The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) - Stacy Green Page 0,55

perhaps this woman didn’t suffer as badly as Madison and Kaylee. The positioning of their bodies felt so much more brutal. But maybe I just don’t want to believe this woman’s dead because we haven’t caught our guy. Why in the hell isn’t she answering?” Liam hit the doorbell a third time.

Seconds later, the door cracked open, and a pair of frightened blue eyes stared up at them. The boy looked to be around Lacey’s age; his tousled blond hair and serious expression made him look like a mini-John.

“Hi there. It’s Bailey, right?” Nikki showed him her badge. “My name is Agent Hunt, and this is Agent Wilson. We know your mom and dad. Are they home?”

The door widened an inch, revealing the Kool-Aid stain around his mouth. “You’re trying to solve my sister’s murder.”

His soft voice made the words sound obscene.

“We are. Are your parents home?”

“My dad’s working. Mommy’s asleep.”

“Could you wake her up? It’s really very important we speak with her.”

“I already tried. She’s sleeping real hard.”

Nikki and Liam glanced at one another.

“Does she usually sleep that hard?” Liam asked.

“No.” Bailey’s voice trembled. “She said she was hurting all over and was going to take some medicine for it and go back to bed.”

Nikki glanced at Liam, and he spun on his heel and headed back to his car. Before he’d joined the team, Liam had worked in narcotics, and overdoses were a common occurrence. He still carried naloxone out of habit. Naloxone was capable of reversing the effects of an opioid if administered in time.

Liam jogged back to the door, the small black kit in his hand. “You know how to do it?”

Nikki nodded. She’d taken a class on the overdose drug a couple of years ago. She smiled down at Bailey, trying to hide her nerves from the little boy. If Amy had overdosed, time was of the essence. The drug only worked if the person’s heart hadn’t completely stopped. “Will you let me come in and check on your mom? Sometimes pain pills make people extra tired.”

Bailey unlocked the storm door and then held it open. He hugged his chest and looked between them. “She’ll be okay, right?”

“Why don’t you stay with Agent Wilson while I check on your mom.” She pointed to his sweatshirt and he looked down at the logo. “Vikings fan, huh? Agent Wilson had tickets on the fifty-yard line last fall.”

Bailey’s eyes widened, and Liam knelt down. “Dude, it was so cool.”

Nikki hurried up the stairs, already searching for her phone, content that Bailey was distracted. A superhero movie played on the television in the upstairs common area. A half-eaten Pop-Tart and a glass of juice had been left on the small table. Bailey must have been responsible for his breakfast.

The master bedroom was three times the size of Nikki’s. Amy Banks lay in the king-sized bed, blankets tangled around her and her eyes covered with a silk mask.

Nikki hit the emergency button on her phone and felt for a pulse on Amy’s cool wrist. Her heartbeat was weak and possibly irregular.

She took the mask off Amy’s eyes. “Amy, wake up.”

There was no response and Nikki could feel that Amy’s breathing had slowed.

“What did you take?” she said, aware that Amy couldn’t hear her.

She found an empty bottle tangled in the sheets: 40mg of oxycodone, prescribed to John Banks three months ago. Take one tablet in the morning for lower back pain.

“Christ.” Nikki shook Amy again, hoping to see movement behind her closed eyes. She thought the Bankses were having problems when she’d visited their house, worried their relationship wasn’t solid enough to deal with the strain of Madison’s death, but not for one moment did she imagine Amy was suicidal. How many pills had she taken? “Amy, come on. You have a little boy and husband who need you. Wake up,” she whispered.

Nikki opened the kit and grabbed one of the Narcan nasal sprays. She carefully inserted the nozzle and pressed the plunger.

Amy immediately coughed and gagged.

“Mrs. Banks, just relax,” Nikki said. “You’re going to be okay.”

Amy finally opened her eyes. She glared at Nikki. “The hell you doing in my house?”

“You overdosed on oxycodone. My partner is with your son. I’m going to let him know you’re okay.” Nikki hurried into the hallway. “Liam?”

Bailey appeared at the foot of the stairs. “Is my mom okay?”

“She’s awake. Give her a few minutes, and I’m sure you can come up.”

“We already called Mr. Banks,” Liam said. “He’s on his way. Paramedics,