ON Wednesday, July 13, 2011, Laura headed out for her sales calls. Building security cameras showed her walking out the black door of the entrance to her unit and down the stairs at 8:10 A.M. She wore a black sleeveless shirt and brown Capri pants and carried a brown Liz Claiborne purse and a black leather bag. It turned into an excellent day for business. Laura made successful presentations at Nash Street Grille, World Seafood, the Creamery Family Restaurant’s corporate office, Pup’s Steakhouse and Anthony’s Italian Restaurant.
She called Chevon after her first appointment to crow about her success.
Chevon urged her on. “You go, girl!”
Laura seemed to be nailing a sale every place she went. She called back several times to announce, “Hey! I got another one.”
Her success made her run a bit behind schedule. At 12:56 she sent a text message to Grant: “I can’t be there until after my last appointment in Wilson. When do you think they will be up?”
A few minutes after that, Laura wrote to Heidi Schumacher, who was on her way to a job interview in Charlotte, and told her that she was thinking about an idea for starting a new magazine in a big city. She asked Heidi to pick up any local or regional magazines she saw in Charlotte to see what was currently available. She moved on to her frustration with Grant and the upcoming custody hearing in August. “Do you think I should call on his ex-wife? I need to round up a few witnesses.”
Then she wrote to her church friend and mentor, Barbara Patty, thanking her for all she got from their Monday night Bible study and asking Barbara if she would be a witness at the hearing.
She called Randy Jenkins at Bill’s Grill, five miles southeast of Wilson, to let him know she wouldn’t be on time for their two o’clock appointment. When she arrived at three, they sat at the front of the restaurant and discussed menus and getting area businesses to advertise on them.
Randy was interrupted from time to time to fix orders for customers. But when he sat down across the table from Laura, he found her very persuasive, professional and pleasant to deal with—in no time, he signed a contract.
They talked briefly about their children as they wrapped up the meeting. Laura was excited to learn that Randy had nine children. Randy was struck by Laura’s enthusiasm for and pride in her kids. As she was leaving, she mentioned having another appointment in Raleigh. Randy explained the quickest way to get there, but told her, “It’s a bad time to leave because of the heavy traffic right now. You might want to reschedule.”
“No,” she said with a smile, “I really have to go to this appointment.” Laura was obviously very upbeat and excited when she shifted gears and headed to Raleigh.
At 4:08, Grant sent Laura a text message: “Would you like to keep the boys for the week until Sunday the twenty-fourth?” At 4:12, she responded: “Okay. I’m leaving Wilson now. I’ll call when I get past the traffic. Where will you be in an hour or so?”
Oksana received a call from Laura at 4:19 P.M., but she was in her study group at the time, so she let it go to voice mail. After she was finished there, she listened to the message:
“Hey, lady. It’s Laura. I am heading into Raleigh. I’ll be there in about an hour but—um—I’m gonna go visit with my boys. Don’t know what’s gonna happen as far as that’s concerned. So—uh—I’ll just give you a call when I’m done. And I just wanted to let you know, too, I don’t know if I’ll be able to see you before seven, but just wanted to find out if you’re gonna be available after that at any point. Give me a call. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
Oksana never spoke to Laura again.
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CHEVON knew about Laura’s planned meeting with Oksana, but not that Laura planned to stop at Grant and Amanda’s apartment. Laura had said she’d phone Chevon as soon as she got back home in Kinston, probably around nine that night.
But Chevon never got that call.
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SHORTLY after she left the message for Oksana, Laura arrived at the apartment complex where Grant and Amanda Hayes lived, to pick up her boys for the weekend.
No one else ever saw her again after she walked through their door.