Page 50 of The Lost Bones

“We’re looking for a missing person,” Mackenzie explained, hoping the woman would be more cooperative. But she only stared at Mackenzie as if the latter were a ghost.

“They come here sometimes,” she whispered. “They’ll be here tonight after the sun goes down.”

“Who?”

“Mack!” Nick’s voice boomed.

Mackenzie was about to respond when the woman stepped forward and wrapped her icy hands around her wrist, making her heart climb up in her throat.

“We’ve been waiting a long time. This land can’t handle any more spilled blood.”

Mackenzie wrenched her arm free and stumbled back. The woman stood frozen like a statue.

“Nick!” she cried, turning and running in the direction of his voice.

When she reached him, he grabbed her shoulders. “Mack. You’re as white as a ghost. What happened?”

“There’s this old woman. She was saying such strange things.” She pulled him behind her. “Come with me.”

But when she turned the corner, there was nobody there.

“What the hell?” She looked around, seeing no sign of the woman. She had vanished without a trace. “She was right here!”

“Where did she go?”

“I…” Cold sweat matted her scalp. Her teeth chattered as her eyes scanned her surroundings. “I don’t know. But we need to come back here after sunset.”

TWENTY-SIX

Nick’s laughter rang around the car. Mackenzie crossed her arms and pouted. He looked at her expression and snickered again.

“It’s not funny.” She ground her jaw.

“An old lady appeared out of nowhere, grabbed your hand, and said, ‘This land can’t handle any more spilled blood.’” He wiped a tear.

“I should not have told you.”

“Boy, you must be really sleep-deprived to be full-ass hallucinating.”

“Yeah? Then why are we here?”

The sky was darkening to a dusky shade. Light drained away as the last rays of the sun peeled off. The sound of nocturnal animals was beginning to grow louder. If it were the city, there would be a stream of lights and sounds. But on this hill, there was nothing but stillness.

They had parked a bit away from the house, behind one of the abandoned buildings. They had a good view of the house without being seen themselves. Furthermore, the lack of streetlights helped them stay hidden.

“Clint needs more time to figure out who the property belongs to,” Nick admitted. “The person it was registered to in the county records has been dead for the last twenty-plus years. He’s going to hunt down whoever’s paying for utilities. Clearly someone is.” He gestured at the lit-up windows.

“Aha, so you’re not entirely dismissing what happened.”

“Technically anything is possible. Even if the chances are less than one percent. It’s not like we have any other solid leads to follow up on at the moment.”

Right on cue, a light appeared, shining bright against the darkness. Soon, two headlights came into view.

“Look at that.” Mackenzie watched through binoculars. A black town car had driven up the road and stopped in front of the house. She recited the number plate, which Nick typed into his phone. The door to the back seat opened and someone got out. “I can’t tell who it is. It’s too dark.”

“Can you tell if it’s a man or a woman?”

“Maybe a man? But I’m not sure.”