The Hidden Grave (Harriet Harper Thriller Book 2)

by Dominika Best

  “None of the pedos we brought claimed to know those two. I didn’t believe some of them, but we couldn’t crack them. That ended up dead-ending.”

  “Harri was looking for Thomas James. He was an addict in rehab with Dan Ledeyen. He checked himself out after speaking with Harri. He sounded like he had dealings with this crew. You might want to try tracking him down,” Jake suggested.

  “I’ll put that in the case-file,” Gavin said.

  “Are you thinking Dan might be connected now?” Jake asked.

  “Don’t you?” Gavin asked as the narrow drive opened to a small field.

  “I don’t know how to answer that. If I say yes, we’ll be closed out of the case again,” Jake said.

  Gavin had no reply for that. He eased the cruiser into the small field.

  “This looks like a landing area,” Gavin said.

  “The expert told me it would look something like this. I guess we’re here.”

  Jake looked out into the darkness. A full moon was rising in the sky and bathed the surroundings in a pale blue light. It would have been beautiful under different circumstances. Tonight, it appeared sinister and deadly.

  “She said we had about a fifteen-minute hike to the lake. Supposedly the camp is on an island in the middle of the lake,” Jake said.

  “How the hell are we supposed to get on an island?” grumbled Gavin.

  A lump jumped into Jake’s throat. If Harri was out here somewhere, how in the hell were they going to find her? The area around them was vast.

  Not for the first time this evening, a cold bead of sweat ran down his forehead. Fear gripped his throat, and he couldn’t open his mouth.

  He wasn’t sure they would succeed tonight.

  34

  Day 6 - Night

  Dan Ledeyen helped Harri move as far away from the door as they could get. They huddled in the corner together, making sure they kept their voices low. Harri knew that once Robert Payton found her missing, he’d come to check in on Dan immediately.

  They needed a plan.

  “Have you searched for any escape routes?” Harri asked, keeping her voice low.

  “I've searched and searched and there's no way to get up to the ceiling like you did because there's no furniture in the room. There’s only the door and he’s got a lock on it.”

  “How often does he come? How does he bring you water and food? What’s the schedule like?” she asked.

  “I don't know. I don’t have a watch or a phone. I can’t figure out time anymore. I don’t know if it’s day or night, or what. I’ll be starving and thirsty when he comes so I guess there are hours between the visits. He gives me bologna sandwiches and two water bottles to drink. By the time he’s back, I’m out of both.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?” she asked.

  “It hasn't been that long. I still have one bottle of water left and I’m not hungry. I’ve been here long enough that I get confused, though. I wouldn’t put too much stock into any of my impressions. He’s kept me in the dark the entire time, too. My senses are all whack. When did he grab you?” Dan asked.

  “He grabbed me in the afternoon,” Harri said. “My smartwatch was working back in the other room. I’d only been here a few hours when I woke up the first time. I passed out again and my watch died, so I have no idea about time now, either.”

  The kid had pulled himself together and had pulled away from Harri. Good, Harri thought. She knew her presence there gave him hope even though at the moment she was just as much of a prisoner as he was.

  “There's two of us now. When he does come in, we can use the element of surprise overpower him,” Harri said.

  “He’s too big. Strong,” Dan said. “He’s way bigger than me. I can’t take him. And you’re hurt.”

  “He still won’t be expecting the two of us in here. That must count for something,” Harri replied.

  “Sure, okay.” Dan didn’t sound convinced.

  “We ARE getting out of here, Dan,” Harri said.

  “Have you talked to my mom and dad?” Dan asked.

  She heard hope in his voice, laced with sadness. A sound made Harri put her had on his arm to stop him from talking.

  “Do you hear him approaching?”

  They both remained still in the silent darkness.

  “Yes,” Dan whispered. “There’s three locks on the door. It takes him a while to open them all.”

  “That will buy us some time. We need to get in position.”

  Harri hoped they could aim for his feet and topple him. If she could get their abductor in a chokehold, he’d pass out and they’d have a chance.

  “So, I should be at the door?” Dan asked.

  “Yes,” Harri whispered. “Go for his feet and topple him. I’ll get him in a chokehold.”

  “What about your collarbone?” Dan asked.

  “The chokehold is more about positioning than force.”

  “Maybe you could show me, and I could do it on him.”

  Harri wished they had light to do just that. But in the pitch-dark, it was no use.

  “It’s the best we have right now. Without light, I can’t show you the right positioning.” Harri explained.

  “I don’t want to die here,” Dan whispered.

  “Neither do I,” Harri agreed. “We have to do something. He’s going to kill us otherwise. I’d rather be in pain than dead.”

  Dan said nothing for a moment.

  “What did he do to Alan?”

  Harri thought briefly that she should lie to him, to keep his hopes up. She couldn’t do it. He needed to know exactly the danger they were in.

  “Killed him,” Harri told him. “He was found in the woods yesterday.”

  “Man,” Dan said with a catch in his voice. “Oh, Man. He had a lot of problems, but he didn't deserve to die.”

  “No, he didn’t,” Harri said as gently as she could. “That’s not going to happen to us though, right? We’re together now and we’re gonna fight. Right, Dan?”

  She waited in the darkness for Dan’s agreement.

  “Yeah,” he said softly with conviction. “Yeah, let’s fight this sick fucker.”

  “Alright,” Harri instructed. “I’ll wait on the side of the door that will be hidden when he opens it. You go on the side of the doorknob.”

  Harri dragged herself by touch along the wall until she felt the door and went up on her knees to feel the doorknob. The doorknob was on the left which meant the door would swing out towards the right. That’s where she would wait.

  Dan was right behind her. When she took her position, he pushed past her. She heard him fiddle with the doorknob and then settle.

  “As soon as he’s in, you go for his legs, okay?”

  “Got it,” Dan said. “Let’s take him down.”

  Now all they could do was wait.

  Harri sat there, breathing through her radiating pain. Dan sniffled in the darkness. Finally, a door creaked open somewhere in the distance.

  “Did you hear that?” Dan whispered.

  “Get ready, Dan.” She whispered back. “We only have one shot at this.”

  “Wait,” Dan said. “He doesn’t sound right.”

  “What do you mean?” Harri asked, still whispering.

  “The sound of his walking. It doesn’t sound right. He shuffles.”

  The footsteps became loud and clear from the other side of the door. The person on the other end was definitely not shuffling.

  “Have you ever seen anyone else here?” she asked.

  “No. Just Bobby,” Dan replied. “This doesn’t sound like him.”

  Harri held her breath as a lock clicked open on the other side.

  Two more to go.

  The doorknob rattled.

  “Get ready,” Harri hissed.

  The doorknob rattled harder.

  “It’s not him,” Dan said in a panic. “He has keys. Whoever’s out there doesn’t have the keys.”

  A glimmer of hope sprung in Ha
rri. Maybe, they’d get out alive after all.

  Harri banged on the door.

  “We’re in here,” she shouted. “Hey, we’re in here!”

  “Hey,” Dan banged on the door. “Get us out!”

  “I hear you. Get away from the door. I’m going to have to break it down,” the voice said from the other side of the door.

  Harri dragged herself to the left. Something heavy banged on the other side. A yelp of pain and a grunt came from the other side.

  The door wasn’t budging.

  Silence. Please don’t give up, Harri thought.

  A scraping sound came from the edge of the door. A pop and then the scraping again. Another bang and then finally, thank god, the door swung open.

  A man’s silhouette filled the doorway. The moonlight shone so brightly that Harri had to cover her eyes.

  “Hello?” A man’s voice filled the darkness. “My name’s Richard. I'm here to help,” the voice said. “Who’s in here?”

  “Harri, I’m a cop,” Harri replied.

  She pushed against the wall to get on her feet. She flinched with every movement as her collarbone screamed in pain and her head throbbed.

  Dan stepped out into the moonlight. “I’m Dan Ledeyen. Robert Payton abducted me.”

  “We gotta get outta here,” Harri said. “Bobby will be back soon.”

  The man named Richard grimaced.

  “Bobby took you?”

  Dan nodded.

  “Damn. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Should have known,” Richard shook his head. “I should have known.”

  “How did you know where to find us?” Harri asked as Richard helped her to her feet.

  He scanned the cramped space with his flashlight before they all left the room and started down the small hallway.

  “I escaped from this place with Bobby close to twenty-five years ago,” Richard explained. “I think we’re the only ones left that know about it. Besides them, of course. The ones who set it all up.”

  Harri had so many questions she couldn’t ask. They had to get out of here first. Escape and survive. Get Dan out safe. Then she could ask all the questions tumbling through her mind. What about Lauren? No, she had to wait. She pushed thoughts of Lauren back into the recesses of her mind.

  “You saved us, Richard. Thank you.” She attempted to lift her arm and winced.

  “Did you break your arm?” he asked.

  “My collarbone. I won’t be able to move too fast. Where are we?”

  “We’re in the middle of the Willamette Forest. On an island actually.”

  “Island?” Harri knew there was no way in hell she’d be able to swim.

  “What?” Dan asked in confusion. “How did he get us out here?”

  “Did he break it?” Richard asked, his voice shaking with anger.

  “No. I fell out of the ceiling as I was escaping,” she said.

  They emerged out of the small building into an overgrown clearing. The full moon provided enough light to allow them to see where to go. The water glimmered in the moonlight behind the trees in front of them.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “Ten-thirty,” Richard answered. “Bobby wasn’t home. That’s why I came here to find him. He must be on his way.”

  Harri’s mind raced. She was sure Richard was right. The killer must be on his way back to their location. They had to move fast.

  “You have a phone on you?” Harri asked.

  “Yeah, but it won’t do us any good out here. No service,” Richard said.

  He showed her the phone face. No reception.

  “How did you get here?” Dan asked.

  “I found his boat hidden in some bushes,” Richard said.

  Something alerted within in Harri’s mind.

  “How did you know where to look?”

  “Bobby had to get out here somehow,” Richard explained as they walked. “When we escaped, we had to swim in the cold water and almost died from hypothermia. I knew he’d have a boat stashed.”

  Harri stumbled on a root. She gasped as pain shot through her body. She couldn’t figure out which was worse, her head or her collarbone.

  Their little group emerged onto a small, rocky beach. A metal rowboat rocked against the gentle waves of the lake. Harri bit her lip as she scanned the distant shore. They would be sitting ducks in that boat.

  “Bobby will be looking for his boat. He’ll be coming to the landing where you found it. What if we row to the other side?” Harri asked.

  Richard thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know of any trails leading out of the forest on that side. We’ll be lost in the woods without any supplies. I only have one bottle of water.”

  Harri nodded as Richard helped Dan into the boat. She held out her arm and Richard steadied her as she clambered in behind Dan. The adrenaline that kept her walking also made her jumpy. As much as Harri wanted to get Dan and herself off the island, she did not want to be in this boat.

  Richard waded into the water, pushing the boat out. The boat bottom grated against the lake floor and then floated. Richard held the boat steady as he climbed inside.

  He took the oars and expertly maneuvered the boat towards the distant shore.

  She looked over at Dan. He was quiet, but she could see his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold himself together. His breath was ragged, and she knew it was from the tears he was holding in.

  Harri couldn’t wait any longer. She wasn’t sure she should ask her questions around Dan, but she also wasn’t sure he was even listening to them, either.

  “You were one of the kids here? The abused kids?” Harri asked.

  Richard nodded without saying anything. Dan shifted behind her, burying his face in his hands.

  “Did you know my sister Lauren Harper?” Harri asked.

  “I did.” Richard nodded slowly.

  Harri’s heart leaped into her throat.

  “D…d..id…what happened to her?” Harri got out.

  “She’s dead. They killed her that night. With the others,” Richard said in short staccato words.

  “Where…who?” Harri asked, her head throbbing as her heart raced. She needed to calm herself down.

  “She's buried on the island along with the six other boys.” His voice turned husky and cracked as he finished the sentence.

  “Who killed them?” Harri asked.

  “The men that came in the night. I only heard their voices. They never used their names,” Richard said.

  “Did you see them die?” Dan’s question surprised her.

  “Through the bushes. Me and Bobby made a run for it. We hid while the others ran the other direction. They picked them off one by one.”

  Her sister died on that island and her body was buried there. Somewhere.

  “Who brought you to this camp?” she asked.

  “It was supposed to be a wilderness camp for troubled teens. My foster parents sent me there,” Richard said and laughed harshly.

  “Why didn’t the missing kids get reported?”

  “We were foster kids. Street kids. Throwaways,” Richard replied bitterly. “It was a whole racket,” Richard said as they reached the other shore.

  His breathing came out harsh and ragged. The rowing had taken a toll on him as his face trickled with sweat.

  “We…”

  Before he could say anything else, the sound of a pop carried over the lake.

  It was the unmistakable sound of a gunshot.

  “Down. Everyone down,” Harri yelled.

  35

  Day 6 - Night

  Jake and Gavin fished their backpacks out of the back seat. Gavin checked his weapon as Jake spread the map on the hood of the car. He peered at the circled area that Dr. Brand had shown him. She’d drawn in a trail that started on the north side of the small field.

  Jake shone his flashlight at the trees while checking the compass on his phone. He noted there was no cell service out here. Jake turned due north a
nd moved the flashlight beam along the bottoms of the trees looking for an opening.

  “Searching for the path?” Gavin asked.

  “Yeah. We’re going to have to get closer to find it. My contact told me it’s a path not many people know about and might look like one of those animal trails.”

  “Great,” Gavin muttered.

  “At least, we have the moon,” Jake offered.

  “We won’t, once we enter the woods,” Gavin said.

  “I checked the reception here. We don’t have any…” Before Jake could finish, the unmistakable POP POP of gunfire sounded in the distance.

  Both men fell to the ground, taking cover.

  “Those were definitely gunshots,” Jake said. “Is there night hunting around here?”

  “No. I’m calling this in,” Gavin said.

  He kept his body low as he moved to the driver’s side of the cruiser and used the hand radio to call in for back-up. As he read out the coordinates to dispatch, Jake kept shining his beam of light onto the trees, searching for the trail.

  Harri was out there somewhere, he was sure of that now. He hoped the gunfire was Harri’s and not someone shooting at her.

  His flashlight found a small opening around the middle of what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of fir trees.

  “I think I found it. The trail,” Jake said as Gavin returned, shotgun by his side.

  “My men are twenty minutes out,” he said. “I’ve asked for air assist, too. We might need a ride to that island.”

  Pop.

  Pop.

  More gunshots rang out.

  “Let’s go,” Jake said and took off towards the mouth of the trail, Gavin running right behind him.

  36

  Day 6 - Night

  Harri lay in the bottom of the boat as the shots pinged all around. Richard’s face was close to hers as Dan lay whimpering in a tight ball at her feet.

  “We can’t stay here,” Harri said to him.

  “Should we try our chances on the shore?” Richard asked.