Page 106 of Our Daughter's Bones

“Abby’s phone was turned on and off briefly in that area.”

“Why didn’t you just let the Sheriff’s Office take care of the search?”

“We decided to have a picnic by Fresco River and thought of stopping by to see Bill,” Nick said with a mocking grin on his face.

Peck looked over his shoulder. “You’re walking on thin ice, son.”

“Protocol was followed.” He dropped his smile. “If you have any doubts, open an investigation.”

“The minute you had him on your list of suspects, you should have come to Sully or to me. Good thing I got this before it went to a judge. This is a murder investigation, not a coup. You don’t blindside the brass by drafting a warrant against Bill fucking Grayson!”

“A girl is missing. Her blood was found in a cabin. We are arresting the owner of that cabin,” Mackenzie said sharply. “Bill Grayson willnotbe given a free pass or any benefit of the doubt because of his celebrity status.”

“There was no need to get a warrant against him. You could have just talked to him.”

“We’re following standard protocolthistime.”

“Excuse me?”

Mackenzie met Peck’s gaze evenly. The cords in his neck strained like iron cables. His walnut-brown eyes were large behind his spectacles.

Lieutenant Peck was a formidable man. His military background commanded a lot of respect around the station. He was considered the top guy, the boss—even above Captain Murphy, who had become more of a figurehead. The department would be rudderless when he retired before the captain.

Mackenzie had respected him. Until she realized that he might be corrupt.

“Tell me, Detective Price. What did you mean by that statement?”

Nick shook his head at Mackenzie but she didn’t listen. “I don’t think you’ll appreciate my candor, Lieutenant Peck.”

“Try me.”

“Daphne Cho’s full file wasn’t provided to the Tacoma PD. The investigation into Chloe St. Clair’s disappearance was sloppy.”

She didn’t blame Troy. She’d spoken to him again, and he had confirmed what she remembered. He wanted to tie up loose ends, but Peck dismissed the case. He had been stressed about the burglaries and wanted Troy to wrap up “real” cases. When Mackenzie appraised Troy of the latest development, his playful demeanor had dropped, and a haunted look crossed his face.

Peck shivered. “In hindsight, they were bad decisions.”

“Or were they attempts to protect someone? Those burglaries certainly happened at very convenient times.”

“What you are suggesting is preposterous. You’re linking random pieces of information into a conspiracy theory. Do you really believe that Bill killed Erica, threatened Abby, tricked her into turning in the phone and the money, and then abducted her? Something that convoluted?”

“He can definitely shed some light on why her blood was in his cabin.”

“You don’t know what’s at stake here!” Peck’s voice broke. “The entire city put their faith in this man. This man is responsible for hospital wings, jobs, and business investments. The minute you involve him, this case is not about Erica or Abby or those girls. This becomes about Lakemore and what Lakemore believes in.”

She knew. She had festered in the madness for years. Every conversation, celebration, debate;everythingin Lakemore revolved around football and football players.

She had been looking at the case with a magnifying glass till now—searching for the fine details and concealed clues. She had not looked at it through a wide-angle lens. What did all this mean? What were the implications?

“I understand. This situation is unwelcome. But we have to do our job.”

He hung his head low. “We cannot ignore the big picture.”

“The big picture is not our job,” Nick said.

“Fine.” Peck straightened. “I’ll bring him in. There will be noperpwalk. I want this handled with discretion and dignity.”

“It will be,” Mackenzie assured. “But also with fairness.”