Murder, Handcrafted (Amish Quilt Shop Mystery) (11 page)

A
s soon as we got outside of the mercantile, Mattie dashed down the sidewalk, saying she had to make it home in time for supper and would see me at Running Stitch later for the quilting circle meeting.

“Why do I think she doesn’t want to talk to us about Liam?” I asked the dog and goat.

Petunia head butted me in the hip, which caused me to fall against the mercantile. I grunted and rubbed my shoulder. “I think it’s high time we got you home.”

“Baa!” Petunia said.

I shepherded the Frenchie and goat to my car and headed for the Graber farm.

Anna, Jonah’s mother, must have heard my car approach because she stood on the front porch of her
daddihaus
and waited for me. Anna’s husband had built the
daddihaus
for himself and Anna to retire to when he turned the family farm over to his only son, Jonah. Jonah, Miriam, and their three children lived in the big house where Jonah grew up.

I climbed out of the car and opened the door to the
SUV’s backseat. The goat jumped out first as if glad to be home. I didn’t blame her. The vast Graber farm must have been a relief after being stuck in the tiny garden behind the quilt shop all day.

Oliver exited the car with more care. He scanned the area before jumping out of the car. He always approached the Grabers’ farm with some wariness. Jonah had gone through a string of attempts to farm fowl. At first it was geese, which turned out to be a disaster and almost impossible to sell. After the geese he made an even more ill-advised decision to farm turkeys. The turkeys had been worse, a lot worse. The big tom in the flock had had murder in his eyes.

Somehow over the winter, Jonah had managed to unload the turkeys too. I suspected that he sold them at a loss. Until Jonah had taken the construction job at my parents’ house, he had been concentrating on his new business venture of goat land clearing. Petunia would naturally be the lead goat. No one would ever question that.

I frowned as a dark thought hit me. I knew Jonah was helping me and my family when he took the job at my parents’ house, but he must have also taken it for the extra money. I had always worried about Jonah and his tendency to bounce from idea to idea to make the farm viable. He didn’t have the steady temperament of many Amish men, such as Aaron Miller, who was as consistent as bedrock. Everything Aaron did was thorough and measured. Thinking of Aaron brought to mind Mattie and her new friend.

Anna came down the three steps from her wide
porch. “I’m glad you’ve come. I was hoping you would. I almost walked to the shed phone to call you.”

“Anna, I’m so sorry about everything. How are you? How is Miriam?” I clasped her hands in my own. They were surprisingly cold. Whenever I thought of Anna, I thought of warmth, so I found it disconcerting that her hands would be chilled.

She gave me a sad smile. “
Gott
will set it to rights. We will get through this trial as we have so many others.”

I was about to say something more when the front door to the main farmhouse smacked against the house’s wooden siding with a resounding bang, and Jonah’s nine-year-old twins, Ezra and Ethan, dashed down the steps. Their eleven-year-old sister, Emma, moved down the steps at a much slower pace. Miriam was a few steps behind her daughter. Miriam was a beautiful tall woman with fine features and pale skin. Her dark blond hair was pulled back in the standard Amish bun and covered by a prayer cap, but on her, it appeared elegant, almost like a crown, as she held herself perfectly erect.

Rarely did Miriam come out to meet me when I visited the Graber farm. Even when I was a visitor in her house, she barely acknowledged me. Now I knew why. Seeing her stony glare made me realize everything that Rachel had told me about Jonah and his feelings for me when we were children were true, and Miriam would never forgive me for it. I swallowed back an apology that bubbled in the back of my throat. I had nothing to apologize for, I reminded myself, but like always my
natural inclination was to fix the situation. I might have apologized to Miriam for something, if I thought it would help, but I knew it wouldn’t. I couldn’t even guess how many times Jonah must have tried.

Miriam came into the yard and stopped ten feet from me. Her lovely face was drawn and she gripped her hands in front of her apron.

“Miriam, how are you?” I asked. “I’m so—”

“What are you doing here?” Jonah’s wife wanted to know. “Where’s Jonah? Have you brought him?”

I looked at Anna. “Jonah’s not here?”

“Nee,”
Miriam snapped. “Your sheriff came by an hour ago and took my husband to the police station.”

“Did he arrest him?” I yelped. I should have come sooner. How could Mitchell arrest Jonah without letting me know? I would have thought that my boyfriend would have the courtesy to tell me when he was about to arrest one of my best friends.

“
Nee
, Angie,” Anna said. “He only wanted to talk to him.”

“Why didn’t someone call me?” I asked. “I would have come and asked Mitchell what was going on. I could have helped.”

Miriam pursed her lips, and Anna gave me a warning look.

“Helped? You? When have you ever helped our family?” Miriam gripped the sides of her apron as if attempting to steady herself. “We do not need your help. My husband would not be in this situation if it hadn’t been for you.”

My mouth fell open. I had already thought the same
thing, of course, but it didn’t hurt any less hearing it from Jonah’s wife. I tried to remind myself how upset Miriam must feel, how upset I would feel if something like this happened to Mitchell.

When I didn’t say anything, she asked, “You’re the one who asked him to go to your mother’s house. Is that not true?”

“That’s true, but—”

“But nothing,” she snapped. “You caused all of this.”

“I understand why you are upset, but I didn’t cause anything.” I concentrated on keeping my voice even. “Whoever murdered Griffin Bright was the one who caused the trouble, not me.”

“How do we know it wasn’t you?” Miriam asked.

“Miriam,” Anna said in a warning voice, “you know that isn’t fair.”

“What’s not fair is my husband sitting in a jail cell because of her,” Miriam said.

I looked to Anna. “You said he wasn’t arrested.”

“He wasn’t,” Anna reassured me.

“Maybe he wasn’t arrested yet, but he will be. I know it in my heart, just as I knew you coming back to Holmes County would ruin my family.”

“Miriam, I—I—”

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say.” She glared at me. It was as if Miriam was finally releasing all the anger and jealousy she’d stored up against me for the last twenty years. “And he saw Griffin, a man who hurt my husband so deeply when he was young, who killed his closest friend and cousin. You should have known better. You should be ashamed.”

“I—I didn’t know about Griffin when I asked Jonah for help. I didn’t know my mother had hired him, and even if I had, I didn’t know his past with Jonah or anything about Kamon. I heard of Kamon for the first time yesterday.”

She snorted. “I’m surprised Jonah didn’t tell you every last detail before now. You’re the one who he runs to when he needs help.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” she spat. “My husband made a horrific discovery this morning, and did he come to me for comfort?
Nee
, he called you. He always thinks of you first. He always has and always will.”

“Miriam, you’re wrong.” I took a breath. “Jonah only called me first because I have a phone. I’m much easier to reach, and Griffin died at my parents’ house. Those are both logical reasons as to why he would call me.”

“Those are not the reasons, and you and I both know it. He should have done everything in his power to let me know what happened. Instead I have to hear it from Sarah Leham shouting the news to me from a passing buggy. I’m sure she enjoyed breaking the news as she was rushing to your side. They all do.
Englisch
and Amish, everyone in the county is under your spell.” Her hazel eyes narrowed. “But I am not.”

I almost laughed at how untrue that last statement was. Martha Yoder wasn’t under my spell and neither were others, many others. Instead, I said, “Jonah didn’t want to worry you. I’m sure that was it.”

“Did he say that? Did he say anything about me at all?” She choked back tears on the last word.

I tried to remember if Jonah had said anything about his wife that morning. Nothing came to mind, but that wasn’t fair. Mitchell and his deputies hardly let me speak to Jonah. Other than asking me to take care of Petunia, he’d barely said a word to me directly.

A single tear rolled down Miriam’s cheek, and I wanted to comfort her. I knew she wouldn’t let me.

“I see.” Her words were heavy and resigned. “Your silence is my answer.”

“Miriam, please, take care.” Anna took a step toward her daughter-in-law. “None of this is Angie’s fault.” Anna’s voice had its normal even tone, but there was a wariness there that I didn’t recognize.

Her daughter-in-law glared at her. “You always take her side. Both you and Jonah always do.”

Take my side? Take my side in what?

Anna opened her mouth, but Miriam was faster. “Did you want your son to marry her? An
Englischer
? Did you want your son to be an
Englischer
?”

“
Nee.
Of course not. That would have never happened,” Anna said firmly.

“I’m your daughter-in-law, your family; therefore you should take my side over hers.” She gestured at me. “Always. But you and Jonah never do. Angie this, and Angie that. ‘Did you hear what Angie did?’ That’s all I ever hear.” She spun on her heels and ran back to the big farmhouse.

The door slammed closed behind her. Emma stood at
the corner of the house, clutching her ever-present book to her chest. There was no telling where the twins were. Emma caught my gaze and turned away. I bit the inside of my lip. I had always felt a kinship with the bookish girl. Would that be ruined because of what she overheard her mother say? I couldn’t blame Miriam. My heart hurt for her and I sympathized with her feelings.

Anna touched my arm. “Don’t mind Miriam. She’s been so upset since the police arrived.”

“Anyone would be,” I said, barely above a whisper.

Anna clasped her hands in front of her. “She doesn’t understand why Jonah still wants to be your friend. It is not common for an Amish man to be such close friends with an
Englisch
woman.”

“Anna, I would never . . .” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

She rubbed my arm. “I know, child, and I know that the same is true for my son. However, Miriam has lived over half her life hearing Angie Braddock stories, and here you are in person, taking her husband’s time and attention away from her. That is not easy for her. It would not be easy for any woman. You have to understand that.”

“I would never take Jonah away from his family, and I asked him to help with the construction job at Mom and Dad’s house because I trust him and can count on him as my friend, nothing more. I knew it would be a good job for him too. My parents pay well, and I know Jonah is doing everything he can to keep your family farm afloat. I thought the extra cash flow would be welcome.”

Anna nodded. “This is true. Sometimes he doesn’t have the best ideas about how to go about it.” She chuckled. “Especially after his failure with the geese and turkeys. Don’t let Miriam confuse you; she was glad when Jonah took the job at your parents’ home. It gave her a reprieve, however short, from Jonah’s constant talk about the goats and the need to buy more to increase their speed for clearing land. I think she was afraid he might come home one evening with a full herd of goats. I was too.”

“Are they okay financially?” I asked.

“
Gott
will provide. He always does.” She said the words with complete confidence, a confidence I envied.

But I couldn’t help but think that her answer was the same as a no. I cleared my throat. “I’m going to the sheriff’s department to see if I can find out what’s happening. I have to know for myself Jonah wasn’t arrested.”

I thought about calling Mitchell to ask him what was going on, but thought better of it. I didn’t want to give the sheriff any warning that I knew about Jonah’s being taken to the police station. Mitchell knew me well and would assume I would head straight to the sheriff’s department to confront him. He would be right, and the last thing I wanted was for him to try to stop me.

“Miriam doesn’t want your help,” Anna said. “She wouldn’t like it if she knew that you were headed to the sheriff’s department. It would only make her angrier than she already is.”

“What about you?” I searched her kind face.

She laughed. “Oh, I say go, and find out as much as you can. Sarah Leham stopped by a little while ago
and we discussed the quilting circle meeting we are having tonight at your shop. I think that’s for the best, and I would like you to come to it with a full report.”

“You’ll be at the meeting?” I asked.

She straightened her shoulders. “Of course. When have I ever missed a quilting circle meeting? Besides, it’s
my
son who we have to save from going to prison this time.”

I smiled. “I’m glad.” I squeezed her hand. “I think I will need your ladies’ help to get to the bottom of this. Whoever killed Griffin had put an incredible amount of thought into it. So many details had to fall perfectly in place. Even if Griffin left his boots on, he probably would still be alive.”

“That says to me whoever killed him knew him and knew how he would behave,” Anna said with as much confidence as Miss Marple pointing out the killer over some light dinner conversation. I’d created an Amish grandma crime solver. Great.

T
he sheriff’s department was a large octagonal-shaped building set off by itself on a lonely county road within the village of Holmesville. I stepped into the main lobby and found Mitchell’s grumpy clerk Nadine sitting at the desk. Terrific. In this case, I would have much rather been greeted by Deputy Anderson. I would have been able to pry more information out of the young deputy. Nadine was as immovable as Stonewall Jackson.

Before I could say anything, she clicked her tongue. “Sheriff’s occupied right now. You’ll have to come back for a social call.” Her voice was heavy with disapproval. She hadn’t liked me from the first moment we’d met years ago when I had been in this sheriff’s department to be fingerprinted because I was a murder suspect. Being a murder suspect was an unconventional way to meet my future boyfriend, to say the least. From her death glare, I could guess what Nadine thought of it. Although Nadine would never utter a disapproving word against the sheriff.

“I’m not here for a social call,” I said in my most businesslike voice, doing my best to sound like the township trustee that I was. “I want to talk to the sheriff about a case, the Griffin Bright case, to be exact.”

She sniffed and didn’t appear impressed. “I’m
sure
he doesn’t want to see you about it.”

I stuck my hands on my hips. “Is he with Jonah Graber right now? Is that what has him so occupied?”

She pointed the eraser end of her pencil at me. “I can’t tell you that. That’s police business, not yours. You’re in no position to stick your nose into it.”

Now, I was annoyed. “I understand if you can’t give me any more information without Mitchell’s approval, but Jonah Graber is my friend. I have a right to see him.”

She pursed her lips. “Only his legal counsel can see him at the moment.”

“Does he have a lawyer? Is the lawyer in there with him?” I asked. I should have thought about finding Jonah a lawyer before this. I had been so intent on finding out all I could about Griffin and the people in his life that it hadn’t occurred to me until Nadine brought it up.

“I can’t answer that,” she said primly.

“But—”

I was interrupted when the door between the reception area and the rest of the station opened. Mitchell and Jonah stepped out, followed by Deputy Anderson. Anderson looked mildly alarmed when he saw me. On the other hand, Mitchell didn’t appear the least bit surprised or concerned that I was there.

“Jonah, you’re free to go,” Mitchell said in his most
official voice. “Please stay in the county until I say you are free to leave.”

“Stay in the county?” Jonah asked, honestly confused. “Where else would I go?”

I glared at Mitchell. “What’s going on?” I asked. “Why did you take Jonah from his house tonight?”

Mitchell sighed, and I felt a little bad about the glare. I knew he was only doing his job, but I still wanted answers.

“We only needed to clear up a few details about his statement this morning,” Mitchell said.

“Was his lawyer present? Did you offer him a lawyer?” I asked.

“I didn’t ask for a lawyer, Angie. I have nothing to hide,” Jonah said, sounding incredibly tired. “Not anymore.”

I wanted to ask him what he meant by that but thought it would be best to wait until Jonah and I were alone. I touched Jonah’s arm. “I can take you home.”

He nodded dumbly. There was no more fight left in him. “
Danki
, Angie.” He stumbled toward the door. My heart broke. I had never seen my jovial friend so defeated.

Before I left the station, Mitchell called out, “Angie?”

I turned. The sheriff’s expression softened, and he appeared just as tired as Jonah was. This wasn’t easy on him either, and I wasn’t helping. I smiled at him. I wanted him to know that I understood, but I couldn’t say anything with Nadine looking on. “I’ll call you later,” I finally managed.

Mitchell nodded.

I guided Jonah out the door.

In the car, Jonah buckled his seat belt and stared out the front window of my car. He didn’t say anything.

I knew I needed to say something to break the ice. Clearly Jonah wasn’t going to start the conversation. I cleared my throat. “I took Petunia back to your farm earlier this evening.” I figured goat talk was a safe starting point.

Jonah covered his face with his callused hands. “Angie, you should not have done that. I asked you not to go to the farm.”

Apparently, I was wrong about the goat talk being safe. “Petunia was going stir-crazy in the tiny yard behind Running Stitch. When you didn’t come by closing time, I knew I had to take her home. She couldn’t spend the entire night behind the shop, and I can’t take her to my mother’s.”

He dropped his hands. “Your mother’s? Why would you take Petunia there?”

“I’m spending the night at my parents’ house to keep an eye on things. Mom’s shaken up over everything, and Dad’s in poor health. I thought I could help out.”

He snorted. “You want to snoop. Does the sheriff know this? He’s going to see right through your story about protecting your parents.”

I didn’t say that Mitchell knew about my intention to snoop the moment I offered to spend the night at my parents’.

He pulled on his sandy blond beard. “I told you I would come and collect Petunia when I could. You
shouldn’t have gone to the farm. It will only make matters worse.” His tone was morose again.

I glanced at him as I rolled to a stop at a traffic light in Millersburg, one of the few in the county. “When you didn’t come and collect her by the time the shop closed, I knew something must have happened. I was worried. And when I hadn’t heard anything from Anna either, I was extra worried. It’s not like her not to tell me what’s going on.”

He lifted his head. “I know,” he said sadly. “I asked her not to speak to you until I knew what I was going to do.”

I frowned. “Why?”

His gaze was still fixed straight ahead. “I shouldn’t have asked you to help me this morning. It has made a difficult situation worse.”

“How?” I asked. I thought it was a fair question.

He didn’t answer.

“Well, Jo-Jo,” I said. “You did ask for my help, so I’m in now. I’m not giving up until whoever killed Griffin is safely behind bars. I have to find out what happened to Griffin for your sake, for my parents’ peace of mind, and for Linda’s too.”

He looked up from his lap. “Linda?”

I nodded. “From the Double Dime Diner. She was Griffin’s foster mother. She is heartbroken over his death. The Double Dime was closed today.”

He gasped. “Closed? It never closes.”

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. “I know.”

“I did not know this about Griffin’s past.” His voice was thoughtful.

“Griffin was quite a bit older than us. He would have been a foster child before we were even born. Both Griffin and his younger brother, Blane, lived with Linda from a young age all the way through high school, although she never officially adopted them. So, you see, Jonah, I can’t give up trying to find out what happened to Griffin. This is bigger than you just being a suspect now.”

“I know that you won’t.” Resigned, he asked, “What else did you learn?”

I smiled a little, happy to hear some of Jonah’s natural curiosity had returned to his voice.

I told him about my visit to the mercantile and how Griffin and his brother dissolved their partnership over the project there. I bit my lip, stopping myself just in time before I let it slip that I had seen Mattie at the mercantile.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Blane might be behind it.” Jonah’s voice was thoughtful. “Until yesterday in your mother’s kitchen I hadn’t seen Griffin in many years, but I’d seen Blane often around the county. He always looked sour, as if he sucked a lemon for half the day.”

That was interesting. The way Blane was described to me was very different from the perception that I had gotten of his brother during our brief meeting. Maybe that was why the two couldn’t work together. They were opposites, and got along like oil and water. There was another thing about my brief visit to the sheriff’s station that bothered me. We were only a few minutes
from the Graber farm, so if I wanted Jonah to answer, I would have to ask him now.

“What did you mean when you said you didn’t have anything to hide anymore after leaving the sheriff’s department?”

He was quiet for a long moment, and I thought he wasn’t going to answer until he finally said, “I meant I no longer have to hide Griffin’s tie to my cousin Kamon’s death.”

“I didn’t tell Mitchell,” I said.

“I know that.” He removed his felt hat and played with the brim in his lap. “The sheriff found it in an old police report when he was looking for information about Griffin.”

“Was Griffin arrested when Kamon died?”

Jonah shook his head. “
Nee.
He was never arrested or charged, but Mitchell said that he was listed as a person of interest in that case. Since I had been too, he knew there was a connection. That’s what he wanted to talk to me about tonight. He would have spoken to me at the farm, but I thought it was best to have the conversation away from Miriam and the children. I volunteered to go to the station with him. It was my idea.”

“Oh,” I said, slightly relieved. “That’s good news. Miriam gave me the impression that you were arrested.”

He sighed. “I’m sure that’s what she believes. I tried to explain to her why I had to go, but she wouldn’t listen. I do love her so, but . . .” He trailed off.

I was glad that he didn’t complete his thought.
Considering how Miriam felt about me, I knew it was best if Jonah didn’t confide in me about any marital problems he might have with his wife.

“How did Kamon die? I know he was electrocuted. Rachel told me. But why do you feel Griffin was responsible?” I asked, changing the subject back to murder.

Jonah sighed. “It was very cold and rainy that May. Now that I think about it, it is amazing to me how similar this spring has been to the one when Kamon died. Kamon was apprenticing with Griffin. Of course my parents didn’t approve because Kamon was learning to be an electrician and that was a very
Englisch
job. It still is. However, my parents didn’t forbid him from working for Griffin. They believed if they had, Kamon would have finally left the community forever. Sometimes I think it would have been better if they had. Then, he would have headed out to Colorado like he always said that he would.” He swallowed. “And he would still be alive, an
Englischer
, but alive.” He took a breath. “I knew it was more than their fear of losing Kamon that stopped them. My parents were afraid that I would go with him. I might have. I was angry at my parents for not letting me work with Griffin. Instead, I was tethered to the farm with my father. I was not happy about that. They were right to make me work on the farm, of course. I was the only son in the family. The farm would be mine someday and I needed to know how to run it. However, that’s hard to recognize at a young age when there is so much more you want out of life.” His voice sounded wistful.

“Why did you want to work with Griffin? Did you have an interest in electricity?”

“In electricity?” He shook his head. “
Nee
, no, not really, but I wanted to work for Griffin mostly to be like Kamon, who I looked up to so much. At the same time I wanted to do it because it was forbidden. Maybe I was a bit rebellious.” He laughed. “You know how teenagers are. I’ll have a time of it when the twins reach that age.” He gave a mock shudder and some of the humor was back in his voice.

I smiled, happy to hear a little bit of the Jonah I knew so well, but I needed to steer the conversation back on track. We were on the county road that led to Jonah’s farm. I needed my answers before we reached the Graber farm. “Kamon died in the spring,” I said.

Jonah sighed, and again the humor left him. “That’s right. Griffin and Kamon where working at a factory. There was something wrong with one of their machines in the assembly line. The factory is gone now. The company moved away to another part of the country where manufacturing is cheaper, and the building they owned has since been torn down.”

So much for checking out the scene of Kamon’s death, I thought. Although there probably wasn’t much I could have learned from it after twenty years.

“Kamon was electrocuted while trying to fix one of the machines. The company’s investigator determined that it was an accident. Kamon shouldn’t have crossed the wires like he had without cutting the power first. It was a stupid mistake and something
that could’ve been easily avoided if Kamon had received the proper training.”

“Why then do you think Griffin was responsible?” I asked. “Because of Kamon’s lack of training?”

“Because Griffin should have been there!” Jonah cried. “If he had been there, he would have stopped my cousin from making such a stupid mistake and Kamon would still be alive.” He turned toward the window. He was done talking, at least for the night.

I shifted in my seat. I’d never felt awkward around Jonah before. He was my oldest friend. He knew me better than almost anyone, but Rachel’s revelation proved that perhaps I hadn’t known him at all. That made me saddest of all.

I turned into the Grabers’ long driveway. The sun was low behind the Grabers’ large barn, but it wouldn’t set for another hour. Miriam stood in front of the house with her arms wrapped around her waist.

The twins whooped as they chased Petunia around the yard. I didn’t see Emma. Again, I wondered if the young girl’s opinion of me had changed after witnessing the argument between her mother and me earlier that evening. Anna was missing too. I frowned.

One of the towheaded twins broke off from the running trio and skipped to the car. I lowered my window.

“
Grossmammi
told me to tell you that she has already gone to the quilt shop for the meeting tonight,” Ethan—or was it Ezra, I could never tell the twins apart—said to me through the open window.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. At least that explained where Anna was. It made me feel a touch better.

The boy bolted back to his brother and the goat.

Jonah unbuckled his seat belt. “Angie, it is all right you brought Petunia home. I’m sorry that I snapped at you earlier over it. That wasn’t fair.”