“I never said I was angry—”
“You didn’t need to,” Nikki said.
“It’s not meant for him. I’m just angry at the world for what’s happened to my child.”
Nikki tried to steer the conversation back to the couple’s relationship. “That’s absolutely normal, but I can see how much it bothers you when John talks about Kaylee.”
Amy bristled. “He never should have allowed that girl into our home. I told him she was trouble. She just brought too much baggage into Madison’s life.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Are you finished?”
Nikki knew she wasn’t going to get anything more out of Amy, but she sensed that Amy was still holding something back. “I don’t want to cause problems between you two. But I know this about grief: it does what it wants, when it wants. Everyone grieves in their own way, and any person who thinks they can control the process is in for a big surprise. Asking for help when you need it is crucial.” She walked back into the hall, trying to give Amy some space.
Amy followed her and closed the door. “Tell John that.”
“I will.” Nikki was certainly no marriage counselor, but she’d seen enough families torn apart by death to know what not to do, especially when kids were involved. “And I’m going to do whatever it takes to get you justice.”
“Like you did with Mark Todd?” Amy said sharply.
“I’m sorry?” Nikki turned around, working to keep the frustration out of her tone.
“That didn’t come out right,” Amy continued, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to see the protestors when you go to the sheriff’s office, and with everything being dredged up by the media, how will you stay focused on my daughter?”
Nikki hadn’t seen anything on the news about Mark’s appeal, but she realized now that the local paper was probably making it a front-page story.
“Mark Todd is in prison, where he belongs. And I learned to compartmentalize my life a long time ago.” Nikki hoped she’d had her last conversation about Mark Todd.
Six
Nikki wrapped her scarf around her face. Beyond the bare trees, a group of kids skated on the lake. The county closely monitored the lake’s ice, but Nikki didn’t care if six feet of ice covered the water. It only took one weak area to crack and pull someone under, especially kids.
“You skate?” Miller asked.
“Not very well. And never on the lake.” She and Miller bent their heads against the wind as they made their way down the trail toward the Hansons’. “What do you think of the dynamic between John and Amy?”
“She’s grieving and he’s in shock,” Miller said. “I think she blames him more than she wants to admit.”
“Do they have a history of marital issues?”
“Not that I know of.” Miller had zipped his collar up to his nose again, his voice muffled against the heavy material. “We investigated the two of them closely after the girls first disappeared. Pretty standard relationship, but losing Madison has definitely caused a big divide between them.”
Nikki wondered if that was the only rift between the couple as she checked her phone for an update from Liam. He’d found a handful of registered sex offenders outside of Washington County who had been convicted of crimes involving girls around the same age as Madison and Kaylee. Local authorities had agreed to check in with the men and get back to Liam.
“Liam’s working through the local sex offenders list, and he’s expanded the target area.” Nikki glanced at Miller. She didn’t want him thinking they questioned his investigation. “It’s probably a long shot, but we have to be thorough.”
Miller smiled faintly. “Don’t worry about pissing me off. I failed the girls. I couldn’t find them, and I worked around the clock.”
“I’m sure you did everything you could.” Nikki tightened the scarf around her face, and her breath immediately fogged up her sunglasses.
“I was so ticked off at Hardin when he called you. But I’m glad he did.”
“That’s the one thing bugging me,” Nikki said. “Why didn’t Hardin call in the FBI earlier? Two missing kids usually warrants additional resources.”
“He said we could handle it. Initially, we’d hoped they’d decided to run off. Maybe Kaylee wanted to get out of town and Madison had followed, hoping to talk some common sense into her. As the days went by, we realized that wasn’t the case. But Hardin still believed we had the resources to find them.”
“Calling in the FBI is always a difficult decision,” Nikki acknowledged. “There’s always at least one officer who resents the intrusion, and with Hardin being an elected official, he probably wanted to show the community his people could handle it. To tell you the truth, I was surprised to hear he’d become sheriff. He never struck me as the political type.”
“I don’t want to be disrespectful, but you can see his… weight is an issue. He’s diabetic and being in the field was getting tough for him. Plus, he likes being in charge.” Miller shook his head. “You remember when his niece used to come to the parties and drink and then rat us out after she left?”
“No,” Nikki said. “When was that?”
“Our senior year she moved to Stillwater. Every damned time she showed up, the party was doomed.”
Nikki forced a laugh. She’d been otherwise occupied senior year. The initial days after the murders were a blur, including the trial. Once Nikki realized college was the only way to escape her past, she’d thrown herself into school and shut the rest of the world out.
“Shit.” Miller stopped and glared up at the gray sky. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay.” She didn’t expect people to walk on eggshells around her. Still, a familiar knot formed between her shoulder blades. “I’m going to get a room in town for a few days. Any suggestions for a decently priced place near the sheriff’s station?”
Miller pursed his lips. “There are a couple of places with suites for business travelers right off the interstate. They’re only ten minutes or so to downtown. You’ll have more room and not be so close to the protestors.”
“Good point.” Nikki made a mental note to reserve a room when they were back in the car.
She tried to imagine the trail in the fall. It was paved and wide enough for three or four people to pass through. With the trees shedding leaves, the lake would have been visible. All in all, it was a peaceful place. A safe place, where two teenaged girls could easily be so caught up in conversation that someone could have snuck up on them. But witnesses who saw the girls said the trail had been relatively busy that day because of the nice weather. How did Madison and Kaylee disappear without anyone noticing something was wrong?
“Are we getting close to the Hansons’?”
Miller looked like he wanted to say more, but he only nodded. “It’s the gray one on the left. I called them last night and told them we’d found the girls dead. They’re expecting us.”