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  “I know I shouldn’t gossip, but I just thought you should know. I doubt it has anything to do with Geoff’s death.”

  Dana set down her muffin. “You know it might. I just had an epiphany. I was reading about ricin last night. There was a story about a European journalist that was killed by an agent with an umbrella tipped with an injection of the poison.”

  Fannie looked confused. “You’re losing me.”

  “I’m just thinking out loud. What if Linda was desperate to get out of her loveless marriage, felt trapped and decided to get rid of the pastor? Maybe she somehow had a needle or some kind of injector on that cane that contained ricin.”

  “But she killed Geoff, not Mitchell.”

  “Bear with me. She told us that she was sitting beside Geoff on the sleigh ride out to the bridge. You know how bouncy those big sleighs are, plus how squirmy kids can be. What if Linda accidentally bumped her poison injected cane, intended for her husband, into Geoff? As lousy as he was feeling and with having to hold on to his kids, he might not have even noticed a pinch.”

  Fannie shrugged. “It’s a real stretch, but possible. If it happened on the ride, it would take suspicion off of her. Too often the story with poison is that the murderer slowly poisons the spouse over time.”

  “But they usually get caught when it happens in the home. Ricin is hard to detect. The minister is in his late fifties and, according to Larry, suffers from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The coroner might have written his death off to natural causes. Linda may have been planning to slip and bump her husband with the cane once they got to the bridge. Do you think we should warn Pastor Roberts about any of this?”

  “I think we’d look pretty foolish at this point. We need more proof. I don’t think Linda will try anything again, at least for a while. She must have been mortified by what happened.”

  “So what now, Sherlock?”

  “We could try to get the cane and have it examined or we could just confront her.”

  “Let’s do a little surveillance first, maybe the Christmas elves will drop some clues into our laps.”

  Chapter 13

  Fannie and Dana sat outside the fudge shop hoping Linda might lead them somewhere while on her lunch break. They weren’t disappointed. Linda with her head covered in a large colorful scarf slipped into a beige colored late model SUV driven by a man in a black knit cap. Dana followed behind them at a safe distance. “Looks like she might be meeting her lover. I’ll bet they met here at the candy shop. How sweet.” said Dana. “I think they’re headed out to the covered bridge. That’s the only place this road goes.”

  “Returning to the scene of the crime,” suggested Fannie. “What are we going to do?”

  Dana glanced in the back of the vehicle. “Good, they’re here. We need the element of surprise. We’ll stop part way out there and put on cross country skis.”

  Fannie looked incredulous. “And do what? I’ve never used those in my life.”

  “You used to ice skate. It’s the same thing. You just glide along.”

  The women giggled at their clumsiness as they slid along. As they approached the bridge, they saw Linda and a tall man in a passionate embrace and kiss standing in the opening to the bridge. As they got closer, Dana called out, “Hi Linda.”

  Linda looked stunned and the man with her stepped back inside the darkness of the bridge. “Dana, Fannie. What brings you out here?”

  “Exercise,” grumbled Fannie. “Who is that man?”

  “Err, ah, he’s my brother.”

  “Try again. You don’t kiss your brother like that!”

  “Oh, you saw. Please, just go. It’s personal. You don’t want to get caught up in this. Please don’t tell Mitchell. I’ll explain everything to you in a few days. Just go.”

  “We can’t do that, Linda. This may be a kissing bridge, but you need to account for more than your smooching. We aren’t leaving until you answer some questions. Cheating on the pastor is the least of your worries.”

  Linda looked panicked. “What are you talking about?

  Dana decided to go for it. The police used bluffing and so could she. “That day we stopped by your house. Remember you got a phone call and went to the next room? You didn’t take your cane. We rubbed it down and found traces of ricin. We also saw the spot where the injector was attached to the wood. We’re pretty certain that you killed Geoff, accidentally. It was Pastor Roberts who you really wanted rid of, wasn’t it? You must feel horrible over making such a terrible mistake. You know Geoff always said that confession was good for the soul. Of course Pastor Roberts says that too. Things will go a lot easier if you tell us the entire story.”

  Linda began sobbing, then nodded. “I couldn’t believe it. I would never hurt Geoff intentionally. I’m so sorry. I was trapped in a miserable marriage and Mitchell would never let me go. Never wanted to tarnish his perfect image. I hate him so much. Geoff’s death was an accident.”

  Suddenly, the women heard a voice from the back of the bridge. The tall man was walking toward them. “Don’t say another word, honey. I’ll get you the best attorney.”

  Dana couldn’t believe her eyes.

  “Detective Divins! You’re having an affair with our pastor’s wife. Were you in on this too?”

  “We’re in love, Dana. That’s all I’m in on. I have no idea what this other crap is that you’re accusing her of.”

  Fannie smirked. “Where there’s smoke there fire. How perfect to have the investigating officer be involved in the crime.”

  “No,” screamed Linda. “I swear. He knew nothing about this. It was all me. I accidentally killed Geoff. I’d meant to kill my husband.”

  “Stop talking,” shouted the red faced detective. “I’m going to read you your rights. Then we’ll go into headquarters and sort this all out. I’m going to be there for you. Dana, Fannie, I am an officer of the law and I’ve committed no crime other than falling in love with a wonderful woman. I will follow proper procedures from this point on, but I’m afraid I’ll deny hearing anything that Linda said here today. It will be your word against hers and mine. In a court of law, I suspect we’ll win out.”

  Fannie started to protest, but Dana stopped her. “It’s alright. We know you both will do what’s right. You’ll be in our prayers.”

  Detective Divins and Linda Roberts climbed into his SUV and headed away. Fannie looked stunned. “Do you trust him to do the right thing? They could take off and leave the country or something.”

  Dana smiled. “I really doubt that. Besides, the security camera was running the entire time. It’s set on video. Our entire conversation was taped. I’m glad I’m not Amish and refuse to use a camera. Technology can really be our friend at times.”

  Fannie rolled her eyes. “Help me get these skis on. I’m freezing.”

  Epilogue

  Three days before Christmas

  Once Fannie was safely home with Eli and Dana was home, she called the detective and told him about the recording of Linda’s confession. She heard him express an expletive in the background. He told Dana that he was waiting in the car for Linda as she explained everything to her husband. She wanted him to hear it from her, believing that the pastor deserved that much after over thirty years of marriage. The detective said that he had contacted an attorney for Linda who would meet them at the police station. Divins said that he had already contacted his superior who had automatically placed him on a leave of absence. Divins also acquired an attorney for himself.

  No charges were filed against the detective, but he was eventually demoted and moved to the eastern part of the state. Linda confessed to Geoff’s death and is in the process of making a plea deal. She will likely spend ten to fifteen years in prison.

  Reverend Roberts vowed to stand by his wife, but left his Solitude post, taking a leave of absence from the ministry and hasn’t been seen or heard from.

  Fannie and Dana are gathered in the kitchen of Fannie’s cozy Dawdyhaus. Their holiday coo
king and preparations are complete, and they’re enjoying each other’s company. Greens are carefully placed throughout the small home and the aroma of fresh gingerbread is in the air. The women are munching on cinnamon rolls and sipping coffee.

  Dana smiled warmly looking around her childhood friend’s home. “I love this house. It’s like something out of a storybook. I imagine you’re looking forward to enjoying some time with all your family gathered together at Joseph’s house on Christmas day.”

  Fannie smiled. “Oh yeah, it gets pretty crowded, but it is lots of fun….I feel so blessed. I keep thinking about Geoff’s and Reverend Robert’s families and pray they can find some joy in Christmas this year.”

  Dana nodded. “Larry has tried to contact the pastor with no luck. Hopefully he’ll be able to find some peace of mind. What a horrible betrayal. Maybe he can reconcile with his children someday.”

  “I still wonder if Linda had some help concocting that poison. How would she know how to do that?”

  Dana shrugged. “You can find instructions for just about anything on the Internet. I guess if you can obtain castor oil beans you can make ricin. Her sister was in business and likely got catalogues for ordering all kinds of things too. I hope Linda acted alone. There just doesn’t seem to be any evidence to the contrary. The video suggests that Divins took her out to the bridge that day to smooch as well as to see if he’d missed any evidence. She had him completely fooled.”

  “I guess you’re right. Love is blind and all that. Have they named a new district attorney yet?”

  “Funny you should ask. They’ve asked my niece Carly to consider stepping in until an election can be held. She’s actually considering it. We’re spending Christmas Day at their place in Fox Chapel. I plan to try and convince her. I’ve volunteered to watch the baby if she decides to take the job. I’ll need some help in the mothering department if she says ‘yes’.”

  Fannie nodded approvingly. “Of course, I imagine Carly may need some help in the sleuthing department. How can we refuse her? She’s a great lady. I wonder if they ever found Geoff’s computer. I imagine there’s a lot of important information on it.”

  “It’s never shown up. His wife has searched everywhere for some backup for all his files. She said he was so meticulous about details. She feels confident that something will turn up eventually. I volunteered us to help her search for it after the holidays.”

  “Sure. I finally got to read that article you gave me about children of alcoholics. I could relate to a lot of it. I guess there are plenty of dysfunctional families. I don’t feel quite as alone as I once did. I’ve talked to Eli about it after all these years. Of course, he’s supportive and we’ve added it to our prayer time. Thank you.”

  Dana nodded, looking pleased. “We can always learn something new can’t we? I finally decided what to get Larry for Christmas. I’ve hired a violinist, some carolers and a caterer to be out at the covered bridge on Christmas Eve. I rented a couple of those heaters that the outdoor restaurants use to warm the inside of the bridge, so we can enjoy a nice meal there. Then we’ll head back for the Christmas Eve service at the church. It begins at six, so we’ll do an early bird dinner. Oh and look at this picture that Mandy’s oldest girl drew of the covered bridge. I’m going to have it framed and give it to Larry too.”

  “Sounds lovely. Who will be speaking in Pastor Robert’s absence?”

  “Me. I’ve agreed to fill in until the superintendent names a full time replacement for Pastor Roberts. Any suggestions for my sermon?”

  “Well I’m always saddened by how commercial the holiday has become for so many. I hear that some people go into debt purchasing presents for family and friends. I’m glad we keep it simple.”

  Dana smiled. “I guess I can be guilty of spending too much too. There’s a pastor who has written a book reminding us how Christmas is not OUR birthday, but that of our Savior. But I don’t want to get too negative. Solitude has been through a difficult year. We’ve lost a lot of good people.”

  “To me, Christmas is all about hope.”

  “I agree. I read a quote somewhere, ‘When the world says, Give up, hope whispers, Try it, one more time’. We know our ultimate hope is in Jesus Christ who promises to one day wipe away all of our tears.”

  Fannie wiped a tear from her eye. “Merry Christmas, dear friend.”

  Dana reached out and gave Fannie a warm hug. “Merry Christmas.”

  The End

  Sandy McKee is a retired educator who lives in western Pennsylvania. She can be contacted at [email protected].

  Read the entire Amish Country Murder Mystery Series

  1. Solitude Death

  2. Solitude Slaying

  3. A Final Solitude Death

  4. Solitude Justice

  5. A Solitude Christmas Miracle

  6. A Solitude Disappearance

  7. Death in the Solitude Underground

  8. A Solitude Reappearance

  9. Death at a Solitude Sawmill

  10. Death at a Solitude Wedding

  11. A Solitude Assassin

  12. A Solitude Hollywood Death

  13. Death in a Solitude Time Capsule

  14. Death Over a Solitude Election

  15. Death at a Solitude Nuclear Waste Dump

  16. A Solitude Hit and Run

  17. Death of the Solitude Missionaries

  18. A Solitude Holiday Skeleton

  19. Solitude Separations

  20. A Solitude Kidnapping

  21. A Solitude Shadow

  22. Death of a Solitude African

  23. Escape from Solitude