Page 31 of Her Frozen Heart

“Sorry about her attitude,” Tanner said.

“Don’t worry about it. I was a teenage girl once. Please let Danny know we hope to have the testing done Monday. Thanks for letting me bother you on Christmas.”

“Hey, no problem.” Tanner glanced behind him. “My cousin is betting you found more bodies. That’s why you’re out here today.” He flushed. “She watches a lot of true crime shows.”

“Have a good night, Mr. Blaine.”

Nikki turned and hurried down the steps before he could remind her that she hadn’t answered his question.

By the time she returned to the burial site, Mark and Rory were back and the makeshift shelter, which consisted of fastening strong vinyl sheeting between the trees, forming an oblong border a few feet outside of the crime scene tape, was mostly done. Nikki argued with Miller that she could take the first shift, but he insisted on staying.

“My county, and my responsibility,” he’d said. “I’ve got it worked out.”

Nikki could tell Liam was exhausted, but she knew he’d never leave the scene unless she did, even though he wasn’t supposed to be in the field. “All right, we’ll head back. Everyone has their assignments, right? Liam, contact everyone the BPD interviewed after Kesha disappeared and ask about connections to this area, and keep searching for possible additional victims. I’m going to keep trying to reach Dion, and I’ll let Courtney know what she’s in for once the ground is ready to dig.”

She and Liam walked back to the parking lot together, his steps slow and methodical.

“I don’t want to leave Detective Dover hanging after she asked for my help with Parker Jameson’s disappearance, so I’ll also follow up on Forest Lake—”

Liam rubbed his temples. “I went through the details while you were gone. Parker disappeared on December seventeenth from his small shop and no witnesses spotted him leaving. He’s responsible and has no known enemies. He co-owns the Artists’ Co-op with two other artists, both female and alibied. Business is in its first couple of years and doing all right, their operating costs are low so no major financial issues for the business or Parker. Like Detective Dover said, they’ve exhausted their resources and done everything right.”

“None of that really jives with what happened to Kesha,” Nikki said, nearly slipping on a dirty chunk of ice in the gravel lot.

“Except the vanishing without a trace,” Liam said.

“Right,” Nikki agreed. “But how many disappearances start out the exact same way until more evidence is uncovered? We just don’t have enough to suggest these are tied together. I want you to focus on Kesha and the things we talked about for now, as long as you feel all right.”

He glared at her. Nikki stopped walking and craned her neck to give him a dirty look right back, her hands on her hips. “It’s not an insult. You aren’t a hundred percent, and that is okay. I just don’t want you to do too much and set your recovery back.”

Liam’s expression softened. “I know.” He pressed his lips together, and Nikki could see tears forming in his eyes. “I just want to get back to normal, and I’m stuck.”

She tried to think of something to say that would make him feel better, but what could she say other than to hang in there? Head injuries, despite ridiculous amounts of research, were still hard to predict. The doctor said Liam would get back to full functioning, but he’d cautioned there would likely be setbacks.

“It’s going to get better,” Nikki finally said. “But not if you push too hard. You have to balance on a very fine line right now.”

Liam found his keys and remote started his Prius, and Nikki did the same with her jeep. “Call me if anything comes up,” she told him. “I’ll be at home going through everything for the hundredth time.”

“By home, do you mean your house or Rory’s?” Liam’s eyes shined, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “I heard you were thinking about selling your house in St. Paul.”

Nikki gritted her teeth, trying not to get frustrated with Rory’s blabbing after he’d helped out so much today. “Go home and rest, Liam.”

TEN

Rory had left the area before her, so the house was blazing with light and hopefully hot food when Nikki turned into the driveway. Lacey’s phone number popped up on her caller ID. “Hi, baby,” Nikki said. “Are you all settled?”

“Mommy, Florida is so pretty. I can hear the ocean waves from my room.”

“That’s great, Bug.” Nikki grabbed her bag and headed into the house. “How was the flight?”

Lacey had only flown once before, when she was three, and barely remembered it. “Awesome,” she said. “The flight lady asked if I wanted my wings since it was my first real flight. I said yes, and she came back with plastic wings like the ones on her vest. It’s cool, but I was kind of disappointed because I thought she meant chicken wings, and I was hungry.”

Nikki laughed, feeling some of the stress ease off her shoulders. She found Rory in the kitchen, plowing into a plate of leftovers. “Made up a plate for you. It’s in the microwave.”

“Tell Rory about my wings,” Lacey shrilled.

“Why don’t you tell him? You’re so much more entertaining than I am.” She put her phone on speaker and set it on the table in front of Rory. “She wants to tell you about her wings.”

“You got wings, Lace?” he asked.

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