Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 2

by Samantha Price

“Yes, it’s dreadful. We were just come back from a wedding ourselves,” Elsa-May said.

  “Ava's wedding,” Ettie added.

  “I know Ava; she’s the one who lives in the apartment where I was just speaking with Brandy.”

  “Yes. Ava’s moved out now, and we call it a grossdaddi haus rather than an apartment. Ava and her new husband are coming to move her belongings out this week.”

  “I guess there’s no use me speaking to Ava if she wasn’t there,” the detective mumbled.

  “No. She was at her wedding. And I don’t think she slept there last night either, before her wedding. I’m fairly certain that she slept at her mother’s house,” Ettie said.

  Elsa-May added, “The wedding didn’t start until two this afternoon.”

  Chapter 4

  When Elsa-May pushed the front door of their house open, Ettie was close behind her. Snowy rushed at them and danced on his hind legs.

  “Back!” Elsa-May said to the small dog, but Snowy didn’t listen.

  “I see the training’s going well,” Ettie said with a laugh.

  “He’s not doing too bad with other things. He’s not touched your new slippers yet.”

  When they walked further into the house, they saw pieces of Ettie’s slippers all over the floor.

  “What were you just saying?” Ettie asked.

  Elsa-May laughed. “I told you to put them up or close your door. He’s only a pup.”

  Ettie leaned down to gather the pieces while Snowy tried to snatch them from her hands. “Do something with him, would you?” Ettie pleaded.

  “Snowy, come!”

  Snowy immediately walked toward Elsa-May, and then she leaned down and picked him up.

  “Did you see that, Ettie? He knows that command. He knows how to come. I’m so pleased with him.” She buried her face into his soft fur. “Gut bu.”

  Ettie grunted. “Next time, teach him, ‘Don’t touch any of Ettie’s belongings.’”

  “We’re still working on that one. It’s a work in progress.”

  “Seems you’ve taught him not to chew on your things,” Ettie said as she stood up with pieces of her slippers in her hands.

  “He only chews on your things because he likes you. That’s how he shows affection.”

  “Humph. I’d rather get a lick or a wet nose on my leg.”

  “He’s only a pup, Ettie. He’ll grow out of the puppy stage soon enough. Another couple years maybe.” Elsa-May laughed.

  “You should take him for a walk now before it gets dark.” Then Ettie murmured, “And to give me some much needed peace and quiet.”

  “I heard that.”

  Ettie put the remnants of her slippers in the trash while Elsa-May placed Snowy on the floor and walked toward the door to get his lead.

  “Bye, Snowy.” Ettie looked forward to the fifteen minutes peace she got every day when Snowy and Elsa-May were out of the house.

  “We won’t be long,” Elsa-May called out before she closed the front door behind them.

  “Take your time,” Ettie called back. Ettie used to walk with them to get Elsa-May into the swing of it, but now Elsa-May was motivated enough to go alone.

  Rather than get the dinner underway, Ettie sat down on the couch and closed her eyes. What harm would it do anyone if the dinner was fifteen minutes later than normal? She tried her best to ignore the horrible feeling gnawing at her over having another dead body near Agatha’s house.

  She hoped Detective Kelly could find out what happened. In the back of her mind, she knew her house would be even harder to sell when news of the dead woman got out, but worrying wouldn’t change what would be.

  A loud knock on the front door shattered through Ettie’s silence. She knew it wasn’t Elsa-May because she would’ve left the front door unlocked. Ettie opened the door to see Brandy Winnie standing there, looking extremely haggard and not at all like her bright and breezy self. Her bleached blonde hair hung limply about her face, and her makeup from earlier in the day had faded severely.

  “Brandy! Come in.”

  “Thank you.” Brandy stepped through the door. “Was that Elsa-May I just saw with a small white dog?”

  “Yes, that’s Snowy. He needs to be walked often to use up some of his energy. Come and sit down.” Once they were on the couch, Ettie said, “How are you feeling?”

  “It’s been a dreadful shock. It only occurred to me when I got home that you’d be particularly interested in the murdered woman.”

  Ettie scrunched her nose. “I would be? Why’s that?”

  “She used to be Amish.”

  Ettie recalled the dead woman’s face. She had appeared to be in her twenties, late twenties at the most. She hadn’t looked familiar in the least, and Ettie knew no one with the first name of Margo. “I don’t recall anyone by the name of Margo, and she didn’t look like anyone I know. She couldn’t have been from around here. Where was she from?”

  “Yes she was from here, from your community, I believe. When she came to me a year ago, her name was Margaret Yoder. I advised her to change it so she wouldn’t sound so Amish.”

  “That was Margaret Yoder?” An image of the dead woman flashed in Ettie’s mind. “The dead woman had light hair, and Margaret had very dark hair. And Margaret’s been gone from the community for over five years.”

  “She’d been a waitress for years before. I had her bleach her hair and taught her all I knew. Now I’m sorry I ever took her on as an intern.”

  Ettie raised her eyebrows. “Why did she change her name?”

  “She sounded too Amish with that name, Ettie. Margo Rivers sounds snappier. Don’t you think so?”

  “I like the name Margaret Yoder better.”

  “Well, I suppose you would, but the Amish aren’t our primary clientele.”

  Ettie wondered if Margaret’s parents had been informed about her death.

  “Anyway. I thought you should know who she was. I’m sorry, I should’ve thought to tell you at the house, but I was in such shock that it only came to mind when I got home.”

  “I’m glad you told me. I do believe her parents have had no contact with her in some time. You said she was to be married?”

  Brandy nodded. “I guess he’d know by now. That helpful detective said he was off to let him know.”

  Elsa-May walked in and unclipped Snowy’s lead, and then Snowy scampered straight to Brandy. He pawed at her and clawed her leg.

  Brandy stood up after she pushed the dog away. “I don’t like dogs; I’m sorry.”

  “Elsa-May, can you shut him outside, and lock the dog door? Brandy told me something awful; really dreadful.”

  “What is it?” Elsa-May’s eyes grew wide.

  “I’ll tell you once you’ve locked Snowy outside.”

  Elsa-May picked Snowy up and did what Ettie had suggested. She then sat down on her usual chair to find out what was going on. After Ettie had told her the news, she shook her head. “That’s awful. I wonder if Detective Kelly has told her family yet.”

  “I called him on my way here and told him about the name change. I’m sure he would’ve informed her parents by now. I believe they’re quick to tell the families before they find out from the media or in other ways.”

  Ettie and Elsa-May looked at each other, glad that they wouldn’t have to break the news to them.

  “We should visit them tomorrow, Elsa-May,” Ettie said.

  Elsa-May nodded. “Yes, we will. Would you like a nice hot cup of tea, Brandy?”

  “I would. I would very much. I’m still in shock.” Brandy put her hands to her cheeks. “I feel cold all over.”

  “I’ll put the fire on.”

  “Thank you, Ettie. I have arthritis problems, so the cold makes the pain worse.”

  “You’re too young to have problems like that, surely,” Ettie said.

  “Unfortunately, it runs in my family. I’ve had it since I was young. I’ve had to learn to live with the pain.”

  “Do you do anything
for it?”

  “I have an ongoing prescription for strong painkillers.”

  After Ettie had lighted the fire, she opened a cupboard to retrieve a knitted throw. “Here, put this over you until the fire starts to work.”

  “Nice. Thank you.”

  Elsa-May set the tray of tea down on the table and poured the tea.

  “I can’t work out why you wouldn’t have thought to mention when you first met us that a former Amish woman was working for you as an intern,” Elsa-May said.

  “Margo didn’t want it to be known. I knew you’d be at the wedding of your friend, and that’s why I had Margo fill in for me. That way, you wouldn’t see her and recognize her.”

  “Margaret has been gone from the community for some time; do you know what she was doing before she became your intern?” Ettie asked.

  “I mentioned she was a waitress, but that’s not the entire truth, she was a cocktail waitress, and that’s how she met her fiancé, Norman. He knew about her past, about the fact she was raised Amish.”

  “Her fiancé?” Ettie held her head, which was now overflowing with facts. Margaret Yoder had become Margo Rivers, had dark hair and was a cocktail waitress until she met Brandy, who had tried to turn her into some a Brandy-look-alike realtor.

  “Yes. He didn’t want to tell people his wife was a cocktail waitress, so he asked me if I’d train her in real estate. He naturally wanted her to learn from the best.”

  “So, you know Norman well?”

  Brandy nodded and looked down. “I took her on. When a man like Norman asks you to do something, you can’t refuse him.”

  “Why’s that?” Elsa-May asked.

  “He’s a very influential man. He’s put many deals my way over the last few years, and he’s made me a lot of money.”

  “Would you have lost business, then, when Margaret got her license, or whatever she’d get when you would have fully trained her? I assume an intern means that you were training her?”

  “That’s right. I was training her, but no, I wouldn’t have lost business because I would’ve kept her under my wing.” She looked at Ettie’s blank face. “Got a cut out of all her deals,” Brandy explained further.

  Elsa-May passed a cup to Brandy, one to Ettie, and then settled into her chair with one herself. Brandy took a sip of hot tea and placed the cup back slowly onto the saucer.

  “I’m glad you came over to tell us about Margaret. Her parents will be so sad. I’m sure they were hoping she’d return to the community one day. I wonder if they knew she was going to marry soon,” Elsa-May said as she reached for a cookie.

  “I don’t know. She never spoke about her Amish past except to say she had one.”

  “Who do you think killed her?” Elsa-May got right to the point.

  Brandy slowly shook her head. “I honestly can’t say. I don’t know anyone who’d want her gone. I’m hoping it wasn’t a case of mistaken identity, and they meant to kill me.”

  “You have someone who wants you dead?” Ettie asked.

  Elsa-May frowned. “You were hoping someone wanted to kill you and not her?”

  “No! That would be dreadful; I can’t imagine anything worse. And no, Ettie, I don’t think I have someone who wants me dead, but would I know if I did? No one has threatened me. I guess one generally doesn’t know these things until it’s too late.”

  “And you’ve discussed your fears with Detective Kelly?” Ettie had overheard her mentioning something along those lines to Kelly.

  “I said something to him about it. He wants me to go to the station tomorrow. I suppose he’s got more questions.” She took another sip of tea. “This is nice tea.”

  “Thank you,” Ettie and Elsa-May said simultaneously.

  “It sounds like you got along well with Margaret,” Ettie said.

  “She was a lovely girl and was liked by everyone. That’s why I can’t understand a thing like this happening to her.”

  “Perhaps someone was trying to get at her fiancé? Would he have had enemies? Or does he have enemies that you know of?” Ettie asked.

  “He might have, but that’s far-fetched and extreme. I mentioned that to the detective. I’m sure he’ll look into it. He seems very competent and sure of himself.”

  “Yes, he is,” Ettie said nibbling on a cookie she’d just taken off the plate near the teapot.

  “Is he married?” Brandy asked blinking rapidly.

  Ettie studied Brandy’s face. Surely she couldn’t be interested in the detective. “Who? Detective Kelly?”

  Brandy nodded.

  “No. He’s not married,” Elsa-May said.

  Brandy couldn’t hide the smile that turned her lips slightly upward at the corners.

  “It must be hard with a job like his. The old detective that he replaced isn’t married either. He said he was married to the job.” Ettie gave a little laugh.

  “He’s retired now, though. I thought he had a thing for Myra once, Ettie.”

  “Nothing ever came of it. Myra’s my daughter,” Ettie explained to Brandy.

  “Who had a thing for your daughter, Ettie? Are you still talking about Detective Kelly?”

  Ettie laughed. “No, we’re talking about our old detective, Detective Crowley.”

  “I see.” Brandy took another sip of tea.

  “Do you have someone who can stay with you tonight, Brandy?” Elsa-May asked.

  “No, why? Do you think I’m in danger?” Brandy drew her fingers down the length of her hair that hung over her shoulder.

  “No, not at all. I thought you might appreciate staying with a friend, or having one stay with you.”

  Brandy pushed her hair behind her back then flicked her head. “I’m a loner; I don’t have close friends. There have been many tough times, and I’ll get through this one too.”

  “Were you close to Margaret?”

  “It’s so strange to hear you call her Margaret. She was always Margo to me. She was my intern, but I wouldn’t call her a friend. Were we close? I suppose that’s subjective.” Brandy gasped and then set her tea down on the table.

  “What is it?” Ettie asked.

  “I just thought of someone who might want her out of the way.”

  “Who?” Ettie and Elsa-May asked simultaneously.

  “Norman has a daughter, Paisley, and she was his sole heir, but if Norman had gotten married, she’d most likely have her inheritance split down the middle, or worse.”

  “You think she might have killed to protect her inheritance?” Elsa-May asked.

  “But why outside my house? And would a woman have the strength to strangle her?” Ettie inquired.

  “It was just a thought. She could’ve paid someone to do it. Her father gives her quite an allowance. Paisley wouldn’t be the type to get her hands dirty.”

  “It would definitely be worth mentioning those things to the detective when you see him tomorrow, Brandy.”

  “Thanks, Ettie. I don’t know why I didn’t tell him today, but I will mention it to him.” Brandy finished her last mouthful of tea. “And this all happened near your house, Ettie. It’s not good for the value to have another murder there. Do you realize it will affect the price?”

  “Can’t be helped. God has it in hand.” Ettie smiled at Brandy hoping she would calm down a little.

  Brandy looked surprised when Ettie spoke about God. “I’m sure He has things in hand. Well, I should go.” She folded the blanket, stood, and placed her teacup on the table in front of her. “Thank you for the tea, and I’ll be speaking to you both soon. Maybe we should give things at the house a rest, Ettie?”

  “That would be a good idea, Brandy. I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”

  Ettie and Elsa-May both walked Brandy to the door, and then they stood in the doorway watching her drive away in her sleek black car.

  “Now that’s a sports car,” Ettie said to Elsa-May, to which Elsa-May nodded.

  “I never would have guessed that the dead woman was Margaret. She reall
y looked nothing like herself; nothing like her at all.”

  “We hadn’t seen her for years, though, Elsa-May.”

  Elsa-May walked to the back of the house and unlocked the dog door. Snowy came bounding through as though he’d been sitting right there waiting for it to be unlocked.

  “He’s got so much energy for a dog that’s just been for a walk,” Ettie groaned as she watched him.

  “I had to cut the walk short when I saw Brandy drive past,” Elsa-May said.

  “I’ll peel the vegetables for dinner.”

  “I’ll help.”

  As the sisters sat down at the table to peel the vegetables, Ettie said, “You know, I remember that Margaret was nearly married and then she stopped the wedding just days before it was to happen. Do you remember that?”

  “That’s right. She was to marry Josh Tomson. I’d forgotten all about that. He was devastated and didn’t leave his parents’ haus for months. Some say he had a breakdown.”

  “And that’s why he’s remained single to this day. Maybe he’d been so in love with Margaret that he could never look at another woman,” Ettie suggested.

  “Or so betrayed by her, he could never trust himself to love another woman again.”

  Ettie placed her knife down and leaned back in her chair. “Either way, I wonder if Kelly might see him as a suspect.”

  “He very well could, but I doubt Josh would turn to murder.”

  “Nee, he wouldn’t.” Ettie shook her head.

  “Shall we visit Margaret’s parents tomorrow?”

  Ettie pulled her mouth to one side. “I think we should leave it another day to give Detective Kelly time enough to see them.”

  “Jah, you’re right. We don’t want to be the ones to break the news to them.”

  “Don’t forget we have to visit Detective Kelly tomorrow.”

  “I wonder what he’ll ask us. I hope he’s found out something.”

  Chapter 5

  The next day at Ettie and Elsa-May’s visit to the station, Detective Kelly had only ten minutes to speak with them.

  “This way.”

  The followed him to his office, and when they sat down opposite the detective, Ettie said, “I suppose you already know the dead woman’s real name was Margaret Yoder?”