Page 65 of The Lost Bones
The activity around Mackenzie froze for a heartbeat before resuming. She glared at Jenna, resurrecting that side of her that made people wilt. “Just because he’s my ex-husband doesn’t mean I want him dead. Now if you want to be useful, you’ll follow up on the CCTV from the apartment building.”
Jenna blinked, dazed. Her head nodded in jerks as she made her exit. Mackenzie had never snapped at her even when Jenna was being sour for no reason. Nick looked like he wanted to say something, but wisely kept his lips sealed.
“We need to put pressure on the CSU to find muskrat fur,” Mackenzie shot off at Peterson. She knew she was losing it as she watched Peterson scramble away. The thought of Sterling being tortured was like a machete to the gut. In moments of fury and betrayal, she had lain in bed wishing him pain. Justice, she used to think.
“Be careful what you wish for, Mackenzie,” Melody whispered when they returned from burying the body in the woods. “You wanted him gone. Now he’s gone.”
But this wasn’t what she wanted. It was like her body was filled with throbbing knots, contracting painfully every time she breathed. Her breaths turned shallow. She felt cool sweat pool in the crevices of her body. Even her vision began swimming. Before anyone could see her anxiety attack take over, she scampered away to the staircase in the fire escape. Nobody went there except Nick when he used to need places to smoke.
Shutting the door behind her, she rested against the wall and tried not to choke. Her ragged breathing echoed in the staircase.
You’re welcome, Mackenzie.
I will always protect you, Mackenzie.
My gift to you, Mack.
You’re the reason.
Three women have been hurt in your name.
The words swirled in her head, threatening to explode her brain. When Austin appeared at the top of the stairs, she shivered. “What are you doing here?”
He climbed down a floor to stand level with her. “I heard. I’m sorry.”
“Are you?” she said without thinking.
“Yes.” He looked like he meant it. He rested an arm on the railing and bit his lip. “I also heard about the mass grave.”
Mackenzie sighed. “Of course you did. So much for limiting case details to essential personnel.”
“I had an idea. If you’re willing to listen.”
She raised an eyebrow, her gaze penetrating his tentative manner. Lately, he had either spewed accusations at her or thrown frustrated glances her way. “I’m listening.”
“I heard that Hamilton refused to sign your warrant to look into that car rental company, so it seems like a dead end, and that it’s all related to Hamilton’s house.”
“Who is slipping you information?”
“Nobody. I’ve been eavesdropping and snooping around your desks when no one’s around.”
She smirked dryly. “Well, at least you’re honest. What are you getting at?”
“It’s not legal…” he started hesitantly, mischief dancing in his blue eyes. “But since your official channels seem to be drying up, maybe it’s okay to do something a little wrong for the greater good. You could sneak in.”
“Sneak in?”
He nodded. “You want a list of people in that gentlemen’s club to help you get closer to the client who rented the car that transported Courtney. Why don’t you infiltrate one of their poker nights or whatever? See with your own eyes who’s there.”
Mackenzie was a stickler for the rules. But she was desperate. “We’ll just have to make sure we aren’t discovered. And we’ll have to come up with an explanation as to how we stumbled upon a lead without admitting to anything illegal…” She groaned. “Fuck. This is how it begins. You do something wrong telling yourself it’s the right thing to do, and the next thing you know it’s corruption and conspiracy galore.”
“You’re being restrained by your own system,” Austin reminded her.
“I don’t believe in vigilante justice.”
“But you’re not dispensing justice. It’s out-of-the-box thinking to find clues. Don’t you think it’s worth it at this point?”
Mackenzie was always unbending. She didn’t yield. She was absolute and she liked it that way. All her life compensating for her participation in that night twenty years ago. But over the past year, something inside her had changed. She felt malleable, more pliant. At first, she thought she was losing her touch. But she eventually realized it was because she had finally learned how to care.
