My Daddy Is a Hero

by Lena Derhally

  • • •

  Eager to help the police, neighbor Nate Trinastich knew right away he would be able to. He thought it was unusual that Chris had backed his truck into the garage in the early morning hours. He had never seen him do that before, and he had been reviewing the footage of his security camera that faced the front of the Watts house. Trinastich invited the group to his home to watch the security footage he had recorded. Nate’s camera faced the Watts’ garage directly, and he could see any vehicle that would be arriving in and around the home. While staring at his phone, Chris started nervously mumbling what he was loading in his truck that morning. “My water jugs, my bookbags, my computer.”

  “This is him at 5:17,” Nate said, staring intensely at the television screen.

  Chris started fumbling his words again. He looked away from the television screen and put both his hands on top of his head, rocking back and forth anxiously. He stared directly at Officer Coonrod.

  “My detective just showed up,” Coonrod said. “He’ll probably want to talk to you. He said he might have you call the bank and see if there’s any kind of activity.”

  Chris started rambling again. “The other week, people were caught for like stealing stuff out of people’s garages and stuff like that.”

  Nate, still in a backward orange baseball cap and gray t-shirt, and towering over Chris, pointed his remote at the television. “I have your car right here. Any action that would have happened, any cars that would have left your house, I would have got it.”

  Nate turned off the security footage, and an image of a fetus in an hourglass flashed across the screen in front of Chris’s face. It was an advertisement for the television show, American Horror Story. In the ad, the fetus in the hourglass turns into an explosion, and a skull emerges from a puddle of black goo resembling crude oil.

  “She’s pregnant as well,” Chris blurted out to Coonrod, turning away from the grotesque images on the television screen.

  “Oh yeah, how far along?”

  “Fifteen weeks.”

  “All right, I appreciate your time,” Officer Coonrod said.

  Chris and Nate shook hands, and Chris turned around, brusquely walking toward the front door as if he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  “He’s not acting right at all,” Nate said, shaking his head vigorously as soon as the door shut behind Chris.

  “No?” Coonrod asked.

  Nate imitated Chris’s exaggerated body movements.

  “Rocking back and forth,” he said, as he continued to mimic Chris’s movements.

  Then Nate sharply turned and walked back to the television, flicking it on. “He never loads his stuff in and out of the garage. It just seems kind of odd to me. Why would he pull the truck up?” Nate’s voice trailed off

  “Yeah,” Matt chimed in. “I’ve never seen him pull it back.”

  “If he loads his stuff, he normally walks back and forth. I get him on camera walking back and forth,” Nate said, gesturing.

  “What is he normally loading up?” Officer Coonrod asked.

  “Looks like a computer and a water jug, and that’s it. But the fact that he was in here explaining to you over and over…”

  “A little odd,” Coonrod said.

  “He doesn’t look worried,” Nate insisted. “He looks like he’s trying to cover his tracks. And if he’s loading his stuff, why is he walking back and forth? But I can’t see what he’s doing in the back of the truck because he’s pulled into the garage, and he knows my camera is there.”

  Nicki walked into Nate’s house, sharing that she had just been texting with Shanann’s mother.

  “Don’t you think it’s kind of odd?” Nate said, looking at Nicki.

  “I know.”

  “I’m just saying, it’s kind of odd. He pulls his truck back behind my camera, and he never backs his truck into the driveway.”

  “That’s what her friend Cristina was saying,” Nicki exclaimed. “He never backs up. He carries his stuff to the house!”

  “This is suspicious,” Nate said. “He’s normally quiet. Subdued. He’s telling you three times what he took out…what he did.”

  “He’s very reserved,” Nicki agreed.

  “He never talks! So, the fact that he’s over here blabbing his mouth makes me kind of suspicious,” Nate told them.

  “Yeah,” Coonrod said. “But I mean put yourself in his situation. Anyone’s going to be nervous on what to do,” Officer Coonrod told them.

  “No, I agree,” Nate said, “but I’m just saying, the way he told you three times what he brought with him…why is he telling you exactly what he brought with him…why is he worried about you knowing what he’s carrying out? That’s all I’m saying.”

  • • •

  Officer James, Detective Baumhover, and Sergeant Bakes, all from the Frederick Police Department, went over to the Watts home to help Coonrod with this odd case that was growing stranger by the minute. Officer James went through the house again, and Detective Baumhover talked to Chris in the kitchen. Baumhover, a thin man with a moustache, wore a purple, long-sleeved button-down and tie. He had seen his fair share of domestic violence cases and knew that outward surfaces of even the most perfect homes and families could be deceiving. From an outward appearance, this family seemed perfect from what he could tell. Everything about the house alluded to a happy home, from the bright and festive colors peppered throughout the house, to the photos of the attractive and smiling couple with their adorable toddler daughters. Baumhover had been alerted to the fact that Chris was telling people that he and Shanann were in the process of a separation and about to sell the house, but you wouldn’t have guessed it being inside a home that seemed so full of love.

  Officer James went down to check out the unfinished basement area and noticed the basement was extremely well organized. Shanann was self-professed OCD and prided herself on being a stellar organizer. Everything had its place, and if something was even slightly out of place, it would drive her crazy. Although the basement was mainly used for storage, there was an unmade bed in the corner. Apparently, Chris had been staying there because of the “separation.”

  Upstairs, Officer James saw children’s clothing swishing in the washing machine and dryer as if this were a normal day. In the bathroom adjacent to the loft area and playroom, children’s toys were in the bathtub.

  Chris’s version of the chain of events was that the family had returned home to Frederick from North Carolina on August 7. Shanann had been there for five weeks with the girls, visiting both her Chris’s families from June 26 through August 7. Chris joined them for the final week of the trip, and they all flew home together. A few days after that, on Friday August 10, Shanann left with Nicki for her business trip to Arizona. The flight home, scheduled to land on Sunday night, August 12, around eleven o’clock, was delayed to Monday at around 1:45 am. Chris said he stayed in the master bedroom with Shanann that night and woke up around 4 am. He then woke Shanann to have a conversation about selling the house and separating. According to him, the conversation lasted about forty-five minutes, it was emotional, and they were both crying. He then loaded up his truck and left for work around 5:15 to 5:30 am. Shanann said she was taking the girls to a friend’s house for a playdate, even though they were scheduled to be in school that day. Chris said he didn’t know which friend.

  Officer James also spoke with Chris about the separation. Chris maintained that while Shanann was gone for those five weeks, there was a “disconnect,” and they had fallen out of love. When he went to North Carolina for the sixth week of the trip, he felt “it” wasn’t there anymore, and the relationship wasn’t the same. He also mentioned he felt like he could never be himself around Shanann. The entire situation was very odd considering Shanann was pregnant with a third baby. Also strange was that after being with Shanann for eight years, and with a third child
on the way, Chris claimed he just fell out of love in a mere five weeks and was willing to throw in the towel on his marriage and family. Officer James left Chris with his card and told him to call if he had heard anything. Detective Baumhover took Shanann’s phone and other evidence back to the police station to be analyzed.

  * * *

  1. This person is a minor, and his name has been changed for his protection.

  Chapter 3

  “I’m in.”

  Amanda Thayer had just arrived home to Colorado after an emotionally exhausting trip to Kentucky. Amanda’s brother had just passed away, and she and her husband Nick had gone there to attend the funeral. Amanda had befriended Shanann in 2016 when Amanda was the director at the Primrose School in Erie, Colorado, where Bella and CeCe were enrolled.

  Their friendship quickly progressed from chatting at school drop-offs and pick-ups to spending time together on weekends with their husbands and daughters. The Thayers’ daughter also formed a close friendship with Bella and CeCe. Nick and Chris had a relatively casual friendship and got along well, and when Chris developed an interest in physical fitness, they became running buddies. Although Nick considered Chris a friend, he admittedly didn’t know much about him. He thought of Chris as “self-contained” and thought he was a nice guy but hard to get to know on a deeper level.

  Amanda was no longer the director at Primrose, and she and her family had moved from Frederick to Thornton, so they didn’t see the Watts family as much as they used to. However, Shanann had convinced Amanda to sell Thrive products, and she had recently joined the Le-Vel company as a promoter and salesperson on Shanann’s team.

  Only a few days had passed since Shanann had dropped a bombshell that her marriage, which was once so strong, was deteriorating rapidly. Today, Amanda had received a barrage of messages from Cassie and Nicki, asking if she had heard anything. Nicki told Amanda that Chris had been changing his version of events about what had happened in the early morning hours. He had told Cassie one story and Nicki another.

  Confused and concerned, Nick and Amanda decided to go check on Chris at the Watts home around six o’clock that evening.

  Right before they arrived, Chris responded to an email about a Fantasy Football league: “I’m in,” he responded, alarming a few people on the email chain who were aware his wife and daughters were missing.

  When Amanda and Nick arrived at the house, they stood in the entry way, firing questions at Chris. As he recounted his version of the story, they made their way into the kitchen. Amanda observed Chris pacing and thought he looked numb and lost. His behavior reminded her of the shock and disbelief she felt after losing her brother. Probably grief, she told herself, imagining that Chris must be completely paralyzed with fear and dread, considering what was happening.

  Amanda, Nick, and Chris sat at the kitchen table together.

  “Shanann and I have been having issues in our marriage,” Chris said.

  “I know. She told me,” Amanda said.

  “This morning, I woke up around 4 am and told her I wanted to sell the house and separate,” Chris said. “We need something smaller. Things have been tight financially, and we only built this house because it made Shanann happy and reminded her of our other house back in North Carolina. I wanted to tell Shanann in person that it was over. I didn’t want to do it over phone or text. When I left around five, she was emotional and crying. I was at work, and Nicki Atkinson was texting me, telling me she couldn’t get a hold of anyone. So, I rushed home. On my way home, I called the school to see if they showed up there.”

  “Have they found any leads?” Nick asked. “Do the police have any idea as to where they could have gone?”

  “They took Shanann’s phone,” Chris replied. “Our doorbell camera has footage of Shanann getting home last night, and the neighbor has a security camera that shows me loading up my truck for work and leaving, but that’s it. The cops got a warrant to search the house. I found a charge on our credit card for a taxi, but that’s it. I have no idea what to do.”

  “I’m sorry,” Amanda said.

  “It’s too quiet and empty in this house.” Chris’s tone was flat and devoid of emotion. “I just want them back and to hug them again.”

  “What are you going to do about all the media attention?” Nick asked.

  “I don’t want to talk to them. They’re going to pry and twist my words around, and I’ll look like public enemy number one.”

  “Are you going to be okay?” Amanda asked. “Do you want to stay at our house tonight?”

  “Not tonight. I want to stay home in case they come home, and I want to clean up for them.”

  The doorbell rang, and Chris excused himself to go answer it.

  Lauren Arnold stood at the door, anxious and worried about how Chris was doing considering the bizarre news. Lauren was Shanann’s good friend who had attended high school with her in North Carolina and who now lived in Colorado. She saw Shanann and Chris at least once a month and considered herself close friends with both. Lauren knew Chris well, and she knew how much he adored Shanann and the girls. She figured he must be losing his mind and going crazy with worry. Lauren was hoping she could do something to help. Maybe she could be a shoulder to cry on or get Chris some dinner because he would obviously be too distraught to think about eating.

  Chris answered the door and immediately swept Lauren in an embrace.

  “Are you OK?” she asked.

  “No,” he replied.

  Lauren stepped inside, and her gaze landed on the large staircase that was a focal point in the main family room.

  As if reading her mind, Chris said, “I had to close the doors, the doors upstairs. I had to close all of the doors because I can’t handle going up there and seeing everything, like the toys and stuff.” He motioned to the second floor.

  Lauren hadn’t even noticed the closed doors. Why would he make a comment like that?

  As they walked through the house toward the kitchen, Lauren noticed the girls’ toys scattered about the living room, a snapshot in time of a house once filled with playing and laughter.

  Why is it okay for him to see the toys down here but not upstairs? Lauren wondered, and an ominous feeling washed over her.

  As they entered the kitchen, Lauren saw a petite woman with short, bleached hair and a rail-thin bald man. The couple appeared to be in their early thirties. Lauren had never seen them before and was surprised because she had pretty much met all Shanann’s and Chris’s friends in Colorado over the years.

  Chris introduced them as Nick and Amanda Thayer.

  “Have you gone out looking for them yet?” Lauren asked Chris.

  “The police told us not to go anywhere,” Nick said.

  “Well, I’m going to drive around and look as soon as I leave,” Lauren told them. Then she looked at Chris. “What did she say to you this morning? What was the last thing she said?”

  As if unable to meet her eyes, he stared down at the floor, acting very odd. Lauren had known about the sudden shift in his behavior the last two months. She was just as perplexed as Shanann had been. Lauren had first met Chris after he married Shanann in 2012 and immediately loved him. She always observed Chris and Shanann as equal partners, loving and attentive toward one another and the girls.

  That’s why it was so shocking when Lauren felt the shift in Chris sometime in June. Lauren would be over at the Watts house spending time with Shanann, and Chris would come home from work, acting distant, which was very unlike him. In the past, he would immediately kiss Shanann, say hi to the girls, go upstairs to shower, and then come back down to hang out with Lauren and Shanann.

  In June, that all changed. With the other pregnancies, Chris had been caring and attentive. With the third pregnancy, he completely ignored Shanann and couldn’t care less about how sick she was feeling.

  On her way out of the hou
se, she pulled the Thayers aside and asked them not to leave Chris alone in the house that night. Lauren wasn’t concerned about Chris anymore. She was now worried he would try to clear his tracks if he had done something, which seemed to feel more and more like an actual possibility. Chris was wearing a tank top, and Lauren quietly scanned his bare arms, looking for signs of scratches or injuries.

  She left the house feeling very suspicious of Chris. She decided to drive around the neighborhood to look for Shanann and the girls before heading home.

  After Lauren and the Thayers left around 9:30 that night, Chris’s friend David Colon showed up at the house to check on him. David had previously lived in the same sub-development as the Watts and had met Shanann and Chris seven years before when they had first moved to Colorado. They had all worked together at the Longmont Ford Dealership where Chris had been a mechanic and Shanann worked in sales.

  Although Colon considered both Shanann and Chris friends, he had unfriended Shanann on Facebook because of her incessant posting, promoting, and selling Thrive. Chris had also recently told him that Shanann wrote his Facebook posts for him. This made sense to Colon because he always found Chris’s posts odd and “not guy-ish,” in the sense that they were all about how great his wife and family were. This didn’t seem to line up with Colon’s perception of Chris, who did not gush or talk about feelings.

  Colon was also surprised to hear that there had been difficulties in the marriage. Although he considered Shanann overbearing, he thought she was a good mother and person and that Chris and Shanann complemented each other well. They were a classic case of “opposites attract.” Shanann was dominant and knew exactly what she wanted, and Chris was laid back and a “go with the flow” kind of guy. He always seemed completely comfortable with Shanann making all the decisions in the relationship.

  Chris had told David over the phone that he had gone to work that morning, and sometime after that, Shanann had disappeared, leaving behind her keys and other personal belongings.