Page 14 of The Lost Bones
“You should have seen her at that gala,” she muttered. “Sniffing for a scandal. Even tried to pick a fight with me.”
“I actually wouldn’t know,” Troy teased, swaying on his chair. “I wasn’t invited. Not Lakemore royalty, you see.”
“Yeah, Mack,” Finn, Troy’s partner, added from the other side. “Heard there was caviar. I’ve never had it my entire life.”
“We had to settle for KFC. Again.” Troy sighed dramatically.
Mackenzie gave them a bright, sarcastic smile while putting on her headphones. They got the message and stopped bothering her. The office complex had sent her the surveillance from the parking lot where Courtney was last seen. On one side the lot was bordered by thick foliage. She played the timestamp for when Courtney left the office according to Beeker. At eleven minutes past six, the woman appeared in the frame, digging into her tote bag, presumably for her keys. There was no one else in the vicinity. Mackenzie slowed down the speed. The image was slightly degraded, so she couldn’t make out Courtney’s expression. Had she left the lawyer’s office contemplative or frustrated? Did she decide to just take a bus and drive away from the life that had begun to suffocate her?
Courtney put her key in the lock, and was just about to open the door when her head snapped toward the woods. Mackenzie leaned forward, the glow of the screen dancing across her face. Courtney started to walk towards the woods, her steps hesitant. Had she heard something? As far as Mackenzie was aware, it was just a patch of trees. On the other side was a pond and empty land. Courtney looked over her shoulder and then dipped into the woods, disappearing behind thick trees. The leaves rustled and then all movement collapsed into stillness. Hours passed as cars entered and left the lot, but her car remained stationary, with no sign of her.
“Detective Price?” Peterson cleared his throat.
“Oh, hey.” Mackenzie paused the video and turned to him. “Did you find anything around the car?”
“No, ma’am.” He looked uncomfortable. “I wanted to submit a request to the MUPU at Washington State Patrol to get a start on the missing persons posters for the victim, but it was denied.”
“Denied?” She straightened. “By whom?”
“Sergeant Sully wouldn’t sign off.”
Mackenzie locked her jaw. “I’ll talk to him. You did nothing wrong.”
Peterson sighed, relieved. He was preparing for his detective exam, ready to take Justin’s place on the team. Mackenzie gave him a pat on the back and headed to Sully’s office.
She opened the door after knocking and found the beefy sergeant absorbed in his latest hobby. This time he was whittling a deformed-looking bird with a sharp knife. Over the years, Mackenzie had become used to his idiosyncrasies. It had taken her some time to realize that it was only when Sully was distracted with something else that he was able to think clearly.
“Why can’t I get missing persons posters for my victim?” She crossed her arms.
Sully set the knife and the wooden bird on the table. “Because there is no definitive proof that there is foul play. And it hasn’t even been seventy-two hours. She might get in touch.”
“She’s already been featured on the news!”
“Yeah, Debbie has sources everywhere.” Sully rolled his eyes. “She’s been bored these past few months and is creating a mountain out of a molehill.”
“None of Courtney’s cards have been used and her phone has been switched off,” Mackenzie argued, placing a hand on her waist. “What do you make of that?”
“Her friends told uniform she was sick of her life, and she was consulting a lawyer to leave the husband.”
“She left her two boys behind.”
He gave her a flat look. “You’re still surprised that not all mothers are good, after everything we’ve seen in our line of work?”
Mackenzie paused. She didn’t have to look far to see how mothers could disappoint their children, how weak mothers bred strong kids.
“Mack, there’s a budget crunch.” Sully removed his glasses. “There was a surplus last quarter due to crime being at an all-time low. Which means that this time our budget was lower.”
“Someone’s life could be in danger, and we have to worry about budget?”
“Yes, we have to worry about the budget.” He picked up the knife again, carving the bird almost angrily and further ruining the shape of its back. “This isn’t a cop show. We have constraints.”
“I have it on video that she walked into the wooded area by the parking lot. She was about to get into the car and then suddenly went off into the trees.”
“Maybe she decided to take off on a whim.” He shrugged, then looked at Mackenzie almost with pity. “Either find evidence of foul play or wait for seventy-two hours. Then I’ll approve it.”
Mackenzie nodded stiffly and left the office, feeling Sully’s piercing gaze drilling into her back. On her way to her desk, she noticed some lingering glances and hushed whispers. The news of a body being found in her car seemed to still be the latest fodder.
She slumped at the desk and looked at Courtney’s picture.
