Read Online In Plain View (Amish Safe House, Book 2) by Ruth Hartzler - Free Book Online Page A

fame or praise for doing so – the sole function
her acting played was that of saving her own life.
    The door swung open suddenly, and then
disappeared from view as a middle-aged man adorned the doorway.
“Yes, can I help you?”
    “You most certainly can. I’m Detective
Austen. I work out of the sheriff’s office.” She tapped her hip to
give the impression that she had a firearm holstered there.
    “Oh, well, come right in, Detective.” Lucas
led her to the living area and motioned for her to have a seat.
    Kate was relieved beyond measure that the
man had not asked to see her badge. “I’m here about Ethan Jackson,
the homicide victim who was found recently. We have probable cause
to believe you knew this person, and what you tell us might prove
vital in our investigation.”
    What looked like fear started to sink into
Lucas’s appearance. His eyes retreated into beady, penetrating
pupils. His smile was now all but invisible, and the tone of his
skin all of a sudden looked two shades lighter. “Um, I’m not sure
what you’re talking about, Detective Austen.”
    “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do this
the hard way. We know the victim was involved with organized crime.
We also know that you and the victim have been seen together in
recent months. I’d hate to have to get a search warrant for this
place. It looks like a harsh tossing around of its contents by a
squad of cops might be somewhat detrimental.”
    The man’s shoulders sagged miserably. “It’s
an old home. Please. What is it you want from me?”
    “Who was Ethan Jackson? What was his exact
role and who did he work for?” Kate looked down at her notepad. She
knew quite a bit of information already, but she needed to know
everything he knew. “Why would anyone want to harm him?” she added.
From the look on Lucas’s face, Kate knew that she was onto
something.
    “Okay, I can give you a little bit of
information, but that’s gotta be it. I’m already too deep into
this, and I can’t afford to risk my life to help some cops.” A
terrified look covered his face. “He was a professional hitman for
The Viper. An assassin, if you will. He carries out the hits
ordered by Logan White’s organization.”
    “Okay. And what else?”
    “Well, here’s where it gets kinda crazy.
Ethan and I were buddies from when we were kids. I used to live in
a bad part of the city and we bonded. I hadn’t spoken to him in
nearly twenty years, and he just suddenly appeared on my doorstep a
few months back. I guess he ended up getting himself neck-deep in
some trouble. He was withholding evidence for some of his
contracts. He was using that evidence to blackmail the small-time
crooks in hopes of getting some extra cash.”
    Kate’s jaw dropped. “You’re telling me that
Ethan Jackson was taking care of marked men, and then turning
around and threatening his clients with exposition?”
    “Exactly. I think that’s what led to him
being found in the pond. He messed with the wrong people.”
    “You mean The Viper , Logan
White?”
    “I’m sure you’ve heard about a new branch of
organized crime opening up nearby. He said they were big
fish , and he kept talking about how he was going to start
fishing in more dangerous waters.”
    The revelation was astonishing, and Kate
worked hard to keep her poker face on straight. Logan White,
himself, opening up a branch in town? “So, Ethan thought this new
crime syndicate was going to be a bigger target? Do you know what
happened after he actually tried to blackmail them?”
    The man shuddered, and his face fell even
further. “Well, the last time I saw him, was about a week before he
disappeared. He had come by, all panicked and freaking out. He just
kept saying that he needed to get out of the country. I didn’t
understand why, until he told me that the new crime starting up
wasn’t actually new. Logan White was expanding here. His larger
contractor and most vicious crime boss around right now was the one
he