Bette:  Well, the tax return preparation gives the link to Melvin Porter or at least his law firm. What else do we have?

Tina:  Just these files on the scholarship and education expense by year and a communications file.

Bette: Okay, I’ll go through the communications file and you go through the expenses by year.

Tina:  This is where my budgeting and expense background comes into play. Where did the money go and for what purpose?

The communications files turned out to be the most informative. It contained copies of letters to and from Mary Southerland and Paris Southerland announcing her winning the contest and their acceptance. It contained photos of Mary Southerland in a grocery store in the Phoenix area. It contained a listing of all middle schools of the area. The search of the property records had turned up a residence which was in a rather exposed part of the dessert. The investigator had determined that surveillance of the home was impossible as it was in a dessert area which had no cover for a vehicle. The views all around the house were are of wide-open spaces and any surveillance would be discovered and counter measures would cause difficulty for the investigation team.

The communications file had a memo discussing the ideas of setting up an entity to provide the educational funding for the child. There were various memos on the tax ramifications as well as keeping all links from the entity to Melvin Porter a secret. Then there were a few memos from Melvin to Robert Beals taking about what he wanted to pay with respect of Mary Southerland’s travel, Paris Southerland’s living expenses and travel and the approval of the school expenses. And finally, there was the employment agreement between The Better Education Foundation, LLC and Robert Beals. And finally, there was a liquidation and termination of the entity.

Bette: Well, it looks like everything backs up what Gabriel said yesterday. Melvin sought out Mary Southerland and provided a vehicle to pay for the education of his other child. But he never sought her out even when she was in England. I wonder why?

Tina:  Well, maybe Harriet can shed some light on that. We should go dress for our meeting. It’s about that time.