“Ettie!”
“Oh, I mean, if I was a betting person, I’d bet, but I’m not, so I won’t.”
Elsa-May shook her head in disgust.
Kelly nodded. “Yes, peanuts were an ingredient in the lab report of the cookies. I remember seeing that on the list and the only reason I remember that is because there weren’t many ingredients. I thought nothing of peanuts being in the cookies at the time, but if what you’ve said is true, this could change everything. I’ll go over the evidence and see if your scenario has any credence.”
Chapter 22
The next afternoon, there was a knock on their door. It was Kelly.
“Do you want a job, Mrs. Smith?”
“No.”
“To do what?” Elsa-May asked as she walked up behind Ettie who was facing Kelly at the front door.
“May I come in?” he asked.
“Yes.” Elsa-May gave Ettie’s sleeve a tug so she’d move away from the doorway.
Ettie had no choice but to take a step back. “Let’s sit in the living room.” Once they were seated, Ettie asked, “Was I right about the peanuts?”
“I went over the evidence. In Levi’s trash, there was a wrapper for the cookies, which we had in evidence, but the ingredients on the package didn’t tally with the ingredients when the lab tested those cookies. I’m afraid to say it was something I overlooked. Since there was no poison in the cookies, it didn’t occur to me to match the ingredients to those labeled on the package.”
Elsa-May gasped. “Ettie, you were right.”
Ettie pouted. “I’ve been right before.”
“But was he allergic to peanuts like the man at the store said he was, Detective?” Elsa-May asked.
“Levi made it hard to find that out because he’d gone to a number of doctors over the years. We found a report at the local hospital from many years ago after he’d had an allergic episode. We can categorically state that he was allergic to peanuts.”
“Ah, I was right.”
“Good work, Ettie,” Elsa-May said.
“Yes, you were, Mrs. Smith, and it was clever of you to figure that out.”
Elsa-May frowned. “Don’t give her too much praise, or she’ll get a big head.”
Ettie laughed and then stopped abruptly. “He was murdered just like he thought he’d be. Florence was right. Okay, so the cookies had peanuts in them, but who delivered them?”
Kelly crossed one leg over the other. “We’re DNA testing the package. With a bit of luck, we’ll find out who delivered them soon enough.”
“Good,” Ettie said, with a nod of her head. The way the detective was speaking, Ettie figured he once again knew more than he was letting on to them.
“Now, how about that coffee you offered me the other day?” he asked.
As Ettie listened to the click-clack of Elsa-May’s knitting needles, she realized she had it all wrong.
“Ettie, get Detective Kelly something and I’ll help when I finish this row.”
“In a minute. I’ve been thinking, the nurse would’ve known about his food intolerances and if she was friendly with Tony, she might’ve let it slip. Tony tampered with those cookies and dressed himself as a woman and left them outside Levi’s door in the early hours of the morning.”
“What about the red car that was seen at the same time that the person was seen approaching Levi’s house?” Elsa-May asked.
“The red car could’ve belonged to anyone.”
“There’s nothing around but the apple orchards.”
Ettie sighed. “You’re right, and since John was on a business trip… No, wait. John would’ve known about his father’s allergy to peanuts. And that means his wife would’ve known as well.”
“You think Levi’s daughter-in-law left them on his doorstep?” Detective Kelly asked.
“There was never any eighty thousand dollars. Connie would’ve been able to get her hands on Levi’s signature and copy it.”
“What is your latest theory in total, Mrs. Smith?”
“Levi thought that the nurse stole some change he had lying around and he complained to his son about her. Connie saw that as an opportunity to find someone who would look guilty for his murder, but she had to devise a plan to increase the amount of money. That’s where Eric came in with his false claim and fake paperwork.”
“That makes sense. The nurse would also have looked guilty because she would’ve known about his peanut allergy, and everyone would’ve thought she took the eighty thousand dollars as well,” Elsa-May said.
“Where do you think the man next door came into things?” the detective asked. “How do you think that came about?”
“Connie approached him with the plan. All he had to do was go along with the fake paperwork and pretend he had a deal with Levi and then John might have given him back the large sum of money that he said was stolen. Alternatively, John might have sold the orchard to him much cheaper because of his deposit. The deposit that never existed in the first place.”
“Ettie, are you saying that Eric knew Connie’s plan to kill her father-in-law?” Elsa-May asked.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. It suited him to buy the orchard, and to do that he was happy to go along with Connie’s plan. Don’t forget he was furious with Levi over the loss of his organic certification.”
“Why would Connie be happy to have John sell the orchard at a discount because of the eighty thousand? That’s a large discount. Also, we had a theory Eric might know Nella too, but we figured it was too far-fetched. The reasoning was that Eric liked Nella, and had framed her for Levi’s murder, but why would he do that? Then we dropped that theory.”
Ettie shook her head at her older sister. “You’ve been doing too much thinking.” She looked back at the detective. “Connie wouldn’t have told him the whole plan. And if she did, she left out the part about Nella being the scapegoat. Connie gets what she wants—money from the sale of the orchard, and Eric gets to buy the orchard cheaper. We did have a theory about Nella and Eric, but a young woman like Nella Bridges would never have been interested in a much older man like Eric, but I suppose if she wasn’t and they knew each other, he could’ve got annoyed when she told him so—that she wasn’t interested.”
“I’m not so sure we should drop that theory, Ettie.” Elsa-May looked at the detective. “What do you think about that?”
“It makes some sense, in a way.”
Ettie raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yes and no. Part right and part wrong. Mostly you’re wrong Elsa-May I’m sorry to say. We looked into Connie and John, individually and as a couple. We found out that Connie consulted a divorce lawyer a few times over the past year. In all possibility, she could’ve waited until John inherited the orchard and then started divorce proceedings before he had time to gamble the money away. Or she could’ve had plans to control the money before he could.”
“You know about the gambling?” Elsa-May asked.
“I’m a detective. We know that Eric and Levi were at odds with one another and Eric wanted to buy Levi out. How close were Eric and Connie, you ask? You might be interested to know that the phone records we obtained from Connie’s personal cell phone show many calls back and forth between the pair.”
Ettie gasped. “I was right!”
Kelly chuckled. “Well, let’s wait until we get the DNA results from the cookie package and go from there, shall we?”
Ettie knew that Kelly wouldn’t be telling them what he’d heard if he wasn’t certain Connie and Eric were guilty.
* * *
Two weeks later, Kelly visited them again. He’d stopped by the day before and asked that all three sisters be there. Ettie knew without a doubt he had wrapped up the case.
The detective sat on an old wooden chair opposite the couch where Florence and Ettie sat. Elsa-May was sitting in her usual chair.
“You have the results?” Florence asked.
He rubbed his neck, and then clasped his hands t
ogether. “We have arrested John’s wife for the murder of her father-in-law.”
Florence gasped. “It’s true?”
“I’m afraid so. We also arrested Eric for conspiracy to commit murder.”
“That’s dreadful,” Elsa-May said. “I can’t believe it.”
“Poor John. He must be devastated. When did you arrest Connie?”
“Only this morning after the DNA results came through. She tried to cut a deal with us and told us of Eric’s involvement. It was convenient to have that information and no special treatment will be given to either of them.”
“And what of Nella Bridges?” Ettie asked. “Where does she fit into everything?”
“I was getting to her. We finally tracked her down yesterday. She was fearful of being accused of theft and she fled, not wanting to face the pressure. We had her make a statement and that was that.”
Elsa-May said. “That’s understandable. She was worried because she’d been accused of something before.”
“How did you know that?” Kelly asked.
“I heard a rumor.”
Kelly continued, “When I told Nella about the arrests this morning, she was relieved.”
Florence shook her head. “I feel sorry for John.”
“Ah, yes, about John. His marriage was strained due to his wife’s gambling.”
“His wife’s gambling?” Ettie asked.
“Yes, they had to sell their home to get them out of the debt she’d put them in. Now he’s in disbelief that his wife could have done that to his father.” Kelly looked down at the floor.
Ettie said, “At least we know what happened now.”
“Yes.” He nodded.
“Cup of tea or coffee, Detective?” Elsa-May asked.
He looked across at Elsa-May and said, “Surprise me.”
Florence stood up. “I’ll help you, Elsa-May.”
When Ettie and the detective were alone, she sensed he was feeling glum. “Is there something wrong?”
He looked over at her. “It’s bittersweet, Ettie. I work hard to bring justice to the families of loved ones who’ve been murdered, but in cases like these the resolution brings no peace. John Hochstetler’s father’s gone and now his wife will most likely be serving a life sentence. Where’s the peace in that?”
Ettie glimpsed the compassion that Kelly had managed to conceal so cleverly behind his brash manner. He cared about people. Being a detective wasn’t just a job to him. “There’s no peace. John will find his peace somewhere other than this earth.”
“You mean when he’s dead?”
Ettie chuckled. “No, hopefully before then. In God’s presence there is perfect peace.”
“I hope for his sake he finds it.”
“I’m certain he will. Sometimes it takes a disaster in one’s life to strip us back to seeing what our true goal should be.”
Florence walked out from the kitchen with a plate of food, and behind her was Elsa-May with a large pot of tea and cups and saucers.
“Here we are.” Florence placed the plate on a low table in between Kelly and Ettie. “Chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered cookies.”
Kelly stared at them while Florence sat down and Elsa-May poured the tea.
“Tell me they’re not the same brand of cookies?” he finally said.
“Yes, they’re good for you. No gluten. The man at the store recommended them,” Florence said.
He took the cup of tea Elsa-May had just poured for him. “Thank you, Mrs. Lutz.”
“Won’t you have a cookie?” Florence asked.
He stared at them again. “I’m not really that hungry. Just the tea will be fine for me tonight.”
Ettie and Elsa-May exchanged a quiet smile.
“Are you certain?” Florence asked.
“It’s a treat I’ll leave for another time.”
On hearing the word ‘treat,’ Snowy, who’d been sleeping in his dog bed in the corner, jolted his head up. When he saw his favorite detective was there, he bounded toward him.
“Oh, dear, you said the ‘T’ word,” Elsa-May said.
Ettie reached down and managed to grab Snowy before he reached the detective, and she scooped the dog into her arms.
Kelly bounded to his feet. “I just remembered I need to fill out a report.”
“Can’t that wait until tomorrow?” Elsa-May said.
“I’m afraid not.” On his way out, he turned to face the three sisters. “I wanted to personally let you know about the arrests.”
“Thank you,” Ettie said, while the others nodded agreement. Ettie glanced at both of her sisters, and then said to Kelly, “We’re just having a little joke with you.”
He frowned. “About what?”
Florence said, “The cookies. I baked them today myself.”
Kelly looked at the three of them and then he laughed. “You had me. I can’t believe you’d do that.”
“Come back inside. You don’t really have a report to make, do you?”
“Hmm. Homemade cookies, or doing paperwork?” He mimicked juggling motions with his hands. “It’s close, but the cookies win.”
Everyone laughed and Ettie took Kelly by the arm, led him back to his chair, and sat him back down.
Florence picked up the plate and handed it to him.
“They look delicious.”
“And they aren’t that good for you—probably.”
He took a chocolate covered one as he smirked. “I didn’t know you ladies had a sense of humor. I’ll have to watch you.”
Seeing no one was giving him a treat, Snowy headed back to his dog bed to continue his snooze.
Elsa-May walked into the kitchen and came back out with a mug of coffee. “And here’s your coffee. I know you prefer coffee rather than tea.”
With his mouth full of cookie and his eyes crinkling at the corners, Detective Kelly could only nod in appreciation as he reached for the mug.
* * *
* * *
Thank you for reading Amish Cover-Up. I do hope you enjoyed it.
Click here to add your email if you’d like to receive my new release alerts, occasional freebies, special offers and more.
Blessings,
Samantha Price
The next book in the series is:
Book 14 Amish Crossword Murder
Death by Crosswords.
When Amish man, Titus Graber, is found dead slumped over his crossword puzzle, Ettie Smith knows it's murder.
Is Ettie right in thinking the mystery of Titus's murder can be found in one of the crossword puzzles Titus loved to create?
Had Titus known he was about to be killed, or was there a clue left there as a taunt from the killer himself?
Could the answer be literally staring Ettie in the face?
Find out now in this quirky and light-hearted Amish mystery that will keep you entertained right up to the last page.
Amish Crossword Murder
ETTIE SMITH AMISH MYSTERIES
Book 1 Secrets Come Home
Book 2 Amish Murder
Book 3 Murder in the Amish Bakery
Book 4 Amish Murder Too Close
Book 5 Amish Quilt Shop Mystery
Book 6 Amish Baby Mystery
Book 7 Betrayed
Book 8: Amish False Witness
Book 9: Amish Barn Murders
Book 10 Amish Christmas Mystery
Book 11 Who Killed Uncle Alfie?
Book 12 Lost: Amish Mystery
Book 13 Amish Cover-Up
Book 14 Amish Crossword Murder
Book 15 Old Promises
Book 16 Amish Mystery at Rose Cottage
Book 17 Amish Mystery: Plain Secrets
Book 18 Amish Mystery: Fear Thy Neighbor
Book 19 Amish Winter Murder Mystery
Book 20 Amish Scarecrow Murders
Book 21 Threadly Secret
Also by Samantha Price:
Stand-Alone Christmas novel:
In Time For An Am
ish Christmas
* * *
AMISH MISFTIS
Book 1 The Amish Girl Who Never Belonged
Book 2 The Amish Spinster
Book 3 The Amish Bishop’s Daughter
Book 4 The Amish Single Mother
Book 5 The Temporary Amish Nanny
Book 6 Jeremiah’s Daughter
Book 7 My Brother’s Keeper
* * *
SEVEN AMISH BACHELORS
Book 1 The Amish Bachelor
Book 2 His Amish Romance
Book 3 Joshua’s Choice
Book 4 Forbidden Amish Romance
Book 5 The Quiet Amish Bachelor
Book 6 The Determined Amish Bachelor
Book 7 Amish Bachelor’s Secret
* * *
EXPECTANT AMISH WIDOWS series.
Book 1 Amish Widow's Hope
Book 2 The Pregnant Amish Widow
Book 3 Amish Widow's Faith
Book 4 Their Son's Amish Baby
Book 5 Amish Widow's Proposal
Book 6 The Pregnant Amish Nanny
Book 7 A Pregnant Widow's Amish Vacation
Book 8 The Amish Firefighter's Widow
Book 9 Amish Widow's Secret
Book 10 The Middle-Aged Amish Widow
Book 11 Amish Widow's Escape
Book 12 Amish Widow's Christmas
Book 13 Amish Widow’s New Hope
Book 14 Amish Widow’s Story
Book 15 Amish Widow’s Decision
Book 16 Amish Widow’s Trust
Book 17 The Amish Potato Farmer’s Widow
* * *
For a full list of Samantha Price’s books visit:
Amish Cover-Up Page 11