"Yes, ma'am," Sloane said. "We're investigating their deaths and trying to understand more about the program. We understand you went through it last year."
"I did," Mariah said. "Well, partway through. I dropped out."
"Can you tell us why?"
"It just wasn't for me." Mariah's voice was careful, measured. "The program itself was fine, but I realized halfway through that I wasn't ready to start a business. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be. Not just in terms of finances, but also time and resources.”
Kate leaned closer to the phone. "Ms. Layne, this is Agent Kate Wise. Did you know Patricia Holmes personally? We understand she referred you."
"I knew her a little bit. We met at a networking event and she was so enthusiastic about Second Act that I thought I'd give it a try."
"How many people from your cohort actually ended up opening businesses?" Kate asked.
Mariah was quiet for a moment. "Out of our group? Maybe three or four out of twenty. Most people realized during the program that running a business wasn't what they wanted. And of the ones who did open businesses, I think only one is still operating."
"That's a pretty low success rate," Sloane said.
"It is," Mariah agreed. "But honestly, I think that's normal. Starting a business is hard. Most fail within the first year. The program gives you the tools, but it can't make you successful."
Kate made a note on her phone. "Did you notice any tension between participants? Anyone who seemed resentful of the people who did succeed?"
"Not really. Everyone was supportive of each other, at least while I was there. If anything, people were harder on themselves than they were on others."
They asked a few more questions, but Mariah didn't have much else to offer. She hadn't kept in touch with anyone from the program after dropping out, and she hadn't spoken to Patricia Holmes in months. She seemed a little embarrassed that she’d not been able to stick with it.
After ending the call, Kate looked at Sloane. "That success rate is lower than Crawford made it sound."
"A lot lower," Sloane agreed. She pulled up Nora Hazlewood's number. "Let's see what the second one has to say."
This time Kate made the call, putting it on speaker so Sloane could hear. This call was answered on the second ring and a quick round of introductions were made.
"Ms. Hazlewood? This is Agent Kate Wise with the FBI. I'm here with Agent Erica Sloane. We're investigating the deaths of Patricia Holmes and Rachel Thornton, and we'd like to ask you some questions about the Second Act Success program."
"Oh God," Nora said. Her voice sounded strained. "I heard about what happened to them. It's awful."
“Do you mind asking how you heard?” Kate asked, recalling that Mariah had also already heard about both deaths.
“Facebook. Word gets around quickly, you know? And you said… well, you wanted to know about Second Act?”
"That’s right. You went through the program last fall, is that correct?"
"Yes. I completed the whole thing but never opened a business."
"Can you tell us why?" Kate asked.
"I spent six months in the program learning everything I needed to know," Nora said. "Business plans, marketing strategies, financial management. But when it came time to actually launch, I froze. The risk was too big. I just got cold feet. What if I failed? What if I lost everything I'd invested?"
"That's understandable," Kate said. "How common would you say that is? People completing the program but not following through, I mean?"
"Very common," Nora said. "I'd say at least half the people in my cohort never opened businesses. They finished the training and then just couldn't take that final step."
Sloane leaned toward the phone. "What about the ones whodidopen businesses? How many of them succeeded?"
"Well, I guess that all depends on your definition ofsucceeded," Nora said. "If you mean still operating after a year,maybe two or three out of ten. Most fail within the first few months. It's one thing to have a business plan. It's another thing to actually make money."
Kate thought about this. "Both Patricia Holmes and Rachel Thornton were still in their first year of operations when they were murdered. Does that seem unusual to you? That they were both doing well enough to be featured in marketing materials?"
"Honestly? Yes," Nora said. "Most businesses barely break even in the first year. The fact that they were both successful enough to be used as examples is pretty rare."
