Читать книгу Because You Loved Me - M. William Phelps - Страница 24

Although Nicole’s pregnancy test had turned out negative, right before she found out her “second mom” had been murdered, Donna Shepard was on her way over to the house to tell Jeanne what was going on with Nicole lately. Because Jeanne had always been such a good friend, concerned neighbor, mentor to her children and outstanding mother to her own, Donna felt obligated to inform her that Nicole was sexually active.

“Nicole and I had an understanding that she could talk to me,” recalled Donna. “I had always talked to her about things going on in her life. She knew that if I thought she was in trouble, I would have to tell her mother.”

While Nicole was at Donna’s the previous day, she explained how she thought she was pregnant with Billy’s child. Donna said it occurred to her immediately that she was going to have to tell Jeanne. She believed Nicole was in over her head. Jeanne would know what to do.

Donna’s story contradicts a rumor that later surfaced about Nicole trying to get pregnant so she could trap Billy into staying with her. Some had said Nicole was worried about losing Billy, not only because of the distance between them, but to another girl. Billy had other girls in his life. Nicole knew. Just a few months before his visit to Nashua, Billy had told a girl in Connecticut—someone he had met when they were hospitalized together—that he and Nicole were “engaged.” The girl was disappointed, and later said she wished she had “told Billy how she felt about him….”

Any indication that Nicole might have wished she was pregnant was washed away on the day she came out of Donna’s bathroom with the results of her test in her hand.

“I am so relieved,” Nicole told Donna when she emerged with the negative results. “I don’t know how I would have ever explained that to my mother.”

There would have been, Nicole explained to Donna, a major “blowout” between them, had she been pregnant. It would have ruined everything. As it were, Jeanne was unhappy with Nicole and Billy’s relationship, especially how fast it was moving. Beyond that, Jeanne was convinced Billy was a bad influence on Nicole. Chris McGowan later said it hurt Jeanne to get up in the middle of the night that week and hear Nicole crying. Jeanne would use the bathroom, which was directly underneath Nicole’s room. The walls and floor were so thin, Jeanne had heard Nicole weeping and knew it was because of something Billy had said. Billy needed to go back home that Thursday, Jeanne was sure of it after that night. There was no question he was leaving. Jeanne felt Nicole would someday see for herself that Billy was no good for her.

“Jeanne was hoping Nicole would get a job, meet other boys and forget about Billy,” said Chris. “Which she would have.”

As Nicole babysat Donna’s kids over the course of that spring and summer, she and Donna talked about a lot of things. In the weeks and months leading up to Jeanne’s death, Nicole told Donna how mad her mother was about the phone bills. Billy and Nicole talked for hours on those nights they weren’t together. Some of Jeanne’s phone bills were in excess of $500 to $1,000. Jeanne expected Nicole to work and pay them off herself. There was one time that spring when Nicole showed up to babysit and explained to Donna that Jeanne had grounded her for running up the phone bill so high. “I need to babysit as much as I can,” said Nicole, “so I can pay off the bill. My mom won’t let me talk to Billy until I do.”

Donna had met Billy for the first time the night before Jeanne was murdered. Of course, Nicole had mentioned Billy on numerous occasions. “He’s wonderful. I love him. You’re really gonna like him, Donna.” More than that, Nicole had told Donna’s children, who adored her, about Billy. The visit Billy and Nicole made to Donna’s that day was Nicole’s way of introducing Billy to the kids. Nicole was “all excited,” recalled Donna. “She was so close to my kids. She wanted so bad to show off Billy to them.”

No sooner had they stepped into Donna’s house, then Nicole raved to Billy about the kids: “This is [so and so], isn’t he so cute, Billy? This is [so and so], isn’t she just a doll?” Then Nicole turned her attention toward Billy, kneeling down to get in the kids’ faces, “Isn’t he cute, kids, just like I said?” She smiled and stared at Billy. She was so happy just to share with the kids the relationship she had with the boy she loved.

Donna saw Billy as a “clean-cut kid, very quiet. He was friendly. He obviously wasn’t as playful with the kids as Nicole, but he was polite and nice.”

To Jeanne Dominico, children were the essence of life. They energized her spirit. Donna’s oldest child, who was six years old on the day Jeanne’s body was discovered, had problems communicating with people throughout his life, especially Donna. He wasn’t talking too much and had trouble explaining to her with hand gestures what he wanted. One day, Jeanne noticed something in the child that doctors, Donna said, had routinely told her not to worry about.

“He was just nuts about Jeannie,” remembered Donna. “My son wasn’t talking as he grew older and I was getting concerned. Jeanne had been in the school system at one time as a paraprofessional.”

So Jeanne knew immediately, after spending some time with the child, that there was a problem. Doctors were telling Donna that “some kids just talk really late.” But Jeanne convinced Donna the child needed special testing to find out what was wrong.

“That’s when they found out he had autism. It was only because of Jeanne. Without her, I have no idea what would have happened to my son.”