Page 182 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

Danielle shrugged. “Maybe a little but not seriously. Not like leave-your-kid-at-a-diner-in-Connecticut-and-take-off kind of depressed. I think she was having relationship issues, but she was still a good mom.”

Nate nodded, sensing that Danielle was getting defensive again and Callie was getting upset. “So in your mind, it’s not possible that being a parent was becoming too much for Samantha?”

Danielle shook her head adamantly. “Absolutely not. Never. She would never do that.”

“What do you think happened to Samantha? Where do you think she is now?”

Danielle stared at Callie for several seconds, then looked down. “I think—I don’t think she’s alive.”

Callie gripped her hands in her lap as she stared at the floor.

Nate reached over, gripping Callie’s thigh, offering her support. “What makes you say so?”

“Sam had plans for herself and Callie. She had dreams of doing something with her art. She sold a few pieces every now and again and was starting to make a small name for herself. But mostly she never, ever would have left Callie. Ever. Not the way she did.”

“You think she was a victim of foul play—murder?”

Danielle looked down again and crossed her arms tight. “I do.”

“Did Samantha have any enemies—anyone who would have wanted to harm her?”

Danielle shook her head. “No. Like I said, she was quiet and a little shy but she was nice. Sweet. Kind of delicate beneath her strength.” She shrugged as she shook her head again. “That probably doesn’t make any sense.”

It made perfect sense. Samantha Fletcher’s daughter was cut from the same cloth. “Who do you think did it?”

Danielle’s eyes darted from Nate’s to the floor and back. “Maybe him.”

“The boyfriend?”

“It’s the only explanation that makes sense. Or that’s what I’ve told myself over the last twenty-two years. Sam was street-smart. She could handle herself here in the city, so she would’ve been able to take care of herself on some tiny island. But maybe it wasn’t him. I just don’t know. I can’t even say for sure that she was going to the island to meet him.”

“Is that why you didn’t call Detective Sanchez?”

Danielle nodded. “I have no idea what happened. I didn’t know who Sam was dating. I couldn’t put a name with a face. I would have had no idea if I was walking by him on the street. The only thing I was sure of was he seemed to have a lot more money than I did and he knew where I lived. If he found out I called the police… What if he came after me or my kids?”

“How do you think Callie ended up in Connecticut?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did Samantha have any ties to the North Hartford area?”

She shook her head. “No. Or not that I’m aware of.”

“Did Samantha ever mention anything that gave you cause to think her boyfriend was violent—abusive?”

“No, but she didn’t come back.”

“What about at the bar? Did she ever mention anyone bothering her there?”

“No. Never. I just know that when Callie ended up on the news, I knew something terrible had happened.”

“You thought Samantha was dead but you kept her stuff.”

Danielle shrugged. “I always hoped I was wrong. She was my best friend. I didn’t want her to be gone—don’t want her to be gone. I couldn’t bring myself to throw everything away. Not the stuff that meant the most to her.”

Nodding, Nate looked at Callie staring at the floor. He didn’t want her to hear any more, but he couldn’t leave until he’d finished his job. Who knew when he would get another opportunity to speak to Danielle? He reached into his pocket and took out a picture of the locket Detective Sanchez’s IT guy had enlarged and handed it to Danielle. “Have you seen this before?”

Danielle looked at it. “Yes. It was Sam’s—a gift from him.”