Snippet #2339944

The obvious questions came first, and Barton answered honestly, "I'm still not sure. I've never met Renner before. I don't know how he knew what he knew. What he said was true. Which gets to your next question. Time for a story."

He sighed, then looked forward at the road. Merely recalling the details of that case disturbed him, but he forced the words out. Connor deserved the truth. "About three months ago, I was assigned to look at what was a suspected kidnapping that had crossed state lines. The suspect had allegedly taken his father from his home and was holding him in a small house on the outskirts of town. I talked to the old man, he was very quiet. I kept an eye on the house for the next two months or so, with no real legal basis for marching in there and taking the old man away. Then, one night, the house was quiet. I got no answer at the door...so I went inside." He swallowed, feeling the memory choke him. "I found the old man in there. What was left of him, anyway." He paused again, and realized he had been holding his breath the whole time. He forced air out violently, then breathed in and continued. The truth was paramount. "He was in pieces, and skin and bones. All those two months...the young man had been torturing him. Starving, mutilation, amputations...and the worst part was, I had lost the prime suspect. Incredibly, they caught him speeding not two hours after I phoned the old man's death in, and they took him in."

Barton continued to force breath. The worst was yet to come. "As the lead investigator, I interrogated him. It was only then I knew how twisted he truly was. He believed he had purified the old man, his father—his own father!—by ritually removing his hands and feet, then by starving him to death. He believed that ensured his father's place in the afterlife. When I told him he was going to jail, he went berserk. He attacked me. Spat on me. Said I was the devil. I requested leave off the case. They took me off the lead investigation, but I gave them my notes. The trial's going on now."

He sighed. "After that things seemed to be going uphill. I found a book called Down Along the East, and that's when I remembered Alex. Time for another story. This one's more pleasant.

"Alex is, for lack of a better word, my sweet. We met back when I worked in the Bureau's Richmond office, back in '88. She was travelling for her book, the Down Along the East one. Anyway, we had a fling while she was in Richmond, but eventually she had to go. We talked on the telephone an awful lot after that, but eventually I got transferred to this gig as a Special, and I couldn't call as often. Soon we just stopped. I guess there was a mutual acknowledgement that it couldn't be. Then, after I got her book, I decided to try and call her again. Now we're trying to see if it could work out. As for how he knew about her...I don't know."

Barton sighed again as he listened to Connor's response. "Yeah, long night. I doubt I'll make the night without some sleep. Check the walkie again," he continued as he saw the Station ahead. He parked the car carefully and got out. He wondered where Agent Blake was. Was he still getting the kids?