Page 54 of Once Hidden
Riley shook his hand, noting his firm grip.“Agent Paige, and this is Agent Esmer.Is there somewhere we could talk privately?”
“This way,” he said, professional courtesy from one law enforcement officer to another, and led them through the door he’d emerged from.His office was spartanly furnished but tidy, with a desk, filing cabinets, and a small table with four chairs in the corner.A window looked out onto the street.
“Have a seat.”Sheriff Rich gestured to the chairs at the table rather than positioning himself behind his desk.Riley approved of the choice—less hierarchical, more collaborative.
Once they were seated, Sheriff Rich folded his hands on the table.“Now, what can Redcliff County do for the Federal Bureau of Investigation?”
Riley met his gaze directly.“We’re investigating the deaths of two delivery drivers—Cable Morris and Amanda Lindeen.Morris disappeared during his route near Bundydale on June 17, and Lindeen vanished from Talomaska Crossing a few days before that.”
The sheriff spoke slowly.“I heard about those cases.Not in my jurisdiction, but news travels.”
“We have reason to believe the perpetrator has connections to Hartsfield,” Ann Marie added.“Specifically, to an incident at Raven’s Leap Cliff five years ago.”
Something flickered in Sheriff Rich’s eyes—recognition, Riley noted.He knew what they were referring to.
“We just came from there,” Riley said.“Impressive view.”
“And dangerous,” Rich replied.“We’ve had three fatalities there in the last decade.Climbers who overestimated their skills or took unnecessary risks.”
“Including Jay Bartlett,” Riley said.
The sheriff’s expression was carefully neutral now.“That was a bad one.Young guy, experienced climber.Solo climbing, which is never smart, even for the best.His equipment was top-notch, but something went wrong.”
“He had a twin brother named Tony,” Ann Marie said.
“That’s right.”Rich leaned back in his chair.“Tony Bartlett.Lived over in Sylvester County at the time.He came to Hartsfield to claim the body.He was pretty broken up about it, as you’d expect.Twins, identical ones at that.”
Riley watched the sheriff carefully as she spoke her next words.“We believe Tony Bartlett is responsible for the deaths of Cable Morris and Amanda Lindeen.”
The change in Sheriff Rich was subtle but unmistakable.His posture stiffened, and something dark passed behind his eyes.The sheriff pushed back his chair and stood, walking to the window.He stared out at the main street of Hartsfield for a long moment, his back to them.When he turned around, his expression was troubled.
“Tony Bartlett,” he said again, shaking his head.“I shouldn’t be surprised.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Riley felt a familiar sense of anticipation as Sheriff Rich leaned back against the edge of his desk, his face creasing with memories.
When a case began to crystallize, when scattered pieces suddenly revealed their connection, she often felt it first as a physical sensation—a tingling at the base of her skull.This was it.The moment when the killer’s twisted logic would begin to make some kind of sense.
“What do you know about Jay’s death?”she asked.
The sheriff’s eyes grew distant, looking past the cramped office walls to events five years gone.“Those brothers—they were fixtures here for three summers straight.They took turns coming to Redcliff County to climb Raven’s Leap Cliff.”
Ann Marie leaned forward, her notebook poised.“Took turns?Never together?”
“Never climbed together, not once.First year was Jay, then Tony the next, then Jay again for what turned out to be his last climb.They always checked in with me before attempting the cliff.Safety protocol for solo climbers in these parts.Over those visits, I got to know them fairly well.”
Riley watched the sheriff’s subtle shifts of expression—regret, fondness, sorrow.He sat down in his chair again and continued, “I warned them, of course.Told them solo climbing that cliff was a damn fool thing to do.”Rich gave a humorless chuckle.“But those boys had this...ritual.Each time the one who was here would show me this little pocket compass.Had ‘Find Your Way’ engraved on it.”
“A good luck charm,” Ann Marie commented.
“Maybe even more than that,” Rich continued.“They treated that thing like it was magic.Said as long as they had it, they’d be safe.One would send it to the other before their climb.Never saw two grown men put so much stock in a trinket.”
An irrational belief.Riley realized.She remembered Timothy Lancaster’s words from yesterday: “People like Tony Bartlett and myself often harbor deeply irrational beliefs.”Lancaster had described how some brilliant minds bent toward magical thinking, toward patterns and rituals that defied logic.
“That last summer,” Rich said, his voice dropping, “Jay stopped by my office like always.But something about him was different that day.He made a joke about his luck running out this time.Said Tony had sent the compass like usual, through SwiftUnified Parcels, but it never arrived.”The sheriff’s chair creaked as he shifted his weight.“Jay told me he’d talked to Tony on the phone, and his brother was beside himself, begging Jay not to make the climb without that charm.
“But Jay just laughed it off,” Rich continued.“Said he knew that cliff like the back of his hand, charm or no charm.”He paused, rubbing at his jaw.“I’m not a superstitious man, Agent Paige, but something didn’t sit right.Felt it in my gut, watching him walk out that door.”
