I shook my head. “It wasn’t Mom. It was an employee of Cooper Mueller’s. The judge wants to meet with me.”
My aunt frowned. “Why?”
“The guy didn’t know, but it must be about Eric. It couldn’t be for any other reason.”
She wiped her hands on a linen dish towel. “I don’t think you should go. This has gone way beyond Evelyn’s wishes. If Eric really was murdered, you could be hurt. If someone has kept this secret for so long, that person will be determined to keep it forever.”
I squeezed her hand. “I have to follow this through. Maybe the judge can tell me something.”
I didn’t tell my aunt, but the truth was I wanted to know what happened to Eric for myself because I was invested. Also, Eric’s story was the first thing to distract me from my aunt’s illness and my big Texas wedding, both of which have occupied my every waking thought for months—and not in a good way.
She frowned. “Then I’m going with you.”
“No, you need to stay home today. Martha will kill me if you fall ill. I’ll take Anna with me,” I said.
She dropped her head. “You are right. I am feeling weaker than I did yesterday morning. Taking Anna is a gut idea.” She grinned. “She isn’t afraid of anyone, especially some Englisch judge.”
• • •
Early that afternoon, I drove to Anna’s farm. It surprised me that I still knew exactly where it was, after all these years. On the property, there was a large farmhouse, and a smaller house behind it. Several outbuildings and barns dotted the grounds. The Grabers ran a large farm. When I was a child, the farm was the largest in my aunt’s Amish district.
Anna lived in the smaller house. Before I could even climb out of the Expedition, she was at doorway, wearing her cloak and bonnet. She hurried down the front steps and opened the passenger’s side door.
My brow shot up. “How did you know that I was coming?”
“I saw you down the road. Your monster truck is hard to miss. I assumed you wanted to do some more investigating.” Her eye twinkled behind her glasses. “Where are we going?”
I told her about Art’s call. “Do you mind coming along?”
She grinned. “Fire up the behemoth.”
My gaze turned back to the big house. “Is Jo-Jo here?”
She smiled at the name. “My son Jonah? Nee. He and his family are in Wayne County. He found a construction job there that should help them make it through the winter.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my voice. I had hoped to see Jonah on this trip. I supposed it wasn’t meant to be.
I felt Anna watching me. “He will be sorry to have missed you.”
“Tell him that I was sorry to have missed him, too.”
“I will,” she promised.
We drove to Millersburg in silence. Outside of the courthouse, Anna climbed out of the Expedition and stared at the crooked buggy sign. “I wonder what happened here. How could someone do that?”
“Accidents happen,” I muttered.
Oliver barked. He wore a blue and green argyle sweater. It clashed with his red boots, but he couldn’t always be a fashion plate. I let him out of the car.
Anna adjusted her cloak on her shoulders. “Are you taking the dog inside?”
“It’s too cold for him to stay out here.”
In the courthouse, Oliver’s boots squeaked on the tiled floor, which was polished to a high sheen. The little black and white dog admired his reflection in the tile.
Art sat behind his desk. It was Saturday, and the courthouse was even quieter and darker than when I visited just two days ago.
Art scowled at me and Anna, but when he saw Oliver, he smiled. The big man melted. “A Frenchie. I had a tan one growing up named Carson. He was the best dog.”
Oliver waltzed right through the metal detector like he owned the place. I shook my head as Anna and I handed Art our bags to be searched and walked through the metal detector.
A half-eaten ham sandwich sat in the middle of Art’s desk atop a folded brown bag. Oliver stared at it longingly. Art handed our bags back. “Can I give him a bite? He looks so hungry.”
Oliver whimpered. Didn’t he remember the double serving of bacon my aunt snuck him for breakfast? I wasn’t the only one going on a diet when we got home. He needed to fit in his tux for the wedding. “Yes, he can have a tiny piece.”
Art pulled a small piece of ham from his sandwich and held it to Oliver, who swallowed it up without tasting it.
“Art,” the judge’s voice echoed through the corridor.
Art stood at attention. “Sir, I’m sorry. Your one o’clock is here.”
“I can see that.” Cooper folded his arms. “Miss Braddock, please come to my office.”
I hesitated. “Anna is coming with me.”
Anna removed her black bonnet. “Hello, Cooper. I see you’ve done well for yourself as an Englischer.”
He straightened his shirt. “Mrs. Graber, it is nice to see you.” He swallowed under Anna’s stern gaze. I hid a smile. She was definitely the right person to bring with me. “Please, both of you follow me to my office.”
Inside of Cooper’s manly Victorian office, the judge sat behind his clean desk and Anna and I both chose an armchair.
“Why did you want to talk to me?” I asked without preamble. “You weren’t very forthcoming the last time I was here.”
He pursed his lips. “I received a call from Glenn Dudek last night. He wanted to know if there was any truth to the story that Eric Schmidt may have been murdered.”
“Is there?” I asked innocently.
“Miss Braddock, I don’t know what makes you think you have a right to disturb so many lives with your questions.”
“Angie is acting at the request of her aunt.” Anna came to my defense.
Cooper folded his hands on the desktop. “If I’m connected to rumors about Eric’s death, it could ruin my political career, even if I am completely innocent, which I can assure you that I am.”
“Tell me something that will put an end to it,” I challenged.
He stared at his folded hands, considering my request. Finally, he met my gaze. “Eric was my closest friend. He was like a brother to me. It’s painful to remember that he’s gone, even after all of the time that has passed. Constant reminders of Eric were among the many reasons I left the Amish.” He rocked back in his desk chair. “I’m still close by, but far enough away that I rarely cross paths with anyone who knew Eric. I make a point of not to going into Rolling Brook. Ever.”
I leaned forward. “Cooper, Lily believes that you pushed Eric off the roof. The Dudeks tell me that you and Eric were to sign the contract for the bike shop that night. Eric wanted to talk to them about something . . .” I trailed off.
He sighed. “I shouldn’t have to defend myself about this, but Lily is wrong.”
“She saw the two of you fighting just minutes before he fell to the ground.”
“So we were arguing. I admitted that.”
“Arguing about what?” Anna asked as she pushed her glasses up the bridge her nose. She looked very much the kind Amish grandmother, but I wasn’t fooled and neither was Cooper.
He scowled.
“It was about the bike shop, wasn’t it? And whatever Eric wanted to tell the Dudek brothers?” I said.
“Fine. Yes.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Eric thought we should involve Ira in the business. Ira and Eric were close growing up, and Eric wanted to help out a friend. I understood that, but I also knew Ira was bad for business. He was hothead and rash. The Dudek brothers didn’t care for him.”
“Why not?” Anna asked.
“Ira worked for them a short time. They fired him and said he stole from them. Ira always denied it.”
“They mentioned that when I spoke to them. What did he steal?”
“They claimed small things: money from the cash drawer, small bike parts. I didn’t know who told the truth, Ira or the Dudeks, but it didn’t
matter. The two could not work together. I told Eric that if Ira was part of the deal, the Dudeks weren’t going to do it.”
“Could he work at the store?” I asked.
“I didn’t want him involved at all. I didn’t want to upset our business partners or do anything to endanger the contract. Ira was my friend, too, but this was business. Eric and I discussed him many times, and I thought the conversation was over.” He sighed. “But Eric brought it up again while we worked on the barn roof, and we argued. He said he planned to talk to the Dudeks about Ira again. Finally, I was able to convince him not to. He saw that it could ruin our store, too.”
That’s why Eric never came off of the barn to talk to the Dudeks. Cooper talked him out of it.
“Why do you think he wanted Ira in the project so badly?” I asked.
“Ira knew he would inherit the mercantile someday,” Cooper explained. “But he told us that he wanted to make something for himself on his own.”
“That’s not very Amish,” Anna said.
“No, it wasn’t. Now, I’m sure Ira is grateful for his family store. It’s made a good living for him and his family.”
“Had Eric lived, would you still be Amish?” I asked.
“I’m not certain, but yes, everything changed when Eric died. Everything. Before I had my whole life set out before me. All I had to do was grab it. I never questioned what my life would be like.”
“And then Eric died,” Anna whispered.
“And then Eric died.” His voice was sad. “And I realized that I didn’t know anything about life, and I needed to leave the Amish to find it.”
“When I was here earlier in the week, I saw Ira outside of the courthouse. Art said that he came here often to see you.”
Cooper scowled. “He does. Even though I’m not Amish anymore and Eric is gone. Ira and I are still friends. He drops by every week or so to chat.”
“Doesn’t he remind you of Eric’s death?”
Cooper stood. “Yes, but he’s still my friend—the only one I have left from my childhood. I’m not responsible for Eric’s death and neither is Ira. It was a terrible accident. I wish you would believe that and leave us be.” He stepped around his desk. “There’s nothing more I can tell you. Wherever you go with this from here on out, I’m asking you to keep my name out of it.”
Anna nodded, but I promised nothing.
Back at the security desk, Art and Oliver were sharing a bag of potato chips.
“What are you giving him to eat?” I asked.
Art stuffed that chip bag into his lunchbox. “He just looks so hungry.”
Oliver whimpered.
I jabbed my fists into my hips. “Oliver.” I turned to Art. “Of course he looks hungry. He’s a dog. He’s a master of the art of looking hungry.”
Art looked sheepish. “Everything go okay with the judge?”
“Yes.” It was the best answer I had.
He scratched Oliver between the ears. The pair shared a conspiratorial grin, making me wonder what else they’d eaten. Art straightened up. “The buggy sign you ran into the other day will be replaced, but don’t worry, we aren’t charging you.”
“Um, thanks,” I muttered as I clipped Oliver’s leash onto his collar.
Anna arched an eyebrow as she tied her bonnet ribbon.
Chapter Thirteen
Sitting in the Expedition outside of her home, Anna placed a hand on the door handle. “You know, Angie, I’m starting to believe that everyone was right all along, that Eric’s death was an accident.”
“I don’t know what to think,” I said.
She glanced over the backseat. Oliver was curled up on Evelyn’s quilt. “You still have the quilt. What are you going to do with it?”
“I thought I would try to give it to Lily one more time.”
“She probably won’t take it.”
“I know, but I don’t like the idea of giving it back to my aunt. It will only remind her of the friend she lost and about all the confusion around Eric’s death. She has more important things to contend with than that.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, I will drop it off and head to my aunt’s house. Martha’s right. I shouldn’t be driving all over Holmes County trying to solve a murder that may have never happened. I should be spending every minute I’m in Ohio with my aunt. That’s why I came here.”
She climbed out of the car. “Take care, then.”
I promised that I would.
A short time later, Oliver and I walked through the mercantile’s front door. Evelyn’s quilt was heavy in my arms. There wasn’t anyone at the cash register, not even the bored Amish teenager.
“Should we check the back office?” I asked Oliver while holding Evelyn’s quilt to my chest.
He whimpered and backed up. Typically, my dog was right, fear of birds notwithstanding. If he wanted to leave a place, it was for a good reason.
I turned back to the front door, but Ira Eby stepped out a side aisle, blocking my exit. My pulse quickened.
“How are the boots working for you?” Ira asked.
I held up a foot. “They’re great.”
“Can I help you find something? Maybe some more socks? My wife said you really liked those wool ones.”
I licked my lips. “N-no. One pair is enough, at least for now. I might stop by before I head back to Texas for some more.”
He took a step toward me. “Why come back later if you can buy them now?”
I took a step back. “I need to go see my aunt.”
He nodded at the quilt. “What are you doing with that again?”
“I wanted to give it to Lily, but I can see she’s not here. I’ll come back another day, and I’ll buy the socks then, too.”
He scowled at it. “That’s the quilt from Evelyn Schmidt.”
“If you want, I can leave it with you,” I said. I glanced at my feet. Oliver was gone. Did he wander down an aisle? I couldn’t leave without him.
“I don’t want that thing anywhere near my family,” he spat.
“Okay, I’ll just take the quilt and leave.” I took a tentative step forward. “Mind if I get by you?”
His face turned red. “Ya, I mind, Englisch girl. You have no right to come here and ask questions about Eric Schmidt. What happened long ago has nothing to do with you or your aunt.”
“I’ll happily leave,” I stammered.
His dark eyebrows knit together. “You’re not leaving.”
I swallowed. “Why not?”
“Because I know you are running around the county talking to folks about me,” he hissed.
“About you?” I asked, hoping playing dumb would work. “No. I was talking about Eric.”
“If it’s about Eric, it’s about me, too.”
“Because of the Amish bike shop,” I said, immediately regretting it.
His eyes flashed. “Who told you that?”
“The Dudek brothers.”
He muttered under his breath in Pennsylvania Dutch. I didn’t understand the meaning, but it was clear that Ira was no fan of the Dudeks. He switched to English. “I made mistakes when I was young. Who hasn’t? But they were determined to hold that against me. The truth is, I was the one who was stolen from.”
“What do you mean?” I edged toward the door.
Ira picked up a broom from the display and jumped at me. I froze.
He pointed the broom handle at my chest. “It was my idea to open an Amish bike shop, not Eric’s, not Cooper’s, and not the Dudeks’. The Dudek brothers got the idea from me, and instead of asking me to start it, they went to my friends because of one small mistake I made.”
“You mean stealing from them.”
He glared at me, neither denying nor admitting guilt about stealing from the English bike shop. “They should have chosen me!” He poked the end of the broom in my chest. Thankfully, the quilt cushioned the worst part of the blow. Caught off guard, I stumbled backward into a d
isplay of spice tins. They fell from the shelf, and I covered my head to protect myself. One of the cans burst, and nutmeg fell all over me. I dropped the quilt. “Ira, you don’t want to hurt me. You won’t get away with it this time.”
“I know that,” he said, resigned, but he gave no indication that he would stop poking me with that blasted broom. I wanted to rip it out of his hands and whack him with it.
“You were mad at the Dudeks because they stole your idea. Fine. But why did you push Eric off of the barn?” I asked, because now I was certain that he had. My first clue had been Evelyn’s quilt and Ira’s strong reaction to it. He kicked an elderly woman out of his shop to stop her from giving it to his wife. Then, there was the bike shop. That had to be the motive for the murder, which narrowed the number of suspects immensely, leaving only the Dudeks, Cooper, and Ira. Both the Dudek brothers and Cooper lost a business deal after Eric’s death. Ira, who had been cut out of the deal, lost nothing but a friend.
“Do you think I’m happy about what I have done? I’ve lived with it day in and day out for fifteen years. I think about it every day, and now you come here and make my torturous memories worse.”
“You could have avoided that if you hadn’t pushed him,” I said, immediately regretting it.
His eyes flashed. “It was an accident. I was angry, but I never intended to kill him. I thought he would be able to keep his footing. He promised me that he would talk to the Dudeks and convince them to let me be a partner in the shop. That’s what he told me just the day before.” A vein on his neck pulsated. “Then, when we are on the roof, he tells me that Cooper talked him out of it, that Cooper thought it wasn’t a gut idea to upset the brothers. He said that I could join later after the shop was open a few years. I didn’t want to wait a few years. I deserved to be there from the beginning. It was my idea!”
I put distance between us. The smell of nutmeg was overwhelming. My eyes flitted to the front door. Didn’t anyone in this town need supplies? Where were all the Amish shoppers? I could use a few witnesses right about now. “Ira, if your hurt me, it won’t be an accident like Eric’s death. It will be intentional. Just let me leave.”
He snorted. “So you can tell the police, and I will end up in prison. What will happen to my wife and children then? Who will take care of them?”
Plainly Murder (Amish Shop Quilt Mysteries .5) Page 9