Page 28 of The Lost Bones

“How can you tell that?” Nick asked.

“They’re colored by the same dye, which was patented by a men’s track company. In fact, it’s a specific jacket. I’m sending you the information.”

“This is great.” Mackenzie nodded. “Maybe we can track down the buyer.”

“Did Mack say something?” Anthony asked. “I can’t hear her.”

“Yeah, she probably ran into the middle of nowhere,” Nick replied. “But this is good news, Anthony. Maybe we can track down the buyer.”

“That’s your department,” Anthony said, ending the call.

Mackenzie tried retracing her steps, away from this strange pocket in the woods she had wandered into. Her heart careened from beat to beat. In this silence, there was only one thought blaring loudly in her head. Debbie Arnold had been snatched by the same person who’d killed Courtney and Sophie. One more person had been targeted because of her.

Her phone buzzed with a text message from Nick:Don’t get eaten by coyotes.

She knew it was his attempt to get her to smile, realizing that Anthony’s conclusions would have sent her down a rabbit hole. But he was probably too late. She was teetering on the edge, barely hanging on by a thread.

The sound of Sully filing his nails grated on Mackenzie’s ears. She saw the shavings fall onto his desk and resisted the urge to clean them up.

“So, third victim. Same evidence left behind,” he commented dryly.

“Turner pointed out that it’s possible Sophie was killed by someone else.” Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t buy it, though.”

Sully’s eyes zeroed in on Mackenzie, who stood like a statue with her back pressed to the door.

“You can talk to Turner if you want. If you need help.”

“Help?” she scoffed.

“Yes. Help. This case is personal. If it isn’t affecting you, then I’m even more concerned.”

“Noted.” A layer of cool sweat covered her back. There was surprise on Sully’s face when she didn’t argue.

“Following protocol for this one?” he asked.

“Posters will be up soon. Debbie’s information has been entered into NCIC.” Nick was referring to the National Crime Information Center. “Riverview and Olympia PD have been forwarded the information, so they’ll be on the lookout.”

“Have the transportation department pull up any traffic cameras around the TV station.”

Mackenzie made a note of it.

There was a knock on the door. Peterson peeked his head in. “Sorry, but Debbie’s girlfriend, Noor, is here.”

Mackenzie and Nick followed him out of Sully’s office.

“This is the jacket we believe our killer was wearing when they took the victims.” Mackenzie handed Peterson a hard copy of the information Anthony had forwarded to them. “Try to get a list of the buyers. It’s a long shot, but we need to cover all bases.”

Peterson nodded. “You know the largest jacket measures over forty-two feet from collar to hem.”

Nick gave him a quizzical look.

“It’s his thing,” Mackenzie explained. “Good to know, Peterson. Get going now.”

“What’s his thing? Jackets or random facts?”

“Random facts,” she said. “He could become a millionaire if he did trivia.”

The light banter between them died the second they saw Debbie’s girlfriend sitting in the lounge. She was a tiny woman with dark skin and stringy light brown hair. Mackenzie was taken aback at how different she was from Debbie. While Debbie wore bright colors and high-end jewelry, her girlfriend dressed like a college student.