“Of course.” Nikki handed her a business card. “I know you already gave a statement, when the girls disappeared, but if you think of anything else that you think could help, give me a call.”
Mindy nodded. “It was nice to meet you.”
The door opened once again. Dressed in sweats and an old Vikings shirt, Nikki thought John looked more like the slightly wild college kid she remembered.
“Thought I heard your voice.” Circles lined his bloodshot eyes.
“Did you get any sleep?” Nikki asked.
“A little.” John glanced over her shoulder and waved at Mindy. “I was going to take care of the sidewalk.”
“I think she just wanted to help,” Nikki said. “No one really knows what to do in these situations.”
Miller joined them, finishing off the last of the ice melt, and she and Miller followed John inside. Nikki slipped her boots off, discreetly admiring the house. The entry flowed into a massive great room that offered spectacular views of the iced-over lake. Family pictures lined the mantle over the fireplace, and the entire room had a definite Dollanganger vibe. Fair-skinned and blond-haired Amy and John could have been related, and Madison and the small boy sitting on her lap were doll-like replicas of their parents. Madison easily passed for John’s biological child.
“What’s your son’s name?” Nikki asked.
John sat on the couch, staring into the fire. “Bailey. He’s with Amy’s parents.”
“How did he take the news?”
“We haven’t told him,” John replied.
“I understand it’s going to be hard,” Nikki said, “but you shouldn’t wait much longer. The worst thing that could happen is his finding out from someone else. If you need a victim’s advocate who specializes in kids—”
“We’re fine.” Amy Banks sat down next to her husband. The black-framed glasses she wore didn’t hide her red eyes or the dark circles beneath them.
“How are you doing this morning, Mrs. Banks?”
Amy stared at her for a moment. “Fucking awful. How do you think I’m doing?”
“Jesus, be polite,” John said. “She’s here to help.”
Nikki wasn’t fazed by the woman’s rudeness. She’d endured much worse from grieving family members. They needed someone to lash out at, and cops were often the easiest people to focus on. “We just met Mindy Vance. It was nice of her to stop by.”
Amy’s expression softened. “She’s very kind. She’s gone through her share of grief.”
“Yes, she mentioned her husband. Your families spent a lot of time together?”
“Not in recent years,” Amy said. “Madison was younger than Mindy’s son, so they didn’t hang out much. We just didn’t have much in common.”
“Were you and your daughter close, Mrs. Banks?”
“Of course we were. Aren’t all mothers and daughters?”
Nikki remembered that she and her mother had argued for hours on end when she was Madison’s age, and her father usually had to send them both to their respective corners.
“I’ve gone over your original interviews after the girls disappeared. I just have a few questions. They may seem repetitive, but it’s important that I ask since this has become a homicide investigation,” Nikki explained. “Did Madison ever mention anyone following her or Kaylee? Anybody new in their lives?”
“You should start with Jessica Thomas’ boyfriend,” Amy said. “Everyone knows he’s a drug dealer.”
“That doesn’t make him a kidnapper,” John said.
“Ricky Fillinger,” Miller confirmed. “He’s been convicted of some minor drug offences, but he works as a mechanic and I’ve told you he does have an alibi.”
There was something so familiar to Nikki about that name. “Ricky Fillinger, as in all-state football?” Nikki asked.
“Yep,” John said. “He blew out his knee. I heard he got addicted to the painkillers.”
“His buddy alibied him, Sergeant Miller.” Amy’s harsh tone matched the hateful glare she gave her husband. “And guys never lie for each other, do they?”
John’s jaw twitched, but he said nothing. Nikki wasn’t sure if this tension was a sign of marital problems, or just the soul-crushing anger that came with losing a child.
“Our daughter was a good girl who followed the rules,” Amy continued. “Whoever did this came from Kaylee’s life.”
“You don’t know that.” John’s blue eyes flashed.
“Are you defending that girl?” she said, her voice rising. “She exposed Madison to things she never should have seen. And her mother’s never home. How’s the girl supposed to have any moral compass?"
Nikki let Miller take notes while Amy and John volleyed back and forth. Amy looked like a tiger ready to spring, and John leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, almost in a protective stance.
“She works fourteen-hour shifts at the nursing home,” John said. “Not everyone has a husband who provides everything. You should remember that more often than you do.”
Nikki tensed at his manipulative tone, struggling to keep her mouth shut. Amy was a grieving mother who deserved some leniency. Nikki had forgotten about John’s fragile ego, but when they were dating, John had demanded gratitude for the smallest acts of kindness. Nikki realized now that he’d been just as insecure as everyone else.
After her parents’ murders, she’d pushed John away. She wondered if his insecurities would have eventually caused their relationship to end if the murders hadn’t happened.
Amy’s fair skin turned red. “How dare you—”
“Okay.” Nikki shook off the heaviness that had started to settle over her. “Let’s focus on what you know about the girls’ last day.”
“We’ve told you everything already,” John said.
Nikki had memorized the file the night before. “Madison texted you at 12:07 p.m. that she and Kaylee were walking the lake trail to the Hansons’. It’s a ten-minute walk. She said she would text you when she arrived.”
“She didn’t.” John put his head in his hands. “But I totally forgot to check. It didn’t dawn on me until hours later that she’d never texted me.”
“Maybe if you didn’t spend all your time at the office, she might still be here.”
John’s knuckles turned white, but he said nothing.
“Listen,” Nikki said. “You’ve both experienced a terrible loss, and you want someone to blame. But that isn’t going to help you get through this. The only person who can comprehend your loss is sitting beside you.”
“She was my daughter. My flesh and blood—”
“I loved her like she was my own,” John exploded. “You know that.”
Amy’s jaw tightened, her lips thinned to an angry line, but she remained silent.
“Let’s get back to the questions so we can get out of your hair,” Miller said. “You both need rest.”
Nikki continued. “Miles Hanson and his father confirmed the girls never arrived, and that Madison didn’t answer the boy’s text. The weather was nice that Saturday, especially for November. A jogger saw the girls on the trail between here and the halfway point.”