The Amish Widow (Amish Romance Mystery) (Amish Secret Widows' Society Book 1) by Samantha Price

which was rather a squash as her buggy was only built for four people.
    Once they arrived at Emma’s house, Emma found the contract in her kitchen drawer. Her eyes scanned ran down the page until she saw the name of the potential buyer – Henry Pluver. Emma threw the contract onto the table. “It’s Henry. He’s the one who wanted to buy my land.”
    “So Henry does know McAllister?” Elsa-May said.
    Maureen said, “Seems like Pluver was trying to buy some cheap land.”
    “He probably thought that he would get it cheap, because of what happened with Levi,” Silvie added.
    “We’re no closer to finding out who killed Pluver though,” Emma said.
    “I’d reckon it was Mrs. McAllister,” Maureen said.
    “I heard Bob never got on with his father and someone told me that last week they had a terrible row,” Silvie said.
    Emma turned to Silvie, “What about?”
    Silvie replied, “I don’t know. I couldn’t find that out.”
    “Maybe Bob found out that his father was having an affair and he threatened to expose him?” Maureen said.
    “Who did it, Bob or the mother?” Elsa-May said, focused on her yellow pad as if that would provide the answer.
    The widows all heard a buggy pull up. Elsa May leaned back in her chair so she could see who it was. “That’s Ettie. By the way she’s running in the door I’d say she’s found something out.”
    Emma rose to her feet to answer the door, but Ettie burst through before she reached the door.
    Ettie was breathless and had to sit a while before she could speak. “I have a friend who works in the travel agency and guess what I found out?”
    “What, Ettie? What?” Her schweschder urged her.
    Ettie held up her hand. “Hang on… too puffed to speak.” Seconds later, she continued, “Two plane tickets, one for Henry Pluver and one for Liza Weeks.” When the ladies were silent, Ettie said, “She’s the secretary of McAllister.”
    Elsa-May scratched on her note pad and said, “So, Henry had plans of running away. To give his boy security he was trying to buy your land, Emma. Your land joins at the back of it, onto the Pluver’s land.”
    “So if I sold, that would make him feel that he had provided for his boy at least? I wonder why he wouldn’t approach me himself; why go through the vulture?” Emma asked.
    Maureen said, “He didn’t want his wife to know what he was doing.”
    “Well, she would’ve found out,” Silvie said.
    “But, not until he was well gone,” Maureen said.
    Elsa-May placed the yellow pad down on the table in front of the lounge and looked up at Emma. “I think we should call your detective and tell him what we know.”
    Emma put her hand to her chest, as she recalled the detective’s attitude. “He’s not my detective.”
    “You know what I mean. I’ll call him; what’s his name?”
    Elsa-May produced her cell phone and stood up. “Don’t worry I’ll phone from outside.”
    Emma opened her mouth to say something to Elsa-May of the dangers of bringing the outside world into the haus , but then she stopped herself. Elsa-May did say she was going to call from outside the haus. She made an excuse for everything she did; there was hardly any point for Emma to protest. “His name is Detective Crowley.”
    “Ah, Detective Crowley. I’ve met him before.”
    Emma followed Elsa-May outside to listen to her call. It was clear that Elsa-May already had his number in her phone as she only pressed one button before she got his voice mail. Elsa-May left a message to go to Emma’s place as soon as he got the message.
    “Well, what happens now?” Emma said.
    Elsa-May stated in a firm tone, “We wait.”
    Two cups of tea and three plates of cookies later, Detective Crowley knocked on Emma’s door. The ladies told Crowley everything they knew, leaving out the part about Emma and Maureen being the ones to find Pluver’s body in the first place. “Looks like I’ll be asking Mrs. Pluver some questions. Once again, thank you