Free In Plain View (Amish Safe House, Book 2) by Ruth Hartzler Page B

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