Page 33 of Little Child Gone (Nikki Hunt #10)

Nikki parked in front of the historic building at 109 Myrtle Street, an 1880s Victorian at the top of the hill, overlooking the river and bluffs.

Packed snow and ice still covered the street.

Nikki checked to make sure the parking brake was on before exiting.

Ice melt covered the sidewalk, but she still grasped the old iron railing.

The building had been turned into private offices run by an investment group.

Stephanie had the largest office on the second floor.

She and Miller had spent most of last night going through Rodney Atwood’s file in search of anything they might have missed that could link him to Ms. Smith or Taylor Hall. Nothing linked Atwood to Taylor.

Atwood being Stephanie’s lover before the Smiths disappeared was an easier one to theorize. By all accounts, Stephanie wasn’t one to get her hands dirty. Nikki believed Atwood was capable of murdering his stepson. Killing the Smith family for Stephanie wasn’t that big of a stretch.

Garcia had warned her that Stephanie was already threatening lawsuits for slandering her family name, claiming any theory her family was involved was nothing but heresy, especially with Karl gone.

But Stephanie couldn’t know that Nikki knew about her relationship with Atwood, unless her ex had spoken to her in the last twelve hours.

Given his obvious vitriol toward her, Nikki was confident he hadn’t given Stephanie any sort of heads-up.

She wanted to find out if Stephanie was the woman Taylor was talking to.

Was she the link between all three cases?

Her two missing boys, and poor Scott’s murder?

Nikki wiped her boots on the entry mat and checked the bulletin board to make sure she went to the right office. Stephanie’s law firm had offices in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, but, apparently, this was Stephanie’s personal office.

Nikki climbed the wood stairs, admiring the quality of the craftsmanship. Like most houses its age, the narrow stairs were barely large enough for her foot, cherry-wood panels lining the wall.

A slim woman a couple of inches taller than Nikki greeted her. Her Chanel earrings and necklace were no doubt real, along with the cashmere sweater that perfectly fit her willowy figure. “Good morning, Agent Hunt. You’re looking… healthy.”

Nikki rolled her eyes at the veiled insult. She was fine with being a size eight and didn’t give a damn what this woman thought about it. “You look tired.” Nikki smiled sweetly. “Having trouble sleeping?”

Stephanie turned on her stiletto and directed Nikki to follow her into the corner office overlooking the lift bridge and the river. Unlike the rest of the building, the eggshell white on the walls made her brightly colored contemporary furniture stand out.

Stephanie sat down behind her dark-wood desk, the windows behind her overlooking the frozen St. Croix River. She gestured for Nikki to sit down in the uncomfortable-looking chair and waited.

“Well?” Stephanie demanded. “Aren’t you here to question me?”

“I’m here because you threw a fit and demanded to talk to me.”

“Because you are spreading lies about my family.”

“I’m trying to find out who murdered those people in your family’s apartment. You didn’t trust Ms. Smith at all, did you?”

“Why would I?” Stephanie snapped. “This woman shows up out of the blue, answering my father’s ad, with her damn kids. Instead of at least doing a background check, he moves her in!”

“I do see how that would be upsetting,” Nikki agreed.

“Do you?” Stephanie shot back. “You don’t have aging parents to worry about.”

Tension clogged the air, Stephanie’s smirk making it clear she thought she’d scored a point.

“That’s true.” Nikki summoned every ounce of self-control and smiled. “But a background check just seems like common sense to me. Did she have references?”

“Dad said she did, but he refused to show them to me. I think he was infatuated with her. He always had a thing for Mexican women.”

“Was she a Latina, though?” Nikki asked.

“I don’t know,” Stephanie admitted. “She looked Mexican, so that’s what I called her.”

“How much interaction did you have with her?” Nikki could see how much Stephanie wanted to badmouth the woman. She would keep talking with the right push. “I assume you or someone in the family kept an eye out after this strange woman arrived.”

“I could hardly be in the same room with her,” Stephanie said. “She was just so phony, it was obvious. But Dad, Patrick, Spencer and my own husband were mesmerized by her beauty. She was exotic, but how pathetic can you be?”

“Well, you know how men can be when it comes to a gorgeous woman. They get stupid. You’ve experienced that before, I’m sure.”

Stephanie fluffed her hair like a vain teenager. “Yeah, over me.”

“Did your father ever give you any idea why he trusted this woman so much?”

“No,” Stephanie said. “But my father and I always had a bit of a contentious relationship. We’re a lot alike.

When I found out he’d hired help, and that she had children with her, I told him they were going to screw him over and steal from us.

He hung up on me.” Her eyes darkened. “We’ve argued my entire life, but that was the first time he hung up on me, over that woman and her scrubby kids. ”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“I only saw her once, not long after they arrived. It was obvious to me that she was buttering up my father. I told him I expected them to be ‘in love by the end of the summer,’ or she would have robbed him blind. We didn’t speak much after that.”

“When you found out they disappeared, you didn’t think that was weird?”

“I didn’t think about it at all,” Stephanie said. “I said good riddance when Spencer told me they’d left. I thought Dad would get over it eventually, but he just didn’t care about anything after she abandoned him.”

“How often did you see him?”

“When I could,” she snapped back. “What does that have to do with anything?”

The sheer disgust on her face made Nikki want to shake the woman. She’d had her father until aged ninety. Couldn’t she see how precious that was, especially given her mother had died early of cancer? “I just wondered if you two reconnected.”

“He was too stubborn and proud for that.”

“Do you remember that weekend?” Nikki asked. “I know your father was out of town. Did anyone check on the house?”

“I’m sure I didn’t,” she said. “I didn’t speak to Dad after he hung up on me. Spencer checked up on things, so whatever he told you is accurate.”

“Any idea what you did that weekend?”

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

Nikki couldn’t hide her quizzical look—Stephanie wasn’t stupid; she knew Nikki suspected her.

“That was years ago. I have no idea what the hell I did that weekend.” Stephanie’s dark eyes flashed. “Agent Hunt, I know you’re well respected among your peers. But I assure you that I’m not intimidated by FBI posturing. You of all people should know that.”

“Oh, I do.” Nikki leaned forward, going in for the kill. “What about Rodney Atwood? Do you know where he was that weekend?”

Stephanie stilled in her effort not to react, but she couldn’t hide the shock and fear in her eyes. “I guess you spoke to Daniel first and believed his lies.”

“I’m just following up on information,” Nikki said. “You do know Atwood is the number one suspect in the murder of his stepson?”

“Oh, I do.” Stephanie folded her hands on her desk. “He came to me for legal advice. I told him that if he wasn’t guilty, you wouldn’t find any evidence to convict. I guess that turned out to be right, since he’s still walking free.”

“For now,” Nikki said. “It’s good to know you’ve stayed in touch with Atwood, though. You parted friends, then?”

Stephanie’s jaw clenched. “Tread lightly, Agent. I will not stand for false accusations.”

“I haven’t made any accusations,” Nikki said. “I’ve simply asked questions. Have you ever met a Taylor Hall?”

For a second, she thought Stephanie was going to jump across the desk and throttle her. “No. If you don’t have any more questions for me, Agent, I’m very busy.”

“That’s all for now.” Nikki needed to search for Taylor. She didn’t have any more time to waste on Stephanie. “I have a missing child to find.”

“Poor Eli Robertson. It’s going on a month or more, isn’t it?”

“Not my case. I’m working on something else.”

“Good luck.” Stephanie’s cold voice almost make Nikki laugh. She’d finally gotten under the woman’s skin.

“Thanks.” Nikki walked toward the door. “Actually, I do have one more question. Did you have any idea about the amendment for Ms. Smith?”

Stephanie’s jaw set. “No. No one did.” She gestured to the door. “See yourself out, Agent Hunt.”

Nikki smiled and turned to leave. “By the way, Stephanie, I assure you that I’m not intimidated by power and wealth,” she said without turning around. “I will find out who killed those people.” She shut the door before Stephanie could respond.

The meeting had gone as Nikki had expected given the woman’s reputation, but she still couldn’t believe the sheer callousness.

She started the Jeep with the key fob as she shoved the door open.

Her eyes stung in the cold wind. Thankfully she’d been able to park in front of the building, but the Jeep was still chilly inside.

She tossed her bag into the passenger seat, digging for her phone.

Stephanie’s fingers had trembled while they talked about Atwood. And she’d slipped up and admitted she’d had recent contact with him. That meant she’d be giving Atwood a heads-up, but Nikki didn’t mind taking that risk. She would break Atwood when the right time came.

She played Miller’s message through the speakers. “Culver’s CCTV came in. Taylor Hall was there that day. He and Adrian got into an argument. Can you meet me at the high school?”