“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 what happened 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 with?”
“We were both kinda loners. People made fun of our interest in vampire books.” Naomi scowled. “She sometimes hung out with Mackenzie Red Shirt. But only when Mackenzie wanted something.”
“Like what?”
“Like a ride to one of the parties out at Dickie’s slough. Or if she wanted Arlette to do a report for her.”