Hidden (Amish Romance Mystery) (Amish Secret Widows' Society Book 2) (7 page)

“Yes, if it’s not too late,” he said looking at Elsa-May and Wil.

“I was careful only to touch the corners of the frames,” Elsa-May said.

“I only touched them years ago,” Wil said.

Emma remained silent until the detective stared at her. “Oh, I haven’t touched them at all.”

“I’ll get the fingerprint team down here.” Detective Crowley walked out the door while pushing buttons on his cell phone.

“They promised me full co-operation,” Bailey said nodding his head to Crowley.

“What prints would you expect since the person looking for them at Frank’s
haus
didn’t find them? It wouldn’t have their prints on them,” Elsa-May said.

“I know; it’s just routine. We have to do things properly.” Bailey lowered his voice, “Especially with Crowley breathing down my neck. I can’t do anything unless it’s completely by the book.”

Chapter 11.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Genesis 2:2-3

“Detective, have you found anything out?” Elsa-May asked him when the detective came back inside the
haus
after speaking on his cell.

“It so happens that we have new information from the son, Andrew. He admitted to being there that morning. Andrew had fallen on hard times and thought his father had something of great value that he might be able to sell. His father denied having anything at all and a shouting match broke out.”

“Must have been these paintings that Frank was protecting,” Wil said.

The detective took a step forward. “Well, no one will get them since they’re stolen.”

“Not so fast.” Bailey held up each painting and took a good look at them. “I dare say that these aren’t any of the paintings I was chasing. Two of them are very similar. These might very well be the real deal.”

“What do you mean, the real deal?” Detective Crowley asked him.

“They might not be stolen.” Bailey carefully looked at the back of the paintings with gloved hands. “Just as I hoped. It appears something is stuck to the back of each painting; no doubt it would be the receipts and authentication. I think we will find that these aren’t stolen.”

“So the sons will come into an inheritance?” Maureen asked as if she was disappointed.

“Appears so,” Bailey said.

The sound of a car screeching to a halt made everyone’s heads turn toward Wil’s front door. Wil went outside the
haus
to greet Andrew, Frank’s son.

“Wil, I’ve just been to the bank and all the money was cleaned out of dad’s account, all of it.”

Wil jerked his head back. “Did they say when the money was taken out?”

“The day he died. The very day he died, all the money gone.” Andrew put a hand on Wil to steady himself and looked as though he was about to collapse.

“Detective Crowley is here. Come inside.” Wil helped Andrew into the
haus.

Wil told Crowley what Andrew had just told him, while Andrew sat breathing heavily on the couch with his hand on his chest.

Detective Crowley sat opposite Andrew and scratched in his notebook. “Did anyone at the bank see if he was accompanied by anyone?”

Andrew shook his head. “They didn’t say.”

“Should be on their CCTV. I’ll check into it.”

Wil said, “Andrew, these are your
daed’s
paintings. He told me if anything should happen to him to give them to you and Clive. I’m sorry, but I only just remembered them.”

Andrew hurried over to the paintings and sank to his knees. “This must be what he told us about. Something of tremendous value for us boys.”

Bailey stepped forward. “You can’t touch them. We need to have them fingerprinted and authenticated to check that they aren’t stolen first. I’ll need to take them for a while.”

“My
daed
was a man of
Gott.
He would never steal,” Andrew said.

“I don’t mean to offend you. I’m Detective Bailey Rivers.”

“What’s going on here? Why would you think that they were stolen?” Andrew asked. When Wil told him about Bailey being on the trail of stolen paintings, Andrew asked Bailey, “How long will you have to take them for?”

“Three days, I’ve got someone coming in from Chicago. Hopefully, they’ll be here tomorrow so we can get this thing wrapped up. I’ve been chasing some stolen paintings, but I’m sure I’m on the wrong trail with these ones.”

“Do what you need to do. I’m confident that they’re not stolen,” Andrew said.

“Andrew, what’s keeping you?” Andrew’s girlfriend called out to him from the doorway. “I’m coming, Lacey, and I’ve got some good news.”

Emma noticed that Lacey had long blonde hair and today her long nails were pink, but the day Emma met her they were red. An alarm bell went off in Emma’s head, the long strand of hair, the red flake, which could’ve been a piece of red nail polish. Emma looked up at Elsa-May and by the look on her face Emma knew that she was thinking the same thing.

While Andrew was showing the girlfriend the paintings, Elsa-May pulled the detective aside and whispered in his ear.

The detective stood behind the girl and asked, “Tell me, Lacey, were you at Frank’s
haus
the day that he died?”

“No, she wasn’t there. She waited in the car for me,” Andrew answered for her.

“I’m asking this young lady, not you, sir.” The detective looked back at Lacey. “Well, young lady?”

“No, like he said, I was in the car.”

“In that case you wouldn’t mind giving me a DNA sample would you?”

Lacey’s face stiffened. “No, I’m not going to waste my time with such a thing.” Lacey looked at Andrew. “Tell them, Andrew.”

“How long will it take, detective?” Andrew adjusted his trousers. “We’ve got lunch reservations.”

“I’ll have someone here in ten minutes.” The detective stepped outside and made a call on his cell phone.

“Is Lacey a suspect?” Andrew asked when the detective came back inside.

“Not especially, but everyone is giving DNA samples and we haven’t got one from her yet. I could get a warrant, if need be.”

Andrew slumped into the couch and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “We can wait ten minutes. You don’t mind if we inconvenience you for ten more minutes do you, Wil?” Andrew asked.

“
Nee
, of course not.”

“I’ll make us some tea,” Emma said and hurried to the kitchen with Elsa-May close behind her.

“What do you think?” Elsa-May whispered to Emma.

“She does have the long, pale hair and that red flake we found could be that nail varnish she was wearing,” Emma whispered back. “She was after the thing of value that old Frank had spoken of. She could have come back after Andrew ransacked the place and tried to get it out of the old man, where the valuables were.”

“
Jah
, that makes sense because he was poisoned with a lethal dose of sodium pentothal.” On seeing the blank look on Emma’s face, Elsa-May said, “Truth serum.”

“When did you find that out?”

“Crowley told me as soon as he found out. I didn’t put two and two together at the time. Now, it makes sense.”

“What about all his money disappearing from the bank? Do you think Bob could’ve had anything to do with it?” Emma asked.

“I’d hate to think so. I don’t think Bob would’ve done such a thing. He’s always been honest in his dealings,” Elsa-May said.

When they brought the tea into the living room, Andrew and the detective were speaking to each other on the couch.

“I’ve admitted to looking through the house, but I didn’t kill him and I didn’t ransack the place,” Andrew said.

The detective said, “You’ve told the police all this in your statement, haven’t you?”

Andrew nodded.

The detective continued, “Did you see Bob Pluver?”

“I was parked up the road with Lacey later that day and we saw him go past in the buggy with Bob Pluver.”

“Then where did you go?” the detective asked.

“Lacey had a hair appointment…”

Lacey interrupted as she bounded to her feet. “I don’t want to wait for the DNA people. I already told you that I’ve never been to the
haus
.”

“I could get a warrant; it’ll only take me a couple of hours.” The detective’s tone was firm.

Lacey walked toward the door. “Come on, Andrew. Let’s go.”

“We should just wait and get it over with, Lacey. He said he could get a warrant and then you’ll just have to go to the bother of doing it another time.”

Lacey’s voice rose. “I said that I don’t want to stay, Andrew.”

Andrew looked shocked as if he had never heard Lacey raise her voice. “Whatever’s gotten into you, just stay? It won’t take long.”

“We found some hair and some other material we can identify. The hair was long and blonde. Is there anything you’d like to tell me, Lacey? We can also check with the hairdresser to see if you kept that appointment.”

Lacey looked at the floor. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to kill him. I just wanted him to tell me where the valuables were. I gave him truth serum, only a bit. He must’ve had an allergic reaction or something.”

Andrew jumped to his feet. “You did what?”

Lacey began to cry and ran to Andrew and put her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t give him much at all.”

Andrew whispered to her. “Don’t say anything until we get a lawyer.”

“Where did you get the sodium pentothal from?” The detective asked.

Lacey shrugged and raised her head slightly. “I’m not saying any else.”

“One more thing I should tell you, Andrew.” Detective Crowley said.

“And what’s that?” Andrew asked.

“The will you have in your possession has been superseded. He wrote a new will the day that he died. I’m afraid that you and your brother are no longer the benefactors.”

“No. It must be a fake will. It can’t be real.”

“He had a lawyer witness it. I can assure you it is real.” Detective Crowley said.

Lacey jumped back from Andrew. “You idiot, Andrew. Can’t you do anything right?”

“Shut up, Lacey. Clive and I will contest it. Who’s the benefactor?”

“Bob Pluver is the sole benefactor. I wouldn’t waste your time or your money contesting anything, not after you both terrorized the old man and finally killed him.”

Lacey hurried to the door. “Let’s go Andrew.”

The detective stepped in front of her. “Lacey, you have to come with me.”

Sirens sounded and everyone stayed still. Seconds later, two police officers ran into the house.

Emma remembered she saw the detective on his phone minutes before and realized he had called for backup.

The detective pointed to Lacey as he spoke to the officers. “You can take this one back to the station.”

As the officers led Lacey away, Andrew said, “I’ll follow them in my car, sweetie.”

The detective sat down.

“Tea?” Elsa-May said as she held up the teapot.

The detective grunted. “I’ll need something stronger than tea, but I suppose tea will do for now.”

“Did I hear you right? Bob inherited everything?” Emma asked.

“It appears that Bob was preparing to have the old man move into a small
haus
that he’d built on to his own. He called it a
daadi haus
. You Amish look after your own, I’m told.” He smirked at Emma.

Emma smiled back. “That’s right; we do.”

Wil said, “His sons hadn’t visited him in years so I don’t see that they would’ve taken him in when he got too feeble to look after himself. Bob was doing a
gut
thing.”

“I knew Bob wouldn’t have done anything bad,” Maureen said.

Emma signaled to Bailey to meet her in the kitchen.

“Bailey, have you thought of how upset Silvie will be when she knows that this was all not real – you intending to join the community?”

“Yes, I have and it’s upset me from the start. I feel such a pull toward her that I couldn’t bring myself to stay away from her.”

Emma was annoyed with Bailey for pursuing a relationship with Silvie in the first place when he knew that he would not be staying. “She took quite a liking to you and she has never shown interest in any other man since her husband died.”

“I’ll go straight to her place and tell her, as soon as I can. I’m sorry to deceive you and Wil too, but that’s the nature of my business, I guess.”

Emma folded her arms. “Maybe you should get into a different business then.”

Bailey nodded. “Excuse me, I’ll have to arrange to take the paintings away.”

“Once again, Elsa-May, thank you for your assistance,” the detective said then quickly drank the rest of his tea. “I must be going – paperwork.”

“Detective, I must ask. Was the hair that we found useable for the DNA test, did it have the root follicle attached?”

Detective Crowley grinned, “They weren’t able to use it, but we don’t need it now that we have a confession.”

* * *

Silvie sat at the kitchen table and took a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet in the
haus
now that Sabrina had taken the buggy into town. A car pulling up in her driveway disturbed her peace. As she opened her front door, she saw Bailey getting out of a car.

“Bailey, why are you driving a car?”

Bailey hurried toward her. “Silvie, can we speak inside?”