Page 54 of Our Daughter's Bones
“The cell had some physical damage. The phone has been turned off for more than a year. The last time it was active was within the vicinity of where the body was found. The GPS triangulation is accurate to about the level of a city block.”
Nick rubbed his stubble, thoughtfully. “Did the phone turn offbecausethere was physical damage?”
“Can’t say, but the damage would have turned it off.”
“Could be someone damaged it intentionally,” Daniel said.
“There was a lot of water damage and a broken screen. A minor dent on the side,” Clint added.
Mackenzie recalled reading in Nick’s notes that Erica’s phone was brand new. Her parents had gifted it to her a month before she disappeared. They’d maintained that her phone was intact and devoid of even a scratch when Daniel had spoken to them after the funeral.
“Could Abby have gotten the phone to work?” Mackenzie asked Clint.
“I doubt she would have had the expertise.”
“Abby found the phone at some point,” Mackenzie mused. “Do you think it was accidental? Maybe she just happened to find it.”
“And why didn’t she turn it in to the police?” Nick challenged. “That’s weird, isn’t it?”
“Maybe she found something on it that spooked her. What did you find on her phone, Clint? Was anything deleted?”
“Not around the time the phone was turned off,” he shook his head. “There were some deleted pictures from days before when she broke up with her boyfriend. But nothing suspicious.”
“There goes that theory,” Mackenzie sighed.
“Maybe she came across it accidentally,” Daniel offered. “And that kick-started her own investigation? That’s why she didn’t turn it in? She wanted to dig more.”
“She wrote in her diary about wanting to know what happened and not giving up on Erica, and she was scared and paranoid in the months leading up to her disappearance. Knowing what we do about her personality, it’s the best explanation we have. She probably thought she’d do a better job than the police.”
“She’d have met Bruce,” Nick pressed them with a look. He turned to Clint. “What else do you have?”
“The last incoming call was at 12:20 a.m. It lasted four minutes and twelve seconds. It was from Quinn Jones.”
“Quinn? The boyfriend?” Sully tore open a packet of coffee beans and poured it into a bowl. “The boy’s a fine fellow. Like a stallion on the field.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Mackenzie muttered under her breath. Sully, Nick, and Daniel watched her expectantly. “I caught him beating up and threatening this kid after the funeral today.”
“Come on, Mack! Boys that age get into fights. It happens.”
“Let’s not idolize people, especially based on football.”
Sully smirked and turned to Daniel. “You say those words at a bar when a game is on, they might be your last words around here.”
“The last incoming text was from Quinn at 12:18 a.m. He was begging her to get back together with him,” Clint said.
“When she didn’t reply to the text, he called her.” Mackenzie looked at Nick. “Quinn admitted that he was texting Erica that night. What had he told you?”
“He said they were discussing some party…” Nick’s frown deepened as he looked at his notes. “When I asked him if he had talked to her that night, he denied it, which is what he told Bruce a year ago. But then I told him we have text logs, and he claimed to remember suddenly that they’d texted. I thought that was weird. He never told me that he’d called her though.”
“Why did he lie?” Daniel asked.
“He’s afraid of getting into trouble,” Sully said.
“What about outgoing calls?” Mackenzie asked.
“The last outgoing call was at 12:55 a.m. to the number registered to Abigail Correia. But it went unanswered.”
Mackenzie’s gaze flew to Nick. Erica had called Abby before she died. She knew they were thinking the same thing.
