Chapter 19
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office — Late Morning
Luke knocked once and stepped into Burke’s office.
Burke was at his desk, file open, reading like he was trying to find something that wasn’t there.
He’d spent half the night thinking about that straight line in Clara’s sketch, tracing the back side of Hollis land in his head, and the longer he did, the clearer one thing became: a personal visit from the sheriff would put too many eyes on something he wasn’t even sure about yet.
“You needed me?” Luke said.
Burke nodded toward the chair. “Yeah. Sit a minute.”
Luke dropped into it, relaxed, waiting.
Burke closed the file, kept his hand on it.
“You ever hear of Clara Vale?” he asked.
Luke gave him a look. “No.”
Burke nodded once. “Didn’t figure you would. Nineteen ninety-nine. Missing out on the Talley place. Marked a walkaway.”
Luke leaned back a little. “That’s… a while ago.”
“Yeah.”
“So why are we talking about it now?” Luke asked.
Burke shifted in his chair.
“Caitlin got interested in it,” he said. “She and Izzy found some old paintings out at a cabin on the ridge.”
Luke raised a brow. “What cabin?”
“Back side of Grant’s property. Out in the woods.”
“Huh.”
Burke tapped the file once with his fingers.
“Name on the paintings matched,” he said. “Girl who went missing in ’99.”
Luke nodded slowly. “You talk to your dad?”
“Yeah. He said she walked.”
Luke studied him a second. “You don’t believe him?”
Burke shook his head once. “It’s not that.”
A small pause.
“I just want to confirm it,” he said. “File’s got a few names in it. Most of them still around.”
Luke nodded once.
“Alright.”
Burke tipped the file. “It’s thin,” he said. “Didn’t take much to close it out.”
Luke didn’t jump on it. Just listened.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked.
Burke leaned back.
“Nothing heavy,” he said. “Don’t let it pull you off anything that matters.”
Luke nodded.
“But when you’ve got a minute,” Burke went on, “start at the beginning. Talk to the man who reported her missing.”
“Sam Talley.”
“Yeah.”
Luke exhaled lightly through his nose. “You think there’s something there?”
Burke shook his head once.
“I think I want to be able to say we checked,” he said. “That’s all.”
Another beat.
“But something about it didn’t sit right,” he added, like he hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Luke caught that.
Didn’t push it.
“Alright,” he said, pushing up from the chair. “I’ll take a look when I get a window.”
Burke nodded. “Appreciate it.”
Luke turned for the door, then paused.
“This just for Caitlin?” he asked.
Burke didn’t answer right away.
“Started that way,” he said.
Luke held that a second, then gave a small nod.
“Got it.”
He headed out, closing the door behind him.