Chapter VI - The Cabin

I'll handle it. We'll handle it. Fine. You want to get that door, then okay, on the count of three, one two three, it's just a bathroom, would you get bedroom? No Riley in here either? Did you really expect to find him in here? I don't know. I just Beatty looked like he was running away, like he had something to hide. Well, maybe he does. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Are you thinking of looking through all his

drawers and closets? Then yes, we just have to make sure to put everything back the way it was before we leave, so that he doesn't suspect any thing is all, and we need to be quick. I still have no idea where he went right, and then we should see if we can track him down. See what exactly? H Ross? What what is it? WHOA, that's a lot of cash? What on earth would Mr Beati be doing with? Is that? Quick?

What are we ross? What? Max? Be quiet? It's Mr Beatie if we're lucky, because there's only one tiny window in here, which means the only way out is through that main womb. And if we get caught, there's no escape. H from a typical artists and I heart radio. You're listening to Maxie Miles. This is chapter six the cabin, is it? Yeah? Yeah, it's Mr Beatie. M What is he doing? M H? I don't know, but you need to be quiet? H h Hello, No he's not I told you I don't know where he is now. Yes, yes,

I understand. What do you really think? Yes? Yes, okay, No, he left nothing behind. I know, but I I'll get him back. I promise. No, that won't be necessary. No, give me a chance to find him first. There's non need to escalate this. Yes, I'll get it done by Sunday night. You have my word. Jeez, your hand is freezing, well, so are your lips. Uh. Seriously, though, are you like okay, you're not going to go into a hypothermic shock or anything. I'm fine. It's just nighttime in October and we're in

the middle of the freaking woods. At least I can breathe now. Look, I'm sorry, it's just that I know. It's fine, I get it. I didn't want him to hear us. Right, what was that all about? I have no idea. Is he making tea? It sure sounds like it. Well guess we're stuck here? Then great? Yeah, I wish there was room to sit. As long as you don't try to shut me up again, we'll be fine. Well, will you be quiet? Now? You're the one who's talking

up a storm. I'm just I'm freaking out a little bit. Max. Yeah, this is not ideal. Oh shit, I don't think Mr Beatty would ever heard us. I'm sorry, did you hear that phone call? I'll get him back. No need to escalate. I really don't want to find out what Mr Beatty means by escalate. Well, then I guess it's good he doesn't seem to see a need for it. Then, what, You're right? That call was very odd. I'm surprised you're not already in the other room in terrogating him about it.

I'm just as invested as you and not getting caught. I thought you had a brilliant plan, or you would have a perfectly reasonable explanation for why we came in here. Yeah, that was before we went through his stuff and hid in a closet. I don't know how we would explain this. I mean, there's plenty of reasons why two teenagers might sneak off to a cabin in the woods and then not want to get caught. What what are you talking about? Come on, Max, We're standing nose to nose in a closet.

I think it would be pretty easy for Mr Beany to make a leap to Oh yeah, okay, I see what you mean. I'm not saying that's what we're doing. No, I get it. I mean that would that would be a good excuse, right. It's not like it's true, right, But if a person were to come across us in this situation, they might think that. I mean, it looks a certain way, right, and it's not our fault that it looks that way right, right, But I still don't think it's a good idea to go out there. Yeah no, no, no,

terrible idea. Better to just play. It's safe exactly, And if he does come back in here, we can h it looks like we're safer. However long it takes him to drink his tea, I guess, uh so, how did it go with THEO and Jenna? What the the love note thing? What? Ross? Do you think now is the time? I don't know. I don't know what to do. I've never been in this situation before. I don't know what

the appropriate topic of conversation is. I'm freaking ow Max, my scary neighbor who's wanted to murder me for years over the time I ran over his rose bushes is in the other room while we hide in his secret cabin, and you're so I could barely breathe, and I just need you to I don't know, I just get my mind off this whole situation. Okay, Okay, I get it. It's okay, I'm here. Who we're gonna be Okay, nothing

bad is going to happen, right, I promise. Okay, uh, thank you give of course you don't have to keep m hm oh right, sorry, I didn't mean to No, No, it's it's totally fine. I just didn't know what else to do. We're good. So, uh the love notes right right? Um? It went fine. I guess all things considered. What do you mean, Jenna, she never wanted to date whoever was writing the notes in the first place, no matter who

it turned out to be. Why did she want you to figure it out then to get them to stop? And well I didn't figure it out in the end. You told me you would have gotten there eventually. I don't know. I mean, it never occurred to me that it could be THEO. Really, the poetry didn't tip you off. I guess I didn't want it to be him because he and Jenna are such good friends, you know, and it might make it weird, right, but it all turned out okay anyway, I think it will. I guess THEO

wasn't really that invested. After all. Jenna seemed to think he liked the idea of writing love poems more than actually being in love. What come on, you clearly have an opinion about it. I think Jenna is probably right. How did you find out about it? Anyway? THEO told me why. I didn't think you guys were that close we're not. But he he wanted to know what it feels like? What what feels like? THEO smart? You know,

yeah he sentimentals hell, but he's not dumb. He'd been writing the poems for a while and realized that he didn't really want to go any further than that. That he wanted to have a crush and and Jenna was there. No, no, no, that sounds bad. He cares about her, obviously, but I think he'd hoped it would be more that writing her notes would make him feel the way he wanted to feel, you know, some grand romance or whatever. Such a sap. Wait, so I still don't get it. Why was he talking

to you? I guess he wanted to talk to the most much person he knows. Right, of course, because when people think grand romance, Ross Teller is the first name to come up. Maybe you don't know everyone as well as you think you do, Max. I mean, look at Riley, right. We all had this specific idea of him, the golden boy, star student, apple of his parents eye. What's your point? What was he into? Max? What have we gotten ourselves into? I don't know. It sounds like like he's done with

his teeth or is he making more? M m? Do you think he's settling in for the night. Well, he always goes home, right whenever you've watched him. Yeah, yeah, that's true, but it's sometimes in the morning. Right. How pissed is Joe going to be? I have a feeling I'll never be able to leave the house ever again. Hey, remember when you got the chicken pox when we were seven, and we rigged up that bucket so I could send down comic books and I could send up candy. Yeah,

we can do that again. I could send up new info about the case, and I could send down leads for you to chase. It's a good system, it is. We make a good team. Is that he's asleep? Should we? It might be our only chance? Come on, ship? Is that the Duffel bag? Oh? My god? Quick? Yeah? Anything? Nothing, just Charleston choose? Oh my god? What what is it? Those are Riley's favorite candy bars? What? Come on? We have to get out of here. Wait what let me

go first? Ross White? Just okay, yeah, he's out, Let's go come on. H Oh my god. I can't believe we just did that. Are you happy now we've successfully followed Mr Beatie I'm just happy we didn't get caught. Miracle of miracles. Where are we? I think somewhere southwest of the main mine entrance, which means the nearest road should be about a mile that way. How in the hell do you know that? I told you I studied the maps for a day. I have a good memory.

You're amazing. All right, I guess we should start heading to the road. Then, do you have a watch? Yeah, it's a ship's dark out. It's almost nine o'clock. Crap, Joe is going to kill me. At least it's not three am. True. I don't understand why would Mr Beatty want to kidnap rightly? Do you think he did it? It's not looking good Ross, I know, I know, But you thinking Mr Beati is creepy isn't actually a compelling motive for a crime like this. Having a secret murder

cabin feels like a good start. Okay, let's go through what we need. Mr Baty has left his own house most nights for anywhere from an hour to half the night, sometimes with stuff, but basically never returning with the same stuff. And we don't know anything about him owning any other property. But then again, we didn't know anything about him having a family at one time, so yeah, any updates on that, nothing new, just that we had a wife and son

and they're gone now. I don't know the specifics. But that also tells us that Mr Beatie is really private. So him owning a cabin in the woods that no one knows about, not outside of the realm of possibility exactly. Then there's the matter of that I would guess seven dollars in cash in the nightstand and the candy bars and the candy bars and that phone call. Someone knew he was going to be there, or someone knew that someone was going to be there. He sounded angry right

on the phone. Beaty always sounds angry. Yeah, but this wasn't yelling at you for ruining his roses. This was he sounded scared too, like desperate. Yeah, yeah, she's it's cold here. Oh you don't need to you've lived here. You're a whole life, Max. How are you not in the habit of bundling up. I'm wearing my winter coat, yeah, with no hat, no gloves. But now you're going to be cold. It's just a scarf. Miles, Well, thank you, You're welcome. Max, Yeah, I can you keep my little

freak out to yourself. You really don't want anyone hearing about me having a panic attack in Mr Beaty's closet. It wasn't exactly planning on telling anyone about the trespassing we just did, of course. But also, there's nothing embarrassing about that, Ross says you. I think it's normal to get stressed out in a situation like that. You weren't, Yeah, because I had you there. Uh, I don't know. Everything

always seems less scary when you're there. You always pulled me back before I do something really stupid, do I I feel like you've been doing plenty of stupid stuff lately. Thanks, well, I'm glad my cowardest keeps you grounded. That's not what I meant, then, what did you mean? Oh? Ye wait? Is that what? Oh my god, Ross, this is I can't believe it. It It that's Riley's backpack. Now. I'm not gonna stand here and chew you out for joining the

search party without my knowledge. An extremely dangerous thing to do, because I know your uncle was going to be plenty mad for the both of us. I know, I know, Mr Colmes. I'm really sorry. Okay, I should have told you, but I knew you wouldn't have let me, right, I wouldn't have, and you Ross, I thought you knew better. What gave you that idea? You're supposed to be looking out for maccine? Why does everyone insist on making Ross my keeper? Because you need someone to look out for you, Max,

I do. I've got all of hastings, which is why it's my job to look up for Hastings. In return, you can do that by staying safe. I thought you weren't going to chew us out. I'm not, but I need you to understand just how serious that we do. That's what we're trying to tell you. Look, we found Ridley's backpack what in the woods about half a mile east of Root three or two? Do you know the mile marker? I don't know. It was dark, so we didn't check. That's okay, No, it's not. I don't know

how I didn't think of that. It was near that old covered bridge, the one that crosses Dry Creek River, that's right. I don't know how we could have missed that. We checked that area on our first search party. Maybe maybe it wasn't there. My my quite a gathering for near midnight on a week night. How I hope these young people are an in trouble, Sheriff combs. You know, parking isn't a crime, even if it is frowned upon.

Oh my god, God, we can't even drive. How I didn't think you'd be in this late, which is why I didn't look at this. Max and Ross found Riley Stevens backpack. Really well, isn't that very interesting? It's a good sign, right, I mean maybe it wasn't even there when we did the first search party. Maybe Riley left it, maybe he really is lost, or maybe saying it definitely is progress. Well, what's in it? Nothing of note? Just school books, pens, pencils. Is his camera in there? Riley

had a camera he liked to take photos for his articles. Wait, you're right, where's his camera? Not here? Very strange indeed, and YouTube just found these. Yeah, it was just sitting on the forest floor and this was it, right, Nothing else in the area around it? No, we checked. Did you come across anything else in the woods? Anything odd? Nope? No, nothing odd at all. Maxie Miles was created by Lauren Chippen and as a production of a typical Artists and

I Heart Radio. This episode was written and directed by Lauren Shipman, dialogue, editing and sound side by Morrissy Ewing of Hemla Creek Productions, with editing sistens from Laurian Davis and Melissa Ponds. It featured Jordan Cobb as Maxie Miles, Mixa Follow as Ross Teller, Nate to Fort as Mr Beatie, Sean Jane as Sheriff Combs, and Josh Ropino as Mayor how Original artwork by Shane McMullan. For more information about the show US, visit Maxie Miles dot com and follow

at Meticul Artists on Twitter and Instagram. Maxie Miles is executive produced by Lauren Shippen and I heart Radio and For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you for listening, and Keith Curious