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    Sworn to Silence: A Kate Burkholder Novel
    Sworn to Silence: A Kate Burkholder Novel
    Sworn to Silence: A Kate Burkholder Novel
    Ebook457 pages7 hours

    Sworn to Silence: A Kate Burkholder Novel

    By Linda Castillo

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Now the subject of the Lifetime original movie, An Amish Murder

    Sworn to Silence is the first in Linda Castillo's New York Times bestselling Kate Burkholder series.

    A KILLER IS PREYING ON SACRED GROUND....

    In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

    Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as chief of police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.

    *BONUS CONTENT: This edition of Sworn to Silence includes a new introduction from the author and a discussion guide.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJun 23, 2009
    ISBN9781429983730
    Author

    Linda Castillo

    Bestselling author Linda Castillo knew at a young age that she wanted to be a writer and penned her first novel when she was thirteen. In her spare time, Linda enjoys reading, showing horses and barrel racing. Her first three novels featuring Kate Burkholder are Sworn to Silence, Pray for Silence and Breaking Silence.

    Read more from Linda Castillo

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    Reviews for Sworn to Silence

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    • 4/5
      A serial killer murders women in a gruesome manner leaving Roman numerals carved upon their chests. Kate Burkholder, chief of police for Painter's Mill, fails to call for outside help at first, reminded of something that happened sixteen years ago during her life as an Amish teenager. When city officials ask for help from Columbus, they send a detective with a prescription drug problem to aid the investigation. When the second victim's body is discovered, Kate asks for assistance from the local sheriff's office. The charismatic sheriff knows how to play the press. The book combines the police procedural with the thriller. The book lacks the calmness other Amish Country crime novels, probably as much due to the nature of the crime as anything. While I prefer P. L. Gaus' Amish mysteries at the moment, I want to continue reading this one to see how Kate develops. I previously read a Christmas installment from later in the series which had a cozier feel than this first installment. Castillo's first effort held the reader's attention. My biggest complaint centers on a rushed romantic relationship, which feels especially rushed in light of what happened to Burkholder as a teen.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Kate Burkholder Series but not the first I read. I am glad I went back to the beginning because there is a lot of background in this book relating to the two main characters, Kate and John Tomasetti.

      Kate was a police detective in Columbus, but returned to her hometown of Painters Mill, s when she was offered the position of Police Chief. She was raised Amish, and this helps with the Amish population when there is a situation that necessitates police intervention. Even though she was banished from the Amish Community when she left the faith, she can speak Pennsylvania Dutch as well as being aware of their customs.

      When a mutilated body of a young woman is found in a field, the town is reminded of a string of murders from 16 years earlier. The "slaughterhouse killer" was never caught and there is fear that he has returned. Kate is sure that it can't be the same killer, and a secret is revealed in this book that explains her reasoning as well as one of the reasons she left the Amish life. When two more victims are found, the Sheriff's department as well as the BCI are called in for support. Will they find the killer before there are more deaths?

      I enjoyed the suspense in this book. I did not know who the killer was until shortly before the big reveal. There was a lot of violence in this book and the descriptions might offend some people, but the intrigue, mystery, descriptions of the Amish life and the characters more than made up for that. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a murder mystery/thriller combination. I am definitely going to continue reading this series.
    • 4/5
      There are so many attractive things about this book: the strong main character, the interaction of the “English” and Amish community, the emotional toll of police work, secrets leading to self doubt. It would really be a perfect mystery if it weren’t for the unnecessarily explicit depiction of the torture of women. There is no excuse for this kind of misogynistic titillation. It’s sad that a woman would write some of these details. I would love to read more of the series just to follow this great woman character, but I won’t subject myself to any more sadism.
    • 4/5
      Although I have read other books from the Kate Burkholder series, it was good to read the first volume. Kate is a young police chief. She's good with her staff, but the council and the sheriff's office think she's an inexperienced person. In this book, Kate is dealing with a brutal serial killer who brutally tortures and abuses his victims before he kills them. The only pattern that permeates is that he numbers the victims with Roman numerals.Kate thinks she's chasing a ghost out of her past. Someone who once raped her in her teenage years but she thought he was dead. Therefore, she also does not request reinforcements from other authorities, which temporarily costs her suspension. Kate would not be Kate, if she continues to investigate and thereby brings the greatest danger to her own life.Great and fast, it grabbed me from the first page and I could barely stop reading.
    • 5/5
      I don't often give five-star ratings to books I have read but this one truly deserves it. I had read several later Kate Burkholder books before this one. All have been good but this was without a doubt the most gripping and intense one. The introduction of John Tomasetti, the convoluted involvement of the sheriff, the actions of town council members, the interactions with Kate's siblings, and, of course, the inner turmoil that Kate herself faces all add to the richness and the intensity of this story. It's stories such as this one that confirm what I always come back to mysteries. Great book.
    • 4/5
      Kate Burkholder is the chief of police in her hometown of Painters Mill, Ohio, population about 5,000. She has three fulltime officers and one reserve officer on her force. When a young woman's body is found in the woods it bears the same torture marks as those used by a serial killer that hasn't been active in sixteen years. Did he leave sixteen years ago and come back, is this a copycat, or is this murder unrelated to the others? I like the Burkholder character. She is strong, capable and experienced. One of my favorite parts is when she and a cop from outside Painter's Mill are running through the woods and he acknowledges her physical conditioning is superior to his. I would like to have seen a few things done differently. Castillo brought a love interest into Kate's life near the end and it was distracting and didn't seem plausible. Also, the murdered young women had been tortured and the descriptions of the bodies were relevant to the story so that was okay, but later in the book she referred to a case elsewhere in which children were burned alive. I thought this stood out as gratuitous and immature writing. Otherwise the writing was good.
    • 3/5
      The premise is very familiar: Feisty woman lead detective who solves the case but still needs to be rescued by a man she loves. Three things make it interesting. The setting is in a small town in Ohio Amish country, the heroine being an ex-Amish woman. And both the heroine and hero have surprisingly dark secrets, so dark as to be a little off-putting.
    • 4/5
      After determining that her Amish upbringing was not the way she wanted to live, she left home for the big city. Having served on the police force in Columbus OH both as patrol and as a homicide detective, Kate Burkholder has returned home as the Sheriff of Painters Mill OH.One wintry night, one of her officers finds a tortured and mutilated young women almost buried in the snow. This crime is eerily reminiscent of similar murders that took place in the area 16 years ago when Kate was a teen. As the bodies begin to stack up, Kate and her team of officers race to stop the cold-blooded, sadistic killer.This is the first book in the Kate Burkholder series. I really enjoyed the book and intend to continue with the series.Rating: 4 Stars
    • 4/5
      I have had this book on my Nook for several years --- why haven't I read it before???? The book is great. The main character is wonderful. She is the chief of police for her small town - but is by no means perfect. The mystery is good - and kept me guessing. There is a little romance - a lot of suspense. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
    • 1/5
      Grisly. Just...Grisly.
    • 5/5
      This series is new to me. I loved the first book. Definitely reading this series through.
    • 4/5
      Chilling, riveting, dark and disturbing with damaged characters trying to hold it together in the most desperate of circumstances. The inner and external conflict between the Amish and the English is complex, especially as it plays out in the Chief of Police Kate Burkholder who was born Amish. The isolation and the cold icy small town in January echo the desolation of the characters and the evil that is being played out there. It was engrossing and left me wanting more. Perhaps, more than anything, I was left hoping that Kate and John would find redemption. The beginnings of hope appear when each reveals long-held dark secrets that haunt them. The truth begins to set them free, but they have a long journey ahead. I recommend this book for fans of CSI and similar programs. Be forewarned: no gruesome detail is spared and the language is often foul. But if you like edgier books as I do, you will enjoy this thriller. The best part is that Sworn to Silence is the first of an ongoing series featuring this Amish girl turned police chief.
    • 2/5
      Violent and overly sadistic toward women. Characters were shallow and the romance was predictable and was like bringing a spoon to dig a hole. It wasn't enough to make up for all that was cruel.
    • 4/5
      I'm definitely going to carry on with this series. Great characters and story. Definitely not for the squeamish or those with rape or torture triggers.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I wasn't able to put it down. The characters are well thought out, especially Kate Burkholder. There was enough action and suspense to keep me interested. I understood the attraction between Kate and John Thomasetti, although I think perhaps their union was a little too quick for someone as jaded as Thomasetti. I would have to say that it fell just a little bit flat at the end, like maybe the author couldn't figure out how much more to put into the book once she revealed the mystery. But even so, I think it was an excellent book, and Linda Castillo will now be on my favorite authors list. I can't wait for her next Kate Burkholder book.
    • 3/5
      Easy read. Female detective Kate. Amish community. Romance. Plot is good.
    • 5/5
      Kate Burkholder former Amish now english Chief of Police in her hometown. Dealing with some very gruesome murders in her jurisdiction and struggling with wondering if the murder is someone from her past. Kate works very hard to try to figure out the murders without revealing her past secret to anyone. Which makes some suspicious of her. BCI is called in by her employer behind her back and so is the Sheriff's department. Things are spiraling out of control for Kate and she is loosing control of the case as more and more come into the picture.As Kate struggles and confirms that her suspicions of whom the killer is not, but others are thinking she does know she must reveal her secret to one man also working on the case. This turns into a surprising tryst for Kate and a great ally work with especially when she is kicked off the force in the midst of the investigation.A must read to find out who the killer is and if Kate gets back on the force or if she moves on.
    • 4/5
      Strong first entry in a series, and I await further books eagerly. I like Kate Burkholder very much as a character; she's well-developed, and her personality comes through really well. She's a multilayered character with an interesting background. Her staff, particularly Glock, are also well-developed characters and form a strong supporting cast. The novel's premise-- has a serial character returned after a sixteen year lapse?-- is gripping and will keep you speeding from chapter to chapter. It's strong as a procedural, with multiple-agency troubles and conflicts keeping things shaken up. It's not for the weak-stomached; it's graphic, and the descriptions of the families in loss are bound to shake you up. It's a strong debut, and I look forward to more; I'm interested to see where Castillo takes the series after starting out with a serial killer in a small town scenario for her first novel.
    • 4/5
      Linda Castillo's Sworn to Silence is the first book in an upcoming series featuring the young and vivacious Kate Burkholder, the current chief of police of Painters Mill, OH, and former member of the town's Amish community.Set in a quiet town with a large Amish population, the author creates a unique and interesting setting for the serial killer who terrorizes the town (and whose MO is alarmingly reminiscent of the murderer who struck 15 years ago) and the police department that is responsible for catching the psychopath who preys on young women. Burkholder's tumultuous past (with a dark secret thrown in for good measure) makes for great conflict within the character herself. It also creates friction between Burkholder and those around her, especially the outside officers and investigators who were brought in to help her solve the crime. The cast of characters is diverse and interesting, providing for an entertaining and engaging read.All in all, this thriller was suspenseful and had me turning the pages until the killer was revealed and everything was resolved. I'm interested to see what Castillo has in store for Kate Burkholder so I will most likely read the subsequent books in this series.
    • 3/5
      This is the first book in the series of Amish mysteries. The setting is Painter's Mill, a small community comprised of 1/3 Amish. Kate Burkholder was Amish. When she was a teen, something happened that forever changed her, leaving her with the knowledge that she must leave the Amish community. She paid a high price for her decision. Her family shunned her as well as the community.After working as a detective in Columbus, Ohio, she was offered a position as the Chief of police of Painter's Mill. When an exceedingly violent rape and murder of a teen girl was discovered on a cold winter's night, Kate pushed down feelings of what occurred to her so long ago.As the murders continued, she knows she must stop them. Fearful that perhaps the man whom she murdered after he abused her, did not die after all. His MO continues and now her history haunts her as well as finding the beast before he can murder again.Riveting, but a bit too violent for mt tastes, still, I recommend this well written book, as well as all other books written with the background of the same community and a highly skilled Chief of Police.
    • 5/5
      Kate Burkholder grew up Amish but left the community after a violent act forever changed her. Now Chief of Police back where she grew up, Kate finds herself thrown back in time. A series of gruesome murders mimic ones that occurred more than a decade before, and stir up unpleasant memories for Kate. She has accepted English ways and manners, but can’t forget her Amish family and community, and wants to protect them. Now she is in a race to find the killer and must accept outside help. She puts herself in danger even as she tried to save the innocent. This exciting tale is fast-paced and a page turner, but be warned that the descriptions of the murders are quite graphic. Well-written and peopled with complex and flawed characters trying to do their best, this tale is a winner.
    • 2/5
      Gory, grim, and dull.
    • 5/5
      The characters, the setting, the nerve-racking suspense made this book a fast read and I am hooked for more Linda Castillo!
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this Amish-country thriller (what an odd combination) -- the main character, Kate, is one I'd like to meet again. It's really horrifically graphic, so be warned. And there are some a) inevitable plotlines (which, of course, help drive the tension of the book): so _of_course_ our main character, female Chief of police will be abducted and attacked by the bad guy, because strong women can't ever just do the job without getting jumped. yep, that happened.

      and b) kinda large plot holes that are acceptable in the circumstances, but drag on longer than they should: I can accept that Kate thinks she killed the guy and therefore develops a blind spot in the case. I have a hard time with her clinging on to this feeling despite all evidence to the contrary -- that's the part that drags on -- and is especially frustrating because the whole book is about a ritual-oriented killer with really specific hallmarks -- abduction to an isolated locale, torture over days, etc, etc and nothing that they know about the deaths matches up to what happened in Kate's case, so it's strange that she just can't grok that until the outside great white hope steps in to mansplain it to her.

      and c) I figured out the most likely suspect pretty early on and that is not an experience I often have is all I'm saying.

      Huh, in writing this I find that I probably didn't like it as much as I thought I did, but I definitely think I need to read a few more in the series to see how things shake out with this writer/character over time.
    • 5/5
      I read one Katee Burkholder by accident and had to read the first in the series. I was not disappointed in anyway. I love tje backstory of Katee and i cant wait to read the next book however there is triggers in this one being rape so be careful if thats an issue
    • 5/5
      This was a very enjoyable read which I gave 4.5 stars. I look forward to continuing thus series. A gritty read but used to great effect and supports the plot without being sensationalist. Good to see a strong female lead and the Amish Community context gave an extra layer to the book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Kate Burkholder grew up in the Ohio Amish country and is now the Chief of Police. Kate is faced with a serial killer in her jurisdiction, and at the same time, is faced with her past. She must do everything possible to catch this evil person while protecting her and her family's secret.Kate is a likable, flawed character. Her team consists of people of varying ages and life circumstances making it a well-rounded group. In general, the plot follows a typical formula for thrillers, but does a great job in setting up the series. I'm thrilled to have found this new-to-me author at the beginning of it. I'm interested in the Amish culture, so the contrast with police encounters is intriguing to me.This is not a book for the squeamish, though. There is extremely descriptive violence of the tortured victims and crude language. That was a bit difficult to get through. Also, I listened to this thriller and would have preferred to read it. The narrator's rendition of the male characters and the Pennsylvania-Dutch language didn't set well with me. I do not think it would bother others, though. I've discovered that I prefer my books to be read flat. Next time I will skip the audio version and pick up the book. I'm looking forward it.Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 4/5
      Kate is the chief of police in Painters Mill, Ohio, a small town with a large population of Amish. Formerly Amish herself, Kate has long been estranged from her own family. When the dead body of a young woman is found, there appears to be a connection to murders from 16 years ago by a serial killer dubbed ‘The Slaughterhouse Killer’. But Kate is not convinced it’s the same killer – because she killed the Slaughterhouse Killer herself, after he’d come after her. Her family got rid of the body and made a pact of silence. This was a good if not great start to a new series. The characters are well drawn, especially the main character of Kate. The author communicated well the stress the police are under to stop the killer and the pressure Kate feels to keep her long-buried secret. The horrific nature of the crimes inflicted on the victims was a bit more violent than necessary in my opinion, but that’s nothing new in recent crime fiction. The resolution to the mystery was well done; I had no idea who the killer was until the end.
    • 4/5
      First in a series. Painters Mill, Ohio is a small rural town where the Amish and “English” residents live – mostly – peaceably together. Kate Burkholder was born and raised in Painters Mill, but left her Amish roots to go into law enforcement. Now she’s been recruited to return as the Chief of Police. When the body of a young woman is found in a snowy field, Kate and other law enforcement officials recognize the signature of the Slaughterhouse Killer who terrorized the community some sixteen years previously. This is a tight, fast-paced thriller. I really like Kate; she’s intelligent, resourceful, fiercely protective, determined and a strong leader, but she’s got some trauma in her past that haunts her, and her efforts to keep her secrets secret affect how she handles the investigation. I’m interested by John Tomasetti, an agent of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI), who is brought in to help the local police investigate. He’s a tough, no-nonsense kind of guy, with a cop’s intuition and skill in interrogation and investigation, but he’s also got a dark, tragic past and a current substance abuse problem. These two broken individuals make a great team, despite their initial reluctance and the emotional baggage they each carry. Castillo rounds out the characters with self-important politicians, a limelight-loving Sheriff, a strong second-in-command police officer, reticent Amish, and a couple of feisty women who man the dispatch call center. Readers who are attracted by the “Amish” tag should note, however, that this is NOT a cozy mystery. There is a violent sexual predator on the loose and the victims endure torture and physical violence. Tomasetti, in particular, uses considerable foul language. The final encounter between Kate and the killer is violent and graphic. There were a few loose threads or editing mistakes, ( What happened to the fire that was started when the kerosene heater spilled fuel and flames across the floor? Why are a victim’s hands tied in front of her when she was supposedly hog-tied … i.e. hands in back?) but all in all this was a great mystery/thriller. I will keep reading this series.
    • 4/5
      Kate Burkholder has a past, a secret she's been keeping since she was a kid, an innocent Amish kid. She was attacked and her actions appeared to stop the actions of a murderer. But now the murderer is back, the numbers carved into the bodies are going up and she's having to balance her past and her present and deal with messy local politics.The characters weren't simple and one-sided and I enjoyed that.This was an interesting murder mystery that kept me guessing throughout. Plenty of red herrings to keep me going. The romance didn't quite work on some levels but I'd be interested to read more set in this place, it gave me a good feeling of place and people.

    Book preview

    Sworn to Silence - Linda Castillo

    PROLOGUE

    She hadn’t believed in monsters since she was six years old, back when her mom would check the closet and look beneath her bed at night. But at the age of twenty-one, bound and brutalized and lying naked on a concrete floor that was as cold as lake ice, she believed.

    Enveloped in darkness, she listened to the hard drum of her heart. She couldn’t stop shivering. Couldn’t keep her teeth from chattering. Every minuscule sound made her body tense in terrible anticipation of the monster’s return.

    In the beginning, she’d entertained fantasies of escape or convincing her captor to let her go. But she was a realist; she knew this wasn’t going to end nicely. There would be no negotiation. No police rescue. No last-minute reprieve. The monster was going to kill her. It was no longer a question of if, but when. The waiting was almost as hellish as death itself.

    She didn’t know where she was or how long she’d been there. She’d lost all concept of time and place. All she could discern about her surroundings was that the place stank of rotting meat, and every little noise echoed as if she were in a cave.

    She was hoarse from screaming. Exhausted from struggling. Demoralized by the horrors he’d inflicted upon her. A small part of her just wanted this terrible struggle for life to end. But dear God how she wanted to live …

    Mama, she whispered.

    She’d never contemplated death. She had too many dreams. She was too full of hope for the future, and a firm believer in the promise that tomorrow would be better than today. Lying in a cold slick of her own urine, she accepted the fact that there would be no tomorrow. There was no hope. No future. Only the black dread of her impending death and the agony that knowledge brought.

    She lay on her side with her knees drawn up to her chest. The wire binding her wrists behind her had tormented her at first, but over the hours the pain had ebbed. She tried not to think of the things he’d done to her. He’d raped her first. But even that outrage was nothing compared to the other depravities she’d endured.

    She could still hear the snap of electricity. She felt the hard wrench of it as it jumped through her, jolting her brain inside her skull. She could still hear the animalistic sound of her own screams. The roar of adrenaline-rich blood through her veins. The wild drum of her heart beating out of control. And then there was the knife.

    He’d worked with the intense concentration of some macabre artisan. He’d been so close she’d felt the whisper of his breath against her skin. When she screamed, he hit her with the electrical prod. When she lashed out with her feet, he’d hit her again. In the end, she’d lain still and endured the agony in silence. She’d accepted the pain. And for a few brief minutes, her mind had taken her to the beach in Florida where she’d gone with her parents two years ago. White sand hot on her feet. A breeze so moist and warm it was like the breath of God on her soul.

    Help me, Mama…

    The sound of boots against concrete jerked her from her reverie. She raised her head and looked around wildly, trying in vain to see past the blindfold. She could hear her breaths rushing between her teeth, like a wild animal that had been hunted down for slaughter. She hated him. She hated what he was, what he’d done to her. If only she could loosen her bonds and run …

    Stay away from me, you son of a bitch! she shouted. Stay away!

    But she knew he wouldn’t.

    A gloved hand brushed her hip. Twisting, she lashed out with both feet. A fleeting sense of satisfaction unfurled when her tormenter grunted. Then the snap of electricity cracked like lightning. Pain raked down her body as if she were at the end of a bullwhip that had just been snapped.

    For an instant, the world went silent and gray. Vaguely, she was aware of hands touching her feet. The distant clink of steel against concrete. Cold seeping into her until her entire body quaked uncontrollably.

    A pristine new terror whipped through her when she realized her attacker had wrapped a chain around her ankles. The cold links dug into her skin when it was drawn tight. She tried to kick, tried to free her legs so she could make one last, desperate stand.

    But it was too late.

    She screamed until she ran out of breath. She floundered, twisting and writhing, but her efforts were futile. Above her, steel rattled against steel. The chain slowly lifted her feet from the floor.

    Why are you doing this? she cried. Why?

    The chain jangled, pulling her feet upward, higher and higher until she was hanging upside down. All the blood in her body seemed to pool in her head. It pounded in her face, the veins throbbing. She fought to right herself, but gravity tugged her down. Help me! Someone!

    A mindless panic gripped her when a gloved hand grasped her hair. A scream poured from her lungs when the monster drew her head back. The sudden heat of a razor cut pricked her throat. As if from a great distance she heard the sound of water pouring down, like the spray from a shower echoing off tile walls. Staring into the darkness of the blindfold, she listened to her lifeblood drain away. This could not be happening. Not to her. Not in Painters Mill.

    As if someone had flipped a switch, her mind went fuzzy. Her face grew hot, but her body was cold. Terror ebbed into a dull and steady hum. Pain faded into nothingness. Her muscles went slack. Her limbs began to tingle.

    He’s not going to hurt me after all, she thought.

    And she escaped to the white sand beach where slender palms swayed like elegant flamenco dancers. And the bluest water she’d ever seen stretched as far as the eye could see.

    CHAPTER 1

    The cruiser’s strobes cast red and blue light onto winter dead trees. Officer T.J. Banks pulled the car onto the shoulder and flipped on the spotlight, running the beam along the edge of the field where corn stalks shivered in the cold. Twenty yards away, six Jersey cows stood in the bar ditch, chewing their cud.

    Stupid fuckin’ cows, he muttered. Besides chickens, they had to be the dumbest animals on earth.

    He hit the radio. Dispatch, this is forty-seven.

    What’s up, T.J.? asked Mona, the night dispatcher.

    I got a 10-54. Stutz’s damn cows are out again.

    That’s the second time in a week.

    Always on my shift, too.

    So what are you going to do? He ain’t got no phone out there.

    A glance at the clock on the dash told him it was nearly two A.M. Well, I’m not going to stand out here in the frickin’ cold and round up these stupid shits.

    Maybe you ought to just shoot ’em.

    Don’t tempt me. Looking around, he sighed. Livestock on the road at this hour was an accident waiting to happen. If someone came around the curve too fast it could be bad. He thought of all the paperwork an accident would entail and shook his head. I’ll set up some flares then go drag his Amish ass out of bed.

    Let me know if you need backup. She snickered.

    Yanking the zipper of his coat up to his chin, he slid his flashlight from its nest beside the seat and got out of the cruiser. It was so cold he could feel his nose hairs freezing. His boots crunched through snow as he made his way to the bar ditch, his breaths puffing out in front of him. He hated the graveyard shift almost as much as he hated winter.

    He ran the flashlight beam along the fence line. Sure enough, twenty feet away two strands of barbed wire had come loose from a gnarled locust-wood post. Hoofprints told him several head had discovered the opening and ventured onto the shoulder for some illicit grazing.

    Stupid fuckin’ cows.

    T.J. went back to the cruiser and popped the trunk. Removing two flares, he set them up on the centerline to warn traffic. He was on his way back to the cruiser when he spotted something in the snow on the opposite side of the road. Curious, he crossed to it. A solitary woman’s shoe lay on the shoulder. Judging from its condition and lack of snow cover, it hadn’t been there long. Teenagers, probably. This deserted stretch of road was a favorite place to smoke dope and have sex. They were almost as stupid as cows.

    Frowning, T.J. nudged the shoe with his foot. That was when he noticed the drag marks, as if something heavy had been hauled through the snow. He traced the path with the flashlight beam, tracking it to the fence and into the field beyond. The hairs at the back of his neck prickled when he spotted blood. A lot of it.

    What the hell?

    He followed the trail into the ditch where yellow grass poked up through the snow. He climbed the fence and found more blood on the other side, stark and black against pristine white. It was enough to give a guy the willies.

    The path took him to a stand of bare-branched hedge apple trees at the edge of a cornfield. He could hear himself breathing hard, the dead corn stalks whispering all around. T.J. set his hand on his revolver and swept the beam in a 360-degree circle. That was when he noticed the object in the snow.

    At first he thought an animal had been hit and dragged itself there to die. But as he neared, the beam revealed something else. Pale flesh. A shock of darkish hair. A bare foot sticking out of the snow. Adrenaline kicked hard in his gut. Holy shit.

    For an instant he couldn’t move. He couldn’t stop looking at the dark circle of blood and colorless flesh. Giving himself a hard mental shake, T.J. dropped to his knees beside the body. His first thought was that she might still be alive. Brushing at the snow, he set his hand against a bare shoulder. Her skin was ice cold, but he rolled her over anyway. He saw more blood and pasty flesh and glazed eyes that seemed to stare right at him.

    Shaken, he scrambled back. His hand trembled as he grappled for his lapel mike. Dispatch! This is forty-seven!

    What now, T.J.? One of them cows chase you up a tree?

    I got a fuckin’ body here at Stutz’s place.

    What?

    They used the ten-code system in Painters Mill, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember the number for a dead body. He’d never had to use it. I said I got a dead body.

    I heard you the first time. But the words were followed by a stunned pause as realization hit her. What’s your twenty?

    Dog Leg Road, just south of the covered bridge.

    A beat of silence. Who is it?

    Everyone knew everyone in Painters Mill, but he’d never seen this woman before. I don’t know. A woman. Naked as the day she came into this world and deader than Elvis.

    A wreck or what?

    This was no accident. Setting his hand on the butt of his .38, T.J. scanned the shadows within the trees. He could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. You’d better call the chief, Mona. I think we got us a murder.

    CHAPTER 2

    I dream of death.

    As always, I’m in the kitchen of the old farmhouse. Blood shimmers stark and red against the scuffed hardwood floor. The scents of yeast bread and fresh-cut hay mingle with the harsh stench of my own terror, a contrariety my mind cannot reconcile. The curtains billow in the breeze coming through the window above the sink. I see flecks of blood on the yellow fabric. More spatter on the wall. I feel the stickiness of it on my hands.

    I crouch in the corner, animal sounds I don’t recognize tearing from my throat like stifled screams. I feel death in the room. Darkness all around me. Inside me. And at the age of fourteen, I know evil exists in my safe and sheltered world.

    The phone rattles me from sleep. The nightmare slinks back into its hole like some nocturnal creature. Rolling, I grapple with the phone on the nightstand and set the phone against my ear. Yeah. My voice comes out like a croak.

    Chief. This is Mona. Sorry to wake you, but I think you’d better come in.

    Mona is my graveyard dispatcher. She’s not prone to hysterics, so the anxiety in her tone garners my full attention. What happened?

    T.J.’s out at the Stutz place. He was rounding up cows and found a dead body.

    Suddenly, I’m no longer sleepy. Sitting up, I shove the hair from my face. What?

    He found a body. Sounds pretty shaken up.

    Judging from the tone of her voice, T.J. isn’t the only one. I throw my legs over the side of the bed and reach for my robe. A glance at the alarm tells me it’s almost two-thirty A.M. An accident?

    Just a body. Nude. Female.

    Realizing I need my clothes, not the robe, I turn on the lamp. The light hurts my eyes, but I’m fully awake now. I’m still trying to get my mind around the idea of one of my officers finding a body. I ask for the location, and she tells me.

    Call Doc Coblentz, I say. Doc Coblentz is one of six doctors in the town of Painters Mill, Ohio, and acting coroner for Holmes County.

    I cross to the closet and reach for my bra, socks and long johns. Tell T.J. not to touch anything or move the body. I’ll be there in ten minutes.

    *   *   *

    The Stutz farm sits on eighty acres bordered on one side by Dog Leg Road, the other by the north fork of Painters Creek. The location Mona gave me is half a mile from the old covered bridge on a deserted stretch of road that dead-ends at the county line.

    I crave coffee as I pull up behind T.J.’s cruiser. My headlights reveal his silhouette in the driver’s seat. I’m pleased to see he set out flares and left his strobes on. Grabbing my Mag-Lite, I slide out of the Explorer. The cold shocks me, and I huddle deeper into my parka, wishing I’d remembered my hat. T.J. looks shaken as I approach. What do you have?

    A body. Female. He’s doing his best to maintain his cop persona, but his hand shakes as he points toward the field. I know those tremors aren’t from the temperature. Thirty feet in by those trees.

    You sure she’s dead?

    T.J.’s Adam’s apple bobs twice. She’s cold. No pulse. There’s blood all over the fuckin’ place.

    Let’s take a look. We start toward the trees. Did you touch anything? Disturb the scene?

    He drops his head slightly, and I know he did. I thought maybe she was … alive, so I rolled her over, checked.

    Not good, but I don’t say anything. T.J. Banks has the makings of a good cop. He’s diligent and serious about his work. But this is his first job in law enforcement. Having been my officer for only six months, he’s green. I’d lay odds this is his first dead body.

    We crunch through ankle-deep snow. A sense of dread staggers me when I spot the body. I wish for daylight, but it will be hours before my wish is granted. Nights are long this time of year. The victim is naked. Late teens or early twenties. Dark blonde hair. A slick of blood two feet in diameter surrounds her head. She’d once been pretty, but in death her face is macabre. I can tell she’d originally been lying prone; lividity has set in, leaving one side of her face purple. Her eyes are halfway open and glazed. Her tongue bulges from between swollen lips, and I see ice crystals on it.

    I squat next to the body. Looks like she’s been here a few hours.

    Starting to get freezer burn, T.J. notes.

    Though I was a patrol officer in Columbus, Ohio, for six years, a homicide detective for two, I feel as if I’m out of my league. Columbus isn’t exactly the murder capital of the world, but like every city it has a dark side. I’ve seen my share of death. Still, the blatant brutality of this crime shocks me. I want to think violent murder doesn’t happen in towns like Painters Mill.

    But I know it does.

    I remind myself this is a crime scene. Rising, I fan my flashlight beam around the perimeter. There are no tracks other than ours. With a sinking sensation, I realize we’ve contaminated possible evidence. Call Glock and tell him to get out here.

    He’s on va—

    My look cuts his words short.

    The Painters Mill PD consists of myself, three full-time officers, two dispatchers and one auxiliary officer. Rupert Glock Maddox is a former Marine and my most experienced. He earned his nickname because of his fondness for his side arm. Vacation or not, I need him.

    Tell him to bring crime scene tape. I think about what else we’re going to need. Get an ambulance out here. Alert the hospital in Millersburg. Tell them we’ll be transporting a body to the morgue. Oh, and tell Rupert to bring coffee. Lots of it. I look down at the body. We’re going to be here a while.

    *   *   *

    Dr. Ludwig Coblentz is a rotund man with a big head, a balding pate and a belly the size of a Volkswagen. I meet him on the shoulder as he slides from his Escalade. I hear one of your officers had a close encounter with a dead body, he says grimly.

    Not just dead, I say. Murdered.

    He wears khaki trousers and a red plaid pajama top beneath his parka. I watch as he pulls a black bag from the passenger seat. Holding it like a lunchbox, he turns to me, his expression telling me he’s ready to get down to business.

    I lead him into the bar ditch. It’s a short walk to the body, but his breathing is labored by the time we climb the fence. How the hell did a body get all the way out here? he mutters.

    Someone dumped her or she dragged herself before she died.

    He gives me a look, but I don’t elaborate. I don’t want him walking into this with preconceived notions. First impressions are important in police work.

    We duck under the crime scene tape Glock has strung through the trees like toilet paper at Halloween. T.J. has clipped an AC work light to a branch above the body. It doesn’t cast much light, but it’s better than flashlights and will free up our hands. I wish for a generator.

    Scene is secure. Glock approaches holding two cups of coffee and shoves one at me. You look like you could use this.

    Taking the Styrofoam cup, I peel back the tab and sip. God, that’s good.

    He glances at the body. You figure someone dumped her?

    Looks that way.

    T.J. joins us, his gaze flicking to the dead woman. Jeez, Chief, I hate to see her laid out like that.

    I hate it, too. From where we stand I can see her breasts and pubic hair. The woman inside me cringes at that. But there’s nothing I can do about it; we can’t move her or cover her until we process the scene. Do either of you recognize her? I ask.

    Both men shake their heads.

    Sipping my coffee, I study the scene, trying to piece together what might have happened. Glock, do you still have that old Polaroid?

    In my trunk.

    Take some photos of the body and the scene. I think of the trampled snow and mentally kick myself for disturbing the area. A boot tread might have been helpful. I want shots of the drag marks, too. I speak to both men now. Set up a grid inside the crime scene tape and walk it, starting at the trees. Bag everything you find, even if you think it’s not important. Be sure to photograph everything before you touch it. See if you can find a boot tread. Keep your eyes open for clothing or a wallet.

    Will do, Chief. Glock and T.J. start toward the trees.

    I turn to Doc Coblentz, who is standing next to the body. Any idea who she is? I ask.

    I don’t recognize her. The doc removes his mittens, slides his chubby fingers into latex gloves. He grunts as he kneels.

    Any idea how long she’s been dead?

    Hard to tell because of the cold. He lifts her arm. Red grooves mark her wrist. The surrounding flesh is bruised and smeared with blood. Her hands were bound, he says.

    I look at the scored flesh. She’d struggled violently to get free. With wire?

    That would be my guess.

    Her painted fingernails tell me she’s not Amish. I notice two nails on her right hand are broken to the quick. She’d fought back. I make a mental note to get nail scrapings.

    Rigor has set in, the doc says. She’s been dead at least eight hours. Judging from the ice crystals on the mucous membranes, probably closer to ten. Once I get her to the hospital, I’ll get a core body temp. Body temp drops a degree to a degree and a half per hour, so a core will narrow down TOD. He releases her hand.

    His finger hovers above the purple flesh of her cheek. Lividity in the face here. He looks up at me. His glasses are fogged. His eyes appear huge behind the thick lenses. Did someone move her? he asks.

    I nod, but I don’t mention who. What about cause of death?

    Removing a penlight from his inside pocket, the doctor peels back an eyelid and shines it into her eye. No petechial hemorrhages.

    So she wasn’t strangled.

    Right. Gently, he sets his hand beneath her chin and shifts her head to the left. Her lips part, and I notice two of her front teeth are broken to the gum line. He turns her head to the right and the wound on her throat gapes like a bloody mouth.

    Throat was cut, the doc says.

    Any idea what kind of weapon made the wound?

    Something sharp. With no serration. No obvious sign of tearing. Not a slash or it would be longer and more shallow on the edges. Hard to tell in this light. Gently, he rolls her body to one side.

    My eyes skim the corpse. Her left shoulder is covered with bright red abrasions or possibly burns. More of the same appear on her left buttock. Both knees are abraded as well as the tops of her feet. The skin at both ankles is the color of ripe eggplant. The flesh isn’t laid open like her wrists, but her feet had definitely been bound.

    My heart drops into my stomach when I notice more blood on her abdomen, just above her navel. Obscured within the dark smear is something I’ve seen before. Something I’ve imagined a thousand times in my nightmares. What about that?

    Good God. The doctor’s voice quivers. It looks like something carved into her flesh.

    Hard to make out what it is. But in that instant I’m certain we both know. Neither of us wants to say it aloud.

    The doc leans closer, so that his face is less than a foot from the wound. Looks like two X’s and three I’s.

    Or the Roman numeral twenty-three, I finish.

    He looks at me and in his eyes I see the same horror and disbelief I feel clenching my chest. It’s been sixteen years since I’ve seen anything like it, he whispers.

    Staring at the bloody carving on this young woman’s body, I’m filled with a revulsion so deep I shiver.

    After a moment, Doc Coblentz leans back on his heels. Shaking his head, he motions toward the marks on her buttocks, the broken fingernails and teeth. Someone put her through a lot.

    Outrage and a fear I don’t want to acknowledge sweep through me. Was she sexually assaulted?

    My heart pounds as he shines the pen light onto her pubis. I see blood on the insides of her thighs and shudder inwardly.

    Looks like it. He shakes his head. I’ll know more once I get her to the morgue. Hopefully the son of a bitch left us a DNA sample.

    The fist twisting my gut warns me it isn’t going to be that easy.

    Looking down at the body, I wonder what kind of monster could do this to a young woman with so much life ahead. I wonder how many lives will be destroyed by her death. The coffee has gone bitter on my tongue. I’m no longer cold. I’m deeply offended and angered by the brutality of what I see. Worse, I’m afraid.

    Will you bag her hands for me, Doc?

    Sure.

    How soon can you do an autopsy?

    Coblentz braces his hands on his knees and shoves himself to his feet. I’ll shuffle some appointments and do it today.

    We stand in the wind and cold and try in vain not to think about what this woman endured before her death.

    He killed her somewhere else. I glance at the drag marks. No sign of a struggle. If he’d cut her throat here, there’d be more blood.

    The doctor nods. Hemorrhage ceases when the heart stops. She was probably already dead when he dumped her. More than likely the blood here is residual that leaked from that neck wound.

    I think of the people who must have loved her. Parents. Husband. Children. And I am saddened. This wasn’t a crime of passion.

    The person who did this took his time. The doctor’s eyes meet mine. This was calculated. Organized.

    I know what he’s thinking. I see it in the depths of his eyes. I know because I’m thinking the very same thing.

    Just like before, the doctor finishes.

    CHAPTER 3

    Snow swirls in the beams of the headlights as I turn the Explorer onto the long and narrow lane that will take us to the Stutz farm. Next to me, T.J. is reticent. He’s my youngest officer—just twenty-four years old—and more sensitive than he would ever admit. Not that sensitivity in a cop is a bad thing, but I can tell finding the body has shaken him.

    Hell of a way to start the week. I force a smile.

    Tell me about it.

    I want to draw him out, but I’m not great at small talk. So, are you okay?

    Me? I’m good. He looks embarrassed by my question and troubled by the images I know are still rolling around inside his

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