Page 45 of Sachie's Hero

“Mike Foster.” The man rose to his feet and shook her hand. “What can I do for you?”

Sachie shot a brief smile toward Teller. “I could tell you that I’m a representative of the federal prison regulatory board here to conduct a survey of halfway houses and their residents as part of a statewide effort to ensure our federal tax dollars are being spent wisely, but that would be a lie.”

Foster crossed his arms over his chest. “Strange way to start a conversation.”

“I know.” She took off her sunglasses and sighed. “It’s not in my nature to lie. It is, however, in my nature to get answers—especially when my lifedepends on it. I’m Sachie Moore. I’ve consulted with the Hawaii Police Department and Child Protective Services. One of my cases was a child beaten by his father...one of your residents recently released from prison. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had my apartment broken into here in Honolulu, my cottage broken into when I moved to the Big Island and my new office there burned to the ground. I’ve received threats and even been attacked by a drone. I need to know who’s doing this and stop him.”

“And you think it might be one of our residents?” Foster motioned toward a chair. “Have a seat.” He waited until she sank into the chair before he settled into his seat behind the desk.

“I’m going through cases that ended up in court where the abusers’ parting words were a threat to me. Scott Williams was one of those. He was released recently, and I have to start somewhere.”

“What do you need to know?” Foster asked.

“Has he broken curfew in the past two weeks?” Teller asked.

“Mr. Williams works at a meat-packing plant. Either I or the other house manager is in contact with his supervisor to make sure he arrives on time and confirm what time he leaves the facility. He goes to work early in the morning and is off by noon. It’s not the usual arrangement for ourresidents to work an irregular shift like that, but it can be hard to place them in gainful employment with a felony record.”

“I can understand,” Sachie said.

“We know how long it should take for him to get to the facility, wait for a text from his supervisor when he arrives and record those times. He gets to work on time and gets back to the house on time unless he calls ahead to inform us that he’s going for a haircut or to the grocery store, which he will be doing today.”

“Did he work yesterday morning?” Sachie asked.

Foster ran his fingers across a computer keyboard and stared at the monitor. “No. He was off work that day.”

She frowned. “Was he here at the house during that time?”

The manager’s brow dipped in concentration. “Our records indicate he never left the house.”

“Did you or one of the other managers actually see him at all yesterday?” Teller asked.

Foster shook his head. “I wasn’t on duty yesterday. I could call my counterpart and ask if he has laid eyes on Williams. But he would’ve noted when he left and came in, if he actually left the building. There’s only one door they can use to enter or leave the house. The other is locked twenty-four-seven.”

“Is there always someone at this desk?” Teller asked.

Foster nodded. “Yes.”

“What about bathroom or smoking breaks?”

“Well, we make exceptions for those. We aren’t meant to be a prison, but rather a transition from prison to regular life.” Foster leaned his elbows on the desk. “Look, I’ve only had a few conversations with Scott since he arrived. His records indicate he’s sober now and plans to stay that way. He also said he regrets what he did to his kid. He told me he’s going to work hard to prove to the court he can be a good parent so he can regain custody of the boy.”

“I really hope he is turning his life around,” Sachie said. “So many children would rather go back to a parent they know than to be passed around in the foster care system, even if they suffered some kind of abuse with that parent.”

“You say Mr. Williams is at work today?” Teller asked. “Did you record what time he left to go?”

Foster shook his head. “No. Bryan was on that shift. He would’ve made the entry.” He stared at the computer monitor, a frown denting his forehead. “Unfortunately, he didn’t record it this morning. I don’t know why I didn’t see that. Nor did he record the supervisor’s text.”

Teller tensed.

“I got here an hour ago and did get a call from Williams telling me he had an errand to run after he left work today, so he’d be later getting back than usual. Hold on.” Foster picked up his cell phone and placed a call. For a long moment, he listened without saying anything. “Bryan’s not answering. That’s not unusual. He’s probably sleeping since he had the night shift.” He placed another call. “Hello, this is Mike Foster. Is Scott Williams at work today? He is? Do you know what time he clocked in?” His brow furrowed. “Doesn’t he usually report in at four a.m.? I see.” He nodded. “No. I don’t need to speak to him. Just checking in. Thank you.” He ended the call. “Apparently, Williams wasn’t scheduled to work today but got called to fill in for someone who was going to be late. He arrived at eight and should get off at noon. I can’t explain why it wasn’t recorded, but he is at the plant now.”

“What plant is that?” Sachie asked.

“The one in Kapolei,” Foster said. “Are you going to pay him a visit out there?”

Sachie’s brow wrinkled. “Maybe. I’d like to ask him some questions, but I don’t want to get him in trouble with his boss. Does he take public transport, or does he drive his own vehicle?”

“A friend of his kept his car while he was in prison.It’s a gray sedan with a sticker of a turtle on the back windshield.”

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