The Hidden Grave (Harriet Harper Thriller Book 2) Read online

  There were about ten people under the makeshift tent of the staging area, their attention focused on maps on the table. Harri noticed Detective Gavin French and a deputy talking to a tall gray-haired woman.

  “I have to assume that's Dr. Susan Liewicke,” Harri said.

  “Cute dog,” Jake said.

  Harri hadn't noticed the bloodhound at first, but then she came sniffing around the outer edge of the tented area. She was exactly what Harri expected a bloodhound cadaver dog to look like. Long ears and droopy jowls. Amy the dog was surprisingly big, close to a hundred pounds. Harri and Jake stepped out of the car and joined the rest of the search team.

  “I thought we would be here early,” Harri started.

  “We wanted to set up early because we have so much to cover,” the statuesque woman said.

  Harri nodded, admiring the silver sheen of her hair. This woman had no issues with growing old. She wore her age with pride.

  “I am Dr. Susan Liewicke, the team leader on this search,” she said.

  Harri shook her outstretched hand. “Detective Harriet Harper and this is Jake Tepesky. He’s a former profiler from the Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico. He’s a friend lending his expertise and not here in a professional capacity.”

  “Hi everyone,” Jake said.

  “Thank you so much for coming out here with your team, Dr. Liewicke. I know the parameters don’t exactly match your typical searches,” Harri said.

  “Call me Dr. Susan. Everyone does.” She flashed Harri a smile. “And we’re always up for a challenge,” Dr. Susan said. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the team.”

  “This is Dr. Jasmine Brand. She's a geologist with expertise on the Oregon terrain having grown up here. She’s an expert in this entire region. She’s with the University of Oregon,” Dr. Susan said, gesturing to a dark-haired, olive-skinned woman.

  Harri wondered if Dr. Brand was from one of the Native American tribes in the area. “Are you a local?” Harri asked.

  “I am. I’m from the Burns area. Specifically, the Burns Paiute Tribe,” Dr. Brand said.

  “Thanks for sharing your expertise with us,” Harri said. She took note to get contact information from Dr. Brand. If this search today was a bust, the woman would be a goldmine of information about these woods.

  “I’m really happy to be here,” she said.

  Dr. Susan beamed and turned to an older gentleman to her left. “Then we have Dr. Robert Gustafson, our botanist.” Dr. Susan said.

  Dr. Gustafson appeared to be in his 50s and sported a grizzly gray-white beard and dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. To Harri, he looked like he spent a lot of time in the woods. His vest and pants sprouted pockets from every imaginable surface. All he was missing was a walking stick.

  He held out his hand.

  “Very nice to meet you, Dr. Gustafson,” Harri said.

  “Oh, I’m just Robbie, Detective,” he said.

  Harri nodded and turned to the dog handler and the bloodhound. The dog handler was a man in his 30s with curly sandy brown hair and laughing brown eyes. He was a big man and reminded her of a firefighter or maybe a soldier.

  “This is Doug Kessler and his cadaver dog, Amy. He's an expert tracker as is Amy, of course.” Dr. Susan continued.

  “Thanks for the kind words Doc, but it’s all Amy here. I follow her lead and understand her language.” He rubbed the dog’s head affectionately.

  “Doug has been on the most searches out of this team,” Dr. Susan said.

  “Outside of you, Dr. Susan. We’re old-timers at this.”

  “Is the rain going to affect Amy’s smell sense?” Harri asked.

  “Heavy downpour keeps the scents down, but with this kind of light misting and drizzle we should be okay,” Doug explained.

  “I’m glad to hear that. I know this is such a long shot, I’m betting on any odds I can get,” Harri said.

  Susan motioned to the five younger people still surrounding the map table.

  “These graduate students offered to come and help on the search. Jade, Cory, Matt, Gary, and Ava.” Dr. Susan pointed to each one of them as she called out their names.

  “Thank you all so much for coming out and helping,” Harri said.

  Most of them nodded, but no one said anything.

  “Detective Harper,” Detective Gavin French said from behind her.

  Harri turned and shook Gavin’s hand. “I wasn't sure if you were going to come on your own today,” she said.

  “I wanted to meet the NecroFind team. You guys have done incredible work around the country,” he said to the cluster of scientists behind her.

  “You’ve all already met?” Harri asked.

  “Yup. We all got here early. Surprised you slept in.”

  Harri noted the teasing tone in his voice. “I’m here an hour early. Wasn’t expecting all of you to beat me here,” Harri said.

  “We’ve given him a rundown on how we plan to execute the search today,” Dr. Susan said.

  “Yeah, they’ve given me some especially useful information on how to properly do grid searches. It’s been a very worthwhile morning for me,” Gavin said.

  Gavin French was as dedicated a detective as they came and Harri knew he was sincere.

  “And this here is Deputy Larry Delray. He's going to be making sure there are no passersby or lookie-loos. We’ve already posted signage closing off this parking lot to any traffic, but there’s always a surprise or two. People get curious.”

  “I see you’ve gridded out the surrounding area. How are you starting?” Jake asked Dr. Susan.

  Harri spied two Starbucks containers. “Coffee? Can I have some?” she asked Robbie the botanist.

  “Help yourself,” he said as Dr. Susan turned back to the maps on the table.

  Harri poured herself and Jake each a cup. She handed him the black coffee as they drew closer to where Dr. Susan was pointing.

  “We are starting in the area that Lauren Harper's keys were found by one of the witnesses. From that spot, we have drawn a grid in two-foot increments in every direction. We start at the keys and fan out.”

  “Is everybody ready?” Dr. Susan asked her team.

  They all nodded.

  “I’ll take the first shift, then Robbie, and then Dr. Brand.” Dr. Susan nodded to the grad students who prepared the wooden stakes, red ribbon, and twine.

  They walked over to the mouth of the trailhead where the forest opened to the parking lot. Tim Ledeyen had found his keys right where the parking lot and forest met all those years ago. Dr. Susan dropped to her knees and bent down, her nose inches away from the spot.

  The search began.

  When each scientist finished their search, made notes, and moved on to the next square, one of the graduate students staked out the already searched terrain with the wooden stakes and twine. It was painstakingly slow work.

  “I’m glad we’re here all week,” Harri whispered to Jake.

  He nodded.

  Doug Kessler and Amy were off to the side, doing their own preparations.

  “You aren’t working within the grid, are you?” Harri asked.

  “No, I’m going to the end of the parking lot.” He pointed to the left of the main trail, about thirty feet out. “Amy and I are going to start in the woods there and see what we find. I have a way to cover ground systematically, as well. I’m hoping we can pinpoint an area for all the docs to comb over. We’ll work our way towards the keys without getting in the way of the docs.”

  “Good luck. I hope you find something,” Harri said.

  Doug patted Amy on the head. “If she’s out there, Amy will find her. I absolutely believe in this beautiful girl.” With that, he and Amy walked away from Harri and Jake, past the scientists and the trailhead, and followed the forest line. Once they reached the end of the parking lot, they stepped into the forest, Amy’s nose low to the ground, and disappeared.

  “What should we do?” Jake asked.

  “Not get in t
heir way and bring them coffee?” Harri quipped.

  “Sounds like something we can handle.”

  Harri took a sip of the warm liquid, savoring the heat as she swallowed. The rain had stopped, but the air held a chill. Harri involuntarily shivered.

  The sky hung low and dark above them. Drops of rain fell periodically from the branches and leaves nearby.

  The place was silent and cold. Not like the day that Lauren disappeared. Tim recounted how excited he, Lauren, and Stephanie had been to get out there. How warm and sunny it had been. This weather was made for staying home.

  Harri smelled the loamy dirt and her stomach flip-flopped. She hadn't eaten breakfast, her nerves turning her stomach sour. She closed her eyes and ran down her mental list of all the people she would re-interview, hopefully with something to go on. Some new piece of information she could throw out there to see who came out of the woodwork.

  She opened her eyes to see Gavin standing next to her.

  “Any news on Dan Ledeyen?” she asked.

  “The missing addict?” Gavin asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Haven’t located him yet,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time. I’ve seen cases like this before. I have a couple of uniforms going through the known flophouses in the area looking for him.”

  “Did anyone see him leaving the coffee shop?” Jake asked. “Nice to see you again, Detective French.”

  “You, too. Coffee any good?” he asked, pointing at Jake’s cup.

  “It’s hot.”

  “Good enough for me.” Gavin went over and poured himself a cup. “We did get a tip that he was seen getting into an early model pale-blue Prius. The woman didn’t get a license plate number, of course. Once I’m done here, I’ll see if any of our known heroin dealers sport that kind of ride.”

  “If he used, it’s not good. He’s been clean for months,” Harri said remembering Molly Ledeyen’s sobbing face.

  “That’s how they overdose,” Gavin said.

  “Is it still a problem up here?” Jake asked.

  “Worse than ever. Those poor parents. I’m holding out hope he’s zonked out somewhere and lost track of the days.”

  “I’m with you on that hope,” Harri said and watched as the scientists crawled deeper into the woods.

  The morning went by with no significant finds. The team had found garbage, another set of keys, and a glove, but otherwise nothing they could use. Doug and Amy came up empty, but the team was still in good spirits.

  The day had turned warmer and it was more pleasant to be outside. Harri and Jake had brought sandwiches from Daniels Inn for everybody. The sandwiches were good enough and the team tired enough, that most of lunch was spent in silence.

  “Is the afternoon going to look similar to this morning?” Harri asked.

  “That's right,” Dr. Susan explained. “I know it looks like tedious work. We are gathering info on the type of soil that each quadrant has, how deep a hole could be dug out, any impressions of long-ago holes that have sunk, and created indents. Also, types of bug and growth activity that is typical around graves this old.”

  “And Doug, you and Amy are going to do the right side of the trail now?” Harri asked.

  “That's right,” Doug said.

  As if Amy heard her name, she sat up and sniffed the air. She gave a small whine and pulled on the leash in Doug’s hand with her body towards the right. She whined again.

  Doug watched Amy intently. “Are you sure, girl?” he asked her.

  The dog chuffed and gave a little whine again.

  “Amy's telling me she’s smelling death. That's her sound for a cadaver.” His brow furrowed. “She didn't notice it when we first got here, but the wind picked up from the right. It might be any dead thing, though.”

  He put down his partially eaten sandwich and loosened his hold on the dog. “I’m following, Amy.”

  Amy took off towards the right, sniffing furiously at the ground. She stopped at a spot around fifteen feet from the trailhead and then plunged into the forest again.

  Harri held her breath.

  Jake spoke up first. “Has it happened like this before with Amy?”

  Dr. Susan frowned. “Not like this, no.”

  Could it be this easy? Was Amy, at this very moment, sniffing out a trail to a grave close to twenty-five years old? Harri could hardly believe it. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and a bead of sweat rolled down her back. She didn't want to hope like this.

  A whistle sounded off in the distance.

  “Can you hear that?” Dr. Susan said.

  “That's his whistle for a body,” Robbie the botanist said.

  All thoughts of lunch were long gone. Excitement rippled through the group.

  Dr. Susan stood up from her seat, motioning to the graduate students to grab the wooden stakes.

  “If we find remains, this is a crime scene. We must preserve all evidence so we can't go running in like a herd of elephants. Jade and I will create a route that’s marked by stakes and twine that everyone can follow. We can limit the damage to the crime scene in that way. Detective French and Detective Harper will be coming along with us?” Dr. Susan asked.

  Harri and Gavin nodded.

  Jake held back, watching the entire team, his face shuttered and unreadable. He nodded at her. He was asking her if she was okay. Concern flickered in his eyes.

  She nodded to him. This was what they both wanted. To bring Lauren home.

  “We’re right behind you, Dr. Susan,” Harri said.

  Dr. Susan and Jade walked to the spot Doug and Amy used to enter the forest. Jade hammered a wooden stake into the ground and tied the end of a thick, round roll of twine to it. Harri and Gavin watched as she made sure the knot was tight.

  “I’m ready. After you, Dr. Susan,” Jade said.

  They entered the forest one by one.

  They followed Dr. Susan as she carefully went step-by-step along a barely visible animal path. It didn't look like it was well-traveled, but there was enough of a path to walk on without too much underbrush.

  Doug’s whistle sounded every five seconds to help them navigate towards his location. After about five minutes of walking and fifteen stakes hammered into the ground, they found Doug and Amy standing off to the side of a large conifer tree.

  “Oh no,” Harri muttered. “Are you seeing what I'm seeing?” she asked no one in particular.

  Gavin was right beside her. “That's a fresh body,” he said.

  They walked to within twenty feet from Doug and Amy.

  Jade pounded the last wooden stake into the ground and tied the twine to it. She cut the roll loose and stared at the corpse.

  Gavin pushed past her and made his way to Doug and Amy.

  Harri couldn’t hear what they were saying from this distance, but she was certain of what would be happening next. From her vantage point, she could see that the victim was a boy, aged thirteen or fourteen. He was dressed as if going to church, with neatly pressed khakis and a crisp white shirt.

  Harri’s heart pounded against her ribcage. The white shirt had barely any dirt on it. His face was clean, and his hair brushed. He looked to be sleeping more than dead. The killer had made a pillow for him out of the needles on the forest floor.

  This was only beginning was her first thought.

  Harri's breath caught in her throat. The search for her sister would be coming to an abrupt halt. There was no way they could search alongside an active crime scene.

  Gavin withdrew his cell phone from his pocket and checked for a signal. He dialed and put the phone to his ear. This place would be crawling with police and crime scene investigators within an hour.

  Another killer preying on innocent victims. Another year where her sister would not be found.

  Dr. Susan looked over to her, all excitement gone. Her face was pale and her eyes wide. Harri knew she’d never seen a murdered child before.

  “I’m sorry,” was all Harri could say.

/>   5

  Day 2

  The sun dipped below the trees as Harri was finally called to the area where Eugene Police Detective Lewis Robinson was taking statements from everyone at the scene. It had been an exceptionally long day of waiting. After they had left the body, Harri and Doug, Susan and Gavin all made their way out to the staging area.

  Gavin had called the US Forest Service official that oversaw this specific part of the Willamette National Forest and the Eugene Police Department. He’d recognized the boy as Atticus Menlo, age thirteen, a boy who had gone missing in Eugene last week. One of Gavin’s friends, Detective Louis Robinson had been on the case and he'd helped do some interviews for him.

  Since the boy had been taken in Eugene but found in the state park, both the US Forest Service and Eugene Police could claim jurisdiction. All hands were on deck. Throughout the day, the Coroner’s van showed up, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit showed up, and a raft of uniforms from the US Forest Service and Eugene Police arrived to monitor the crime scene. Unfortunately, it took about two hours before anyone from the NecroFind research team or Harri and Jake had their witness statements taken.

  Harri had let the NecroFind team go before she and Jake had just finished up. It was four-thirty in the afternoon, and she was exhausted.

  Detective Robinson motioned over to her. Jake smiled at her as he walked by and joined some of the uniforms sitting in the staging section. Everyone from the NecroFind team had gone back to the inn to regroup. No decision had been made about continuing the search, but Harri didn’t have her hopes up.

  “Thank you so much for waiting as long as you have, Detective Harper,” Detective Robinson started.

  Harri sat down in the folded chair opposite the older cop. Detective Lewis Robinson was a man in his 50s with ebony skin and a closely cropped head of hair. He had smile lines around his eyes, but his exhaustion showed. His mouth was set in a thin line.

  “I'm sorry that we found him like this,” Harri said, guessing the older detective had hoped to bring the child home.

  “Thank you, Detective Harper.”

  “Should I go through the last twenty-four hours with you?” Harri asked.