I looked up from my molds. “Eli and Esther were going to get married?”
She nodded. “It was right after our parents died, and I think most of it was Abel wanting my sister home to take care of the shop and the house. That was many years ago. I was still young, and I wasn’t as much help.”
For the first time, my heart softened toward Esther just a tad. All this time I’d thought she had been unkind to Emily because she was cruel, but maybe that cruelty stemmed from the pain of being trapped in a life she didn’t want. Now that Emily had escaped that life, it seemed to me Esther would be even angrier at her sister even though that anger was misplaced, and she should put it on her brother.
I disliked Abel more by the second. The oldest Esh sibling was lazy, and as far as I knew, he only did odd jobs around the village when he felt like it. Esther and Emily had done most of the work to keep their family going, and now, Esther had to do it all alone. No wonder she was mad at me for encouraging Emily to follow her heart. I supposed that Esther could leave too, but I doubt that had ever occurred to her. She’d worked at the pretzel shop for so long, it was very likely that she didn’t see any way out.
Then I remembered what I’d learned on the square about Eli’s upcoming wedding. “Does she know that Eli and Katey Beiler are courting?”
Emily sighed. “I’m sure she does. She and Eli courted so long ago that I’m sure she is over him.”
I wrinkled my brow, remembering the look on Esther’s face. I wasn’t so sure. At the very least, thoughts of what might have been must keep her up at night from time to time. I remembered the expression on Katey’s face; she hadn’t looked happy either. You would think she would be thrilled by her upcoming wedding, but she appeared sick over it. I thought there was something more to it than prewedding jitters.
“I wonder what I’ll learn tonight from Ruth Yoder’s quilt circle.”
She stared at me. “Ruth Yoder invited you to her quilting circle? The bishop’s wife, Ruth Yoder?”
It was a fair question. Ruth Yoder was a common name in Holmes County, where every fourth person was a Yoder or at least related to a Yoder. That went for all the Amish and English residents of this county.
“Yep, she asked me. Trust me, I was just as shocked as you are. She said she was close friends with Carmela, Eli’s mother, and wants me to find out what happened to Stephen.”
“Wow.” Emily shook her head. “These are weird times in the village.”
I agreed with her on that. “Anyway, the quilting circle meets at seven at Millie Fisher’s house.”
“Millie Fisher!”
I blinked. “Umm, yeah, is that name supposed to mean something?”
She laughed. “With your nosiness I can’t believe you have lived in the village for so long and don’t know who Millie Fisher is. Millie is the one you go to when you are stuck in love.” She touched her cheek. “She’s the village matchmaker.”
I blinked at her. “Come again?”
“You heard me,” she protested. “She is the village matchmaker. If you have trouble finding a spouse or if you aren’t sure that someone is the right person for you, Millie is the one the Amish in Harvest talk to. She’s so good that people from other districts go and see her. I know of a girl whom Millie found a spouse for in Wyoming!”
“The Amish use matchmakers?”
“Sure. Some do, not all. It depends on what the bishop of your district says, of course. But most districts in Holmes County, unless they are very strict, trust Millie. She just has a knack for knowing whom Gott wants you to marry.” She blushed. “I was thinking about talking to Millie myself until Daniel started courting me. I know you have Aiden now, but I’ve heard that she’s even matched a few Englischers.” She cocked her head. “Maybe she could help your friend Cass?”
“Umm, I think it would be best to leave Cass’s love life up to Cass, for everyone’s sake.”
Chapter 29
I spent the rest of the day working at Swissmen Sweets, updating the new Web site I’d made for the shop, placing orders, and running over to Easter Days with more chocolate rabbits every few hours. When six thirty rolled around, I realized if I didn’t leave soon, I would be late for the quilting circle. I had a feeling that Ruth would not look kindly on my tardiness. I closed my laptop computer and put it back on the shelf in the storage room where I kept it. My grandmother wasn’t fond of having a computer in the shop, so I kept it hidden away when I wasn’t using it. I came out of the storage room to find Charlotte flipping the café chairs on the top of the tables and my grandmother sweeping.
“I have to go to Millie Fisher’s house,” I told them. “Then I’ll head home for the night. I’ll be back to the shop bright and early tomorrow.”
Maami pursed her lips together. “I think you should stay here until the murderer is caught. You may think you are fine, but I am reminded of what happened to you last night every time I see the scrape on your cheek.”
“I will be fine. I’ll be alert. Whoever did this can’t get into my home. Also I have a very vigilant next-door neighbor in Penny. I’m sure she has been watching my house all day long.”
“It’s not safe,” my grandmother insisted.
“You’re going to have to trust me. I can take care of myself. I have for a very long time.”
Maami shook her head. “I will never understand the Englisch need for independence. At heart, this is where the Amish and Englisch differ most.”
I knew she was right, and I understood why she wanted me to stay with her and Charlotte at the candy shop. However, I couldn’t live in fear. I would be afraid enough to be careful, but I would not allow myself to be stifled by fear.
“You’re going to the matchmaker?” Charlotte asked with big eyes.
I smiled gratefully at her, thankful for the change of subject. It was evident that Maami and I weren’t going to agree about my sleeping arrangements for the night. “I am. Emily told me that Millie is the village matchmaker. I didn’t even know there was such a position.”
Charlotte nodded seriously. “Of course there is. Not everyone is able to find their own match.”
“So it’s like eHarmony for the Amish?” I asked, smiling.
“I don’t know what that is,” Charlotte said in all seriousness.
“Never mind.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “Is something wrong with you and Aiden that you have to go to her for guidance? Did you break up?”
“Nothing is wrong with Aiden and me. I’m not going there for a consultation, and we didn’t break up.”
“Why are you going to Millie’s house then?” Maami asked, much more calmly than Charlotte had.
“Ruth Yoder’s quilt circle is meeting there tonight, and she invited me to talk to the ladies about the Raber family.”
“That’s even stranger,” Charlotte said. “Ruth Yoder doesn’t like you.”
“Charlotte,” my grandmother admonished.
“What?” she asked. “Bailey knows that.”
“I do know that,” I agreed. “I should get going. I can’t be late.”
“No, you can’t. Ruth Yoder would never forgive you,” Charlotte said.
That was comforting.
Puff hopped over to me. “What do I do with her? I can’t take her to the circle.”
“Stop by after the meeting and take her home with you. I would feel better if another creature was in that empty house with you. And here.” Maami handed me a white candy box. “It’s ill-advised to go to any meeting with a room full of Amish women without something to offer.”
“What’s in here?” I asked.
“Marshmallow-filled eggs.”
A clear winner. “They will welcome me with open arms if I have these.”
“Be careful tonight. Don’t let anything happen to you,” my grandmother said. “I wish you would spend the night here again.”
“I’ll be fine, and I can’t be afraid to sleep in my own home.” I gave her a hug. “I will be careful. I
promise.” As I went out the door, I texted Aiden to tell him where I was headed, just to be safe.
Thankfully, traffic was always light in Harvest after five since that’s when most of the shops, including Swissmen Sweets, closed. I made good time driving out to the county road where Millie lived.
There were several Amish homes along the road; they were easy to identify as Amish because there were no power lines running to any of the houses. The power lines marched up the street, but none of them were diverted to any of the homes. Even if I didn’t have the address of Millie’s house, I would have known which one was hers by the sheer number of Amish buggies parked in the front along the drive. I counted six, and that made me realize this was a rather large quilting circle. I was glad that my grandmother had packed a big box of marshmallow-chocolate eggs. A small one wouldn’t have cut it.
I stepped out of the car and, from across the lawn, two goats ran toward me. One was brown and white and the other was black and white. Both had short horns that bent backward. The black-and-white one jumped in the air.
I pressed my body against the car. They seemed friendly enough, but I didn’t want to meet with the business end of either of them.
“Phillip! Peter! Leave that poor Englischer alone!” a clear, strong voice called from the front porch of the white frame ranch.
The goats pulled up short and ran toward the voice. I edged around the side of the car to see a petite Amish woman in a plain lavender dress and white prayer cap that was all but lost in her blond-but-turning-white hair.
Phillip and Peter danced around the woman as she walked toward me.
She smiled, and her entire face lit up. Her lively dark eyes reminded me of hot chocolate. I suddenly felt at ease even with the prancing goats. “Don’t you worry about these two knuckleheads. They’re just goofballs and like to greet everyone who comes to my home.”
I found myself smiling too. “I think that was the first time I’ve ever been charged by goats. It’s not something that would have happened to me in New York.”
She laughed. “I’m sure that’s true. I’m Millie Fisher, and the ladies are already inside settling into their quilting. Ruth told me that you were coming so I thought I had better get out here and warn you about my security detail, but I see that they’ve beat me to it.”
“You have a lovely home,” I said, meaning it. A swing hung from a giant oak tree in the front yard just to the left of the ranch style house. Flowers and vines poured out of the window boxes. I noticed a small white frame outbuilding behind the house. I assumed that’s where Phillip and Peter lived.
“Thank you.” She smiled. “The boys and I like it.”
I raised my eyebrows. “The boys?”
“Phillip and Peter. It’s just the three of us here now,” she said with a hint of sadness, and I wondered what Millie’s story was. “Let’s go inside. The ladies are all looking forward to meeting you.”
I followed her up the walk. The goats walked behind us like a pair of dogs, but when we reached the steps, they galloped off together toward some new adventure.
I stepped into the home and was surprised to see the layout of the house. It was one big room with an open floor plan, which wasn’t the typical Amish home. I could see the kitchen, which had an enormous island that at the moment was covered with food and treats—it was the right call to bring the chocolate-marshmallow eggs—a small breakfast nook in the corner, and a large living space with a black potbelly stove where a fireplace might have been.
The stove wasn’t on at the moment, and all the windows were open. A light spring breeze blew through the windows, fluttering the simple white curtains and bringing in the sounds of Phillip and Peter playing outside. Other than Millie, there were five Amish women of all ages sitting around the room.
“Allow me to make the introductions,” Millie said. She pointed at each woman and said her name. I tried to make a mental note about each woman and to pair some rhyming detail with each person’s name, but in my current frame of mind, I knew I would forget them just as soon as I left. Oh, who was I kidding? Even in the best frame of mind, I wasn’t good with names. Faces, however, I never forgot, which made me wish again that I had seen the face of my attacker. If I had, I know Aiden would have been able to track him down. I tried to put the attack out of my mind, and in my head I recited the types of chocolate just as Jean Pierre had taught me. It seemed to help. I had an uncanny memory for all things chocolate as well as faces.
Ruth Yoder sat on a plain wooden rocker and stood up when I entered the house. “I am glad you’re finally here.” She did nothing to soften her admonishment.
I glanced at the time on my cell phone. I was one minute late. Actually, I had arrived early and would have been in the house on time if it hadn’t been for the goats.
“Calm yourself, Ruth,” Millie said with a chuckle. “Bailey was getting acquainted with Phillip and Peter.”
Ruth sat back down with a sniff. “You and your goats, Millie Fisher. I still don’t think it’s decent for you to live by yourself with only those two for company.”
An expression I couldn’t read passed over Millie’s face, but then it was gone.
“What do you have in the box?” a rail-thin Amish woman asked. She had rosy cheeks and dark brown hair and held a plate of food on her lap.
Ruth wrinkled her nose and opened her quilting basket. “Iris, don’t you think you have eaten enough already?”
Iris didn’t seem to take offense to Ruth’s comment and shrugged. “Nee, my husband and son are on a construction job in Cleveland and won’t be back until late tonight. Cooking for one is no fun.” She held up her plate. “This is my lunch and dinner.”
Millie smiled. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like, Iris. You can keep the goats and lonely me company.” She gave Ruth a pointed look.
I had the feeling that I had stepped into the middle of a long-standing argument between Ruth and Millie, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I had enough problems with the murder investigation. I held up the box. “Chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs from our shop.”
“Oh,” Iris said, and waved me over to her. “I’ll take one. I love those. They are perfect for my sweet tooth.”
I opened the box, and Iris selected two of the eggs. She winked at me. “One is for later.”
I grinned. “Go for it.”
“Can we begin?” Ruth asked. “We have a lot to discuss, and we should all be working.”
“Don’t worry, Ruth. We’re all here for the same reason,” Millie said, before glancing at me and clarifying, “For Carmela.”
Ruth choked up. “Ya, for Carmela.”
I felt my brow go up in surprise as I realized that Ruth had really loved Carmela Raber. She had clearly been a close friend. I didn’t know why it surprised me that Ruth had friends.
Maybe it was because everyone I met, including my own grandmother, found her so aggravating.
Millie took the white candy box from my hand. “Why don’t you take a seat there by Iris, and we can get started. Would you like anything to eat?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.”
“We will pack up a care package for you and Clara before you leave. My motto is no one leaves my home hungry.”
I smiled and settled on the pine bench next to Iris. The Amish woman winked at me.
Ruth removed cut pieces of cloth from a basket at the foot of her chair and laid them over her lap. She also removed a spool of thread and a tomato-shaped pin cushion from the basket. The other women seated in the room—except for Iris, who was still working on her snack—did the same.
“We just started a new quilt today for my niece who is getting married. Her wedding is not for several weeks, so we are just beginning the piecing,” Millie said. “Would you like to help?”
I waved my hands. “I can’t sew. The only craft I’m really good at is candy making.”
“You’re also gut at finding killers,” Ruth said. “Which is exactly why y
ou’re here.”
Chapter 30
I wasn’t sure how I felt about being the sleuth for the Amish, but that seemed to have become the role I had fallen into.
Millie handed me a lemonade in a mason jar. “You should at least drink something. We also have water and iced tea if you’d prefer.”
I accepted the jar. “No, this is fine. Thank you.”
“What do you want to know about Carmela?” asked a fortyish Amish woman with a straight nose and wire-rimmed glasses. “I’m Raellen. I live next door to Millie.” She smiled at me. “This is a nice place to come when I need a little peace and quiet from the children.”
“How many children do you have?”
She smiled. “Nine. They can be a handful.”
I blinked. I could barely imagine having one child let alone nine, but Raellen seemed to take it in stride. She was a stronger woman than I was—that much I knew.
“Well,” I began. “Ruth asked me to come here to learn about Carmela and Stephen. She thought that if I knew more about them, I might be able to find out who would want to hurt Stephen.”
“I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt Stephen Raber,” Iris said as she dabbed a napkin to the corner of her mouth. “He was just the kindest man, and he’d been through enough. A widower twice over. I don’t know many men who would be able to stand that with such a cheerful attitude as he had.”
“It was his rabbits that kept him happy. He doted on them,” another woman in the group said. “He was especially fond of that large rabbit he carried around the village like a pet cat.”
Puff. I decided not to mention that Puff was currently living with me.
“He should have cared less about his rabbits and more about his son,” Raellen said. “I know for a fact that Eli did most of the work on that farm. At least now he will be the one who inherits it.”
“Maybe,” Ruth Yoder said. “We can’t forget that Casey might come out of the woodwork.”
“That’s Stephen’s eldest son?” I asked. “From his first marriage?”
Toxic Toffee Page 18