Read Online Slain by Livia Harper - Free Book Online

daughter’s private life private.”
    I have to keep myself from laughing. The only things sacred about my life are the things they don’t know.
    “Exactly,” my dad pipes up. “I thought you needed Emma to help out with information about the lock-in because of her unique position in the youth community.”
    “We’re just trying to get a clearer picture. Get to know everyone. All of this is helping a lot,” Detective Simms says, scratching his nose with the wrong end of his pen and accidentally drawing a blue line down the crease of it.
    “So you broke up with Nicolas to date Michael. How long ago was that?” Detective Boyer seems to be in charge of asking the questions. She seems to be in charge of everything.
    “Last spring.”
    “When last spring?”
    “Maybe April? It was before prom.”
    “You don’t keep track of your anniversary?”
    “I’m no good with dates,” I say, smiling.
    Detective Boyer looks over to Simms with a frown and rubs her nose to let him know about the line. He rubs at it, but doesn’t get it off, leaving a blue smear where it used to be. Boyer seems annoyed but lets it go.
    “Okay. Let’s talk about that night,” Boyer says. “When was the last time you saw June?”
    “It was like I told you. I can’t remember for sure.”
    “Give us your best guess.”
    I sit up straight, fold my hands. “I know I saw her in the choir room after the Purity Ball. After that, I lost track of her.”
    “Why weren’t you hanging out together? You were friends with her, right?”
    “Yes, I guess so.”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    “I didn’t really know her very well.”
    “Is that so? A lot of other people thought you were one of her best friends.”
    “She liked to tell people that, but like I said, I didn’t really know her that well.”
    “So why would she think you were such good friends?”
    “I tried to be nice to her, I guess. She’s new to the church, and it can be hard to make friends.”
    Detective Boyer leans back in her chair with a wry smile. “So you’re saying the church crowd isn’t too friendly?”
    My dad frowns, glares at her. “We accept everyone equally, Ms. Boyer, which is why Emma was extending a kindness to the girl.”
    Detective Boyer nods, but the look on her face seems to say, “Yeah, right.”
    “I’m sure you can understand how certain people have a tendency to get overly attached to someone like Emma,” my mom says.
    Detective Simms jumps in. “Let me ask you something else, Emma. We’re estimating the time of death between ten and eleven,” he says.  
    Ten and eleven? I had assumed that June was killed just before we found her near midnight. But if she was killed between ten and eleven, that means she’d been lying there for nearly an hour, all alone. It means she was killed while Jackson and I were together.
    “Can you tell me where you were during that time?”
    Oh god. What do I say? I can’t tell them the truth. Not with my parents here. Not with Jackson’s criminal record. I don’t know what to do. My heart races until it feels like there’s a base guitar strumming inside my throat. I panic. “I was in the bathroom. I wasn’t feeling well.”
    “Which bathroom?”
    “Um, the one upstairs. In the Kid’s Korner.” As soon as it comes out of my mouth I regret it. It’s a totally stupid thing to say.
    The two detectives exchange a look.
    “Anybody with you?” Boyer asks.
    “No, I was alone. My stomach was upset.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds awful,” she says, and the way she says it makes me feel like a jerk for complaining about an upset stomach when June was murdered. Especially when it’s not even close to true.
    “Do you remember seeing June anytime after you guys changed?” Simms asks, but all I can focus on is the blue on his face, now glistening from getting mixed up with the oil on his nose.
    “I’m sorry?” I say, not remembering the question he just asked.
    “Do you remember seeing June