Missing. Lynette Eason
you to reopen the case of the car accident that happened back at the beginning of April.”
“The one where Kayla Mahoney was killed,” Lacey blurted.
Daniel sat back and raised his brows. They’d managed to surprise him. “Why?”
Mason took over. “Because she was friends with Bethany. We talked to Georgia, the girl who Lacey thinks was in the car that night with Kayla, but she denies it vehemently.”
“And she says they weren’t with Kayla that night,” Lacey offered.
Mason glanced at Lacey. “But Lacey thinks they were, even though Bethany denied it when confronted a few weeks ago.”
The detective shrugged. “Then what makes you think Bethany and Georgia are lying?”
“Because they’re scared.”
“Of what?”
This time Lacey did jump up. “If we knew that, my daughter might not be missing!”
Daniel didn’t react, simply leaned forward, keeping his eyes on Mason. “That wreck was ruled an accident. Catelyn and I both investigated it. A simple one-car accident caused by a reckless teen.”
“And you proved that without a doubt? You had the crime-scene guys go over the car with a fine-tooth comb?”
A flush climbed up the man’s neck to settle on his cheeks. “Look, that wreck was two months ago. Yes, we checked everything. Kayla lost control of the car and what happened, happened. Unfortunately, even our city isn’t immune from teen-driver deaths.”
“I’m not saying that, Daniel, I’m saying something’s going on and Bethany’s involved somehow.” He repeated what Lacey had told him earlier at his house. “She was scared. Someone seemed to be after her.”
Daniel stood. “That’s all hearsay. I need proof.”
Forcing himself to unclench his teeth, Mason held his temper. “And I’m telling you that the proof might have been in that car.” A thought occurred to him. “Do you mind if we look at the report?”
“And I’m telling you there’s no need. It was an accident.”
Frustration lanced him. Why was the man fighting him so hard on this? Mason narrowed his eyes.
“Let him see the file, Daniel.”
Mason and Lacey turned as one to see Catelyn standing in the door of the office.
Daniel let out a low sound of disgust and stomped to the file cabinet in the corner of the room. Tugging open a drawer, he searched until he found what he was looking for.
Turning, he slapped the file in front of Mason. “There.” Fury glittered in his gaze. “I don’t appreciate the insinuation that I missed something.”
Ah, so that was the issue. “I’m not saying you missed something because you didn’t do your job, I’m just saying a fresh set of eyes might not be a bad thing.”
“Whatever. I’m going to get some coffee.”
Catelyn stepped into the room as Daniel brushed past her. She said, “I worked the wreck with him. I don’t know what you think you’ll find, but have at it.”
With Daniel’s departure, Lacey felt as if she could breathe again. At least until Mason leaned in close to look at the file with her. His unique scent filled her senses, and she pulled it in as though clinging to that, she could have a piece of him to call her own once again.
She appreciated his support even though she knew he still wanted to discuss the past—and Bethany. However, his priority—finding Bethany—matched hers at the moment and she was grateful.
Mason pulled pictures of the wreck from the file and spread them on Daniel’s desk. Lacey stood to get a better view.
When he unveiled pictures of the dead teen still seated behind the wheel, Lacey gasped and turned away from the photo, nausea swirling in her gut.
“Sorry,” Mason offered. “Let me sort through them. Don’t look until I tell you to.”
Gathering her emotions and clamping them under control, she turned back. “No, I need to see them all.”
“Lacey…”
“Just show me.”
With a heavy sigh, Mason did as she asked and placed them in the order they’d been shot. Gulping a fortifying breath, Lacey studied each photo, throwing up mental blocks that this was a girl she’d had in her home, taken to eat pizza and was Bethany’s best friend. She forced herself to go over every detail even as her heart broke for the precious life cut short.
Oh, Bethany, where are you? Please, God, don’t let Bethany be dead. Keep her in Your care wherever she is.
She studied the interior of the car, the exterior, the shadows behind the vehicle.
And then she saw it.
Another gasp slipped from her as she grabbed Mason’s arm without thinking. “There. Isn’t that a gold necklace on the ground beside the back door?”
Mason moved in for a closer look. The warmth of his bare forearm burned her hand and she snatched it back, curling her fingers into a fist. Before, she would have rubbed her hand up and down his arm in a soothing, affectionate motion, then end with entwining his fingers with hers.
Now she didn’t have that right.
“It looks like it.”
Catelyn and Daniel returned to the office just as Mason picked up the picture. He looked at Daniel. “Do you have a magnifying glass?”
Without comment, the man rounded his desk and pulled open his top drawer. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Mason held the glass over the area of the picture Lacey had pointed out to him. “Yeah, that’s a gold chain all right.” He looked at Daniel. “Can we get this blown up?”
“Why?”
“Because,” Lacey answered, “Bethany had a gold chain she wore all the time. She never took it off. I noticed shortly after the wreck it was gone. When I asked her what happened to it, she said the clasp had broken at school and she’d lost it.”
Daniel shrugged. “Sounds reasonable to me.”
Frustration filled her. “Yes, I thought so too and didn’t think anything more about it, but the more I look at that chain, the more I think it might be hers.”
“How would you identify it? There must be a zillion gold chains out there.”
“But not with a puzzle piece attached to it. She had one half and Kayla had the other half. They each had their names engraved on it along with BFF.”
“Meaning Best Friends Forever,” Mason murmured.
“Right.” She reached for the pictures still laid out on the desk, sorted through them, then pulled one from the pile. “Look, you can see Kayla’s wearing hers here.”
Catelyn took the other picture containing the shot of the gold necklace from the desk. “Follow me.”
Hope making her heart pound like crazy, Lacey didn’t hesitate, but hurried after the woman. She felt Mason’s presence right behind her. And Daniel’s.
She shuddered. When she’d first caught sight of the man walking toward her, she’d wanted to demand that he tell Mason the truth about what had really happened sixteen years ago, but had nearly bitten her tongue off to keep the words from flying from her mouth.
Now wasn’t the time.
This wasn’t about her and Mason—or even Daniel. This was about Bethany. She knew a confrontation with Daniel was coming at some point, though.
And soon.
Catelyn