Page 64 of The Girls in the Snow

“What for?”

Nikki rolled her eyes and dug into her eggs.

“Newport’s sauntering over here like she owns the place,” Courtney said. “Her buddies are all watching.”

“Agent Hunt, nice to see you.” Caitlin still wore sensible clothes, but her face was suspiciously made-up. “I was shooting some background shots when I noticed your jeep.”

“Spare me,” Nikki said. “We’re working here, Caitlin.”

“Have you identified the victim in the park?”

“No comment,” Nikki said.

“I heard about Amy Banks. The poor woman is going through hell. Did you learn anything new when you visited the school?”

Nikki knew it must have been Jade Eby who’d reported their visit to her mother, who’d gone straight to Newport.

“How’s Connie doing, then?” Nikki asked. “I assume she’s the one who told you we visited the school.”

Caitlin shrugged. “It’s important that I speak to the people in town who lived here when you did, preferably ones who knew both you and Mark Todd.”

“Connie didn’t know me.”

“What about Annmarie?”

Nikki’s blood ran cold. “You called her?”

Annmarie had been Nikki’s best friend since they were little, and she’d picked Nikki up at the party the night her parents were killed. After the murders, Nikki felt like the only way to survive was shutting everyone out and focusing on school so she could get out of Stillwater and forget everything. Annmarie had been the only person Nikki made a valiant attempt to stay in contact with, but Annmarie was a painful memory of Stillwater, so Nikki eventually pushed her away, too. She did at least know that she was a nurse and lived somewhere in Wisconsin.

Caitlin nodded. “She told me to fuck off and to never call her again.”

Nikki drained her coffee, trying to hide the swell of pride she felt. She shouldn’t have been surprised that her oldest friend wanted nothing to do with the documentary, but Annmarie certainly didn’t owe Nikki her loyalty.

“Have you looked at the evidence, yet?”

Liam shoved his plate away. “We’re discussing official police business. Please leave.”

Caitlin looked around. “It’s a diner. I can’t eat?”

“As long as you don’t sit with us,” Nikki said.

“That’s right.” Courtney swung around to face her. “Take your ass to your table before I help you get there.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Courtney stared her down.

“Unprofessional,” Caitlin said as she walked briskly back to the group of protestors sitting around a large table, Bobby Vance among them. Nikki looked over her shoulder long enough to see that he sat quietly with his arms over his chest; he seemed partially separated from the others.

“Sergeant Miller’s just arrived.” Courtney waved him over.

Miller sat down next to Nikki and looked at Liam’s half-eaten cheeseburger. “You going to finish that?”

Nikki laughed at the look on Liam’s face and passed Miller her toast. “You find anything out from the day shift?”

Miller ate the toast in a few bites and then drank the water Courtney offered him. “You won’t believe it.”

“Excuse me.” A man wearing an old peacoat and corduroy pants had slunk over. “Are you Nicole Walsh?”