Page 24 of Our Daughter's Bones

“Of course.” She smiled. “When was the last time you met with her?”

“About two months ago.”

“How was her behavior? Had you noticed any changes over the last school year?”

He looked thoughtful. “Yes, she was different. In the beginning, nearly a year ago now, she was always crying. She talked a lot about Erica. How much she missed her. How worried she was. But in the last six months, things had changed.”

“You saw her during the summer?”

“Yes, she was taking two summer courses to get ahead. I continue to work part-time here in the summer, so students can see me year-round if need be.”

“I see. So, the last six months were different. How?”

He cleared his throat and set down his pen. “She became more quiet, jumpier. Almost paranoid, I would say. She didn’t cry as much, but she was always nervous. She talked less. I had to force her to share her feelings with me. Initially, I thought that this was her way of coping. But now that she’s missing, I don’t know.”

“Did she ever mention anyone else? Any event in her life? Any boyfriend? Trouble at home?”

“Nothing of that sort. It was either all about Erica or just silence.”

“Did she ever confide in you that she was depressed or struggling?”

“Abby? No way!” he scoffed. “She talked about Erica, but she never mentioned how upset she was. It was a challenge. She believed that being depressed was a sign of weakness. Even though I told her repeatedly that it wasn’t. But she was a tough nut.”

“I’m assuming that she never asked you to prescribe her any medication?” She looked pointedly at the prescription pad on his table.

“No!” Coleman’s eyes widened. “What is this about?”

“I found a bottle of antidepressants in her bedroom. Your name was on the label.”

“W-what? I… That makes no sense. I’m sorry, but Inevergave her anything.”

“Have you prescribed medication to any other student?”

“I have, but I don’t prescribe meds to the kids here.”

Mackenzie nodded at the prescription pad again.

He raised his hands. “Okay, okay. That’s for the teachers—I see some of them too, for some extra money. I work for a private practice, but I’m not a partner, and this way I get the full fee. My wife took my money and left with my brother.” He laughed, nervously. “It’s been a difficult time for me too.”

“I’m sorry.” Mackenzie offered him her card. “Thank you, Dr. Coleman. I might be in touch if I have more questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you think of anything.”

“Certainly.”

Mackenzie left his office with more questions. She looked at her notebook again. If Abby could forge her mother’s signature, she could easily have copied Coleman’s. Unless Coleman lied and didn’t want to admit to giving out dubious prescriptions to teenagers.

Is that why she was stealing money? To pay Coleman for meds?

Six months ago, Abby started stealing money from her mother. Six months ago, she started acting strangely. She stared at the words “quiet,” “jumpy,” “nervous,” and “paranoid.”

What happened six months ago?

Twelve

“For those of you who have just joined us, the Lakemore PD has confirmed that the body discovered last night in the woods behind Hidden Lake belongs to Erica Perez. The daughter of business tycoon Samuel Perez, Erica went missing last year on September eleventh.”The screen shifted to the picture of Erica that was planted all over the city. “The year-long mystery had captivated the imagination of the residents of Lakemore. The sixteen-year-old was reported missing after her parents found her bedroom empty on the morning of September twelfth last year. The window to her bedroom was left open. The police immediately treated the disappearance as a case of abduction. Now, this is a homicide.”

They were gathered around the tiny television screen that sat in the corner of the office. Finn chewed the end of his pen. Troy swayed on his chair. Ned drank his coffee. Sully tweaked the end of his mustache. Jenna, another junior assigned to the Detectives Unit, twirled a strand of her hair. All their eyes were trained on the screen. They didn’t blink. They didn’t move. They didn’t talk.

Mackenzie stood in the middle, her arms crossed and shoulders stiff.