Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries Box Set 3

by Samantha Price

  "Jah, it’s possible."

  Ettie was silent for a moment.

  “Ettie? Are you still there?”

  “I’m thinking.”

  “Okay.”

  “Dustin claims he never met Allissa. I wonder if he touched something that she touched."

  "Jah, but it wasn't found on the palms of her hands or her fingertips; his DNA was found under her fingernails. It sounds to me that she would’ve had to scratch him.”

  Ettie sighed. “Then why tell me about the other thing?”

  "I just thought it was worth looking into."

  "I suppose so. Just speak with her friends and see what you can find out. Oh, and wait. I forgot to tell you. Dustin had a twin, not an identical twin, but a twin who looked very much like him. We found that out when we went to see his lawyer."

  “So that explains the photos?”

  “Jah. The twin knew her and Dustin didn’t. Apparently, the twins didn’t get along. His name starts with a D too. I think it was Darrin.”

  “Good to know. I’m glad you told me that before I went to the college. So, this twin, I’m assuming he goes to the same college because he was in the photos?”

  “I believe so. That’s what the lawyer said.”

  “Is that all?”

  “At this stage.”

  "I'll see what I can do, Ettie," Ava said before she hung up the phone.

  Ettie replaced the receiver on the hook and then looked down at Snowy who was staring up at her. “Okay, okay. Let’s you and I go for a little stroll. Don’t you tell your mudder we were on the phone for so long. That way, she’ll think we had a nice long walk.”

  Snowy was sitting at her feet looking at her.

  “Good boy. And when we get home, I’ll find a special treat for you.”

  At the word ‘treat,’ Snowy stood on all fours and intently stared at her.

  “I don’t have one now. I said when we get home I’d give you one. Come on.” Ettie walked down the road with Snowy beside her.

  Ettie walked back into her house, crouched down and unclipped Snowy’s leash. Snowy scampered to the kitchen and sat waiting for his treat. When it was slow in coming, he pawed at Elsa-May's leg.

  "Get down, boy."

  "Dogs should be kept outside," Florence said.

  "That's exactly where he’ll go in a minute if he doesn't stop bothering me."

  Ettie walked into the kitchen. “I promised him a treat. That’s why he’s doing that.” Ettie found him a piece of beef jerky and put him outside with it. When she came back into the kitchen, she noticed that Florence and Elsa-May were unusually quiet. "Did you find out anything from the letters?"

  "Jah, we found out that on those two dates I got visits from Linda and Reginald."

  "Who are they?"

  "Morrie and Reginald are brothers and Linda is Reginald’s wife. They visited me a handful of times. But the last two times the dates were the very same as the ones when those two people were killed.”

  “The gas station holdup and the supermarket holdup,” Elsa-May murmured.

  "And are you sure they are the same dates?" Ettie asked.

  Florence picked up two letters. “According to these, they are."

  Ettie sat down. “So they’re related to Morrie as well?”

  “Jah.”

  “Hmmm. It gets more interesting.” Ettie had thought it was odd that Dustin had visited Florence, but to hear that other relations of Morrie’s had visited her made her more certain that Florence was right about someone burning down her house and taking her gun. Something wasn’t right.

  “What’s our next move?” Florence asked.

  “We’ll need to tell Detective Kelly,” Ettie said.

  “Why don’t I walk down to the telephone now and give him that information? We don’t need to go there,” Elsa-May said. “I haven’t had my walk today.”

  “That would be gut, denke,” Ettie said.

  “I’ll take Snowy with me.”

  “He’ll like that,” Ettie said as Elsa-May walked out of the room.

  Chapter 10

  “They were in the same English Literature class," Ava informed Ettie over the phone the next day.

  "So they did know each other? So Dustin must’ve known Allissa."

  "Not necessarily. There were upwards of one hundred and fifty people in the class—it was a compulsory subject. But the interesting thing is that there was a reading list. One of the library books on the list was found in her bag when she died …”

  "The library book?"

  "Jah."

  "Go on."

  "There was only one copy of this book in the library and everybody had to read it, so everybody was told to be quick getting through it. I checked with the library and the person who had the book before her was Dustin. It's got a cloth cover, which is likely to grab DNA more readily than a plastic-covered book."

  "I see, so that's how the DNA could’ve been transferred.”

  "Exactly!"

  “Interesting.”

  "Also, I found out Allissa Thomas has—well, had— a very jealous boyfriend. He was possessive and violent. On one occasion, he hit her and she had a huge bruise on her face. None of her friends liked him. She broke it off with him only two days before she was murdered."

  "I wonder what the detective will have to say about that. What was her boyfriend’s name?"

  "Andy Watkins."

  "Andy Watkins. Okay, I'll try to remember that name."

  "Have you learned anything further, Ettie?"

  "The detective gave us the times that Florence’s gun was used in two murders, and she had two visitors—the same two visitors on those two dates.”

  "That might be a coincidence. Someone could have broken into her house while she was out and then put the gun back when they’d finished."

  “Do you know what intrigues me?”

  “What’s that?”

  “The people who visited her were Morrie’s brother and the brother's wife.”

  “So it all comes back to Morrie?”

  “It does. Morrie knew Florence had the gun because he gave it to her.”

  “Guns aren’t that hard to come by.”

  “But this one would’ve been hard to trace. Who would think of looking for a gun in an old Amish lady’s house?”

  “That’s a point. Let me know if I can do anything else."

  "Denke, Ava, I certainly will. You've been a marvelous help." Ettie hung up and then stared down at Snowy, who’d been sitting at her feet the whole time. She wondered whom she should give the information to first—the lawyer or the police.

  She decided on the lawyer, and called for a taxi. She figured before it arrived she had enough time to get home and fill Florence and Elsa-May in on what Ava had found out.

  “Let’s go, and don’t dilly-dally,” Ettie said to Snowy.

  Pushing the front door open, she called out to let both her sisters know what was going on, and then added, “I’ve called for a taxi. I’m heading to the lawyer to tell him what I’ve just told you. Do you both want to come with me?”

  “I’ll go with you,” Florence said.

  “Jah, me too,” Elsa-May said.

  * * *

  Just as they were about to enter the building, they came face to face with Claymore Cartwright, who was on his way out.

  “Hello again. You’re here to see me?” he asked.

  “Yes. Were you leaving?”

  “I was just on my way out to grab a take-out coffee. Come upstairs and I’ll make a call and have it delivered.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket. “Would anyone like anything—tea, coffee?”

  “We’re good thank you,” Elsa-May said.

  “I’ll have a white coffee with one sugar,” Florence said.

  “Good.” He looked at Ettie.

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  He walked with them back to the elevator while he called the café on his mobile phone to make his order.

  Once they were s
eated in his office, Ettie began to tell him all the information they’d gathered.

  Claymore nodded. “I know the name—Andy Watkins. I know the police were originally looking at him as their prime suspect until the forensic report came back with Dustin’s DNA."

  "Tell him about the book, Ettie.”

  “It turns out that Dustin and Allissa were in the same class along with over one hundred other people. They had to read the same book. The book’s still checked out under Allissa's name, and….”

  Elsa-May interrupted, “And guess who read that library book right before Allissa? Our friend told us something about touch DNA."

  Ettie glared at Elsa-May. "Why did you ask me to tell him when you wanted to tell him?"

  "You were speaking so slow I thought you’d never get it out.”

  “There were a couple of library books in her bag when they found her,” Claymore said.

  “It could’ve been one of those books,” Elsa-May said.

  Ettie continued, "Anyway, the book has a cloth cover. It’s quite an old book and according to our young friend, that is a good way to transfer DNA from one person to another."

  Claymore picked up a pen and tapped it on his desk. "I can use that, thank you; good work. I'll have my assistant go to the library and obtain a copy of their records."

  Ettie turned around and looked at the empty reception area. "You have an assistant?"

  "Yes, I do."

  "Do you know anyone else who could have wanted Allissa gone? Do the police keep you up to date?" Elsa-May asked.

  "They do, but there’s always a lag time, depending on what kind of information it is. I’m always happy to hear any ideas, or if you find out anything else don’t hesitate to call me.”

  "When’s this likely to go to trial?"

  "I can't see it happening before six months."

  "So, he's going to stay in jail for six months?" Florence asked.

  "Bail was denied. He doesn't have any strong family ties or ties to the community and the judge thought he was a flight risk. The evidence against him is pretty strong."

  "Why would someone put that gun in his car?" Ettie asked.

  The lawyer shook his head. "I have no idea."

  “We’ve got something else to tell you. We found out that…" Elsa-May looked at Ettie. "Do you want to tell him, Ettie, or shall I?"

  "You might as well go right ahead because you’d only interrupt me anyway." Ettie placed her hands firmly in her lap and pressed her lips together. She looked straight ahead while waiting on Elsa-May to speak.

  "It’s about the gun they found in his car. It was used in two robberies where people were killed.”

  Ettie couldn’t stop herself from saying, “He knows that, Elsa-May.”

  Elsa-May ignored Ettie and continued, “On those very same days, our sister had two visitors and they were the same visitors each time."

  Florence took over. "Yes, they were Morrie’s brother, Reginald, and his wife, Linda. They got married in the seventies and have been together ever since. They visit me every so often, but not lately."

  Claymore leaned forward. “And they visited you on the very days of those robberies?”

  "On the very days. I have the letters to Elsa-May and Ettie to prove it.”

  The lawyer picked up a pen to write. “This Reginald, would he be Dustin’s great-uncle?"

  "That would be right."

  "His grandfather's brother?"

  Florence gave a nod of her head.

  “And you know their whereabouts?"

  “No, I don't. I think they said they live around Wilmington somewhere. I'm not sure whereabouts now."

  "Their last name is the same as Dustin’s?”

  "That’s right.”

  "And what was the nature of their visits?”

  “Just to talk about old times.”

  "How long were their visits.”

  “Oh, hours. We had a lot to talk about.”

  “Could one of them have slipped into your bedroom without you looking?"

  "I guess so. I remember Linda stayed there for a few hours on one of the visits while Reginald did some business in town."

  "Have you told the police? I'm sure they’d like to hear this," the lawyer said.

  "Do you want me to tell them? I don't want to get anybody into trouble."

  "You should tell them.”

  “Okay, I will,” Florence said.

  “Can I have copies of those letters?” the lawyer asked.

  “You can keep the letters if they’ll help Dustin.”

  He nodded. “I think they will.”

  “Can I stop by tonight and collect them?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  Chapter 11

  It was late in the day when they reached the police station.

  They sat opposite Detective Kelly and told him what they’d learned.

  “So what do you think about the book, Detective?” Ettie asked.

  “The DNA was found under her fingernails. It’s not my case. I have, however, offered my assistance to them.”

  “Did they tell you about the jealous boyfriend?” Florence asked.

  “I read about him in the notes. Allissa had filed a complaint about him but then didn’t go ahead with pressing charges. Are you certain that Dustin was the person who had the book before she did?”

  “Yes. According to the library.”

  “How do you know that?” Kelly asked.

  “My friend checked for me.”

  “Who? Ava?”

  Ettie nodded. “Yes.”

  “I asked you to stay out of things.”

  “We did.”

  “I meant you and everyone else you know! I’m not happy that you’ve done this. You could all be charged for impeding an ongoing investigation.”

  “Could we?” Florence asked. “Would we go to jail for that?”

  “You could.”

  Florence tipped her head to one side. “What’s the accommodation like for women?”

  “About the same as for men. Trust me, Mrs. Lapp, you wouldn’t like it.”

  “Aren’t you comfortable at our place, Florence?”

  “It’s fine, but there’s nothing wrong with looking for an upgrade.”

  Ettie screwed up her face and turned to Florence. “I’m giving up my bed for you and you’re considering going to prison because that’s better than staying with us?”

  “Not according to the detective.”

  The detective raised his hands. “Ladies, ladies. Quiet! You can’t go around sticking your noses into things. That’s what I’m trying to get through to you. It makes things harder for the police to investigate.”

  “Okay,” Florence said. “You shouldn’t get so upset.” She pointed to his head. “You have a pulsating vein in your forehead.”

  “You women will be the end of me. I can only try to help you with your friend, Mrs. Lapp, if you kindly restrain your sisters from investigating.”

  “Yes. I will. It occurred to me, though, that you might not be on the right side.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “His lawyer is trying to get him off. Is that what you’re trying to do?”

  Detective Kelly frowned. “Yes, if he’s innocent.”

  “Okay good. Phew!” Florence chortled.

  “Are we all in agreement now, ladies?”

  They looked at one another. “Okay.”

  “Now that I know you’re on the right side, Detective Kelly, I can show you these letters. These letters prove that, on the same dates those two men were killed in the holdups, on those very days, Linda and Reginald Gandara visited me.”

  Kelly leaned forward and took the letters from Florence’s outstretched hand.

  His eyes traveled quickly down one letter, and then the other. “I’d have to check my notes, but the dates here are clearly mentioned. On each occasion, you say you wrote to the specified sister the day after each of these visits?”

  “Yes, when something
happens, I have something to write to my sisters about. I don’t get many visits, except from my family, not many from Englischers.”

  “Do you have a phone number or address for them?”

  “Did I mention that Reginald is Morrie’s brother?”

  “Reginald is Wylie Morris’ brother?”

  Florence nodded.

  “No, you didn’t mention that. That is interesting. So it’s more than likely that he knew you were minding a gun for his brother.”

  “Morrie gave me that gun—it was mine. He didn’t give it to me to mind for him.”

  “What I mean to say is that he would’ve known you had a gun in your possession.”

  “Yes, it’s possible he knew if Morrie told him,” Florence said.

  “Did you ever check the gun closely? Did you keep it loaded?”

  “When Morrie gave it to me he said it was loaded. He showed me how to fire it. When I got married not long after Morrie went to jail, I kept it. I hid it in the attic of my house. It was only when my husband died and my children left home that I remembered it. From then on, I kept it under the bed, checking it every night—it’s been there for many, many years.”

  “So, the bullets could’ve been spent and you wouldn’t have known?”

  “I suppose so, if someone took it away, used it, and then put it back where I had it.”

  “Are you certain you don’t have an address for Linda and Reginald, or a phone number?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t. I asked for their address so I could write, but they said they move around all the time. They had one of those campervans and did a lot of traveling in that. I think they mentioned that they lived near Wilmington. They wouldn’t give me a phone number because they knew I didn’t have a phone.”

  “Thank you. I’ll look into it. And I’ll need a copy of the letters.”

  “The lawyer is coming tonight to pick them up.”

  Kelly raised his eyebrows. “I’ll phone him and have him fax me copies.”

  * * *

  "I didn't expect you to live in an ordinary house."

  "What kind of house did you expect us to live in?" Ettie asked.

  The lawyer gave an embarrassed laugh. "I thought you would live on a farm. I guess I’m showing my ignorance.”