Baby Be Mine Page 10

  Bobbie Jo became a regular in the dog show circuit and was a natural in the ring. She handled the dogs with a gentle patience that produced top-notch behavior and performance from every dog she showed. She was a rat terrier breed inspector and licensed judge for the National Kennel Club, and press secretary for a United Kennel Club.

  Sometimes when she traveled to the exhibitions, she shared a hotel room with Tracey Ramirez, a Leavenworth, Kansas, breeder she met online. Other times, Zeb accompanied her to the shows. He wasn’t involved in the breeding effort, but encouraged his wife’s passionate interest.

  On April 3, 2004, a couple of weeks before a dog show in Abilene, Kansas, Lisa Montgomery wrote to Bobbie Jo Stinnett.

  It has been a busy week here. With 5 active pups, 3 of which my daughter is working with on crate training, litter box training and stacking on her table, her room is more like our kennel room here! The kids are talking about switching bedrooms to give Kayla and the pups their own room even if it means someone else has to share a bedroom.

  We are still planning on making the Abilene, Kansas show on the 17th with at least two of the pups depending on how well training goes. Kayla is excited about this as this will be her first show.

  Bobbie Jo responded:

  Lisa,

  I will be at the show. Cannot wait to meet you. We will be bringing Diamond down for the Standard Variety puppy class.

  At the show later that month, Bobbie Jo was pregnant. And Lisa Montgomery—clad in maternity clothes—told everyone she was carrying twins.

  16

  In the months after the show, Lisa and Bobbie Jo stayed in contact online. They chatted about puppies and breeding plans. They compared notes about the progress of their pregnancies and shared dreams about their babies’ futures.

  Another woman in the rat terrier chat group announced in April that she was pregnant with twins. Lisa Montgomery contacted her via instant messenger and wrote, “I’ve got you beat!” She added that her twins were due to arrive first—on December 12.

  A few days later, Lisa contacted the woman again. She said that she was knitting a blanket for the woman’s babies. The mother-to-be thought it was a little odd—but nice—that someone she only knew online would go to that much trouble for her.

  In June, the woman miscarried her twins when the fetuses were just fourteen weeks old. She never heard from Lisa Montgomery again.

  * * *

  That spring, Bobbie Jo fell in love with Fonzi, a puppy she spotted online. He was a white-and-blue-fawn blanket-back male born on February 29, 2004, at Calico Run Kennels in Austin, Texas. Bobbie Jo contacted kennel owner Pat Kennedy to discuss the possibility of joint ownership of Fonzi.

  After several exchanges of emails and telephone calls, Pat agreed. She made arrangements to meet Bobbie Jo at the dog show in Norman, Oklahoma, on May 16, and turn Fonzi over to Bobbie Jo’s care.

  Pat checked into her hotel room and then went up one floor to where Bobbie Jo was staying. When she entered, she saw a rat terrier lying on her back sound asleep with her feet stuck up straight in the air. Bobbie Jo had the dog’s back paws in her hands, filing down her little nails. Pat had seen a lot of squirming and a lot of reluctant acquiescence from dogs whose nails were being trimmed and filed, but never before had she seen one fall asleep in the process.

  Bobbie Jo continued to amaze Pat throughout the show. She had a way with animals that created an instant and unbelievable bond. Every dog Bobbie Jo encountered melted in her presence and seemed to have no greater desire in life than to be close to her. Rat terriers were a passion for her and somehow the dogs knew it and loved her for it.

  2004 was a big year for Bobbie Jo’s business. Tipsy had her third and final litter in September—she retired from breeding after that. Bobbie Jo also bred Belle, one of Tipsy’s second litter, to Jason Dawson’s male, Mighty Samson. That litter was in high demand. She barely had time to announce it online before she had a waiting list for five of the pups. She also bred Diamond, a black, tan and white female she got from the Duke family in St. Charles, Missouri. She planned a second litter for Diamond in 2005. The sire for that litter would be her new co-owned addition, Fonzi.

  Bobbie Jo was delighted with the success of her rat terrier breeding, but it was nothing to compare to her excitement over the child she had on the way. Her due date was January 19, and she was ecstatic.

  She and Zeb batted around possible baby names as soon as they knew a baby was on the way. They decided on Zebadiah if the baby was a boy, Victoria Jo if it was a girl. By early November, they knew Bobbie Jo was carrying their daughter. As soon as Bobbie Jo knew her baby would be a girl, she registered at Wal-Mart. Her list included newborn onesies, pink and yellow blankets, pink burp cloths and a diaper bag.

  Bobbie Jo talked often to Pat Kennedy about her hopes and dreams for her baby girl. She already planned to take Victoria Jo with her to dog shows right away. She wanted her to grow up comfortable with the venue. She couldn’t wait to teach her how to care for the dogs, how to show them and the basics and importance of genetics in dog breeding. She envisioned Victoria Jo growing into her future partner and friend.

  In early October, Lisa Montgomery posted at an online rat terrier site:

  I lost one of the twins. It’s so terrible, but they saved one twin.

  On another site, she griped about her child support from Carl Boman. She complained that her attorney also represented Kevin’s ex-wife. Kevin was hauled into court nearly every year for an increase in child support, and the difference was garnished from his wages within two weeks. For some reason Lisa did not understand, that same attorney was only able to get Carl into court on one occasion, and that one time, she said, delays ran on for months.

  Later that month, Kevin Montgomery told Reverend Wheatley that he’d felt the baby kick inside of his wife’s body. When Wheatley saw Lisa he said, “You look too thin to be eight months pregnant.”

  “I always have small babies,” she said.

  * * *

  The rat terrier enthusiasts were surprised and delighted when the very pregnant Bobbie Jo Stinnett showed up at a dog show in mid-November. Bobbie Jo felt uncomfortable in her awkward body. She changed outfits at least five times in an attempt to find something to wear that didn’t bind.

  Despite her discomfort, Bobbie Jo did well at the show. Diamond won one Reserve—second place—ribbon, Best Female in two categories and two Best of Winners ribbons. Fonzi earned Best Male in three different categories and in the final multiple breed competition, he was awarded a Best of Winners ribbon.

  It was Fonzi’s first show and his success blew Bobbie Jo away. Each ribbon prompted a call to Pat Kennedy. “I hardly worked with him at all,” she said. “I just brought him along to get familiar with the ring.”

  Bobbie Jo’s excitement was boundless, she even broke into tears of joy on a couple of the calls. Fonzi’s first show brought him within three points of earning his championship. Bobbie Jo and Pat made plans to go together with Fonzi to a dog show in January to let him win the final points he needed.

  Bobbie Jo promised to teach Pat everything she knew about the breed and the genetics of breeding. Pat was delighted. She could not think of anyone else who would be a more knowledgeable—and giving—teacher.

  That same month, Bobbie Jo’s friends gathered together to throw a baby shower for the radiant young mother-to-be. It was a joyous occasion—a celebration of life and the arrival of a new generation.

  It was also the month that Lisa Montgomery purchased a home birth kit. It was the type that midwives often used to deliver babies at home. On the Internet, Lisa visited MapQuest on multiple occasions and downloaded directions from her house in Melvern to the home of Bobbie Jo Stinnett in Skidmore.

  She sat engrossed at her desk for a prolonged period of time on November 17. Her attention was riveted by an online video of a doctor performing a cesarean section.

  Lisa quit her job at Wendy’s on Interstate Highway 35 before Thanksgiving. S
he told her employer that she needed to cut back on her workload because her baby was due in December. Desiree and Chelsea worked at that Wendy’s, too. They picked up some of the slack caused by their coworker’s absence—logging more hours than usual up until mid-December.

  In early December, Bobbie Jo paid a visit to her former employer, Earl May Feed and Supply. She often stopped by the shop with fish she bred in her tanks and traded them in for other fish the shop had in stock.

  This time, she wanted to buy a few new fish for her tank. While she was there, she chatted with Chuck Ellis and her former coworkers. Bobbie Jo appeared even more animated and happy than usual.

  Isabel Phelon, the Montgomerys’ landlady, drove past her tenants’ home and stopped when she saw Kevin outside. When she asked him how his wife was doing, Kevin said, “Lisa’s still working, but she is expecting her baby next week.”

  On December 10, Lisa Montgomery wrote on the rat terrier boards about her difficulty in obtaining good photos of her dogs:

  Right now it is worse—I can not get down on the floor to take better pictures due to being pregnant and getting back up is a story in itself.

  She wrote that she thought about putting Angel—the rat terrier she wanted to photograph—standing up on a table, but

  Angel does not like heights, and I didn’t think now was the time to introduce her for the sake of a few pictures—lol. But I tried!

  She added that her due date was December 16.

  That same day in Osage County District Court, Lisa’s first husband, Carl Boman, filed for custody of two of the four children born during his marriage to Lisa. The oldest child, Desiree, would soon be 18 years old and could decide on her own. The youngest, 14-year-old Kay la, wanted to stay in Georgia with the family who currently cared for her. But the two middle children, C.J. and Chelsea, ages 15 and 16, expressed a desire to live with their dad, citing difficulties with their mother.

  As a part of his case, Carl planned to question Lisa’s mental state by saying she faked pregnancies. Lisa would either have to admit that she was not pregnant or Carl could prove it, enhancing his probability of gaining custody.

  That same night was parents’ and seniors’ night at the Marais Des Cygnes Valley High School basketball game in Melvern. Although Lisa wore maternity clothes, the people who saw her that night found it hard to believe that she was due in less than a week’s time.

  After the game, Lisa went online and posted a message next to her Internet name:

  Baby any day, maybe today.

  17

  On December 15, Jason Dawson logged on to MSN Messenger. From her home computer, Lisa Montgomery joined him online. If he had known he was chatting with Lisa, he would have found a quick, polite way to sign off and return later when she was not there.

  Jason, however, had no clue to the real identity of the person he engaged in e-conversation. He thought he was talking to Darlene Fischer, a woman who was eager to get a rat terrier puppy for her children for Christmas.

  She told him that she couldn’t take the puppy home right away because she was going on vacation. She wanted to put a deposit down, though, before she left town. Jason thought Darlene was a nice person. He appreciated her excitement about surprising her children. He was a parent, too.

  Jason wanted to help her in her puppy quest and asked her where she lived. Darlene told him she was in Fairfax, Missouri. Jason knew that town was just a half hour’s drive from Skidmore and thought of Bobbie Jo Stinnett right away. He knew Bobbie Jo had puppies for sale. He gave Bobbie Jo’s email address to Darlene. He thought he was doing Bobbie Jo a favor.

  At 4:22 P.M., Lisa Montgomery—using her Darlene Fischer alias—sent a note via instant messenger to Bobbie Jo Stinnett:

  I was recommended to you by Jason Dawson and have been unable to reach you by either phone or email. Please get in touch with me soon as we are considering the purchase of one of your puppies .. .

  For twenty minutes, Bobbie Jo and Darlene chattered in instant messenger. They made plans to meet at Bobbie Jo’s home the next day.

  Early in the afternoon of December 16, Deann Hensley of Bedford, Iowa, was shopping at the Wal-Mart in Maryville, Missouri—just a half hour’s drive from Skidmore. She strolled through the aisles with her mother and her 6-month-old baby. Her baby started to cry while she was browsing through CDs in the music department.

  Lisa Montgomery approached her with a smile. “What a beautiful baby,” she said.

  Deann thanked her for the compliment, then turned back to her child to soothe her and wipe away her tears.

  Lisa continued to hover nearby. “I’ll hold your baby while you look around if she’s not scared of me,” she offered.

  Unease rumbled through Deann. She held her baby tighter. She looked at the stranger who wanted to lay hands on her child. Behind Lisa’s smile she saw unhealthy hunger. In that hunger, she saw danger. She told herself that this sudden onset of paranoid suspicion was just her maternal instinct run amok. But still she did not want that woman near her baby. She smiled a tight, polite smile, nodded in farewell and walked away from Lisa Montgomery. She moved as quickly as decorum would allow, putting as much distance as possible between her baby and the needy, dirty-blond stranger. She breathed easier when Lisa Montgomery was out of sight.

  Lisa watched the mother and child leave until they disappeared into another aisle. Then she drifted over to the baby department to browse. The Wal-Mart security cameras followed her every move. They captured images of everything she did that day in the store, but they were blind to the motivations behind her actions. Lisa selected a few items of baby clothing, paid for her purchase and left the store.

  She turned left out of the parking lot, driving the compact red car, laden with a burden of dust and mud picked up on the dirt roads of Melvern. At the last light before leaving Maryville, she turned right onto the road to Skidmore.

  She followed the byway up and down hills. Around gentle curves and major bends. Through fallow fields barren in the cold.

  She entered Skidmore. She drove past the brick Skidmore Museum. Past the block where emptiness prevailed and only the bar beckoned. At the intersection, the highway turned left. Lisa drove straight ahead—down Elm Street to the white bungalow of Zeb and Bobbie Jo Stinnett.

  Bobbie Joe was at home on Elm Street awaiting the arrival of Darlene Fischer. She was excited about the visit. She loved the opportunity to show off her puppies.

  At 2:30, her telephone rang. It was her mother, Becky Harper, calling to ask if Bobbie Jo could pick her up from work at Sumy Oil—just a couple of blocks away. If Becky had looked out the window at that time, she would have seen Lisa Montgomery’s dirty red car drive past Sumy Oil.

  Bobbie Jo explained to her mother that she couldn’t leave the house just yet—she was expecting someone to look at the dogs. As the two women chatted, Bobbie Jo heard a knock on her door. She looked out the front window and saw a red Toyota parked in front of her house.

  “Oh, they’re here,” she said to her mother. “I’ve got to go.”

  18

  When Bobbie Jo answered her front door, Lisa Montgomery stood on her front porch. Did Bobbie Jo recognize the woman she’d met at dog shows? Or did she just think “Darlene Fischer” looked familiar?

  Whatever questions raced through Bobbie Jo’s mind, either they did not create any anxiety, or Lisa—the smooth-talking, experienced liar—allayed her fears with ease. If recognized as Lisa Montgomery, Lisa could have claimed that she was just in the neighborhood and wanted to see Bobbie Jo’s litter of pups. Otherwise, it was as the oddly familiar Darlene Fischer that Lisa entered the Stinnett home.

  There was no physical evidence to indicate that Lisa Montgomery used any force to obtain entry. There were no forensic indications that anything untoward happened in any of the rooms the two women passed to reach the converted bedroom that housed the litter of rat terriers.

  In that room, where the puppies squirmed and yipped in celebration of new life,
Bobbie Jo Stinnett was comfortable enough with her visitor to turn her back on her. Lisa seized that opportunity. She threw a rope around Bobbie Jo’s neck and jerked it tight.

  Bobbie Jo experienced a moment of mental numbness from the shock of the ugly surprise. Her biological imperative for survival, however, reacted instantly. She bucked in defiance, driving Lisa backward. Bobbie Jo’s feet kicked at her attacker—some thrusts hitting their mark, others connecting with nothing but empty air. Bobbie Jo struggled to catch a breath. She clawed at the rope around her throat.

  Lisa’s jaw tightened in determination. Her hands shook as she pulled on the rope with all of her strength. She held her death grip until Bobbie Jo’s thrashing body quieted. She did not let up until Bobbie Jo slumped over, supported only by the binding around her neck. Then, Lisa eased her hold on the rope and Bobbie Jo slid unconscious to the floor.

  Lisa rushed into the kitchen. She flexed the cramps out of her hands as she ran. She grabbed a three-inch paring knife. She knelt on the floor by Bobbie Jo. She knew every second counted. There was no time to spare—the baby’s life was at stake.

  She sunk the knife in at the top of Bobbie Jo’s distended belly. She sliced downward with care and patience. She saw the blood sketch a bright red line in the trail of the knife. She saw it pool and slide down Bobbie Jo’s sides.

  Bobbie Jo was not dead yet. She twitched. The pain of the incision revived her. She cried out. She sat up and threw off her attacker. She knocked away the knife. She staggered to her feet and lunged for the knife, but Lisa held on to it. The struggle, though, left cuts all over both of her hands.

  Lisa grabbed the rope and tried to get it around Bobbie Jo’s throat. Bobbie Jo tried to escape from her tormentor. She fought for her life—and for the life of the baby she loved sight unseen.