Page 41 of The Girls in the Snow

Small feet stomped out of the locker room, followed by a slamming door.

“Ugh, goody two-shoes.”

“Yeah,” Shelly said. “But I mean, she’s not wrong. Just because we don’t like Nikki doesn’t mean we should be making jokes about her parents.”

“I’m not making jokes,” Connie said. “It’s awful what happened. I just think she got what she deserved. Some girl from the sticks dating John Banks and acting like she’s queen? It was bound to happen.”

Shelly giggled. “You’re just pissed off because John blew you off to date her.”

Nikki wondered if she’d even asked John about Connie’s accusation. She didn’t really remember breaking up with him. It was as if they’d just stopped talking. But what else had Nikki erased from her memory?

“Nikki?” Miller touched her arm. “You okay?”

They’d reached the second floor. Nikki wiped the sweat off of her forehead and peeled off her jacket. “I’m fine. Just remembering.”

“If you want to wait in the car—”

“I’m fine.” Nikki took a deep breath to clear her head.

Fourteen

The principal directed them to Hanson’s room and headed back to her office. Drew Hanson had a large classroom with a view of the south side of campus. He sat at his desk, lost in his computer, while his students worked on school-issued laptops.

“Drew? You have a moment?”

The class looked up from their work, mouths agape at the sight of Miller in his uniform and Nikki with her FBI badge prominently displayed.

“Uh, sure. Guys, I’ll be right back.”

Hanson followed them into the empty corridor and closed the door. “What’s going on?”

“We just talked to Ricky Fillinger. Kaylee got a ride to his job site a few days before she disappeared.” Revealing so much information was a calculated risk, but during their previous interview, Nikki had learned that Hanson wasn’t a very good liar. If he really didn’t have anything to hide and had a valid reason for giving Kaylee a ride, this was her best shot at spooking him into telling the truth. “Gray minivan with Stillwater High School bumper sticker. Miller says that’s what you drive.”

Hanson’s face paled. “Along with dozens of other people, I’m sure. This is the only high school in town so…”

Nikki folded her arms and looked pointedly at Hanson.

Sweat broke over his brow. “Is that all?”

Nikki shrugged. “You tell me.”

Nikki knew guilty people postured and had trouble making eye contact. They’d inevitably start slouching or withdrawing into themselves, crossing their arms over their chests. They just didn’t trust the system. Innocent people inevitably wanted to talk. Hanson may not have done anything to the girls, but he definitely had something to hide.

She glanced into the room. Some of the students were pretending to work, but several watched with wide eyes, which is exactly what Nikki had counted on when she decided to confront Hanson. He wouldn’t want her and Miller around for any longer than necessary, and his desperation to get rid of them and give the students some rational excuse would make him talk faster than any threat. Nikki had learned the technique from a veteran detective, and it had never failed her.

Sweat glistened on Hanson’s broad forehead. “I-it’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?” Miller said. “Because it looks like you forgot to tell me you gave Kaylee a ride days before she disappeared. And you’ve got access to commercial refrigeration.”

Hanson swayed. “Do you mean the farm? God, no. I didn’t do anything to those girls.”

“We’ve spoken to Ricky Fillinger,” Nikki said. “He told us about Kaylee stopping by a job site. Why didn’t you mention giving Kaylee a ride?”

Sweat glistened on Hanson’s brow. “I—I guess I’d forgotten about it.”

“I see.” Nikki didn’t buy that for a minute. “Why did you give her a ride? Her house isn’t on your way home from school.”

“I was headed to St. Paul, and it was cold and just about to rain. She was walking without a jacket, and I felt sorry for her. I didn’t want to kick her out when she said she needed to stop and talk to her mom’s boyfriend first. I figured she had to check in or something.”