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

“What if I have it? The killer code, that gene sequence correlated to extreme violence? What if I’m like her or if I could become like her? What if I’m like my great-grandfather who killed a guy in a bar fight? My grandfather who ran over his boss with a forklift and broke his neck. My brother—”

He gave her hands a little tug.

“None of them are you. And I hate to break it to you, but you’ve already formed interpersonal connections with Juliette and Tina and me. You are fully capable of relationships. You are fully capable of loving me. And you have empathy, too much empathy. It’s why you are so good at this job. You empathize with everyone: the victims, the victims’ families, the law enforcement professionals and the killer. You understand their minds in a way that is unique.”

“Because I’m like them.”

“I don’t think that’s why.”

“We’ll find out when I get that blood work.”

“That stupid blood test? That’s just an indicator of a higher percentage of violent behavior. Your violent behavior is what saved my life when the Copycat Killer attacked me. It was appropriate violence, necessary violence. You can do this, Nadine, the profiling, us, all of it. I believe in you.”

She wanted to fall into his arms and hug him. She wanted to leave the conversation there, but she owed him the entire explanation. So she drew a long breath and blew it away, trying to verbalize her deepest dread in a quiet trembling voice.

“It’s not just about me. I’m not just afraid of what I might do. I’m afraid of…” She’d nearly said it aloud but checked herself, editing her words. She had been about to say that she was afraid of what their kids might do, of what they might become because of the mix of poison her genes would inject into their being. Instead she edited, saying, “I’d be a terrible mother.”

He released her hands and drew back. His brow furrowed and he looked stunned.

“That’s a little fatalistic. Isn’t it?”

“Is it?”

“I had no idea that’s how you felt.” He shifted his position, inching away from her.

“Isn’t that where you want to take this?”

“Yes, but I think you’d be a terrific mom. But if you don’t want kids, we can… we’ll talk about it. We can…”

He couldn’t think of a future for them that did not include children. And it was all clear to her. Clint did want all the things that scared her most profoundly. A wife, a family.

He was pacing now, like a trapped animal.

He stopped and looked at her with such a pained expression. It was finally hitting him that she might not be the one, and that killed her. She wanted to be the one. She wanted to share her life with this man. But her unwillingness to bear his children could be a deal breaker, even if she kept the real reasons for that choice hidden. It had, at least, temporarily stunned him speechless.

She had thought that it was unfair of her to keep him when she couldn’t be all he wanted. But now she feared he might be thinking along the same lines. He might be preparing to end this right now.

So she did what she always did. She stalled.

“Clint, you need to give me some space to get this investigation going. I have to stop this killer and I need all my defenses up.”

And this time, he seemed glad to agree. Happy to put their relationship on pause while he processed all she had told him and then, let her go.

Nadine reached out her hand and he took it, allowing her to draw him back to bed.

She couldn’t help the thought that this might be the last time.

Sixteen

SATURDAY

She and Demko met in the lobby, after they’d ended up sleeping in their separate rooms, and drove the route along the trail Linda would have taken from the hotel, just after sunup the day she was first captured. He was unusually quiet. She felt herself losing him. Up until now she had been holding him at arm’s length. Now he seemed ready to let go.

With their personal life in tatters, she turned to the case, studying the data provided by the FBI, as he drove. She now knew, thanks to digital forensics, and Tolan agreeing to let them access her phone while in the hospital, that all three victims had entered GPS coordinates. “Only Karnowski was accompanied. Darnell and Tolan plugged in coordinates and Karnowski did the same using her boyfriend’s onboard nav system.”

She had already seen the body dump for Karnowski and Darnell. Now she wanted to see the trail where Linda Tolan had been taken.

Nadine glanced down at her screen. “Tolan entered the GPS location at four fifty-five a.m.” She returned her attention to Demko. “What’s your take on where they were each headed?”

He grimaced. “Would be helpful to see the direct messages and alerts.”

“Should have them soon.”

“The most likely scenario is a drug deal or meeting someone for sex. Especially at that time.”

“I’ll look for that sort of app on the data sheet. But these are remote locations for either of those. Also, no one likes to get naked in these woods. The bugs are too vicious.”

“That’s why they invented backseats and air-conditioning.”

She recalled missing an illicit affair in her last profile because the two meeting for sex were divorced and she hadn’t considered that they were still sleeping together.

“I suppose this is somewhat of a halfway point between the east and west coasts. The parking area gives a natural place to meet.”

“Exchange of goods. Something they bought online?” suggested Demko.

She’d have to check for sites like craigslist and eBay. The FBI could do that for her.

“A woman would have to be crazy to come all the way out here to do such a thing alone. Stupid dangerous. None of these women were stupid.”

But all of them were still dead. She feared that