“We tried to look out for her. My brother and me. Alice was slow.” She gave a soft, mirthless snort. “Annaliese. She liked trying on new names. The doctors had a name for what was wrong with her. I couldn’t pronounce it. But she was legally adult. And she hated being told what to do.”

“Her death is not your fault,” I said.

“Never is.”

I thought it an odd comment but said nothing.

“Do the police have any leads?”

“They’re questioning one suspect, looking for another. Do you know anything that might help?”

Snook wagged her head slowly.

“Why did Annaliese leave Yellowknife?”

“She was seventeen. There was nothing for her here.”

“Was Annaliese into drugs?”

The dark eyes jumped up to mine, burning with resentment. “That’s gotta be it, right? The kid was Indian, so naturally, she was a drunk or a junkie. It’s what they said about our brother. It’s what they’ll say about me. Things never change.”

“Are you referring to Daryl Beck?”

“You are thorough. I’ll give you that.”

“You’re saying Beck wasn’t a user?”

“There was a time Daryl hit the booze and drugs pretty hard. He got off to a rough start. His mother left when he was twelve. Our father didn’t give a rat’s ass.”

“Farley McLeod.”

“Only thing Farley gave his kids was a quick shot of sperm and a worthless piece of dirt in the middle of nowhere. His way of dealing with a guilty conscience, I guess.”

“You’re saying your brother had quit drinking and doing drugs?”

“Daryl was dry the last nine months of his life. He was working on his GED.” Again the mirthless snort. “Wanted to make something of himself.”

This didn’t track. “Horace Tyne said Daryl was a doper.”

Snook’s brow puckered deeper, but she said nothing.

“I spoke to Tyne briefly after you mentioned his name,” I added.

She shook her head at the irony. “So I’m the one set you on Annaliese’s trail.”

“Actually, I’ve been on Annaliese’s trail since before I met you. You were simply a lead. Tyne said Annaliese lived in his house after Farley died.”

“I wasn’t in Yellowknife then.”

“Tyne’s quite a bit older than your sister.”

“He is.”

“You have any thoughts on that?”

“Besides my brother and me, Horace Tyne’s the only person in this town gives a hoot about other creatures. He’s a fine man and a hard worker. When he can find work.”

“Did Annaliese like him?”

“No. But she could be like that.”

“Like what?”

Snook hitched one shoulder. “Stubborn. The doctors said her thinking never made it past the fourth grade.”

The cat sat up, shot a leg, and began grooming its belly. Which had very little fur.

“Do you know why Annaliese came back to Yellowknife?”

“I think something scared her.”

“What?”