A single decision had altered the course of Nikki’s life. She’d snuck out after her parents had gone to bed, longing to see John. She’d hopped into his waiting car without a shred of guilt, unaware she’d seen her parents for the last time. If she’d just stayed home, she knew they’d still be here.
Nikki wondered if Kaylee and Madison had been sneaking around with the wrong people too. Stranger abduction was rare, especially with two victims and, statistically, Nikki still had to consider the parents as suspects. Amy’s anger with John might be solely grief-driven—the last couple of months would have taken their toll on their relationship, as they waited each day desperate for news, blaming one another for Madison’s disappearance—but the fire in Amy’s eyes when John defended Kaylee hadn’t looked like grief.
Nikki turned onto her street and groaned. She lived in one of St. Paul’s quiet suburbs, full of perfect family units. Highland Park was only about thirty miles from Stillwater, but it was busier, and that made it seem worlds away from the sleepy area she’d once called home. She preferred it, being closer to the city, even if the city plows always left her street until last. Thankfully her jeep breezed through the drifting snow.
Her small home sat in the cul-de-sac at the end of the street. She’d chosen lot size over square footage, and the trees surrounding the property and sea of motion lights made her feel safely cocooned.
Nikki parked in the single-car garage and made sure to reset the security code to the garage door.
A four-digit code unlocked the mudroom door; she reset it as well and then left her boots on the mat and tiptoed into the small kitchen. The dishes were dried in the sink, and the house smelled of clean laundry. Nikki hung her coat on the back of a chair and went into the living room.
Her ex-husband lay on the couch, one foot dangling off, snoring loudly. At least she didn’t have to try to sleep with that noise anymore.
“Hey.” She patted his shoulder.
Tyler opened one eye and yawned. “Time is it?”
“Almost midnight. Thanks for staying.”
“Lacey insisted. I paid the sitter before she left.” He sat up, and habit made her want to smooth the unruly lock of hair at the back of his head, but she kept her hands to herself.
She and Tyler had met at the FBI Academy when they were both new recruits. He was a good guy: stable, hardworking, faithful. He respected her as a cop and treated her as an equal—a first in her relationship history. The sex was good but predictable. Marriage seemed like the inevitable next step, but Nikki’s passion for her work—Tyler would call it obsession—drove her further away.
Nikki found out she was pregnant the day she planned to ask Tyler for a divorce. But as much as they both loved their daughter, the marriage was a lost cause. Their divorce had been amicable, and while they shared custody, both tried to accommodate the other’s schedule. Knowing that Lacey was safe with her father made working late nights easier for Nikki.
Nikki sank onto the couch next to Tyler. “I’ll give you some cash.”
He waved her off. “Is it Frost?”
“I wish, sick as it sounds. Two teenaged girls. Frozen. Bodies secured with rope to keep them in the fetal position.”
“Which means the killer had limited space. Frozen solid?”
“Close enough. It will be days before the autopsy. We can’t even take clothes off or look at exterior wounds without possibly damaging evidence.” She rubbed her temples and wished she’d grabbed a beer from the fridge. “Fifteen years old.”
“I don’t know how you do it.” Tyler stood and stretched. Sitting behind a desk had given him a little bit of a belly, but he still had the physique of a wrestler. Two-time state champion, as he liked to remind everyone. “Lacey had a bath tonight.”
Her throat knotted. She hadn’t told Hardin about her six-year-old daughter because Lacey belonged in this life, not in that one. Saying her name in Stillwater felt like some sort of curse. But it didn’t protect Nikki from imagining what it would be like to find Lacey lying in the snow.
“Stop.” Tyler nudged her shoulder. “You can’t compartmentalize when you do that.”
Nikki wiped her eyes. “Do what?”
“Think about something like this happening to Lacey.”
“I thought I was the mind reader.” Hollywood’s ridiculous depictions of criminal profilers were a constant irritant to Nikki and her colleagues. People expected her to spend ten minutes looking over some data and come up with a dead-on profile.
“I can read you,” Tyler said. “That hasn’t changed.”
She smiled at the hint of wistfulness in his tone. “Guess not.”
Tyler still loved her. Deep down, he thought they would eventually make it work, no matter how many times Nikki told him they were better off as friends.
“Did you run into anyone involved with the appeal?”
“Well, John Banks is one of the girls’ stepdads. There was a group protesting for Mark near the sheriff’s office. They didn’t recognize me, but I’m sure they’ll have the make and model of my vehicle, along with my height and weight, by tomorrow. Oh, and Caitlin Newport showed up at the crime scene.”
“No shit?”
“She didn’t say anything about my parents. But she didn’t press too hard about the girls’ murders either. I don’t know what she’s up to.”
“You could talk to your bureau chief. He already knows your history, and Frost is still out there. Getting someone else assigned to the case wouldn’t be that difficult.”
“I know. But now that I’ve gone to the scene and heard the details, I’m attached. I want to get those girls justice.” Was that the only reason? Nikki wondered. Or did some part of her want to prove to everyone in Stillwater that she was no longer the girl who’d found her parents murdered? Nikki had clawed her way to success in the FBI despite the obstacles. She knew that people expected her to fail, for her grief and her anger to overwhelm her. But she didn’t let it.
“John Banks doesn’t have anything to do with you wanting to stick around?”
Nikki stared at him. “Are you serious?”
“He was your first love—”
“Twenty years ago. I haven’t thought about him in forever. I want to find their killer because it’s my job. Madison and Kaylee’s killer has to be held accountable.”
“Why does it have to be you, though?”
She smiled faintly.
Tyler held up his hands in defeat and reached for his heavy parka. “Okay, sorry I mentioned it. Just… watch yourself. If people are protesting and that reporter is around, you’re going to be a target.”
“I can handle it, but I’m probably going to get a room in town while we’re working this case.” In the lightest of traffic, the drive to Stillwater took at least forty-five minutes. As much as Nikki looked forward to quiet evenings with her daughter, she had a job to do. And she wanted to keep her as sheltered from that as possible.
“Lacey can stay at my place as long as you need her to,” Tyler said.
“Thanks for being so flexible.” Nikki stifled a yawn. “You sure you don’t want to crash in the guest room?”