Page 21 of Three Girls Gone (Detective Amanda Steele #14)

SEVENTEEN

It only took Amanda knocking on Kendra Bennett’s door one time, before it swung open. Kendra eyed Amanda and Trent with irritation. “If you’re here to accuse my sister of anything, she won’t talk to you without a lawyer.”

“That’s not why we’re here,” Amanda told her. “Can we come in?”

Strobes of colored light danced around the room, and voices came from the television. “Mar,” Kendra called.

A light came on, and the TV was turned off.

“Yeah?”

“The detectives are back.” Kendra turned to Amanda and Trent and told them they could come inside.

“Thanks.” Amanda entered the living room first.

Mara was under a blanket on the couch and struggling to sit up while holding a glass of wine. She set it on the coffee table in front of her next to the bottle and another glass. “If I knew you were coming, I wouldn’t be drinking.” Mara balled up the blanket and placed it on the middle cushion.

“It’s been an unbelievably rough day for her.” Kendra poured out the rest of the wine into their glasses, then sat on the couch. “She loved that girl a lot.” Kendra buried her nose in her large wineglass.

“We can imagine that it’s been a rough few days, starting with Hailey’s disappearance on Friday,” Amanda said. “But we have a few questions for you.”

Kendra pulled her nose out of her wineglass. “You’re sure my sister shouldn’t have a lawyer present?”

“That’s up to her,” Trent told her.

Kendra looked at her sister, who shook her head.

“Go ahead, and ask whatever you need to,” Mara said.

Amanda dipped her head. “There’s evidence that someone got into Hailey’s room.” She’d hold back the missing tutu and ballet slippers with it being a crucial part of the investigation. The fewer people who knew the better.

“How do you know that?”

“We’re not at liberty to say,” Amanda told her, while Trent took out his tablet and settled it on his lap.

Mara looked from him to Amanda. “Well, I’m not sure what more you need from me. I told you I had Nick over, but that’s all. Did someone break into her room?”

Amanda thought of that miserable CSI with her inability to commit to a verdict.

Was it a break-in or not? There wasn’t an official ruling, but the unexplained smudges and broken lattice had Amanda leaning toward the former.

“It’s a possibility, but we need to explore everything.

It was initially assumed that someone targeted Hailey very recently, but the investigation has broadened the timeline.

Did you let anyone else into the home or around Hailey in the last six months? Say back to November of last year.”

“Oh.” Mara puffed out a breath, her cheeks ballooning.

“Other boyfriends?” Trent asked.

“Only Nick, who you know about.”

“Then you didn’t date other men before him? Or even after him?” Amanda wasn’t going to limit the timing .

Mara stared into her wineglass and never took a sip.

“If there’s something you should tell us, please do,” Amanda encouraged.

The former nanny bit her bottom lip. “You asked about anyone who was around Hailey…?”

Amanda nodded.

“Well, I saw one other guy back in February, after things ended with Nick, but it was nothing. We had one date, and the guy ghosted me.”

Trent looked up from his tablet. “What was his name?”

“Wilson something. His surname started with an M.”

“Do you have any pictures of him?” Amanda asked.

“No, like I said, we had one date. Just a bite and a drink. He tried to get me to go out with him in January, but I told him I was sort of in a relationship.”

Was his persistence a red flag, or was Amanda looking too hard? “But he tried again the following month?”

Mara shrugged. “He did.”

“What did he look like?” Trent asked.

“Handsome face, cute dimples. Otherwise, just average height and build.”

“Hair color? Eye color?” Amanda asked.

“Brown for both.”

That vanilla description wasn’t going to lead them to an arrest. “Any tattoos or other distinguishing markers?”

“Oh, he has a scar that runs through his top lip. It was obvious but somehow added character.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Amanda said. “Was he ever around Hailey?”

“Once, for sure. I met him at Hailey’s school after The Nutcracker .

He bumped into me and was all apologetic and charming.

Hailey was with me, and he made a tremendous fuss over her, telling her she was a wonderful dancer.

He thought I was her mother and told me how she must have gotten her looks from me.

He asked for my number, and I gave it to him, but then things had started with Nick before I heard from him.

” Mara stopped her recollection there. Her mouth gaped open, and her eyes widened.

“Did I mess up not saying anything? Honestly, I’d put him out of my mind. ”

Amanda’s earlier fears resurfaced. Had this man’s pursuit of Mara been a ruse to get closer to Hailey? She tucked that thought away. “You were asked about more recent events. And we can’t remember everything all the time.”

“I feel so foolish. Was he only flattering me to get closer to Hailey?” Mara said, echoing Amanda’s thoughts. She laid a hand over her stomach and sipped some wine. “If I’d kept my wits about me, would Hailey still be…?”

Amanda shook her head. “There’s no point going down that road. And you just had that one date back in February?”

“Yeah, just the one.”

“It’s no wonder you didn’t mention the guy. He’s no one to you.” Kendra placed a reassuring hand on her sister’s shoulder.

Mara nodded. “And Detective McGee’s questioning was more centered on the last few weeks.”

“We work with what we know.” It surprised Amanda that she came to McGee’s defense. “You wouldn’t have this guy’s phone number, would you?”

“Actually, I might. I did save him in my contacts.”

“We’ll take that number if you still have it,” Trent stepped in.

Mara reached for her phone from the side table and thumbed through it. Soon after, she was rattling off the digits, and Trent was pecking them into the notes app.

“Just one more thing before we leave. Did the Tanners employ anyone to work around the house? Or did anyone come to the door seeking employment?” They had what Vincent Tanner told them, but as per his admission, Mara would be the best person to ask since she was home most of the time .

“Nothing inside the home.”

Amanda perked up at that. Vincent made it sound like no work had been done. “Outside then?” It could still have been a way for Hailey’s killer to ingratiate himself with the girl, worm his way into the home.

“They hire a company to do the outdoor Christmas decorations every year, but that’s nothing new.”

That might be one reason Vincent never thought to mention them. “Do they come into the home? Maybe to use the washroom?”

“No, never. And they’d never have met Hailey. The decorating was done while she was at school, so she could come home to the house all lit up. She loved it.” Mara closed her eyes, likely revisiting the memory, and seemed to retreat into it.

“All right. Thank you.” Amanda got up, and after tucking his tablet away, Trent followed.

Back in the car, she turned to him. “We need to look further into this Wilson guy. Let’s look up his number in the system. See if we get an address.”

Trent took out his tablet, brought up his notes, and logged on to the onboard computer.

He pecked the digits into the system, and got no hits at all.

“Could be a prepaid number,” he said as he pulled his phone.

“I’m going to try calling.” A second later, he was pressing his lips and shaking his head. “Out of service.”

“Just like the number used to pose as Jean Tanner. That’s probably not a coincidence.”

“Even less so if we confirm this number is also attached to Universal Mobile.”

“Uh-huh. I’ll have Detective Briggs see if he can track who the service provider is for this number.” She called Briggs to ask him to look into that and to expect a call from Katherine.

“Where to next?” Trent asked when she’d hung up.

“Well, the dance studio will be long closed, as will Hailey’s school. I guess we’re at a standstill until morning.” She hated this admission, but it always felt like there was something more she could do.

“Not bad. It’s only nine thirty. I might actually get some beauty sleep tonight.”

She smiled at him. “Enjoy it, because we don’t know where tomorrow will take us.”

He turned to her and angled his head. “Let’s try to stay positive.”

“Yeah, it suits you better than me.”