Their Frozen Graves: A completely addictive crime thriller and mystery novel

by Choudhary, Ruhi

  “Water?” Mackenzie reminded her.

  “Yeah… right.”

  She opened one of the bluish-gray cabinets behind her. There were plates and bowls inside it. She opened the one next to it and pulled out a glass. Filling it with tap water, she handed it to Mackenzie. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks. How long have you been living here?”

  “We moved in soon after we got married.”

  “It’s a lovely house. Did you decorate it yourself?”

  “It was both of us,” she shrugged.

  “Do you have a cleaner? Your house is spick-and-span.”

  “Maria comes twice a week. Wednesdays and Sundays.”

  “My husband and I were looking at a house here. But he didn’t like how they were so close together. Is that a problem?”

  “No. The walls are thick.”

  Seconds ticked by in silence, and Mackenzie found herself surprised. The Katy she’d discovered on social media and who she’d seen at protests was outspoken and energetic. The Katy in front of her was reserved and jittery. Mackenzie had expected her to make more conversation. It was then that she noticed Katy was touching her belly a lot.

  “You don’t look too well.”

  “I… I’m pregnant,” she sighed, sounding resigned. She perched on the stool on the other side of the kitchen island. “I’m nauseous all the time. And I’m hot and then I’m cold.” She fanned the back of her neck. “I’ve never been so uncomfortable in my life.”

  Mackenzie nodded.

  “I’m sorry,” Katy said abruptly. “I didn’t mean to—”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it. Congratulations.”

  She gave her a wan smile. “Thank you. Cole and I haven’t told anyone yet. We’ve been planning to do something special to make the announcement. I don’t know why I told you, but the last few days have been so crappy and then you showed up and gave us this news…”

  “I’m sorry. That sounds rough. When did you find out?”

  “Two weeks ago. All my energy has been sucked out of me.” She gestured at her grubby appearance. “As you can tell, all I do is either stay in bed or have my head in the toilet.”

  Mackenzie decided to withhold that one of the murdered women had been pregnant for now. But a roiling sensation made her stomach sick. One Jane Doe dyed her hair, wore contacts and underwent medical procedures to look like Katy, and the other one was pregnant. This couldn’t have been a coincidence.

  “You haven’t told anyone else?” Mackenzie pressed.

  “My parents and my doctor, obviously.”

  “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but was it a planned pregnancy?”

  “No. Cole was just as taken aback as I was.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Thirteen weeks.”

  “I see. Has anything strange happened with you lately? Anyone threaten you? Or have you thought someone’s been following you?”

  “No.”

  “Any ex-boyfriends?”

  She let out a dry laugh. “Cole and I got together freshman year of college. There was no one serious in high school. Those bodies had my face on them? Both of them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Just one having my face doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know what to think about there being two.”

  “Do your parents live in town?”

  “Why?”

  “You said you’re not aware of a twin. We’d like to talk to them, if possible.”

  She chewed on her lower lip, sucking it into her mouth. “Yeah, they live in Lakemore. In Nelson Heights. Charlotte and Frank Harris.”

  “And you’ve been in town this past week?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cole too?”

  “Why?

  “Standard questions.”

  “He left on Friday for a conference in Seattle.” Her eyes got shifty. “But he came back early on Saturday. Said it wasn’t really worth it.”

  Mackenzie looked over her shoulder at Nick, who was writing down something Cole was saying. As though he knew she was watching him, he looked up and nodded.

  “Would you let me know what happens with your investigation?” She played with the hem of her sleeve, pulling at the loose threads.

  Mackenzie looked at Katy’s ring finger. “I will. Do you mind if I take a picture of your ring?”

  “Why?”

  “We found a similar ring on the body. I want to see if they’re the same.”

  Katy presented her ring hand. Her fingers were bony and her knuckles a deep shade of pink. The only mark of adornment was the simple gold. Mackenzie took a photo with her phone.

  After a few more routine questions, Mackenzie and Nick walked out the door. Cold mist hung in the air, forming a film over Mackenzie’s face and hair. The sun was now eclipsed behind rolling gray skies, suggesting rain later.

  “That has never happened to me before,” Nick snorted, referring to Katy being found alive. “It was almost embarrassing.”

  “She’s pregnant. Thirteen weeks.”

  “Cole told me.” Nick spun on his heel and stopped in front of the car. “He said she’s been sick all week and hasn’t gone to work since last Tuesday. She even had to cancel an appointment with the gynecologist.”

  “There’s a housekeeper that comes twice a week. We should talk to her. It looks like they’re having trouble.”

  “You saw it too, huh?” Nick pulled out a pack of cigarettes and slapped it against his palm repeatedly. “Think it’s the pregnancy?”

  “Maybe. It was unplanned. They could just be adjusting to the news.”

  Mackenzie looked over her shoulder at the house again and the simmering tensions it sheltered. It was wedged beside a bluish-green painted house that already had Christmas decorations up—there was a light-up snowman in the yard. As she climbed back inside the car, she saw a movement behind the front window of a neighboring house on the right. She was certain she saw the face of a young woman peeking at them through the window. The peach-colored curtains flapped into stillness as the face disappeared.

  It was just a curious neighbor. Mackenzie could imagine this neighborhood being a close community, what with the cramped houses. As they drove away, she thought about the pregnant Katy lookalike in the morgue and the pregnant Katy back in the house. Then there was the Jane Doe. Three women, all nearly identical. Two of them pregnant. Two of them murdered. Mackenzie had no idea what the connection was yet, but it turned her stomach just thinking about it.

  Seven

  With a sigh of impatience, Mackenzie rummaged through another drawer in search of a pair of scissors. She had a habit of rearranging things mindlessly when she was deep in a thought. But things were never permanently displaced. They always found their way back to their original place. She realized now it was Sterling who was putting things back.

  “Ugh!” She punched one of the drawers shut.

  Sterling was arriving any minute now. Mackenzie had laid out a plate of chocolate-chip cookies. She stared at them now and felt like a complete idiot. What was she doing? She had considered getting Nick’s opinion on how to handle this situation, on how to break the news to Sterling that her father had returned and she had a living arrangement in mind. But it felt wrong to share an intimate detail with anyone but her husband first.

  She felt her skin flush. Why did she feel like she still owed Sterling anything?

  She was rotating the wedding band on her finger when the bell rang.

  “Don’t you have your keys?” Mackenzie asked, opening the door. Sterling looked cleaner than yesterday. His sweater and slacks were ironed, and his hair was combed.

  “I do. But I didn’t want to just walk in. I thought maybe you’d…”

  She left the door ajar to let him in and tuned his excuses out.

  “I made cookies.”

  “Thanks.” He picked one up and nibbled on it. “It’s really good.”

  Mackenzie bit her tongue. She wanted to question if that was another
lie, but the last thing she wanted to do was engage in a petty argument. She reminded herself that tonight’s meeting had a specific purpose. Tonight their marriage had to take a backseat.

  “Something happened few weeks ago,” she started, and his face fell. “That night, after you left—”

  “Mack,” he swallowed hard and raised a hand. “Do I need to know this? I can look past it. I will never ask you anything, and we can j-just move on.”

  “What?” She stared at him blankly. When the meaning of his words sunk in, she widened her eyes. “Is that what you think? Just because you cheated means that I did, too? Not everyone is like you, Sterling.”

  “What else do you expect me to think when you started off like that?”

  “You would have liked that, wouldn’t you? Ease your conscience a little?”

  He dragged his hands down his face. “Tell me what to do, Mack. Just tell me what I can do to fix this. I can’t feel worse about this—”

  “Try.”

  Sterling gave her a look that indicated he didn’t recognize her anymore. Like he wasn’t used to her being cruel. Mackenzie surprised herself in that moment. She dug her nails into the fabric of the couch. If she hadn’t invested in good upholstery, she would have caused a tear.

  “That’s not why I called you here. I called you to tell you that my father got in touch with me again.”

  Sterling blanched. “Say that again?”

  “My father,” she enunciated. “A few weeks ago, he returned.”

  “Returned?” He raised his eyebrows. “That’s… hasn’t he been dead for over a decade?”

  She nodded.

  Sterling sat back on the couch. His arms went slack over his thighs. His eyes grew distant as his mind raced. “Where was he?”

  “All over the place. Mexico at some point. That’s why I left. I drove down to Portland then flew to Vegas and finally to Dallas to confirm his story.”

  “Confirm his story? You don’t trust him. What did you find?”

  “He was in Dallas in rehab for the last six years. He spent a decade in Mexico. I couldn’t find out much about Vegas, but he went there twenty years ago so it was a long shot anyway.”

  “And you didn’t tell me until now?”

  Mackenzie pressed the heels of her hands into her eyelids. “Of course, you’re making this about you.”

  “I’m not making this about myself. This is big, Mack. I don’t get why you haven’t said anything for weeks!”

  “Why I didn’t say anything? Really?” she snapped.

  A muscle in his jaw ticked, but he maintained his cool. “What does he want from you?”

  “A relationship.”

  “After twenty years?”

  She pinched the sides of her waist and shrugged. She stood firmly, holding her ground. Heaviness pressing her ribs into her lungs. Part of her wanted to just give in to the tension and sink down to the ground. But she knew if she showed Sterling how much this was affecting her, he would make things harder for her.

  “You told me he was never found. He just disappeared from home.”

  “Yes. He… um…” She cleared her throat. “He was unhappy and a drunk. He left us without bothering to say goodbye and then got involved in some bad stuff. That was that.”

  “This is all a little suspicious. Did he know people were looking for him?”

  “He claims not. He was busy accumulating gambling debts in Vegas, from what I found out.”

  “Well, if he was a drunk then it wouldn’t have been a big case. Not every disappearance makes the news.”

  “Sterling, please don’t tell anyone about this. Not yet. Also… I want him to stay here. With me.”

  Sterling’s eyes bugged out. “Are you out of your mind? You don’t even know him!”

  “He’s living in a motel, and he’s running out of money.”

  “So?” He looked at her, startled, and stood up. “He’s a stranger. He’s here to leech off you.”

  “I know that. What, do you think I’m an idiot?” Mackenzie snapped. “Frankly I’d rather have him right under my nose instead of running around town and potentially causing problems for me,” she explained as Sterling paced back and forth. “This way I have control over the situation.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? What problems can he cause?”

  What if her father knew what happened that night? What if he’d lied to Mackenzie? What if his plan was to blackmail her?

  “I don’t know. Talk to reporters? Make up lies about me and my mom?”

  “If you think he’s capable of doing that, you definitely shouldn’t invite him to stay here. Help him out financially if you want to. Don’t put yourself in danger.”

  “I’m a police officer. I can take care of myself.”

  Sterling looked around, frustrated, and clasped his hands behind his head. “That’s not good enough. You don’t know anything about him.”

  “I wasn’t asking your permission!” she argued.

  “You’re my goddamn wife!” he shouted. Mackenzie felt a jolt of surprise. She’d rarely seen Sterling blow a fuse. “I’m not letting you live alone with a stranger!”

  “Letting me?” She folded her arms. “Really?”

  He groaned. “C’mon, Mack. You know what I meant! What would you do if you were in my place?”

  His icy blue eyes met hers, staring daggers.

  “You can’t stop me. This is our house.”

  “Exactly. Ours. I have a say, too.”

  She raised her hands in defeat. “What do we do then? Should I move out and rent a two-bedroom?”

  “Are you serious? You’d do all that for him? What exactly do you owe him?”

  Her legs almost buckled at his words. She realized this was more than self-preservation. She thought she’d wronged her father, and she had carried his ghost with her all her life—whispering in her ear and never letting her forget.

  This was her chance at redemption.

  Eight

  November 22

  “Mack!” Sergeant Jeff Sully grinned at her from behind his desk. “I haven’t seen you since you got back. Happy Thanksgiving. How was the wedding?”

  Sully’s rounded belly looked more bloated and stretched than ever. The buttons of his shirt were ready to pop off anytime. The boxes from his offices had been cleared away, as had the files, but his desk was littered with poorly folded pieces of paper. Mackenzie noticed that all of them had words printed and realized they were department memos and newsletters.

  “Great.” She looked at his desk. “Origami?”

  “Yes!” He picked up one of his creations—a poorly folded rabbit. “Very therapeutic. You should try it.”

  “Thought things were too busy around here.”

  “They were. That’s why I need this now more than ever. Some departments were short-staffed, and as you know, people are agitated.” He gestured at her to take a seat across from him. “But it’s dying down now. You missed the worst part.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

  He waved a dismissive hand. “Give yourself a break. I’m surprised you’re not sunburned.”

  “Got a good sunscreen.”

  “Nick and Becky will be here in a sec.” He put on his glasses and began folding another piece of paper. There was a manual on the table with instructions that he kept glancing at. “I saw Sterling a week ago at the courthouse. He didn’t go with you?”

  “He had work. I went alone.”

  “Good. Get that separation. I’m trying to send Pam off on a solo trip.”

  Mackenzie stifled a yawn. She had barely got any sleep after spending hours trying to convince Sterling that letting her father live with her wasn’t dangerous. She didn’t trust Robert and his “patient father wanting to make amends” act. Sterling’s arguments were valid, but he didn’t know the whole truth and what was at stake.

  It had been extraordinarily difficult to put aside her issues with Sterling. Her ego screamed at her to kick hi
m out, not give his opinion any importance. But she let him have his say and, after much deliberation, they had come to a compromise. Sterling would come over for dinner whenever Mackenzie was at home. It was his way of showing her father that even though they were separated, she wasn’t alone. That someone had her back. The idea had briefly made her heart squeeze.

  Maybe Sterling wasn’t as bad as his mistake.

  The door opened following a knock. Nick walked in, fixing his tie. “Sorry. Hope you weren’t waiting too long.” His mouth twitched to contain his smirk when he saw Sully trying to fold a perfect rabbit.

  Becky followed him in with a thick file, raising her eyebrows at Sully. “Charming.”

  “Mock me all you want, but it’s boosting my creativity. Anyway, lay it on me. I want to get out of here on time today. If I’m late for Thanksgiving, my wife will leave me.”

  “We don’t have much right now, unfortunately,” Mackenzie said. “Katy Becker’s two doppelgangers—Jane Doe One and Jane Doe Two, I suppose—were found murdered at Woodburn Park. Becky estimates based on decomposition and the conditions of the water that they were murdered within the last week, before Sunday.”

  “Those fishermen found them on Tuesday?”

  “Yeah, they went ice fishing for bluegill,” Nick said. “We’re going to get some assistance from patrol in combing that shoreline, but the area is huge. There are almost fifteen acres of woods around. Plus, with the weather, it’s possible a lot of the evidence was lost.”

  “Tell them to continue looking. We might get lucky. It was just snow! It’ll melt. Better than rainfall. You said doppelgangers. Did you locate Katy Becker?”

  “Yep. She’s at home. And pregnant, just like one of the victims.”

  Sully’s hands froze, and he looked up at them. As Mackenzie explained the details of the similarities and peculiar coincidences, he set the paper aside and took off his glasses. “You’re saying Jane Doe One is almost exactly like Katy, and Jane Doe Two was trying to be. Is the latter pregnant?”