The Hidden Grave (Harriet Harper Thriller Book 2)

by Dominika Best

  “Let's just say when he got caught, that wasn't the first time. I’d sent him to therapists to get him fixed but he couldn’t help himself. I washed my hands of him completely,” Andrew Becker shook his head in defeat.

  “Then how did he get the high-powered lawyer to bail him out yesterday morning?” Harri asked.

  “Oh, I had nothing to do with that,” he said. “Like I said – washed my hands of him completely.”

  Harri sat back surprised. That wasn't an answer she was expecting.

  “Do you have a picture of him?”

  Andrew Becker scrunched up his nose and opened one of his desk drawers. He shuffled papers around until he found what he was searching for. He pulled the photo out and handed it to Harri.

  The photo was of a thirty years younger Andrew with a smiling blonde woman and a ten-year-old boy sandwiched between them. They looked happy.

  "Do you mind if I take a photo of this?"

  "Sure, fine," he said.

  Harri pulled out her phone and took a few pictures of the family photo, zooming in to Chris Becker. She had studied the camp photo all morning and was sure that Andrew Becker’s recently deceased son was one of the boys in the photo.

  “Is your wife still alive?” Harri asked.

  “Ex-wife?”

  “Of course. I’m sorry. Is your ex-wife still alive?”

  Andrew shook his head. “She died of cancer about four years ago.”

  Damn, Harri thought. The mother always knew what her kids were up to. “Would you know of anyone else who might have known your son back when he was twelve years old? Someone else I could ask about this camp?"

  “Is that where my son got molested?" he asked.

  His bluntness made Harri wince. He sounded so cold when he said it.

  "That's what I'm looking into right now."

  Andrew Becker pushed back in his seat. “When we divorced, it was not amicable. My ex was a vindictive harpy and she cut me completely out of both their lives. I had to go to court to even get the visitation rights for my son. He was at that stage where he didn't want to talk to me. I really can't help you with your inquiry because I stopped knowing my son once the divorce was finalized.”

  Harri stood up and then looked at him. “Do you think your son committed suicide?” she asked him.

  Andrew Becker grimaced.

  “A darkness lived in my son. It could have driven him to commit suicide. Or one of his freaks did him in. Either way that wasn't my son anymore,” he said.

  Harri nodded and said thank you.

  She left the office without Andrew saying another word.

  His forthrightness had surprised her. Most people wouldn't want to admit they had a son like Chris Becker.

  But Andrew Becker didn't seem to have any such compunction and that bothered Harri.

  She guessed that the cat was out of the bag with Chris Becker’s convictions and there was nothing left for his father to hide. It was the first well person she knew of that had thrown their family under the bus, though.

  She stepped back into the elevator and checked the time. The interview had been shorter than she’d expected. Harri wasn’t meeting Dr. Jasmine Brand for another two hours.

  Dr. Brand had suggested they meet at a coffee shop about six blocks away from here. Harri decided she’d walk there and spend her time searching NamUs herself to identify more boys as the Chris Becker angle had dead-ended. No one was alive to ask about what he’d done that summer.

  Harri walked the six blocks to the coffeeshop and found a rustic style university spot. There were students at most of the tables sitting with their laptops open and working while sipping their java.

  Harri nestled into a big armchair after getting her coffee from the barista and fired up her laptop. She needed to find that camp.

  18

  Day 5 - Afternoon

  An hour had passed and Harri Harper hadn’t made much progress on the missing kids database. By now, Jake Tepesky had joined her and neither of them had found even one boy that matched the boys in the photo.

  Dr. Brand arrived about half an hour after Jake had sat down in a plushy chair. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she carried maps and a stack of books.

  “Thank you so much for meeting with us, Dr. Brand,” Harri said. “May I get you a cup of coffee?”

  “I'm too caffeinated as it is but thank you,” Dr. Brand said.

  “Was the photograph at a high enough resolution for you?” Harri asked. She had emailed Dr. Brand the scanned photograph asking her if Robbie the botanist could identify the trees in the background of the photo to give them an area the camp might have been in.

  “It was at a high enough resolution. I sent it off to Robbie and he told me he’d get back to me by end of today,” she said. “Meanwhile I’ve begun a search through records to see if there was anyone granted permission to run a camp in any of the national forests. I'm at the beginning of my search, but I've been able to find three camps that were operating in the early 90s on borrowed land from the National Forest Service,” she said.

  “Were any of these camps in the Willamette Forest?” Harri asked as she beamed at the woman. She hadn't expected Dr. Brand to work so quickly.

  “There were two camps in that forest in the 90s.”

  “Could this camp be one of those?” Jake asked.

  “Not necessarily. I broadened my search to any camps in the 80s. Camps could have been operational in ‘94 or ‘95, but the records would likely show the land deal in the 80s. Once the land was released for the deal then the new owner could start building on it.”

  “Did you see anything in the photo that might indicate where the picture was taken?” Jake asked.

  “The trees are pretty standard for Oregon. I’m a geologist, though and this isn’t my area of expertise. Even the ground cover is hard to read. I can’t really identify the grass, either. Any movement on identifying the kids in this photo?” she asked.

  “We’re still working on that. We’ve been searching through missing kids databases and have come up empty.”

  “If you found the photo, doesn’t that mean the boys survived the camp?” Dr. Brand asked.

  Harri and Jake discussed that option briefly. Chris Becker had returned home after the camp, clearly emotionally and mentally damaged. The other boys could have, as well.

  Where were they now though?

  The issue that niggled at her was how come none of those men seemed to have come forward about the abuse they’d suffered as children.

  Could that be due to shame? She’d read about the numerous other child abuse scandals within religious and sports organizations. She understood the desire for the victims to forget and try to go on with their lives. She understood the need to be normal.

  It bothered her how no one spoke about Lauren. She’d gone on various news programs to talk about Lauren’s disappearance. She made sure Lauren wasn’t forgotten. Surely, one of them had seen her speak about the case over the years.

  “We’re hoping Robbie might be able to piece together a general area to narrow our search,” Jake said.

  His phone buzzed. Jake picked it up and checked who the caller was. He shot Harri a glance. It had to be the police or the FBI.

  “Detective Robinson? I’m surprised to be hearing from you.”

  Both Harri and Dr. Brand fell silent, waiting on Jake to finish.

  Jake listened and shook his head at Harri. This didn’t sound good. He barely spoke, said goodbye to Detective Robinson, and hung up the call. Jake’s lips pursed into a thin line.

  “Chris Becker's death has been deemed a suicide,” Jake said.

  “Seriously?” Harri asked.

  “Is that the pedophile that was found in his apartment yesterday?” Dr. Brand asked.

  “News gets around fast,” Harri remarked.

  “It hit the national news last night,” Dr. Brand said. “He was Andrew Becker’s son,” she added conspiratorially. “Big money.” She mouthed wh
ile raising her eyebrows.

  “The FBI is now involved in the case. We’ll be meeting with them first thing tomorrow.” Jake sighed.

  “They must have found photos on his computer,” Harri said.

  The FBI typically didn't have jurisdiction on murder. What they did have jurisdiction over was interstate commerce and crimes happening across state lines. Apparently, whatever photos the police found showed enough to involve the FBI.

  “Is your sister's case connected to this in any way?” Dr. Brand asked carefully.

  “It's becoming clear that it is,” Harri nodded. “Everything seems to have started at this camp, which is why we need to find it.”

  “Everything?” Dr. Brand asked.

  “Predators preying on young boys,” Harri said.

  “I see. Let’s find this camp then. I have probably another half day’s work on researching the area. I’ll give you a call when I’ve located more precise locations of these two camps,” Dr. Brand said.

  “Will you call us as soon as you have a general location?” Harri asked. “Time is of the essence. We don’t know how long Dan has, but we have to assume time is running out.”

  “The missing boy is at this camp?” Dr. Brand asked. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “That’s our working theory,” Jake said.

  “Have you been following the case?” Harri asked.

  “This search was my first with NecroFind. I’ve been around human remains before but those had been bones. I’d never seen a victim like that. It’s thrown me, to be honest. I’d like to help in any way I can though,” she said.

  “We can use all the help you can give us,” Harri said.

  “Let’s meet back here tomorrow afternoon. If you find anything before then, please give us a call,” Jake said.

  “Absolutely,” Dr. Brand said.

  She gathered up her notebook and maps.

  “Good luck with the FBI,” Dr. Brand said as she shook both their hands.

  “We’re going to need it,” Harri said.

  Dr. Brand briefly smiled and weaved her way through the tables to the exit.

  Harri picked up her cold coffee and took a sip. She grimaced at the taste and put it down again.

  “What does the FBI want from us?” Harri asked.

  “Nothing good, I should think,” Jake said.

  “Can we be positive?”

  “Not with the FBI. They have all the information they need from the Eugene PD. If they want to talk to us, it’s probably to tell us to beat it.”

  “Great.”

  “Nothing we can do about that now,” Jake said.

  “Dr. Brand works fast,” Harri remarked.

  “Maybe we’ll get a location tonight,” Jake said.

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” she said. “Anyway, let’s focus on what we have.”

  “We have lots of theories but no clear evidence. What do we know thus far?” Jake asked.

  Harri considered telling him about what she’d found in her room the night before, but for some reason held back. She just couldn’t tell him yet. A pang of emotion moved through her. Guilt? Regret? No, it was fear. She was afraid to show him something that could be an actual part of Lauren. Why was she holding onto it? She had to show it to him. She had to turn it over to Detective Gavin French for evidence processing.

  A slow realization coursed through her. She couldn’t let go of Lauren. She couldn’t let anyone else touch what could be the only remains she would ever find of her sister. For now, for just this moment, she had to keep what was left of Lauren to herself.

  Jake looked around and saw the coffeeshop had emptied significantly since they first arrived. He leaned in and spoke quietly.

  “Let’s go through it,” he said.

  “Dan Ledeyen and Alan Prentiss are missing,” Harri said.

  “Alan offered himself up to predators for money,” Jake added.

  “Chris Becker has a connection to both Dan and Alan, and the crew downtown, and to Milbourne High where Atticus Menlo went to school.”

  “Chris Becker is found dead after being put into police custody. We have a photo of a group of boys surrounding Lauren Harper at a camp. We’re thinking the photo must be from the summer of 1995,” Jake said.

  “Chris Becker is a known pedophile and now the FBI is involved,” Harri added. “How much do you want to bet they found a ton of child porn on his computer?”

  “Obviously. That could mean Chris was part of a child pornography ring. The question is, could he also be a supplier of these pics?”

  “He has a willing population of drug users that he can use,” Harri said.

  “Why take the boys and kill them then? That brings a whole lot of heat to the network. Scrutiny by the Eugene PD and the FBI. It doesn’t make sense that our killer is part of this network.” Jake frowned.

  “The man who took Atticus, Dan, and Alan isn’t a pedophile?” Harri asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Jake shook his head. “He could be something else entirely.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “The body of Atticus Menlo showed an advanced fantasy. The clothes, the way he was posed. The killer is telling us a story. We just don’t know what it is yet.”

  “How does this connect with our camp then? If the killer is one of the men who was running it, then that would make him a pedophile which you say he isn’t.”

  “What if it’s one of the boys? A survivor, like Chris Becker might have been?”

  “He’s exposing the pedo ring by killing these boys?” Harri grimaced at that theory. “Why not go to the police?”

  “He could be too afraid of authority,” Jake said. “He might have tried going to the authorities in the past and it was no use, or maybe he was retraumatized. In the killer’s mind, that’s simply not an option.”

  Harri could see the direction he was heading in and could buy that theory.

  “I keep going back to the presentation of the body. The killer made no attempt to hide Atticus at all. Why clean him and then place him specifically there? It’s almost like some kind of sacrifice or tribute. Maybe the killer was taking Atticus Menlo back to a place of trauma to transform it into a place of peace?”

  They sat quietly in thought for a moment.

  “How can we use this to move forward?” Harri asked.

  “Someone needs to talk about that camp,” Jake answered. “We also dig further into this pedo ring. If the killer is trying to expose it, then he knows about it. Maybe he’s on the periphery somehow.”

  “Speaking of the periphery, let’s not forget Thomas James. And we should confirm that Alan Prentiss is, in fact, missing,” Harri said.

  “Why don’t we split the work,” Jake suggested. “You go searching for Thomas James and I’ll speak with the Prentiss family. I can take a rideshare over there.”

  “Meet back at the Daniels Inn for dinner?” Harri asked.

  “You got it,” Jake said.

  “Unless you need me to rescue you. I’ll pick you up,” Harri offered.

  Jake winked at her and ordered a car on his phone.

  “Call me after you talk to them,” Harri said.

  “Same to you,” Jake said.

  Harri nodded.

  “We’ll find him, Harri,” Jake said. “My car’s here.”

  He stood up and squeezed Harri’s hand. “Good luck.”

  “You, too.”

  Harri watched him get into a waiting black sedan. Her pulse quickened as she opened her laptop. They were getting closer. Narrowing down the possibilities. Harri stopped herself from getting too excited. They still needed to find the camp and Dan Ledeyen. And the elusive Thomas James. Outside of his being the victim like he’d told her Dan had been, Harri still had no idea how he fit into this case. Her gut told her that he did, though.

  19

  Day 6 – October 2, 2018 - Morning

  Harri and Jake Tepesky sat across from Special Agent Nick McNarin in his Eugene FBI satellite off
ice. They’d been kept waiting for over half an hour after their designated meet time and both of them were in sour moods. Harri hadn’t been able to make any headway on finding Thomas James. Jake never met Alan Prentiss’s parents. And still no word from Dr. Brand.

  Now, Special Agent McNarin was taking his damn time in getting the meeting started. He was a man in his early 50s and not typical of what Harri thought of as a Special Agent. He had a round belly that his white shirt strained against. His attempts at hiding his balding were pathetic and his beady eyes didn’t inspire confidence in his intelligence. She doubted this interview would go well. Harri had started to shake her leg to get the jitters out.

  “I'm sure you both know that I wanted to see you regarding the Atticus Menlo case. And also, the Chris Becker case,” Special Agent McNarin began.

  “What would you like to know?” Harri asked.

  “Why is the FBI involved? Did you find something on his computer to make this your jurisdiction?” Jake asked, his voice steely and cold.

  He sounded like he was about to lose his temper. This would not make for an easy meeting.

  “Yes. We've been tracking a pornography ring on the dark web and we were not aware that Chris Becker was one of the providers of said content until you found him dead,” Special Agent McNarin shared.

  Harri was suspicious of why he was sharing so much with them.

  “Chris Becker was providing the photos. How do you know he wasn't just sharing what others had given him?” Harri asked.

  “There were personal effects recovered in his dwelling of the boys whose photographs were found on his computer,” Special Agent McNarin said bluntly.

  “Why are you being so forthcoming? I’m a retired FBI agent and I know information comes with a price? What do you want?”

  “I know who you are, Tepesky. I’m giving you this information, so you’ll know it’s being properly handled.”

  “And?” Harri asked.

  “And therefore, you will have no need to remain here in Eugene.” Special Agent McNarin continued.

  “Has a task force been established?” Jake asked.