Page 9 of The First Gentleman

Felicia’s modestly furnished trailer is in a planned community called Border Family Homes. I nod at a framed color print of a stunning young woman in a Patriots cheerleader outfit. “That’s a beautiful picture of Suzanne.”

Felicia glances at the photo. “She surely loved that uniform,” she says. Her voice breaks.

I look at Garrett. Time to dig in. He starts off. “Mrs. Bonanno—”

“It’s Felicia,” she says, reaching for a tissue.

“Felicia,” Garrett says, accepting her invitation to proceed on a first-name basis. “As my colleague said, we have new information, but it’s not the right time to reveal it to anybody, even you, one of our most important witnesses.”

I lean over and touch Felicia’s arm. She doesn’t flinch. Good sign. I speak softly. “Felicia, you were one of the last people to see your daughter.”

Felicia takes a deep breath. “June seventh. I still remember every detail of that night,” she says. “Suzanne was here visiting, and she was so excited because the Patriots had asked her to return to the cheerleading squad that fall. She had a new apartment in Boston. One Cherokee Street. I still remember the address. And she was interviewing for a good job at Fidelity Investments that she thought she’d get. That evening, Suzanne told me she was driving to Walmart to pick up a few things for her new place, gave me a quick kiss goodbye, and that was that.”

“Do you remember what time she left?” Garrett asks gently.

“Seven p.m., on the dot,” says Felicia. “Cole was going to meet her at Walmart and then take her to dinner somewhere.”

“How long before you reported her missing?”

“Not for two days. She didn’t come back that night, and I assumed she was staying at her new place in Boston until I got a call from her new roommate there. Amber Keenan. Another cheerleader. Amber said Suzanne had never shown up. She wasn’t answering her cell, and neither was Cole.”

“What was the police response like?” asks Garrett.

“Shitty,” Felicia snaps. “I called the local police. They told me to call the state police. The state police looked into it but when they found out Suzanne had just moved to Boston, they tried to hand it over to the Boston cops, and they didn’t want to take it. Assholes. They said she was an adult who’d driven her own car to Walmart that night. She could have just driven off. No sign of her car in the parking lot or anywhere in the area. No signs of violence or abduction. It turned into a missing person investigation. Then the case just… dribbled away.”

My turn. “Did you or the police ever contact Cole Wright?”

Felicia nods. Her eyes are red now. “A Seabrook detective talked to me. He said that he’d talked to Cole and that he’d been cleared, that he wasn’t a suspect in Suzanne’s disappearance.”

“Did Cole get in touch with you after Suzanne went missing? Ever call to express his concern?” I ask.

“I didn’t hear a single word from him,” says Felicia. “I saw in theGlobea few days after that he was in Los Angeles at some high-end medical clinic having his knee looked at. His precious football knee.”

I see the opening and take it, just like I did in the courtroom when I was a public defender. “Felicia, this is a sensitive question, but I need to ask it.”

She looks at me and nods.

“Were you aware that it was against the rules for a Patriots football player and a Patriots cheerleader to see each other socially?”

“I was,” says Felicia. “So was Suzanne. During the few months they were dating, she reminded me that they had to keep it quiet.”

“And did you ever meet Cole Wright?” Garrett asks.

Felicia looks at the floor and nods. “I hated him from the get-go.”

Interesting. Cole Wright has a reputation for strong people skills. At least in public.

“Why is that?” asks Garrett.

“Why?” Felicia’s face hardens. “When he first walked in, he was all smiles and hugs, paying special attention to my girl. But I saw through that act.”

“Did he ever say anything rude or insulting?” I ask.

“To my face? No. But his eyes were cold. Like a snake’s. And the minute I realized Suzanne was missing, I knew that bastard was responsible.” Felicia breaks down. “I know he had something to do with it. I know it!”

Garrett leans forward. “Felicia, it hurts me to say this, but we think you’re absolutely right.”

I reach out to squeeze her hand. “And trust me, we’re about to tell the whole world.”

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