Chapter 11

"Don't stop here," Missy said as she and Frank pulled up to the most recent grave robbery. Frank gave her a confused look but did as she said and drove past.

"I know, you said go to the grave yard so we can find where he was and you want me to go past the crime scene. There's just another grave I want to see first though. You know the first grave robbery was here?" Missy continued as she scanned the area looking for her target.

"Jennifer Rogers, 22, youngest daughter of Amanda and Robert Rogers. Left behind two brothers and a golden retriever named Rex as well as her parents. She had a fiancé named Tom; he was away in Canada with his family at the time. She was studying to be a historian disappeared from her apartment. Her room mate called her parents. They found her six days later. She'd been run off the road. They buried her here August of this year. He dug her up some time in September."

"The first victim," Frank said grimly.

"Yeah, see that's what everyone forgets or just doesn't understand. The dead don't stop being human just because they're dead. They have rights and needs too. They still have family, friends, a mark in time. Her family was devastated when they heard of the grave robbery, they were violated. Here they had laid her to rest next to her grandmother and somebody just comes and digs her up," Missy said disgusted.

"I guess it's because we need to focus on the living," Frank said. "If you think about everything and every one as a victim then how do you go on? How do you solve a case like this?"

The two fell into a silence. The case had already started to way on Frank and all he'd done was look through the victim files, the crime scene photos, listen to the case notes and detectives, and been to one grave robbery. He couldn't imagine how heavy it must have felt to Missy and Jenkins.

"Stop here!" Missy said suddenly, already unbuckling herself form the seat. She was out the door before Frank had put the van into park.

Frank put the car into park and secured the parking brake before he got out and joined Missy at the foot of a grave which was clearly the latest in a family plot. "I wish she could speak to me. I wish she could show me what she saw…" Missy said after sometime.

"She could tell us who took her and then we'd have our killer. If only the dead spoke," Frank agreed.

"They do, it's just that they speak in riddles," Missy said as she began to walk around the grave.

"You know I've been thinking," Frank said watching her. "Killers, rapists, burglaries, they always start close to home. Everyone has their comfort zone and they always start there and work their way out."

"It's a proven fact," Missy agreed as she came to a stop behind the tombstone.

"Well, this guy's first crime wasn't the murder or even the kidnapping. His first crime was the grave robbery…" Frank stated.

"We thought of that, but the only people who have the accesses and ability to rob the graves here are the priests from St. Mary's, and they all checked out," Missy said.

"Well, there goes that idea," Frank sighed.

"Don't worry about it to much, at least you're thinking."

The pair lapsed into a friendly silence for a few minuets as the rain soaked them. "Come on," Frank finally said, shivering, "Let's go poke around at the other grave and them get back to the hotel."

"Sounds good to me."

- line -

It didn't take the two long to find themselves staring at the most recent grave robbery. There were two officers off in the bushes who were watching the site and they had grumbled a bit when Missy and Frank had shown up. The younger of the pair saying "First the church wanted to look it over now PI and we get to baby sit the whole lot of 'em!" But a few selected words from Missy made the officers shut up and leave the two to they're survey.

Now Missy was walking the perimeter trying to find a place where someone could hide. Frank however was hypnotized by the still open grave and the jagged wood that poked through the ground. His mind was in a different place altogether.

'It was dark, unnaturally dark…It was silent...still…it smelt like wet soil and mildew…There wasn't a lot of room; he knew that with out even trying…he tried to sit up, but he couldn't…he groaned and laid back down…"Shit. Shit, no. Shit, God no. Please, God no…" He felt his body began to panic. Felt his breathing began to increase as the realization hit him. Frantically he took his good hand and banged on the wood that trapped him…His head began to swirl, as pain took control. He stopped banging on the cover, fearful sobs shaking his body…Hot. Heavy. Thin. That was what he thought of his hell. With each breath he could feel it; each in take told him death was closer…'

"Hello there!" called a voice, causing Frank to jump ten feet in the air. He spun around to find himself face to face with a man in a cleric. "Woe there son, I didn't mean to startle you," the man said with a chuckle. The man was a middle age man with fading red hair and shinnying green eyes. He was tall and in good shape; healthy looking.

"Hello Father Marks," Missy said coming back from where ever she had disappeared to. "Frank are you alright?" she asked as she noticed how shaky he was.

"I'm afraid I startled him a bit as I came up. I didn't mean to, I'm truly sorry," the Father said as he looked Frank over.

"It's alright, I was lost in thought," Frank said trying to calm himself.

"That you were; are you alright? You seem a bit unsteady, Mr. …," the Father said his voice full of concern.

"Frank Hardy, and it's nothing, I'm fine," Frank said, shifting his feet nervously. He felt like he had just been caught talking in church.

"What are you doing out in the rain Father?" Missy asked, before the Father could further question Frank.

"Oh, what with this rain and all, I felt that the officers deserved some fresh coffee. It's such a shame, all this…desecration…" the Father said, making a gesture towards the grave.

"Yeah, it is…you were the one who called it in, weren't you?" Missy asked. "Did you find the grave?"

"Me? Oh no, I had just started my rounds when I ran into a girl who was scared silly by something. I took the girl back to the church and got her calmed down some then I left her alone while I went to call the police and when I got back she was gone," the Father said with a sigh. "Poor child was really shaken, I was hoping I could call her parents and have them come and get her or let the police take her home. I hate to think of her wondering around out there on a night like this."

"She's fine Father," Frank reassured, "I ran into her walking around the graveyard. She was fine when we parted, and she gave me a call when she got home."

"Oh, that's good news, puts my mind at ease some. Now tell me, what are you two doing out here this late on a night like this?"

"I wanted to go over the crime scene alone, with out all the bells and whistles. See if I could feel something…Frank, are you alright?" Missy asked noticing that his eyes had drifted off towards the grave again.

"I'm sorry, I just can't stand graves," Frank said turning his back on the violated earth.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust; we all must die sometime," the Father said gently.

"It's not the dying I'm afraid of…" Frank said, shivering slightly.

The Father looked beyond Frank, to the grave. "You know, graves are just earth that covers a body. The soul is already gone on it's way to heaven. There is nothing to fear from it."

"Except if you aren't dead…" Frank whispered.

"Frank…?" Missy started, but a look from the Father quieted her.

"What do you mean Frank? What happened?" the Father asked gently, locking eyes with Frank.

"I wasn't even on a case, but they took me to get to my father," Frank said quietly, completely focused on the father.

He had no idea why he was telling the Father about this, it had always gone unmentioned in his family. You don't talk about graves or graveyards in front of Frank; that was now the unwritten rule. He had never talked about the nightmares. Always ignored the questions about how he was when he came to school with dark circles under his eyes. It was something he lived with, something he kept secret mostly. Now here he was confessing his deep, dark secrets to a complete stranger and someone he just meet. But he couldn't stop himself.

"They wanted to keep him distracted long enough so they could start circulating money with anthrax in it. They…they buried me alive…twice…Joe found me the first time and I was dead…." Frank started to shake violently then, and Father Marks had to grab a hold of him to keep him standing.

"But you didn't die, did you? You survived and it's over," the Father reassured him.

"Yeah…so they keep telling me…" Frank whispered.

"Hey frank, come on, why don't we go back to the hotel, I'm kind of tired," Missy said putting her hand on his back.

"I think that's a very good idea, get out of this weather, into a warm bed, sounds good to me," Father Marks chimed in.

"Yeah…" Frank agreed, still shaking from the rush of emotions.

"Come on," Missy said guiding Frank to the car, and with one last look behind her she got in the driver's seat and started heading to the Hardy's hotel.

- line -

They pulled into the Hotel's parking lot around three in the morning after a silent car ride. Missy had kept steeling quick glances at Frank, worried about the sudden distant look he had. She had seen many cops lose it on the force and the last thing she wanted was a kid losing it on such a big case.

"Hey," she said softly, "we're here."

Frank blinked and looked around as Miss started to get out of the car. "Hey Missy," he called softly, just as she opened the door.

"Yeah?" she asked turning back to him.

"I'm sorry that I lost it, it doesn't happen very often. I guess I'm just really tired," Frank said sheepishly.

"Hey, I understand. We all have moments like that," Missy said looking at her hands.

"Yeah, but not during cases. I'm sorry," Frank said firmly.

"Forget, by next morning it'll all be forgotten. Now come on, I've got to get checked in and you have to get to bed. We have a case to solve tomorrow."