Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flower

Author:Amanda Flower [Flower, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-01-11T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

As it turned out, the flashlight app on my cell phone might be decent for finding my keys at the bottom of my purse, but it wasn’t great for searching for a missing pig in the brush. The tiny light illuminated only a few inches of space beyond my outstretched hand. Two hours had passed since the search for Jethro began, and the sun had set.

Because I wasn’t doing much good searching for Jethro in the bushes dotting the square, I walked across the street that divided the church’s property from the square. A half dozen strong beams of light moved back and forth around the church as the searchers canvased the area for the missing pig in a grid pattern. There were enough searchers moving about the grounds with adequate flashlights to help me see where I was going.

Flashlights moved across the parking lot’s blacktop, and dozens of voices called Jethro’s name. “Jethro?” I called, adding my voice to the mix.

“I should have expected to see you here searching for Juliet’s pet,” a man said behind me. I turned to see Jeremiah holding high a battery-operated lantern.

I raised my eyebrows. “You’re looking for Jethro too?”

He nodded.

“I didn’t see you around the gazebo,” I said.

“I was a little late. I had to go home and feed the animals on my farm. I’ve been away so much, with the ACC being in town, that I haven’t been able to give my farm much attention.”

“Is it a large farm?” I asked.

“Nee, just enough to sustain me. I don’t need much.” He patted his ample stomach. “Although it may appear otherwise. All this candy tasting might make the problem worse. I have a sweet tooth, but I don’t know when I’ve eaten so many sweets.”

“You’re not a candy maker?”

He laughed. “Nee. I’m only a candy eater.”

“Then how . . .” I trailed off.

He smiled. “Then how did I end up one of the judges?”

“Well, yeah,” I said.

He laughed. “Margot asked me to do it as a favor to her. She was having trouble finding a second Amish judge. Most Amish don’t like to make judgments on each other.”

“But you do?”

He shook his head. “I can when the need arises, and judging candy isn’t that difficult. The ACC was supposed to be an easy assignment, and it was until . . .”

“Until Josephine died.”

He nodded. “It is tragic what happened to Josephine. It’s a great loss to the community.”

While we spoke, I was aware of other searchers shaking the bushes around the church and calling Jethro’s name.

“What time did you get to the ACC this morning?” I asked.

He frowned. “Maybe eight. Not too early.”

Only an Amish person would think eight A.M. wasn’t too early.

“Were you the one to open up the church to let the candy makers collect their supplies?”

He shook his head. “I left all that to Margot.”

“When would she have done that?”

“She said she got to the church just before me, so I would say sometime between seven-thirty and seven forty-five.”

“That’s specific,” I said.

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