Page 95 of Outsider

I start to protest, but realize I’m more likely to win their trust if I don’t. “Mr. Lengacher is not a threat,” I say.

Mercer passes the shotgun to Bertrand, then removes zip ties from his belt and approaches Adam. “We’re going to detain you, sir. For your safety and ours. Just stay calm and do as I say.” A line directly from the procedure playbook.

“Datt!” I look toward the stairs to see Sammy fly down them, taking two at a time. The two girls are behind him, nightgowns billowing at their feet as they descend. “Datt!”

The children reach the base of the stairs. Stocking feet sliding on the wood floor, Sammy pivots, runs to his father.

“Samuel.” Adam barely has time to brace when the boy flings himself into his father’s arms. The Amish man wraps his arms around his son. The girls crowd in next to their brother. Annie has begun to cry, her face pink, her cheeks wet.

“They’re not a threat,” I tell the two men. “You’ve no cause to cuff anyone.”

Mercer and Bertrand ignore us. The Amish man doesn’t resist as Mercer reaches for his arm, turns him around. He places the loop of the zip tie around Adam’s right wrist, pulls both arms behind his back, and yanks the plastic taut.

Mercer pats down Adam, finding nothing, then motions toward the sofa. “Sit down and do not move.”

Sammy takes in the scene, his expression frightened and confused. “Datt?”

“It’s all right,” Adam tells his son. But he’s watching the men with caution, distrust and trepidation etched into his every feature as he lowers himself onto the sofa.

Bertrand hands the shotgun back to Mercer. “As long as you do as you’re told, everything will be fine,” he says to the children and Adam. “Just stay calm and be quiet.”

Mercer trots to the kitchen, shotgun across his chest, looks around quickly. He ducks into the mudroom, his head swiveling left and right. He then goes to the stairs and takes them two at a time to the top. We fall silent. Tension hums. The ceiling above us creaks, Mercer running from room to room, looking for Gina.

Bertrand studies Adam for a moment, then asks, “Where’s Colorosa?”

The Amish man looks back at him. “The sewing room. There is a bed.”

“She’s not there.”

Adam’s brows go up. “Then I do not know.”

Bertrand takes in the children. “Do any of you know where Gina is?” he asks.

The girls, standing between their datt’s knees, shake their heads, not making eye contact. Sammy sits at his father’s side, looking at Bertrand as if the detective is some wild animal that’s found its way into their home.

Good boy.

“You probably scared her and made her run away,” Sammy says in a trembling voice.

Bertrand smiles at the boy. “Where would she go if she wanted to run away?”

Sammy looks from his datt to me, not sure what to say.

Before he can answer, I jump in. “We’re wasting time,” I say. “She gets away or succumbs to the cold, and this is on you.”

Mercer clatters down the stairs, looking at us over the banister. “No one there.”

“You check the attic?”

“That’s affirm.”

Grimacing, Bertrand removes zip ties from his pocket. “I hate to do this, Chief Burkholder. For the record, you are not under arrest, but you are being detained until we get everything figured out.”

My heart begins to pound. “Do not go that route,” I snap. “You’ve no cause.”

“You’ve been aiding and abetting a felon,” Bertrand responds. “At the very least, you have some explaining to do. For now, I need to make sure everyone stays safe.”

“I’m your best hope of finding her,” I tell him. “I know this farm and the surrounding area.”