Murder, Simply Stitched: An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery

by Isabella Alan

  Zander flopped onto the couch with his pillowcase of bounty. Still in costume, Oliver and Tux panted at his feet.

  Dodger climbed up the couch with his claws. The bandanna was gone. Knowing Dodger, it lay in shreds somewhere.

  “Want to hand out the candy?” I asked Mitchell’s son.

  He shook his head. “No. I will sit here and take inventory.”

  I laughed. Inventory was a funny word for a kid to say. I wondered if he had gotten it from his father or his mother.

  Hillary removed her red trench coat, which I had to admit looked stunning with her black hair. What I wouldn’t give to have straight, sleek hair like that. It was an impossibility with my curls. I had tried and so had my mother. She always said the girls with straight hair won more pageants.

  “Zander, don’t eat too much of that candy,” his mother said.

  Hillary followed me into my retro kitchen. If she didn’t approve of my sparse living room, I wondered what she thought about my circa 1960 kitchen and its olive green appliances. She didn’t comment on it.

  “I can make a pot of coffee or tea,” I said. “I have regular and decaf of both.”

  She pursed her lips but finally said, “Decaf tea please.”

  I filled the kettle with water from the tap and set it on the stove.

  Hillary didn’t wait for the water to boil before she jumped in. “How dare James leave my child with you? I don’t even know you.”

  I set cream, sugar, and spoons on the table. “I understand why you’re upset, but he got a call about a case and had to leave all of a sudden. He and Zander happened to be trick or treating at my house at the time.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I know all about his callouts. You don’t have to tell me. I was married to the man for fifteen years.”

  Fifteen years. I hadn’t realized that the sheriff had been married that long. Sadness washed over me at the thought that a marriage would end after such a long time. How difficult that must have been for both of them and Zander.

  “What was it this time? A drunk college student home for Halloween, Amish kids throwing a party, an accident? It’s always the same.”

  I wasn’t sure I was supposed to tell Hillary this. In fact, was ninety percent sure I was not, but I said, “It was about Wanda Hunt.”

  She dropped the spoon she held. “Wanda. About what happened to her?”

  Taking the second spoon, I sat on the other side of the table. “I think so. Someone broke into her office tonight.”

  “That’s terrible.” She gripped the spoon. “It must have been the killer.”

  I shrugged even though I was convinced of the same. “Wanda was your friend.”

  “She was a very good friend to me.”

  “What could have been in that office that someone thought it was worth breaking in for?” I asked.

  She thought for a moment. “Wanda and David are the only CPAs in Rolling Brook. Most of the businesses and half of the farmers in the township have accounts with them.”

  “What are some of her large accounts?”

  “Wanda didn’t talk about her business much with me, but I guess the mercantile and the auction yard would be the largest. I suppose that if Aaron Miller opens the pie factory he’ll work with David. He would be one of the largest too.”

  The teakettle whistled, and I poured the boiling water into my cat-shaped teapot. “Would Aaron work with David? After his dispute with Wanda?”

  “I don’t know. He has been a customer before. I remember seeing him leaving Wanda’s office once when I met her for lunch.”

  That didn’t sound good for Aaron. Any connection between him and Wanda made the police more suspicious of him. Now that Mitchell was on the scene, I suspected that he had already found Wanda’s file about Aaron’s business, if he didn’t know about it already. He would go over it line by line looking for a motive.

  I set the cat teapot in the middle of the table and two mugs with French bulldogs on the side. “When did you see him?”

  “Earlier in the fall, September maybe. It’s hard to remember. It seems like the months blend together at a time like this. Wanda was a dear friend to me.” She pressed a folded paper napkin to the corner of her eye. “Everyone thinks Wanda was a hard woman, but she was like an aunt to me. She helped me a lot when I went through my divorce.” She gave me a pointed look. “She’d gone through a nasty divorce a year before me. It was nice to have someone to talk to who understood. My mother didn’t understand. She and my father have one of those perfect marriages. She wanted me to stick it out with James. Wanda understood why I had to leave.”

  “How nasty was Wanda’s divorce?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “It was awful. Even though she and Troy didn’t have any children—thank goodness for that—they fought over every little thing that they owned. Wanda made more money than her husband, and he thought that meant he should get everything.”

  “And they were still fighting about that,” I said.

  “I guess you mean Troy’s pathetic case to get alimony. There’s no way he would win that one. Wanda told me her lawyer told her that he expected the judge to throw the case out.”

  Had Troy realized that his case with Wanda was a lost cause and killed her in revenge? He certainly knew about her peanut allergy.

  “My divorce wasn’t as difficult,” Hillary said. “But I had Zander to worry about. I fought for sole custody and lost. The entire town was against me because everyone loves James Mitchell. He’s a good sheriff—don’t get me wrong—but he’s married to his job. I didn’t want my son to have to compete with police work like I did.”

  I poured her a cup of tea.

  She leveled a look at me as she accepted the cup. “If I were you, I would keep his job in mind before I got in too deep with him.”

  Ryan was married to his job too and the social status that it allowed him. He never said it, but I suspected that was one reason he broke off our engagement. I wasn’t eager to start a relationship with another workaholic.

  A small smile turned up the corners of Hillary’s mouth. She appeared pleased that she planted a seed of concern about Mitchell in my mind.

  Hillary wrapped her arms around her narrow waist. “I still can’t believe that she’s gone.”

  I dropped my eyes to my tea. “Did Wanda ever say anything about the auction? Why she was there so often?”

  Hillary poured cream into her tea. “Gideon Nissley was a client.”

  “Is that why Gideon gave Reed a job?”

  “Yes, Wanda asked him to.”

  I added more sugar to my tea. There was never too much sugar. “He seems young to have a job. Why did Wanda ask for him to be hired?”

  She scowled into her tea. “Because that teenager needed to focus. Wanda said he liked horses, and the auction house was the best place.”

  “But he’s not Amish.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Clearly.”

  “So Gideon hired him because Wanda was his accountant? Are people that close with their accountants around here?”

  She stiffened. “Holmes County is a small place.”

  There had to be more to it. “Did Wanda ever say anything to you about the auction yard that surprised you? It doesn’t have to have anything to do with Reed even.”

  “She said once that the Nissleys and the auction house would do whatever she asked them to do.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she knew things about the business.”

  “What kind of things?” My voice was sharp.

  “She didn’t say. She was their accountant. I didn’t question that she knew about their affairs.”

  Was Wanda blackmailing Gideon Nissley?

  “Did you tell the sheriff this? That she said this?”

  She set her teacup on the table. “No, why would I?”

  “Because she’s dead,” I said in exasperation. “Anything she said to you about the auction is important. That’s where she died.”

  Abruptly, s
he stood. “I need to leave. I can’t talk about this anymore. It’s late, and Zander needs to go to bed.”

  I followed her into the living room where we found Zander asleep on the couch. His Batman cape was over his back like a blanket, and he clutched the top of his pillowcase in his fist as if he was afraid someone would take his candy from him while he slept. Oliver and Tux slept on either side of him.

  Tears gathered in Hillary’s eyes as she watched her son. “He takes his father’s life in stride, but I worry about what will happen to him when he’s older and understands more.” She swallowed. “About what his father does. When James joined the Millersburg Police after college, it was different. Crime here was so low, but it’s been slowly creeping up. Now there are murders. What if something happens to James? I don’t want my son to go through that. I don’t want to go through that.”

  That’s when I realized Hillary was still in love with her ex-husband. It was a complication I did not need.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Knowing the sheriff would return sometime soon to pick up Tux, I was unable to relax after Zander and Hillary left. So I changed out of my costume into sweats and settled into Zander’s spot on the sofa to watch a reality TV marathon, and the dogs and kitten repositioned themselves around me.

  After midnight my doorbell rang. I fell off the couch and the two dogs began barking crazily.

  I stumbled to my feet. “Shh! Shh, guys!”

  In bare feet, I padded to the front door. I peeked through the peephole and saw the haggard-looking sheriff on my doorstep. I opened the door and Tux put his paws on his owner’s legs.

  Mitchell scratched his head. “You would have thought I’d abandoned him.”

  “He’s happy to see you.”

  “I’m happy to see him. It’s always nice to be greeted by a friendly face.” He smiled at me. “Where’s your cowgirl outfit?”

  I looked down at my University of Texas sweatshirt. “Put away for another year or until my next rodeo.”

  His mouth tilted up at the corners. “Too bad. I really liked it.”

  I dropped my eyes.

  He cleared his throat. “How upset was Hillary?”

  I stepped back. “Come on in. It’s too cold to talk in the doorway.”

  Tentatively, the sheriff stepped into my home and removed his leather jacket. He’d been inside before, but it had always been on official cop business.

  I laughed. “Have a seat. Sorry the couch is the only option. I might get around to buying some more furniture one of these days. Of course, I would need money to do that.”

  He looked at me in concern as he sat.

  I waved my hand. “Oh, I’m fine. I pour every extra penny I have back into the shop.”

  He relaxed. “That makes sense.”

  I perched on the opposite arm of the couch and faced him. There was a good three feet of distance between us. “So you asked me how upset Hillary was.”

  “Let’s do it on a scale of one to ten.”

  “I’d say she averaged a nine point eight.”

  He laughed. “That’s good news. I would have thought she would have been a twelve or thirteen.”

  I picked up a throw pillow and held it to my chest. “She might have been there when she arrived, but by the time she left, I think I calmed her down to a seven.”

  “You calmed her down?”

  “We had a nice conversation over a cup of tea.” I yawned. Typically I was a night owl, but the emotional conversation with Hillary, who grudgingly I was beginning to like, wore me out.

  “A cup of tea? Here? With you?”

  “Yes. Zander took a nap. It was a long talk. Hillary’s pretty nice actually. I think we might end up friends after she stops hating me.”

  He mock frowned. “I don’t know how I feel about my ex-wife being friends with you.”

  “Why’s that?” Another yawn.

  “Because I like you and she doesn’t like me most of the time.”

  What could I say to that?

  Tux braced his front paws on his owner’s legs, and Mitchell scratched the Boston’s nose. “I’m impressed though. If you can talk Hillary down in the middle of a rant, I think you’re going to do just fine as a township trustee.”

  “Well, I don’t know if my calming her down helps you with her at all.”

  “I know that it probably doesn’t. She will let me have it the next time I see her. That’s for sure.”

  I smiled, hugging my pillow. “Do you want a cup of tea? It worked wonders with Hillary. It might be good for you too.”

  “What kind of magic tea do you have?”

  “Lipton.”

  He laughed. “Definitely another time. I can’t stay long.”

  “What did you find at the CPA office?” I asked quickly.

  “Angie, I didn’t come here to talk about the case.”

  “I took in your son and your dog when you needed me, and I listened to your ex-wife rant. I think you owe me something.”

  He smiled. “I can repay you in other ways.”

  I ignored his comment. “Was the office a mess?”

  He sighed. “Whoever broke in there didn’t want us to know what he or she was looking for because the place was completely tossed. All the files from every file cabinet were spilled on the floor. It will take David days to sort out all the papers, and he needs to. If we know what is missing, we might be able to find the person responsible.”

  “Do you think it’s connected to Wanda’s death?”

  “Yes.” His tone left no room for argument.

  “Did you find any evidence of that?”

  He frowned. “No, but it’s hard to believe the two events weren’t related. We collected some good fingerprints from the scene. The person who did this was careless. Which is good for us. Careless people get caught.” He removed Tux’s leash from the pocket of his jacket. “You’re tired. I think it’s time for Tux and me to turn in.”

  “Hillary said something about Wanda tonight that you need to know.” I went on to tell him that Wanda had implied to his ex that she had some information she could use against the Nissleys if need be. “Do you think she was blackmailing them?”

  He rubbed his five o’clock shadow. “It’s possible. I’ll ask Gideon about it on Monday.” He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want you asking him.”

  I dropped the pillow back on the couch. “I’m in this for Rachel.”

  He stood. “I know that, and I admire your loyalty to your friends. I saw how far you will go for them at the trustee meeting last night. That doesn’t change the fact a woman is dead and this is an open sheriff’s department investigation.” He moved toward the door.

  I hopped off of the couch.

  He paused. “Tomorrow, Tux and I will be going for a walk at the park around ten in the morning. We would love if you and Oliver would join us.”

  “This is official police business?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “This is a date?” I asked.

  “No.” His aquamarine eyes sparkled. “Unless you want it to be. Instead, we’ll call it a doggie play date. Look at them. They can hardly stand being apart.”

  I looked down at the two dogs that stood shoulder to shoulder.

  “We’ll see. I can’t promise you I will be there.”

  “Good enough. We will be there.” He wrapped the end of Tux’s leash around his hand twice. “You are pretty cute when you’re sleepy. I thought you should know that.” He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Without another word, the sheriff and his Boston stepped through my front door.

  So much for being sleepy. Now I was wide awake and too stunned to even say good-bye.

  Chapter Forty

  Even though I told him otherwise, I knew that I was going to spend the next morning at the dog park with the sheriff. After tossing and turning over how the morning would go, I jumped out of bed, telling myself that it was a doggie play date not a real date.

  Oliver didn’t like the i
dea of leaving Dodger home alone again, but when I told him it was to see his pal Tux he agreed to go, after checking the kitten over twice to make sure he was okay. When he was satisfied with Dodger’s condition, we left the house.

  With so many wide-open spaces and farmland, there weren’t many parks set aside specifically for recreation in the county. At least that’s what it looked like to me coming from Dallas where there was a clear distinction between the city and the city park. In Holmes County those lines were blurred.

  The dog park was on the edge of Millersburg. It was a loosely managed county park with playground, hiking trails through the woods, and a dog run. I had taken Oliver on the hiking trails a couple of times, but never to the dog run before. Oliver doesn’t run unless there is a bird in the vicinity.

  When I arrived at the gravel parking lot closest to the dog run, I spotted the sheriff leaning against the hood of his car. He was not alone, and I wasn’t referring to Tux. Reed had a sullen expression on his face and was slumped on a bench a few feet away, watching the dogs run.

  I opened the back door and let Oliver jump out. Tux, who was already inside the fenced dog run, galloped up to the gate and pressed his flat nose into it. Oliver jogged over and did the same.

  Mitchell laughed and opened the gate, letting Oliver into the run. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” I stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets. “I’m surprised to see Reed here. You didn’t mention him last night. . . .”

  “I didn’t know he was coming.” He squinted in the sunlight. “I got a call from Reed’s mom this morning. Her plane landed in Columbus about three hours ago. She should be here any moment to pick up Reed. I figured the dog park was as good a place as any for a reunion.”

  I studied his face. “You don’t care I’m here for this?”

  “I want you here,” was all he said.

  I wanted to ask him why he wanted me there when a sedan, clearly a rental, pulled into the gravel lot. A beautiful woman climbed out of the car. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was stunning. Her skin was flawless, her honey-colored hair fell in soft waves well below her shoulders, and her figure looked like she could have ordered it straight from the Victoria’s Secret catalog. And this was a woman who just got off of a plane? When I rolled off of an airplane, I looked like I had been run over by a Humvee. Reed had said his mother moved to Los Angeles to be an actress. She certainly had the looks down.