In Plain View (Amish Safe House, Book 2) by Ruth Hartzler

fingers nearly
touched the lock, Kate watched when the snake quickly turned back,
scaring the cop into a temporary surrender.
    Kate lightly tapped on
the glass. She made sure to keep it quiet to avoid Ryan’s
suspicion, but she knew the slimy predator heard the noise. It
slowly wrapped its body in a way to allow it to strike. As it
watched her intently, the snake got closer. Kate’s eyes followed
upward as the snake continued its ascent. Suddenly, the cover came
crashing down, and Ryan secured the lock. “Snakes, why’d it have to
be snakes?” he muttered as he exited the room.
    Kate slouched to a
sitting position behind the tank. What a relief. She waited until
she was sure that Ryan had left. As she stood up, and tried to
stretch her aching, cramped limbs, something long and slimy fell
over her shoulders. Kate jumped to her feet, bumping her head on
the shelf above, knocking an assortment of fake snakes and pet toys
onto the top of the snake’s tank and all over the
floor.
    I just experienced
enough fear to last a lifetime
,
Kate thought in dismay.
    Kate walked back out
into the living room, and then saw that a yellow sticky note was
stuck to her shoe. She pulled it from her shoe and read it. The
scrawled writing read:
Lucy’s
Diner
.
    “ Lucy’s Diner. I wonder if that place holds any clues, but I
doubt it,” Kate said softly. As she made her way to the window, she
noticed a calendar hanging from the wall near the window. It had a
large, red X circled on a particular date. Intrigued, she looked
closer. It read:
Moved
in
. It struck her as strange,
since the circled date was only a few months back, and this man’s
apartment and room indicated that the victim had likely lived there
for years. “Who moved in?” she asked herself.
    Kate opened the window
again and slipped one leg out, when the victim’s phone started to
ring. It sounded like a house phone, so she pulled herself back
inside and walked into the living room. The phone buzzed and lights
flashed, and within a few seconds, an old-fashioned answering
machine beeped to life. “Please leave your message.” There was
silence, and then the sound of a disconnect. Then the machine kept
speaking. “Saved message,” it said. That was followed by a shaky
voice filled with fear. “Hey man, it’s me. Where have you been?
Ever since you told me what you were planning, I haven’t heard from
you or seen you at all. You have me worried. Please, call me back.
Maybe we can meet at that diner again. I just need to know you’re
okay.”
    Lucy’s Diner. Maybe
it
would
be of some value after all. Kate grabbed the
sticky note. She slid down the ladder and climbed down into the
street, her Amish dress flapping around her.
     

 
    Proverbs 1:33.
But whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease,
without dread of disaster.
    Chapter
9 .
     
    Kate approached Lucy’s Diner. She clicked on
the horse and took the first right into the parking lot. Surveying
the area, she noticed the amount of customers must be minimal;
there were only four cars in the large parking area.
    A bell rang as she opened the door. Kate
shot a practiced look around the diner. It resembled a typical
breakfast restaurant; there were several booths lining the walls of
the eating area, a center isle of tables and chairs, and a large
kitchen, filled with staff. Despite the lack of customers, the
place was vibrant.
    Kate walked toward the hostess, a young
woman with blonde hair styled in a bun, which sat atop her head
like a nest in a tall tree. “How many?” she asked Kate.
    “Just one, please,” Kate said with a smile.
The hostess motioned her to follow and sat her in the corner, at a
slightly smaller booth than the rest.
    “Would you like some coffee or tea to start
your morning?”
    “Yes, some coffee, please,” Kate said.
    The waitress pulled out a large menu, placed
it on the table, and told Kate she would be back soon for her
order. Before Kate could ask the waitress to wait,