Page 63 of The Girls in the Snow

Courtney finished labeling an evidence bag. “I’ve got plenty of fingerprints from this room to analyze, and I’m hoping to get some off the ribbons in Janelle’s hair. If I could get my hands on the physical evidence from Madison and Kaylee’s remains, I could compare to the trace evidence we’ve found here.”

A familiar weak sensation came over Nikki. “I’ll call the medical examiner and get an ETA on the way back into town. And then we need to get some food.”

Twenty-Two

Nikki sat in a back table at the Main Cafe, a mom-and-pop staple in the commercial historic district. Many of the two- and three-story buildings had endured since the nineteenth century. Nikki’s mother had been on the committee responsible for the commercial historic district being placed on the National Registrar of Historic Places in 1992. The boom since then had been incredible.

“I can’t get over how much Stillwater has changed,” Nikki said. “Downtown looks totally different with all the boutiques and kitschy stores.”

“Tourist trap equals money.” Liam looked around the busy diner. “I’m freaking starving.”

“You’re always starving.” Courtney rolled her eyes. “I’m positive you have a hollow leg.”

“Here comes the server, thank God.”

Main Cafe served breakfast until they closed in the afternoon, so Nikki and Courtney ordered eggs and bacon, while Liam asked for the lunch special that sounded big enough to feed three people.

Nikki tried not to inhale the coffee. She already felt lightheaded from no food and too much caffeine.

“You’ve been up all night?” Courtney asked.

Nikki didn’t mention she hadn’t slept much the night before, either. “I dozed in the jeep while I was waiting for you guys.”

“You look exhausted.”

Nikki shrugged. “I’ll get a nap in.”

“Did you and your friends spend a lot of time downtown back in the day?” Liam asked.

“Sometimes. I was a rural kid, so we usually wound up at someone’s house.”

Liam stared into his coffee, his hands tight around the cup.

“Liam, what are you thinking?” Nikki asked.

He bit his lower lip, his face pink beneath his freckles. “I’ve worked with you long enough to know you can handle whatever’s thrown at you. But the public perception may be different, especially after the newspaper article and Hardin’s press conference.”

“To hell with public perception.” Courtney stirred her coffee.

“Liam’s right. Public perception matters,” Nikki said. “And I’m sure Hardin’s going to try to get me off the case. It’s not really hard since we’re here on invitation.”

“You’re not going to let him tag along, are you?” Liam asked.

Nikki rolled her eyes. “As if he could keep up. I plan to avoid him as much as possible and I really doubt he’s going to push me too far. He just said he was keeping a close eye on me to help his image.” She glanced at her phone. “Miller texted that he’s at the club. He’s getting a list of anyone who came into contact with her since she’s been in town.”

“Eau Claire police called me on the drive here,” Liam said. “Janelle filed a restraining order against the ex, Kendall Jones, a few months ago,” Liam said. “They’ve got a BOLO out on him, and his prints are in the system. He’s got a domestic violence arrest from two years ago, along with a misdemeanor drug charge.”

Courtney pulled out her phone and started typing. “I’m telling the lab to compare any fingerprints lifted to Jones. Maybe we can rule him out that way—if he didn’t kill her.” She frowned. “But I still don’t get it. Making her look like a Frost victim brings you to the scene. If this is the same killer, you’d think he’d want you doing the opposite.”

“Not if I thought Frost killed her; I’d drop the girls and focus on catching him,” Nikki said. “Which brings us back to the possibility that Janelle didn’t know the girls or their killer at all and was just a sacrificial lamb.”

Courtney leaned out of the booth and made a face. “Newport’s coming into the restaurant with some of the protesters. I recognize the girl in the red coat and the chubby dude with the Vikings jacket.”

Nikki rubbed her temples. “Is Caitlin following us or is this the only decent breakfast place left in town?”

“The special is cheap and supposed to be delicious.” Liam’s double cheeseburger with a massive side of waffle fries looked like a heart attack in progress.

“Surely you’ll need a box?” Nikki asked.

---