Among the Wicked: A Kate Burkholder Novel Read Online Free PDF

to get in there and get to the bottom of things.”
    “Undercover?” Tomasetti asks.
    “That would be ideal,” Suggs tells him. “Problem is, we have no one who meets that particular criteria.”
    “You need someone who understands the culture, has some insights into the religion; someone who knows the language,” Bates adds.
    “So whoever goes in,” I say slowly, “would need to pose as an Amish person and become part of the community.”
    “Exactly,” Suggs replies.
    A beat of silence ensues.
    “You mean me,” I say.
    “I know it sounds kind of extreme…” Betancourt begins.
    Tomasetti cuts him off. “Not to mention dangerous. Especially if Schrock is unstable or fanatical or both.”
    Betancourt takes the comment in stride. “We would create an identity for you. Set up some form of communication. And of course, we’d pay for travel, housing … whatever supplies and clothing you’d need.”
    “The county will pay your salary while you’re there,” Suggs adds. “You’ll be officially deputized and work on a contract basis with Franklin County.”
    “You’ve got the background and the experience, Chief Burkholder.” Bates offers a full-fledged smile. “Besides, you’re the only cop we could find in the country who’s fluent in Pennsylvania Dutch.”

 
    CHAPTER 2
    By the time the three men leave my office, it’s after six P.M . I’d expected Tomasetti to stick around, but he had to drop Bates off at the BCI field office in Richfield, since Betancourt was leaving directly for New York. I know the conversation we began here will continue once I get home.
    He’s got a good poker face, but I know he’s not pleased at the prospect of my going into a suspect community nearly six hundred miles away for an unspecified period of time. Of course there wasn’t much he could say about it with two of his peers present. I’d assumed Bates knows, or at least suspects, that Tomasetti and I are involved. Now I’m not so sure. If Bates had any inkling that we’re together, Tomasetti would have been excluded from the meeting. In fact, once Bates got wind of us living together, Tomasetti would be transferred so that Painters Mill no longer fell within his region. Like most law enforcement agencies—my own small department included—BCI has strict rules about fraternization. Another complication piled on top of an already complicated situation.
    I rush through my end-of-shift reports, but my mind isn’t on the stops I made in the course of my day. The part of me that is a cop is flattered, even a little tantalized, at the prospect of an undercover assignment. I have a respectable amount of law enforcement experience under my belt. I spent nearly seven years as a patrol officer in Columbus. Two years in homicide. That’s not to mention the four years I’ve been chief. But I’ve been around long enough to know that no amount of law enforcement experience automatically qualifies you for undercover work.
    That type of environment takes a certain breed of cop with a specific set of personality traits, not all of which I possess. I’ve known several undercover cops over the years, most of whom worked in narcotics. It’s dangerous, intense work that involves weeks or months of assuming an identity, infiltrating a sometimes-hostile organization or group, and earning the trust of those in the know. You’re isolated, cut off from friends and family, and most often surrounded by individuals you can’t trust and don’t necessarily like.
    Most cops who take on the challenge are young and male. Adrenaline junkies who like being in the thick of things. Extroverts. Good liars. High-energy. Most important, they have an innate ability to transform themselves and take on another persona. They’d never admit it, but a lot of them think they’re bulletproof. A few of the narcs I’ve known have gotten in too deep and ended up in rehab afterward.
    I’m none of those things. A few years ago, I might have jumped at