The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) - Stacy Green Page 0,51
Madison. Everyone seemed to agree that Kaylee was at the center of everything, but Nikki wondered if Madison was more than just a perfect student.
If her mother had visited Kaylee’s house, she was going to find out why. And Bobby’s comments about John rattled her. Why was he arguing with so many people about her parents’ case?
Her phone vibrated. Dread seeped through her as Miller’s number flashed on the screen. Early-morning calls were never a good sign. “What’s up?”
“We have another body,” he said.
Nikki leapt out of the chair, slopping coffee on her nightshirt. “Do you know who it is?”
“Female in her early twenties. She was left to the elements like the girls, but she’s not as frozen. Medical examiner’s on her way.”
Nikki shoved her coffee aside. Had she been too slow to find Madison and Kaylee’s killer and cost another woman her life? “Text me the address. I’ll leave in ten minutes.”
Rush hour and lane closures made the drive to the scene three times longer than it should have been. Heritage Square Park was a small, quiet park tucked away in one of the newer residential areas on the west side of town.
Nikki scowled as she recognized the two people standing near the swings.
She parked in an illegal zone and jogged across the street to join Miller.
“Why is Newport here?”
Hardin’s bulk eclipsed the reporter’s trim form, and she had to look up when she spoke to him. She was speaking very quickly, hands on her hips as Hardin nodded obediently.
“Hardin called her as soon as the call came in this morning,” Miller said. “He’s trying to play nice with her all of a sudden.”
And Nikki knew why. If Rory was right, Caitlin’s documentary on Mark Todd would expose Hardin’s mistakes—or worse—that night. She hadn’t been able to get Rory’s words out of her mind ever since she left the bar. Was Hardin really capable of putting an innocent man in jail?
“Agent Hunt,” Caitlin called. “What do you think of Frost leaving a victim here in Stillwater at the same time you’re here on a separate case? Seems like a message for you.”
“I haven’t even seen the body,” Nikki snapped. “May I have a moment with the chief?”
“Of course.”
Nikki felt the reporter’s gaze as she led Hardin to the other side of the swings. “Chief, between you and me, I don’t need to see the body to know Frost isn’t involved.”
“Now how do you know that? Besides, she’s got a red ribbon in her hair just like Frost’s girls.”
“I can’t share that information, but I’m asking you to trust me. The red ribbon is common knowledge.”
Hardin hitched up his pants. “That’s some ego, Hunt.”
“It’s not ego,” she said. “It’s simple fact.”
“She’s been left in the snow, in a public place, and she looks to be the same age as the other women he killed.”
“He never leaves two bodies in the same year, let alone three,” Nikki said. “Will you please just tell the media that we’re looking at all angles and leave it at that?”
Hardin glared down at her. “You said that after Madison and Kaylee were found. Now we have another body.”
“Exactly,” Nikki said. “If this is the same killer, he’s made his first real mistake. Excuse me.”
She stalked past him, and Newport closed in.
“No comment.”
“I haven’t even asked you anything yet.”
“Saving you the energy.”
“She’s not one of Frost’s.” Newport lowered her voice. “She’s frostbitten. That means she died out here. Frost’s girls are already dead when they’re put on ice, right?”
“How do you know she’s frostbitten?”
“I overheard your people talking,” Caitlin said.
“Of course you did.” Nikki turned to Miller, who’d trudged through the heavy snow to join them. “Would you have one of your deputies escort Ms. Newport to her vehicle?”
“No need. I’m sure I’ll see you later.” She sauntered toward the street.
Nikki followed Miller past the snow-covered gazebo. “Newport claims she overheard the medical examiner say the victim was frostbitten.”
Miller scowled. “I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her.”
“But the woman did have frostbite?”
“Quite a bit,” Miller said. “Poor woman died out here. I just hope she wasn’t conscious.”
Nikki and Miller quickly reached Liam and Courtney, who were standing in the middle of the small park, examining the area between a swing set and a large tree. “Where’s the body?”
“Hardin had the jurisdiction to have the medical guys bag her and take her in. She’s been out here for a while, and this is a family park. Liam and Courtney were already here, and