The Kidnapper's Wife

13. During

Jade Allessia Carter

Part One of Recorded Interview

Continued

Jade Carter: Did I believe him? What reason would I have not to believe him? He is my husband, and I barely know Anna, I never really even thought about it.

Officer Brown: You say you barely know Anna, and yet you have been having dinner with her for about a month to a month and a half now approximately twice per week is that not true?

Jade Carter: I know Anna on a baseline level. She talks about trivial, everyday things during dinners. Robotics club. Her flute teacher. College applications. Her teenage complaints about her parents and siblings, like I already told you. So do I know Anna? Yes. Do I know her well? I wouldn't call her more than an acquaintance at best.

Officer Brown: I understand Ms. Carter. So, if we could switch tracks a little bit for a second, as I said, Anna is missing and we are trying to determine who might have taken her. Less than one percent of kidnapping victims are taken by a stranger, so it is very likely that Anna has been abducted by someone she knows. Can you think of anyone at all that she had a problem with, maybe at school, maybe in her life outside of school?

Jade Carter: I mean...not really. There was this one time....but...no, that wouldn't be it.

Officer Brown: Any details might help Ms. Carter, even if you do not think they are important, they might play into a bigger picture than you realize.

Jade Carter: I don't know, I don't really see how this could help... I mean it definitely won't help with who might have taken her, it's not like other high schoolers could have kidnapped her... but I do know that there were some girls that she had problems with at school. Like I said, Anna never opened up to me or anything, but there was one time where I saw her with some other students and...well the other students weren't being very nice.

Officer Brown: This could definitely help us Ms. Carter, if you could relay as much as you remember...

Jade Carter: Well I had come by the school to visit Connor, he was running robotics practice. And so I was walking in the second hallway, the one that runs parallel to the main office, but once removed from the main office's hallway. And I saw Anna. She was standing against the wall and there were two girls in cheerleading uniforms facing her, they seemed to be taunting her. None of them noticed when I started walking down the hallway, so I could hear what they were saying. It seemed like they were teasing her about a boy. The one girl said something like, "I can't believe you even thought you had a chance with him," and laughed, and then the other girl said something like, "Anna, you are a nerd, I mean you're in robotics club for christsake! Can you even imagine? Jared, soccer star, holding hands with mousy, robo-girl, who can't kick a soccer ball to save her life. I mean did you really think you could ever even compare to Jenny! She's drop dead gorgeous, and you're just awkward!" Anna looked really upset but she still stood up to the girl, she said something like "If Jenny's so perfect than why did he dump her?" but the girls just laughed again and the second one said, "Jared didn't dump Jenny, she dumped him! He needed to be taught a lesson, but they're getting back together." And then the second one added, "So you better stay far away from him, or the next time we put you in your place, it won't be in front of an empty hallway." And at that point she gestured down the hallway and they all noticed me. Anna made a sort of strangled sob and ran out of the hallway and the other girls ran behind her.

Officer Brown: And did you say anything to Anna about this when you saw her again?

Jade Carter: I tried to but she wouldn't talk about it. I asked her if she was okay when she got back to robotics club, but she just shrugged it all off and said she was fine, with attitude dripping out of her voice, so I dropped it. I did tell Connor about it though, I thought maybe he could talk to her about it during tutoring or something. I felt bad for her.

Officer Brown: Around when did this occur?

Jade Carter: I remember it was hot, because I was wearing jeans and when I saw the girls' cheerleading outfits I remember thinking that I wish I were wearing a skirt or a dress so....I think it must have been in the very beginning of the school year. That would make sense because at the time I didn't know Anna very well and I remember not being very familiar beyond basic recognition when I saw her. So late August?

Officer Brown: And did you happen to catch the names of the two girls who were harassing her?

Jade Carter: I don't think any of them ever said the name of the first one, but when they saw me, the first girl whispered something like "ohmygod" to the second one and she said the second girl's name. I think it was...oh what was it? I think it was something like....Carly?