The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) - Stacy Green Page 0,104

had been friends since college?”

“High school, actually. They did everything together.”

“I used to date John back then. I met Bobby at a party once. I’m sure you know the story. Your son told me John talked about that night fairly often.”

Mindy’s eyebrows knitted together. “Yes, he did. But Bobby Sr. and I started dating right out of college, so that was before my time.”

“I wasn’t much fun to be around back then,” Nikki said, smiling warmly.

“I’ve been reading about the new evidence and testing and obviously your son has been going to the protests. It must be awful for you.”

“It’s not great,” Nikki said. “But right now, my priority is finding out who killed Madison and Kaylee. And Janelle Gomez.”

“Who?”

“The woman found in the park the other day.”

“And her death is connected to the other murders?” Mindy wiped her pink face with a napkin.

“It’s looking like it.” Nikki leaned against the kitchen doorway as Mindy fluttered about. Yesterday she’d seemed resigned and quiet, but Mindy was a trembling ball of energy. She didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands.

“I thought John killed the girls. Isn’t that why he ran in the first place?” Mindy picked at her ragged thumbnail. The tip of her index finger looked raw from biting the nail.

“Most likely,” Nikki replied. “But we can’t be one hundred percent sure yet. That’s why we need to find John.”

“Well, I hope you can figure it out. Those poor girls deserve justice.”

A big, furry cat trotted into the room and jumped onto the counter.

“Get down, Mace. You know better.”

The cat looked at Mindy and then started cleaning its paw. She swatted it off the counter.

A loud buzzing rose in Nikki’s head. “He’s beautiful. What breed?”

“Maine Coon,” Mindy said. “He’s Bobby’s. That cat drives me nuts, but his dad gave him Mace for his birthday just a few months before he died.”

“Bobby must be very attached, then?” Nikki asked.

“He missed her more than me when he was in Mankato.” Mindy quickly looked away, both hands white-knuckling the counter.

Nikki hoped her smile appeared genuine. “I’ll let you get back to packing. Good luck with the move.”

“Thank you,” Mindy said. “If I think of anywhere John might have gone, I’ll contact you.”

“Please do.” Nikki walked down the hall at a neutral pace, mind racing ahead. Something about Mindy’s demeanor wasn’t right.

The front door opened before she reached it, and Bobby stood on the other side looking just as nervous as his mother.

“Agent Hunt, I saw your jeep. What’s going on?” He glanced behind her. “Mom?”

Nikki turned around, her arm raising instinctively, but Mindy was closer than she’d realized. Something hard and cold hit her temple, and Nikki fell to her knees. Her head rang, her eyes crossed. A second slam to the back of her head sent her careening into the darkness.

Forty-Eight

Nikki blinked a few times before realizing she was stuck in total darkness. She touched the knot on the back of her skull but felt no sign of bleeding. Her head was pounding. She picked through the fuzzy images in her mind, trying to remember what happened.

Mindy Vance. She’d gone to Mindy’s house and suddenly realized something wasn’t right. She’d been going to leave and then Bobby had appeared… She’d been knocked out and she had no idea for how long. Where the hell had they taken her? she wondered. She knew it wasn’t the cabin—it had a distinct smell that she couldn’t detect. She reached into her coat pocket for her phone, but they had been smart enough to take it. Nikki extended her arms above her head and then in front of her. Wide, angled wooden slats with a few centimeters of space… she must be in a closet.

Her smartwatch. She sighed with relief as she reached for it before remembering she’d left it at Rory’s this morning. Nikki had no way of contacting anyone, and nobody knew she’d gone to Mindy’s house.

Shifting to her knees, she tried to look out between the slats, but the room was dark. How long had she been in here?

The closet seemed empty, but there had to be some sort of a bar to hang clothes on. She stood slowly, bracing against the wall as dizziness swept through her. She raised her hand and found a wooden bar. Plastic brackets on each end held the bar in place. Nikki braced against the right end of the bar and pushed hard, hoping the plastic was as shoddy as the rest of the