The Hunted Girls by Jenna Kernan (best book club books for discussion txt) 📕

“Nope,” she said to the phone and then quickly grabbed some of the few remaining clean clothes from her suitcase. She paused to stare at the plastic bag and Bubble Wrap protecting her brick, considering bringing it to breakfast for Demko to admire, but left it, and quickly dressed. Somehow, she managed to reach the lobby at 7:15 a.m. to find Tina and Juliette just coming in.

Juliette’s expression beamed with delight.

“I saw them!”

“Who?” asked Nadine.

“The burrowing owls. God, they are so cute. They are only the size of soda cans, and their legs! They’re like stilts.”

“You shouldn’t be on the trails alone.”

“I wasn’t alone. I had Tina and Smith and Wesson along.” Juliette had a carry permit and, except when jogging, was generally armed. “There’s a kayak rental place near here. I spotted it on the way back. Do you want to go out on Saturday?”

“Umm, if I do get free time, I’ll likely go visit Arlo,” Nadine said.

“I’ll go!” said Tina.

Juliette looked surprised. “Really. Do you kayak?”

“No, but I can swim and I’m a fast learner.”

Juliette nodded and gave Tina one of her most generous smiles. “All right then.”

“How long until you get the DNA back from the sperm sample on Karnowski?” asked Nadine, back to business.

“Should have it in a day or so.”

“Fast.”

“FBI labs,” said Juliette. “I’m getting spoiled. I’m anxious to see if they get a hit.”

“Me too.” To get a match would be amazing, but it wouldn’t be the first time a serial was caught because of forensic evidence.

“You heading to the office?” asked Tina.

“Meeting with Nikki Darnell’s parents first.”

Nadine was itching to get to work building her psychological autopsy of the two known victims, seeking commonalities in behavior, physicality, and mental state, but first she wanted to meet Karnowski’s boyfriend and Nikki’s mother.

“See you later then,” said Tina.

Juliette offered a wave and the pair headed toward their rooms on the first floor, which allowed pets.

Nadine veered toward the breakfast area, finding a new worker there setting out oranges, this one a white man about her height. She did not see the small woman who had been working yesterday, and wondered if the attendant had gotten into trouble for throwing away her breakfast. She headed toward the man to ask, but he veered through the swinging door to the kitchen at her approach.

Nadine grabbed a bowl of oatmeal, added milk and dried fruit, and collected a small plate of eggs.

In the dining area, she spotted Demko, who sat reading the paper and simultaneously munching on a bagel slathered with cream cheese and topped with walnuts.

She slipped in beside him and he pushed a cup of coffee in her direction. Then he leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips that made her drop her spoon.

“Good morning,” he whispered and then drew back.

“I missed your text.”

“It was late.” He finished the bagel in three bites, showing strong white teeth. The sight did funny things to her breathing.

“I had a migraine.”

“Again?” His expression now reflected concern.

“Yeah, stress reaction. I took my meds and they finally knocked me out.”

She sipped the coffee, completely aware that they had not been alone together since she’d returned from DC. Though he was seated beside her, she missed him physically in a way that had her aching and distracted.

“You get any sleep?”

“Couple hours,” he said.

“Oh, darn it!” She glanced toward the lobby. “I forgot that damn packet from Skogen upstairs.”

“You saw him?”

She shook her head. “Left us policy manuals at the front desk.”

He waved a hand. “Keep it.”

She drained her coffee and glanced about, searching again for the little breakfast lady, Bibi, but could not find her. “What happened with the trail cam?”

“Sheriff and I waited for the FBI to get there. We left it on the tree, exactly as you found it.”

“Skogen make the pickup?” she asked.

“One of his people. Don’t get your hopes up. It’s a dud. The SIM card is missing.”

Her shoulders sagged. There would be no image of a killer dumping a victim.

“Maybe we’ll pull some prints,” he said, offering some hope. “Anyway, that’s how I learned they’d notified Betters.”

Hugo Betters was Rita Karnowski’s boyfriend, the man they’d failed to reach last night.

“What? He’s been notified?”

“Yeah.”

Her frustrated exhalation fanned her coffee. She’d missed seeing Betters’s initial reaction.

She growled out the words. “They didn’t contact me.”

“Might want to talk to Skogen about that,” said Demko.

“Oh, I will.” She drew out her phone and sent a text to Skogen.

“So tell me what you heard,” she said, setting aside the device and turning to her eggs.

“Special Agent Coleman told me that she notified Karnowski’s parents yesterday afternoon and caught her partner at his residence.”

“When?”

“After we left. He’d gone from work to a pub for dinner.”

She stirred her oatmeal, then tucked in. “So, you know where to find him today?”

He nodded. “Got the job site from Coleman. That could be our first stop.”

“Sounds good.” She finished the oatmeal and dropped the spoon in the bowl. “Thank you for coming with me. It means a lot to have you here.”

He smiled. “You can thank me if I ever manage to get you alone.”

Her head sank. “I’m sorry we missed each other last night.”

“Me too.”

Her phone chimed and she read the message.

“Skogen didn’t think it necessary for me to be there. But wants me in on the formal interview.”

“What do you think about that?”

“I’ll tell him what I think in person.”

His brows lifted and he gave a slow nod.

She set aside the phone. “So, first the job site of Karnowski’s partner, then the meeting with the parents of Nikki Darnell?”

“Without any of Skogen’s team?”

“Seems only fair.”

Nadine read from the missing person’s report as Demko drove. “‘Rita Karnowski’s partner, Hugo Betters, reported her missing on Saturday, March 20th, calling the rangers three hours after getting separated from her on a short hike.’” She lowered the report. “That’s a long time.”

“Wonder what he did for three hours?”

She made a sound in her throat and turned back to the report.

“Says he went back to his truck to