Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
Janie said nothing and Sloan glanced at her notes.
“When we talked in your room, I clearly asked you when was the last time you had been in the Tullocks’ home, and you said it was when you sat for them, the Wednesday before the weekend, before they left for Regina. Remember?”
No response.
“You know that’s a lie, don’t you?”
Still nothing.
“We have your fingerprints on one of the knives, in the blood, everywhere in the house and on the vodka bottle. We have your shoe impressions in the blood. We have this.” Sloan reached into the canvas bag and retrieved Janie’s personal journal sealed in plastic. Then she opened a folder with photocopied pages in Janie’s handwriting and read excerpts.
“‘The Tullocks think people like us are dirt, they think they’re better than us… Connie’s such a lying, cheating bitch who should just die…that bitch owes me money and Nikki and Marie are going to help me get it…’” Sloan looked up from the pages. “That’s some powerful anger you got boiling up inside.”
A moment passed and Sloan slapped down the photo strips of the girls and the three rings, Janie’s sugar skull, Marie’s death’s head and Nikki’s raging ring.
“We’ve arrested and charged the rest of your girl gang and they’ve told us everything.”
Janie glanced at the photos but said nothing.
“What we need is for you to tell us the truth, admit what you did.”
Janie said nothing.
“Maybe you didn’t expect the Tullocks to be home that night, maybe you were there to rehearse. But you fully intended to exact revenge and that’s what you did.”
Janie remained quiet.
“Roy Tullock had control over your mother’s job, her life. Connie Tullock owed you money and you hated her. You hated them both so much you wrote kill them all on the wall.”
Sloan placed the photos of the dead Roy, Linda and Neal on the table.
“Look at them,” Sloan said, standing, leaning closer to Janie.
Janie turned briefly to the photos, tears rolling down her face before she looked away.
“There’s no way out of this for you, Janie.”
Janie’s eyes were now focused on something distant, something faraway and so terrifying she began shaking, fearing she was breaking apart. Slowly she shook her head. Her jaw began moving as if struggling to form words.
“I want a lawyer but I have no money to pay for one.”
Sloan leaned back in her chair, assessing Janie.
“We can get you a free lawyer. You won’t have to pay.”
Gasping and sobbing, Janie managed to say: “Thank you.”
Thirty-Three
Winkler, Manitoba
2000
Five steps forward.
Turn.
Five steps back.
Turn.
Nikki paced back and forth in her cell like a caged leopard.
The Skull Sisters would survive this.
The police had taken her ring but she wasn’t worried.