Page 74 of Outsider

“Even so, you took a chance on me,” she says. “I won’t forget it.”

I watch the exchange with a combination of fascination and what I can only describe as trepidation. I slant a covert look at Adam and something inside me sinks. I can tell by the way he’s looking at Gina that he’s not immune to her charms; the last thing on his mind is the possibility that he could be setting himself up for a mistake that will cost him something later on. I want to reach out and stop him, before he does something he’ll regret. But I don’t. It would be unseemly for me to voice my opinion or intervene.

The rise of protectiveness I feel for him surprises me. I have the utmost respect for the Amish, their beliefs and traditions. But I also know they can be judgmental of mistakes.

Leaning across the table, Gina pours another finger of the amber liquid into his glass. She tries to do the same to mine, but I set my hand over the top.

“Suit yourself,” she says.

Finishing the last of my whiskey, I take the glass to the sink, rinse it, and set it to drain. I bid them good night and leave the kitchen.

CHAPTER 23

He’d never seen such endless darkness. For miles, there wasn’t a single lit window. No streetlights. No headlights. Not even a porch light. Just a world bathed in the ethereal glow of snow and a low sky making good on its promise of more.

“Fucking Amish,” Damon Bertrand growled as he made the turn onto the township road.

It was the second time they’d passed this particular intersection in the last twenty minutes. The first time, he didn’t even realize it was a public road. There was no sign. There were no tire marks. Half the back roads in this area weren’t on the GPS map. That wasn’t to mention the mountains of snow piled ten feet high on both shoulders.

“Welcome to Podunk, USA,” Mercer muttered.

The jangle and thunk of the tire chains against the snow-packed road seemed preternaturally loud as they made the turn. Winter-dead trees crowded both shoulders, the branches reaching across the roadway like spindly black hands.

“There’s a mailbox,” Mercer said, pointing.

“What’s the street number of Lengacher’s place?” Bertrand asked.

Mercer tapped the screen of his cell, blue light reflecting off his face. “Five zero three.”

“That’s it.” Bertrand punched off the headlights.

They drove past the place slowly, both men craning their necks to take in the details. It was too dark to see much. A long lane clogged with snow and lined with trees. Beyond, he could just make out the roofline of a farmhouse against the horizon. The hulking shadows of pine trees bunched around it. Open pasture in front.

“No sign of Colorosa’s truck,” Mercer said.

“Could be parked at the rear or tucked away in one of the barns.”

Bertrand continued down the road half a mile before finding a place to turn around—not an easy task. The last thing he needed was to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere. The good news was they’d found Lengacher and, ostensibly, Gina Colorosa. They still didn’t know if Burkholder was involved. That a second cop might be sniffing around was the most pressing question. There were too many unknowns for him to be comfortable with any of this.

Headlights doused, he drove back to the Lengacher farm and stopped.

“Just so you know,” Bertrand said. “I heard from our computer guy. He came through on the bodycam footage. It’s done. He said it’s flawless.”

Mercer’s eyes glittered in the light off the dash. “I’ll feel a hell of a lot better about this once it’s out there.”

“He’s going to upload it tonight, get it sent. Once the media gets their claws into it, they’re going to run with it, and Colorosa becomes enemy number one.”

“Going to be damning.”

“Let’s hope it’s enough.”

Mercer nodded, his expression a little too thoughtful. “I say we go in tomorrow,” he said. “We make it official. Show up with the warrant. Make the arrest.” He shrugged. “Take her back and hope to hell no one listens to her.”

“We need eyes on Burkholder before we do anything,” Bertrand said.

Mercer glanced out the window, at the dark silhouette of the farm beyond. “Look, we’re here. It’s late. No one around. Why don’t I do a quick recon? Check for Burkholder’s vehicle and Colorosa’s truck.”

“Too risky.”