**2024 EDGAR AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SHORT STORY

A troubling discovery leads Chief of Police Kate Burkholder on a strange investigation ending at a long-abandoned Amish farm in this short mystery from bestselling author Linda Castillo.**

When a family dog brings home a human bone, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder finds herself on a desperate search for answers. Where did the bone come from? Who does it belong to? And perhaps most importantly, are the bones a result of foul play? With Halloween approaching, the unsettling questions garner uneasiness, rumors, and macabre theories among the residents of Painters Mill. Determined to get to the bottom of the case—and stop the ghost stories upsetting the town—Kate and her soon-to-be husband John Tomasetti embark on a sweeping investigation. Will their search for the source of the human remains uncover the truth? Or will it lead them to an even darker discovery buried on hallowed ground?