If you have children I’m sure that – at least once or twice – you’ve asked yourself “If I could sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7, what do you think would be a fair price for her?” Well, now, you don’t have to ask anymore. Thanks to the stunning display of family values shown by Patty Bigbee and Laurence Works, we now know the answer to that question is $30,000.00 (USD).
Andrew Gant, of the Daytona News Journal, has all the useful information.
A Holly Hill grandmother sold her 8-week-old grandson for $30,000 in a shopping-center parking lot Friday before investigators rushed in to arrest her and her boyfriend, state law enforcement agents said.
“This transaction today was: ‘Take this baby, give us our money and go,’ ” Florida Department of Law Enforcement Resident Agent-in-Charge Wayne Ivey said as officers took Patty Bigbee, 45, and her 42-year-old beau Lawrence Works to the Volusia County Branch Jail after questioning Friday night.
“… They were looking to sell this infant to anyone,” Ivey said.
The sale happened in the parking lot near Best Buy on International Speedway Boulevard, investigators said, where Bigbee and Works parked, met their buyer and began unloading baby toys and a stroller from their vehicle.
The buyer was a confidential source from Tampa who found the baby for sale late last month — Ivey declined to explain how she did that, or if it was online — and went to authorities. FDLE agents then traced Bigbee to Holly Hill.
The buyer’s “motive for this whole thing was to protect this child,” Ivey said. “They recognized the depth of what was happening.”
Investigators said Bigbee’s asking price for the baby started at $75,000 but shrank to $30,000 after several days of negotiations.
Well, they’ve given a whole new meaning to the phrase “Best Buy,” that’s for sure.
Much to my surprise, there wasn’t a single mention of a WalMart being involved.
What fascinates me is the fact that the cops actually took a few days to negotiate. How the heck does that work? Is there some aesthetics’ chart involved? Possible income graphs? How do you even begin to have a negotiation like this?
“Well, Patty, I was looking for something a little more plump ….”?
Oh well, the good news is that these yahoos are off the streets, the child is safe and our world continues to spin forward in this enlightened new millennium.