Page 47 of The Lost Bones

You owe us answers.

Three women have been hurt in your name.

It was like a monumental weight on her shoulders. Logic dictated that this wasn’t her fault. Logic dictated that she needed to compartmentalize and focus on her job. But why did logic fail so often in the face of fear? Fear of more people dying. Fear of irreparable hurt. Fear of spiraling guilt.

“Who would have thought?” Nick’s voice came from behind her, and she jumped.

“Jesus, Nick.”

“How the mighty have fallen.” He rummaged through a basket of snacks. “What’s the story?”

She swallowed a few more sips before emptying the cup in the sink. “Disgusting. There’s no story. I’m running on very little sleep, and we have that meeting in a few minutes. You’re hoarding.”

He had candies and chips in his arms. “Turner brought his kid to work. They’re waiting for his sister to pick him up. Poor guy isn’t feeling too well.”

“Robbie’s here?”

“Yeah.”

She hurried after Nick, eager to see the boy again. He was in the lounge, concentrating on an iPad, his little tongue poking out. Seeing him loosened something inside Mackenzie’s chest.

“Hey, kid.”

He looked up and smiled brightly, revealing a gap in his teeth. “Mack.”

“You lost a tooth!” She raised her hand. “That’s great.”

He gave her a high-five. “Are those for me?”

Nick put the snacks next to him. “Yup. I don’t know what you like, so here’s everything.”

“Are you not feeling well?” Mackenzie asked.

“Just a stomach ache.”

“How did you lose your tooth?” Nick asked.

Robbie grinned and began telling them an animated story about how his tooth had come out at school. A smile was plastered on Mackenzie’s face, which collapsed when she saw a familiar figure approaching them.

It was Jane Doe. Timid and tiny, hiding behind Andrew and trying to dissolve into the baggy hoodie she wore, she glanced around at the cops with suspicion swimming in her eyes. She kept chewing her dry lips and let her dark bangs hide her face. But when she saw Mackenzie, she looked up, not hiding anymore.

“Morning.” Andrew smiled. “I thought I should bring her to the station to have a look around. She’s been cramped at that motel.”

“Hello,” Mackenzie said. “This is my partner, Detective Nick Blackwood.”

Jane Doe eyed Nick with total disinterest. It was not the reaction Nick usually elicited from women.

“Are you from Lakemore?” he asked.

She turned to Mackenzie and pointed at her watch. “Nice watch.”

“Thank you.” Mackenzie touched it. “It was my… father’s.”

“Would you like some snacks?” Nick asked.

Jane Doe sat on the chair next to Robbie. He offered her a pack of Skittles, which she gladly accepted. She didn’t seem to flinch away from the boy or pointedly ignore him. Perhaps it was his innocence that made her feel safe.

“How’s she doing?” Nick asked in a low voice.