The Hunted Girls by Jenna Kernan (best book club books for discussion txt) 📕

Arleen was among the first of the inmates to enter the visiting area. She glanced about, her face a hard mask of thinly veiled fury. Her focus pinned her daughter and her eyes narrowed dangerously, taking aim. Then she marched toward Nadine, who had decided to remain standing near the biggest guard she could find for this reunion.

Her mother had lost weight, Nadine realized. The pale blue uniform now hung on her and the neck of the T-shirt gaped, revealing bladelike collarbones.

“Well, there she is. La-dee-fuckin’-da. The prodigal child returns. Still digging into my business?”

“Hello, Arleen.”

She snorted. “You want to take a seat or you plannin’ some half-assed duel?”

Nadine motioned to the preselected table and waited for Arleen to settle into one of the round stools with her back to the agent guarding Nadine.

The general setup of the room reminded Nadine of any institutional cafeteria. But instead of the aroma of pizza and French fries, this room stank of unwashed bodies, mildew and desperation. They certainly weren’t wasting any money on air-conditioning. The room must have been eighty degrees.

“If you’re here to try and stop me from publishing, you can go spit.”

Nadine sat across the table from her mother, keeping her hands on her lap and out of Arleen’s reach.

“I’m not.”

“But you heard about the book. Right? I’ve got whole chapters on you. My only daughter. The one I protected from my little ventures and I don’t know how many of my men. And how does she repay me? Still have the knife in my back.” Arleen thumbed over her shoulder at the imaginary blade.

She had practiced what she planned to say. And been very clear in her mind about what details she would share with Arleen, and which she would retain. Now it all jumbled together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. She wiped the sweat from her brow.

She did not wish to do anything that would jeopardize Arlo’s deal with the parole board. Neither did she want to put Arlo and Arlene at odds. They would be soon enough, because their mother would be livid to learn he had stolen her chance to avoid execution. Arleen’s attorney had offered a deal. She’d identify her victims in exchange for reducing her death penalty sentence to life in prison. Arlo’s deal threatened that. The less time her mother had to prepare, the better.

“I’m working on a new case,” said Nadine.

Arleen shrugged and flattened a hand on the table. “That mean you can afford to buy me something to eat?”

Nadine rose and headed for the vending machines, following her mother’s instructions as to what she wanted. Not one healthy choice among them. No wonder her mother’s teeth were rotting away. Several were already missing.

They headed back to their table past the other guests and inmates. Nadine noted the eyes turned in their direction, and conversations whispered at their passing. She was certain they were quite the celebrities. The notorious serial killer and the daughter who turned her in to authorities. Nadine knew that the one thing that inmates hated more than the guards was a snitch.

Her mind flashed to Arlo again. How to protect him, and still get the information she needed.

“You want me to send a few sample chapters from the book? I’d let you have some say if you was to start putting money back in my account.”

It occurred to her that by law Arleen could profit nothing from any book deal. How frustrating that must be. Nadine pressed her lips tight and considered her words.

“Awful hard to pay for what you need on the thirty-two cents an hour they pay me to fold laundry.”

“I don’t want to see the biography. I don’t want to see sample chapters.”

Munching on her chocolate bar, Arleen’s eyes narrowed as she regarded her daughter. Trying to puzzle out the reason for her visit and how she could leverage it to her advantage.

“So what do you want?”

“Anthropologists from the Florida Museum of Natural History were exploring remains of a Native American fishing camp and they uncovered a body. Two, actually.”

Arleen stopped chewing. The glob of chocolate made one cheek stick out.

“Where about?” she asked, her words garbled by the food.

“Putnam County.”

Her mother shifted on her seat.

“Ocala Forest.”

Arleen lowered the remains of the chocolate bar to the table.

Nadine leaned forward. “River Forest.”

“I’ll be damned.”

“No doubt,” Nadine said. “Male and female skeletal remains.”

To this bit of news, Arleen smiled broadly, showing melted chocolate clinging between her remaining teeth. Nadine suppressed a shudder.

“You know anything about that?”

Arleen made a respectable attempt at looking offended.

“Why should I?”

“Because someone hit the male with a shovel and fractured his skull. You once told me you hit a man with a shovel, accidentally killing him. And the age of the skeletons match.” Nadine had no doubt that the blow had not been accidental, but she gave her mother this potential out, hoping she might reveal the truth. Nadine still had not decided if she should disclose that the identity of the man was known. But she could not figure a way to ask about her parentage without doing so.

Arleen shrugged. “That could be anybody.”

Nadine lost her temper. “It could be anybody. But it’s not. It’s Dennis Howler. They’ve made a positive ID.”

Arleen’s brows shot up.

“It’s my father.” Nadine watched her mother closely. She was rewarded by the clearest expression of duping delight she had ever witnessed. The completely inappropriate grin was wide and gone in a flash, the leaked expression derived from the twisted pleasure Arleen derived by deceiving her daughter.

Now came the conundrum. Clearly, Arleen knew that Dennis Howler was not her father. But she had no reason to tell Nadine the truth. Should Nadine reveal that she knew as well, on the slim chance that her mother would volunteer the information she sought?

“Well, what do you know?” said Arleen, lifting the chocolate bar once more and taking a vicious bite. Then she laughed.

“You want to