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

into the events. “We’d spent the morning in the kayak. Her idea. A tandem, also her idea, so I could paddle, and she could watch for wildlife. It’s hard work, paddling that thing, especially against the current. On our way out she insisted on a hike. Guess who carried the gear? Me, again. All she had was her water and binoculars. I had everything else. I told her I wanted to be home for the game. She said we’d only be out in the morning, but she kept adding things.”

“What game?” asked Skogen.

“Tampa Bay Lightning were playing at home. My buddy has a seventy-five-inch television. Puck dropped at one p.m. But off we went on a hike.”

Nadine interrupted. “You left her there.”

The agents turned, their expressions echoing surprise. She kept her attention on Betters, his face now flushed and his eyes flashing as his frustration morphed to fury.

“She wouldn’t come with me!”

The room went quiet. The agents turned back to Betters.

“You left her in the woods?” asked Skogen.

“She refused to leave with me. She knew I had to go or miss the first period, so I…”

“When did you change your mind and go back?” asked Skogen.

“When I got to I-4, I started to worry. She had her phone, but I had the wheels. I sent a text, which she ignored. I called and it went straight to voicemail.”

This was the sort of detail they could verify once they had Skogen’s team finish a digital forensics report.

“So when she wasn’t at the trailhead, I checked the trail. I just knew she’d gotten a ride, but she wouldn’t answer her phone. She does that. Sends me to voicemail when she’s mad.”

“What did you do next?”

“I went to her place. I called her sister. I called her friend. I even called her ex-boyfriend. Nothing.” He rubbed his neck. “I still thought she was messing with me. That she’d achieved her aim, making me worry. Miss the game.”

“But you called the rangers anyway.”

“First I went back to the trailhead. Then, yes. I called.”

And this, at last, Nadine believed. Rita might have been manipulative, but his feelings seemed genuine. And his explanation fit the timeline. Of course, they’d check it.

Betters pressed a hand to his forehead. “She was so stubborn.” His hand fell to his side.

Nadine stood and let herself out.

Demko met her in the hall.

“He our guy?” he asked.

“Not sure. If it was just Rita, I’d be more inclined to think he was involved. But Nikki was first. And Betters has a solid alibi for that Saturday.”

“Watching hockey,” said Demko.

“In Tampa all weekend with his buddies. Besides, serials either begin with their intended victim, end with them, or never kill them at all and end up displacing their rage on similar victims. Killing his girlfriend second in a series makes no sense.”

“People have staged murders to look like robberies, house fires, auto accidents. Maybe he killed her by accident and wants it to look like a serial killer.”

“It’s more likely that Darnell did that,” said Nadine. “And Rita wasn’t rich or planning to leave Betters for someone else, and she wasn’t pregnant. So just break up with her and move on.”

“Could have killed her in a rage and then tried to cover his tracks.”

“No way—the cause of death is too similar to Nikki’s. It was the same guy. Plus, how would he have known where Nikki had been left?”

Demko shrugged. “Saw her on a hike?”

“That was miles from where she went missing.”

“Reportedly. We need to check the GPS on his truck and phone. See if he was where he said he was.”

“True. But he doesn’t like to hike. That’s Rita’s thing. He likes a recliner and a beer.”

“Then what about Nikki’s husband? She’s rich.”

“Roger Darnell? Why would he kill Rita?”

“Killed Nikki for the money. Killed Rita to throw authorities off track.”

“And sent them into the river alive and bleeding to lure alligators, then pulled them back out? You think her husband did that?”

“He wouldn’t be the first to kill other people to make his wife’s murder seem to be the work of a madman. And he’d know where he’d dumped Nikki and could have put Rita nearby. Plus he stands to gain financially by her death.”

“Not if her dad has any say. Still, she did have a trust fund and insurance policy. So there’s motive.”

“But he seems to have been right where he said on the day of his wife’s disappearance.”

“Well, his phone was anyway. No witnesses, receipts or anything tangible.”

“Just leave the phone home?”

“Possibly. Or…” She shook her head. “Nope.”

He waited.

“It’s not Darnell or Betters,” she said. “Have you seen anywhere near here that sells arrows?”

Seven

She and Demko had left the Betters interview and driven to Orlando to meet with Clem and Caroline Miller. The exchange had yielded nothing useful beyond the parents’ fury that, despite their cutting their daughter off, Nikki had married Roger a year ago.

There was only one disturbing detail, possibly a coincidence. Nikki had gone missing the day after their first wedding anniversary.

Nadine had now met Nikki’s parents and both victims’ partners. Neither partner seemed a viable suspect for crimes with this level of depravity.

Special Agent Skogen’s team would be carefully checking their timelines and alibis. She could do nothing further on that account.

Now she needed to get out and get a feel for the area and see it as this hunter might. He had driven these roads, possibly stopped for gas or supplies.

She let Demko drive. He was taking her to a hunting supply place he’d spotted, but she’d asked him to stop anywhere he felt deserved a look. It turned out that was a lot.

In the course of the next three hours, they visited an insurance agent, a florist, an antique dealer and Curly Cutters hair salon. Demko talked, showed the photos of the victims and Nadine held Molly’s leash and stood back to watch the behavior of the folks he spoke with. None had any information that Nadine found useful and she’d seen no obvious