Page 13 of Our Daughter's Bones

It had been more than twenty-four hours since Abby Correia allegedly went missing. The chances of her being found alive were drastically decreasing with each passing hour.

Her photograph had been distributed all over Lakemore. The Washington State Patrol had been alerted. The Sheriff’s Office had been provided with the necessary information. Abby’s picture was at all exit points, bus stops, and gas stations. Every officer in Lakemore had been instructed to be on the lookout.

Tomorrow morning the media would start covering her case and flash her picture on every screen in the city. But how much coverage she would get compared to Erica Perez was debatable, as the Perez family had bought airtime.

What peeved her was Hannah. How did a mother not realize that her daughter had been missing for an entire night? Was Abby used to fending for herself? Did she raise herself? She knew that a parent’s love could be insufferable and selfish. Would Abby be better off without Hannah?

Would I have been better off without Melody?

Mackenzie looked at the bottle of antidepressants and turned it over in her hands. Did Abby run away? Did she snap? Was Erica’s anniversary too much for her?

Was Abby the kind of person to snap? The Abby that Mackenzie knew from the quick inspection of her bedroom was a control freak; obsessive and ambitious. But it was always the ones who held it together the hardest that could break apart the quickest. All someone had to do was find the weak spot. Like Mackenzie’s husband had.

Her phone rang.

“Babe, where are you?” Sterling’s deep voice was concerned.

“Working late.” Her tone was curt.

“Oh, I’d made you dinner. Everything fine at work?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “I mean, no. Another girl went missing yesterday. Her mother didn’t realize until this morning.”

He clicked his tongue. “Sounds rough. Think a serial killer is out there? That Perez girl was never found.”

“Doubt it.” She picked up Abby’s picture and examined it. “The victims are too closely related—they were friends. No physical similarities either. But too early to rule anything out. The news channels will feature her first thing in the morning.”

“Where did she go missing from?”

“Never came back from school.”

“Did you find any security footage?”

Mackenzie looked at the map she had laid out in front of her. She had circled Abby’s high school and her home. She had scribbled all over with a red marker—marking paths Abby could have taken home, and any dangerous streets or areas in the vicinity. She had also identified potential places that would have CCTV.

There was a bank and a gas station on the way.

“Waiting for the judge to sign the warrant.”

He laughed. “You got everything covered, didn’t you?”

“I haven’t found her, so no.”

“Honey, do you want me to bring you dinner? We can eat there.”

She flinched. Every considerate suggestion from her husband felt like a slap to her face.

They always had work. Their shared passion for justice and yearning for solving puzzles. They were constructive together. They fitted well.So what went wrong?

Was it my fault?

“I actually have to go, Sterling.” She swallowed hard. “I have to do something. Why don’t you leave it in the fridge? I’ll heat it up later. Thank you.”

“Sure, babe. Love you.”

“Me too.” She bit her lip and hung up.

She pictured a faceless woman laughing and mocking her. Tears threatened to spill. She felt her cheeks grow warm and heavy. The hand holding her phone trembled.