettie pushed herself to her feet. “We’ll talk to John and see if we can work something out.”
Florence reached out her hand and Ettie pulled her off the couch
“Thank you to both of you for helping to get this thing sorted.”
Ettie walked to the door with Florence close behind her. When she reached the door, Ettie turned around. “Did Levi have many visitors, did you notice?”
“There were often people coming and going. There were casual workers in the picking season. Is that what you mean?”
“What about in the last few weeks? We understand he wasn’t too well and had a nurse visiting from time to time,” Florence said.
He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled open the door for them. “I don’t know anything about it.”
“Do you know if Levi had any enemies?” Florence asked.
He threw his head back and laughed. “A man like him probably had nothing but enemies. The question should be, did he have any other friends apart from you, Mrs. Lapp.”
Ettie slowly nodded, knowing Lousy Levi wasn’t a popular man. “Good day,” she said. Both ladies walked out the door and after Eric said goodbye, he closed the door loudly.
Chapter 10
Florence and Ettie made their way to John’s house and knocked on his door. To Ettie’s disappointment, Connie opened the door.
“Might we have a word with John?” Florence asked.
Connie looked them up and down. At last, she stepped aside and said, “Come in.” She showed them through to the living room and when they had sat down, she called out to John. “He won’t be long,” she told the ladies.
“Thanks, Connie,” Ettie said.
“If you don’t mind, I’ve got things to do at the other end of the house.”
“Of course, don’t mind us,” Florence said.
They only had to wait a few minutes before John walked into the room and looked surprised to see them. “Hello.” He sat down on the armchair opposite the couch where they were seated.
“We just visited Eric,” Ettie said.
“You did?”
“That’s right. He still wants to buy the land—the orchard.”
John tugged on his collar and scratched his neck. “The will’s being read tomorrow at the lawyer’s office. I can’t do anything more until I know whether my father’s left me anything. I assumed he would, but with him, it’d be hard to tell. As you undoubtedly know, he was a difficult man to get along with. I’m his only child and when I left the community we didn’t speak for years. Then gradually we started talking. In the end, we’d check in with one another by phone every few months.”
“Yes, we know,” Florence said.
“For all I know, he might have left everything to you, Florence,” John said.
Florence laughed. “Nee. We weren’t that close. I just stopped by every now and again to see if he needed anything.”
Ettie said, “One thing we wanted to talk to you about, John, is the missing money. You said your father complained about money missing. Do you think he might’ve been talking about the eighty thousand dollars?”
John’s cheeks turned beet red. “Surely not! Wow. I never even thought about that.”
“It might pay to check into that nurse.”
“I got my friend to check her background and she had a criminal history.”
Ettie said, “You said your policeman friend found she was charged for something and then those charges were dropped.”
“That’s right. I should go to the police if we could be talking about that amount.”
“It might be a good idea,” Florence said.
Connie walked into the room. “What business is this of yours?” She glared at Florence and then turned a little and glared at Ettie.
John stared up at his wife from the armchair. “Connie, they’re only trying to help.”
She now glared at her husband. “Why?”
“You’re right,” Ettie said. “It’s absolutely none of our business.” She pushed herself to her feet, and then said to Florence, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.”
John stood. “I thank the both of you for helping. I’ll go to the police station now and give them the name of that nurse and they can look into the whole thing.”
“Very well.”
The elderly ladies said goodbye to John and Connie and then left the house.
“She was very rude, Ettie,” Florence said when they were a distance from the house.
“I know. I don’t know why she had to be so hostile.”
“She’s probably sick of the sight of us.”
They got back into Florence’s buggy and then Florence took Ettie home.
“Are you coming inside?” Ettie asked Florence.
“I would, but I remembered I put washing on this morning and I need to hang it out to dry.”
When Ettie got back inside her house, Elsa-May was waiting for her with news.
“Sit down, Ettie. I have something to tell you.”
Ettie sat down on her usual couch. “What is it?”
“While you were out, I had a visitor, Jennifer Byler. She was concerned about me not being at the funeral and thought I was unwell. Which I was, but I’m better now.”
“Go on.”
“It turns out that Jennifer knows someone who knows Connie, Lousy Levi’s daughter-in-law.”
Ettie leaned forward. “And?”
“Connie isn’t happy with John because he’s a gambler, and he’s frittered away their life savings.” Elsa-May looked pleased with herself.
“Is that all?”
Elsa-May’s lower jaw jutted out. “Don’t you see, Ettie? What do gamblers need?”
“Money?”
“How much money?”
“A lot?”
“Exactly.” Elsa-May raised a finger in the air. “The last time Lousy Levi was talking to John, wouldn’t he have mentioned the money that Eric gave him? Wouldn’t he have discussed it with him whether to put it in a bank or leave it there in the haus somewhere?”
“Ah, I see where you’re going with this. You think John stole the money?”
“He could’ve taken the money thinking he’d put it back before Levi noticed it missing. He might never have intended to actually steal it in that sense. He would’ve seen it as borrowing the money hoping to win more, but then maybe he gambled it away and had no way of repaying it.”
Ettie nodded. “And he’d have been doing this without Lousy Levi knowing.”
“Of course. Lousy Levi would’ve had no idea,” Elsa-May said.
Ettie sighed. “And what if John discovered he could never repay it and then he decided to kill two birds with one stone? If he killed his father and made out someone else stole the money, or perhaps made people think it never existed, John could get even more money by selling the orchard.”
“Exactly, but the only thing is, John doesn’t seem like a killer.”
“No one ever does,” Ettie said. “Killers can be just like regular people.”
“I guess he never got along with his vadder, but that doesn’t mean he’d kill him.”
Ettie shook her head. “Nee, it doesn’t seem like it would be true.”
“Okay. It was just a thought.” Elsa-May shrugged her shoulders. “What did you do today?”
“We visited Eric and then John. Eric showed us a copy of the receipt for the eighty thousand dollars and then we went to John’s house, and his wife nearly kicked us out.”
Elsa-May’s eyebrows rose. “She probably knows he killed his father.”
Ettie ignored Elsa-May’s suggestion. “We did mention the possibility that the nurse might have taken the money. It had never occurred to him.”
“If he’s guilty, you’ve just given him someone else to blame.” Elsa-May shook her head. “That poor nurse.”
Ettie said, “We don’t know anything for sure yet. Connie might be the guilty one.”
“I know for sure that I’m hungry.
”
“I’ll make you some soup.”
“Denke, Ettie. I’m still not feeling the best.”
Ettie put a ham bone in a large pot to boil, then spread out vegetables on the table, and sat down to scrape the skins and cut them into small pieces. As she cut the vegetables, she thought about Lousy Levi and the conditions surrounding his death.
Later, when the soup was simmering, she walked down the road to the shanty where the phone was housed and called Morrie to deliver a message to Florence to come to their place for dinner. If the three sisters put their heads together, they might be able to work some things out.
Chapter 11
“John will know tomorrow whether he’s inherited the orchard,” Florence said as she sat down at the table in Ettie and Elsa-May’s kitchen.
Elsa-May tucked a paper napkin over the top of her dress and straightened it, smoothing it down against her dress. “And by now, Detective Kelly will know about the nurse and he’ll be looking into her background.”
Ettie added, “He’ll also be able to see whether she deposited a large sum of money into her bank account.”
“Surely she wouldn’t have been stupid enough to put it into her own bank account,” Florence said.
“You never know.” Ettie ladled the soup into three bowls and when all of them were seated with soup in front of them, they closed their eyes and said a prayer of thanks for the food. “Bread, anyone?”
“Jah, please,” Florence said.
“I’ll cut it.” Elsa-May grabbed the breadknife before Ettie reached it. “You always cut the bread crooked.”
Ettie scowled at her oldest sister. “I do not.”
“You do.”
Florence laughed. “I don’t know how you two have managed to live together for all this time.”
“Why do you say that?” Elsa-May asked in her oldest-sister tone.
“Every time I come here there’s an awful lot of arguing.”
“There’s no arguing,” Elsa-May said. “Not when I’m always right.”
Ettie giggled. “I don’t know what to say about that.”
Florence said, “I think maybe you should just keep quiet, Ettie.”
“Jah, that’s what I’ve found is usually best.”
Elsa-May finished cutting the bread and held up a perfectly even slice. “See? It’s the same on all sides.” She slowly turned the piece of bread from side to side.
“Wunderbaar,” Ettie said sarcastically.
Florence laughed. “You can cut the bread any time you’re at my place, Elsa-May.”
“Would you like a piece of bread, Ettie?” Elsa-May asked.
“Jah, please. If you can replicate that perfection.”
Florence laughed again.
“No problem.” Elsa-May turned her attention to cutting the bread and then handed Ettie another perfectly cut slice.
“Denke,” Ettie said with a nod.
“Where were we up to with things?” Florence asked.
“We were saying you’ll find out tomorrow whether John’s inherited his father’s orchard. Kelly would now know about the story of the missing money and about Levi complaining that the nurse had taken his money,” Ettie said.
Elsa-May buttered her bread.
Ettie stared at the thick layer of butter on Elsa-May’s bread. “Not too much butter. Remember what the doctor said?”
“Humph. Are you still convinced Levi was killed, Florence?”
“If you had been there too, you would’ve seen him most insistent that someone was trying to kill him and his death wouldn’t be an accident. He told me that about three times.”
“That’s right, I remember now. He told you it would be the man next door, his son, the nurse, and I think you mentioned one more person.”
Ettie placed her soupspoon down and stared at Florence. “Who?”
“I can’t remember, but it’ll come to me.”
“He actually thought his son might try to kill him?” Elsa-May asked.
“I know it’s surprising, but that’s what he said. I remember now. It was Tony Troyer. Remember? I had you put him on that list. Many years ago, they had plans of going into business together. Levi said something about Tony not being able to raise all the money, so their partnership didn’t go ahead.”
Elsa-May asked, “Was Tony Troyer at the funeral?”
Ettie shook her head. “He wasn’t. There weren’t many people there and that’s how I remember he definitely wasn’t there.”
Florence said, “Ettie, perhaps we should pay Tony a visit?”
“What reason will we give for being there?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll think of something before we get there.”
“We’ll do it another time, perhaps in a few days. There are other things that need looking at first,” Ettie said. “Like seeing who the real beneficiary of the will is. If Levi was murdered that might give us a good clue where to look for his killer.”
“Okay. Good idea.” Florence placed another spoonful of soup into her mouth.
“It’s good soup, Ettie,” Elsa-May said.
“Denke.” Ettie could scarcely believe her ears. A positive comment from her older sister was rare indeed.
Elsa-May screwed up her nose, and added, “It just needs a little more salt.”
Ettie’s elation was short-lived, and she pushed the saltshaker toward Elsa-May.
Chapter 12
Ettie looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s noon, twelve o’clock,” she announced to Elsa-May. It had been raining on and off all day and Elsa-May hadn’t even been able to take Snowy for his regular morning walk. “The reading of the will was early this morning. Do you think we should go to John’s and see what happened?”
“John’s haus?”
“That’s right.”
“If he didn’t inherit the farm, he won’t be in the mood for visitors.”
“Then we won’t stay,” Ettie said.
“It’s not the best day for an outing.”
“We can’t let the weather hold us back. Besides, I like the rain sometimes.”
“Jah, when you’re indoors.”
Ettie chuckled. “Where is your adventurous spirit?”
“It went away when I reached fifty-two, six-months, and two days.”
“Okay, I’ll go by myself then.” Ettie pushed herself to her feet.
Elsa-May had just finished a row and she dropped the knitting into her lap. “Wait up.”
“Are you coming with me?”
“I might as well.” Snowy looked up and ran to her. “I’m sorry, boy. Perhaps we can go for a walk this afternoon in between rain showers? You go back to your bed and I’ll get you a treat.” Snowy’s ears pricked up on hearing the word ‘treat.’
Ettie laughed. “He knows the word, but he’s got no intention of going back to his bed until he sees it.”
Elsa-May headed to the kitchen with Snowy following close behind. As soon as he was given his treat in the kitchen, he scurried back to his dog bed in the corner to eat it.
“He’s happy now,” Ettie said as she pulled on her black over-bonnet and picked up her shawl.
“I hope we don’t catch a cold in this weather. I’ve already not been feeling well.”
“Stay home then. I’m not forcing you to come with me.”
“Nee, you’re not forcing me, but you have a way of making me do things.”
Ettie passed Elsa-May her shawl and bonnet. “These will keep out the rain.”
“It’s uncomfortable visiting John with how rude Connie is. Is that true, what you told me about what she said to you and Florence?”
“Jah, it’s true. I didn’t know what to say when she asked Florence and me what business was it of ours. Florence should’ve said we’re trying to get to the bottom of who murdered her father-in-law, that’s what she should’ve said. Anyway, we can’t let Connie bother us or stand in our way,” Ettie said. “Just ignore her if she’s rude.”
* * *
&
nbsp; When they stepped outside to call a taxi, the rain stopped.
Ettie dug Elsa-May with her elbow. “Look there, it’s a slice of sunshine in the sky between the clouds. That means it’s not going to rain all day, anyway.”
“Let’s hurry, then, before the rain starts again.”
Ettie and Elsa-May had the taxi take them close to the cottage at the apple orchard. As soon as they got out of the taxi, they saw a woman near the front door.
When they walked closer, the woman spoke. “Hello. Are you relatives of Levi’s?”
“No, we’re friends. We stopped by to see his son, John.”
“Oh, nobody’s at home. I just knocked. His son is staying here, then?”
“That’s right. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you know Levi?” Elsa-May asked.
“I was his nurse. I came to the house a few times to look after him when he had a bad leg.”
Ettie figured that if the nurse was here, Kelly most likely hadn’t caught up with her about the missing money. Now they had the perfect opportunity to ask her some questions.
“I would’ve gone to his funeral, but I only just found out that he died.”
Ettie and Elsa-May introduced themselves and found out that the woman’s name was Nella Bridges.
“Why did Levi need a nurse if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t mind at all. He had quite a few health problems and there was a time there that he could barely look after himself. When he couldn’t make it into the clinic, I’d stop by and check on him.”
“What were these health problems?”
“He had diabetes, a bad case of reoccurring gout, and heart problems. I heard that he died of heart problems.”
“That’s what we heard, too,” Elsa-May said.
Ettie asked, “Did you ever bring him cookies? Or leave them on his doorstep?”
“No. I would never give him cookies. I always encourage my patients to eat healthy.” She shrugged her shoulders. “He was particularly fussy with what he ate because he was—”
“Has a detective been in touch with you yet?” Elsa-May interrupted.
Ettie had been wondering whether she should bring up the issue of the stolen money and Elsa-May had gotten in first.
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