Sex. Murder. Mystery(223)

But there was also another possible reason. By keeping Audrey, they kept the tabloid and book money, too.

“She's like the little Vanderbilt child in that family,” claimed the friend.





Chapter 74

THE DAY OF Audrey's baptism, April 26, four women made the drive from south Seattle to Tacoma and across the Narrows Bridge to the women's prison near Gig Harbor. They came with the hope they could see Mary Kay Letourneau. Abby Campbell drove, and Kate Stewart, Michelle Jarvis, and a TV tabloid reporter for American Journal accompanied her. The reporter was along “doing background,” but at least Michelle suspected that she was still after a Mary Kay interview and knew that hanging out with her three best friends couldn't hurt her chances. By then, the three women were old hands at the tabloid game. Abby and Kate had been interviewed, but they'd kept their names and faces out of the news. Only Michelle had gone on camera.

The women met with disappointment when, after filling out the requisite forms, they were denied the opportunity to see Mary Kay. The guards said Mary Kay was in the infirmary and could not have any visitors. One of the friends asked if they could have a tour of the prison, but that was also denied.

“For security reasons,” the guard said. “And no picture-taking on prison grounds, either.”

When they got outside, one of the women suggested taking a group picture in front of the prison flagpole.

“Let's just stand together and hold hands and send Mary Kay our energy and hope that she knows that we've been here.”

The television tabloid reporter took the photograph and the four started to walk over to their car when a voice called out.

“Hey! Hey!”

“Run!” Abby started to yell and the other three sprinted for the car. Michelle was unclear why they were running, but like a member of some kind of herd her feet started to move.

What's going on? she thought.

Just as Michelle jumped into the backseat, Abby Campbell pushed the gas pedal to the floor and threw the car into reverse. The dark blur of a uniformed officer moved in their direction and a little meter-maid-type cart was also revved up and headed their way.

“What do you think you are going to do?” Michelle asked the panicked driver. “Outrun them?”

“Pull over,” the voice said.

Abby looked blankly at a guard. “What did we do?” she asked.

“We specifically told you not to take pictures on the prison grounds.”

“But we were in the parking lot,” Abby said.

The guard pointed out that the entire property was considered a secure area and the instructions for no photography applied throughout—parking lot included.

“We won't take any more.”

Later the four laughed it off, but what they didn't know was that their parking lot escapade and Abby's getaway-car antics had cost them something very dear. A few weeks later each would get a letter from the prison superintendent, Alice Payne.

“When staff learned of your actions and attempted to make contact with you, you attempted to elude them unsuccessfully.”

The prison put Mary Kay's friends on notice: They were no longer eligible to visit any inmate at the women's prison. They were banned from prison grounds. For good.

“I was so crushed when I got that letter,” Michelle Jarvis said later. 'It was just another way they are trying to destroy Mary Kay by cutting off access from people who are closest to her. Their whole mission in life is to completely crush her. They hate her. They hate her. This was an easy way to put the screws to her again.”

Having lost faith in David Gehrke, Mary Kay's friends wanted very much to meet his partner, Robert Huff. But just as had been the experience of most of the media, the younger of the two attorneys was extremely elusive. Again, as always, no return calls.

The baptism was an opportunity to see him and both Michelle Jarvis and Kate Stewart knew it. When they finally reached him, he promised he'd either get back to them or meet them after the baptism. Though they talked that one time—mostly about money matters—he never did show for a meeting.

“He told Kate that he thought money could go to Mary Kay's defense fund as long as it didn't come from us,” Michelle recalled. “If it came from Vili's family then it would be okay. But we're guessing he's telling Vifi's family that they can't give any money to the defense fund because it might be a problem. I'm guessing he's playing two ends against the middle. He's controlling the money totally.”

And as the bank account from the Letourneau story grew fatter and fatter, the friends wondered where the money was going and when it would help Mary Kay get out of prison.

That first Globe article made Mary Kay's real friends wince. They knew instantly it would make their positions as defenders of a great cause even tougher than ever. Michelle and Kate saw it for the first time when they were up in Seattle for the baptism. Such good timing. An American Journal reporter told the women that she thought, as Vili's agent, Bob Huff had been paid for the photographs and interviews with Vili and Soona.