Page 96 of The Lost Bones

It was almost time for the appointment. They remained out of view, in case Mack1987 spotted them and bailed. The clouds drifted away, revealing a peachy sky. But the gusting wind roared loudly. It almost looked apocalyptic. Streaks of fiery yellow populated the sky, making the light fall sharply on the ground.

They were chatting about Sully’s new hobby, tattoo tracing, when Mackenzie drew their attention. Two people were approaching. A middle-aged man and a woman. They were too far away to make out their faces. The man went into the print shop, but the woman carried on to the salon.

“Could be a walk-in,” Mackenzie suggested.

“Let’s find out,” Nick said.

The three of them entered the salon. There was only one customer. She wore a pink coat and stood at the reception desk with her back to the door.

“I’m here for my appointment,” she told the receptionist.

Mackenzie recognized the voice. But she couldn’t place it.

“Oh yes, you wanted to color your hair?” the receptionist replied. “Red?”

“That’s right.”

Mackenzie’s heart rose to her throat. Her vision tapered around the edges until only the woman in the pink coat was visible. She was just a few feet away from her, requesting that her dark hair be dyed red, just like Mackenzie’s.

Mackenzie inched forward, raising a hand to touch the shadow that had been looming in her life.

The woman turned around.

“You?” Mackenzie whispered.

Ivy Pierce gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.

FORTY-EIGHT

Ivy Pierce sat in the interrogation room, squirming like a cornered animal.

“Sterling’s girlfriend?” Sully asked, watching her from the observation room.

After Mackenzie, Nick, and Andrew had confronted her, Ivy had stonewalled them with silence. But the slight twist of her lips and her flickering nostrils gave away her frustration. She was a defiant little thing. Both scared and angry at the same time.

“Trust your ex-husband to find a psychopath,” Nick mumbled, reading up on Ivy’s background information brought to him by Peterson.

“He found me too. Just saying.” Mackenzie frowned.

“Oh, you’re the biggest psychopath of all, Mad Mack,” he said dryly, making Mackenzie snort despite the circumstances. “Ivy grew up in several foster homes. Not a stable family life. Peterson is fetching her computer for Clint to confirm that she’s Mack1987.”

“But why?” Mackenzie asked. “Let’s talk to her.”

“No, no,” Sully said, his jaw snapping as he chewed gum. “Turner is taking this one.”

“Why?” Nick quizzed.

Sully shrugged. “He said something about how there’s a higher chance of her opening up if you’re not there.”

Mackenzie and Nick exchanged a displeased look. It was their case; they had never let a consultant take over the questioning.

Andrew entered the interrogation room, his steel-colored suit blending in nicely with the white-gray tone of the room. Ivy straightened, surprise flickering in her eyes, as if she had been expecting Mackenzie.

“Ms. Pierce.” He smiled, sitting across from her so that Mackenzie and Nick could only see the back of his head. “I’m Dr. Andrew Turner.”

“Doctor?” She frowned.

“I’m a forensic psychologist consulting with the Lakemore PD.”