Chilling Effect by Unknown

childless. “She’s got to keep her head on straight. Th at was one reason I liked her spending time with
    Isaac. He . . . he made something of himself. He got a degree, had
    a good job. I thought it would show her that it wasn’t a fantasy—a
    better life was a real possibility for her, even if she never got off the res . . .” Ruby choked back tears.
    Aroostine gnawed her lower lip. She had no idea what to say
    to comfort the woman. She was obviously shaken up enough to be
    confi ding in a complete stranger who she met on the side of the
    road. Before she had the chance to frame a response, Ruby wiped
    her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing mascara and eyeliner
    across her face, and sniffl ed.
    “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She straightened her
    back like a woman who was used to doing hard things and pushing
    back fear and doubt.
    “Please, don’t be,” Aroostine said. Th en she plunged in, unwill-
    ing to let the opening pass. “You know, I found him.”
    Ruby blinked. “Found him—Isaac?”
    “Yes.”
    “Are you a friend of his or something?”
    “Not exactly.”
    49
    MELISSA F. MILLER
    Ruby eyeballed her. “Th en who are you, exactly ?”
    Aroostine exhaled slowly. If she was going to stick around and
    try to get to the bottom of Isaac Palmer’s death, she’d need an ally.
    And, so far, the cocktail waitress seemed like the most viable candi-date, if only because she was actually willing to speak to Aroostine.
    Her inner lawyer took over and blurted out the words before she
    could second-guess herself. “I’m an attorney with the Department
    of Justice. Do you know any reason why someone would want to
    kill Isaac? You said he was well liked.”
    Ruby stepped back as if putting physical space between them
    would shut down the line of questioning. “I think what I said was
    he was harmless. And he was—he was just a numbers cruncher for
    the casino.”
    Ruby’s words were neutral, but her tone was saying I know more
    about this than I’m letting on. Aroostine decided to push her, just a little.
    “So in his position he had access to the casino’s fi nancial infor-
    mation, bank accounts, and a lot of money, right?”
    Th e other woman shrugged and glanced over to check on her
    daughter again. “I guess. I wouldn’t know. In my position, I hav my
    e
    access to the casino’s watered-down rail drinks and domestic bottles.”
    Wrong approach. Aroostine dropped the all-business lawyer act
    and appealed to the mother standing in front of her.
    “Ruby, listen, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. I get
    that. But I can tell you’re a good person.”
    “Oh, yeah, can you read minds?”
    “No. But I can interpret what I see. You stopped on a dark,
    rarely traveled road to check on me. You didn’t have to do that.
    You’re worried about your daughter’s future. A daughter who, by the way, is delightful. So I can tell you’re doing a good job raising her on your own. And you’re upset about Isaac’s death, which is more
    than I can say about your tribal police. I don’t need to be a mind
    50
    CHILLING EFFECT
    reader to know that you’re a good person. I want to fi nd out who
    murdered your friend and why. Help me.”
    Ruby’s eyes fl itted to her car again. Lily had abandoned her win-
    dow vigil and was waving her wand around the backseat, probably
    casting some sort of spell. She watched her daughter for a moment
    and then glanced back at Aroostine with a hard expression, like she’d made a decision.
    “You have to keep my name out of it.”
    “I will.”
    “I need your word. I have Lily to worry about.” She said her
    daughter’s name with heavy emphasis, driving home the point that
    Aroostine’s promise wasn’t for her benefi t, but for the girl’s.
    “I understand. You have my word.”
    Th ey regarded one another for a silent moment that seemed to
    stretch endlessly into the night. Ruby gave a small nod, like she’d seen something in Aroostine’s