Maxie Miles is a production of A Typical Artists and I heart radio. I think I know what happened. Excuse me? Is someone here ship? Hello? Come on, we gotta get out of here now, let's go down the backstairs. Hello. Why are we hiding from Miss Hommy Will? Because she's dating Ransom, so she'll want to give these files back to him. But I can't let Ransom find out that Riley was the one to steal them in the first place. What. I'll explain everything, but we've got to get out of
here first. From a Typical Artists and I heart radio. You're listening to Maxie Miles. Yeah, this is chapter nine. The choice, and the choice in question is yours. By the end of the episode, you'll have heard three possibilities for what happened to Riley, and next week you'll have to decide which one you think is the truth. Be careful what you choose. Follow the wrong lead and there could be devastating consequences. H Okay, what the hell is going on? Nex? What did you just figure out this
birth certificate? I think Riley is Ransom Sun What? But that does what? I mean? I mean how I don't know what it has to do with why Riley is missing yet, if anything at all, But it explains so much. It does. I never got to the tavern to talk to the foreman. Ransom stopped me on my way there because he woke up in his office with his father's safe broken into and no memory of anything beyond dinner last night. So naturally he has a love child. No,
just hear me out ross, Okay, okay, I'm listening. He wanted help to find the files. Yeah, well, good job, then, I guess, And he was going on and on about this girl he was in love with when he was fifteen, who moved away suddenly, never to be heard from again. Do you think she was pregnant, Yeah, I do, and a teenage pregnancy out of wedlock. The Archers would have freaked, exactly. They would have sent her away and locked up the
proof and tried to bury it. Okay, okay, I can believe that Ransom Archer had a kid when he was a teenager. But why the hell do you think that person is Riley? First off, our arch are for Riley or for Ransom. It true would be like Ransom to name a baby after himself. This certificate is for a baby born June eleventh, Ninete Riley's birthday, and there's a some kind of legal form here. It looks like there's some water damage or something, but I think that's Martha
Stevens's signature. Do you think Riley knew that ransoms his dad? I don't know, but I think he would have stolen these files for a reason. We know he had some sort of fight with his parents. I wonder if he found out he was adopted. Maybe that's why he wanted to go to Berlin. This birth certificate is for the hospital there, which is why nobody in Hastings seems to know about it. This would have been a huge scandal at the time. Yeah, and it's not like it was
that long ago. Fourteen years isn't long enough for Hastings to stop talking about anything, right, Okay? So Riley finds out he's adopted, and it goes to city Hall out for the school paper, but to look up the birth records, and he doesn't find his. So he decides he wants to go to the only other possible place that anyone is born around here. But if he was trying to go to Berlin, why steal these files? And how would he have known where to look in the first place.
Maybe maybe Honeywall still the files it is her in but why what motivation would she have had. I don't know, you're the one who actually knows her. Maybe it's got something to do with the land deeds, Like maybe miss Honeywell is trying to prove that the Maplethorpe property is actually bigger than the current maps show. She seemed super interested in the history of the town when she got here.
It is right next to the old Archer apothecary, and the maple Thorpes and the Archers were basically the only two families and Hastings for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lot of overlapping real estate. We should look through all the land needs later, but it's hardly the most present concern, right Riley, you said you'd figured it out, well. I figured out Ransom his mystery, not Riley's. And even that I know the where of the stolen files, but not the why or who if
Riley was the one to take them. Even with that, there's still too many unanswered questions why Riley has been hiding his back back. Mr Beaties phone call Riley's eavesdropping in city Hall. Speaking of let's go through what you learned again, Hal said, Riley asked him about the harvest festival. They talked about the new mining project, but nothing major. And then miss Honeywell came in and when Hal was showing her out, he saw Riley looking through the public
Works office when the foreman wasn't there. Except Honeywell said that as she was leaving she saw Riley eaves dropping on someone's office. So someone's lying, yeah, but who, well, who do we trust? Less? I'm a little less inclined to believe Honeywell after after what we had a weird conversation right before I saw Riley. Something feels off about her, which is how I've always felt about How. And let's say How's known the whole time about the mining project
and hasn't said anything. It would be the end of his mayoral career if it came out, And of how new that Riley had that information, it would be enough to want to keep him out of the way for a while. Once the old mine has collapsed, the Archers and minute Our Mining are on the hook for the new one. They can't back out of the contract. Then Hastings gets a major windfall, making How look amazing and
the detonation is in forty minutes. Wait did how mention when the decision was made to move the demolition up Ah? He said the board of trustees had an emergency meeting Friday night. That's why he couldn't help with the search party they sent out in the area. We found Riley's backpack, which was Thursday night. Remember what Mr Beaty said that he'd get it done by Sunday night. Do you think he was talking about the demolition. No, that's just it. He couldn't have been not if it was decided on
Friday night. So what was he talking about? And who was he talking to? Okay, I've got a crazy theory. This is going to be about how Mr Beati is creepy, isn't it. Mr Beatie went somewhere the night Riley went missing with a duffel full of Riley's favorite candy. Mr Beatie has a cabin in the woods. You're making him sound like a grim fairytale villain. Just listen. Mr Beaty lost his son when he was Riley's age and is according to several people in Hastings, it's one of those
people you considered generally unstable. So, yes, you said, Miss Honeywell said it too. She said he was in pain, and people in pain do desperate things like kidnapped someone. Maybe it didn't start that way, but maybe I don't know. Maybe Riley was down in the dumps about his parents and Mr Beatie was feeling sad about his son. Well, Riley had been helping Mr Beatie out right, So they get to talking and realize they relate on stuff, and then Mr Beady just doesn't let him go. I know
it sounds nuts, No, no, it doesn't. Actually, it explains the Duffel bag, why Riley's backpack was in the woods, doesn't explain the shovel in tarp. But no solution explains everything right, all right. The way I see it, there are three distinct possibilities. One, Riley finds out that he
was adopted and his parents never told him. He runs away to Berlin to find out who his birth parents are and gets lost in the woods, loses his backpack and his money, finds his way back to town, but doesn't want to face his parents yet, so he hides out in the inn. And he runs from you because because he was embarrassed because he was scared, maybe because he just wasn't ready to talk to anyone yet. Or maybe maybe Ransom did something and then sent you to
dig up the evidence. Mm hmm. Maybe it was his dad more in our shirt is known to be ruthless, and if he's the one who covered up the pregnancy and the adoption in the first phase, oh my god, what what is it? Guys? The guys at city Hall earlier, I knew I recognized them. I think they work for war and Archer. Really, yeah, remember when he opened that ski resort a while back. Those guys were definitely there. Uh. There's lots of reasons that Warren would send people to
City Hall, but the timing is definitely weird. Maybe that cabin in the woods is actually the Archers, and Beatty is a part of it somehow. Well, that's option two. Riley has been helping Mr Beaty out around his cabin. You said you never saw Riley working on his house, so the stuff he was doing for Mr Beatie must have been at a secret cabin. The secret cabin we're not even sure is his. You see why I think Mr Beatie's creepy. Now, all right, so maybe he is.
Maybe he got attached to Riley, and when Riley got into a fight with his parents, he offered Riley a place to stay, but then he just kept him there, And the stack of money and the phone call we everhard was about something else entirely. Maybe it really does have to do with the Archers. Maybe Warren paid him to kidnap Riley keep his true parentage a secret, and Riley escaped and didn't immediately go to the Sheriff. I don't know. It all just sort of fits. Nothing's clicking completely.
We're missing something huge here. Well, what's the third path? The mine? Right? The mine? Riley is doing an article for the school paper about Hastings and finds out that the mind is going to poison everyone, and instead of going to Mr Combs, he confronts How, who had no idea about it, and then freaks out and threatens him. That's so hard to imagine. I don't know. How has always been obsessed with making Hastings the best it can be.
I think he'd go pretty far to protect it. So Riley then hides from How and by extension, the Sheriff. But why would he run away from me when I saw him at the end. I could have helped him. He should have known that you love Hastings and how Maybe Riley thought you wouldn't believe him. But I'm the one who is constantly trying to convince people to care about the environment. The New Mind being poisonous is exactly the kind of smoking gun I would love to wait.
Maybe that's it. What's it? We found out about the issues with the Mind a full day ago, and we haven't told anyone. You're the one who didn't want to I know, I know. I'm not accusing you of anything. That's my point. We haven't told anyone because we don't have proof. All we have is some notes in a teenager's notebook. Plus we don't know who we can trust. So you think Riley was in the same spot. Whatever Riley is doing, whatever a kind of trouble he got into,
whatever he's hiding from. Maybe he's still in it. Maybe he's looking for that proof Ransom's files or the environmental impact report. If he's really an archer, or Mr Beatie is really a kidnapper, or the Mind is really going to poison the water, and Riley is the only one who knows, then he doesn't just have an expose for the school paper. He's got something that will seriously affect a lot of people in Hastings. And Riley is a good journalist. He takes it seriously like you. Yeah, like me.
He wouldn't go running to the sheriff, or to the mayor, or to anyone until he knew exactly what he was talking about. So you don't think he was kidnapped. You think he's been lying low. I'm I'm not sure. I know that I saw him at the end. The shoelace you found is solid evidence of that, and it seemed like he was there of his own free will. But that doesn't mean that's where he started. You mean maybe he was there hiding from someone who put him in
danger in the first place. I don't think Riley would leave his backpack with his notebook full of information in the woods unless he was running from something or someone, a notebook that we still haven't shown anyone. I thought you didn't care about breaking rules, Ross, I don't, not really, But this isn't skipping class. His notebook. The shoe lays everything we've put together. It's still evidence in a missing person's case. So we need to tell the sheriff or someone.
But we don't know who's involved yet. I thought you at least trusted Mr Combs. I do. But if we don't do this right, then someone might get away with a crime. And Wiley, we still don't know where he is or what's going on. So then what do we do? We have to think, like Riley, we need more information before we start accusing anyone of anything. How do we do that? How long until the demolition? Thirty minutes? Everr take? Okay, okay, that's enough time, Enough time for what to confront someone
who I haven't decided yet. Give me a second. Are you telling me that you're just gonna waltz up to someone and ask them if they've committed any felonies or had love children? And someone knows where Riley is, and the fastest way to figure out what's going on is to find Riley. That's what this has always been about. Oh, I see, so you are going to confront a kidnapper. I thought we agreed that we weren't sure if Riley
was kidnapped. I think we can agree that Riley is in trouble, and it's a bit concerning how little you seem to care about getting into trouble yourself. I've already been grounded for the rest of time. How much worse can it get. I'm not talking about that kind of trouble, Max, I'm talking about the kind where you pissed the wrong person off and they ruin your life or something much much worse. What are you talking about the Archers? How
between the two of them, they own this town. If they wanted to destroy your uncle's career or ruin your record at school, they could. And Mr Beatie He's already lost a lot in his life. People who don't have anything left to lose, or people you don't want to push, don't be ridiculous. I'm serious. Max. We're dealing with someone powerful or unhinged enough that Riley has been hiding out for almost two weeks to stay out of their way, and if I don't find him soon, something much worse
could happen. But why does it have to be you? Because as we've established, we don't know who we can trust. Do you trust me? What do you trust me? Max? I? I yes, I do. I trust you, really really, really really good? Can trust that trust that? I'm just trying to keep you safe. I don't need you to protect me. Ross. I know you don't. I know that that that you'd be fine without me. If anything, I've been dragging you down. No, No, that's not true at all. I would have never figured
out any of this without you. I meant what I said the other night. But you would have kept running in those woods forever. You would have confronted Mr Beatie right then and there in his cabin. Maybe I keep you grounded or less afraid, but maybe I actually just hold you back. And that's what scares me. Max. You don't know when to stop. Ross. You don't have to come with me. I don't want you to do anything that you don't want. That's not the point, then what is?
You really don't get it, do you? I don't care what happens to me, Max, I mean, yeah, if I had in my way, i'd stay in this treehouse all day, every day and never do anything remotely exciting. I don't think that's true, But I can't stand the idea of something happening to you. Ross. Clap is that Joe? No, it's just your mom. Where does Joe think you are? Right? Now? Here? But not from long? Max? Ross The demolition is going to begin any moment now. If there's a time to
figure this out, it's tonight. Okay, what do we do? Not we max? If you think I'm going to sit this one out, it's not that I need you to go to City Hall? Why because we don't have time to do both both. What what is running through your head right now? Whoever took Riley, whoever he's running from, it might all be over tonight. If it has something to do with the mine, then it'll be too late for him to do any damage after the demolition, and will have lost our chance to catch someone in the act.
If it's Mr Beatie, whatever he was doing has a deadline of tonight, and I'm supposed to be tracking Ransom's files down. He's going to be tracking me down soon enough. Okay, So are you saying we should split up both take a different person on ross? There's still the mine. If the old mines get collapsed tonight, that means the project is moving forward. And if it really is as dangerous as right we thought, we need to stop it, which is why you need to go to City Hall and
try to find that environmental survey report. And what are you going to do. I'm going to go find Riley and now what happens next is up to you, the listener. There isn't one chapter ten, but three. You can choose for Max to confront Ransom Archer, to go to Mr Read's cabin, or race to accuse the mining company. But be careful what you choose. There is a right answer, but whatever the majority of the audience chooses, whether it's the right answer or not, will become the official ending
of season one. Maxie Miles was created by Lauren Shippen and Its Production of A Typical Artists and I Heard Radio. This episode is written and directed by Lauren Chippen. Dialog getting in sound designed by Mercy Owing of Hemla Creek Productions, with editing assistance from Lauren Davis and Melissa Ponds. It featured Jordan Cob as Max and Miles maxa Follow as Ross Teller and Jack and Landgraph as Ms Honeywell. Original
artwork by Shaye McMullan. For more information about the show, because visit Maxi Miles dot com and follow at A Typical Artists on Twitter and Instagram. Maxie Miles is executive produced by Lauren Shippen and iHeart Radio and for more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you for listening, and keep curious.