Lyle Rogers interview

Saturday, September 4, 2021 – 10:00 a.m.

Lyle Rogers was a client of the Harte Agency who ended up buying his home through Pearce Brokers.

Detectives Murphy and Parker interviewed him at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants:

• Detective S. Murphy
• Detective E. Parker
• Lyle Rogers

Detective Murphy: Hello, Mr. Rogers. For the record, could you please state your full name and address?

Lyle Rogers: Hi there. My name is Lyle Levon Rogers, and I live at 3700 Lyles Drive, right here in Oxford.

Detective Parker: Tell us a little about yourself.

Lyle Rogers: I am recently divorced and recently remarried. Yep, I'm a no-good S.O.B. who had an affair while he was married. But let me tell you, my ex was cold and manipulative. Anyway, my new wife has two boys, and I have three girls, and we're expecting. We just purchased a new house, and I've never been happier in my life.

Detective Murphy: Well, congratulations. What is your occupation?

Lyle Rogers: I'm a small business owner. Rogers Service Center, we service and repair lawnmowers, string trimmers, small tractors as well as household appliances.

Detective Murphy: You mentioned you just bought a new house. Did you buy it from the owner or through an agency?

Lyle Rogers: Huh, funny story. We had two agencies competing against each other to sell to us. We didn't even have to negotiate prices. They did it all for us.

Detective Parker: Which agencies were these?

Lyle Rogers: Pearce Brokers and Harte Agency.

Detective Murphy: Which one did you initially contact?

Lyle Rogers: The Harte Agency.

Detective Murphy: Did they make the sale?

Lyle Rogers: No, we went with Pearce. We were just about to sign on the dotted line with Harte when we got a call from Rita Pearce. She said she had a home that she really thought we would want to see before we bought the house. Valerie, my wife, told her we were happy with our choice and weren't interested, but Rita was very convincing. In fact, we met her later that very same day.

Detective Murphy: How did Ms. Pearce know you were in the market?

Lyle Rogers: We asked her that, and she said she had a net that helped her catch people who were about to be ripped off. She called it her safety net.

Detective Murphy: So was Harte Agency ripping you off?

Lyle Rogers: I don't think so, but Rita showed us a house that was almost identical to the one we were going to buy from Harte, only it had a two-car attached garage and a fenced-in back yard for $20,000 less.

Detective Murphy: Again, didn't you find it odd that she knew exactly what you were looking for?

Lyle Rogers: Sure, we did, but seriously, it didn't matter. She found the house we both wanted, and we were amazed. We told Mr. Harte what we wanted, and he met all of our requests except for those two. The one we almost bought had a detached garage, and we were going to have to hire someone to fence in the back.

Detective Parker: Interesting. Did she ever explain this safety net to you?

Lyle Rogers: No. We didn't ask. Should we have?

Detective Murphy: Did anyone from the Harte Agency contact you after the sale?

Lyle Rogers: No. Why would they?

Detective Murphy: To ask about how you wound up buying your house through Pearce Brokers?

Lyle Rogers: No, no one ever called me, and if anyone had talked to Valerie, I'm sure she would've mentioned it.

Detective Parker: Thank you, Mr. Rogers. That's all we'll need from you. You're free to go.

Detective Murphy: Thanks for your time. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions.

Lyle Rogers: You're welcome. I don't know what I told you, but I hope it helped.

Interview ended – 10:14 a.m.