Page 37 of Once Hidden
Riley kept her eyes on the road ahead.“I’m afraid so.My gut tells me he didn’t get away from here alive.”
The abandoned church appeared suddenly as they rounded a bend in the road, its steeple rising above a cluster of ancient oaks.Riley slowed the vehicle, taking in the scene that unfolded before them—two police cruisers parked at odd angles near a rusted iron gate, their lights still flashing in silent urgency against the late afternoon shadows.Yellow police tape had already been strung across the entrance to the churchyard, where a small group of figures stood in a loose circle, their attention fixed on something beyond Riley’s line of sight.
“That’s Bob Montgomery,” Peckham said as he exited his patrol car, pointing to a stocky man in his late twenties who stood apart from the officers, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans.
Riley studied Montgomery as she approached.His face was pale beneath a light sheen of sweat, and he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the nervous energy of a man who had stumbled onto something he wished he hadn’t.Next to him, one of Peckham’s officers was taking notes, while another secured the perimeter with additional tape.
“Mr.Montgomery,” Peckham called out as they approached.“These are the FBI agents I told you about.”
Montgomery’s gaze darted between them before settling on Riley.“I was just out walking,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse.“I come here sometimes.It’s quiet, you know?But today...”He trailed off, gesturing vaguely toward the churchyard.
“Can you show us exactly where?”Riley asked.
Montgomery swallowed visibly.“Officer Davis already knows.I didn’t—I didn’t touch anything once I realized.Just called it in right away.”
Captain Hodge stepped away from the group, phone already pressed to his ear.“I’ll get the forensics team here,” he said to Riley.“We need a controlled excavation.And I’ll let the ME know we might have a recovery situation.”
Riley turned her attention to the churchyard beyond the gate.The old church itself sat about fifty yards away, its stone walls crumbling in places, windows long since emptied of glass.Between their position and the church stretched rows of weathered headstones, some tilting at precarious angles, others nearly swallowed by the encroaching grass and wildflowers.The entire scene was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.
“The disturbed area is over there,” Officer Davis said, pointing toward the far edge of the graveyard where the orderly rows of headstones gave way to overgrown wilderness.“It’s not part of the original cemetery.Looks fresh—soil’s been turned within the last day or two.”
Riley followed his gesture, noting how the location was partially obscured by a large oak tree, visible from where they stood but likely hidden from the road.
“Has anyone approached the site directly?”she asked.
“No, ma’am,” Davis replied.“We secured the perimeter and waited for you all to arrive.”
Riley watched as more officers arrived and began establishing a wider security perimeter.The scene was being handled with appropriate care—officers logging identifying details, preserving the integrity of what might prove to be their first major physical evidence.
“Mr.Montgomery, we’ll need a formal statement from you,” Riley said.“But for now, I’d like you to stay here with Officer—” she glanced at the nameplate on the nearest officer’s uniform, “—Briggs while we examine the scene.”
Montgomery seemed relieved to be kept at a distance from whatever lay beyond the iron gate.
Riley ducked under the police tape and followed Ann Marie and Peckham to where Officer Davis had pointed.Soon she could see what had caught Montgomery’s attention—a roughly rectangular area about six feet long and three feet wide where the earth had been dug up and replaced.Unlike the rest of the graveyard, no vegetation covered this patch.
Riley’s eyes moved beyond the immediate scene to take in the entirety of the churchyard.There was something deliberate about this location—not just convenient, but chosen with some unidentified purpose.
The graveyard itself told a story.The oldest headstones, near the church, dated back to the 1800s, their engravings worn nearly smooth by time and weather.Newer stones—though none appeared less than several decades old—formed neat rows that grew increasingly sparse toward the edges.The maintenance had clearly ceased years ago, allowing nature to reclaim much of the space.
And yet, there was beauty here.Wildflowers bloomed between the graves.Ancient trees spread protective limbs overhead.Even as the sunlight faded, casting longer shadows across the scene, there was a strange tranquility to the place.Riley could understand why locals might find it appealing—remote enough to feel secret, old enough to feel significant.
She moved slowly along the perimeter of the graveyard, observing how the killer would have approached.No houses within sight.The church itself blocking the view from the main road.Trees providing cover from casual observation.It was isolated, but accessible—a perfect location for someone who knew the area well.
The shallow grave’s position struck her as oddly reverent.It was set apart from the oldest graves, yet clearly within the boundaries of the churchyard.Not hidden in the woods beyond, not casually disposed of, but placed with what seemed like deliberation at the edge of consecrated ground.
Riley’ intuition began to crystallize.This wasn’t just a convenient dumping ground.The killer hadn’t selected this spot by chance or mere practicality.
In the distance, she heard Hodge confirming that the forensics team was en route, their estimated arrival time thirty minutes.Ann Marie was methodically photographing the scene with her phone, creating a preliminary record until the specialists arrived with their equipment.
Riley continued her slow circuit of the graveyard, letting the atmosphere of the place seep into her awareness.There was history here—not just in the headstones and crumbling church, but in the very soil beneath her feet.History that meant something to someone.
She stopped at a point where she could see both the grave site and the abandoned church in a single glance.For a moment, she could almost see it as it must have been—a place of community, of significance.
And in that moment, she understood.
The placement of the body, the choice of location—it wasn’t just practical.It was personal.Intimate, even.The killer hadn’t just found a convenient spot to hide evidence of murder.He had brought the victim to a place of meaning, a place that held memories, a place that mattered.
Riley felt the certainty settle within her, heavy and cold.
