Page 97 of The Lost Bones

Ivy nodded curtly, crossing her arms and looking away.

“Ms. Pierce, are you Mack1987?” When she opened her mouth to deny it, he interjected. “Your computer is in the process of being confiscated right now, so it’s better if you don’t lie.”

She sighed, frustrated tears misting in her eyes. “I… I should get a lawyer.”

“Let’s not talk about that.” Andrew sat back. “You’re not under arrest. We’re looking into the disappearance of your boyfriend, Sterling Brooks. How about you help us with that?”

“Why would she hurt Sterling?” Mackenzie voiced the thought, reading Ivy’s softening expression. “She loves him, right?”

“Do you know where he is?” Ivy asked. Snot dribbled from her nose. “Why hasn’t he come back? Why did he leave?”

“Uh-oh,” Nick muttered. It dawned on Mackenzie that Ivy was perhaps even more unstable than she’d assumed. Darkness spilled out of her like tendrils. Gone was the concerned girlfriend Mackenzie had encountered. Through the mirror, she saw someone who looked like a child abandoned by her parents.

“Ivy, why would Sterling leave you?” Andrew asked gently. “Weren’t you happy together?”

She scowled. “He spoke about her all the time.”

“Mackenzie?”

“Yeah…” She drank some water and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “Maybe I wasn’t enough for him.”

“I can imagine you being curious about her.”

Ivy held her face in her hands. “I just wanted to understand at first. Why was Sterling so in love with her? Why did his eyes light up when he mentioned her? He talked about her in his sleep… One time he even called me by her name while we were getting intimate.”

Mackenzie wanted to melt. She was standing with her boss, who was now aware of some intimate details of her life. Fortunately, Sully had a habit of deleting most of the information from his brain. Nick, on the other hand, rolled his eyes at Ivy’s revelations.

“It was clear he wasn’t completely over her,” Ivy continued. “So I thought… I thought if I…”

“Dyed your hair?” Andrew prompted.

She nodded. “Maybe he liked redheads.”

“Hmm…” He traced his lips with the tip of his finger. “It must be hurtful to fall for a man who still has feelings for his ex-wife.”

“He thinks she could have hurt him?” Mackenzie couldn’t hide the doubt in her voice.

“It is.” Ivy grimaced. “Especially when that ex-wife iseverywhere.That documentary came out and everyone was singing her praises. He was so proud of her.”

Hollowness bloomed inside Mackenzie. Sterling’s support and compassion tugged at her. But why was Ivy talking about him in the past tense? Where was he?

“I get it,” Andrew conceded. “You just wanted to get to know Mackenzie better. And obviously you couldn’t do that conventionally, so you turned to blogs. How do you feel about her now?”

Ivy’s hand tightened around the glass of water. Her tendons bulged beneath her skin. “She is the woman my boyfriend still has a very large soft corner for. What do you think?”

“You’re right, you’re right. You are clearly an attractive and successful woman, Ivy,” Andrew said. “I believe Sterling should appreciate you more.”

“Exactly.” She ground her teeth. “I’m actually here for him. Unlike Mackenzie Price, who was always too busy working and is too selfish to be a mother.”

Mackenzie staggered back. Ivy’s words were like a whiplash. She saw Nick’s clenched fist rising to knock on the glass, his face tight with fury. But Sully beat her to the punch.

“Nick, take a walk,” he ordered.

“But she’s—”

“Take a walk,” Sully repeated with warning eyes.

Nick let out a sharp hiss of breath and marched out of the room.