Page 57 of The Lost Bones

“Yes,” he said after a pause. “Can you picture them?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“It humanizes them.” She had refrained from thinking about them. She was already entangled in the case, already occupying real estate in the mind of someone deranged. In an effort to hold on to the little power she had left in this situation, she had decided to put as much as distance as she could between her and the killer, to not let them take over her thoughts, which was perhaps what they wanted.

“Surely you’ve seen worse. You’ve dealt with child killers. Do you hate this killer more because they’re making this about you?”

“Yes,” she blurted, her eyes still closed. “I know it’s narcissistic of me—”

“No, no, it isn’t. They’re the one who made it about you,” he assured her kindly. “But if you refuse to humanize them, that means you refuse to understand them.”

“Such people don’t deserve to be understood.” She gritted her teeth. The bruises left on Debbie’s back and her cut tongue flashed in her mind.

“I may be new here, Detective Price.” Andrew sighed. “But I know you wouldn’t have earned your reputation for being a good detective if you weren’t analyzing the criminals.”

Mackenzie remained quiet.

“It is natural to want to understand human nature. It’s a way of understanding yourself.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“That’s why I’m asking—how do you picture them?”

Whatdidthey look like? Was it some unhealthy, ugly man living in his parents’ basement? Or was it someone around her? A friendly face, intelligent and charming, hiding someone completely unhinged? Despite the options floating through her head, whenever she closed her eyes all she could picture was a shadowy figure. Someone shapeless made of black smoke. Sitting across from her, completely placid.

“Get closer to them,” Andrew said. She must have described the figure aloud.

She wasn’t in Sully’s office anymore. She was in her living room again, bathed in a golden light. Andrew was next to her, both of them facing the shadow in the armchair.

“If you don’t go after them, they’ll keep coming after you.” She felt Andrew’s hot breath in her ear.

Her legs carried her forward. The shadow remained still. But as she got closer, an Arctic chill swept through her. Lowering herself level with the shadow, she could see patches of skin behind the swirling smog. “I know her.”

“Her?” Andrew sounded surprised.

“I thought I had to save her.” She waved her hand over the face, clearing away the smoke. Wisps of it dissipated, revealing Melody. “Mom?”

She opened her eyes and snapped out of it. “What the hell?”

“You saidMom?” Andrew was sitting across from her. She was in Sully’s office.

“What just happened?”

“Hypnosis. It’s a way to reach to your subconscious. And it’s interesting that you thought of your mom. I thought she passed away a very long time ago?”

“Yes. She did.” Mackenzie stood up. “I have work to do.”

She ignored Andrew calling out to her and almost sprinted away. Catching up with Nick by the water cooler, she griped about the session.

“What a waste of time.”

“Reach any interesting conclusions?” He poured himself some water.

“Of course not. I don’t believe in that mumbo-jumbo.” She crossed her arms. “Read too much into anythingand anyone can findsomeinterpretation of it.”

Nick’s lips twitched in amusement. “My mother was a psychologist.”