One Step Ahead

Hello, Dolly

8:05 AM

      "So this confirms that they had help getting away from the area," Chief MacDevitt said, tapping thoughtfully on his desk with a pencil. "This, and the surveillance video we got from the Wal-Mart they were tracked to. Have a look."

      He turned his computer screen, and both Sanger and Han intently watched Ashley and Briar's actions in the store. "Well, she definitely called someone," Han mused. "Can't we pull their phone records and get the number?"

      "Of course we can, but you know that takes time," MacDevitt replied. "And I'm honestly not sure if it would matter. I'd bet a year's salary that whoever Garrett spoke to this morning is the same person she called, and as you saw on the video, he was very careful not to show his face. And they walked the carts out of the lot, so he's definitely aware that they have cameras outside, too."

      "What strikes me as odd is that you describe the callers voice as deep and gruff," Eloise Han stated, turning in her chair to face Sanger. "Because just before you got here, I had a call from a fellow named Jeremy Ferguson, who is apparently one of Ashley Purdy's bandmates. He told me that they had a call last night from someone confirming that he and Briar were safe, and advising them that only the two of us should be trusted. And he said that the person they spoke to sounded kind of young."

      "Well, the guy I talked to did say that 'we're doing everything we can' so I'd say it's safe to assume that there are at least two people involved, if not more," Sanger agreed.

      "And I think I can probably make an educated guess on who those people are," the supervisor informed them, reaching out to tap the computer keyboard. "I spent most of yesterday doing a thorough background check on both of them, and I found some rather interesting things. For example, were you aware that Ms. Malveaux appears several times in the county court records? And that one of those times was to obtain temporary guardianship of the teenage son of a former co-worker?"

      Han shook her head, and Sanger responded, "No, I didn't know that. Do you have any idea why?"

      "The co-worker is a man named Wiley Carl Frazier, born 11/17/71. He worked as a mechanic for Paramount Studios until he was fired in July of 2013. On October 5th of the same year he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest after a bar fight. The court wouldn't allow the fifteen-year-old son to stay with Mr. Frazier's sister and brother-in-law, so Ms. Malveaux petitioned for, and was granted, temporary guardianship of Cody Lee Frazier."

      "Why wouldn't the court let the boy live with the aunt and uncle?" Han inquired. "I thought that it was usually preferable to keep kids with family."

      "Because they already had several kids of their own in the home, and at least one with special needs," MacDevitt explained. "The judge apparently figured that it would be a financial hardship on the family to add another kid, and maybe not so good for the boy to get the attention that they thought he needed. So Ms. Malveaux, already being acquainted with the boy, was a better alternative to putting him in the system."

      "With the charges you just mentioned, the father should have been sent up for longer than four months, so what happened after that?" Sanger queried.

      "Plea bargain, of course," MacDevitt said. "His lawyer arranged a deal where he pled to lesser charges in exchange for a mandatory ninety-day stint in rehab, three years probation, and restitution. The extra month came in because the judge ordered thirty days of shock time after rehab. And I'd also guess that Ms. Malveaux probably funded his defense, since it's not likely that an unemployed mechanic could afford to hire Wendell Humphries to defend him."