“I’ve missed him,” Ava said clutching him to her chest. Ava looked up at them all. “What is the latest?”
Genevieve told her about the boy that could very well be Langley. Ava played along as though she knew nothing. “I do hope he is Langley.”
“When Luc grows up, I'll have a wonderful story to tell him about three ladies who looked after him so well when he was a tiny baby.”
Ava giggled. “He's made me want to have a baby so bad that I can't tell you.”
“And if Langley comes back to us, Luc will have a big brother. It would be too good to hope for. As I said, we’re not getting our hopes up, but at the same time, it makes sense that he would be Langley. The detective said that everything fitted with him being Langley. Craig and I are prepared either way. If he’s not our boy, at least some other family will be reunited with him.”
“That’s the best way to look at things,” Elsa-May said.
Chapter 22
Late that afternoon, Crowley arrived at Ettie and Elsa-May’s house. They hoped he was there to give them an update.
“Have you been helping with the case?” Elsa-May asked.
“No, but I have been keeping up with what’s happened. And Kelly said I could let you know that they’ve picked up George Cousins.”
“We heard he was going to be questioned because he was in jail at the same time as Lemonis, and that Kelly was going to check his alibi again.”
“He confessed to taking the baby.”
“What?” Elsa-May’s jaw fell open. “He did?”
“No!” Ettie said. “What about the little boy? Is he Langley?”
“One thing at a time. I’ll get to that in a minute. Cousins only confessed when they found photos of Langley on his cell phone. And what’s more, there were photos of the baby at different ages. He went on to confess that when he got no money out of the kidnapping, he gave the baby to his sister-in-law. And do you know who his sister-in-law happened to be?”
“No who?” Ettie asked while Elsa-May stared open mouthed.
“A woman called Madeline Davidson, none other than Kel Flower’s sister and Nerida Flower’s cousin. Madeline’s husband died not long before he kidnapped the baby, and the stress of his death caused Madeline to miscarry.”
“The Cohen baby is alive?” Elsa-May asked.
“It seems so, as long as it’s the same baby. Kelly was trying to keep it quiet, but he had to tell Craig Cohen something when he burst into the station shouting after he'd learned that they’d arrested his wife’s secretary. They’ll know for certain that he’s Langley once they get the DNA results back.”
“We had a visit from Genevieve Cohen and she told us about Nerida being arrested.”
“I do hope it’s Langley,” Elsa-May said. “I’d be surprised if it’s not, given the circumstances.”
Ettie said, “That’s the best news we could’ve hoped for. They were certain their baby had come to a bad end.”
“In most kidnapping cases that’s what happens. We just have to hope that this one is the exception.”
“You’ll let us know what happens, won’t you?”
“Of course, I will.”
A whole day passed, and Ettie and Elsa-May had heard nothing from anyone. Once it was three o’clock in the afternoon, they just had to contact someone to find out about Langley. Not wanting to disturb the Cohens, they decided to call in on Detective Kelly at the police station.
“We’ll get a taxi there and then we should go to the markets and get something for dinner. I think we can do with a night off from cooking.”
“We do have some leftovers from last night,” Ettie said.
“We can eat that tomorrow for the midday meal. I feel like something a bit different tonight.”
“Before we see Kelly, I need to take that list of names back to Bethany for her to shred. She asked me to do that. It was the only reason she felt comfortable enough to give me the list.”
“Okay, we’ll do that.”
“I don’t know why no one has dropped by and told us what’s going on. I made that orange cake today because I was certain we’d have visitors and you know how they always like cake. I was certain Kelly or Crowley would stop by.”
“Let’s go,” Elsa-May said. “I’m sure your cake will be eaten.”
As they walked down the front steps of their house, Ettie said, “I hope so because I wouldn’t have made the cake just for us. I only made it for visitors.”
“I hope it’s not bad news and that’s why we’ve heard from no one.”
“I guess we’ll soon find out,” Ettie said. “As long as Detective Kelly is at the station and not out somewhere.”
Once they’d stopped by Bethany’s shop, they proceeded to the police station. They walked up the steps and Elsa-May inquired at the front desk whether Detective Kelly was in. The officer told them Kelly was in and he’d let the detective know they were there.
They sat patiently in the waiting area and Detective Kelly appeared a few minutes later, and beckoned to them.
“He’s smiling,” Ettie whispered to Elsa-May.
“Jah, that has to be a good sign.”
Once they were sitting in his office, Kelly began. “You’re here to find out what happened with everything?”
Elsa-May leaned forward. “We’re anxious to know about Langley.”
“The DNA results came back proving that the little boy in the care of the woman called Madeline Davidson was Langley Cohen.”
Elsa-May clapped her hands together. “That’s the best news we’ve ever had.”
Ettie felt nothing but relief. “Where is the boy now?”
“He’s back with the Cohens.”
“It must be a big adjustment for a four year old to make,” Elsa-May said.
“The whole family will be receiving counseling for some time. It’s nice to finally have a cold case resolved, and see a family reunited. They’re one of the lucky ones.”
“I’m so happy for them,” Ettie said.
“Well, I’ve got a ton of paperwork to do. I appreciate how the two of you stayed out of my way on this one.”
“Why wouldn’t we?” Ettie asked. “It had nothing to do with our community.”
“That’s true,” Detective Kelly said. “I’ve appreciated your help in the past. The Amish have a way of keeping to themselves.”
Elsa-May and Ettie exchanged glances.
“We won’t hold you up,” Elsa-May said.
As they walked out of the station, Ettie said to Elsa-May, “You know what?”
“What?”
“I should’ve brought the orange cake for Detective Kelly.”
“Why?”
“To eat, of course,” Ettie said.
“Weren’t you trying to get him to eat better just a few months ago?”
“He could’ve shared it with the officers. I’m sure they don’t get many treats and they work so hard.”
“Enough with the dratted cake, Ettie. Stop talking about it.”
“Why are you being so irritable? Do you think you might be a diabetic?” Ettie remembered reading somewhere that irritable people might have trouble with their blood sugar levels going up and down.
Elsa-May shook her head. “Let’s just get a taxi.”
“Weren’t we going to the markets?”
“Nee, let’s just eat what we’ve got at home and go to the markets tomorrow.”
“Are you tired, Elsa-May?”
“Mm. A little.”
That was another sign of diabetes, but Ettie was not brave enough to say any more on that topic. “We should go home past Ava’s place and tell her the news.”
“Jah. She’ll be anxious to hear it.”
While Elsa-May dozed off in her chair, Ettie was putting together some leftovers for dinner. Snowy barked and pawed at the door. Ettie walked out of the kitchen to see what the fuss was all about.
“Someone might be here,” Elsa-May said pushing herself up to answer the door.
>
Ettie waited to see if someone was coming while she wiped her hands on a tea towel. It was retired Detective Crowley who was walking to the door.
“I can't sneak up on you anymore with that dog around,” he joked.
Elsa-May laughed. “Come inside.”
He walked inside and said hello to Ettie. “Have you ladies heard anything?” he asked as he sat down in the living room.
“We hadn’t heard from you or anyone else, so we went to the police station this afternoon. We've not long since gotten back home,” Ettie said.
Elsa-May continued, “He told us that the baby is Langley. Well… he’s not a baby any longer; he’s a four year old boy.”
“Yes, that’s wonderful news. Most botched kidnapping cases have dreadful ends.”
“You mentioned that,” Elsa-May said. “Perhaps you’d like a slice of orange cake?”
“I’d love some,” he said.
Ettie pushed herself up from the couch. “I’ll get you a slice and make you a nice cup of hot tea.” Ettie returned minutes later with a tray of tea and cake. “I’d already had the pot boiled. I must’ve known you were coming.”
“Now tell me something,” Elsa-May said as she leaned forward.
“You’re not going to ask him anything about Myra again, are you?” Ettie asked as she poured the tea.
“No, I wasn’t. I found out everything I wanted to know about that the other day.”
“Good.”
“How was that woman able to hide a baby for so long without anyone finding out?”
“She could’ve kept to herself and maybe she kept on the move,” Crowley said. “It was a stroke of luck that you found the connection between the Flowers, Nerida and Kel. I think the people on the case back then might have been distracted by thinking that the first man they arrested—the one they caught collecting the money—knew more than he did. Kel Flower was questioned, but nothing came of it.”
“Probably because he wasn't suspected of anything until another case later on, after Langley was taken,” Elsa-May said accepting a cup of tea from Ettie.
“That’s why the cold case unit has success sometimes. It’s often after the crime that things come out in the open—often many years afterward.”
“Thank you for helping us, Ronald, you said you would and you did. If it weren’t for you, Langley might never have been found.”
Crowley laughed. “I don’t know about that. The cold case unit and Kelly would’ve put the pieces together.”
“The thing is, that if Genevieve Cohen had never had another child and left it on our doorstep, and then a man came to take him, there might not have been an investigation with the cold case unit and…”
“And Langley wouldn’t have found his way back to his parents. Is that what you were going to say, Ettie?”
“Yes, exactly. You see, it was all meant to be. It’s all happened for a reason.”
Crowley laughed. “I know what you mean, Ettie. I’ve solved many cases by synchronistic events and coincidences. I believe someone is watching over us.” He picked up a slice of cake.
“Like you baking the orange cake today, Ettie, and now our friend is here to eat it? The orange cake was meant to be.” Elsa-May gave a low chuckle.
Ettie frowned at Elsa-May, knowing she was poking fun at her, but she tried not to show it in front of their guest.
“I haven’t had orange cake for years and it’s my favorite. Only this morning, I was thinking about my late mother and how she used to make an orange cake every Saturday. Did I ever tell you my mother used to make them when I was a child?”
The sisters shook their heads. They knew nothing of his childhood.
He continued, “This orange cake is a sign that things happen for a reason. I know you were joking when you said that to Ettie, Elsa-May, but you don’t know how right you were.”
Ettie smiled and looked at her older sister and couldn’t help feeling a little pleased that Crowley had put her in her place. Elsa-May frowned at her, then tilted her chin and looked away.
“Oh, and I guess I’ll need my cell phone back now too,” Crowley said. “Unless you ladies would like to hold onto it for a little longer?”
Elsa-May exchanged a grin with Ettie, and Ettie had to suppress a laugh knowing that Elsa-May had the same thought as she. What would Jeremiah have to say about that?
“Thank you for the loan of it, but we’ll be sure to give it back to you before you leave,” Elsa-May said smiling sweetly.
He took a little child whom he placed among them.
Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 9: 36, 37
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Samantha Price
ETTIE SMITH AMISH MYSTERIES
Book 1 Secrets Come Home
Book 2 Amish Murder
Book 3 Murder in the Amish Bakery
Book 4 Amish Murder Too Close
Book 5 Amish Quilt Shop Mystery
Book 6 Amish Baby Mystery
Book 7 Betrayed
Book 8: Amish False Witness
Book 9: Amish Barn Murders
Book 10 Amish Christmas Mystery
Book 11 Who Killed Uncle Alfie?
Book 12 Lost: Amish Mystery
Book 13 Amish Cover-Up
Book 14 Amish Crossword Murder
Book 15 Old Promises
Book 16 Amish Mystery at Rose Cottage
Book 17 Amish Mystery: Plain Secrets
Book 18 Amish Mystery: Fear Thy Neighbor
Book 19 Amish Winter Murder Mystery
Book 20 Amish Scarecrow Murders
Book 21 Threadly Secret
Book 22 Sugar and Spite
Book 23 A Puzzling Amish Murder
About Samantha Price
USA Today Bestselling author, Samantha Price, wrote stories from a young age, but it wasn't until later in life that she took up writing full time. Formally an artist, she exchanged her paintbrush for the computer and, many best-selling book series later, has never looked back.
Samantha is happiest on her computer lost in the world of her characters. She is best known for the Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries series and the Expectant Amish Widows series.
www.SamanthaPriceAuthor.com
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Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 2 Page 40