Secrets Come Home by Samantha Price Page B

man with the gun didn’t leave and he was lurking up the road.”
    “Let’s not think about that for now. The police are doing everything they can.”
    “Poor Sadie. Things never seem to go her way. She was jilted by two men before she was twenty.”
    Elsa-May’s eyebrows raised. “Ettie, stop it. You like to gossip far too much. That’s how rumors start. Rumors are spread by people with too much time on their hands and not enough sense in their heads. Anyway, I heard she was only jilted by one man.”
    The lines in Crowley’s forehead deepened. “Ettie, you said Sadie seemed to be familiar with the man who had the gun, and didn’t seem afraid?”
    “She wasn’t scared at all. He insisted I had the key and then she came next to me and said the police had it.”
    “When she stood next to you, did he point the gun at her?”
    Ettie shook her head.
    Crowley took a notepad out of his pocket and made some notes.
    Ettie licked her lips. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”
    “Would it be possible she knew the man?” Crowley asked.
    “No, I don’t think she knew him when I think about it now. But that’s what my first thought was. Anyone else could have overheard us at the station when I was talking to Kelly and trying to have him take a look at it.”
    “Hmm,” Crowley said. “This does put another slant on things.” He stretched out his arm and took another piece of orange cake.
    “What do we do know so far?” Elsa-May leaned forward in her chair.
    When Crowley swallowed his mouthful of cake, he said, “Leave it to Kelly. He’s getting a search warrant for the deposit box – we’re taking a guess that it’s the local bank, since there’s only one in town with box facilities.”
    “How long will it take them to get a warrant?” Elsa-May asked.
    “He’ll have to gather enough evidence to prove to the judge that there are grounds to sign off on a warrant.”
    “Someone’s dead – wouldn’t that be grounds enough?” Elsa-May asked.
    “It’s a key, but it might not be related to this whole thing. The judge will have to be convinced that this key is related to Horace’s murder. It will help him get the warrant now that someone with a gun was after it.” He looked at Ettie. “I think you’ll have to make another visit to Kelly.”
    “I’ll go tomorrow,” Ettie said, not looking forward to doing so.
     
    * * *
     
    The next morning, Ettie was feeling guilty about leaving Ava alone in the grossdaddi haus after all that had happened. She made Ava the first stop of the day before she went to visit old Mrs. Hostetler.
    When she got out of the taxi, she saw that Jeremiah was working inside her house. She stepped through the door. “Jeremiah? I thought you’d finished.”
    “Hiya, Aunt Ettie. I should have this done by lunchtime. I’m just going over the nails, making sure they’re safe and filling the cracks. I had another job to get to yesterday so I couldn’t finish this. I’m going to give it a light polish when I’m done. It’ll look great.”
    “It’s looking good already. Denke, Jeremiah.” Ettie heard from the sound of the hoof beats passing the house that Ava was pulling up in the buggy. She went out to meet her. “Where have you been so early?” Ettie asked.
    “I’m coming home. I stayed at Mamm’s last night. I was a little scared to stay here alone.”
    “You got my note?”
    “I did, and I didn’t want to intrude. Mamm was happy for my company.”
    Ettie walked beside Ava’s buggy up to the stable. “You’ll never guess what’s happened.”
    “What?”
    Ettie told Ava everything that had happened in her absence, and then added,
    “Sadie’s disappeared. The last thing she told me was she was going to the police and she didn’t. When they went to her home to question her, they found she’d disappeared.”
    “Oh, Ettie. Do you think she’s frightened? Or maybe the killer’s got her?”
    Ettie shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t know. I’m on my way