I called dispatch a few minutes ago and was told the phone lines were lit up like Christmas tree lights. The grapevine is abuzz with the news that a killer lurks somewhere in this peaceful little town. Alone at the Zook farmhouse, I don’t believe the situation will stay peaceful for long.

In the main bathroom, I change into Alma’s clothes. Most Amish do not use buttons or zippers, and I’d forgotten how tedious the pins are. Alma is larger than me, so I have room for the Kevlar vest. It’s uncomfortable and hot, but I know better than to let myself get caught unprepared.

Since the Amish don’t use mirrors, I have a difficult time with my hair and end up using a dozen bobby pins and tucking the loose strands beneath the kapp with my fingers. The feeling of déjà vu is overwhelming and strange as I walk back into the living room. I entered the bathroom as a cop; I walked out as the Amish woman I might have been.

Back in the kitchen, feeling conspicuous in the clothes, I pick up my radio. “Skid, are you in position?”

“That’s affirm, Chief. Fuckin’ stinks out here.”

The apt description makes me smile. I positioned him in the barn where he has an unencumbered view of the house, the driveway as well as the back and side yards. “Might be more tolerable in the hayloft.”

“Better vista, too. I’ll head up there now.”

“What about you, T.J.? Any movement?”

“Just me and the mosquitoes.”

Since my Explorer is the only four-wheel-drive vehicle in the fleet, I put T.J. in it and sent him to a small parking area under the Painters Creek Bridge. People go there to fish. It’s relatively close to the farm, yet out of sight from the road. The only thing I don’t like about the location is that he can’t actually see the Zook house, which means we’ll have to rely completely on our radios for communication. But if I call for backup, he’ll be able to get here quickly.

“Keep your eyes open, guys.”

“Roger that,” comes Skid’s voice.

“You think he’s going to show?” T.J. asks.

“I’d hate to have to smell these damn pigs all week.”

All of us know the livestock is the least of our problems. “Let’s hope so.”