Her words are laced with hatred and bitterness. But who wouldn’t feel that way?
“Mrs. Martin,” Walt says gently, “we understand your feelings. You have every right to feel betrayed by how the legal system sometimes works. But we’re here because it’s our job to ensure no one else is harmed by the horrors Fanning carried out against you and so many others. With that in mind, would you tell us if you’ve seen him since he was released from prison?”
Her eyes round with fear. “I certainly have not. Do you have reason to believe he has been watching the people who testified against him?”
Her reaction is a logical one. No doubt every one of his victims has surely experienced that same thought.
“We don’t,” Walt admits.
Now for the hard question. My partner and I exchange a glance, and I take the lead. “Ma’am, can you tell us where you were from Saturday night until Monday morning?”
The anger vanishes from her face and shock takes its place. I brace for the blast of outrage that will kick in any second now.
“Are you suggesting I had something to do with his disappearance?”
“No, ma’am,” I assure her. “We’re only trying to determine who may have seen him or heard from him. Anyone who has may be able to help us figure out what happened.”
Fury twists Martin’s lips for another moment before she regains her composure. “I was home with my family. We had a big breakfast at home Sunday morning, and after that I took my twin daughters shopping. Sunday was their birthday. The girls, my husband, and I arrived home about nine that evening, and I didn’t leave again until I came to school the next morning. I picked up my girls after school on Monday and went home. My family can confirm this.”
We already established with the principal that Martin was at school all day on Monday.
“What about Saturday night?” Walt asks. “What did you and your family do Saturday night?”
We’re stretching the timeline a little, but so many things can affect the forensic details of a case. There is always something new to learn.
“I had cocktails with a friend.”
The fury that rolls off the words warns we’ve hit a hot button. She is done with the interview. But she also just admitted that she wasn’t with her family on Saturday night.
“If you could provide the name and number for you friend,” Walt suggests.
Face tight with that building fury, she spouts a name and number. Trina Irvine. I enter the info into the note app of my phone. Walt sticks with the old-fashioned route of a pad and pen. Which is why I generally take the notes.
“Thank you,” I say. “We appreciate your cooperation.”
She shakes her head. “How dare you come to me—interrupt my day at school—with such ludicrous questions.” She jams her thumb into her chest. “I am the victim.”
Walt and I share another look. He says, “Mrs. Martin, we haven’t released to the public what I’m about to tell you. We would appreciate it if you don’t share this part with anyone.”
Her anger drains away instantly as fear of the unknown creeps in and takes its place. “You have my word.”
“The other person involved with whatever happened to Fanning was injured. We found a second blood type at the scene. Our goal with these questions is to figure out if another person was hurt by Fanning the night he disappeared. If that’s the case, we may have someone out there in need of our help and we don’t even know it.”
“You’re saying he may have taken another victim?” The abject horror on her face is palpable.
“We can’t say anything for sure,” I counter.
“This is why,” Walt goes on, “it’s extremely important that we ask these hard questions of anyone who is connected in any way to Fanning. For all we know, you may have driven by his place—accidentally or not—and noticed someone who might be relevant to whatever happened there. You may have a friend or family member who—without your knowledge—wants revenge.”
She shakes her head. “I do not. I saw on the news that he’d been released, and I tried not to think of him again. Of course it was impossible. Before the trial, I was just an anonymous little girl he picked up at the mall and did bad things to. My name was never released in the news. But then, at the trial, I had to face him. He learned my name; with that, it was easy to find out where my parents and sister lived. I won’t lie, I’ve been looking over my shoulder since the day he was released.”
“That’s completely understandable,” I say. Deep in my skull, the ache begins and I refuse to acknowledge it. I have never had a migraine reoccur so many times in one week. This is really wrong.
We apologize again for disturbing her day and leave the school.
“Somehow I don’t think we’re going to find out what happened to that bastard through his victims,” Walt comments.
“Sure looks that way,” I agree. But we have to rule them out nonetheless. We can’t skip any steps. This is way too important. Someone’s life could depend on what we do. And I damn sure don’t mean Fanning’s.
