Page 19 of The Girls in the Snow

“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.”

When they got inside the house, Mrs. Hanson insisted on making everyone coffee, fluttering around her large kitchen like a nervous bird. Her son and husband sat on the sofa waiting nervously, Miles looked like his mother—both were blond, a bit on the chubby side, with the kind of fair skin that demanded sunscreen year-round. Mr. Hanson’s brown hair and dark eyes made him the odd man out.

Miles eyed Nikki. “You’re not wearing high heels. Female FBI agents always wear heels on television.”

Nikki stuck her foot out. “These babies keep my feet warm in minus thirty-five degrees. And don’t believe everything you see on TV.”

Miles looked down at the cookies his mother had placed in front of him. His round shoulders sagged. “I think it’s my fault they’re dead,” he said, reminding everyone of why they were there.

“Miles.” His mother pressed a kiss to his head. “That’s not true. How could you think that?”

Tears welled in his blue eyes. “They were coming to my house.”

“Miles, that doesn’t make it your fault,” Nikki said. “Madison and Kaylee wanted to hang out with you.”

He scrubbed his eyes and stared at his plate. “No, they didn’t.”

Nikki rested her clasped hands on the table and gave him an encouraging look. “Is there something you haven’t told the police?”

Miles’ chubby fingers trembled. “I didn’t want to lie to the police. That’s why I never said anything.”

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