“Come back to my place. That’s surely better than going home by yourself.”
“Denke, Ettie, but I have to be by myself at home sooner or later.”
“Why don’t you have one of your friends, Kathy or Jill, stay with you?”
“They have young children now. I don’t like to bother them.”
“You’re coming home with me and I won't take no for an answer.”
Bethany had no idea what to do with herself. The only thing she knew at that moment was that she didn’t want to be alone, so she agreed to go with Ettie.
Chapter 6
Over dinner at Ettie and Elsa-May’s, Bethany and Ettie told Elsa-May what had happened.
“Quite unbelievable,” Elsa-May said, shaking her head. “I wonder if that man is your father, Bethany. And if he was, why did he plan to wait for you inside your store? That would’ve given you a horrible fright.”
“He did look familiar. I said that right away, didn’t I, Ettie?”
Ettie nodded. “You did. And he has the same last name as your father. One of the many things I can’t figure out, Bethany, is that you’ve never met your father before, and this man looked familiar to you. Is it possible that you might have met your father at least once?”
Bethany swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I do have a memory of a man coming to the haus once. He was nice to me and gave me a lollipop. I remember my mudder standing behind him with her arms folded, glaring at him while he was talking with me. It’s just a vague memory. The dead man was older, but the face was similar. It could well have been him—an older version of him.”
“Can you remember how old you would’ve been at the time?” Elsa-May asked.
“The more I think about it, the more I'm sure that it could've been the man. Although I could never say so for certain.”
“How old do you think you were at the time?” Elsa-May repeated.
“I think I was no more than three. My head only came to the side of the kitchen table. The man was sitting on the chair, and I was standing by him.”
“Do you remember what he said?” Ettie asked.
“Not at all. It’s only a vague, fuzzy memory. I knew at the time my mother didn't like him or didn't want him to be there, one or the other. I strongly sensed her disapproval.”
“No one in the community ever knew anything about your vadder,” Elsa-May said. “Your mother was out of the community and then she came back some months later expecting you. Of course, she had to make a confession in front of the congregation that she had sinned since she’d been baptized years before, but then she was accepted back.”
“That must have been hard for her and embarrassing.”
“It would be a humbling thing to do. Your mother was a strong woman.”
“I suppose she had to be,” Bethany said, thinking of her mother in a new light.
“Funny how your mudder never married again,” Ettie said.
“She never married at all,” Elsa-May corrected her.
“That's true.” Ettie nodded.
“How I wish she would’ve told me something about my vadder. She never wanted to talk about him and got angry whenever I asked. I don't even know if the name on my birth certificate is my father at all. What is to stop someone just making up a name? I mean, how would I know for certain?”
“I suppose you wouldn't,” Elsa-May said.
“She wouldn’t have made something like that up. It's too important a thing,” Ettie said.
“Ettie’s right; she wouldn't make something like that up.”
Bethany stared at the older ladies. “Do you really think so? I was always too scared to go and find my father. And now I might never know him.”
“Why were you so scared?” Ettie asked.
“The thing was, I didn’t know if the man knew of my existence. I didn’t want to turn up and give the man a heart attack out of shock. Then again, if he did know about me, I was fearful I wouldn’t measure up to his expectations. I didn’t want him to be disappointed in how I’d turned out.”
“That's nonsense talk,” Elsa-May said. “Why would you disappoint him?”
Bethany shrugged. “He might have expected me to turn out better.”
“You couldn't have turned out any better. Any man would be proud to have you as his daughter,” Elsa-May said.
Bethany licked her lips. “I never went to find him, but maybe he finally made the effort to come and find me. I’ll just have to wait and see what the detective finds out.”
“Guess he might have a few surprises in store for you. Can you remember anything that your mudder might have said about your vadder?”
“Mamm said nothing, nothing at all, and every time I asked she got angry at me. After a while I was too scared to ask any more. She didn't want to tell me anything—she made that more than obvious.”
“I often wondered what your relationship was like with your mother,” Ettie said. “She was a friendly woman, but I always felt as though she was hiding behind a wall, or putting on a false front for people. I had imagined it was because she’d been through some grief.”
“I too felt her distance, Ettie. We were only close when we were quilting. I suppose that's why I like quilting so much. I was about three or four when she first started to show me how to sew. She would sew every night, and every night I’d sit and watch her.”
“Jah, she was a gut seamstress,” Elsa-May said.
“That's how she supported us—with the things she made.”
“Your father never sent any money?” Elsa-May asked.
“I wouldn’t know for certain, and as I said maybe he didn’t even know about me. Maybe that man they found in my store isn’t my vadder.”
“Have you ever tried to find out about him other than asking your mudder?”
“Nee, I haven’t. I’m certain no one knows anything.”
Bethany tried to help the ladies clean and wash up after the meal, but she was shooed out to the living room to sit by the fire and keep Snowy company. Then, when the older sisters joined her, they all had hot tea and cake.
When Bethany left Elsa-May and Ettie and headed for home, she realized she was feeling some relief for having shared some of her thoughts about her past. When the taxi drew close to her house, she saw Jabez’s buggy in the drive. The taxi stopped, and Jabez was there to open her door.
He lowered his head. “Are you all right? Where have you been?”
“Just a minute.” Bethany paid the driver and got out of the car. “You heard what happened?”
“I did. I was worried about you. I’ve been waiting here for two hours.”
“I’m sorry, I wish I had known. I was at Ettie and Elsa-May’s haus. Ettie made me go there, and I’m glad I did.”
“Are you okay?” He rubbed her shoulder.
“A little better now. It was such a shock to find the man lying dead on the floor.”
“You should’ve called me right away.”
Bethany gave a laugh. “You couldn’t have done anything.”
“I could have been there for you. That’s what friends are for.”
“Denke, for wanting to do that.”
He shook his head. “Why wouldn’t I want to be there, Bethany? Why don’t you stay the night at my haus and I’ll bring you back in the morning?”
Bethany shook her head. Jabez was the oldest of nine boys and at twenty-eight, he still lived at home with all of them. She didn’t need to be around so many people.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. I need to be by myself. I hope you understand.”
“Let me cook you something, then.”
“You can cook?”
“Jah, I think so. I have never tried, but I’m sure I could.”
Bethany laughed. “I had something to eat at Elsa-May and Ettie’s. I had too much to eat there.”
“You sure you did or are you that afraid of my cooking?”
“Maybe both," she said, laughing again. “I did have something to eat.”
<
br /> “What do they know about the man you found?”
Bethany took a deep breath. “I can’t talk about it any more. Can I speak with you tomorrow? I’ve just been through it all with the police and then again with Ettie and Elsa-May.”
“Why don’t I take you to breakfast tomorrow?”
“That would be nice. Then could you take me to the police station?”
He nodded. “You have to go back there?”
“I want to get an update. I’m hoping they’ll be finished with the store.”
“I’ll collect you at eight.”
“Perfect.”
“I don’t like to leave you alone. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine. I’d invite you in for hot chocolate, but I’m a bit weary.”
“Nee, I don’t expect anything like that. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
She nodded.
He smiled sweetly before he climbed back into his buggy. She watched from her front door as his buggy went back down the driveway.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Ettie and Elsa-May decided to go to Bethany’s house to see how she was. It was nine in the morning when they arrived there and she was nowhere in sight.
“Perhaps the detective has been in touch and he’s allowed her back into the store already.”
“Let’s go there and see if we can find her. Maybe we’ll be able to help her clean the place.”
They got back into the taxi and headed to Bethany’s quilt store. When they got out of the taxi and paid the driver, they saw Jabez’s buggy in the alley.
“There she is, with Jabez,” Elsa-May announced.
Ettie looked down the road to see them both walking toward the quilt store.
“What shall we do, Ettie? Now I feel like we’re spying on them and you’ve just let the taxi go.”
“You didn’t say anything about holding onto the taxi.”
“You have to think for yourself sometimes, Ettie!”
“It’d make things worse if they saw us driving away. Let’s just stick to the original plan and wait here for them to see us.”
Ettie and Elsa-May stood outside the store, and it wasn’t long before Bethany saw them and waved.
“Hello, Ettie and Elsa-May,” Jabez said. “If you’d gotten here earlier we could’ve all had breakfast together.”
“Jah, Jabez was kind enough to take me for a bite to eat. He was going to take me to the police station too, but now he’s run out of time.”
“Sounds nice,” Elsa-May said, smiling at the two of them.
“Well, I’ll head off to work now, or my boss won’t be too happy.” He looked at Bethany. “I’ll see you soon. Are you certain you’ll be okay from here?”
She nodded.
“We’ll walk with her to the station,” Ettie said.
When he walked down the alley to his buggy, Elsa-May said, “He’s going to see you later, so does that mean you two have another date?”
“Elsa-May, it’s hardly any of your concern,” Ettie said.
Elsa-May chuckled. “I didn’t say it was; I’m just interested to know.”
“Nee, we don’t have anything planned. We see each other every few days. I think that’s all he meant. And breakfast wasn’t a date. He made it known to me last night that we’re friends, and that’s all. Nee, breakfast was only him being a friend to me and that was proven when he mentioned that you both could’ve come with us if you’d gotten here earlier.”
“You’ve certainly analyzed things a great deal,” Elsa-May said. “Seems like you’re hoping for more?”
Ettie shook her head at Elsa-May. “You don’t have to answer that, Bethany.”
“Do you have the keys back yet?” Elsa-May asked.
“Nee, I was just going to take a walk to the station and see if I could collect them. Surely they’ll be finished with them by now.” Bethany stared into the store window. “Looks like they’re through.”
“At least the dead body’s been removed. He won’t be leaking all over the floor, so that’s a gut start.”
Ettie shook her head at Elsa-May’s second careless comment of the day. If the dead man turned out to be Bethany’s father, she wouldn’t want to think of him in that way.
“We’ll walk with you,” Ettie said.
Elsa-May added, “And if you get the keys back, we’ll help you clean the store.”
“Denke, that’s kind of you.”
The three of them began their walk to the police station.
“If we can get back in, I’ll have ladies come to help us. We’ve called some people and asked them to be ready,” Elsa-May said.
“Gut. I thought I was organized,” Bethany said with a laugh.
“Ettie was the one who arranged everything.”
“Denke, Ettie.”
“You’re welcome; now you must stop thanking us all the time. We help each other and that’s a given.”
Elsa-May said, “I wonder what the detective’s found out.”
“It will be interesting to know if he still thinks it’s a robbery.”
“I hope he’s found out more about the man,” Bethany said.
“You can come in by yourself, Ms. Parker,” Detective Kelly said with a disapproving glance at Ettie and Elsa-May as they sat in the waiting room of the station.
“If it's all the same, I would like Ettie and Elsa-May to come in with me.”
He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “As you wish.”
When they were sitting opposite the detective, he handed Bethany the keys belonging to her quilt store. “There you go. You’ll be okay to go in now.”
“Thank you, Detective. I was hoping you'd be finished with the place.”
“We’ve got all the evidence we need.”
“What did you find out about the dead man, Detective?” Elsa-May asked as she leaned forward.
“I’ve already told Ms. Parker and Mrs. Smith his name is Ian Whitmore. That was information that no one else had at the time.”
“Did you find out anything about the man or the possibility that he might be Bethany's father?” Ettie asked.
“Mrs. Smith, this is a murder case, not a paternity case.”
Still leaning forward, Elsa-May jutted out her bottom jaw as she said, “What was he doing in her store? And why was he killed? If he was Bethany’s father, that might explain at least one of those things.”
He threw up his hands. “It’s still under investigation. We don't know everything at this stage; it's only early days.”
“Well, that is disappointing.” Elsa-May leaned back in her chair and exhaled loudly.
The detective stared straight at Elsa-May. “What have I've done to disappoint you now? Do you think you could do my job better than me?”
Elsa-May opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Ettie spoke. “What Elsa-May means is that it's very disappointing for Bethany because she’s never met her father and since the man has the same last name and doesn't have a good reason to be in her store it seems very likely that the man could be connected to, if not indeed be, Bethany’s father.”
He shook his head, and then put the palms of his hands to his temples. “It's too early in the morning, and I haven't had enough coffee to deal with the pair of you. As a matter of fact, there’s not enough coffee in the world for that.” The detective lowered his hands and turned his attention to Bethany. “If you want to trace your father, Ms. Parker, I suggest you hire a private detective or go to a specialist who does that kind of thing.”
Bethany held her head. All she wanted to know was whether the dead man in the shop was or was not her father. And if not, she wasn't certain whether she would want to go looking for her father. There were many reasons it wasn’t a good idea to look for her father—none of which she cared to share with the detective. “Thank you for the advice,” was all that Bethany could say.
“What we have found out so far is that the man was shot in the back.” The detective picked up
a pencil and began to twirl it between his fingers.
“So someone else was in my store with the man?”
“Correct.”
“At what time do your people say the man died?”
“The time of death is estimated to be somewhere between midnight and two in the morning.”
“Does the man live locally?”
“Washington DC.”
“That is quite a distance.”
“It is,” the detective agreed.
“Who was the last person to see him?”
“There’s no reason for you to know all the details but I can tell you this much—there was a large family reunion. Mr. Whitmore left the house around nine and no one knew where he went. We located his car two blocks from your store, Ms. Parker.”
“What's the driving time between where he lives and the store?” Ettie asked.
“It seems you might be right, Mrs. Smith—I can tell what you’re thinking. If he left his house at nine and drove three hours to Ms. Parker’s store, it doesn’t sound like it was a robbery.”
“We knew from his clothes he was a wealthy man.”
“Is that right, Detective?” Bethany asked.
“Quite wealthy, which makes this case very interesting. Wealthy individuals generally have beneficiaries.”
“And what does that mean?” Bethany asked.
“Ever heard the saying ‘where there's a will there's a relative,’ Ms. Parker?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“When a wealthy man dies, many people come out of the woodwork and want a piece of the action.”
“I see, I think, but what does all this have to do with me and the man being in my store when he died?”
The detective tapped the end of the pencil on the desk. “I'm investigating more leads, and that's all I can say at this moment.”
“Can't you let Bethany know anything? There must be something you know that you can tell her. Are you hiding the fact that this man could very well be Bethany's birth father? Does the rest of the family know of her existence?”
Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 2 Page 19