Secrets Come Home (10 page)

Chapter 16.

“What aren’t we seeing?” Ava repeated. “For one, it would be nice to know why Sadie doesn’t remember going to that safe deposit box. Do you think she’s got something wrong with her? I’ve read about people doing things and then they have no memory of it.” Ava looked out the window of the taxi.

Ettie shook her head. “It’s more simple than that, I’d say. What if it wasn’t Sadie at all? What if it was someone who forged her signature? Crowley said they check the signatures against the ones held at the bank. All someone would have to do is dress in Amish clothes and write a signature that looks similar to Sadie’s.”

“They’d most likely need identification. Someone could have stolen her ID card and forged her signature, but who?”

“Not just who – how did they get the key back to Horace, since it seemed he was the last one to have it?” Ettie said.

“I can’t believe she made up the story about Terence Wheeler hiding a body and a key,” Ava said.

“Well, she admitted that was a lie.”

“What else is she making up, then?”

Noticing that the taxi driver was leaning back toward them, Ettie said, “Let’s finish this conversation when we’re with Elsa-May.”

* * *

After Ettie and Ava told Elsa-May everything that had happened, Ettie leaned forward. “I can’t believe it. I mean I do, but it’s so hard to believe. Poor Sadie’s been through a bit. Nothing seems to work out for that girl.”

“Well, what are your thoughts on everything, Elsa-May?” Ava asked.

“I’m shocked about Horace and Sadie, truly shocked.” Elsa-May took a deep breath. “I knew she wasn’t a Hostetler, but then there was the matter of Horace about to marry Agatha.”

“I never would’ve thought it either, but what are your thoughts on the things besides that?” Ettie asked.

Elsa-May began by saying, “The money’s gone–”

Ettie interrupted, delighted to be able to correct her sister. “It wasn’t money, it was diamonds and gems.”

Elsa-May narrowed her eyes at Ettie. “You know what I mean.”

A giggle erupted from Ettie’s lips.

“Ettie, this is serious.” Elsa-May shook her head.

“I’m sorry, continue.”

“Might I?” Elsa-May asked full of sarcasm.

Ettie nodded.

“As I was saying, the goods were gone from the box. Bill was maybe trying to help his birth mother, or maybe he was trying to get whatever was in that box for himself.” Elsa-May turned to Ettie. “Who are the suspects?”

“Who killed Bill?”

Elsa-May gasped. “Is Bill dead too?”

“Nee,
I meant to say Horace. You mean, who killed Horace?”

“Did the same person who took the gems kill Horace?” Ava asked.

Elsa-May and Ettie looked at each other.

Ettie was the first to speak. “I don’t know, but it occurs to me that if Sadie didn’t collect the goods from that box, it had to be a woman who did it, posing as Sadie.”

Elsa-May placed her knitting back in the bag by her feet. “And who would have been the same age and who would have known about it?”

“Old Mrs. Settler, the one who raised Bill – although she wouldn’t have been old back then. I think she would’ve been older than Sadie was, though, by maybe ten years. Mrs. Settler didn’t want to give the baby up and she knew what Horace had stolen because he was using it as blackmail.”

Ava added, “Jah, and she was very upset to see us there talking to Bill the first day we went there, wasn’t she, Ettie?”

“She was, and she seemed to be talking as though Bill knew us. She could’ve thought I was his mother; that I was Sadie. All she would’ve seen is our Amish clothes from where she stood.”

“You need to talk to Sadie again,” Elsa-May said.

Ettie breathed out heavily. “Some things she just clams up about. Do you think we should go and talk to old Mrs. Settler, Bill’s mother?”

Elsa-May said, “Most definitely.”

“Ava, do you think you could find her address?”

“I do have a friend who works at the DMV. I’m certain I could get the address.”

“Then we’ll visit her tomorrow, if you can find where she lives by then.”

* * *

Ettie knocked on Mrs. Settler’s door with Ava standing next to her.

The door opened a crack with the security chain still attached. “What do you people want?”

“We’d just like to ask you some questions, Mrs. Settler. Bill’s birth mother is a good friend of ours and she’s just told us about him.”

“And?”

“Could we talk to you? We won’t take up much of your time.”

The woman closed the door; they heard the clicking and sliding of the chain and then the door opened wide. “Come in, only if you’re going to be brief.” They followed Mrs. Settler through to a garden room at the side of the house. When they were seated, Mrs. Settler asked, “What do you want to know?”

Ettie licked her lips and looked over at Ava. She hadn’t expected Mrs. Settler to speak to them, so she hadn’t come prepared with questions.

Ava said, “Bill was given to you by an Amish couple?”

“They gave him to us and then they wanted him back.” She folded her arms across her chest.

“They claim the arrangement was only for six months.”

“No, it wasn’t. They’re lying. Anyway, Billy already told me he found his birth parents. Now he tells me that man – Horace – turned up dead.”

“That’s right,” Ettie said. “He is deceased.”

“Anyway, they lied to us. Bertram, that’s my late husband, said they didn’t want him. He said they couldn’t have him because they were Amish and unmarried. That’s what I was told and that’s what I believe. There was nothing said about six months. I was upset that the woman came here wanting him back. Billy was happy and settled.”

“Did you know about Bill’s father taking money from your husband? I mean, not money – it was diamonds,” Ettie asked.

“They said we could have him and then they changed their minds. How would you feel? We looked after him for months thinking we’d have him forever and then that man comes calling, trying to take him from us. After that, she turns up.”

“Did your husband tell you Horace stole some things and tried to blackmail you?”

She looked at the two of them. “See, that Horace wasn’t an honest man. An honest man wouldn’t have done that.”

Ettie had to stop herself reminding Mrs. Settler about her husband’s dubious reputation. It didn’t escape Ettie’s attention that the woman was the same height and weight as Sadie. She would’ve done anything to keep the baby, and that would include stealing back the diamonds that were used as blackmail against her. Did Mrs. Settler pose as Sadie at the bank?

Ettie didn’t know whether it was old age causing her impatience or if she was simply frustrated by not knowing the truth. “Mrs. Settler, did you go to the bank posing as Sadie Hostetler and remove the gems from the safe deposit box?”

Mrs. Settler stared at Ettie with an open mouth before she said, “I certainly did not. How dare you accuse me of such a thing? You’ve got a thundering cheek.”

“We’re sorry, Mrs. Settler, but I’m sure the police are going to come and ask you the very same thing.”

“They are? Do they think I killed him? I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t have killed my son’s birth father even if he were a horrid man. Neither would I have stolen anything out of a deposit box – I wouldn’t even know how to go about doing such a thing.”

Just then, the three women heard cars screech to a halt outside the house. Mrs. Settler stood up and peered through the trellis of the garden room. From there she had a clear view to the front of her house. “It’s the police.” Tears fell down her face. “I’m not strong enough for all this. I’ve been through too much already.”

“Did you kill Horace, Mrs. Settler?” Ettie asked.

She hung her head. “No, but I know who did.”

Chapter 17.

Before Mrs. Settler could tell Ettie and Ava who killed Horace, the police were at the door.

When she opened the door, Detective Kelly looked straight at Ettie, who was standing behind her. He frowned and then looked back at Mrs. Settler. “We’d like to ask you a few questions, Mrs. Settler.”

She folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “About?”

“I’m sure you’d prefer to discuss the matter in private.”

“Is Bill in some kind of trouble?”

“Mrs. Settler, can we come inside?” the detective persisted.

“No, I have nothing to say.”

She closed the door on both the detective and the officer who was standing beside him. Ettie had never seen anyone so bold as Mrs. Settler. But then, since her husband had been a villain, she wouldn’t have much respect for the law.

Mrs. Settler turned back to Ettie. “Where were we?” Before Ettie could speak, Mrs. Settler looked through the peephole at the police. “Good – they’re going.” Mrs. Settler walked back to the garden room and sat down.

Ettie followed after her, and when she was seated, she asked, “You said you know who killed Horace? ”

Mrs. Settler looked down at the terracotta tiles on the floor.

Ettie ran through all the suspects in her mind to see if she could guess the name in the seconds before the woman spoke. There were Sadie, Agatha, Mr. Settler senior and Terence Wheeler, or one of his men.

“I’m certain it was that woman.”

“Which woman?” the two women said at the same time.

“The woman who gave us the baby and then wanted him back.”

Ettie pulled a face and then stared at Ava.

“Now you both must go. It’s just too much for me.”

Ettie knew she’d get no more out of the woman. “Thank you for telling us all that you have, Mrs. Settler.”

She led them back to the front door.

Once they were outside, they walked up the road hoping to find a taxi.

“Kelly wasn’t happy to see me. I think we should go straight to the station, make that report and look at those mug shots.”

“Ettie, don’t you ever get tired? Or hungry?”

“Jah, I could eat.”

Ava smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Ava pulled her in the direction of a small coffee shop that she’d sighted down at the end of the street.

When they were seated with coffee and bagels, Ettie said, “I’m sorry to drag you into all this, Ava.”

Ava smiled. “I have to help to clear Agatha’s name. Do you still think the detective thinks she had something to do with it?”

Ettie finished the mouthful she was chewing. “Not now. Not since all this has come to light about the key, and then Horace and Sadie having a child together.”

Ava took a sip of coffee. “They could think that Agatha was upset with him for what had happened between him and Sadie and then she hit him over the head.”

“People have killed for less, I suppose. At least now the police have a few more things to sort out. At the beginning it was only Agatha, and now they’ve many more people to consider.”

Ava stared into the distance.

“What are you thinking?”

“Oh, Ettie, how can you ever trust a man? I’m shocked about Horace and Sadie – it just seems so awful. There’s Agatha, thinking she would marry Horace and have a family with him, and then she finds out he’s having – or has had – a
boppli
with someone Agatha would have considered as Horace’s
schweschder.
It’s all so awful, too awful.”

“It is, but so are many things in life. It’s how we deal with these challenges that’s important. We can’t judge – it’s not up to us to do that.”

Ava nodded, then stared into her coffee.

“Why have you never married, Ava? You must be about twenty five now.”

“Twenty three. It just seems marriage is for other people. I haven’t met a man who makes me feel that I can totally be myself when I'm with him."

“What about Jeremiah?” Ettie said with a twinkle in her eye. “He’d be over twenty now, I’d say. I’ve got so many great nieces and nephews it’s hard to keep up.”

“He does seem nice, but he’s never been anything more. I mean, he’s never asked me to spend time with him, so I don’t know how I could get to know him better. I feel too old to go to the singings – they’re more for the younger people.”

“Why don’t Elsa-May and I have you two to dinner?”

Ava giggled. “Ettie, don’t you dare do that. It’ll be so obvious that I’d be embarrassed.”

Ettie pouted. “If you want something to happen, Ava, you have to do something about it. You can’t just sit down and hope that a man will come to you if that hasn’t happened already.”

“Forget I said anything. I’m okay as I am. I’m happy living alone.”

Ettie raised her eyebrows at her and Ava looked away.

“The greatest joy in my life was having a family. Seeing the miracle of birth as the little ones come into the world – there’s nothing like it.”

“I’ve got my horse, and thanks to you, now I’ve got chickens.”

Ettie giggled, and covered her mouth with her hand as she burst into all-out laughter.

Ava giggled too. “Besides, Agatha seemed happy and she never married.”

“That’s true; we can find happiness wherever we are.” Ettie patted her mouth with the paper napkin. “Ah, that was nice.
Denke
for suggesting it. Now, are you ready to face Detective Kelly?”

“It’s you who’ll have to do that,” Ava said with a smirk.

* * *

Ettie approached the sergeant at the front desk. “I’m Ettie Smith. Detective Kelly has been waiting on me to look at some photographs and to make some kind of a report.”

With just a glance up at her, the sergeant picked up the phone and talked to the detective. “I’ve got a Mrs. Smith here to make a report and look at some photos.” When he hung up the receiver he said, “Follow me.”

Ava sat in the waiting area while Ettie followed the gruff sergeant into an empty room. An officer came in and took down her statement over what happened when Sadie visited her. When she was done with that, she had to look through a series of photographs. She was unable to identify the young man with the gun.

“Is that all for today?” Ettie asked, hoping she could leave.

“Detective Kelly would like a word with you.”

That was what Ettie had feared. She waited while the officer went to fetch the detective.

When he came in, he sat before her and said, “What were you doing at Mrs. Settler’s house?”

She opened her mouth to speak when he raised his hand to stop her. “I know exactly what you were doing. You were asking her questions. And if it weren’t for you, she would’ve spoken to us when we got there.”

“No, I’m sure –”

“Mrs. Smith, I could have you arrested for obstructing justice.”

“But I –”

“There have been some developments.”

Ettie raised her eyebrows. Had they found out some things from Bill Settler?

“Since you insist on sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong, have you found out anything?”

Ettie scratched her neck, not sure what she should reveal. “I know a great many things about a lot of people, but I’m not sure which of it would be of interest to you.”

“I’ll tell you something and then you might see how vital it is that you stay out of my way. After we got a warrant for Mrs. Settler’s bank accounts, we found that exactly a week after the box in Sadie’s name was accessed, over three hundred thousand dollars was deposited into her account.”

Ettie raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yes, really. We’ll also be charging Bill Settler. He admitted to sending someone to your house with a gun to get a key from you.”

“How would he have known?” Ettie asked.

The detective ignored Ettie’s question. “A warrant for Mrs. Settler’s arrest has just come through – that is, if she hasn’t already been spooked by your visit and disappeared. Our plan was to visit her and talk to her about what her son had said, hoping the warrant would come through while we were with her. But you ruined that for us. We’ll have to hope that she’s still at the house.”

“You could’ve had her watched.”

“Manpower, Mrs. Smith, manpower – it’s not an unlimited resource.”

“I’m sorry, Detective. I didn’t mean to get in the way. I’m just trying to clear my friend’s name. She’d do the same for me.”

The detective stared at her blankly as though he wanted to admonish her some more.

“I should go, I suppose. I’ve looked at the photos and I’ve made that report.”

“Very well. Please stay out of this whole thing, Mrs. Smith. I know you’re trying to help your friend and I can understand that, but you are getting in our way.”

Ettie rose to her feet and gave him a nod. She left the detective sitting and hurried out to meet Ava in the waiting area.