Page 8 of Three Girls Gone (Detective Amanda Steele #14)

SEVEN

Before Amanda had McGee accompany Jean back downstairs, she’d asked if she had a pale-pink chiffon scarf.

Jean said that wasn’t her or Mara’s style.

After Jean left with McGee, Amanda and Trent discussed what the missing clothing from Hailey’s closet meant for the case.

“Well, there’s no reason Detective McGee would have had to note the discrepancy,” Amanda conceded.

“Like he said earlier, he was concerned about a missing child, not her wardrobe.”

“I’ll give you that. And we don’t know for sure if Hailey was wearing the clothing missing from her closet.”

She angled her head to the side. “What are the chances she wasn’t?”

“They still exist.”

“Fine, but we still need to eliminate anyone who went into her room.”

“I agree with you there, while also entertaining the possibility someone broke in.”

“If they did, it wouldn’t have just been for the tutu. It may have been a failed attempt to take Hailey right from her bed. ”

“Chilling thought.”

“All of this is. For due diligence, we’ll find out where Jean Tanner buys the tutus. The slippers look rather generic.”

“You want to get started with the parents, I’ll call this in?” Trent pulled out his phone. He’d get Crime Scene out to process Hailey’s bedroom.

“Yeah. I’ll head down. Join us when you’re finished.”

Trent nodded, and she headed for the stairwell. The upcoming conversation with the Tanners would be a tough one. To think you failed to protect your child outside the home was one thing, but within its four walls? That was another beast altogether.

When Amanda reached the sitting room, Jean was staring into space, while Vincent wore a confused expression.

Neither Jean nor McGee must have shared the discovery. “One of your daughter’s tutus and a pair of ballet slippers are missing from her closet. It seems likely someone entered the room and took them.” It was impossible to soften that news.

“I… ah, don’t understand,” Vincent said.

“Hailey was found dressed in a tutu and slippers, much like the ones she owns.”

“Dear Lord,” Vincent gasped.

Amanda glanced over at McGee, who didn’t meet her eye. “We need to consider that a guest or an intruder is behind Hailey’s murder.”

“There’s no way it’s someone we know.” Vincent was shaking his head. “And if it was an intruder, we’d have known.”

Amanda appreciated why Vincent didn’t want to entertain someone they knew being behind this. “Do you have a security system?”

“No, I… I messed up, not thinking it was necessary.” Vincent glanced at his wife, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“You were being cheap, is what you mean,” Jean said .

“Sure, blame me for this. It’s always my fault, anyway.”

“The only person at fault here is the killer,” Amanda inserted. It was difficult seeing the Tanners turn on each other, but pain needed an outlet. Sadly, often those closest to us received the brunt of it. “Is it possible that someone broke into the home?”

“I suppose so,” Vincent admitted. “Maybe when no one was home, but we noticed nothing out of place, unlocked doors, that type of thing.”

“What about the window in Hailey’s bedroom? Someone could have come in through there,” Amanda pointed out.

“It’s possible, but the yard’s surrounded by a six-foot privacy fence. There’s a gate, and it’s always locked.”

“It’s possible someone climbed over or picked the lock.

” Amanda put that as delicately as possible, but Vincent still shifted as if preparing to get up.

“Please, Mr.Tanner, it’s important that we discuss this and investigate all the possibilities.

Even the difficult ones. You should know that crime scene investigators will be here soon. ”

“My daughter’s room is being treated like a crime scene.” Vincent hung his head.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Jean said. “That someone was in our home. In Hailey’s bedroom.”

“I appreciate this must be hard to accept,” Amanda began. “But who could have accessed her room? Among family and friends?”

“Pretty much anyone who’s been here,” Vincent said.

Trent returned, tablet in hand, in time to hear Vincent’s response. “We’ll need a list of names.” He perched on a chair, ready to record their response.

Vincent provided the names of family members, and his former employee, Nick Potter. He saw Trent raise his eyebrows at that, and added, “He was here Christmas week to drop off a gift for Hailey.”

McGee had told Amanda their professional relationship fell apart in November. “Did you find that strange, considering that you had parted ways?”

Vincent shook his head. “That was between us. Business. Nick adored Hailey.”

Goosebumps blazed a trail down her arms. She’d never cared for the word adored being used to describe an adult’s feelings toward a child.

The tutu and slippers could fit under a bulky sweater.

Nick was there when the weather was colder, but Jean had said Mara had all the tutus cleaned two weeks ago.

She hadn’t mentioned any were missing. Something else to check up on.

“We understand that business cost Nick several hundred thousand dollars.”

“Trust me. His issue was with me, not Hailey.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Jean’s voice was low, but a fire burned in her eyes. “You hurt him. This could be his way of getting back at you.”

Vincent clenched his jaw, and a pulse tapped in his cheek. He didn’t respond to his wife.

The lack of communication was telling, and the former employee earned himself a spot back on the suspect list. Alibi or not. “Did Nick go up to Hailey’s bedroom when he came over?”

Vincent shook his head. “He’d have no reason.”

“He did use the washroom upstairs,” Jean inserted.

Vincent turned on his wife. “You honestly believe Nick did this?”

“I never said he did,” she snapped. “I’m just saying…”

“You’re tossing him at the police, or is this your way of blaming me again for what happened to Hailey?”

“You’re not exactly a saint, doing what you did to him,” Jean said in a low voice.

Trent cleared his throat. “What did happen?”

McGee gave them the basics in the car, but Amanda was also interested in more details .

“My husband here sold him on investing in this one stock. Only Vince pulled out but didn’t warn Nick to do the same.”

“He’s a grown-ass man,” Vincent huffed out.

Jean shook her head.

“That was what led you to parting ways professionally?” Amanda looked at Vincent.

“The trust between us was gone, so yeah.”

Time to steer away from Nick Potter… “Is there anyone else who may have gone upstairs? Even just to use the washroom?”

“It could have been anyone if the main level bathroom was occupied,” Jean said.

“And everyone would be on the list you provided Detective Stenson?” Amanda asked.

Vincent nodded.

“What about visitors to the home besides friends and family? A maintenance person or a maid?” Amanda asked.

“We’re rather old-fashioned here. Vince works outside the home, and I clean it.”

That was surprising, since she hired help for Hailey. “How else do you spend your time?”

“I’m involved with several charities.”

“She goes to fancy lunches and gossips,” Vincent pushed in.

The couple had a lot to sort out after they left. “It could be anyone who excused themselves from your sight. It would only take a moment to slip into her room.”

“Thinking that someone violated her space…” Jean stopped there and rubbed her throat. “Actually, we had that dinner for our top-tier clients here a few weeks ago.”

Vincent angled his head. “You can’t seriously be bringing that up again.”

Amanda looked at McGee. Was this something he’d held back on purpose, or had he not gotten around to sharing it?

“It was for high-value investors with portfolios worth tens of millions, and I have their names,” Detective McGee said .

She’d be picking up this conversation when they left the Tanners.

“We’re talking influential people with prestigious positions within the community,” Vincent stressed.

From her experience, none of what he said meant they were innocent. A knock on the door, followed by the bell, prevented her from responding.

“I’ll get that.” Amanda left the room and swung the door open.

Two female CSIs were on the step. Amanda wasn’t familiar with them, but the credentials clipped to their light jackets and the collection kits in their hands gave them away.

CSIs Blair and Donnelly must still be busy at the park. “I’m Detective Steele. Come in.”

The CSIs stepped into the entry. Neither provided their names. One had a short, blond bob, and the other wore black-framed glasses. Detective McGee joined the party, but the CSIs didn’t give him a second look.

“Point us where we need to go, and we’ll get to work,” Blond Bob said. “We were told it’s a child’s room we need to process.”

“That’s right. There might have been a home invasion.” Amanda told her about the missing tutu and slippers from the closet.

“We’ll look for evidence of that, prints, DNA. Are there any profiles we should eliminate?” Blond Bob asked.

Amanda was wondering if the other CSI spoke. “Prints and DNA belonging to Vincent and Jean Tanner, the girl’s parents, and Mara Bennett, her nanny. And the lab should be getting samples from Susan Butters, as well. She found the girl.”

“The others should be on file already,” McGee told them.

“That makes it somewhat easier. The room is where?” Blond Bob pointed up the staircase and raised her eyebrows.

Amanda nodded. “Down the hall, third door on the right. Before you go, though, what should I call you? We’ve never met before. ”

“I’m Ruth Keller,” the woman with the glasses said.

Blond Bob lifted her ID, making Amanda lean in to read the print. Vanessa Stuart.

“All good, then?” Stuart asked that with such bold arrogance that the back of Amanda’s neck tightened.

“Yep.” Amanda didn’t move, though.

Stuart took the first step and looked over her shoulder. “We’ve got this under control. You can go back to what you were doing.”