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

Now she had more reason to believe her birth was the trigger. Nadine pictured the scene. Howler knowing he had been in the service when his wife, Arleen, had gotten pregnant. Nadine needed to check his military records to verify her suspicion that Howler would have known he could not be the father of the child his wife carried.

She wondered what her chances were of getting a straight answer from her mother on the identity of her real father.

Did Arleen even know?

As she pondered that conundrum, all last night, Nadine had called her aunt Donna. She’d seemed to take the news in her stride, telling her that she’d come to acceptance that her brother was gone long ago. Her aunt would see about collecting Dennis Howler’s remains and make arrangements.

Nadine hadn’t told her aunt that Dennis Howler wasn’t her father, not out of fear of what Aunt Donna would say but because she wanted to have that conversation face-to-face. She knew her aunt loved her, but would that change when she learned that Nadine was not her brother’s child? The uncertainty gnawed with sharp teeth against the backbone of her aunt’s support and unconditional love.

And with that truth now sinking in, Nadine again wondered if her real dad might be out there, missing her, as she missed him.

“What’s going on in there?” Demko asked.

He was leaning against the counter with a full mug of coffee. How long had he been here?

Nadine glanced about, reengaging with her surroundings.

“What?”

“You’re scowling.”

She dropped her gaze to her lap and the cuticle she had dragged loose of all but the last attachment. She yanked it away. The sting of raw flesh was somehow soothing.

“Did you speak to Juliette?” Nadine asked.

“About?”

She told him everything, starting with the familial DNA match of the male remains to Arlo and the negative finding for her, about her theories and hopes and fears.

“And you’ve held this in all day?” he asked.

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Also disconcerting. The ground keeps shifting under your feet, Dee.”

“Do you think my mother would tell me the truth, if I asked her?”

He made a face, wincing. “From what you’ve said, she’s seriously upset with you.”

“That’s an understatement. I cut off her money and all communication. Arlo said she’s raging. He also said the Copycat Killer contacted him somehow to ask about me.”

“Why am I just hearing this?”

“Because the Copycat Killer is in jail and can’t get to me. But…”

“What?”

“Arlo told me to watch my back.”

Demko took her hand and lifted it, brushing her knuckles with a kiss. “That’s my job.”

They shared a smile, but the melancholy lingered.

“Maybe Arlo would be a better source.”

“He was only five when my dad split.” Nadine rubbed her forehead. “I mean, when Dennis Howler was murdered. I’m still getting used to that.” She dragged her hand over her mouth before continuing.

“He was old enough to remember if there was someone steady around.”

“Could have been a one-nighter.”

“I suppose.”

The conversation lulled until she picked it up again.

“So my father’s skull, it was crushed. And according to Arleen, she hit the guy who owed her money. Now I discover that guy was my dad. I mean the man I thought was my dad. This is so confusing. I’d like to drive up to the correctional facility tomorrow. Maybe see Arlo afterward.”

“You don’t go anywhere without your security detail.”

She groaned. “I already forgot.”

“Speaking of forgetting: Special Agent Wynns told me that they’ve taken down that birding app. No more notifications to lure potential victims in his territory. Let’s see how our unsub feels about that.”

“He’s moved on. Not using that bait any longer, but I’m sure he’ll let me know. I’m anxious to see what the forensic document expert has to say about our greeting card and note.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

She told him about the guy she’d seen the day Mrs. Rupp had appeared on their doorstep shouting.

“You get a good look?”

“Not really. Better of the dog. It was a Jack Russell terrier.”

“I’ll see if any of the neighbors have one or saw him.”

Nadine pressed her thumb to the raw skin at the base of her index fingernail bed to stanch the blood welling at her cuticle.

He drained the remains of his mug.

“Do you think I’m the reason he left?”

“Nadine, don’t do that.”

She lowered her head.

“We have no missing persons. So take a half day and go up there.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. Go ask Arleen about your real dad. But remember, whatever she says may be a lie.”

WEDNESDAY

Nadine drove with her FBI security agent to Lowell Correctional. The agent accompanied her through the indignities of the intake process for visitors, which was identical to Lawtey’s and included metal detectors and a pat down. Once in the visitor area, the agent peeled away, keeping her eyes on Nadine and in proximity, without drawing notice. They’d even arranged an inmate for the agent to sit with in a mock visit.

Nadine waited by the prearranged table for Arleen to appear. This time she’d brought only twenty dollars in small bills because she’d be damned if her mother would get one dime from her that she didn’t use in the vending machines during their visit. Nadine had dressed with intention to most resemble the attire her mother once wore, so she entered the gathering spot in jeans, boots and a loose T-shirt, covered with a plaid cotton shirt, unbuttoned, with the sleeves torn off. Her hair was down and she wore no makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror before departure, she was unsettled by the resemblance to her mother’s younger self.

Nadine had not seen Arleen since August, before closing her first case, some eight months ago. After discovering that Arleen had aided the Copycat Killer with those monstrous crimes, Nadine had also stopped sending money to Arleen’s account. That alone was bound to incite her mother’s fury.

She’d had time to prepare for this encounter but still felt outmatched, David facing Goliath without even a single rock. Sweat slicked her palms