The Kidnapper's Wife

17. During

Jade Allessia Carter

Part One of Recorded Interview

Continued

Jade Carter: I...what are you trying to imply Officer? That my husband is stealing money from me? Why would he do that? What do you think he's done? Surely you don't think he is the one that's given Anna money to run away. That's absurd! My husband is an upstanding member of the community, he volunteers his precious and limited time to help put high school girls on the right track in life and this is the thanks he gets? Why are you wasting time questioning me about this when Anna is out there somewhere, she can't be far from here! Aren't the first 72 hours critical in a missing persons case? Why aren't you out figuring out where she is rather than interviewing me?

Officer Waters: Look Ms. Carter, it's obvious you are getting agitated, let's take a break, get you a snack, and then continue-

Jade Carter: No! I don't need a break! I don't even have to be here! Ask me whatever questions you need to, and just stop implying that my husband is a criminal because that just isn't true!

Officer Waters: Okay, understood. So, let's move away from the financials for a minute and go back to a comment you made earlier. You asked whether Anna's parents had contacted us. Could you possibly go into any more detail about why her parents may have called us? Were they angry with Anna, or what was the reasoning behind them threatening to call the police?

Jade Carter: Anna's parents were overreacting, it's as simple as that. As I explained to you earlier, Anna spent a lot of time at our house. Anna's parents didn't like it, they wanted her home with them. They particularly didn't like that she stayed for dinner, they felt that she should be home with her family for meal times. I told them that I understood, but that Anna insisted on staying. She would refuse to get in the car or leave the house if we did not let her eat with us.

Officer Waters: And you let Anna have her way just like that?

Jade Carter: At first no. We told her she could not come over if she wouldn't go home when we told her it was time for her to leave. But when Connor didn't pick her up after school, she walked 3 miles to our house anyway. We didn't want her to be out roaming the streets by herself, so we didn't know what to do. We finally let her come and eat dinner with us.

Officer Waters: And did you explain that to Anna's parents on the phone?

Jade Carter: Yes, I tried, although Ms. Harris was extremely agitated when she called me, she was practically shouting from the start of the phone conversation. But I explained that if she wanted Anna to come home for dinner, she needed to discipline her so that she would leave. I explained that we had tried to prevent her from staying for dinner but had been unsuccessful, and since we were not her parents, it wasn't our place to take it any further.

Officer Waters: And what was the response to that from Ms. Harris?

Jade Carter: She was furious. She said we should stop bringing Anna home with us, and just let her stay out on the street so she would learn her lesson and come back home. But I told her we felt that wasn't right for a fourteen year old and would not be doing that, if she wanted Anna to come home, she needed to take it up with Anna, not us.

Officer Waters: So Anna's parents were upset simply because she wasn't eating dinner with her family?

Jade Carter: Well that, and they said they thought the amount of time she spent with Connor was inappropriate. Anna spent Tuesdays and Thursdays with Connor, and the rest of the robotics team, at school. On Mondays and Wednesdays she came to our house for coding tutoring with Connor. They said she shouldn't be spending that much time with an adult male alone.

Officer Waters: So they knew that Anna and Connor were often unsupervised?

Jade Carter: Well they asked me if I was always home when Anna and Connor were there and I said no, that I had a very busy life and did not have time to chaperone the constantly, however it was unnecessary. I mean Connor is married for god's sake!

Officer Waters: So it didn't seem at all unusual to you, the amount of time they spent together?

Jade Carter: No! He was helping her with school! That's all it was! And of course now that she's missing I'm sure they're trying to make it look like more than that, but like I told you, every time I came home, they were studying, nothing strange was going on!

Officer Waters: Okay so let me recap: Anna's parents call you and express their desire to have their daughter home for dinner, and their desire for their daughter to spend less time with your husband, and you tell them that it is up to them to enforce rules on Anna, you and your husband will not be doing so.

Jade Carter: Correct.

Officer Waters: So is that all they were upset about? It seems a little much to call you and yell at you if they just wanted Anna to spend less time with Connor, for no particular reason other than they thought it was too much. I'm not clear on why they would be so angry, why would they not approach you calmly and ask for help with the situation?

Jade Carter: I don't know. Anna's parents are ludicrous, that's why. They have no sense of boundaries.

Officer Waters: So there was no other reason they had for concern?

Jade Carter: Well....they said they had another reason, but again, it was absolutely ridiculous.

Officer Waters: And that was?

Jade Carter: Ms. Harris told me that when she picked Anna up from robotics practice one day, she waited for Anna outside in the parking lot and she happened to see through the window of the school that Anna and Connor hugged goodbye. She thought that was improper. But the robotics room windows are tinted, you can only vaguely see shapes through them. And she even admitted she couldn't be sure on what was happening, she just saw a shape that looked like Anna and one that looked like Connor move together for what she called "too long." And Anna denied anything had happened, and so did Connor when I asked him. They both said she must have seen them lean in to look at a computer or something. And I mean, even if they did hug, is that so horrible? Connor thinks of Anna as a daughter almost by this point, he's put so much time into helping her. He's going to be so upset when he finds out about this. Speaking of which, have you been able to get a hold of him yet? He probably wants to talk to me.

Officer Waters: We are still working on it Ms. Carter. So Ms. Harris saw Connor and Anna hug and thought that was overstepping bounds, and that's the real reason she wanted Anna to spend less time with Connor.

Jade Carter: Yes, according to her.

Officer Waters: And around when did Ms. Harris call you?

Jade Carter: It must have been about....two or three weeks ago maybe? I don't remember exactly.

Officer Waters: And was that the last contact that you've had with Ms. Harris?

Jade Carter: Well....no.

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