Page 42 of Silent Past

Finn's phone rang as they watched railway police searching along the tracks. He stepped away from the noise of the search teams, checking the caller ID.

"Maria? Tell me you found something." He put the phone on speaker.

"Your storage unit tip paid off," Detective Suarez said. "I'm standing in it right now. Finn, this place is like a research library. Vale wasn't just documenting sales—he was studying these artifacts, especially anything related to preservation ceremonies."

"What kind of preservation?"

"The ceremonial robes from Window Rock? They weren't just valuable pieces. They were treated with specific mineral compounds. Vale documented everything—the compositions, the ceremonial arrangements, even which cave formations were considered most effective for preservation."

Finn caught Sheila's eye and motioned her over.

"The robes that were stolen," Suarez continued, "Vale tracked them through multiple private collectors. But here's what's interesting—Mitchell contacted Vale's widow a few months ago, asking about caves where ceremonial items had been found. She was investigating unauthorized access to sacred sites."

"Did she find who was behind it?" Sheila asked.

"If she did, it's not here. But someone's been through these files recently. There are gaps in Vale's cataloging system, missing documents. Very precisely removed—whoever did it knew exactly what they were looking for."

Headlights swept across them as a line of black SUVs pulled into the rail yard. Agent Walsh stepped out of the lead vehicle.

"Maria," Finn said quickly, "secure everything. Photograph all documents, catalog any gaps in the records."

"Already on it. I've got two of my best evidence techs here."

Finn ended the call as Walsh approached. The FBI agent's expression was tight, controlled.

"Agent Walsh," Sheila said. "Long drive from Salt Lake."

"We need to talk." Walsh's eyes flicked to the phone in Finn's hand. "About Vale's records."

Sheila crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

"Information. What exactly do you know?"

"Why don't you tell me what's really going on with the FBI's interest in these caves? Why you've been watching them since Kane disappeared?"

They studied each other in the predawn darkness. Finally, Walsh sighed. "Your station. One hour."

***

Sheila's office felt too small, with Finn leaning against the frame of the door and Walsh sitting across from her desk. Two cups of gas station coffee sat cooling between her and Walsh. The sun was just starting to peek through the blinds.

"What I'm about to tell you," Walsh said, opening a manila folder, "is classified. But you've earned the right to know." She slid a photograph across the desk—an old excavation site, a body preserved in ice. "This was found in 1989, in a cave system in Montana. Perfectly preserved, wearing ceremonial robes similar to the ones on your victims."

"You've seen this before," Finn said. It wasn't a question.

"We've been tracking cases like this since 1989," Walsh explained. "Three other incidents where disturbed individuals found preserved bodies in caves and developed fixations about preservation. Each killer used ceremonial artifacts, chose academic victims. But we've never caught one alive—they've always killed themselves or died during capture attempts. That's why we're so interested in this case."

"Our killer found one of these bodies."

"Yes. And became obsessed with the preservation process. It seems he believes he's creating a... library of human consciousness. Freezing brilliant minds at their peak." Walsh looked tired. "We've been trying to keep this quiet. If word got out about these preservation sites, every amateur archaeologist and treasure hunter would be tearing apart sacred caves."

"A library of human consciousness?" Sheila leaned forward, brow furrowed. "What exactly do you mean by that? How do you know what he believes?"

"From a journal we recovered at a previous scene," Walsh explained. "That particular killer was convinced that these caves could somehow preserve not just bodies, but knowledge, consciousness itself. I'm guessing the person you're after has a similar motive."

"You could have told me this earlier."

"We needed to verify the connection first. The mineral traces Dr. Jin found on the robes—they match samples from other sites. Your killer isn't just copying an ancient ritual. He's trying to perfect it."

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