I disconnect and look around the darkened trailer. It’s cold and smells of mildew and kerosene. I light the lantern on the bar, but it does little to penetrate the shadows. I take a few minutes to settle down, then carry the phone to the sofa and dial Tomasetti’s number.

He picks up on the first ring. “Hey, Chief,” he says. “How’s it going up there on the tundra?”

“I’m sitting here in the dark and cold, missing you.”

“Hmm. Sounds tough. Are you wearing a dress?”

I smile. “Yes.”

“Head covering?”

I can’t help it; I laugh. “Tomasetti, are we having phone sex?”

“I’m pretty sure we are.”

“This dress is a bit of a stretch.”

“This is about the woman, not the dress,” he tells me. “Besides, I have a good imagination.”

“Good thing.”

But I can hear the smile in his voice. He misses me, too, I realize. The thought warms me from the inside out.

“You all settled in?” he asks.

“As settled in as I can be in a twelve-by-fifty circa-1980 trailer.”

“Sounds homey.”

“If you like caves.”

“How’s the assignment going?”

I tell him about attending worship earlier in the day. The women I met in town. Mary Gingerich and Laura Hershberger.

“Quilting? Worship? You like living the edge, don’t you?”

I laugh again. “Tomasetti, it’s really good to hear your voice.”

“That’s what all the female chiefs of police tell me.”

“Just for the record, you’re full of shit.”

“They usually tell me that, too.”

I debate whether to get into the incident in the woods. I don’t want darken the conversation. More important, I don’t want to worry him when I’m so far away. But I need his opinion, so I lay it out. “There’s no doubt something unsavory was going on. At the very least an assault. I feel like I should have done something about it.”

“You are. You’re there, trying to figure out what’s going on.”

I hadn’t thought about it that way, but he’s right. Still, it isn’t an immediate fix and that part of it doesn’t sit well with me.

“So what’s your take on the Amish community there?” he asks.

“Friendly. Welcoming.” I try to find the right words, can’t. “But I’m getting some odd vibes.”

“How so?”

“Still trying to pin it down. Outwardly, people are fiercely supportive of Schrock. Almost too supportive. I’m not sure everyone is being honest about their feelings. I guess I’m sensing some undertones of discontent.”

“What’s your take on Schrock?”

“He’s charismatic. Intelligent. Personable. Commanding. Hell of a preacher.”

“Joel Osteen meets Amish Mafia.”