Page 52 of Her Frozen Heart

His eyes locked with hers. “Don’t say it.”

“I’m sorry, but I need you to stay here,” Nikki said. “You aren’t cleared for the field, so we’re pushing it with you working here at the sheriff’s station.”

Liam opened his mouth to argue, but Nikki held up her hand to stop him. “I need you sharp, not exhausted. Start going through the Violent Crime Apprehension Program and cross-reference as much information as you can with what we know so far.”

Liam’s jaw set hard, and Nikki braced for the argument, but he knew she was right. Liam grunted something unintelligible and glared out of the window. Nikki figured that was the best she’d get out of him. She didn’t like not having him at full capacity any more than he did. Miller was an excellent cop, but Liam had great instincts, especially when it came to serial murders. He’d been in the trenches with her, understanding that profiling was nothing more than another investigative tool. Nikki glanced at Roth, thinking about everything he’d just told them. His wealth of experience and training meant he probably read people better than most cops, including her.

“Doctor Roth, would you mind coming with us to talk to the Forest Lake police?”

Roth looked surprised. “I wasn’t under the impression I’d be participating hands-on. I’m not sure what I can bring to your team.”

“Another perspective.” Nikki explained Liam’s medical situation. “Sheriff Miller and I are up to our necks with questions about this case. I’d love to get your impressions about Parker Jameson’s disappearance firsthand. Kent, you okay with that?”

Miller nodded. “I’ll see you guys over there, then.” He left, leaving Nikki standing between Liam and Roth, tension coating the room like body odor after a basketball game. She broke the stalemate. “Liam, I’ll touch base as soon as we’re done at the police station.”

He forced a tight smile, but she could see the frustration in his eyes. “Guess I’ll be here, won’t I, boss?”

SEVENTEEN

Forest Lake’s small police department buzzed with activity. Nikki, Miller and Dr. Roth found themselves crammed into the police chief’s small office along with Detective Dover, who’d been working Parker’s case. He’d balked when Nikki explained Roth’s credentials, but Miller stepped in before things went too far.

“As your sheriff, this is my call,” Miller said. “Especially since you requested help from Agent Hunt.”

Chief Peek seemed satisfied, but Dover still had a sour expression as Peek ran down the case details. “We received the encrypted photo electronically, sent from a dummy account off a foreign server, so there’s no way to trace the sender,” Peek said.

Nikki studied the copy of the color photo the chief had printed off. Parker appeared to be hung by his hands, his head resting on his right bicep, staring at the camera. Hanging next to him was a body bag. “He took the picture with a Polaroid, is that what we’re looking at?”

Detective Dover nodded. “Why would he do that?”

“Taking a photo with a cell phone makes it possible to study the metadata, possibly tracking down the IP it was sent from. It shouldn’t matter since he used a foreign server, but I’d guess he was covering all of his bases,” Miller said.

“He’s also letting us know that he knows we found his burial pit and that he’s not afraid,” Nikki said. “Parker co-owned the Artists’ Co-op located next to West End Diner, correct?”

Detective Dover nodded. “He was scheduled to work until close at seven, but weather had come in and they weren’t getting customers. He texted his partners shortly after five saying business was slow and he needed to run some errands, so he was closing early, which both partners were fine with.” She handed Nikki a couple of photographs.

“As you can see, the shop is right next to the diner, and Parker and his partners lease the land from the diner owner. Because the shop was built shotgun style, one security camera catches everything.” Detective Dover set up her tablet on the chief’s desk and played the security footage.

“Parker locked up and then started his closing duties,” Dover said. “In a couple of minutes, he looks toward the back of the building, which is where the office is, along with the back door. The camera doesn’t pick it up, but we assume he heard something and went to check it out, because he walked out of frame, to the office, and that’s it.”

“They don’t have a camera in the office?” Nikki asked.

“The shop is small, maybe twenty by ten,” Dover said. “The office doesn’t even have a desk. It’s more like a coat room and extra storage. And the door locks from the inside, so anyone entering through that door needs a key.”

“This was a week before Christmas?” Nikki asked.

“Yes,” Dover answered. “The time-stamp when he goes to the back room is 5:47 p.m. The restaurant owner called one of the partners around eight that night because she’d noticed the back door to the shop was open. The other two owners came right away and confirmed nothing was missing. Parker’s car was still parked on the street, and his phone and wallet were still in his coat, which was still in the shop.”

“What about security footage from the building next door?” Miller asked.

“The lighting between the buildings is poor, and it was dark and snowing lightly. It doesn’t catch anything useful,” Chief Peek said.

“Parker’s ex-boyfriend was the initial suspect,” Nikki said for Roth’s benefit. “Detective Dover, tell us about Parker’s ex-boyfriend. How old is he?”

Dover rolled her eyes. “Colton Troyer, just turned twenty-one, thinks the world owes him something. He’s been accused of stalking prior partners, and at least one filed a restraining order against him. We spoke to her, and she said that the TRO seemed to shock him into leaving her alone. A few months later, he meets Parker.”

“So, Colton’s bisexual?” Roth spoke for the first time.

“I would assume so given he’s dated both men and women,” Dover said. “Why?”

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