Page 37 of The Lost Bones
“Tagsaid it’s solely word of mouth.”
“I’ll get Peterson to do a background search on Tag too.” She dawdled. “Do you think your dad would know about this rental service?”
Nick’s nostrils flared. “Seriously?”
She shrugged innocently. “He’s a senator, Nick. If there’s anyone who knows about such… secret services, it’s politicians.”
“No. We’re doing this the right way.”
She didn’t argue. Nick had never gone to his father for help. Their relationship was healthy, but it was a matter of integrity for him. He had rejected several lucrative job offers in big cities, knowing very well that they were only interested in having the son of a senator on the force.
“Are we looking for someone powerful and well connected, then?” Mackenzie voiced her concern.
“Not necessarily. The car could have been stolen.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek, considering. “This car wasn’t reported stolen.”
“I don’t think they would.” He rocked on his heels. “If they’re that secretive about their books, they wouldn’t go to the police and risk disclosure.”
“But this is a town car. It’s expensive.”
“Look at this.” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the office. “Their clients are paying a shit ton of money. Losing a client over a car is the worst business decision here.”
“That means that if we want to get to the bottom of this, we need to access their records and find who rented the car. Let’s hope that court order goes through fast.”
“Can’t wait to rub it in Tag’s face,” he muttered, exasperated.
“We need that car to lead us to Debbie.” Mackenzie tensed, remembering the chaos that was building in Lakemore. She could feel it in the air. A bite. A snap. Like a page was turning.
“Courtney was most likely transported in that car to the school.” Nick perched an unlit cigarette between his lips.
“We can check the traffic cams. We have the license plate and the approximate time frame from when Courtney was abducted to when the car reached the school.”
He nodded, catching her drift. “And hopefully one of the cams caught a picture of our perp.”
“If not, then at least it might give us a clue as to where the car was headed after leaving the school.”
By the time night rolled in, there was a full-blown storm in Lakemore. Every few seconds there was a booming sound and Mackenzie jerked from the vibrations she felt underneath her feet. She was seated at her kitchen island, reading over the case files again and hoping to pick up something new. There were three victims. Sophie, Courtney and Debbie. Two were dead and one missing, likely dead too. The thought was like smog. Engulfing and dizzying. The stakes were high. Every move of Mackenzie’s was being watched. Lakemore was at tipping point; its sanity balanced on the edge of a knife. She pushed away those thoughts. Her job was to find Debbie, not worry about what it meant for the town.
When she came across Courtney’s picture with her family, she wondered how good a father Brett would be now to their kids. Whether he would be as good a father as Robert was. She touched his watch on her wrist, a certainty blooming inside her.
The doorbell chimed. She checked the time, not expecting anyone at this hour.
Outside, she found Andrew and Robbie huddled under an umbrella.
“I’m sorry to show up unannounced!” Andrew yelled over the lashing rain and growling thunder.
“Come inside.”
“No, no. I have to go and see our Jane Doe.” He clutched his son’s shoulders tightly. “My sitter cancelled because of the storm, and our cabin has no power. Do you mind watching Robbie for an hour?”
“Of course.” She blinked.
“Thank you.” He smiled and then glared at Robbie. “Behave. I don’t want any complaints!”
The boy nodded, and then grinned at Mackenzie with a warm glint in his eyes.
Once Andrew had left, Mackenzie shut the door and turned to see Robbie standing in the foyer, playing with his fingers shyly. His dirty shoes had smeared the floor with mud and water. But for the first time, the mess didn’t irk her.
