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

and asked them who found
the murder victim’s cell phone.”
    Kate’s brow furrowed
as her concern increased.
    “ What
person? What are you talking about? The crime boss was already
unconscious when you arrived?”
    Ryan nodded. “And
that’s not all. This man infiltrated a walled mansion, complete
with at least twenty armed guards, cameras, and a security booth at
the gate, and then he still managed to not be identified. Even
Logan White wouldn’t say who did this.”
    The revelation
surprised her. “Maybe he doesn’t know who it was. The guy probably
knocked him upside the head pretty hard or
something.”
    Ryan shook his head.
“No, I’m sure he remembers everything; I could tell when I
questioned him. I kept asking him how one man could sneak into his
mansion, take out some of his guards, and then escape without being
so much as seen. He laughed hard, like I’d said something overly
funny. Then, he said something even weirder.” Ryan paused and
repositioned himself on the rocker.
    “ What
was that?” Kate asked.
    “ He
said, ‘One man could never have done this.’ So, the logical follow
up was to ask how many people were involved. He kept saying only
one was involved. It made so sense at all.”
    “ Maybe he did get a harder knock on the head than you
thought,” Kate said.
    “ Perhaps.” Ryan shrugged.
    “ I
don’t see why you’re taking it so hard though,” Kate said. “Did the
man steal some of the evidence or money or
something?”
    “ No,
I’d say he’s a vigilante, and he’s a man in
trouble.”
    Kate was confused.
“Why would he be in trouble? With the police, you
mean?”
    Ryan shook his head.
“No. Logan White doesn’t suddenly have amnesia or something. He is
withholding the vigilante’s identity for one reason; so he can be
the one that finds him first.”
    “ I’m
sure Mr. White will be in prison long enough to forget about it,”
Kate said, “and when he does get out, I’m sure you guys will be
keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t come back here
anyway.”
    “ Of
course, but without knowing the identity of this vigilante, we
don’t know who his target will be. The only clue to the person’s
identity is a stun gun that was left behind at the
mansion.”
    Kate’s heart sank into
her stomach. The stun gun: she had forgotten it. Kate had not worn
gloves to the mansion, and she was afraid that she had left
fingerprints behind. She was in the habit of wiping off
fingerprints, but everything had happened so fast, that she could
not even remember if she had wiped them off after Logan White had
gone down.
    Kate took a deep
breath and closed her eyes. She had to compose herself and act
normal.
    Ryan was still
talking. “I just got off the phone with the crime lab. They found a
partial print on the Taser gun. The tech’s examining it now. He
said he had two patterns matched in AFIS, but the rest has been
difficult due to the quality of the print left
behind.”
    “ What
does that mean?” Kate asked, although she already knew the
answer.
    “ It
means it’s inconclusive right now, and unless he can make several
more matches, the print is as good as
useless.”
    Kate rose to her feet,
prompting Ryan to follow. “I need to get on with the farm chores.
If you’d like to keep me company, you’re more than welcome
to.”
    Ryan nodded in
agreement and followed her down the steps. Kate scooped up a basket
from the table before they left.
    Kate walked over to
the chickens, and checked their water supply. She looked at the
animals and smiled. “Hey guys, are you ready for some treats?” She
dumped a handful of corn into their yard and watched as they dug
through the hay for the delicious bonus to their
meal.
    Ryan watched her with
a smile. “You really love those things, don’t you?”
    “ The
chickens?”
    “ No.
I meant the animals in general. I can tell you’ve grown up around
livestock most of your life.”
    Kate was unable to
suppress a giggle. If only he knew