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

  “Thank you so much for informing me, Detective Robinson. I’ll come in later today to check out the report as it stands to add to my profile,” he said.

  The call lasted a bit longer. Jake said good-bye and hung up.

  “Did they find someone?” Harri asked.

  “They picked up Chris Becker first thing.”

  “This is first thing,” Harri said, checking the time. It was only 9:10.

  “He said early morning hours so I'm thinking they must've busted the guy’s door down last night after I gave them his name.”

  “Did he confess or something?” Harri asked.

  “They held him in a drunk tank overnight to keep him from skipping out. They questioned him this morning, but he lawyered up pretty quickly. From what Detective Robinson said his lawyer was one of the most expensive in town. His father is that tech tycoon that started the online delivery company, DriveDash. He must be a billionaire at this point,” Jake said.

  “Great.” Wealth gave perps a lot of latitude.

  “Becker refused to answer any questions and then the lawyer came, and they didn't have anything to charge him with. They wanted an alibi for when Atticus went missing and he came up with some excuse of being with one of his father's employees. They’re checking it out now, but obviously, that's flimsy at best.”

  “He’s out then?” Harri asked.

  “That's what Detective Robinson said.”

  “We can find Chris Becker’s address and go talk to him ourselves,” Harri said.

  “That's not a good idea. We’d be seriously stepping on Eugene PD’s toes if we do that,” Jake said.

  “Yeah, but we’re the ones that got his name.”

  “Harri, why are you even considering it?” Jake sounded surprised.

  “Because we’re still looking for Dan,” she said. “It's three days he's been missing now. Becker could be the individual Dan met with after his Starbucks interview. Do you know anyone who could get us his address?”

  “You can’t be seriously asking me that.”

  “No, I guess I’m not.”

  They sat in silence for a moment. Harri looked over at Jake. He looked out the window back at the lush gardens of the Morning Sunrise Institute. Harri kept her gaze on him until he turned back to face her.

  “Okay,” Jake acquiesced. “If we can find Becker's address ourselves, then we can go. But I'm not calling in any favors. That’s crossing a lot of lines.”

  Harri acknowledged the twinge of guilt she felt for asking in the first place. She wasn’t acting like a professional, but she couldn’t let Becker slip away.

  “All right then. Let's go back to the Inn and regroup. Do some internet sleuthing,” Harri said and started up the car.

  She drove them back to the Inn and left Jake nursing another cup of coffee as she went upstairs. Harri booted up her laptop and searched for Chris Becker's address. She found a lot of information on his father the senior Becker, but little was listed about Chris.

  After half an hour of research, she hit pay dirt. Chris Becker had an arrest record for indecent exposure. A local paper had listed his name and address in conjunction with his misdemeanor citation. Was that what put him on the sex offenders list or was there something more? Something sealed?

  Another question to ask Chris Becker when they saw him.

  Harri scooped up her laptop and ran down the stairs to find Jake.

  “I found an address. It's a couple of years old but we can check and see if it’s still good,” she said.

  “How did you find it?” Jake asked.

  “A newspaper listed his address while reporting local crime.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Indecent exposure. Do you think that would put him on the sex offenders list?”

  “I think he’d have to do something more for that,” Jake said as they left the Inn.

  Harri read out the address near downtown Eugene. Jake plugged it into his phone, and they drove off. Jake didn’t look especially happy at the turn of events, but Harri did her best to ignore him.

  Something stirred in her belly. It was her gut telling them they were finally on the right track.

  14

  Day 4 - Afternoon

  Harri and Jake’s drive to Chris Becker's apartment took them about half an hour. They’d arrived in downtown Eugene with Jake’s stomach growling. It was close to lunchtime and his voracious appetite just couldn’t wait.

  Harri parked in front of a coffeeshop advertising sandwiches. The place was what Harri would call nondescript. They both ate egg salad sandwiches in relative silence. Harri watched Jake. His mood seemed better. The laughter was still in his eyes when they met hers across the table.

  Harri couldn’t sit still, her excitement at speaking with Chris Becker overflowing. Jake took his time, occasionally telling Harri to stop fidgeting. They both had another cup of coffee before walking the three blocks to Becker’s last known address.

  The walk was good for Harri as the added caffeine made her jumpy. As they rounded the corner of Becker’s street, Harri spoke up.

  “I'm going to take the lead on this.”

  “Why?” Jake asked. His tone said he wasn’t in full agreement.

  “Because I'm trying to keep you out of trouble. Detective Robinson told you about Becker and his release.”

  “You didn’t think of that before we decided on speaking with him?”

  “It’s the first lead we’ve gotten that could be real,” she confessed. “I almost wish you weren’t working as their profiler.”

  “But I am. And you are a cop. And we are definitely stepping out of bounds.”

  “We’re looking for Dan. If Eugene PD let Becker go, I see him as free game.” She was pushing it, she knew.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t come in with me. It’ll give you plausible deniability,” she said.

  Jake shook his head. “We’re doing this together,” he said.

  “I'm a cop, Jake. You don't need to protect me,” she said.

  “I understand that, but I’m going in with you.”

  She shrugged not wanting to get into an argument with him, especially out in the open on their subject’s street.

  “We’re here,” she said, checking her phone.

  Chris Becker’s apartment was in a 1970s era apartment building with peeling paint and sagging windows. His apartment was on the first floor. Harri was surprised the place wasn't any nicer. For his father being so wealthy, Becker certainly didn’t seem to be getting much benefit from it.

  “The newspaper listed his apartment as number four,” Harri said.

  They arrived at an orange door with the number four hanging tilted in the middle of it.

  Harri knocked three times.

  There was no answer.

  Harri knocked again.

  “He's not home. We should go,” Jake said.

  Harri's curiosity got the best of her and she peered into the window she assumed was his living room.

  Feet peeked out from behind the worn couch.

  “We have a body,” Harri said.

  Jake pulled out his phone. “I’m calling it in.”

  Harri touched his arm.

  “We don't know if he's dead. If the cops come, we’re completely out of this. We’ll never get into that apartment.”

  “What are you saying, Harri? We’re breaking down the door to see if he’s still alive?” Jake asked.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “I thought that was only something you see in the movies,” he said.

  “Maybe. We’re citizens here, though. They can arrest us for breaking and entering.” She sounded a lot surer than she felt.

  She took a deep breath. How far was she willing to take this? She had no jurisdiction here. Eugene PD didn’t consider her a cop, but a citizen,

  With that, she grasped the handle and twisted it.

  Surprisingly, it was open. She looked at Jake who shook his head no and she opened the door.

&n
bsp; The coppery smell of blood hit her nostrils. This man was definitely dead.

  She stepped inside the small living room and looked around. There was a stained brown sofa against the wall with a flatscreen TV affixed to the opposing wall.

  A broken coffee table littered with beer, cigarettes, magazines, and an old piece of pizza took up most of the floor.

  There was a door to a bathroom and another door leading into a small hallway. She looked over at the body and saw a gun a couple of feet away.

  “There's a gun here.” She checked the victim without touching him. “I see a shot to the head.”

  “Suicide?”

  “I think it’s supposed to look like a suicide.”

  “Supposed to?”

  “Something isn’t right about it, though.” Harri stood in the middle of the room. She’d investigated suicides before. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but something was.

  “Harri.”

  Jake's tone stopped her short. She’d been headed down the hall to check out the rest of the apartment when he’d said her name.

  His face was pale. He’d found something.

  He licked his lips and pointed at something on the battered desk that was sitting against the wall near the window.

  She walked over to him and looked down at where he was pointing. An old group photo in a wooden frame sat on the edge of the desk. The photo was of a young woman and eight boys.

  Harri's mouth fell open.

  Her sister Lauren’s face stared back at her.

  Her sister looked scared and exhausted. None of the boys were smiling either.

  The photo was taken in a wooded area with a sign peeking out from behind the group. Harri made out the letters C-A-M and what could be a P hidden by one of the boy’s heads.

  “Are you seeing this?” Harri asked.

  Jake nodded.

  He went to touch it, but Harri stopped him. “We can’t touch it.”

  Jake blanched. “It’s her.”

  “Take a photo. I’ll point it out when the cops come. You get out of here and I’ll call it in.”

  “I'm staying here with you,” Jake said.

  His jaw clenched and the look in his eyes was different from any she'd ever seen before. His eyes were cold and completely closed off to her.

  “We need to make sure you can stay on this case,” Jake said.

  Harri sensed he’d gone into a clinical mode, purely professional.

  She shook her head. “Becker was connected somehow to Lauren’s disappearance. With his possible connection to Atticus Menlo, you will be off this case if Robinson finds you here. I'm gonna take the heat for this. Go,” she said.

  They stood across from each other. Jake had his hands on his hips and Harri’s arms were crossed. They stared each other down for a few moments, not aggressively, just each of them holding their stance. Jake didn’t back down.

  Then a thought struck Harri.

  “Why didn't they leave the cops watching over him?” Harri asked. “That's what we would have done.”

  “You’re right,” Jake said. “Why didn’t he have any watchers?”

  The energy in the room lifted.

  “Are you leaving?”

  “No.”

  “You aren’t making a smart decision,” Harri said as she dialed Detective Gavin French.

  “Detective French speaking,” he answered.

  “Hi, French,” Harri said. “It’s Harri Harper. I have another body for you.”

  “What are you talking about,” Gavin said.

  “I’m at Chris Becker's apartment. He was one of the leads I got while searching for Dan Ledeyen. When I arrived at his apartment, I saw his feet behind the couch. I thought he might need my help, so I entered. He’s dead.”

  Detective Gavin French didn’t respond right away. Harri was about to ask if he was still on the line when he finally spoke.

  “I'm on my way,” Gavin said.

  “Why wasn’t anyone watching his apartment?”

  “Uniforms were on their way to stake out his place. It took a while to get the paperwork. He left our custody not even two hours ago.”

  “Is it because his daddy is so rich?” Harri’s tone came out a lot angrier than she had expected.

  “No, Detective.”

  Harri noted Gavin’s defensive tone.

  “We needed to make sure all the I’s were dotted, and the T’s were crossed. The elder Becker is an enormously powerful man in this state with an army of attorneys,” Gavin explained.

  “Right. See you soon,” Harri said and clicked off.

  She turned back to Jake, frustration showing on her face.

  “They didn't have anyone on him yet,” she said.

  “I'm not leaving you here.”

  “Let’s wait for the cops outside,” Harri said.

  “Leave the photo for them.” Jake nodded.

  “We don’t have to point it out just yet. Let’s see if Gavin recognizes my sister,” Harri said.

  They walked out of the apartment and stayed near the front door. Sirens sounded in the distance.

  “Here comes the cavalry,” she said.

  Jake grimaced. Harri bit her lip as she leaned against the wall, her sister’s face seared into her mind.

  The investigation into Becker’s killing would be a media circus. The pedophile son of a billionaire found dead. Unless it was ruled a suicide. At least another sicko was off the streets.

  She looked back and wondered why she thought that it wasn't a suicide even though the gun was just a little bit away from his hand. It was a coincidence of timing. He was dead two hours after he got out of police custody. What were the chances of that?

  Apparently, Chris Becker had an army of attorneys who most likely would've been able to get him off. Why kill himself now?

  And then there was the other problem.

  If he was Atticus Menlo’s killer and he had also taken Dan and Alan Prentiss, then where were the boys?

  They sure as hell were not in this apartment.

  With Becker dead, the boys would be without food and water. Her stomach clenched. She caught Jake’s eye.

  How were they going to find Dan now?

  15

  Day 4 - Afternoon

  The Eugene PD came out in full force to meet Harri and Jake at Chris Becker's apartment. Detective Robinson and Detective Gavin French were the first to come up to check out Becker's body followed by a group of uniforms securing the scene.

  Detective Robinson was thunderous and Harri could tell he was working hard not to yell at her. Gavin took over and got them into the car and calmed his friend down. At least, that's what it looked like to Harri. Jake and Harri were shuttled back to the station for questioning.

  They were put into separate interrogation rooms. Harri had asked for water and had been sitting there for close to two hours before anyone came to speak to her. She was upset they were treating her with so little respect. She was an LAPD detective for god’s sake.

  At the same time, she had been at the last two crime scenes discovering bodies. Putting herself in their shoes, she could understand why she’d been held there that long.

  “Sorry about the wait,” Gavin said as he came in.

  Harri was glad for that egg salad sandwich she’d had with Jake earlier. Her stomach grumbled in response. It was past three o'clock in the afternoon and she hadn’t even had water.

  “If I wasn't a cop, I'd be really pissed at you right now,” she said.

  Gavin cocked his head at her, and his eyes flashed.

  “Well, since you are a cop, you should understand why we had to do this.”

  “Did you see it?” she asked.

  “What are you talking about?” Gavin sat down and looked confused.

  “The photo on his desk.”

  Gavin swiped on his phone. Harri leaned over and watched as the photos from the crime scene came and went. He finally scrolled to the photo on Chris Becker’s desk.

  “Yo
u know who that is, right?” she asked.

  “I'm not sure…” Gavin said but stopped when he peered closer.

  Harri could see he had the image zoomed up close to the picture of her sister and the boys.

  “Holy shit,” Gavin said. “Is that Lauren Harper?”

  “That's right. That's Lauren. And I know for a fact she never went to camp.” Harri paused, waiting for Gavin to take in what she was saying.

  “Also, the woods look very much like the woods around here. That man had something to do with my sister's disappearance,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “That’s not possible. Chris Becker was only thirty-seven years old. Back then, that would've put him at…”

  “Twelve years old. How much you wanna bet he was one of those boys in that picture?” she asked.

  “Is that what you were doing there?” Gavin responded.

  “I was with Jake interviewing some boys at the 7-Eleven on the Dan Ledeyen case. That's why Jake called Detective Robinson last night with Chris Becker's name,” Harri explained.

  “We got his name from three boys when we asked them about Dan and his whereabouts in the last week. They knew him from the old days. If you can call two months ago old days.”

  “They give you his address, too?” Gavin asked.

  “I found it online. He’d been arrested for indecent exposure a couple of years ago and the paper listed that address. I was surprised they actually gave it out like that, but I guess if you're a felon then they don't care about privacy,” she said.

  Gavin wrote that down. “What time did you get there?” Gavin asked.

  “We arrived there soon after lunch. I would say around twelve-thirty,” she said.

  “And then what?” he asked.

  “I knocked on the door. When he didn't answer, I checked the window to see if maybe there was somebody inside. That's when I saw the body on the floor,” she said.

  “And why did you not call the police at that point?” he asked.

  “I didn't know he was dead. I was under the assumption he needed help. I checked the door to see if it was open and it was. I walked inside; Jake was right behind me. That’s when I saw that he was dead.”