Page 35 of The Lost Bones

“Yes, we did.”

She followed him to his computer. He pulled up a PDF file containing some forms and pictures.

“Look at this. Aria Fields was registered at the same school Sophie attended in Colorado. It’s a cold case. There’s even a picture and some newspaper clippings.”

Mackenzie angled the monitor better. There it was. A yearbook picture of a young girl with blonde ringlets around a cherubic face. Her lips curled into a naughty smile. The tip of her nose was slightly upturned. She had a little mark on her cheek shaped like Africa. She looked like she was up to no good. That girl who was always smiling. And she’d gone missing over fifteen years ago.

“Oh my God.” Mackenzie clicked her tongue. “Poor Sophie. Her entire family was destroyed. Didn’t Riverview get into her computer and her search history?”

“Yeah. She randomly booked a ticket to Lakemore. Didn’t even bother to really look it up.”

“I think we need to look at that again. See if she was investigating her sister’s disappearance.”

“What are the chances that her abduction and murder could have anything to do with that?” Nick sounded doubtful. “I mean, we know the connection is you.”

“I know, but this is just too strange to pass on. Something feels wrong about it.”

His lips quirked into a smirk. “Since when does Mad Mack rely on her gut?”

She’d always known that Nick had a nice smile, but she was still flustered for a second before gathering her bearings. “Right. Yeah. Good plan.”

“What?”

Blood rushed to her cheeks. “Is there a picture of her and Sophie in the case file? Can you get me a hard copy?”

“Sure.” He printed it out and gave it to her. “Here you go.”

Sophie and Aria—identical twins. Except Aria had a birthmark on her cheek and that mischievous look. Whereas Sophie looked like the good girl. The one who finished her homework on time and ate all her vegetables. It was one of the last pictures taken of them together before Aria vanished.

She went to Austin, who was working at his desk. She stood next to him, waiting for him to notice. When he finally looked up, his face hardened. It made her stomach sag.

He cocked an eyebrow.

She gave him the photo. “This is Sophie and Aria.”

He dropped the pen he was holding. His tense manner dissolved, and vulnerability shone through. With shaky fingers, he clasped the picture and stared at it as if it might come to life and give him answers. “I can’t believe this. She never said anything.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure it was because it was painful for her to remember that time in her life.”

He gave her a baffled look, like he hadn’t expected her to say that. She was surprised herself.

It was like Mad Mack had finally cracked.

“Mack!” Nick called. “We got the CCTV.”

“Right.” She glanced at Austin. “I’ll see you later.”

She could feel his curious stare as she walked back across the room.

“Which ones?” she asked, pulling her chair next to Nick’s.

“From the school. I asked for the tapes the night Courtney went missing and the next day just to be sure.”

“How many cameras are there?”

“Two.” He clicked on the icons and the screen divided into two sections, each displaying footage from a camera. “One facing the front door. One facing the back.”

The video played from five in the evening onward, showing staff members leaving the premises and cleaning crew entering. Mackenzie rubbed her eyes, watching the grainy scenes blur into each other.