“It’s hard to overturn a conviction.” Colter Shaw knew this. He had considered law school at one point and had done some paralegal work. A good field for a restless mind, bad for a restless body. “But I’ll do everything I can.”

4.

Back in the camper, which was parked in a Walmart lot, Shaw brewed a cup of Kenyan coffee and, after adding some milk, sat down at the banquette and reviewed the trial transcript and his notes. He reconstructed what had happened on that freezing cold day in mid-January.

The story began about 2:30 p.m. on January 12. Jude was planning to pick Frank up at school, as he often did if their parents were working. But an accident on the Klamath River Bridge stopped traffic. His brother did not have a cell phone, so Jude called the school to say he’d be late, and a secretary said she would tell Frank that his brother was on his way.

When Jude arrived, though, he learned the message hadn’t been delivered and Frank had taken a ride with some students. They were a sophomore, Erik; two seniors, Travis and Carli—all attending Frank’s high school; and a freshman at a nearby community college, Michael.

In her statement to police, Carli said that the four students had told Frank they would take him home but had to run an errand first. That errand was driving to the Mason Gravel quarry to meet Daryl Williams to buy drugs.

“Michael, it was stupid, but he had this idea we could say we had this sick kid we were taking care of and Daryl’d maybe give us a better deal on the stuff.”

When Jude arrived at the school and learned who it was that Frank had left with, and where they were going, he “stone-cold freaked.” He thought about calling the sheriff’s office but if his brother was arrested it would have been a disaster for Frank to be held in detention even briefly.

Jude sped to the Mason Gravel quarry and he arrived there about 4 p.m.

The students told investigators that when they got to the quarry they knew Daryl Williams was there too; they’d been in touch with him on their mobiles. But they weren’t sure exactly where he was. The grounds were huge; the deep, shadowy pit was surrounded by thirty-five acres of forests and fields.

Carli said, “It was like, ‘We’re under these three big trees and there’s a hill on the right, and a rock.’ And he’s like, ‘It’s all fucking trees and hills and rocks.’”

The students split up into two groups to look for him. Carli, Michael and Frank went in one direction. Travis and Erik went in another.