Last Girls Alive (Detective Katie Scott #4) - Jennifer Chase Page 0,39

was,” she replied, looking directly at Katie. Diverting her attention to Cisco, she continued, “She was horrible. She was moody, taking things out on us and making us do things that were wrong, especially when the police officer visited. But her anger was mostly fixated on me.”

“Why was that?”

“Because I complained the least and I was quiet. It made her mad that I kept quiet, unlike the others who resisted, threw fits, and called her names.” She paused. “The others were different. Heather was the cheerleader, she kept it positive and smiled through it all. And you never knew what Terry would come up with, such a drama queen.” Tanis smiled, as if remembering better times.

“And Karen?”

Tanis’s expression turned sour. “Karen was a dark person, but it was an inward kind of dark.”

A slight breeze blew through the tiny apartment and one of the wind chimes jangled. The sunlight seemed to sparkle through some of the trinkets and ornaments.

“What was it like with Candace? The discipline?” Katie looked to McGaven who had been listening intently and seemed to have a melancholy expression on his face—a look of sadness as if recalling a memory.

Cisco sat close to Tanis, reveling in all the attention he received, but it was also as if his sixth sense knew that Tanis needed some comfort and love. Dogs were like that—and Cisco was no different. He quietly panted, ears straight ahead as the pets kept coming.

Tanis looked up. “Oh, no. It wasn’t like that for Candace. She was special.”

“Special. How?” Katie gently pushed.

“Well, she was beautiful. Everyone loved her and wanted to be her friend. She was one of those people that you noticed, know what I mean?”

Katie nodded.

“She stood up for people. She didn’t take crap from anyone. Life was too short.”

“You two were close?”

“Yes.”

“She watched over you?”

“Oh yes. Things changed for me when she came to stay at Elm.”

Katie smiled. “I had a friend like that. Who looked out for me. We were inseparable.”

Tanis looked up. “Really? What happened to her?”

“She… passed away.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Tanis…”

The young woman stopped petting Cisco for a moment. “You want to know about that night? The last time I saw Candace?”

“Yes, I do. Can you tell me?”

“I told that police officer who took the missing persons report everything I knew. He was always at Elm. And I never lied.”

Katie searched her phone photos and stopped on one showing Deputy Hugh Keller, which was from his academy photo. “Is this the police officer that came to Elm all the time?”

“Yes.”

“I would like to hear what happened from you. Can you tell me?” Katie kept her tone low as if talking to a child.

Tanis took a deep breath and observed Katie. She remained quiet, studying Katie’s face for a moment before speaking. “There’s a sadness about you, Detective. You feel torn. Part of you is here and part of you is still there. Don’t worry, it will be okay.”

Katie blinked in surprise, completely taken off guard. Like Tanis had looked right into her soul and really seen her. She felt her pulse jump and her voice caught in her throat. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Did you plan on escaping before that night?”

Tanis smiled and went back to petting Cisco. “We talked about it for a while. We talked about our dreams and what we would do when we left Elm. We both wanted to get married and have children, live in a big house with a maid, and… always live near each other so our children could play together…”

This time, Katie looked away.

“Then one night Candace woke me up and said it was time to go. We had already packed our small suitcases with what we could and hid them outside. There was no time to change. We were both in our nightgowns.”

“What was Candace’s mood?”

“She was her usual upbeat self, ready for an adventure.”

“What happened? Why didn’t you go with her as planned?”

Tanis readjusted her seat and smoothed her skirt. “You don’t understand, Detective. If I would have left, then one of the other girls would have to take my place for the discipline. I couldn’t let that happen. I only had a few more months before I was legally able to leave.”

“I see.” Katie had to strain to hear Tanis. At times she spoke so quietly that both she and McGaven had to lean forward to better hear her.

“I’m not sure that you do. Oh, I think you understand a lot about good friends, teamwork, and doing