Page 15 of The Lost Bones
“Mack n Cheese, why are you even here? It’s not like anyone wants to play you,” she sneered, looking around the playground. “Are you getting mad at me?” Mackenzie fought back her tears. “I heard redheads have a nasty temper.”
Mackenzie could still hear her piercing giggles. It was so strange. Over the years, she had forgotten about the girl who had bullied her. It all seemed so unimportant after everything that had happened in her life. Somewhere along the way, those tiny scrapes left by Courtney had healed, overshadowed by the deep cuts left by her family. Her life had taken a dark turn, and she wondered what Courtney was like now.
She heard voices, and spotted Nick in discussion with Austin outside. She could only see Nick’s back, but she didn’t need to see his face to read him. From his stiff shoulders, she could tell he was mildly pissed off. Austin’s jaw ticked. He shook his head and marched away, scowling.
Mackenzie sighed. She had been exiled from a case she was invested in, and now her hands were tied in the case she had.
Courtney had a good life. Mackenzie’s gaze traveled over the wall covered in framed photographs. From Courtney and Brett’s joint graduation and proposal to their wedding and the pregnancy shoot. Courtney had gone to Vegas with some friends to celebrate her bachelorette. She’d gone to Amsterdam for her honeymoon. Last year, the family did a Disney cruise. Mackenzie wasn’t naïve enough to believe that pictures reflected the truth. She knew that Courtney had felt suffocated. But still it made her heart twist that at least the woman had had that polish concealing her loneliness, a facade she could perhaps distract herself with, a lie the world could believe.
“The boys have been asking why their mom hasn’t even called them yet,” Brett said from behind her.
She met his red-rimmed eyes. “What have you told them?”
“That she’s camping and doesn’t get cell reception.”
“How was your relationship with your wife? Any fights lately?”
He looked baffled. “Everyone fights. It’s not unusual.”
“Did you know she had gone to a lawyer the day she disappeared? To discuss leaving you?” Mackenzie studied his reaction. Brett had no criminal record. He was ex-military and now a simple family man. Even if he had snapped and hurt his wife, the likelihood of him lying like a seasoned criminal was very low.
His forehead crumpled. “What?”
“She never mentioned that she found her life a bit… boring?”
His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He turned around, his hands on his head. “I… No. That can’t be true.”
“She never mentioned it?”
“No!” He licked his lips, frantically looking around the house like something here could fix his problem. “She wouldn’t leave the kids. Not like this. Please believe me.”
“Where were you that evening? When she disappeared?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes,” she said evenly. “I have to cover all my bases. Part of the job.”
“I was at home,” he snapped. “Waiting for my wife. Making dinner for the kids.”
“Is there anyone other than your kids who can verify your whereabouts?”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Wow. No. There isn’t.”
She nodded slowly, making a note to pull up Brett’s cell phone records to check if GPS could give a hint about where he’d been. Her own phone rang and she excused herself.
“Hello?”
“Detective Price?” Peterson said. “Do you have a minute?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Tech just got back about the parking lot. They found something strange around the trees where Courtney was last seen. They found muskrat fur.”
“Muskrat?” she repeated, drowning out Peterson’s voice. Instead, it was Nick’s voice that she heard, against the backdrop of screams and pinging of games at the carnival.
They found muskrat fur on the rug. Don’t know what it means. Have sent it for further analysis.
Muskrat fur was found both on Sophie and around where Courtney was last seen. Could this be a coincidence? The tingle that rippled down Mackenzie’s spine suggested otherwise.
