The Girls in the Snow: A completely unputdownable crime thriller (Nikki Hunt Book 1)

by Stacy Green

  “Rory, I need to ask you about Madison Banks,” she said.

  “That’s pretty much the last thing I expected you to ask.” He gently touched her shoulders. “What about her?”

  She was sure he could hear her heart pounding. “Did you ever meet her?”

  His big hands slipped around her back and pulled her to his bare chest, his chin resting on the top of her head. “No, I don’t think so. Why are you asking?”

  Nikki exhaled, her head dropping to his shoulder. Nikki flushed as she told him about John taking Bailey and Liam’s theory. Now that she was here in Rory’s arms, the entire thing sounded ridiculous. “I don’t think you did anything, but I had to admit to myself that if the situation were any different, I would have at least questioned you.”

  “What situation?”

  Her entire body burned with embarrassment. “This situation.”

  Rory brushed the hair out of her face.

  “Everything’s just unraveling. So many things happened right under my nose and I still didn’t see it. Not just in the past but with this case, too. I can’t trust my own judgment anymore.”

  “Even now?”

  She wrapped her arms around Rory’s slim waist and buried her face into the warm nook of his collarbone. His arms tightened around her, evidence of the effect she had on him flush against her stomach. “I honestly have no idea.”

  Rory’s lips brushed the top of her head and then moved to the shell of her ear. “Well, I trust your judgment.”

  Butterflies tore through Nikki. She raised her head and skimmed her lips along his sharp jawline. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she felt the heat of his stare before his lips touched her forehead, and then her nose.

  “Rory.”

  His lips found hers, and she sighed into his mouth, melting against his strong chest. He traced the lines of her back before lifting her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and the emotional defenses she’d spent a lifetime creating shattered.

  Rory’s mouth moved to her neck and found the spot beneath her ear. Nikki gasped and threaded her hands through his silky hair. He moaned softly, and she tilted his head back for another kiss. She clutched his face, desperate for him to make her forget all of the bad things she’d endured and the mistakes she’d made.

  He was gentler than she deserved, slowly stripping off her clothes and touching every part of her with his lips and his mouth until she was completely at his mercy.

  Nikki’s hands tangled in his hair, her back arched as he carried her upstairs and into his bed and her mouth opened in a silent cry.

  She gave herself to him completely, her fingernails digging into his shoulders, his name louder and louder on her lips. Had she ever felt this content? She couldn’t even remember the last time she and Tyler had been together, and after the divorce, she convinced herself she was too busy with work and Lacey to care about anything else.

  Forty-Six

  Nikki’s hair was still damp when she finally made it to the hospital the next day. Thankfully she kept a change of clothes and necessary toiletries in the jeep for the all-nighters that usually cropped up during a major investigation. She could still feel Rory’s body entwined with hers, and she’d hated to leave so early in the morning, but she needed to get back to work. A BOLO had gone out for John as soon as he took Bailey, and every law enforcement agency in the tri-state area was looking for him. Miller had set up various checkpoints around Stillwater, and the state police had been called in to handle searching the vast north woods area. Lake Mille Lacs was part of the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, and the tribal police had been called in to search the twenty-thousand-acre reservation.

  She checked her texts again. Thankfully, Liam hadn’t blown up her phone while she’d been with Rory. He’d only called once to make sure she was all right. His text an hour ago said he had a warrant for John’s financials and would check in later.

  The deputy posted outside Amy’s room said her parents had taken Bailey to get some rest, but they planned to return today. Amy had been in and out of consciousness, refusing any pain medication for her jaw.

  Her eyes flashed open as soon as Nikki touched her arm. “You look better than yesterday.”

  Amy grabbed her hand and squeezed, tears building in her eyes.

  “You’re welcome.” Nikki took the empty seat next to the bed. “He’s a good little boy. And John never intended to hurt him.”

  Amy groaned and pointed to her mouth.

  “Don’t try to talk.” Nikki opened the notes app on her phone and handed it to her. “I’ll ask questions, you type the answers, unless you can just nod or shake your head for no.” Amy nodded. “Mindy Vance said John used to co-own the cabin with his friends Robert and Larry. Is that true?”

  Amy nodded.

  “Madison and Kaylee were put in the freezer in the storage shed behind the cabin. We found the nail Madison used to scratch those letters into her arm.”

  Tears streamed down Amy’s face.

  “I know it’s awful, but she was telling us something important, and it doesn’t make sense for it to refer to the cabin, even if she didn’t know John had bought the other two out. If she was coherent enough to scratch them into her arm, then she knew where she was when she was put into the freezer. Can you think of anyone Madison knew with the initial ‘P’?” Nikki still had no idea what the second initial was meant to be, but she was fairly confident the first one had to be a ‘P.’

  Amy shook her head.

  “I need to know where the pictures are, Amy. They’re evidence now.”

  Amy’s mouth twitched. Told him I burned. But they’re in my safety deposit box. Key code is 2-79-54.

  “Madison obviously got her toughness from you.”

  That other girl? From the park? John said she wasn’t his type. That he never touched her.

  “Do you believe him?”

  All girls in pictures were fair skin. White. Change type?

  Just like me, Nikki thought. “That’s a good question. When it comes to serial predators, the answer is usually no.”

  Forty-Seven

  The houses around Liberty Newman Island were just as expensive as the Bankses’, and the land value probably even higher given the popularity of the island. In high school, Liberty Newman Island had been more than make-out central. Nikki had attended more than one party on the island, and she and Annmarie had nearly started a massive fire when they’d snuck out here to smoke pot the summer after sophomore year.

  A large foreclosure sign stood in Mindy Vance’s front yard. Boxes were piled high in the minivan parked in the middle of the driveway. The house had a slightly unkempt look compared to its neighbors: the snow needed shoveling and one of the down spouts looked loose. Taking care of such a big place alone had to be difficult, especially when your spouse had died.

  “Damn. Poor woman.”

  Nikki rang the doorbell. Footsteps tromped near the entryway, as though someone were running down the stairs.

  Mindy opened the door, a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. “Agent Hunt. Is everything okay?”

  “I just came to let you know Bailey’s fine, but John is on the run. I don’t expect him to come around here, but you should be aware if you haven’t seen it on the news.”

  “Oh dear.” Mindy brushed the dust off her pants. “Forgive the way I look. I’m packing. Please, come in.”

  The house looked older than the Bankses’, and the fake wood floors and run-of-the-mill trim made Nikki think it probably wasn’t as well made. Most of the living area looked as though it had been packed away. Even the walls were bare, save for the dust lines that surrounded whatever had hung in that spot.

  “I’m sorry about your foreclosure.”

  “Thank you,” Mindy said. “My husband’s life insurance carrier is contesting the policy. I don’t make nearly enough money to cover the mortgage, so here we are.”

  “Why are they contesting?”

  “Because they’re
greedy assholes,” Mindy said. “Do you have any idea where John might have gone?”

  “Actually, I was hoping you might have some ideas. Your husband and John had been friends since college?”

  “High school, actually. They did everything together.”

  “I used to date John back then. I met Bobby at a party once. I’m sure you know the story. Your son told me John talked about that night fairly often.”

  Mindy’s eyebrows knitted together. “Yes, he did. But Bobby Sr. and I started dating right out of college, so that was before my time.”

  “I wasn’t much fun to be around back then,” Nikki said, smiling warmly.

  “I’ve been reading about the new evidence and testing and obviously your son has been going to the protests. It must be awful for you.”

  “It’s not great,” Nikki said. “But right now, my priority is finding out who killed Madison and Kaylee. And Janelle Gomez.”

  “Who?”

  “The woman found in the park the other day.”

  “And her death is connected to the other murders?” Mindy wiped her pink face with a napkin.

  “It’s looking like it.” Nikki leaned against the kitchen doorway as Mindy fluttered about. Yesterday she’d seemed resigned and quiet, but Mindy was a trembling ball of energy. She didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands.

  “I thought John killed the girls. Isn’t that why he ran in the first place?” Mindy picked at her ragged thumbnail. The tip of her index finger looked raw from biting the nail.

  “Most likely,” Nikki replied. “But we can’t be one hundred percent sure yet. That’s why we need to find John.”

  “Well, I hope you can figure it out. Those poor girls deserve justice.”

  A big, furry cat trotted into the room and jumped onto the counter.

  “Get down, Mace. You know better.”

  The cat looked at Mindy and then started cleaning its paw. She swatted it off the counter.

  A loud buzzing rose in Nikki’s head. “He’s beautiful. What breed?”

  “Maine Coon,” Mindy said. “He’s Bobby’s. That cat drives me nuts, but his dad gave him Mace for his birthday just a few months before he died.”

  “Bobby must be very attached, then?” Nikki asked.

  “He missed her more than me when he was in Mankato.” Mindy quickly looked away, both hands white-knuckling the counter.

  Nikki hoped her smile appeared genuine. “I’ll let you get back to packing. Good luck with the move.”

  “Thank you,” Mindy said. “If I think of anywhere John might have gone, I’ll contact you.”

  “Please do.” Nikki walked down the hall at a neutral pace, mind racing ahead. Something about Mindy’s demeanor wasn’t right.

  The front door opened before she reached it, and Bobby stood on the other side looking just as nervous as his mother.

  “Agent Hunt, I saw your jeep. What’s going on?” He glanced behind her. “Mom?”

  Nikki turned around, her arm raising instinctively, but Mindy was closer than she’d realized. Something hard and cold hit her temple, and Nikki fell to her knees. Her head rang, her eyes crossed. A second slam to the back of her head sent her careening into the darkness.

  Forty-Eight

  Nikki blinked a few times before realizing she was stuck in total darkness. She touched the knot on the back of her skull but felt no sign of bleeding. Her head was pounding. She picked through the fuzzy images in her mind, trying to remember what happened.

  Mindy Vance. She’d gone to Mindy’s house and suddenly realized something wasn’t right. She’d been going to leave and then Bobby had appeared… She’d been knocked out and she had no idea for how long. Where the hell had they taken her? she wondered. She knew it wasn’t the cabin—it had a distinct smell that she couldn’t detect. She reached into her coat pocket for her phone, but they had been smart enough to take it. Nikki extended her arms above her head and then in front of her. Wide, angled wooden slats with a few centimeters of space… she must be in a closet.

  Her smartwatch. She sighed with relief as she reached for it before remembering she’d left it at Rory’s this morning. Nikki had no way of contacting anyone, and nobody knew she’d gone to Mindy’s house.

  Shifting to her knees, she tried to look out between the slats, but the room was dark. How long had she been in here?

  The closet seemed empty, but there had to be some sort of a bar to hang clothes on. She stood slowly, bracing against the wall as dizziness swept through her. She raised her hand and found a wooden bar. Plastic brackets on each end held the bar in place. Nikki braced against the right end of the bar and pushed hard, hoping the plastic was as shoddy as the rest of the house.

  A loud crack sent a wave of fear through her. She stood motionless, listening. A full sixty seconds passed and no one came into the room, so she pushed the bar again. It snapped away, and Nikki yanked it out of the other bracket.

  She ran her hands along the door and came to a vertical space large enough to put her fingernail in. Maybe she could bust through the cheap wood.

  “You can’t get out.” Bobby’s tired voice came from the other side of the door. Nikki hadn’t heard him come into the room. Had he been waiting? she wondered. Someone as slight as him could easily sneak in without her hearing if the floor was carpeted. “Mom used a bungee cord.”

  As soon as the big Maine Coon had jumped onto the counter, warning bells had gone off in Nikki’s head. The cat was Bobby’s, and that was the source of the hair they’d found on both girls’ clothes. They’d probably been in this house shortly before their murders—and most likely killed here. Courtney had found cat hair inside the freezer, probably transferred from the bodies. Assuming it was a match, the girls had been taken from this house to the cabin.

  Madison hadn’t carved a ‘P.’ She had tried to write ‘B V’ for Bobby Vance. The ‘B’ hadn’t been finished.

  “Bobby, please let me out. I can help you.”

  “I’m not stupid, Agent Hunt.”

  She tried to imagine the soft-spoken boy who’d come to her defense at the diner as a killer. He wasn’t a seasoned criminal, nor was he driven by an urge to kill. Everything he’d done had been impulsive, but why would he kill Madison and Kaylee? What was Mindy’s role in all of it?

  “I know you aren’t. You’re also not a cold-blooded killer.”

  He didn’t answer.

  Nikki peered out between the door slats. “Can I talk to your mom?”

  “She’s not here. She went to the store to stock up on stuff before we leave.”

  What did they plan to do with her?

  She had to stay levelheaded. She could talk her way out of this.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Why did you kill Madison and Kaylee, Bobby? I know you cared about Maddie,” Nikki said. “It was obvious every time we talked about her.”

  “That was before I knew her dad killed mine.” His voice dripped with anger.

  “I thought your father died by suicide.”

  “How’d you know that?”

  She hadn’t been sure, but she’d started to wonder after Mindy said the life insurance refused to pay out. A company like Roan Pharmaceuticals had good insurance, but if an employee hadn’t been on the policy long enough, a lot of companies fought paying out if the cause of death had been ruled a suicide. “That’s my job. Why did he do it?”

  Nikki heard a click, and then light filtered through the door. “Because John Banks made him keep his secret about what happened at the party the night your parents were murdered.”

  “Listen to me,” Nikki said. “I know now that John killed my parents. I also know he’s harmed other women. That’s what he did to me that night.”

  “And Mark Todd went to prison. My dad drank because of his guilt and then finally killed himself. John Banks is still a free man.”

  “I promise you he’s not going to be a free man much longer,” Nikki sa
id. “I can find him, but you’ve got to let me out of here.”

  “Can’t do it.” His voiced cracked.

  “What about Kaylee? Why did you kill her?”

  “I really liked her.” Some of the venom drained from his voice. “That was an accident.”

  “I believe you,” Nikki said. “I could tell you were a good kid as soon as I met you. Sometimes things get out of our control, and we get caught up in other people’s problems. Is that what happened?” She had to wonder if Bobby was Mindy’s puppet in her desperate need for revenge against John.

  “It was still my fault.”

  “What happened?” Nikki could tell that he was desperate to tell someone. It was why Bobby had spent so much time opening up to her—each time they’d spoken about the case, he seemed relieved. As if his conscience was eating him from the inside out. “Bobby, I think deep down, you know you can trust me.” Nikki wished she could make eye contact with him. Eyes were the easiest to read.

  “I know you know what it’s like,” he said. “For one moment to change everything. I didn’t kill your parents. I wasn’t even born. But what John did that night ruined my life. Kaylee understood,” Bobby said. Nikki could tell the girl meant a lot to him. She knew herself how hard it was to make friends. “Kaylee wanted to see me because I was home for the weekend. They decided to ditch their friend if I picked them up. She was a good person.”

  “You picked them up and brought them over here?”

  He grunted.

  “I didn’t rape her, before you accuse me of it. I would never. She wanted me to be her first. She’d asked me once before, but I told her no. When she asked again, I figured, what do I have to lose? And then she told me that John had flirted with her and I lost it. I couldn’t control my anger. She told me to calm down, it was no big deal. Almost defending him. The next thing I knew, I was strangling her. I just wanted her to shut up. I didn’t realize I was squeezing that hard.”

  Nikki knew she didn’t need to say anything else. Bobby was so full of guilt, and he’d reached his breaking point. Now he’d started talking, he wouldn’t be able to stop.