Chapter 4: Interviews
April 29, 2018
The drive to Flotsam took about three hours north from Fred's apartment in Los Angeles, ironically putting it closer to Coolsville than Los Angeles. The small town is where Alice's halfway house is located, where she was serving probation upon concluding her three-year federal prison sentence.
Despite the radio tuned into the local radio station, the silence in the van was quite deafening.
They were still digesting the discussion with Mr. Carswell earlier this morning when he briefed them on Alice's last known address, which is in Flotsam, where she is currently working in the local supermarket. This supermarket was known in town for employing ex-convicts, those that have made parole or are on probation.
Eventually, Daphne was the first to speak as she asked, "So, Freddie, what's our first move?"
"I think we ought to check out her place, that is, the halfway house she was staying at." Fred suggested. "And we would need to speak with neighbours, ask if there was anything unusual in the lead up to her disappearance."
"We'd also have to speak with her co-workers at the supermarket." Shaggy added.
"Yes." Fred nodded. "And obviously, we would have to speak with her probation officer."
"Sounds to me that we're gonna have to split up." Velma spoke.
"What I was thinking." Fred nodded. "We should start with the supermarket and the halfway house where she was staying at."
"I guess Scoob and I could start at the supermarket." Shaggy said as he exchanged looks with Scooby, who nodded.
"Then, that leaves us with the halfway house and her neighbours." Fred said to the girls, both of whom nodded.
A short while later, they drove past the "Welcome to Flotsam" sign and took the right turn off the highway three intersections down. Though the street layout and directions were not straightforward, they arrived at the supermarket in no time.
"So, where do we meet up once we finish, Fred?" Shaggy asked as he and Scooby disembarked from the van.
Fred frowned as he watched Velma and Daphne consulting their phones.
It was Daphne who answered. "There's a Vinyl Sandwiches diner that's not far from here, just on Constitution Drive. We can meet up there."
Shaggy and Scooby both nodded. "Rounds like a rlan."
After closing the door behind them, Shaggy and Scooby waved their hands as they watched the van pull out of the supermarket's parking lot. Fred and the girls all waved their hands back in response before the van returned to the highway, then the duo turned towards each other and Shaggy breathed in deeply.
"Just like the old times, eh Scoob?" Shaggy asked.
"Rou said it." Scooby nodded. "Ret's go rin."
As soon as the duo entered the supermarket, they were hit by the air conditioning blast. Even for a late April morning, it was quite warm outside, though as always with the air conditioning, the inside of the supermarket was quite chilly.
Given it was a Sunday, the supermarket was busy with shoppers getting their daily groceries, and there were long lineups at the checkout lanes. Shaggy and Scooby exchanged looks when they saw the customer service booth was similarly busy with a lineup, no doubt from those wishing to exchange or return the merchandise, obtain a rain cheque, or buy lottery tickets.
"Well, how about that." Shaggy remarked as they looked around the front of the store.
There were three people manning the customer service booth, and that was where the duo headed straight for. One of them was on the phone with a clipboard in hand, and she briefly made eye contact with Shaggy and Scooby as they approached.
They watched as the clerk did a double take when she saw Scooby, then she said into the phone, "I'll call you back, you won't believe who just showed up at the store."
Overhearing the last sentence of the clerk's phone conversation, Shaggy said to Scooby, "Get ready for the fangirls, Scoob old buddy."
"Rou said rit, Raggy." Scooby nodded.
As soon as the clerk hung up the phone, she studied the duo quizzically before she nodded at Scooby and said, "Are you who I think you are?"
"Rin re flesh." Scooby replied.
Scooby's speaking instantly led to multiple heads turning towards him and Shaggy, and then the murmurs come as some whipped out their phones.
"Holy shit, it is him!"
"Why did I not bring my Scooby-themed postcard for an autograph?"
The clerk beamed as she took out a notepad and said enthusiastically, "It is a great honour to finally meet you in person, Mr. Doo! I've watched your show growing up!"
"Ri'm sure rou had." Scooby said.
The clerk then turned towards Shaggy and asked, "And your large appetite has left a big impression on me, Shaggy, have you always eaten that much?"
"Let's just say there was some artistic license taken on our portrayal on the show." Shaggy said.
"Can I get your autographs?" The clerk asked and some passersby also took out whatever they have for autographs.
Shaggy quickly held his hand up. "I'm afraid it will have to be another time, right now Scooby and I are here on official business."
This intrigued the clerk even more. "Oh, is there a place in town that's being haunted right now?"
"Ro, rit's rabout Ralice Carswell." Scooby spoke.
"Yes, we're investigating her disappearance." Shaggy added as he pulled out his phone and showed a photoshoot of Alice to the clerk.
The clerk's cheerful smile quickly dropped as she saw Alice's photo on Shaggy's phone, and she said, "Yes, of course."
Leaning closer to the duo, she added quietly, "She was supposed to show up for her closing shift on Friday, however when her start time came and went, we tried to contact her and nothing. It's not like her to miss out on starting a shift that late and without giving a heads up, as she always texts Debra, our manager, if she's running late, which is few and far between."
"We will need to speak with Debra too." Shaggy said.
"Not a problem, she is up in the administration offices." The clerk said as she thumbed towards the stairs leading to the staff offices. "I can give her a call and let her know that you guys are asking about Alice."
"It will be great, thanks." Shaggy said.
"Don't mention it." The clerk said as she walked to the desk phone and pushed a button. When the party at the other end of the line picked up, she said, "Hey Debra, it's Sharna at the customer services desk, you won't believe who just showed up."
After a pause, Sharna continued, "The talking Great Dane Scooby Doo and his pal Shaggy are here."
A nod. "Yes, that Scooby Doo."
A pause. "Anyways, there're here on a case and are asking about Alice."
Another nod. "Yes, I mentioned that you could help, would you like me to send them over to you?"
Another pause. "Perfect, I'll let them know."
After hanging up the telephone, Sharna returned to the duo and said, "She's coming down to get you guys."
"Perfect." Shaggy nodded.
A couple seconds later, the duo's attention was snapped when another voice said, "Well, I'll be damned, if it isn't really the talking Great Dane himself."
Facing them was a middle-aged woman staring at them quizzically. The name tag on her apron read, "Debra."
"You must be Debra, the manager." Shaggy said.
"I am." Debra nodded. "Sharna informed me about you asking about Alice, not sure if I could be of much help about her whereabouts."
"If you could tell us more about her, it would be very helpful for us tracking her down." Shaggy said.
"Ris rere someplace relse re rould discuss?" Scooby asked.
"Of course, right this way." Debra gestured as she led them up the stairs to the offices.
The office was empty when they arrived, and as soon as Debra closed the door behind them, she motioned them to take a seat as she went to her desk.
"So, let's start off by asking what Alice was like working here?" Shaggy began. "When she started, her work ethic, etc.…"
"Of course." Debra nodded. "Alice has been with us for almost two years, right after she finished her sentence. She's reliable and very punctual, has never been late, and on circumstances where she's running late, she always texts me a heads up."
Shaggy and Scooby both nodded. The details Debra described lines up with what Sharna said earlier.
"Rand ris place, roes rit employ ex-convicts?" Scooby asked.
"Yes, we do, it is part of the initiative of helping them reintegrate into society after serving their sentence." Debra nodded.
"Then, we will need records on the ex-convicts working here and when they started here." Shaggy spoke as he wrote on his notepad. "On top of where they were incarcerated at prior to starting here."
"Yes, well, I can tell you right now that Alice is one of only three ex-convicts working here right now that were serving their sentences in federal prison." Debra spoke. "The others were all released from state prison."
Shaggy and Scooby both nodded. "We'll need copies of their files."
"Of course." Debra said. "But I must warn you that all these files are confidential-"
"Rest rassured, Rebra, reverything re've dealt with ris ronfidential." Scooby said.
"But before you provide us their files, what was Alice like in the lead up to her disappearance?" Shaggy asked. "Was something bothering her or out of the ordinary with her?"
"Let me think…" Debra frowned, then she shook her head. "Nothing out of the ordinary that I could think of. The only thing unusual was when she failed to turn up at her shift at on time without texting me a heads up."
"And she's always punctual for her shifts?"
"Yes, and very hard-working, self-motivated, and gets along with everyone very well. In fact, just a couple months ago, I have recommended her for promotion to floor supervisor, given her leadership skills and coordination."
"And when you say she gets along with everyone very well, you're also saying there's no one here who could possibly wish her harm?"
"Nope."
"What about employees that have left since she started?"
"Only three left after she started, and all of them either students who have moved out of town for studies or got other jobs."
"Then that puts them off the suspect list for sure, though we'd still need their names and information."
"We can provide that."
Meanwhile, at another part of town, it didn't take long for Fred and the girls to arrive at the halfway housing complex Alice was living at.
"Here we are, girls." Fred announced as they pulled into the parking lot.
After parking into a visitor's spot, the trio got out of the van and surveyed their surroundings.
A pause went by before Velma remarked, "Quite the scenery with the mountains."
Fred and Daphne both murmured in agreement.
"Come on, we've got a meeting with the facility's manager." Fred beckoned the girls to follow him into the complex.
Two men were waiting for them in the lobby, and Fred wasted no time introducing himself.
"Special Agent Fred Jones, FBI." Fred said. Gesturing towards the girls, he added, "And this is Velma Dinkley and Daphne Blake."
"Nice meeting you all." The first man nodded. "And we have been expecting you. I am Leroy Beeman, director of the Flotsam Complex."
"And I am Darrell Vicars, assistant director for residential well-being." The second man added. "It is our understanding that you're looking into the disappearance of one of our residents, Alice Carswell."
"That is correct." Fred nodded. "We were hoping to search her residence and see if there is anything that could explain her disappearance."
"As well as finding out if there was anything unusual going on in the complex in the lead up to her disappearance." Velma added.
"Of course." Beeman nodded. "Follow us."
With Beeman and Vicars leading the way, Fred and the girls followed them through the lobby and to the elevators, where they promptly boarded an available car, which took them to the fourth floor.
Alice's unit is Unit 403, not far from the elevators, and Vicars have the spare keys ready as they approached Unit 403.
After Vicars unlocked the door and opened it, Fred turned towards the girls and said, "Why don't you girls investigate inside while I speak with Mr. Vicars and Mr. Beeman?"
"Sounds like a plan to me, Freddie." Velma nodded.
Daphne nodded as she followed Velma into Alice's apartment, leaving Fred with Vicars and Beeman at the hallway.
"While the girls search, let's start from the beginning." Fred began. "When did you guys found out that something wasn't right about Alice?"
"It was around 17:22 when we got the phone call from her probation officer, who was concerned as Alice didn't check in with her as required." Vicars explained.
"She called Alice's number a couple more times, no response, so we dispatched our complex security personnel to check in on her." Beeman added.
"And it is confirmed that she was not supposed to be elsewhere at that time of the day?" Fred asked.
"Correct, she wasn't scheduled to work that day, and our security footage saw that she was last outside the complex at around 15:00, when she returned home with groceries." Beeman confirmed.
"And she hasn't left the complex since." Fred offered, though it was more a statement than question.
"Yes." Vicars nodded. "Barring her going to pick up her laundry from the laundry room, our system shows she hasn't left her unit up to the time we got the call from her probation officer."
Fred nodded. He already has the probation officer's contact information on hand, and he will verify what he was told later.
Fred decided to move onto his next question. "Are there any residents who interacts with Alice on a regular basis?"
"Well, there's Angela Wilkins just across the hall from Alice's unit, and Jeannie Baker a couple of units down from Alice's right." Vicars explained as he gestured down the hallway.
"What did they do time for?" Fred raised an eyebrow.
"Angela was in state prison for fraud, while Jeannie made parole after serving a federal sentence for counterfeiting." Vicars said. "In fact, she came from the same federal prison as Alice."
"I guess that means of the residents here, it's Jeannie that likely knows Alice best." Fred surmised.
"Sounds likely to us." Beeman nodded.
"Besides Jeannie and Angela, anyone else that interacts with Alice on a regular basis, and anyone of them that served time in federal prison concurrently with Alice and Jeannie?" Fred asked.
"None that we can think of off the top of our heads." Beeman spoke after sharing a brief glance with Vicars.
Vicars added, "We do have records of the residents, including where they were incarcerated prior to settling here, in the office."
"Good, I will need to look at it as well." Fred said.
Inside Alice's apartment, Velma and Daphne wasted no time searching around.
"Hmmm…" Velma said as she examined the bedroom. "I see no sign of any break-in from the outside, Daphne."
"Me neither." Daphne called out from the other room with a window. "Any thoughts so far from your search of the bedroom, Velma?"
"Well, her bed's been made for starters." Velma said.
"Okay." Daphne nodded as she casually walked by the kitchen, then she decided to open the refrigerator and peeked in.
"Hmmm, not many groceries in the refrigerator." Daphne observed before she closed the door.
"That kinda speaks volumes to me, even if it's not hard evidence, Daphne." Velma said as she joined the redhead in the kitchen. "Seems as though Alice probably knew she wasn't coming back."
"While not entirely conclusive, it does look that way, Velma." Daphne nodded.
Velma nodded back before she moved to the living room and Daphne continuing to scan the kitchen. Velma thoroughly searched through the bookshelves, the coffee table, and the small desk in the corner. Drawers were carefully opened in her search for any out-of-place items, while other corners of the living room were likewise poured through for any signs of a struggle.
Eventually, Velma broke the silence when she hit the redhead with a question. "Daphne, do you notice anything strange about these books?"
When Daphne turned, Velma was holding up a volume with a puzzled expression.
Daphne walked over and took a closer look. "They're arranged in a very specific order. Alphabetical, but also by size and color. It's almost too perfect, don't you think?"
Velma nodded. "Yes, a clear case of making the pieces fit too perfectly, as if someone was trying to make the apartment look undisturbed. But assuming Alice was the one that did that, what exactly was she trying to achieve if she was planning to disappear?"
"Well, we should definitely check the cameras at the complex and see if there is anything that could give us a better understanding of what her last moments were before she disappeared." Daphne said.
"Of course." Velma nodded. "Hopefully the cameras have captured something that would be helpful for us."
"It would be a start, that's for sure." Daphne said.
The redhead then moved to the bedroom while Velma moved to the bathroom to examine the medicine cabinet and the cabinet under the sink. Searching diligently through the bedroom now that they have established no signs of any break in, Daphne moved to Alice's desk and searched through the drawers.
They set the box aside and continued their search. Velma moved to the bathroom, examining the medicine cabinet and under the sink, while Daphne returned to the bedroom and carefully searched under the bed and inside the nightstands.
After a short while, Daphne found something under the bed and plucked it out and called out to Velma, "Velma, I think I found something."
When Velma joined her, the redhead was holding up a single earring and said, "I found this earring wedged between the bed and the wall."
Velma took the earring with her gloved hand and examined it closely. "Given the dress regulations in federal prison, I'm very doubtful Alice would wear one of these, presumably she might have this one before her prison sentence, but it'll be good to test this one for fingerprints."
Daphne nodded, and Velma handed the earring back to her briefly before she pulled out an evidence bag for the redhead to put the earring into, then she sealed the bag and placed it to her pouch.
"Anything else?" Velma asked.
Daphne shook her head. "As you've concluded in your initial search here, no signs of any break-in."
Velma nodded. "I've swept through the bathroom, nothing of significance there either."
"Best we wrap things up here and meet up with Fred." Daphne suggested.
"What I was thinking too, Daphne." Velma nodded.
The redhead nodded back before she and Velma finished up and made their way to the door.
When the girls arrived at the hallway, they saw Vicars alone, and he promptly said, "They've gone down to Mr. Beeman's office for the security tape, I stayed behind until you both finished up here in Alice's unit."
Daphne and Velma both nodded. "Was it brought up who does Alice know well here?"
"Yes." Vicars nodded. "Angela Wilkins of Unit 404 and Jeannie Baker of Unit 409 were the ones most-acquainted with Alice, especially Jeannie, who had served her sentence in the same federal prison as Alice."
"Then we'll need to speak with Jeannie." Velma spoke.
"Not a problem." Vicars nodded again as he led them to Room 409.
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