The Hidden Grave

Twenty years ago, Lauren Harper vanished without a trace in the dense Oregon woods. Now, bodies are turning up in the exact same location—young victims of a methodical killer who hunts in the shadows.

Cold Case detective Harriet "Harri" Harper thought she'd left her darkest cases behind, but when teenagers start disappearing near where her sister was last seen, the past and present collide in terrifying ways. The killer's pattern is chillingly precise: stalk, capture, kill, dump. But there's something else lurking beneath the surface—a conspiracy that's been buried for decades, protected by those who will murder to keep their secrets safe.

Partnering with FBI profiler Jake Tepesky, Harri dives into the twisted mind of a predator who may have been perfecting his craft for twenty years. As they close in on the truth, more bodies pile up and the killer grows bolder, more desperate. Someone powerful wants this investigation stopped, and they're willing to eliminate anyone who gets too close—including the detectives themselves.

With each revelation, Harri realizes the web of deception runs deeper than she ever imagined. The monster who took her sister may still be out there, and now he's coming for her. In a deadly game where trust is a luxury she can't afford and every lead could be a trap, Harri must unmask a killer who's stayed hidden in plain sight for two decades.

Time is running out. The next victim could be anyone. And in these haunted Oregon woods, the hunter is about to become the hunted.

Detective Harriet Harper leaned back in the passenger seat of the rental car and closed her eyes. The strong sense of deja vu made her head spin. She was back again and hoped this time, the results would be different.

Her sister, Lauren Harper, was still missing. Harri had come to Oregon every year to find Lauren’s remains and she’d failed every time.
Harri and Jake Tepesky had picked up the rental car from the Portland Airport and were headed to their first destination. She’d programmed an address into her phone. 


At least on this trip, Jake Tepesky, her sister’s best friend in high school, was with Harri. He had been an FBI profiler for the last fifteen years, and she hoped his expertise might finally shake the truth loose.

A tall order, she knew, because Lauren had been missing since 1994. 
Harri was no slouch with cold cases. Her work with the Cold Case Unit in the Los Angeles Police Department regularly had her searching for killers who’d gotten away with murder years before.
This time would be different, she thought hopefully.

“You ready?” Jake asked.
Harri checked the back seat to make sure she’d grabbed all her luggage.

“I’m all set. Thanks again for driving.”


“I’m glad I can help. I know it’s been quite the few weeks for you.”


“Sorry we didn’t get to meet over Lauren’s case notes,” she said.


Harri hadn't seen Jake Tepesky much in the last two weeks. The Creek Killer case she’d been on had overwhelmed her with its endless intra-agency meetings between the FBI, LAPD, and the Imperial Valley Sheriff's Department.

She and Jake had become reacquainted through another FBI profiler on the Creek Killer case and had reconnected over Lauren’s disappearance. 
She’d done her best to keep pace of all the new developments on one of the biggest serial killer cases in Los Angeles in recent years, but the various agencies would be out there for months cataloging the evidence left behind and exhuming the numerous victims. 


The count stood at ten last she’d heard. At least a number of missing person cases would be closed. The killer had left behind driver’s licenses of some of his victims, which prompted the renewed search on the property.
Harri wished she could get that kind of closure for her sister, Lauren.

She had disappeared without a trace on a hike to the Tamolitch Falls over twenty-five years ago. This weekend was the anniversary of her disappearance. 
She pressed her hand as sudden pain flared in her chest. She never felt well coming up here.

Harri stared out the window at the beautiful scenery of the changing colors of the fall season, a cacophony of oranges, yellows, and reds.


“I went through the case files three times.” Jake interrupted her thoughts.


“And?” she asked.


“You’re a very thorough investigator,” Jake said. 


Harri gave him a small smile. For all her investigating skills, she had exhausted every single lead and had come up with nada. Nothing. 


“Did you find anything that I missed?” she asked.


“There wasn't much. Lauren had been at school for only three weeks and no one knew her very well. She hadn't had time to make any close friends. You thoroughly researched her roommate, Jacqueline Strauss, and the boyfriend, Charlie Burke. You tracked down the alibis. They were solid.”


“I exhausted those leads. Charlie Burke played soccer the afternoon Lauren went missing. About twenty-five players swore he was on the field. Jackie pledged her sorority and thirty girls accounted for her movement.” 


“I don’t think it was anyone she knew.”


“You’re thinking stranger abduction?”


“More like crime of opportunity.”


“I came to a similar realization. That’s why it’s been so hard to track down,” Harri said.


“They tend to be. The kidnappers always slip up somewhere, though. We have to find where.”


“Do you think I’m wrong about the burial site?” Harri asked.

She’d asked a non-profit group of scientists trained to search for hidden graves to join them this time. It had taken Harri years to set up since she didn’t have specific proof that her sister was buried in the same place as she disappeared. 


“Where do we go first?” Jake asked.


“I always start with Tim Ledeyen. We’ve become friends over the years. He lets me know about similar cases that crop up in the city. And there’s always the hope he’ll remember something else from that day.”


“How does he feel about being your first stop?” Jake asked. 


Harri flushed. 


The last few years she'd come up, Tim had been less than happy to see her. He’d barely known Lauren, but he’d joined Harri’s search for her sister the first five years she’d come up.

Recently, Harri had felt a certain coldness from Tim when they’d met. She believed Tim wanted to get on with his life. He’d moved on. 
She could never do that. She needed to bring her sister's body home.

Harri had no doubt that Lauren died all those years ago. It was a matter of finding her remains now and trying to piece together what happened back then.