Amish Undercover Read Online Free Page A

older and weathered in the face since the last time he had seen him. The orange jumpsuit Marvin wore was a stark reminder to Bailey that he was just about to ask a criminal to do the government a favor. Bailey had been given permission to offer Marvin an official pardon for his co-operation. Bailey was certain that Marvin would be more than happy to co-operate; if he were in the same circumstances, he would jump at the opportunity.
    Bailey looked at the two prison guards, staring at them pointedly until they stepped back to give the two men some privacy.
    Marvin leaned back in his chair.
    “How do you like it in here?” Bailey said, wondering which way he should approach his request.
    “How would you think I’d be liking it? Unable to see my kids, my wife threatening to divorce me… how do you think I’d like it? The food’s atrocious and I’m stuck in here with murderers and lunatics.” Marvin leaned forward. “I’m in here with perverts and hardened criminals; they’d slit their own mother’s throat if there were a buck in it for ‘em. All I did to get thrown in this joint was paint.”
    “Then, it’s your lucky day, Forsythe.”
    Marvin glanced at the two guards who were standing against the door behind Bailey and his eyes quickly fell back to Bailey. “What’re ya saying?”
    “I’ve got a proposition to put to you and it involves you getting out of here.”
    Marvin breathed out heavily. “What do I need to do? I’m not gonna rat on no one. I’d rather be in ‘ere than have a knife sticking outa me back, dead in some back alley.”
    “I’m not asking you to ‘rat on’ anyone.” Bailey tried to ignore the sense of futility and desperation that hung heavily in the air of the prison. It bothered Bailey that there was something familiar about the place, but how could there be? Bailey had never stepped foot in this prison before, but there was a feeling he knew the place. 
    “Yeah, then what then?”
    “All you have to do is paint.” Bailey knew he should be concentrating on the conversation with Marvin, but the sense that he had been in this very room at one point was beginning to overwhelm him.
    Marvin smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Paint what?”
    Bailey dropped his gaze and gathered his thoughts. He looked straight up into Marvin’s eyes. “Paint a two hundred year old painting, well, closer to a hundred year old painting.”
    Marvin laughed. “That’s what got me in ‘ere.”
    Bailey leaned as far forward as he could. “Now, it can get you out.”
    Marvin studied Bailey’s face then asked, “Who does it have to fool?”
    “It just has to fool someone to look at. We’ll have the verification papers falsified. It has to fool the press, and good enough to fool the experts on inspection by hand magnification – say ten to twenty magnification.”
    “If I agree, I go completely free, charges squashed?” Marvin dropped his head, but kept his eyes fixed on Bailey.
    “I’ve had the go ahead to make all charges go away and get you out of here.”
    “Can I talk to my lawyer first?”
    Bailey shook his head. “No one can know you’re out, not even your lawyer.”
    Marvin rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I want to be anonymous; I don’t want it to come out later that I painted it. I want my name kept out of it; can you do that?”
    Bailey nodded. “Absolutely. Plan is, no one will know you’re out. You’ll be taken to a safe-house until after this thing is over. You’ll do the painting and then you will stay in the safe-house until I say that you can go.”
    Marvin scratched the gray stubble on his chin once more. “How long will that be?”
    Bailey shook his head. “I can’t tell you.”
    “Where’s this safe house?”
    “I can’t tell you anymore until you agree.” Bailey looked around. “You’ll be out of this place; one officer will stay with you at all times and you’ll be given three decent meals a day. You can’t contact anyone at all.