“Follow me.”
In single file, the three of them moved to the kitchen. Ettie noticed the woman looking around as she went. While Ettie stood silently, wondering what to say, Elsa-May filled a cup with water.
When Elsa-May passed her the cup, Ettie asked, “Did Ebenezer have some kind of ongoing medical condition?”
When the nurse took the water in both hands, Ettie saw that both hands were trembling slightly. “Thank you. No, he didn’t. I only came for his regular checks. He was well.” She took a couple of slow sips. “How well did you both know him?”
Ettie tried to be as evasive as possible. “We were in his community and we’re all quite close.”
“And, for whom do you work?” Elsa-May asked.
“Just one of the local medical practices. Dr. Moore developed a program for the elderly. For those in outlying areas and with no means of transport, or who live on their own with little outside help. Ebenezer ticked those three boxes.” The nurse eyed them carefully. “And how are the both of you getting along health-wise?”
“We drove here.”
“Elsa-May doesn’t hear too well sometimes. We’re in tip-top shape,” Ettie said.
“That’s good and let’s hope you both stay that way.”
“What did she ask?” Elsa-May said to Ettie.
“She asked how our health is, not how we got here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” the nurse said.
“I am sorry. I’m sorry that we lost touch with Ebenezer a little over the last couple of years,” Elsa-May confessed.
“Don’t feel bad. It so often happens.”
Ettie eyed the nurse carefully. “Might I ask which way you’re headed?”
She blinked her thick mascara-coated lashes. “What do you mean?”
“When you leave here.”
She placed the cup down onto the kitchen table. “I’m going back to the clinic.”
Elsa-May asked, “Near town?”
“Yes. Behind the library.”
“Might we be able to catch a ride with you?” Ettie asked.
“Certainly. That’s not a problem. I’m happy to drive you. We can talk about Ebenezer on the way there.”
“We walked from our friend’s place. She doesn’t live too far.”
Ettie stared at Elsa-May wondering if she’d heard something different.
“We don’t even know your name,” Elsa-May said to the nurse.
The woman smiled. “I’m sorry. I’m Patricia Stuart.”
“This is Ettie Smith and I’m Elsa-May Lutz. We’re sisters.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
“And you as well.”
“Do you know when his funeral will be?” She looked from one sister to the other.
They hadn’t even thought about a funeral. Is that why the woman had come, to find someone who knew Ebenezer to offer her condolences? “No. We don’t. We’ve only just learned about his death ourselves.”
Ettie and Elsa-May walked into the living room and turned around thinking that Patricia would follow.
A moment later Patricia walked out. “I’m ready to go now if you are.”
“Yes, we’re ready.”
When they reached Patricia’s car, Ettie made sure she got in the backseat and Elsa-May sat in the front where there was more leg room.
When they were nearly into town, Ettie cleared her throat, ready to ask a difficult question. “Patricia, why did you go to Ebenezer’s house just now?”
She glanced at Ettie in the review mirror. “I was just so shocked and upset. I suppose it was my way of saying goodbye.”
“We were all shocked,” Elsa-May said. “It was the last thing we expected to hear when our friend stopped by and told us last night.”
Chapter 4
When she pulled into the parking lot of the clinic, the nurse asked, “Is there anywhere you’d like me to take you? I’m not due to start for several minutes, and it’s no trouble to take you somewhere else.”
“That’s okay. We’re going to the police station.”
She stared and was quiet for a moment. “The police station?”
“Yes. We’re talking to the detective.”
“About Ebenezer?”
“That’s right.”
Patricia unbuckled her seat belt and the sisters did the same. “I might see you at the funeral.”
“We’ll be there,” Ettie said as she opened the car door.
They parted ways and Elsa-May and Ettie walked toward the station. Ettie leaned in close to Elsa-May. “That was odd. Why was she at Ebenezer’s house? She didn’t even say what she was doing there. And she didn’t ask why we were there. She went right through that tape as though it wasn’t even there. And, she said nothing about Ebenezer while we were in the car, after saying we'd talk about him during the ride.” Ettie shook her head wondering if the nurse was the killer and had come back hoping to remove evidence left behind.
“You thought nothing about the crime tape either.”
“I gave it careful consideration.”
“Maybe she came there because she was upset and it was her way of seeing what she could do to help. That’s what she said, more or less.”
“Help who exactly? Not Ebenezer. It’s too late for anyone to help him.”
“Don’t you remember what she said when I asked her just now?”
“I mean the real reason. That was something she made up. There’s something funny about her.”
“I know. She looked a bit terrifying to me, but we know she’s a real nurse at least. She wasn’t lying about that.” Ettie turned around and looked back at the red brick building full of doctors’ offices.
They sat in the waiting area of the police station, waiting for Detective Kelly. When he finally appeared, he didn’t look happy. That wasn’t at all unusual for him.
“There you are. I went to see you today but you weren’t home.”
“That’s why we’re here. Helga said you were coming to see us.”
“So, we thought we’d save you the bother.”
He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, and then apparently thought better of it. “Let’s talk in my office.”
Ettie stood and with a hand under her sister's arm she helped Elsa-May to her feet. They followed Kelly down the hallway. Before they got to the doorway, Ettie whispered to Elsa-May, “We can’t tell him about the nurse because he’ll find out we’ve been in Ebenezer’s haus.”
He sat behind his desk while they sat in the two chairs opposite. Without saying a word, he stared at them for a moment. “What do you know about Ebenezer Fuller?”
With a deep breath, Ettie said, “We weren’t close.”
He looked at Elsa-May and she shook her head. “We weren’t,” she added.
“I don’t suppose you knew anyone who wished him harm?”
“No.”
“We passed his house to get to Helga’s just now. Why was there tape all around it?”
Ettie added, “We thought you would’ve finished all your evidence searching since he was found yesterday.”
Kelly narrowed his eyes causing deep lines to furrow out toward his ears. “I’ve got some men going back today to do a further search around the house to see if we can turn up anything.”
“Outside?” Elsa-May asked.
He gave a sharp nod, then he opened one of the many folders on his desk, and pulled out a piece of paper pushing it across the desk to them. “The coroner tells me the perpetrator would most likely have cuts on his hands. It has to do with the shape of the bloody knife we found—the shape of it, the angle of the stab wounds and the fact that they hit bone. Their hand would’ve jolted from the impact and slid from the handle into the—”
“No need to go on,” Elsa-May said.
Kelly smirked when he saw Elsa-May’s reaction. Then he pulled a piece of paper out of another folder on his desk and slid it across to them. “What do you make
of it? It’s a copy of a letter we found on Ebenezer’s kitchen table.”
Elsa-May looked over Ettie’s shoulder. “Is that all? No date? It could’ve been to or from anyone.”
Ettie ignored her sister, and read out the note. “Ebenezer, I know you won’t allow me on the land. Meet me at the boundary and we’ll see if we can work this out.” Ettie looked up at Kelly. “I can’t make out the signature.”
“It’s little more than a squiggle. And to answer your concern, Mrs. Lutz, since your friend told us Ebenezer was a recluse, where would he have gotten the note from if someone didn’t go there and leave it at his house? There was no envelope anywhere to be seen, so we know he didn’t get it in the mail. We’ve gone right through his trash.”
Ettie wanted to tell him about the strange nurse, but couldn’t do so without revealing they too had been inside the house.
Kelly continued, “Boundaries made me think of boundary fences and we talked to his neighbor to the right of him already. No one lives on the other side. It’s owned by a mining company and has been for years.”
“Who’s his neighbor? He’s the one who found him along with Levi?” Ettie visualized the farmhouse they’d passed earlier that sat between Helga’s and Ebenezer’s places.
“That’s right. They seem a pleasant couple. Jack Simpson and his wife, Blythe. They’ve lived there for over ten years and only talked to Ebenezer once when part of the fence between their two properties was destroyed by fallen trees in a storm. He said Ebenezer was not willing to fix it and that was the one and only dealing he had with him.”
“Did he write the note?” Ettie asked.
Kelly clamped his lips together the way he normally did when he didn’t want to tell them more. They were only there for him to get information, and not the other way around. He only ever told them just enough. Kelly shook his head. “They said not, and Jack Simpson swears he didn’t write it. He claims he had no need or reason to harm him. Now, according to your friend, Helga, Ebenezer had no relatives or close friends.”
“None that we can think of. He probably had distant relatives and there is a lady in the community by the name of Ruth Esh, who keeps all the genealogical records, so she’d know.”
“Where can I find her?” Kelly asked.
Ettie pulled her mouth to one side, thinking how the Amish were often reluctant to talk with outsiders. “Maybe we should speak with her first.”
“Yes, you’re quite right. She probably would only shut the door in my face. I’ve had that happen to me more times than I can count. Amish people have done that to me before. No offense.”
“None taken,” Elsa-May said with a laugh.
“If you wouldn’t mind talking to her, I’d appreciate it.”
“We’ll do that first thing tomorrow. We’ve already had a big day.”
“I understand. I’ll find someone to drive you home.”
Ettie’s face lit up. It would save them money on a taxi fare. “Would you?”
He smiled, picked up the phone and they listened while he arranged for a young officer to take them home.
“Thank you.” Ettie pushed herself to her feet. “We’ll find out what we can and get back to you. When will the body be released?”
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told your bishop. Possibly tomorrow.” He bounded to his feet.
“Do you have leads?”
He narrowed his eyes. “We’re working on half a dozen or so.”
Chapter 5
Once they were back home and sitting in front of a toasty fire, Ettie racked her brain to remember all she could about Ebenezer. Meanwhile, Elsa-May sat with a black shawl over her shoulders, knitting as always.
“I’m upset with Kelly for keeping things from us.”
“How do you know he is?” Elsa-May looked over the top of her glasses.
“He said he was working on leads, so what are they? How can we help him if he keeps us in the dark?”
“I don’t know, Ettie. Might I remind you, I did advise you to stay out of this one?”
Ettie didn't catch that—she wasn’t listening. “From what I can remember, Ebenezer came from another community. He didn’t grow up here. I first remember him around the time my kinskinner were being born.”
“Hmm.” Elsa-May’s eyes darted to the ceiling. “Around thirty to forty years ago.”
“I guess that’s about right and he would’ve been around seventy, so that means he arrived in this community when he was thirtyish. Do you remember him before that? If he was here we would know his parents.”
“I vaguely recall he arrived here by himself.”
Ettie was not going to rely on her sister’s recollections when she’d forgotten about him altogether. “We’ll find out for sure when we see Ruth. She’ll know.”
“Try to put it out of your mind and talk about something else.”
Ettie looked down at Snowy who’d crawled out of his dog bed and had positioned himself on the couch next to her. “What do you think, Snowy?”
Snowy’s eyes stayed closed and only his ears twitched on hearing his name.
It was hard for Ettie not to talk about all the questions racing through her mind. If Ebenezer was killed, it could’ve been that he had made an enemy out of someone in his younger years, and that could've been why he moved to their community. The enemy would’ve had a good long memory, though. Ettie giggled out loud at the sort-of-rhyme. Enemy with a memory.
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing.” Elsa-May wouldn’t have found it amusing. Few things amused her these days.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you. What did you mean about Ebenezer not allowing the children to take a shortcut?”
Ettie rolled her eyes. “You said you remembered. It was the Bilicky kinner. “I think it was Jennifer who mentioned that there was some fuss about him not allowing the Bilicky children through the property as a shortcut to their friends’ house. Then the bishop got involved and had to talk Ebenezer into allowing the children through.”
“Who lived further out than Ebenezer, besides Helga and Levi?”
“Reg and Liz Bilicky. They had the dairy farm when their kinner were younger. They’ve sold it now.”
“Why wouldn’t he allow them through?”
“I don’t know. You could’ve asked him but now we’ll never know.”
“I think I remember the whole thing now that you told me.”
Ette shook her head. “Don’t say you remember something next time when you don’t.”
“Can’t we stay off that subject for tonight? Otherwise, I won’t be able to go to sleep. I’ll imagine someone coming for us.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know that was the reason.” Ettie stroked Snowy who was snuggled up on the couch beside her. “You’ll protect us if someone comes in the haus tonight, won’t you, Snowy?”
“What do you think, Ettie? He’s suddenly going to triple in size and grow fangs? He’s only a little dog. He won’t be able to fend off our attackers.” Elsa-May picked up her knitting.
Ettie chuckled, knowing if anything like that were to happen, Snowy would run under the bed to hide leaving the humans to fend for themselves.
“It’s no use now,” Elsa-May grumbled. “You’ve got me thinking about Ebenezer again." She stared at Ettie until Ettie shrugged her shoulders.
Elsa-May sighed. “All right. I know you can't stop thinking about it.”
The fact that Elsa-May was scared troubled Ettie. Should she be worried too? “Are you serious about being scared?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m terrified, but we’re two old women living on our own. And don’t forget what happened next door and that we were nearly killed because of it.”
Ettie grimaced. “It’ll take me a while to forget that.”
“Let’s talk about something else before we go to bed, so we go to sleep with good thoughts in our heads.”
Ettie sneezed and managed to catch it with her handkerchief.
“You’re n
ot coming down with a cold, are you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Keep warm. We’ll need all our strength for when we visit Ruth tomorrow.”
Chapter 6
The next morning, Elsa-May and Ettie were on their way out the door to see Ruth Esh when they were faced with Elsa-May’s granddaughter, Becky, along with Elsa-May’s great granddaughter, Ivy.
“This is a nice surprise,” Elsa-May said.
“You’re on your way somewhere?”
“Just to visit Ruth Esh.”
“Would you mind taking Ivy along with you?”
“Hello, Mammi.” Ivy wrapped her arms around Elsa-May.
“Hello, Ivy. Are you ill?”
Ivy finished hugging Elsa-May and then hugged Ettie.
As she gave a hug to Elsa-May and then to Ettie, Becky said, “Nee, she’s not ill. it’s just that … it’s just that I have some things to do and it would be faster for me if I didn’t take Ivy with me.”
Elsa-May hesitated and looked over at Ettie.
Becky added, “I’ve got errands. If I had anyone else to help me, I wouldn’t be here. She’s no trouble, really.”
“This is a surprise, Ivy. A nice one though. I think we could take her with us, Elsa-May.”
“Jah, we could, and it’s always nice to spend time with you, Ivy.”
“I love coming here and playing with Snowy. And I don’t mind going out somewhere either. I love it because you go places in taxis. Cars are so much faster than buggies. It takes hardly any time at all to get places.” Ivy turned around and looked at her mother.
“Wunderbaar. I’ll be back mid-afternoon. Will you be home by then?”
“We can deliver her back to you,” Elsa-May said.
“Are you sure?”
“Jah.”
“Okay.” Becky put both hands on Ivy’s shoulders. “You be a good girl now, you hear?”
“Jah, Mamm. I’ll be good.”
The three of them watched from the porch while Becky hurried back to her buggy.
“Maybe we should leave seeing Ruth for another day, Ettie. We can’t drag Ivy with us everywhere.”
Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 7 Page 3