In Plain View (Amish Safe House, Book 2) (9 page)

Chapter
12
.

As daybreak approached, the animals stirred,
like they did every morning. The rooster crowed, waking up every
resident of the farm, both animal and human. Kate looked over at
her window and smiled as the first glimpses of sun shone through.
She could hear the livestock as they waited for their breakfast.
This forced her to wipe away her sleepiness and roll out of bed. As
she approached the wall, she stared at the dresses hanging on the
pegs. With a half-hearted smile, she studied the dresses carefully.
This had become her life now, but there were moments where her true
self would feel like someone she was losing, like an old friend who
was slipping away forever.

Kate lifted the calf-high dress in her arms
and secured her bonnet with her left hand. It had been a harsh life
to conform to initially, but by now she was actually enjoying her
time in the preserved community. Balancing her undercover
investigation into a homicide with her everyday life on the farm
was difficult, but so far everything was going to plan. She
finished getting ready and began preparing the feed for the
animals.

As she strolled outside, she noticed Isaac
was already tending the fields. He was cultivating the crops with
his horse-drawn cultivator. The Amish sure were an odd bunch, but
she greatly respected their values, morals, and hard work, not to
mention how this couple had done so much for a complete stranger
out of the kindness of their hearts. She watched Isaac drive by and
smiled, waving her hand.

Her daily chores were to maintain the
animals and reseed the garden, while Isaac did the heavy duty work
and Beth maintained the main house. She grabbed some feed and
headed for the animal pens. Her favorite stop was always the
horses, but she always saved them for last, her main reason being
so she didn’t have to do it twice. Isaac was using several horses
to power his harvesting and cultivating equipment, so she had
learned the hard way that doing the horses last was the best
method. Isaac always fed them, but there was much more to caring
for horses than that. She was still a city girl at heart, but being
around some beautiful, majestic creatures made her feel more alive
than her old job ever had.

After working the farm for hours, Kate made
her way to the garden. She noticed several weeds were starting to
sprout, and dropped to her knees to yank them from their intrusion.
Her apron was getting dirty, and Kate idly thought that keeping her
identity secret relied on blending in and playing the part.

On her knees, Kate pulled at a stubborn weed
with all of her might. Her fingers began to hurt, but she refused
to give up. As she struggled, she heard a familiar voice offering
some help.

“You know, you could just snip that thing.”
Kate looked up to see Ryan standing above her. Startled, she fell
back, landing softly in the cold dirt. “Oh my! I’m so sorry,” he
said as he rushed to her side and helped pull her to her feet.

“You scared me! You could have at least let
me know you were here,” she said. “And why didn’t I hear your car
or anything?”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you at
all. My cruiser’s parked over near the barn.”

“So, may I ask what you’re doing here on
this fine morning? Bored and interested in learning how to work a
farm?” Kate laughed.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Ryan exclaimed in mock
horror. “Could you ever imagine me tending crops and feeding pigs?
Not my thing, sorry. I walk that thin blue line and plan to do so
until my last day.”

It was ironic to Kate hearing that,
considering she had felt the same way not too long ago. She smiled
sweetly. “So, what brings you to our farm today?” Kate crouched
back down and started to dig some holes for new seed.

“I was just in the area and wanted to see
how things have been around here. I’m sure homicides aren’t a
normal occurrence around these parts.”

“That’s the truth,” Kate said. “I can’t
remember any other murders in these parts. When the news first hit,
the entire community knew we were being invaded by the modern
world, but I suppose you can’t be who you truly are in the world
without letting others do the same.”

Ryan looked at her with intrigue and
smiled.

“That’s actually very true. You’re a very
smart woman.”

Kate smiled and rose back to her feet. “Tell
me something I don’t already know,” she said.

Ryan roared with laughter. “Anyway, back to
business. I’m actually here to try to get some information. I’ve
been to several of the nearby farms, including the land where the
victim’s body was recovered. We’ve gotten a few reports that a
woman has been asking questions around town.”

Kate’s eyebrow bunched and she stood back
up. “A woman?”

“Yes, you know - those people who aren’t a
man.”

Kate’s smile faded. “Ha ha, very funny,” she
said. “I obviously know what a woman is. I meant, what woman? What
kind of questions is she asking?”

“Well, for starters, we tracked down one of
the victim’s old friends. He pointed us in the right direction as
far as the likely suspect, but he also mentioned something that
threw the investigators for a loop.”

Kate couldn’t help but laugh. “You really
are terrible at story telling - just get to the point.”

“The man told us that a woman came to see
him shortly before we did. She claimed to be a police officer and
asked him a barrage of questions, including several that pointed
her toward the headquarters of the newly organized crime syndicate
that has been invading the area.”

Kate listened intently, but did not respond.
She simply nodded and went back to working on the garden.

“That’s not where it ends, though,” Ryan
continued. “We aren’t certain, but it’s likely that the woman who
showed up at a local diner was the same person. The man we spoke to
pointed us toward a diner where he and the victim often met. When
we arrived there, the waitress reported that she was also
questioned by a woman about the victim. The only difference here is
that the woman was dressed like an Amish woman and pretended to be
the victim’s grieving friend instead of a cop. Something just
doesn’t add up. Who is this woman, and what is she up to?”

Kate rose to her feet once more and turned
to the officer. “Ryan, I don’t understand what you’re expecting
from me.”

“I’m not expecting anything. I just wanted
to ask you about it.”

“I heard you telling me about this mystery
woman, but I’ve yet to hear any actual questions.”

Ryan sighed. “Kate, do you know who this
woman is that’s been asking questions about my murder vic?” His
voice was stern, but his facial expression was warm and kind.

“Oh, well that seems quite odd. Wouldn’t you
know every officer that has any involvement in your
investigation?”

“That’s why I’m here. We have one female
officer investigating this with us, but other than Shelly, the only
women that have anything to lose or gain from this case being
solved are the women of this community.”

Kate felt the pressure building up. “I don’t
know anyone outside of the Amish community aside from you and a few
people in town, so I doubt I could be of any help to you in this
regard. Not only do I have no idea who or why someone would be
questioning townsfolk, but I’m fairly certain it’s not anyone from
our farm or community. You said the woman was dressed as an Amish
woman – I bet she wasn’t an Amish woman at all.” Kate was relieved
that she could tell the truth, at least in part. She hated lying,
but her very life depended on it.

“How can you be so sure?” Ryan asked.

“It goes against everything we’re all about.
We avoid technological advancement and the modern world, so we
won’t succumb to the ways of the world in the same ways that
Englischers
do. We appreciate life and nature, and while a
murder would definitely hurt our community, we are not the type of
people to stick our noses in the modern world just to solve a
crime. Isn’t that what you guys are for? Besides,” she added, “we
Amish do not believe in violence or retribution.”

Ryan smiled. He looked at her sincerely and
spoke softly. “Have you ever considered a life outside of this
community?”

She stared at him. “You mean leaving the
Amish way of life? Is that what you’re asking?” At first, Kate was
concerned that he was prying because he suspected that she could be
the woman who was asking the questions, but as she watched him
closely, she could see something else in his face.

“I’m sorry, Kate. I didn’t mean anything by
it. I was just curious to know if you ever thought about getting
away from here and living a different type of life. Of course, I’m
not suggesting that you would be doing yourself a disservice
staying here, but we city folk could sure use someone like you in
our lives.”

His words warmed her, and at that moment,
she felt like jumping into his arms and telling him how much she
appreciated his company. He was right about the outside world being
a better place for someone like her, an
Englischer
, but of
course she couldn’t let him know that. The Amish life was wonderful
in many ways, and she had grown to appreciate it, but at the same
time, she wasn’t Amish and she was living a lie.

“I don’t know if or when it would be
possible, but I’m not opposed to the idea, in all honesty.”

Ryan looked surprised. “Oh, really? That’s
awesome. I mean, um, I know a change of lifestyle like that would
be difficult at first, but I’d be more than happy to help you
out.”

Kate smiled. “Do you make a habit out of
going around and trying to help Amish women turn
Englischer
?” she asked.

Ryan shook his head. “No, but I’d make an
exception for you.” His tone was warm and gentle.

Kate’s stomach turned cartwheels. Was Ryan
as attracted to her as she was to him? She thought carefully before
she spoke. “I’ve actually been thinking about leaving the Amish for
some time, but I doubt it would be anytime soon. There’s so much
work to be done on the farm, and after all that Isaac and Beth have
done for me, I could never just up and vanish. I’d have to be ready
and leave on good terms.”

“Very true,” Ryan agreed. “The last thing
you’d want to do is leave and then not be able to come back, once
you realize how horrible we city folk are.”

They both laughed.

“If city folk are anything like you,” Kate
said, “I don’t see any way in the world they could be considered
horrible.”

Proverbs 21:31.
The horse is
made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the
Lord.

Chapter
13
.

Pulling up to the gates located at 740 Floyd
Street, Kate, once again in civilian clothes, tried to peer over
the large hedges, but they were there for one specific purpose, to
act as a wall, preventing unsolicited eyes from gazing into the
property. The gate was made of solid, iron bars, and a security
shack could be seen just beyond the iron barricade.

Kate had the taxi circle the neighborhood a
few times to survey the scene, and eventually had him drop her
about three blocks away from the mansion.

As Kate approached the wall of hedges on
foot, she tried to stick her right arm through the hedges, hoping
that gaining access to the property would be easier than it
appeared. There was no such luck. The hedges looked like a wall,
but they were just covering the actual barrier. A titanium wall
encircled the entire premises, and hid behind the hedgerow. In an
attempt to analyze the situation, Kate continued walking along the
street, taking any chances she got to test the mansion’s defenses
for weaknesses.

Kate walked up to a bench that sat beside a
small park to the west of the enclosure, looking down the street as
the people of the town went about their normal business unaware of
what was going on right under their noses. Logan White was close,
she could feel it, and she needed to find out what was going on.
Why was his organization settling in here, and what was his goal?
As the thoughts swirled around her mind, she noticed the gates
opening up to allow a small box truck to enter. Plastered across
the truck was the logo for what looked like a catering company.

As she watched, Kate noticed two armed
guards walking out from the hedge line. They circled the truck,
looked underneath, and then they asked for the driver’s ID. Shortly
after, the larger man nodded and handed the license back, and then
motioned for the truck to drive in. Perhaps if she could somehow
disguise herself, she could get in the same way.

Kate’s idea was great, but she realized
immediately that it wouldn’t work without preparation. She had to
improvise, and she had to do it soon. Walking toward the gate, she
wasn’t sure what to do, but the thoughts were racing through her
mind. As she got closer, the gate slowly started to open. The same
truck was now pulling out, but the men were once again inspecting
it. Coming to a stop halfway into the road, the truck was still
partially obstructing the gate, ensuring it would stay open until
the men were finished with their routine check.

As the man on her side of the truck bent
over to look underneath, Kate quickly but silently jumped through
the gate and then slid into the first bunch of bushes she came
across. It was already starting to get dark. What could she do now?
Kate watched silently from her hiding place as she struggled to
think of an idea.

Kate had counted seventeen guards patrolling
the exterior of the mansion, which was set far back on the land.
They all had firearms and looked dangerous, but she knew this would
be her only chance to get some information on Logan White and his
organization. Fear started to creep in, but her training as a
Federal Agent halted it.