The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) - Stacy Green Page 0,86

brother and what happened? Just seeing me should upset you.”

Rory was silent for a moment. “By that logic, you should feel the same way about me.”

“You don’t understand.”

“You think Mark killed your family. I’m his little brother trying to prove he didn’t. Why doesn’t the sight of me upset you?”

“How do you know it doesn’t?”

He moved closer, his hands sliding from her shoulders to her neck. A couple of curls peeked out from his cap. His pink lips parted, and then his gaze flashed down to meet hers. He grabbed the zipper of her parka and slowly closed it all the way to her chin. He put his hands in his pockets. “Did you look at the case files yet?”

“Yes.”

“What did you think?” he asked softly.

“I think that I want to see those DNA results.”

Thirty-Four

Nikki glanced at her tired colleagues sitting around the conference room table. After her run-in with Rory, she’d rejoined her team at the government center. Two hours later, they were still going back and forth over various scenarios. “Madison’s injuries indicate she may have been the main target and killing her was personal.”

“If she knows anything, Amy’s protecting him,” Miller said. “When I spoke to her earlier, she insisted John was home the night Janelle was murdered. She also said she had no idea what Brianna was talking about. She never saw pictures of any sort.”

“What about Bailey?”

“They wouldn’t let me talk to him.”

Nikki glanced up from her notes. “John was home?”

“Took the rest of the week off,” Miller said. “I asked if he’d be willing to get fingerprints done so we could rule him out for Janelle’s murder. Slammed the door in my face. And we don’t have enough evidence to obtain his fingerprints if he doesn’t want to give them up.”

“Whoever tortured Madison hated her,” Liam said. “And so far we don’t know anyone who did.”

“John Banks is the common denominator between the three victims,” Nikki said. “And I don’t trust Amy’s story. She’s already lost her child. I think she’d do anything to keep the rest of her family together, and that includes convincing herself John is innocent.”

“But what’s John’s motive for killing Madison and Kaylee?” Liam asked. “It’s got to be more than just the threat of exposing his affairs. One of them must have had something so strong on him he felt trapped. And he takes it out on Madison, because he feels betrayed.”

“Why let her freeze to death and suffer?” Nikki said. “Even if he’s angry enough to kill her, it’s hard to imagine him wanting her to suffer that badly.”

“She may have been unconscious when he put her into the freezer,” Miller said. “Maybe he thought she’d just slip away peacefully.”

“Or he’s a selfish, sadistic asshole.” Liam rested his elbows on the table and looked at Nikki. “We know he approached Kaylee at the bar during the summer. What if he was having a relationship with her? He might not be the same person you knew twenty years ago.”

Nikki glared at him. “I know exactly who he is, Liam. Head back into the city and pay a visit to Roan Pharmaceuticals. Take your time and talk to the people who work closely with John and try to figure out how they really feel about him. The company CEO is a major Vikings supporter. Attends training camp, has his own box, has dinner with the owner. Football’s your in. Show them pictures of all three girls—see if anyone recognizes them.”

“You’re the boss.” Liam grabbed his things and hurried out of the room.

Miller cleared his throat. “He didn’t say it very well, but I understand his point.”

“So do I.” Nikki glanced at her watch. She had thirty minutes to make her appointment. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You sure you’re all right, Agent Hunt? If you need to talk about anything—”

“I’m just tired, like everyone else.”

And it was time to stop running from her past.

Thirty-Five

Nikki checked her coat and bag at the front gate of Oak Park Heights. She’d locked her gun and wallet in the car. After the metal detector showed she wasn’t hiding any other weapons on her person, the guard put her things in a locker.

In her early days with the Behavioral Analysis Unit, Nikki had the distinct honor of being the only junior agent chosen to attend prison interviews with serial predators. Every visit reaffirmed Nikki’s lifelong belief that schools really were like prison. Oak Park Heights had only the essential architecture, with white walls and the speckled beige