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Authors: Robert Mayer
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came to Ada to start a new life. She got a job at Taco Tico, a fast-food Mexican place, worked her way up to assistant manager. One day the eldest of the children living with her, Niki Lindsey, a teenager, said she had met a fellow in town who lived on the streets, who didn’t have any home, any family. He was real nice, real gentle, Niki told her mother. Would it be all right to bring him home?
Jannette had always been softhearted about taking in strays, animal or human. She told Niki to bring him home. Niki did—he was a dark-haired youth, seventeen years old. His name was Karl Fontenot. They gave him a place to sleep; he became like part of the family. Karl had a friend named Tommy Ward, four years older, who came to visit sometimes. They all got along well together, Jannette and her husband Mike, Karl and Tommy and the kids. Often, after a late party, Tommy would stay over as well instead of walking back to his mother’s house on the edge of town. Sometimes Tommy and Karl would babysit while Mike and Jannette were out.
The Roberts family lived in a small apartment at 509½ South Townsend, in downtown Ada. But the building was condemned. One by one the other tenants moved out, until the Roberts clan were the only ones left. When the water was turned off, they, too, were forced to move. Mike Roberts took a job in Norman, installing aluminum siding. The whole household followed. Mike taught Tommy Ward how to install siding, got him a job with the same company. Karl, who had worked for a time at Wendy’s in Ada, got work with another fast-food place. Tommy helped with the rent, Karl with the groceries. The siding business was good that summer and fall. Mike and Tommy worked till dark most days, coming home at times with bad sunburns and blistered fingers.
When Detectives Smith and Baskin arrived in Norman on October 12, they found Jannette at home. They asked if she would come to Norman police headquarters; they wanted to ask her some questions. Jannette said she couldn’t do it, that her daughter Jessica, who had just turned seven, would be coming home from school soon. The detectives said she should come anyway; that if they weren’t back in time, a police car would pick up Jessica. Reluctantly, Jannette went.
At the police station, the detectives asked her about the information they had received from Jeff Miller. Jannette said that she and her husband and Tommy and Karl and various friends and neighbors used to party together a lot. Yes, they had partied at Blue River a number of times, she said, but she didn’t think the night the Haraway girl disappeared was one of them. Yes, she said, she sometimes let Tommy borrow her pickup. But this she was sure about, she said: Tommy had never borrowed her pickup and left a party at Blue River and then come back crying and said he had kidnapped a girl and raped her and killed her. That had never happened, she said.
Jannette was getting anxious about the time. Jessica would be coming home soon. The detectives sent a squad car to Jessica’s school; it picked her up and brought her to the police station. In their minds this was a kindness they had provided; in the mind of Jannette, it stank—bringing her little girl into the police-station atmosphere.
The detectives resumed their questioning. About Tommy and Karl: did she know where they had gone?
Karl had moved to Hominy, near Tulsa, Jannette said; he was staying with Tommy’s sister and brother-in-law, Joice and Robert Cavins. He’d gotten a job up there, installing fencing.
And Tommy? Did she know where Tommy had gone?
Tommy hadn’t gone anywhere, Jannette told the detectives. He was still living with her and Mike; still working with her husband at All-Siding. They were at work right now, but they would be home after dark—maybe around eight, she figured.
Smith and Baskin were surprised and delighted. They decided to stay in Norman, to talk to Tommy Ward. They told Jannette to give Tommy a message when he came
Jannette had always been softhearted about taking in strays, animal or human. She told Niki to bring him home. Niki did—he was a dark-haired youth, seventeen years old. His name was Karl Fontenot. They gave him a place to sleep; he became like part of the family. Karl had a friend named Tommy Ward, four years older, who came to visit sometimes. They all got along well together, Jannette and her husband Mike, Karl and Tommy and the kids. Often, after a late party, Tommy would stay over as well instead of walking back to his mother’s house on the edge of town. Sometimes Tommy and Karl would babysit while Mike and Jannette were out.
The Roberts family lived in a small apartment at 509½ South Townsend, in downtown Ada. But the building was condemned. One by one the other tenants moved out, until the Roberts clan were the only ones left. When the water was turned off, they, too, were forced to move. Mike Roberts took a job in Norman, installing aluminum siding. The whole household followed. Mike taught Tommy Ward how to install siding, got him a job with the same company. Karl, who had worked for a time at Wendy’s in Ada, got work with another fast-food place. Tommy helped with the rent, Karl with the groceries. The siding business was good that summer and fall. Mike and Tommy worked till dark most days, coming home at times with bad sunburns and blistered fingers.
When Detectives Smith and Baskin arrived in Norman on October 12, they found Jannette at home. They asked if she would come to Norman police headquarters; they wanted to ask her some questions. Jannette said she couldn’t do it, that her daughter Jessica, who had just turned seven, would be coming home from school soon. The detectives said she should come anyway; that if they weren’t back in time, a police car would pick up Jessica. Reluctantly, Jannette went.
At the police station, the detectives asked her about the information they had received from Jeff Miller. Jannette said that she and her husband and Tommy and Karl and various friends and neighbors used to party together a lot. Yes, they had partied at Blue River a number of times, she said, but she didn’t think the night the Haraway girl disappeared was one of them. Yes, she said, she sometimes let Tommy borrow her pickup. But this she was sure about, she said: Tommy had never borrowed her pickup and left a party at Blue River and then come back crying and said he had kidnapped a girl and raped her and killed her. That had never happened, she said.
Jannette was getting anxious about the time. Jessica would be coming home soon. The detectives sent a squad car to Jessica’s school; it picked her up and brought her to the police station. In their minds this was a kindness they had provided; in the mind of Jannette, it stank—bringing her little girl into the police-station atmosphere.
The detectives resumed their questioning. About Tommy and Karl: did she know where they had gone?
Karl had moved to Hominy, near Tulsa, Jannette said; he was staying with Tommy’s sister and brother-in-law, Joice and Robert Cavins. He’d gotten a job up there, installing fencing.
And Tommy? Did she know where Tommy had gone?
Tommy hadn’t gone anywhere, Jannette told the detectives. He was still living with her and Mike; still working with her husband at All-Siding. They were at work right now, but they would be home after dark—maybe around eight, she figured.
Smith and Baskin were surprised and delighted. They decided to stay in Norman, to talk to Tommy Ward. They told Jannette to give Tommy a message when he came
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