Page 17 of Hack
CHAPTER SEVEN
Archer hated waking up. It wasn't that he wasn't a morning person, he was. It was just that initial fifteen to twenty minutes after climbing out of bed that got him. Once he got a bit of coffee into his system and wiped the sleep from his eyes, he'd be okay.
It took him a moment to remember where he was as he opened his eyes, struggling against the urge to roll over and sleep some more. It was light outside, which meant it was already much later than what time he usually got up. He sighed as he swung his feet off the bed and sat up. After weeks of lumpy motel room beds, he'd slept like a log being in a comfortable bed for a change.
He stretched as he stood, praying that Carter had coffee in the house. He wasn't against having to go get some if he needed to, just so he could get his morning caffeine fix before having to start his day.
He quickly showered and got dressed, trying not to feel lazy for sleeping several hours later than he was used to. He had no clue what time Carter was used to getting up, but he would need to adjust his schedule to meet his.
As he wandered into the kitchen, he smiled at the smell of coffee. The house was quiet, and as he opened cupboards, searching for a coffee cup, he also saw a note from Carter on the counter.
Ran into work. Will stop by the store on the way back. Text me if there is anything certain that you want me to grab. Won't be more than a few hours.
Carter
He poured himself a cup of coffee and wandered into the living room. He sat down on the couch, taking in his surroundings. Carter's home was nice. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was comfortable. He didn't know much about Carter, but he liked what he knew. He seemed down to earth. With all he'd been through, it would be easy to be hostile and upset with the world, but he didn't see that in Carter at all. The pain he was in was visible, but he didn't let it lead him. He watched as Carter reeled it back and focused on facts instead of letting the memories and pain invade him.
After a couple of gulps of coffee, Archer started to wake up, the grogginess wearing off, and the aches of a hard sleep started to fade. It was proof how old he was getting when sleeping well caused pain. He smiled at the thought as he ran his fingers through his dark hair. If he was this bad in his forties, how would sixty be? He didn't want to think about it.
With nothing to do but wait for Carter to get home, Archer reached for the suitcase full of files. He'd brought almost everything he had. While a lot of it was digital, he'd kept notes over the years and had drawn maps, working through thoughts and ideas. Truth was, he worked better with paper than he did digital files. It was probably the opposite of how Carter would work, but it didn't matter. Archer did what worked for him. If Carter wanted to put things into a computer once they started weeding through things, he was more than welcome to.
He started pulling files out and sorting them into piles. If there was one thing Archer wasn't, it was organized. He struggled to keep things in order and seldom took the time to keep the records in any certain sequence, but it would be easier for Carter if he put them in stacks according to the year. He made use of the coffee table and floor space, stacking everything according to the year it happened or the information was received.
When the front door opened and Carter walked in, Archer still had half the suitcase to sort. "Morning." Archer smiled.
"Morning. Let me put the groceries away and I'll join you," Carter called.
"Is there more?"
"No, this is it. I didn't get a ton. Wasn't sure what you liked. Figured we'd sort it out." Carter's voice carried from the kitchen.
It was only a few minutes later when Carter joined him.
"Thanks for leaving the coffee on for me." Archer nodded to the cup he'd refilled three times.
"No problem. I'm worthless without it in the mornings, figured you'd be the same." Carter moved a stack of files so he could sit on the couch beside Archer. "So, what do we have going on in here?"
"I'm sorting them by year. Oldest over by the chair and newest here on the coffee table." Archer gestured. "It's a mix of FBI files, local police reports, notes, and photos I've gotten over the years. There are some family interviews, a file on missing girls who have yet to be located that match Lyle's type, and possibly a bunch of other random things I've forgotten about over the years."
Carter stared at the piles. "This is amazing. This is twice as much if not more than I've ever seen through the files I've been able to hack."
Archer shrugged. "If it had to do with the case, or even if I thought it might have something to do with it, I kept it."
"This is impressive." Carter reached for a file and looked through it. "I still can't understand why you've chosen this case. You had to work a hundred like it when you were with the FBI. What was it about this one that made you hold on?"
Archer sat back, letting out a deep breath. How did he even explain? It was something he'd wondered himself. Why this one? "I'm not really sure why this one stuck with me. I want to say it was because of timing. I'd finally gotten tired of watching the FBI move on to other cases and not closing the ones they had, but that's not entirely true. I mean, I was tired of it, but I was standing over the grave they found in Maine..." He watched the pain cross over Carter's face at the mention of his daughter's grave. "If this is too hard for you—"
"No, I'm okay. I've seen the photos, been to the location. I know the graphic details by heart. Go on," Carter told him.
"Anyway, I was standing over it and they were still processing everything. The bodies were still there. I remember being fascinated at how perfectly laid out the bodies were. Six inches exactly between each one, as if Lyle measured to be sure, the girls were set according to height, shortest to tallest. I wanted to get into his mind, figure out what he was thinking. Everything Lyle does is planned out. There are so many patterns, so many clues, so many different directions to focus on. The FBI touched on most of them, but I don't believe they gave them the time they should have. I found myself always thinking about it, always trying to piece together the puzzle. It consumed me. I can't give you a reason why, only that I couldn't forget it. I needed the answers. I still do." Archer sighed. "He's killed so many, and we know he'll kill again if we don't stop him."
Carter nodded. "As a parent, I wanted to fight the FBI when they moved on. I mean, they never officially stop looking, but you're right, new crimes happen and they move on. Right after Angel's murder, I debated on going on the hunt myself, but even with my skills, I didn't have the knowledge or the resources back then to do that. I was young, pissed off, and was thinking and acting on my pain. It wouldn't have ended well. But now, I've had time to work through my emotions, direct the hurt and anger in other directions, focus on other things. Now, I'm old enough and have the resources enough to do something. My hope is that by sharing what we both know, we can piece this all together and come up with some way to figure out Lyle's system. Why does he bury the girls in different states? Is he moving around the country with them? Does he haul the bodies to the locations? So many questions. I just want answers."
Carter nodded. "The same questions I've asked myself for years. I've noticed the girls he kidnaps are younger now. It was as if when he started out, he just grabbed any young blonde girl. As time went on, he only took the younger ones. Either he wanted to keep them longer or his taste has changed and he likes the younger girls better. My guess is so he can keep them longer since the average age he kills them is around fourteen."
Archer agreed. "I assume he loses interest once they hit puberty and get their periods. Perhaps he's scared of them getting pregnant."
Carter's eyes widened. "I didn't think about that. I was focused on the age being the issue, but it very well could be menstruation. That would explain why the bodies are girls mostly twelve to fourteen, but there have been a few others outside that range. That would explain why he kidnaps younger girls. He can keep them longer. It also explains why the time span between murders is longer."
