Castillo Linda - Outsider

“Everything that happened … I guess I’ve been thinking about what’s really important.”

“And what is that?”

I scoot back my chair, get to my feet, and face him. “Us,” I say simply. “Our future.” I look around. “This moment. The people around us. The people we love.”

“Maybe it’s time we did something about it,” he says.

I’m keenly aware that the door to my office is open. That my team of officers are just down the hall and it would be unseemly for us to embrace in plain view. Then again, there’s no one close enough to see us. When his arms go around me, I don’t complain.

“Are you proposing?” I ask.

“For the second or third time now. I’ve lost count.”

“Tomasetti, I think that might be a record.”

“I wouldn’t have to humiliate myself like this if you’d stop dragging your feet and get with the program.”

I can’t help it; I laugh. “This is one of those moments,” I whisper. “You realize that, right?”

“In that case, what do you say you make short work of this staff meeting and make tracks to the farm so we can discuss this a little more in depth?” he says quietly.

“I think that’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”

ALSO BY LINDA CASTILLO

Sworn to Silence

Pray for Silence

Breaking Silence

Gone Missing

Her Last Breath

The Dead Will Tell

After the Storm

Among the Wicked

Down a Dark Road

A Gathering of Secrets

Shamed

About the Author

Linda Castillo is the New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Burkholder novels, including Sworn to Silence , which was adapted into a Lifetime Original Movie titled An Amish Murder. She is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence, and a nomination for the RITA. In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband. You can sign up for email updates here.

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Contents

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Also by Linda Castillo

About the Author

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group

OUTSIDER. Copyright © 2020 by Linda Castillo. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

Cover design: David Baldeosingh Rotstein

Cover photographs: woman © Rekha Arcangel/Arcangel; window © Carl Saathoff/Shutterstock.com; water © vvoe/Shutterstock.com

www.minotaurbooks.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Names: Castillo, Linda, author.

Title: Outsider / Linda Castillo.

Description: First edition.|New York: Minotaur Books, 2020.|Series: A Kate Burkholder novel; 12

Identifiers: LCCN 2020009587|ISBN 9781250142894 (hardcover)|ISBN 9781250780782 (signed edition)|ISBN 9781250142917 (ebook)|

Subjects: LCSH: Burkholder, Kate (Fictitious character)—Fiction.|Women police chiefs—Fiction.|Amish—Fiction.|BISAC: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural.|GSAFD: Mystery fiction.|Suspense fiction.

Classification: LCC PS3603.A8758 O88 2020|DDC 813/.6—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020009587

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First Edition: 2020