“I’m afraid you won’t be seeing him at all anymore. He was shot to death by police last night.”
Mrs. Tipton’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “Oh, no. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I was, too,” Seth said. “But you said he’d been here a lot over the years. Do you know why he kept getting assigned here instead of spending time in jail?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that. I only follow the court’s recommendations and take the offenders they send. If you’d like more information, I suggest you talk with Assistant District Attorney Abby Dalton. She’s one of our greatest supporters, and she keeps an eye out for offenders she thinks might benefit from doing community service hours instead of spending time behind bars.”
Seth nodded and pushed to his feet. “I’ll do that. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Tipton. I appreciate the help you’ve been.”
She rose and walked around her desk to the door. “If you think of anything else you’d like to ask me, come again. I’m here every day, even Sundays. We have a morning worship service before lunch.” She opened the door and stuck out her hand to Callie. “I am praying for your uncle’s recovery, Dr. Lattimer. Please let him know.”
Callie shook her hand and smiled. “Thank you, and please call me Callie. I was wondering, though, what kind of qualifications you need to volunteer here?”
Mrs. Tipton glanced from Callie to Seth. “Are you thinking of volunteering? We already have a doctor and nurse who provide us with health needs.”
Callie chuckled. “I’m not that kind of doctor, Mrs. Tipton. I’m a PhD who is willing to roll up her sleeves and help when she sees a need. I know my uncle supported this place, and I would like to do it in his honor.”
Mrs. Tipton smiled and squeezed her hand. “Whenever you want to come here, give me a call. I can always use an extra pair of hands.”
“Thank you. I’ll let you know.”
Seth couldn’t believe the exchange he’d just heard, and he followed Callie from the building without saying a word. He didn’t speak until they were back in the car. Then he swiveled in his seat and faced her. “What was that all about?”
She turned to face him and blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Why would you ask about volunteering?”
“I may not be a trained police officer, Seth, but I can tell when something doesn’t make sense. Why would a repeat offender like Carlos Allen keep getting community service instead of going to jail? There’s something wrong in the system somewhere. It’s either in the courts, here at the center or they’re working together. It might help to have somebody undercover to find out where the problem is.”
He shook his head. “I can guarantee it’s not going to be you undercover.”
She smiled and reached for her seat belt. “We can deal with that situation when we decide where the problem may lie. For now, why don’t we go to see A.D.A. Dalton?”
Seth started to restate his opposition to her proposal, but he groaned and pulled his seat belt tight as he decided to pick his battles. He really didn’t know if he was more upset at the prospect of her going undercover at the mission or the fact that she had thought of doing it before he had.
Having a pair of eyes inside the shelter might help the investigation. “It’s not a bad idea, Callie. But like you said, let’s talk to Ms. Dalton and find out how Carlos Allen got away with doing so much community service time instead of being behind bars. She should have some interesting answers for us.”