Ettie exchanged nervous glances with Elsa-May.
“We did the right thing in telling you about the baby,” Ettie said to soften his mood.
He sat carefully on one of their wooden chairs.
As Elsa-May sat in her usual chair, she said, “It’s all right. We’ve had the chairs fixed. They’re quite safe now. Not that they weren’t safe before….”
“I didn’t come here to talk about your furniture.” He glared at Elsa-May, and then he turned his head and glared at Ettie.
“As I was saying, we told you about the baby.”
“No, you didn’t. You went to Genevieve Cohen’s house without her permission—as good as trespassed, and then you contacted Crowley rather than me. And when did you find the baby on your doorstep? Crowley said it was yesterday.”
“That’s right,” Elsa-May said. “We did what we thought was right for the baby, and what his mother wrote in the note.”
He pressed his lips tightly together. “Where is he now?”
“He’s with friends of ours and he’s safe.”
“You know I’m going to have to contact social services, don’t you?”
“Can’t you hold off doing that? Genevieve Cohen said she didn’t want Englischers to take the baby. She’s happy to leave him with us. She said…”
“This time, I’ll do what you ask, but only because Mrs. Cohen also requested that I hold off as long as possible before contacting social services. She’d like nothing more than to take her baby back, as long as it’s safe to do so. Since her first baby was taken from her home four years ago, she feels better that this baby is elsewhere.”
“That’s good that she wants her baby back,” Elsa-May said. “She left him here for a good reason.”
“I’ve got Victor Lemonis in for questioning. He’s the man who came here asking for the baby. So far, he hasn’t talked. I’m going to go back to the station after I talk with the pair of you. I’ll do my best to get some information out of him.”
“That’s good,” Ettie said.
“The good news is that the cold case unit is now following up on the old kidnapping of Langley Cohen and we’re working closely with them. And next time anything like this happens you must contact me directly. Crowley is retired. You need to call me and not him.”
Ettie nodded, feeling like she was back at school when the teacher would reprimand her for daydreaming. “Yes, Detective Kelly.”
“What do we do now?” Elsa-May asked him.
“As far as the baby is concerned, we're looking at things one day at a time. Crowley suggested having your grandson and his wife approved as temporary custodians, and that should be fine since we have Mrs. Cohen’s approval.”
“So she said the baby can stay with Ava and Jeremiah?”
“We’ll have to wait and see. There are charges for abandoning a baby—it’s a crime and Mrs. Cohen will have to face those charges.”
“I’m sure she only did it for the best reasons,” Ettie said.
“All that will be taken into consideration and she’s had previous psychiatric care and will need to be evaluated again. I’m holding off on her arrest because I don’t want to draw attention to the case while we’re investigating it.”
“So she will be charged at some point?” Elsa-May asked.
“Yes she will, but I’m putting it off for as long as possible. Now that we’ve got Victor Lemonis we’re hoping he’ll lead us to his accomplices.”
“I hope so. Jeremiah is bringing the baby back here tonight.”
“And he’s going to stay here too because that’s the arrangements we’ve made.”
Kelly nodded. “Okay. I’ll send a doctor over to check that the baby’s in good health. What time will the baby be here?”
“I’d say by six tonight,” Ettie said, glancing at Elsa-May who nodded in agreement.
“Leave it with me,” the detective said, rising to his feet.
“Can we trust this doctor will be confidential?” Ettie asked.
“The doctor will be on a need-to-know basis. Don’t mention anything about the baby. All I will be asking of him is to give the baby a check-up and make sure he’s all right. Give him any story you want. Anyway, I doubt he’ll ask anything. That baby’s health is my primary concern at this point in time—understood?”
Ettie and Elsa-May nodded and walked Detective Kelly to the door.
When Ettie and Elsa-May were by themselves, Ettie looked at Elsa-May and asked, “What do we do now?”
Elsa-May wiggled her shoulders and threw her hands in the air. “I suppose we just wait here until Jeremiah comes back with Luke. And then wait for the doctor.”
“I'm not comfortable with a doctor coming here, but what do we do?”
“Neither am I, Ettie, but I suppose it’s a compromise.”
Chapter 10
Jeremiah knocked on the door and walked in with the laundry basket. Ettie and Elsa-May rushed to him.
“How is he?” Ettie asked as she peered into the basket.
“He’s good. He’s just been fed and he’s gone back to sleep.”
“The detective has arranged for a doctor to check him over.”
“Crowley?”
“Nee Kelly.”
“What happened today?”
“Put Luke in the bedroom and then we’ll tell you all about it.”
When the three of them were sitting in the living room, they told Jeremiah everything.”
“So they’ve got the kidnapper, then?”
“Jah, they’re trying to get a confession out of him and find out what happened to the Cohens' first baby.”
“I hope he tells them.”
“Jah, it must be awful not knowing the truth of what happened.”
“Kelly said we’re not to tell the doctor the true circumstances of the baby. He said we could make something up, but…”
“I don’t want to do that,” Jeremiah said.
“Nee, we didn’t think that you would. Hopefully, the doctor won’t ask a thing. He’ll simply be here to give the baby a quick check-up to make sure he’s healthy.”
“Of course, he’s healthy; anyone can see that,” Jeremiah said.
“I suppose the detective is just playing it safe—playing it by the rules. Mind you, I do think he’s bending them a little in these circumstances,” Elsa-May said.
“He should, too, considering all that poor Genevieve Cohen has been through,” Ettie added.
When a knock sounded at the door, Ettie pulled the curtains aside to look out. “Looks like that’s the doctor.”
“Can you take him to the baby, Jeremiah?”
“Act like he’s yours,” Ettie added.
Jeremiah frowned. “I’ll not lie.”
Ettie raised her eyebrows. “We’re not asking you to, are we, Elsa-May?”
Elsa-May shook her head. “Why don’t you answer the door, Jeremiah, and stay with the doctor while he looks the baby over?”
“Okay.” Jeremiah answered the door and took the doctor through to Ettie’s room where the baby was, while Ettie and Elsa-May sat on the couch.
“It was good of Detective Kelly, I suppose, not to charge Mrs. Cohen right away.”
“Shh,” Elsa-May said.
“I didn’t say it loud enough for anyone to hear me.”
“All the same, don’t talk about it—wait until the doctor leaves.”
Ten minutes later, Jeremiah escorted the doctor past the ladies and the doctor merely nodded to them. Jeremiah opened the door for him and thanked him for coming. When Jeremiah closed the door, Ettie and Elsa-May were right next to him.
“Well, what did he say?” Elsa-May asked.
“He’s healthy. He just said to continue what we’re doing for the cord. It’s nearly all dried up now.”
Ettie breathed out heavily. “Good. That’s a relief.”
“What do we have for dinner, Ettie?” Elsa-May asked.
Ettie pulled her mouth to one side. “We do have plenty of le
ftovers from last night.”
“That’s fine by me,” Jeremiah said. “I liked it last night and I’ll like it again tonight.”
“Elsa-May?”
“Fine.”
“Gut! Now did the doctor ask you any questions, Jeremiah?” Ettie asked.
“Nee, except he asked how the mother was and I said that she was good.”
“Excellent. Gut work, Jeremiah,” Elsa-May said as she patted him on his arm.
Ettie went back to the window and peeped out again and, just like Kelly said there would be, there was a plainclothes police officer in a car parked right outside the house.
“What is it?” Elsa-May asked.
“I’m guessing that is a policeman sitting in that car.”
Elsa-May nodded. “Kelly said he’d have someone in the street watching the house all night.”
“I’m sure that’ll give Genevieve peace of mind that her baby is being watched so closely. It’s sad that she’ll be charged for giving him up,” Ettie said.
“Well, it’s the way she did it, Ettie. She could have found someone to raise the baby and adopt him through the proper channels, but as Kelly said, people just can’t drop their kinner off somewhere and leave them.”
“I know, Elsa-May, I know. No one would be able to understand the grief that she’s already been through.” Ettie wiped a tear from her eye.
“Don’t start. You’ll have me crying.” Elsa-May said.
“I’ll reheat the meal.” Ettie headed to the kitchen. It was a rare thing to see so much emotion from Elsa-May since she’d always seemed so strong and in control.
Chapter 11
During the night, Ettie woke to an intruder coming through the front door. At first she thought she’d been dreaming the scratching and rattling sounds, but when she realized she was sleeping on the couch and a man was in the house, she screamed as she came to her feet.
Before she drew breath to scream a second time, Jeremiah came running out from the other end of the house, and someone came through the front door and jumped on top of the first man.
“Don’t move! Police!” Ettie heard someone shout.
Jeremiah turned on a gas lantern to see someone being placed in handcuffs. When the man on the floor was yanked to his feet, Ettie saw it was the same one who’d come to the door the other day—the suspected kidnapper—Victor Lemonis.
“Ettie, are you all right?” Jeremiah asked.
Ettie plopped back down onto the couch when her legs gave way from under her.
“Everyone okay in here?” the policeman asked.
“I’m okay,” Ettie said. “Are you okay, Jeremiah?”
“Yes, and Luke’s safe; I’ll check on Elsa-May.”
Ettie was worried that Elsa-May hadn’t run out when Jeremiah had.
Jeremiah came back just as the policeman was taking the intruder out. Ettie looked out the window to see more than one police car. Lemonis had to be the kidnapper coming back to get the child.
When Jeremiah came back out he said, “Elsa-May is still asleep and she’s snoring.”
“She slept through the whole thing?”
“It seems like it.”
“Lock the door will you, Jeremiah? I hope they’ll still keep a policeman outside. We won’t know who else might be lurking about.”
“Yes, I'm sure they will. If not, I'm here.” Jeremiah walked closer to Ettie. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“It’s just the scare, that’s all.”
“Would you like me to make you a cup of hot tea?”
“Jah, I’d love a cup, denke.”
“Coming right up,” he said before he headed to the kitchen.
Ettie propped pillows behind her. Then she lifted her legs out in front of her and covered them with her warm blanket.
Ettie must’ve closed her eyes because the next thing she knew it was morning, and a shaft of light was shining through the gap in the curtains. She sat up when she noticed Elsa-May in her chair. “Did you hear what happened last night, Elsa-May? Unless I dreamed the whole thing.”
“Nee you didn’t. Jeremiah told me that Lemonis came into our haus and the police took him away. I'm surprised I slept right through the whole thing.”
“Where is Jeremiah?”
“In the kitchen giving Luke his bottle.”
“We’ll have to call the police station and find out if he told them what happened to the poor baby he kidnapped before. I hope he confessed and then maybe the Cohens can finally find some peace.”
“Why don't we phone them after breakfast?”
Ettie agreed, but before they even had a chance to start on breakfast, there was a loud knock on the door.
“That’s Detective Kelly,” Ettie said.
“How do you know that without even looking?”
“I know his knock,” Ettie stood up.
“Just be sure first, and check out the window.”
Ettie peeped out the window and saw Detective Kelly. Instead of the dark crumpled suit he usually wore, he was wearing a white shirt with gray baggy pants and sneakers. He looked like he hadn’t had any sleep. Ettie put her robe on, and then placed her prayer kapp on top of her head, tucking in her two long braids.
“Are you going to open the door in your dressing gown?” Elsa-May asked.
“Why not? It’s morning and besides, it’s warm.” She opened the door and Kelly asked if he could come in.
“Of course.”
Once he was further inside, Jeremiah came out of the kitchen with Luke in his arms.
“I think you’ll all need to have a seat.” Kelly’s brow furrowed deeply.
“What’s wrong?” Elsa-May asked.
Ettie hoped he’d say that nothing was wrong but he remained stony-faced.
“Can I listen, too?” Jeremiah asked, to which the detective gave a nod. “I’ll put the baby in his basket. I won’t be a minute.”
When Jeremiah returned and they were all seated in the living room, Detective Kelly drew in a deep breath.
Elsa-May leaned forward. “What is it, Detective Kelly, you look dreadful.”
“I’m wondering where to start. You obviously found out that we let Victor Lemonis go after hours of questioning. We had nothing to hold him on, so we had no choice but to let him go. We followed him, hoping he’d lead us to someone who might have helped him with the kidnapping all those years ago. At the very least, we hoped that he’d lead us to someone who would be able to help with our inquiries.”
“He came here to get the baby again,” Ettie said. “This time, he wasn’t going to ask, he was just going to take the baby.”
“We let him go and followed him here. We alerted Jeff, the officer who was stationed outside your house. After we arrested Lemonis for breaking and entering, we took him back and locked him up again. We had him on a charge so we could keep him for longer than the maximum twenty-four hours. When we were going to start a new round of questioning, I’m afraid we opened the cell and made a grisly discovery.
“What?” Elsa-May asked.
Kelly’s shoulders slumped. “He’d done away with himself.”
“He’s dead?” Ettie asked, not believing her ears.
Kelly nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
Ettie pulled her dressing gown high around her neck. What Kelly had told them didn’t seem real.
“Last night, we prematurely told the Cohens that we were onto something and that we were certain we’d apprehended one of the kidnappers. Then we had to tell them this morning what had happened. They were devastated. They had hopes that they’d finally find out what happened to their baby all those years ago. Now there is a real possibility that we’ll never know.”
“How did it happen? I thought prisoners were searched for things they might harm themselves with before you put them in the cell,” Elsa-May asked.
“He hanged himself with his shirt.”
Ettie covered her face with her hands. It was too awful to think about.
“Thes
e things happen all too frequently. Often it’s not the hardened criminals who kill themselves. I remember one time it was a solicitor who was caught skimming funds from one of his company accounts. It was the shame of having to face charges and go to jail. Another time it was a company executive on speeding charges. He was held in the cell for three hours and he killed himself.”
“That’s horrible,” Jeremiah said.
“It’s something that’s in the forefront of our minds and that’s why we have suicide-proof cells, but I guess if someone’s going to do it, they’ll find a way. It’s hard to tell if someone’s going to try to do it or not. Often we can’t tell.”
“Why would they take their own lives?" Ettie asked. “People make mistakes and learn from them.”
“According to psychiatrists, they think they’ve ruined their lives. Then they’re concerned about what their family and friends will say.” He shook his head. “We haven’t had a suicide in years. It’s hard to deal with when it happens. We’re supposed to look after them while they’re in our custody. They’re our responsibility—we failed him.”
Ettie stared at Detective Kelly as he hung his head. “Would you like something to eat? We can fix you some eggs, and we’ve got coffee ready.”
He lifted his head and smiled. “I’ll start with a cup of coffee, thanks. The police department runs on coffee.”
Chapter 12
They all moved to the kitchen and Ettie fixed Kelly some eggs while he drank his coffee.
“What happens now with the investigation? Does it end there?” Elsa-May asked.
“We’re getting a warrant to search his car and his house. We’ll take any cell phones and computers and go right through them. We’re sure to find some kind of evidence. Do you know what people in jail do to kidnappers and people who hurt children?” Kelly asked Elsa-May.
Elsa-May shook her head.
He shook his head. “I can’t tell you; I’ll leave it to your imagination. Often they have to go into protective custody, but just the thought of what Lemonis would face was enough to make him kill himself.”
“What happens now with the baby?” Jeremiah asked. “I have to work today. He’ll be with my wife, though, if you want me to take him again.”
Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 2 Page 34