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

Nadine loaded Molly back in the rear seat and climbed into the front.

“Where next? The hunting place?”

“A vet’s first. Then the gun shop and then an adventure outfitter.”

He reversed out of the lot and turned them back toward Ocala National Forest.

They pulled into the veterinary office and she elected to wait in the car checking her in-box and replying to emails and texts from Tina.

When he returned, he was grinning.

Molly greeted his arrival to the cab with a lick on the cheek and received what Nadine would describe as a headlock, but the dog seemed content with the attention.

“What did I miss?”

“The vet has custody of a black Lab found wandering on a highway.”

“You think it’s Nikki’s dog? Char?”

“She responded to her name.”

“We have to call Darnell.”

She phoned Skogen and relayed the find. He was sending someone to speak with the vet and check the dog before notifying Darnell.

She finished the call and tucked the phone away.

“I hope it’s his dog.” Small comfort was better than none.

“Next stop?”

“The shooting range and gun shop.”

“Finally,” she said. “Never been in one.”

“I could pick you up a nice—”

“No.”

“You need to carry protection.”

She briefly closed her eyes, summoning the emotional energy needed to have this argument yet again.

“These are enough,” she said, motioning to the Taser and pepper spray he knew she carried in her purse.

“They’re not. A Taser is only good at close range and you have to get both contacts into the body.”

“It worked for my mother.”

The mention of her mother momentarily stopped him.

He was trying to protect her. She knew it and that thought crashed up against his dictatorial posture and the orders he issued as if she was one of his patrol officers. Or worse, as if he were her mother.

She needed to let Clint know that, although they had been dating exclusively for months, he was not her keeper.

“I’m not carrying anything that can kill someone.”

“You should.”

She would not allow ready access to something with such deadly irreversible implications. A little squeeze of a trigger and she was no better than the lunatics swinging from her family tree.

“Nadine?”

She shifted in her seat, facing him.

“Sleeping with me doesn’t give you the right to make decisions for me, Demko.”

His mouth dropped open a moment. She only called him Demko when on the job or, it seemed, when she was furious at him.

He lifted his gaze and pinned her, letting her see the hurt her words had caused before turning his attention back to the road.

“Now, see, I thought that a relationship meant looking out for each other.”

That was a gut punch. She absorbed it and blew out a breath.

“Yes. It does.”

His jaw muscles tightened as he stared straight ahead.

“You know, a relationship sometimes means compromise.”

“My compromise is that you carry the gun and I carry my laptop.”

The remainder of the drive to the gun shop passed in silence.

After they arrived, Nadine headed in first to see if the place was dog friendly.

Inside, she was struck with a blast of welcome cold air and the sight of various animal heads mounted on the walls, all staring down at her with glass eyes. Both the buffalo and the pronghorn wore bunny ear headbands, and the coyote held an Easter basket in its gaping jaws.

Festive, she thought and shuddered.

“Hey, there!” The cheerful voice came from behind the row of showcases along the far wall.

The sales associate was a middle-aged inked woman with jet-black hair and a tight, low-cut top that revealed a turquoise bra.

Nadine inquired about their dog policy.

“I love dogs. Bring him in. Leash, though, okay?”

She retrieved the pair, finding Molly squatting to pee and Demko on the phone.

“All clear,” she said and returned.

The interior included rows of locked glass showcases, upright gun safes, regular safes and archery equipment. She narrowed her eyes on the arrows, relying on Juliette’s belief that the punctures were small, thin, deep and created with a double-edged instrument atypical of even a double-edged blade.

While the sales associate lavished attention on Miss Molly, Clint made a loop of the store. He also paused before the arrows.

“You sell a lot of these?” he asked.

“Archery equipment? Sure. Quail season just closed. Deer season opens for archery and crossbow season in August. Then there’s turkey and bobcat after that. No hunting now, though. Mating season. Critters got to raise their young.” She eyed him. “You need a permit?”

“Would you have a list of buyers?”

She straightened at this question. “I don’t give out customers’ information.”

“We’re working on a murder case.”

Her expression hardened. “Even so.” Then she called over her shoulder. “Dad! Get out here.”

From the back of the gun shop came an elderly man with twin gray braids, wearing a black T-shirt advertising a country music festival. He had a cigarette clamped in the corner of his mouth.

The woman motioned her head toward them.

“Cops.”

“Can I help you, Officer?” said the owner to Demko.

“We are trying to learn who might have purchased archery equipment from you in the last year.”

“Long list. You got a warrant for this?”

“We don’t,” Demko said.

“Then I’ll say good day and ask you to leave my shop.”

“Your name?”

The owner lifted his chin. “Oliver Banderwall.”

“Thank you, Mr. Banderwall, for your help.”

They made a hasty exit.

“Banderwall?” she said.

Demko opened the computer fixed to his dashboard and started typing. A few minutes later, he shook his head.

“Yup. Mr. Banderwall. He has two daughters, June and Julie. Clean record. Veteran. Owns a Harley. No known criminal associates. No warnings for illegal sales. Seems to run a tight ship.”

“Do you think our killer would buy arrows locally?”

“Might. Hard to say. But I’d mention this place to Skogen.”

“How do you know he hasn’t already been here?”

“Banderwall would have said so. Visit from the Feds leaves an impression.”

Demko loaded Molly, and Nadine slipped back into the stifling hot vehicle.

“Clint? I’m sorry about the argument.”

He took her hand. “I just want you safe.”

“I know that.”

He put them in gear and on they went.

“Outdoor adventure place?”

“Yes. It’s the one where Karnowski and Betters rented the