probably occurred when the body washed onto the rocks of the island.”
“Any indication of sexual assault?”
“Our coroner didn’t find any, no. Of course, the body had been in the lake, so a lot of evidence could have been washed away.”
“How long was she in the water?” English asked.
“That’s a tough one. The frigid temperature of the lake tends to preserve a body. So it could have been a week or it could have been a month.”
“A year?” Cork asked.
“I thought about that and asked the coroner. He said he didn’t think so. Thought it was much more recent, although he couldn’t really say how recent.”
Cork said, “Carrie and Mariah Arceneaux disappeared at the same time, probably together. Who investigated that disappearance?”
“That would be me. But it wasn’t a disappearance, as such. When their families reported them gone, I looked into the situation. Became clear pretty quick that the girls had run away. They’d been talking about it for a while, and they didn’t leave empty-handed. They packed suitcases. May have got a ride out of town with a friend.”
“What friend?”
“Never was able to get a name. You ever try getting information from folks on a reservation? They close ranks.”
“Any idea where they were headed?”
Hammer shrugged. “Indian kids when they run off generally go to a relative’s place. I checked and that’s not where these kids went. So I notified Ashland and Duluth PD and all the shelters in the area. Also in the Twin Cities. Those are the places where kids up here usually run to if they’re serious about running. I gave their information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I questioned the kids’ parents. I continued to ask around at their school and on the reservation. I didn’t come up with anything useful except that the girls had talked to some of their friends about getting out of here, going somewhere more exciting. If I’d been concerned that Carrie and Mariah were abducted, that would be one thing. But like I say, it was pretty clear they’d just taken off on their own. It’s been my experience that, more often than not, runaways come home eventually. It’s a hard life out there on the street.”
Cork nodded his agreement with that last statement. “When her body washed up on Windigo Island, what did you think then?”
“Honestly, I’ve been wondering if she’d been around here somewhere the whole time, just didn’t want to be seen. Runawayand all. I mean, the home life of some of these kids is pretty bad. They want to get away from it, but not away completely from what’s familiar, you understand?”
“Is that possible up here?” English asked. “To hide for a year without being spotted? Seems to me like an area where people would recognize each other.”
“Generally speaking, I think that’s true. But with Indian kids . . .” Again, Hammer shrugged. “The autopsy showed that the girl had been using. Dressed as she was when we found her, it’s not hard to guess what she might’ve been up to.”
“Which was?” Jenny asked.
“In my experience, a young Indian girl who’s into drugs and who doesn’t have a lot of money also doesn’t have a lot of choice in how she gets those drugs.”
Jenny leaned forward, and Cork was afraid she was going to spring at the detective. “Prostitution? That’s what you’re saying? It could only be prostitution?”
“Pretty much that’s what I’m saying, yes.”
“Because she’s Ojibwe.”
“Okay,” Cork jumped in quickly, “how does a kid prostitute herself up here? I mean, without being seen and recognized? Even an Indian kid.”
“We’re not on the moon. We have the Internet. So, Craigslist, for example.”
“Did you check Craigslist?”
“Yes. And Backpage. That’s another way they do this kind of thing.”
“And?”
“I didn’t find anything, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. She probably used information that
“Any indication of sexual assault?”
“Our coroner didn’t find any, no. Of course, the body had been in the lake, so a lot of evidence could have been washed away.”
“How long was she in the water?” English asked.
“That’s a tough one. The frigid temperature of the lake tends to preserve a body. So it could have been a week or it could have been a month.”
“A year?” Cork asked.
“I thought about that and asked the coroner. He said he didn’t think so. Thought it was much more recent, although he couldn’t really say how recent.”
Cork said, “Carrie and Mariah Arceneaux disappeared at the same time, probably together. Who investigated that disappearance?”
“That would be me. But it wasn’t a disappearance, as such. When their families reported them gone, I looked into the situation. Became clear pretty quick that the girls had run away. They’d been talking about it for a while, and they didn’t leave empty-handed. They packed suitcases. May have got a ride out of town with a friend.”
“What friend?”
“Never was able to get a name. You ever try getting information from folks on a reservation? They close ranks.”
“Any idea where they were headed?”
Hammer shrugged. “Indian kids when they run off generally go to a relative’s place. I checked and that’s not where these kids went. So I notified Ashland and Duluth PD and all the shelters in the area. Also in the Twin Cities. Those are the places where kids up here usually run to if they’re serious about running. I gave their information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I questioned the kids’ parents. I continued to ask around at their school and on the reservation. I didn’t come up with anything useful except that the girls had talked to some of their friends about getting out of here, going somewhere more exciting. If I’d been concerned that Carrie and Mariah were abducted, that would be one thing. But like I say, it was pretty clear they’d just taken off on their own. It’s been my experience that, more often than not, runaways come home eventually. It’s a hard life out there on the street.”
Cork nodded his agreement with that last statement. “When her body washed up on Windigo Island, what did you think then?”
“Honestly, I’ve been wondering if she’d been around here somewhere the whole time, just didn’t want to be seen. Runawayand all. I mean, the home life of some of these kids is pretty bad. They want to get away from it, but not away completely from what’s familiar, you understand?”
“Is that possible up here?” English asked. “To hide for a year without being spotted? Seems to me like an area where people would recognize each other.”
“Generally speaking, I think that’s true. But with Indian kids . . .” Again, Hammer shrugged. “The autopsy showed that the girl had been using. Dressed as she was when we found her, it’s not hard to guess what she might’ve been up to.”
“Which was?” Jenny asked.
“In my experience, a young Indian girl who’s into drugs and who doesn’t have a lot of money also doesn’t have a lot of choice in how she gets those drugs.”
Jenny leaned forward, and Cork was afraid she was going to spring at the detective. “Prostitution? That’s what you’re saying? It could only be prostitution?”
“Pretty much that’s what I’m saying, yes.”
“Because she’s Ojibwe.”
“Okay,” Cork jumped in quickly, “how does a kid prostitute herself up here? I mean, without being seen and recognized? Even an Indian kid.”
“We’re not on the moon. We have the Internet. So, Craigslist, for example.”
“Did you check Craigslist?”
“Yes. And Backpage. That’s another way they do this kind of thing.”
“And?”
“I didn’t find anything, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. She probably used information that
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