Page 77 of The Lost Bones

“I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Townsend,” she said after a few minutes. “But we have some questions.”

Luke nodded and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “Of course. I knew something terrible must have happened. Phoebe wasn’t the type to just disappear. She was never a rebel.”

“You’re her cousin, but you’re listed as next of kin?” Nick asked.

“Her parents passed away when she was only sixteen. My parents adopted her. Our fathers were brothers.”

“When was the last time you spoke with her?” Mackenzie asked.

“Gosh, it was in August, three years ago. I was in Denmark for a few months on contract for some work.” He sniffed. “I can’t believe it. We talked once a week over the phone…” Pain marred his face. “I had no idea that phone call would be our last one. What happened to her?”

Nick hesitated before answering. “She died from syphilis.”

“What?”

“But there was foul play,” Mackenzie added. “We don’t have the full picture yet.”

“But syphilis is treatable. I don’t get it.” He shook his head. “And she was a nurse.”

It made no sense for Phoebe not to seek treatment, which only left one option. She had been held captive against her will. Someone had taken away her freedom.

“Did she ever mention Lakemore to you?” Nick pressed.

Luke thought about it. “No. It’s that town the Sharks are from, right?”

“Yes, that’s where she was found,” Mackenzie said.

“I’m sorry, I have no idea why she’d be there. We didn’t have any friends or family living there.”

She bit her lip, thinking hard about how someone who’d wanted to be an actress ended up in Lakemore. Had she been held against her will?

“Did you think it was odd?” Nick asked. “That she suddenly decided to quit nursing and become an actress?”

“I know it sounds strange, but we grew up together and Phoebe was meant for the silver screen,” Luke said fondly, a wistful smile on his lips. “She had that charisma. And she was in drama club at school and college.”

“During your last conversation, did she sound upset or stressed?” Mackenzie asked.

“Not at all. She was hopeful. She said she was looking into potential leads all over the country.”

“Did she mention any specific leads?”

Luke shook his head. “It was all very new. She’d quit nursing only two weeks before our last conversation. So she was in a good mood. She was yet to face the rejections that come with that line of work. But I had faith in her. She is a very positive person… was a positive person.”

Disappointment crashed into Mackenzie. She had been hoping for something. Maybe Dr. Weiss would identify more victims with time…

“Did anything strange happen before or after she disappeared?” Nick asked desperately. “Anything at all?”

Luke was about to shake his head again, but something crossed his face. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Oh, yes! There was that man.”

“What man?” Mackenzie pushed.

“This middle-aged guy. A year after Phoebe went missing, he visited me quite a few times asking for information about her.” He scratched his head. “His name was Cameron… Fletcher! Cameron Fletcher.”

Mackenzie internally sifted through all the details she had retained about this case. From Sophie to Courtney to Debbie to Sterling and the mass graves and Jane Doe. But the name was unfamiliar.

“Did he say who he was?” Nick asked.

“A retired FBI agent.”