The Girls in the Snow: A completely unputdownable crime thriller (Nikki Hunt Book 1)

by Stacy Green

  “Long story.”

  When she’d learned about the DNA testing, Nikki had told her team but had made it clear she intended to let the district attorney handle things. “I’m sure you both saw the protestors. I wasn’t aware Mark Todd had a following, but it sounds like they aren’t going away any time soon. Anyway, I just want you both to know they aren’t going to affect this case. As far as I’m concerned, that case is closed. I intend to ignore them. They aren’t going to affect my ability to work this case.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” Liam said. “I just don’t want them slowing us down.”

  “I’ve been told they’re keeping a respectful distance. As long as they continue to do so, they’re of no concern.” Nikki dreaded telling them the next part. Being around John wasn’t the issue. But she didn’t want Madison and Kaylee’s murders sensationalized because of her past connection. “Before you hear it from someone else, Madison’s stepfather is an ex-boyfriend. I was dating him when my parents were killed. It’s not going to be a problem for me, but I’m sure the media is going to be all over it.”

  Liam nodded, wide-eyed.

  Courtney shot her a quizzical look, but Nikki shook her head. As much as she wanted to tell Courtney everything, now wasn’t the time or the place.

  A month into their new jobs in the criminal profiling unit, Courtney encountered her first domestic violence victim. She’d spent hours collecting evidence from the woman’s clothes and body, along with the crime scene, without batting a mascaraed eyelash. The second they clocked out, she’d turned to Nikki and announced they were going to the bar down the street. Half a bottle of tequila later, Courtney became one of the privileged few who knew the grim details about Nikki’s past. Keeping the truth from her superiors hadn’t been an option, but a decade plus since she’d become the girl whose parents were murdered, Nikki had willingly told only one person: her ex-husband. Aside from him, Courtney was still the only person at the FBI office familiar with the darkest details of that night.

  Nikki looked at Liam. “I emailed you a list of all the persons of interest the sergeant compiled during the girls’ disappearance. All close family and friends have alibis that other officers have already checked out. I want you to run background information on everyone.”

  The FBI had deeper resources than the sheriff’s office, and Nikki was hoping for a lucky break.

  “I think Kaylee had a secret phone, so I want you to see what you can find out about it from her cousin. Apparently they were close. Then run detailed background checks on all the sex offenders within a fifty-mile radius, especially those released around the time the girls were taken. We don’t know yet if they were assaulted, but that list is a good place to start. Court, since you’re in a holding pattern, can you go through the girls’ social media and see if anything stands out? Maybe you’ll spot something that Miller’s team didn’t.”

  A yawn nearly dislodged Nikki’s jaw. “I’ll go and interview the parents with Miller again in the morning. We currently have no evidence to process and it’s too late to interview any witnesses. I’ll go through the original investigation notes, you guys get home and let’s start fresh tomorrow. It might be our last chance to get any sleep for a while.”

  Liam glanced at Courtney, who shook her head.

  “What?” Nikki asked.

  “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but now we know this isn’t Frost, we don’t have to work the case. You have every authority to pack it up and let the locals handle it. I’ve seen the protesters outside, and I wouldn’t want to be around that if I were you.”

  Nikki forced her best fake smile. “Don’t worry about me. The past will stay where it belongs. I’m here to find out what happened to those girls.”

  Four

  Blowing snow made Nikki’s drive home take twice as long. She’d blasted the radio in a futile effort not to think about the past. Long-buried memories seemed to pop out of nowhere. The sound of the floorboards creaking came into her head. That sound had saved Nikki’s life, and she’d never forget it. Hiding in the closet, sweat soaking her shirt, she’d trembled with fear as the footsteps came into the room. Then he’d whispered her name, and fear turned to rage. How could he do this to her family?

  She blinked back the tears. The thought of Mark Todd convincing anyone that he was innocent, much less a group of people who were willing to spend their time and energy fighting for him, burned a hole in her gut. He’d sat silently during the trial all those years ago, refusing to look at Nikki. She’d wanted to grab him and make him look at her, make him see what he’d done to her. He’d known her family for years, their family farms bordered each other’s: they’d play in her family’s cornfields as kids, running through the mazes, sweat pouring down their backs, laughing. The first two years of high school, she and Mark had even run in the same social circle—until Nikki met John.

  Looking back, Nikki could see that she’d dropped everything for John. At sixteen, he’d been her first love. He was athletic, handsome, and a junior at Bethel University. He’d made Nikki feel special and wanted—for the first time in her life. But her parents had believed the four-year age difference was too much and when they found out—caught him picking her up one evening at the top of the field by the house—they’d forbidden her to see him. And for the first time in her life, Nikki rebelled. She snuck out to meet John a few days later, half-expecting to get caught. But she hadn’t, and the rush that came with getting away with it was intoxicating.

  Nikki had always been close to her parents, and growing up an only child meant she was often spoiled and doted on. Her mother was stricter than her father, who hated to tell her no. He was always the peacemaker between Nikki and her mother, and Nikki had always been able to nag him into allowing her to do whatever she wanted. But he’d sided with her mother about John, and Nikki had been furious. She barely talked to her father when he came in from the fields for dinner, and hurting his feelings felt justified.

  The night of the murders, Nikki had said something rude to her father, and he’d snapped, calling her a spoiled brat. Her mother had sent Nikki upstairs with a warning not to come back down until morning. The two of them were sick of her bad attitude.

  What she wouldn’t give to turn back the clock and change that last conversation and wipe out the memories of their hurt faces and the tears welling in her father’s eyes.

  A single decision had altered the course of Nikki’s life. She’d snuck out after her parents had gone to bed, longing to see John. She’d hopped into his waiting car without a shred of guilt, unaware she’d seen her parents for the last time. If she’d just stayed home, she knew they’d still be here.

  Nikki wondered if Kaylee and Madison had been sneaking around with the wrong people too. Stranger abduction was rare, especially with two victims and, statistically, Nikki still had to consider the parents as suspects. Amy’s anger with John might be solely grief-driven—the last couple of months would have taken their toll on their relationship, as they waited each day desperate for news, blaming one another for Madison’s disappearance—but the fire in Amy’s eyes when John defended Kaylee hadn’t looked like grief.

  Nikki turned onto her street and groaned. She lived in one of St. Paul’s quiet suburbs, full of perfect family units. Highland Park was only about thirty miles from Stillwater, but it was busier, and that made it seem worlds away from the sleepy area she’d once called home. She preferred it, being closer to the city, even if the city plows always left her street until last. Thankfully her jeep breezed through the drifting snow.

  Her small home sat in the cul-de-sac at the end of the street. She’d chosen lot size over square footage, and the trees surrounding the property and sea of motion lights made her feel safely cocooned.

  Nikki parked in the single-car garage and made sure to reset the security code to the garage door.

  A four-digit code unlocked the mudroom door; she reset it as well and then left her boots on the mat and tiptoed into the small
kitchen. The dishes were dried in the sink, and the house smelled of clean laundry. Nikki hung her coat on the back of a chair and went into the living room.

  Her ex-husband lay on the couch, one foot dangling off, snoring loudly. At least she didn’t have to try to sleep with that noise anymore.

  “Hey.” She patted his shoulder.

  Tyler opened one eye and yawned. “Time is it?”

  “Almost midnight. Thanks for staying.”

  “Lacey insisted. I paid the sitter before she left.” He sat up, and habit made her want to smooth the unruly lock of hair at the back of his head, but she kept her hands to herself.

  She and Tyler had met at the FBI Academy when they were both new recruits. He was a good guy: stable, hardworking, faithful. He respected her as a cop and treated her as an equal—a first in her relationship history. The sex was good but predictable. Marriage seemed like the inevitable next step, but Nikki’s passion for her work—Tyler would call it obsession—drove her further away.

  Nikki found out she was pregnant the day she planned to ask Tyler for a divorce. But as much as they both loved their daughter, the marriage was a lost cause. Their divorce had been amicable, and while they shared custody, both tried to accommodate the other’s schedule. Knowing that Lacey was safe with her father made working late nights easier for Nikki.

  Nikki sank onto the couch next to Tyler. “I’ll give you some cash.”

  He waved her off. “Is it Frost?”

  “I wish, sick as it sounds. Two teenaged girls. Frozen. Bodies secured with rope to keep them in the fetal position.”

  “Which means the killer had limited space. Frozen solid?”

  “Close enough. It will be days before the autopsy. We can’t even take clothes off or look at exterior wounds without possibly damaging evidence.” She rubbed her temples and wished she’d grabbed a beer from the fridge. “Fifteen years old.”

  “I don’t know how you do it.” Tyler stood and stretched. Sitting behind a desk had given him a little bit of a belly, but he still had the physique of a wrestler. Two-time state champion, as he liked to remind everyone. “Lacey had a bath tonight.”

  Her throat knotted. She hadn’t told Hardin about her six-year-old daughter because Lacey belonged in this life, not in that one. Saying her name in Stillwater felt like some sort of curse. But it didn’t protect Nikki from imagining what it would be like to find Lacey lying in the snow.

  “Stop.” Tyler nudged her shoulder. “You can’t compartmentalize when you do that.”

  Nikki wiped her eyes. “Do what?”

  “Think about something like this happening to Lacey.”

  “I thought I was the mind reader.” Hollywood’s ridiculous depictions of criminal profilers were a constant irritant to Nikki and her colleagues. People expected her to spend ten minutes looking over some data and come up with a dead-on profile.

  “I can read you,” Tyler said. “That hasn’t changed.”

  She smiled at the hint of wistfulness in his tone. “Guess not.”

  Tyler still loved her. Deep down, he thought they would eventually make it work, no matter how many times Nikki told him they were better off as friends.

  “Did you run into anyone involved with the appeal?”

  “Well, John Banks is one of the girls’ stepdads. There was a group protesting for Mark near the sheriff’s office. They didn’t recognize me, but I’m sure they’ll have the make and model of my vehicle, along with my height and weight, by tomorrow. Oh, and Caitlin Newport showed up at the crime scene.”

  “No shit?”

  “She didn’t say anything about my parents. But she didn’t press too hard about the girls’ murders either. I don’t know what she’s up to.”

  “You could talk to your bureau chief. He already knows your history, and Frost is still out there. Getting someone else assigned to the case wouldn’t be that difficult.”

  “I know. But now that I’ve gone to the scene and heard the details, I’m attached. I want to get those girls justice.” Was that the only reason? Nikki wondered. Or did some part of her want to prove to everyone in Stillwater that she was no longer the girl who’d found her parents murdered? Nikki had clawed her way to success in the FBI despite the obstacles. She knew that people expected her to fail, for her grief and her anger to overwhelm her. But she didn’t let it.

  “John Banks doesn’t have anything to do with you wanting to stick around?”

  Nikki stared at him. “Are you serious?”

  “He was your first love—”

  “Twenty years ago. I haven’t thought about him in forever. I want to find their killer because it’s my job. Madison and Kaylee’s killer has to be held accountable.”

  “Why does it have to be you, though?”

  She smiled faintly.

  Tyler held up his hands in defeat and reached for his heavy parka. “Okay, sorry I mentioned it. Just… watch yourself. If people are protesting and that reporter is around, you’re going to be a target.”

  “I can handle it, but I’m probably going to get a room in town while we’re working this case.” In the lightest of traffic, the drive to Stillwater took at least forty-five minutes. As much as Nikki looked forward to quiet evenings with her daughter, she had a job to do. And she wanted to keep her as sheltered from that as possible.

  “Lacey can stay at my place as long as you need her to,” Tyler said.

  “Thanks for being so flexible.” Nikki stifled a yawn. “You sure you don’t want to crash in the guest room?”

  “Early meeting tomorrow. I’ll pick her up from school.”

  Nikki walked him to the front door. “Be careful driving. Roads are still drifting over.”

  “I will.” Tyler kissed the side of her head. It would be so easy to melt into his arms and let him distract her for a while, but she wouldn’t use Tyler like that. He deserved better.

  Nikki secured both dead bolts and the doorknob’s lock before going to check on her sleeping daughter.

  Lacey sprawled in the middle of her bed, blankets on the floor, her favorite stuffed animal on her face. Her wavy, dark hair and blue eyes resembled Nikki’s, but her smile and lighthearted personality came from Tyler. They hadn’t made their marriage work, but they’d definitely made a perfect kid. She considered snuggling up with Lacey, but that always ended in a sleepless night for Nikki. Lacey had been a bed hog since before she could walk.

  Nikki took a long shower, letting the hot water massage her tight shoulders and nearly falling asleep. She checked the locks and security system one more time and then crawled into bed with Miller’s case file, along with sticky notes and a pen. She combed through the file, adding a note about anything she needed clarified or wanted to investigate further. It was well into the early hours of the morning when she finally turned off the lamp and tried to sleep.

  Her mind still felt wired, but her body quickly succumbed to exhaustion.

  She could hear male laughter, followed by a strange buzzing sound and angry shouting.

  She was so sick and scared.

  Thirteen steps, blood on the stairs.

  Nikki, you did this.

  Five

  Lacey’s boot-clad feet bounced rhythmically against the leather seat of the car, spraying sand and grit everywhere. Lacey sang along with the radio, at least a key higher than the song playing, but at a much louder decibel. “Mommy, this is my favorite song.”

  Nikki smiled at her in the rearview mirror. “I thought ‘Uptown Funk’ was your favorite song.”

  Thank God for before- and after-school care, she thought, already going over everything she needed to start the investigation today. Lacey had asked why she was going in so early. “You’ve come this early before. A couple of your kindergarten friends will be there,” Nikki had replied.

  “Carly and Logan,” Lacey had said. “They have to come early every day.” Lacey shook her head as though that were the worst possible situation. “Mommy, are you really going to be gone all wee
k because of a bad guy?” She knew what Nikki did, that both her parents were the good guys.

  “Yes, but we can FaceTime every night,” Nikki had answered.

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Me either, Lace. But I have to do my job, and it makes more sense for me to stay in town. Besides, you know Daddy will let you eat way more junk food than I do.”

  Lacey had grinned. “I already thought of that.”

  Nikki stopped in the drop-off lane and then hurried around to help Lacey out of her booster. “Backpack?”

  “Check.”

  “Hat and gloves?”

  “On my head and hands.” She proudly displayed the mismatched gloves. At least they were both wool.

  Nikki told Lacey her dad was picking her up from school, wrapped her arms around her daughter and wished she would stay this happy and innocent forever. She watched her run toward her friend, her hat only half on. Two little boys raced past, their mother shouted something from the car, and the older boy waved in response.

  Cherish these moments, Nikki wanted to say. Some mothers will never get to drop their kids off at school again.

  The Banks family lived in an upscale community on Long Lake that had been cruddy swampland when Nikki was a kid. Now perfectly maintained, sprawling homes with two- and three-car garages lined the lakefront. Between the new construction and exclusive views, the properties’ taxes had to be sky-high.

  Nikki wasn’t surprised to see how well John had done for himself as she reached the right turn. He’d come from a wealthy family and been given every opportunity to succeed; that sort of environment made you driven, and it helped that John was charming too.

  A gleaming Chevy Tahoe was parked in the driveway, along with an older model Toyota Camry. Nikki parked on the street behind Miller’s cruiser. She secured the emergency brake before she joined him on the sidewalk.

  “They must have company,” Miller said. “The Tahoe’s Amy’s and John drives a Lexus. We initially processed both for evidence. Amy was screaming mad, but I told her it was protocol. Roads decent?”