Merciless by Lori Armstrong Read Free Book Online Page A

stationed at Ellsworth for the last of my enlistment. Met
     a native guy, moved to the rez, got a cop job . . . and here I am.”
    “He fell in love with your lovely lady lumps?”
    She grinned and started to retort, but the door swung inward, sucking the humor from
     the room. The ashen face of a young Indian girl reminded us of our unpleasant task.
    I stood and offered my hand. “Naomi? I’m Special Agent Gunderson of the FBI. Thank
     you so much for coming in to speak with us.”
    “Why don’t you sit here.” Officer Ferguson offered her a seat between us. “That way
     we won’t have to shout at each other to be heard. You want coffee or water?”
    Naomi shook her head and slid into the chair.
    I studied her openly. Long, straight hair scraped back into a ponytail. Eyes heavily
     lined with black eye shadow. She peeled back the oversized, black ski jacket. The
     puffiness of her down-filled coat made her look much huskier than her actual slight
     stature. Rings adorned all ten of her fingers. Her fingernails were painted black,
     but the polish was mostly chipped off.
    She tugged down a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words TEAM JACOB, and I bit back a groan. A Twi -hard. My sister had convinced me to watch the first Twilight movie, and I had done so with extreme cynicism, leaving on my running shoes to make
     a fast getaway. But the flick was entertaining, despite the bucket loads of teen angst.
    “Since you’re a minor, we can wait to begin until there’s a parent or guardian present.”
    “My mom’s dead; my dad’s in jail. I live with my grandma, and she don’t get around
     too good. I don’t need anyone’s permission to talk.”
    I glanced at Fergie, and she shrugged, as if to indicate that this happened regularly.
     “If it’s all right with you, we’ll start with the basics. How well did you know Arlette?”
    Naomi twisted her rings. “We hung out. We liked the same books.”
    “What kind of books?”
    “Vampire ones, mostly.” Her chin came up, daring me to make fun of her.
    I played dumb. “Vampire books like Dracula or the ones Anne Rice writes?”
    “No. Like the Twilight series.” She pointed to her T-shirt. “Like the Vampire Academy series. The Vampire Diaries. ”
    “Ah. Did you and Arlette see each other outside of school hours to talk about your
     shared interest of vampire books?”
    “Yes, as often as we could.”
    “Would you meet at her house?”
    She paused. “Sometimes. But her uncle hated when she had people over. He complained
     he wanted to watch his TV in peace and quiet without loud teenagers around.”
    “How was her relationship with her uncle?”
    “In front of other people, like tribal members, he acted as if he liked having her
     around. But when it was just them two and her aunt? He wasn’t nice to her, and she
     heard him say he couldn’t wait until she was gone.”
    My gaze narrowed. “Did you hear him say that?”
    “Once. On one of the rare times I stayed over at her house. I needed a drink of water,
     and I overheard him and Arlette’s aunt arguing in the living room. He said he’d never
     wanted kids—his own or anyone else’s—and maybe if they were lucky, Arlette would screw
     up just like her mother had, and then they’d be rid of her.”
    “Did you tell Arlette what you overheard?”
    She shook her head. “It would’ve made her feel worse because she knew her uncle didn’t
     want her around.”
    Rotten luck to overhear such a cruel remark in light of whathappened to her friend. “Did Arlette ever tell you that her uncle physically hurt
     her? Or threatened to hurt her?”
    “I don’t think so. He just said mean shit to her all the time. Especially after he’d
     been drinking.” Naomi’s eyes widened with fear. “You won’t tell him I said any of
     that?”
    “No. Everything you tell us is confidential.” I glanced up from the scant notes I’d
     jotted in my notebook. “Who else did Arlette hang around