Page 36 of The Lost Bones
At around seven, an hour after Boothby left the building and locked the door behind him, there was a flash of light.
Mackenzie slowed down the speed. A few seconds later, a car entered the frame of the camera that faced the back door of the school. It slowly rolled out of the frame without stopping.
“What was that?” Nick asked. They waited for the car to show up again, but the time stamp kept inching later into the night and there was no sign of it.
“That car wasn’t just passing by.” Mackenzie replayed the video. “It’s on the premises. And it was too close to the building.” She did a quick calculation in her head. “This was an hour after Courtney went missing from the parking lot. It would take twenty minutes to get to the school from the lawyer’s office, but there’s probably some downtime to account for.”
Nick froze the screen where the car was driving away. “We got a license plate.”
TWENTY-ONE
Mackenzie’s boots landed in a puddle, and she grimaced at the mud-soaked leaves now sticking to them. It was a dim afternoon, with the sun sometimes shining and other times hiding behind the drifting clouds. After running the license plate through the DMV, they’d found out that the vehicle was registered to a limited liability company called King of the Road. The address was in Tacoma, an hour’s drive away from Lakemore.
“This looks like it.” Nick removed his sunglasses, the wind playing with his hair.
It was a strange structure to find in the middle of the woods. They’d had to take winding roads after getting off the highway, and finally a stretch of dirt track. Mackenzie was convinced that the GPS had lied and they were going to be stranded in unknown territory in one of the hiking trails without cell reception. The single-story modern rectangular building was made of glass and white stone. A stark contrast from its lush natural surroundings. Too clinical and synthetic.
“Why would you have an office here?” She pushed open the door. The first two things she registered were the aroma of eucalyptus and the sound of classical music. The walls were paneled with white screens. The floor was made of white marble. The layout was airy and structured. Rows of cubicles contained people working diligently. There was a reception desk with a logo—a crown on wheels—in blocks on the wall. Fake plants sat atop the counter, hiding a man wearing a headset.
“Lakemore PD.” Mackenzie tapped on the desk with her badge.
He had sandy hair, gelled stylishly to his scalp. Dressed in a button-down Oxford shirt, he looked like he was part of the golf club at an Ivy League school. Mackenzie noted his artful features—almond-shaped eyes, scruffy squarish chin and broad jaw matching a wide forehead.
“I’m Tag. How can I help you?” He removed his headset and cracked his neck.
“What company is this?”
“It’s an exclusive car rental service. We don’t advertise our address anywhere, though.”
“Then how do you get clients?” Mackenzie asked.
“Strictly word of mouth.”
“We’re looking for one of your cars.” Nick slipped him the license plate number.
Tag smirked. “Can’t help you there, I’m afraid. Company policy.”
“Sorry?” Mackenzie asked.
“Privacy is our motto.” He shrugged. “Our clients pay a huge amount of money not only for our premium services, but also for our discretion. It’s in the contract that we keep all information to ourselves.”
“I don’t think you fully understand.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “We are investigating a homicide and we have reason to believe this car was involved in the crime. We need to know who rented the car during that specific duration, and access to the said car.”
Tag didn’t even flinch. “Then get a court order. Sorry, my hands are tied.”
“Where do you keep your cars? I don’t see a garage here.”
“Our garage is located elsewhere. This is just the office. And no, I’m not allowed to give you its location.”
“Can we speak to your boss?” Nick tried a different approach.
Tag grinned. “Don’t think so. I have to get back to work now. Excuse me, please.” He slipped his headset back on and began typing on his computer.
Mackenzie glanced at the employees in their cubicles. Not one of them had glanced up. Clenching her jaw, she walked out of the building, slamming the door shut. “What the hell was that?”
Nick rubbed the back of his neck and took out his phone. “This is shady as fuck. I really didn’t think we’d need a court order for this. I’ll get Jenna to start preparing an affidavit right away. Hopefully by this evening we can get it to a judge.”
“This is a very exclusive establishment.” Mackenzie searched on her phone, leaning her elbows on the hood of the car. “It has no internet presence.”
