Page 108 of The Girls in the Snow

“I knew she’d lead you to John,” Mindy said. “He goes to that filthy club. His favorite girls have little ones at home, and I’m not a monster. But I found out Janelle had no one.”

“She had a family in Wisconsin,” Nikki snapped. “She was someone’s child, too.”

Bobby’s nose had started to bleed again. “Maybe I should just turn myself in. I’ll take the fall for Janelle. I deserve to be in prison.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mindy screamed. “After everything I’ve done to protect you? I lost my husband and my home. Now you want me to give you up, too?”

“I want you to be free, Mom.”

She laughed and pointed the gun at him. “I will never be free. And you’re not leaving me.”

The ear-splitting sound of the gun discharging drowned out Mindy’s scream. She stared at her son, her hand trembling. “I swear I didn’t mean to. My finger just twitched.”

Bobby seemed frozen in shock for a moment, and then turned around to look at the bullet embedded in the wall. She’d missed his head by an inch.

Mindy started to cry, the gun falling to her side. Nikki lunged, dropping her shoulder into the woman’s chest. Mindy fell backwards, her head connecting with the granite countertop. She sank to the floor, streaking blood down the white cabinets.

Nikki twisted, trying to grab the gun, but her hands were too tightly tied behind her back.

Bobby snatched the weapon up. “She’s dead.”

“She’s still breathing,” Nikki said. “You need to think long and hard about the next few seconds.”

He glared at her, the rage in his eyes terrifying. “I tried to stand up for you, and you killed her. Get on your knees.”

Nikki backed against the wall. “You can still run and leave me here, tied up.”

“You killed my mom. Now I’m going to kill you. Get down on your knees. You can die like your father did.”

Nikki’s entire body chilled. “How do you know he was kneeling?”

“John told my dad everything that night. He made my dad help him cover it up.” Nikki sank to her knees. Robert Vance hadn’t just suspected and lied about John not leaving the party. He’d known the entire time and let an innocent man spend his life in prison. Bobby stepped over his mother, his face white with rage. “My dad was a victim. He didn’t have a choice.”

“Everyone has a choice,” Nikki said. “You don’t think I’m angry as hell? My parents are the ones he killed. I testified against an innocent man because of John’s friends backing up his story. I understand grief, and I understand you.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know you well enough to realize that you would have come forward if your mom hadn’t tried to protect you. I know you’re drowning in guilt.”

The gun shook in Bobby’s trembling hands as Nikki spoke. His wild eyes made it clear he wasn’t going to listen to her. “General rule of holding someone at gunpoint,” Nikki said. “Check the window before you step in front of it.” She ducked her head as the window above the sink shattered. Bobby’s arm buckled from the impact of the bullet, and the gun fell to the floor.

Fifty

“The paramedics said you should go to the doctor.” Liam stretched his long legs in front of him and glared at Nikki. They’d spent the last hour at the sheriff’s station getting each other up to speed. After realizing Nikki had gone MIA, Liam and Miller had launched a frantic search for her, eventually retracing her steps to Amy Banks. She’d been in a fog of painkillers, but eventually remembered Nikki had mentioned going to the Vance home. By the time Miller arrived, the jeep had already been hidden in the Vances’ garage. Mindy told him Nikki had stopped by earlier but hadn’t stayed long. Liam had used his connections at the DOT to get access to the traffic cameras and discovered Nikki’s jeep had never left the Vances’ neighborhood.

Bobby had been taken to the hospital for stitches and would be in a cell by morning. Mindy had regained consciousness in the ambulance and tried to convince the paramedics that Nikki attacked them and was trying to frame her son.

Nikki understood the woman’s desperation to protect her child, but Nikki couldn’t fathom covering up such a horrendous thing for Lacey. Then again, thinking about Lacey spending the rest of her life in prison made it easier to understand Mindy’s desperation. News stories covered the details about the victims and the perpetrator, but rarely touched on the lifelong destruction it caused in both families.

Nikki wasn’t sure it would make a difference, but she intended to speak to the district attorney about everything the Vances had endured from the ripple effect of John Banks’ crimes. She was relieved at least that someone alive knew what happened the night her parents died. Perhaps she could get Bobby to admit what his father told him when they finally found John.

“I will, tomorrow.” Nikki finished her third cup of water. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she’d been until she’d walked out of the Vances’ house. “Is Courtney still at the Vances’?”

Liam nodded. “They’re processing his bedroom first, because it’s probably where he killed Kaylee.”

“Any sign of her phone?” Nikki’s lip stung every time she spoke.

“Not yet,” Liam said. “He probably tossed it in some lake.”

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