The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) - Stacy Green Page 0,77
him and scanned the group.
Bobby stood on the other side of the entrance with a couple of protestors Nikki recognized from the first day she’d arrived. Nikki pointed to the parking lot, signaling him to follow her, and then pulled into the nearest parking spot.
She heard the shouts as soon as she stepped out of the jeep. The entrance didn’t have any sort of barricade, and the rest of the protestors seemed to be warning Bobby that he was crossing a line. At least the group respected the law enough to protest outside of the parking lot.
Bobby stopped a few feet away from her. “Just so you know, they’re all recording this on their phones. It’s like I’m crossing a picket line or something. They’re going to pounce when I come back.”
“I can take care of that.”
Most of the protestors quieted down as she approached, and Doug’s crude voice was quickly hushed by a young woman half his size. She stepped forward, her cell phone pointed at Nikki.
“Agent Hunt. Are you going to talk to us about Mark Todd?”
“I legally can’t talk to you about him,” Nikki replied. “Mark Todd is appealing his conviction, and I’m not only a witness, I’m an FBI agent. Believe it or not, my speaking to you could have a negative effect on his case. I’m sure Ms. Newport would tell you the same thing.”
“Then what are you doing?” Doug replied, coming forward.
“I’m working an active murder investigation. One of the victims was a family friend of Bobby’s, and I have a couple of things to verify with him. That’s the only reason he’s speaking with me, so please don’t ambush him when he returns.”
She walked back to Bobby.
“I need you to be completely honest with me. I don’t think you would hurt Madison, but I need to know if you’re aware of anyone else Kaylee or Madison was spending time with before they died.”
Bobby looked stunned. “I already told you I don’t know anything else. They spent so much time together: gossiping, chatting, running about just the two of them. It’s why Madison and I weren’t as close anymore. They were best friends. And I hadn’t seen either of them since I took them to Hudson.”
“All right,” Nikki said.
“Did she suffer?” Bobby’s voice cracked. “Could the medical examiner tell if it was quick?”
“You don’t want to hear the answer to that,” Nikki replied. “Are you staying in Stillwater until the funeral’s over?”
“Um, I think so. My professors have been good about me doing online work.”
“I’m glad,” Nikki said. “And I have a favor to ask.”
His eyes lit up. “Of me? Sure.”
“You’ll go back to school after the funeral and not get hung up here with the protestors. If you’re passionate about Mark’s innocence, there are things you can do from campus. Don’t let all of this interrupt your life.”
Bobby looked down at his scruffy shoes. “My life’s already been interrupted plenty, Agent Hunt.”
“I know it has. Losing a parent is awful, especially when you’re young.” She almost laughed at the irony of her saying those words to someone who believed her own parents’ killer might be innocent. She didn’t know how Bobby’s father had died, but she knew what it was like to lose someone. “If I’d stayed in Stillwater after I graduated, I don’t know what would have happened to me. It’s great to come back and see friends and family, but it’s okay to live your own life and heal. I’m sure that’s what your father would have wanted.” She turned and started walking toward the main building’s front entrance before her emotions spilled into unprofessional territory. “Good luck, Bobby.”
Nikki ducked her head against the wind and wished she’d parked closer to the front entrance. She’d just made it into the warm lobby when her cell vibrated in her pocket.
Adrenaline rushed through Nikki at seeing Courtney’s name on the screen.
“Please tell me you have the results of the DNA and fingerprint testing.”
“Well, hello to you, too.”
“Sorry.” Nikki shouldered her phone and rubbed her hands together. She kept forgetting her gloves, and her hands were constantly freezing.
“We found prints on Madison’s belt and they match those found on Janelle,” Courtney said. “The weird thing is that they don’t match any of the prints lifted from Janelle’s motel room.”
“What about her ex? His prints are in the system.”
“Negative for both. If you can get a warrant for John’s prints, I can analyze them.”
Nikki worried it was too soon to take John’s fingerprints. She wanted