Page 21 of Our Daughter's Bones
Why did Abby steal from her mother?
Ten
Mackenzie parked her car in front of Lakemore High. The single-story building sprawled over several acres of land. The front was littered with students standing in groups and talking. Rows of bikes and cars were parked in the lot. When she turned off the engine, Mackenzie looked over at Justin Armstrong in the passenger seat.
Stiff as a board, his eyes were always narrowed in suspicion.
“You called ahead?” Mackenzie confirmed as they walked toward the building.
“Yes, ma’am. Principal Burley will meet us inside. Cooperative woman.”
Mackenzie had told him several times not to call her “ma’am”, but Justin insisted. His demeanor was military-like. She noticed the curious glances thrown at them by students—some even flinched.
Mackenzie paused when she saw posters of Erica and Abby by the entrance of the building. They still didn’t know that Erica’s body had been found. But in a few hours that news would spread like wildfire. It also didn’t skip her notice that Erica’s poster was glossy. Abby’s poster was on cheap paper.
“Seems like the Sheriff’s Office’s print budget is smaller than the Perez family’s,” Mackenzie muttered.
“The way of the world, ma’am,” Justin said, opening the door for her.
“You don’t have to open doors for me, Justin.” She rolled her eyes and walked in.
“I insist, ma’am.”
“Jesus,” she muttered under her breath.
It was recess. Mackenzie had expected it to be crowded, kids running wild, like her much bigger high school in New York. But the hallways of Lakemore High were tame and not overpopulated by students. Blue lockers lined one side of the harshly lit corridor. On the wall across from them was a giant banner emblazoned “Lakemore High Sharks.”
A group of rowdy boys emerged from the other end of the corridor. They were tall, bulky and dressed in football jerseys. Their presence was intimidating and stark, and they drew attention from everyone around them. They tossed around a football, teasing and laughing.
When they walked past Mackenzie, one of them winked at her. “Hot hair.”
“I got a gun,” Mackenzie deadpanned, flashing her badge.
The boy’s olive skin flushed pink, and his friends erupted around him. In the middle of the group stood a tall, well-built boy, muscles bulging under his blue jersey. His handsome face was narrow, with a sharp jawline and pointy chin that could cut a diamond. His dark hair fell over his forehead. Unlike the others, he didn’t laugh or even smile. He had a pout plastered to his face. Mackenzie identified him as the alpha of the pack.
“Quit it,” he warned his friend.
“Whatever, Jones.”
“Sorry about that,” the boy called Jones muttered to Mackenzie as they walked away.
She watched their backs with raised eyebrows. Students parted to pave the way for them. “Who says the monarchy is dead?” Mackenzie said to Justin.
“At least one of them knows how to talk to a lady,” Justin huffed.
Mackenzie suppressed her laughter, aware of a woman with short hair approaching them in stiletto heels. She had a dyed-orange bob cut and wore cat-eye framed spectacles. Her skin sagged around her chin.
“I’m Principal Burley. You must be Detective Price.” She raised a bony hand.
“Yes. Nice to meet you. This is Detective Armstrong.” Justin gave her a sharp nod.
“O-of course,” she stammered. “We talked on the phone yesterday. You can call me Joanne. What can I help you with?”
“We need to talk about Abby Correia. As you know, she’s been missing since Tuesday afternoon.”
“Yes.” The corners of her mouth pulled down. “Awful. First it was Erica and now Abby. I really hope you find those girls.”
Mackenzie exchanged a solemn glance with Justin. “Well, Abby never came back home from school. Her mother reported her missing yesterday morning. Her school bag is also missing.”
