The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) - Stacy Green Page 0,30
She sent them a quick update.
Miller found us a space in the government center. Let’s meet at nine tomorrow morning and figure out where to go next. Court, I’ll call the medical examiner first thing in the morning for an ETA on the evidence.
Liam replied with a thumbs up. Courtney was probably asleep, but she’d see the message in the morning.
“Ouch.” Nikki got out of bed and hobbled across the room. She tossed the melting ice into the trash and made sure the door was locked. The cheap wine she’d bought at Target tempted her from its spot on top of the bureau. If she opened it, Nikki would probably drink too much and end up with a hangover. Her body already felt bad enough.
She set the alarm on her phone for six, giving her plenty of time to go to the district attorney’s office before heading into Stillwater. As she shifted around trying to find a position that didn’t put pressure on her tailbone, ideas for her potential statement ran through her head. The objective was making it clear to the media that Nikki’s priority was finding Madison and Kaylee’s killer. I understand the media’s interest into my past… two grieving families… parents shouldn’t have to bury their kids… prioritize…
Despite the drowsiness settling over her, Nikki continued drafting one version of the statement after another in her head. None of them sounded exactly right.
A strange buzzing sound filled her head, followed by images too murky to understand. And then she was back in the farmhouse, her heart pounding and sweat running down her back. Blood on the stairs. The creaky step. A woman lying in a pool of blood, her face slack, her arm dangling over the bed.
Her eyes flashed open. She stared straight at Nikki. “You did this.”
Roger Mathews had been elected district attorney last fall. He had an impressive run as a prosecutor, but his track record suggested he only took slam-dunk cases to trial. Nikki sat down in the chair in front of his desk and tried to keep her composure. When she’d woken up this morning, the old FBI T-shirt she’d worn to bed was drenched in sweat. She’d slept for five hours but felt like she hadn’t even closed her eyes, and she still hadn’t managed to loosen the muscles in her bruised back by the time she made it to Mathews’ office. “I assume you’ve read the paper?
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was at a family event and didn’t learn about it until late last night. I planned to reach out this morning.”
“Good thing I’m here then.” Nikki glared at him. “What biological evidence is the paper talking about? Now suddenly there’s a new sample?”
Roger Mathews sighed. “I apologize for the way you found out. As I told you when we spoke before the holidays, I’ve only recently taken over the office. This case has moved very quickly.”
“I just want answers.”
“As you know, Mark’s been working on an appeal for several years and asking for new DNA testing. He’s been denied multiple times, and he didn’t have the money for legal representation beyond a public defender.”
“Until the Innocence Project became involved over the summer.”
Mathews nodded. “They originally requested to test the touch DNA taken from the lamp in your room, your father’s clothes and your windowsill.” DNA testing had come a long way since the original investigation. Microscopic samples of skin cells could now be tested and produce what was called touch DNA. Nikki had read about touch DNA convicting people years after the crime, but she’d also heard some experts argue that certain kinds weren’t reliable enough to use in court. Nikki also knew that this type of DNA testing was expensive, and with so much other evidence against Mark, she’d previously been told that no judge would approve it. “Patsy Moran convinced the judge to order the testing,” Mathews said quietly.
Nikki’s mouth had gone dry. “Patsy Moran took the case?”
Patsy Moran was a retired prosecutor who had tried and won some of Minnesota’s grisliest murders. In 2014, a man prosecuted for the murders of four teenaged girls nearly two decades prior was fully exonerated with DNA evidence. Moran worked for the original prosecutor’s office, and the conviction never sat right with her. She’d joined the Innocence Project the day after the news of the exoneration broke. She hadn’t lost a case since.
“She’s absolutely convinced Mark Todd was wrongfully convicted,” Mathews said. “After she presented to the judge, he not only allowed