John didn’t take in the details of the murders with the keen and unbiased eye of the cop he’d once been, but with the abject horror of a man intimately acquainted with violent death. His past wasn’t the only thing on his mind tonight. More than once he found his thoughts straying to Kate Burkholder. He’d worked with a lot of cops over the years. A female chief of police was rare, especially in a small town. An Amish cop was unheard of. Maybe that was why he found her so damn interesting.
She was low-key—a trait he’d learned to appreciate when it came to women cops. She was attractive in a girl-next-door kind of way. Dark brown hair cut short. Eyes the color of a mink coat. A pale complexion that made for a striking contrast. An athletic build. A nice mouth. John didn’t have anything against female cops, but he’d known enough of them over the years to know that, like their male counterparts, most were bad relationship material. Not that he was in the market. He was as fucked up as a man could be and still be walking around. From all appearances, Kate was too smart to get tangled up with a head case.
He’d just shut down the laptop when the phone rang. He caught it on the second ring with a rough, “Yeah.”
“Agent Tomasetti?”
Surprise rolled through him when he recognized the mayor’s voice. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to be calling so late. Did I wake you?”
“No.”
“Good. Good.” He cleared his throat. “There’s been a development I wanted to discuss.”
“I’m listening.”
“I had a very . . . disturbing meeting with David Troyers this eve ning. He’s the elder Amish bishop.”
John wondered what the hell this had to do with him. “Go on.”
“Apparently, someone left an anonymous note on the bishop’s door.”
“What kind of note?”
“Well, it’s about Chief Burkholder. And it’s quite troubling.” Paper rattled on the other end of the line. “I have it right here. It says: ‘Chief Katie Burkholder knows who the murderer is.’ ”
John let the words run through his head a couple of times. “That certainly qualifies as troubling. What do you want me to do about it?”
“I’m not sure. I thought I should tell someone in law enforcement.” He paused. “Why would someone send a note like this?”
“Maybe it’s a hoax.”
“Maybe.” The mayor paused. “I was wondering if you could look into it. You know, anonymously.”
Tomasetti considered that, felt his cop’s curiosity stir. “I’m not exactly on her list of favorite people. She’s not going to talk to me.”
“Perhaps you could just . . . observe, make an assessment over the next few days.”
“Have you discussed the note with anyone else?”
“No.”
“Keep it that way. I’ll see what I can do.” John glanced at the clock. After two A.M. Too late to do anything tonight. “How many people have handled the note?”
“Bishop Troyer. Me.”
“Put it in a brown paper bag and seal it. I’ll check it for prints.”
“I’ll get it to you first thing tomorrow.”
They said their good-byes and John hung up, troubled by this new development. The case was complicated enough without the cops keeping secrets. Who would send a note like that and why? Did Burkholder know more about the case than she was letting on? Or had some idiot decided it might be fun to play head games with the cops?
What bothered Tomasetti about the latter scenario was that the note had been sent to an Amish bishop. The Amish weren’t known for their practical jokes. Painters Mill was a small town where everyone knew everyone else. Was it possible Kate Burkholder knew the killer? Was he Amish? Was she protecting him because of that? John couldn’t see her risking lives to protect some psycho. But he knew from experience some loyalties supplanted even the most fundamental ethics.
That was when he realized that wasn’t the only thing bothering him about Kate Burkholder. Faced with a difficult, high-profile case, she should have turned to outside resources right off the bat. Initially, he’d assumed she didn’t want some outsider encroaching on her case. But after meeting her, he’d realized she wasn’t the territorial type. Why hadn’t she asked for help? The question niggled at him like a migraine digging into his brain.
The mayor had dropped this in his lap. John figured he didn’t have a choice but to look into it. This case was his last chance. He didn’t need some cop with loyalty issues sabotaging it. If Burkholder was keeping secrets, he was going to make damn sure he knew what they were.
The trill of a phone jolts me awake. I bolt upright and an ice pick jab of pain shoots down my neck. For a second, I don’t know where I am, then realize I’m in my office at the police station. I fell asleep at my desk. . . .
The phone rings again and I snatch it up. “Yeah.”
“Sorry to wake you, Chief.”
Mona. She must have found me sleeping and turned off the light . . .
“I just took a 911. Driver says there’s a loose cow out on Dog Leg Road, out by the covered bridge.”
Groaning inwardly, I look at the wall clock. Nearly three A.M. “Tell T.J. to get out there, will you?”