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

“Well, I need your opinion. So get your butt up here.”

“Yes, boss lady. See you later on.”

“Lunch?”

“I’ll be tied up with the dead.”

“Well, find me if you get a moment,” said Nadine.

“Yes. I will.”

Juliette disconnected the call. Nadine hurried back through the crowded breakfast area, added sugar to the coffee and stirred. On the way to her table, she discovered that guests were waiting before the empty chairs at her place and an attendant was wiping down the surface, readying it for the new arrivals. Her muffin and uneaten bacon had vanished.

The breakfast attendant, a small, brown-skinned woman with dark hair, met her gaze. Her brows lifted in alarm.

“Oh, I am sorry, ma’am. I see you go to elevator. I think you are finished.” She had a heavy Spanish accent and contrite smile. Nadine followed her gaze as it flashed to the manager who was already approaching, glowering at the woman. Meanwhile, the couple stood, holding heavy-laden plates, anxious for both of them to disappear but polite enough to wait.

“No, no,” said Nadine. “I was finished. Thank you…”

The young male manager stopped, glaring at his employee. Nadine turned to him.

“Bibi, did you toss her breakfast?”

Nadine stepped before the manager.

“She’s doing a terrific job. The place is spotless.”

The smaller woman took the opportunity created by her interruption to hurry toward the kitchen.

Nadine capped her take-out coffee and retrieved her briefcase, which contained her small cross-body purse, and was out the door a few moments later, carrying a small yogurt and an apple.

She noted that there were two unfamiliar people manning reception and wondered if she would be here long enough to learn everyone’s name.

Nadine sat back in her desk chair in the temporary FBI office, situated in a vacant suite in a medical building in Ocala. The closest FBI field offices were in Maitland and Lakeland, so Skogen had set up a temporary office here. Tina had arrived before her and now sat in the outer office. Nadine took a video call from Juliette and the ME reported on her morning at the ME’s office and her examination of the remains of the two bodies.

Juliette’s image shrank as she shared her screen and clicked through the photographs taken at the crime scene by local sheriffs and state crime techs.

“I agree with the assessment that the remains of victim two are somewhere between seven and ten days old. Victim one died between three to five days ago.”

Nadine stared at the image of the discolored remains of victim one, covered with leaf debris and sticks. The next shot showed the dump site from farther back, the body nearly invisible beneath a large live oak tree.

Nadine had begun building her psychological autopsy of the two victims, but they were sparse as they had yet to identify either woman.

“I need to go out there,” she said, more to herself than to Juliette.

“Might be wise.”

Juliette flipped to a shot of the second victim. This woman rested on her stomach; her legs splayed, the pose sexualized and unlike the other. Nadine knew this was the victim found with additional physical evidence, semen. The slight wound from the arrow at her lower back was barely visible and her form was pale, with some evidence of decay. The bruising about her waist, left by a chain, was apparent. Predation on the lower legs was obvious and disturbing.

Beside her lay a pile of sticks and leaves. Had someone removed them after the killer had left?

“You saw the X-rays?”

Juliette nodded, flicking ahead to the image of the objects removed from the victims.

“It’s arrow points. One in each spinal column. Cervical on one and lumbar on two. Here’s a thing, the point didn’t break off. It’s a whole arrowhead, intact. It almost seems like they weren’t properly fixed to the shafts.”

That was odd. Was that intentional, the killer leaving a calling card?

“Just the arrowhead? No shaft?”

“High-carbon steel arrowhead. They’re called broadheads.”

“Why did they come off?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Don’t they usually come out with the shaft?”

“Unless they break.”

“Was it broken?”

“No. Intact and recovered from each victim’s spine.”

She needed to see that point and have Demko take a look as well.

“I’d like to see those broadheads.”

“We have them.”

“Progress on victim identification?” She needed that to help her build a picture of these women. They were the key to finding their unknown suspect and she did not doubt for a moment that if they did not soon figure out who, where and why he was targeting them, their killer would kill again.

“No.” Juliette flicked forward to the image of both women, now on tarps beside waiting body bags. “But I understand the FBI is speaking to families of all recent missing persons. If these women are from the area, we should know fairly soon.”

“And nothing, no personal items found anywhere in the vicinity?” She knew this but had to ask again. It still seemed unlikely and infuriating.

Her mother had taken all clothing from her victims to remove physical evidence. Was this perp doing likewise?

“No jewelry, clothing or objects of any kind.”

Many killers saved the jewelry from their victims. Keepsakes.

Nadine stared at the image of the two dead women, allowing the anger to percolate within her.

If this were a series, then their killer might already have captured his next victim. They had to figure this out. There was no time to waste.

She glanced at a report. “And there was nothing in their stomachs. How long were they held?”

“Unknown. Best guess is two to four days. It’s hard to differentiate what chemical processes began before or after death. But the second victim was definitely in ketosis. Possibly the first also, but we’re unable to determine this was not due to the natural processes of decay. However, I agree with the ME’s assessment that the second victim, at least, and possibly the first, were both starving at the time of death.”

Was that to weaken them or instituted just for the pleasure of watching them suffer?

Juliette flicked to a close-up of the denuded bone on