Chapter 42

Bryant was emotionally drained by the time the chat ended more than an hour later. Neither side had asked for pictures or any personal information. Little Darlings 23 said they had two children, both girls. One was eleven and the other was ten. Outside of sharing a few vacation stories and talking in general, there was nothing more gained from the exchange.

"We'll be on Saturday night if you want to chat again," the screen read. "Hope to see you then."

"Very productive," Tallmadge said. "For a first time at chatting with someone, I think you made remarkable progress."

"We're still no closer to rescuing those kids," Bryant pointed out.

"But you are!" Herman said. "You are one giant step closer. They are arranging the chat so your daughter will be here. I would imagine that they'll put their kids on to chat with Miss Bell. They'll closely supervise the situation, of course. They won't let their kids say anything they shouldn't. You might let slip that you get your daughter on Wednesday nights and every other weekend. That's the standard custody arrangement in most states. I would wager that if the tone of the conversation continues as it began, you'll move onto video chats in a month or so. You could be looking at a meeting around Christmas."

"Don't we need to get through the parts where we tell the other we're having sex with our children?" Bryant wondered.

"You've told them that by being in the chat room and outing a cop," Tallmadge replied. "You wouldn't have done either thing if you were just in the wrong place."

"Good point," Bryant said.

"I would suggest that you move the venue to someplace ... less feminine, I suppose," Tallmadge continued. "Remember that you are a divorced father paying child support. The female in your life is your daughter. Does that make sense?"

"I finally get to see Bryant's apartment!" Cassidy said with a laugh.

"I also would suggest you have cam capabilities set up," Tallmadge remarked. "I don't think they'll go to that step just yet but they might want to let the children see each other when they talk."

He paused for a moment to look at the others in the room.

"You might want some pictures of you and Miss Bell together," he continued. "Nothing sexual; remember your back story. You are a divorced father who only recently began a sexual relationship with your child. You haven't moved to videotaping it or selling it. You aren't interested in sharing it even though you know it has to end soon. You want them to convince you to meet them. But you will need photos of the two of you together. It's only natural for a father to have photos of his daughter. You might even have someone put together a picture of you, Detective Garvin and Miss Bell from old pictures. It would explain the startling difference in height and I think the two of you could pass for Miss Bell's parents. I hope I'm not overstepping my role here but, as I've tried to harp on, these people will look for inconsistencies and flee if they find them."

"No, I think you have some good points," Holly said. "We know they are in South Carolina but it's a huge state to search."

"You know they told you they are here," Tallmadge corrected gently. "That's the other thing you should remember when talking to someone online: People lie. These people will try to befriend you but they will want much more information from you than they offer. The information that they do provide should be taken with a grain of salt. No, it should be taken with a pound of salt. It is very likely that nothing you hear from them will be the truth. There is one other thing I want you to consider. People who do this sort of thing often present it to their young children as play-acting. They are movie stars and they have to kiss their co-star and the like. The names they give you for their children are unlikely to be anywhere close to their real names. They will call them Delilah and Lola or Cherish and Vanity. I wouldn't want you to waste a lot of manpower searching school directories for a ten-year-old named Allison just because they've told you that was her name."

"So you're saying we take things slowly and be suspicious of any information we learn from them," Holly clarified.

"I think that's the proper approach," Tallmadge said. "I am moving out of my element, as it were. This is a section of the life that I don't know well and anything I tell you from here on out will be guesswork. But I do understand paranoia and suspicion and I think that's what you'll find with these people. I believe they will be very cautious and bolt if you try to push them. One thing I might suggest is that you solicit information about how to temper the emotional toll this would have on a teenager. I think you'll know when the time is right for that question. You want to be seen as a child lover not a pedophile. Even the sickest among us prefer that term. If you allow your chat partners to believe you view them in a positive fashion I think it will help cement your online relationship."

Jan and Holly supervised the photo session the following day. Bryant's apartment was crowded with four people in it.

The women had them change clothing and hairstyles even. They took a couple of pictures of Cassidy sitting on Bryant's lap and a few of her wearing different bathing suits. Herman Tallmadge wasn't invited to the photo shoot so Cassidy convinced the others to let her pose with a towel wrapped around her.

"Okay, I want to do one sexy shot," Cassidy decided. She opened the towel to reveal she wore a strapless bra and a pair of small panties. She reclined on the bed and rolled to her side. "Set this up to look like it was self-shot."

Jan was taking the photos and she stood rooted in spot. Part of her was extremely unhappy to see another woman lying on Bryant's bed wearing only her underwear. Bryant had watched Cassidy climb on his bed, her backside pale where the panties she wore were smaller than the swimsuit she normally wore, before turning to leave the room.

"Jan, I'm probably going to have to kiss him when we're on cam," Cassidy said. "I might have to do more than that if we're going to catch these people. If you can't handle me standing in front of him in my skimpies, how are you going to handle me putting my hand in his shorts?"

Jan's glare increased for a brief instance before it left completely.

"I guess you're right," Jan said. "How far are you willing to go for this?"

Cassidy shrugged.

"I don't think it's a matter of how far I'm willing to go," she said. "I think it's a question of how far he's willing to go."

Jan turned to ask Bryant the same question but found him gone.

"He scooted outside before the towel hit the floor," Cassidy said. "You need to talk to him, Jan. If he does that on cam these animals are gone. He has to recognize that he might be required to do some things he finds distasteful."

"Not distasteful," Holly corrected with a frown. "Things he's uncomfortable with. Jan, you have to sell him on the fact that this is an undercover assignment and you understand that certain things might transpire. They're not going to have sex. I think Cassidy can assure you of that. But the job might require some kissing and some petting. You know it's nothing personal."

It took Jan until the end of the week to find an opening to talk to Bryant about the situation.

"Did you know I did some undercover work while I was in uniform?" she asked.

"They didn't make you dress up like a streetwalker, did they?" Bryant asked with a laugh. He couldn't think of anything more inconceivable.

"Yep," Jan said.

"Seriously?" Bryant asked. "Did they know... ?"

"They knew," Jan said. "It didn't matter. They needed someone to help vice. I was one of the few women on the force who could pass for a hooker."

"Christ," Bryant muttered. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"I hated the assignment," Jan told him. "It made me uncomfortable. First off, I'm not sure prostitution – at least prostitution that I was portraying, is a major deal. Sure, when you're dealing with pimps and runaways, yeah, I get the need to keep it under control. I wasn't doing this. I was set up as a high-end girl with a Web site. Do you remember when the Mayor was so hot about printing the john's names in the paper? It was part of that. He seemed to think that if we humiliated the demanders, the suppliers would dry up. We both know it doesn't work that way but the politicians never quite get that.

"But it was more than that. In order to make a bust stand up, I had to be alone in a room with a person I didn't know. I had to talk about sex. I had to dress like, well, a hooker. But I did it. I worked that detail for four months and we nabbed more than twenty men – and one woman – on solicitation charges."

"Okay," Bryant said. He still wasn't sure where the conversation was headed.

"You need to do that now, Bryant," Jan told him.

"I'm not going to put on a slinky dress and high-heeled pumps," Bryant joked.

"You know what I mean," Jan insisted.

"I really don't," Bryant replied.

"Cassidy," Jan said.

"What about her?" Bryant asked. "Is she uncomfortable with what's going on? I'll pull her if she is."

"No!" Jan said in exasperation. "You're uncomfortable. It's obvious from everyone that you're going to screw this up unless you accept the assignment and forget about your discomfort."

"I'm okay with things," Bryant said with a shrug.

"You are not okay with things," Jan countered. "Well, you might be okay with them at this point but you're not comfortable with what is going to come soon. Bryant, you are portraying a man who is in a sexual relationship with his daughter. Cassidy is portraying that daughter. You cannot blush every time she shows an ankle. You cannot flinch away every time she touches your arm."

"It's not that easy," Bryant said. "Look, I think Cassidy is a great kid. In fact, I adore the little shit, if you want to know the truth. But it's difficult for me to think of her as anything more than a kid."

"I know," Jan said in a conciliatory voice. "We all know. The thing is, this is going to video chat in the near future. Your discomfort radiates off you. How are you supposed to convince the people you're talking to that you're genuine? That's the key, Bryant. If they sense anything is amiss, they are going to bolt. You've seen how jittery they are. Hell, you've seen how jittery Herman is. You have to set aside your preconceived notions of Cassidy and pretend to enjoy what's happening."

"No I don't," Bryant said.

"Yes, you do!" Jan contradicted.

"Hear me out," Bryant said. "The guy I'm playing is ill at ease with the situation."

"He is embarrassed," Jan replied. "He is not appalled at the very concept. I know you are. Look, if you can't do this, we're going to have to go a different direction. Maybe the State Police can take over the investigation."

"They can't," Bryant said with a frown. "I tried to get Ron to take it but he doesn't have the manpower. He can't even put someone on the task force for a few more weeks."

"We can let them go," Jan said.

"You know that we can't," Bryant said.

"Then you are going to have to accept the fact that you are going to be feigning intimacy with Cassidy," Jan said.

"The key word is feigning," Bryant offered.

"Yes," Jan said. "I'm not talking about you and her shacking up in a hotel for a weekend. I'm talking about being able to act like your skin doesn't crawl when you touch her or kiss her."

"I touch her all the time," Bryant pointed out.

"You kiss her on the top of the head and you pat her on the back," Jan replied. "I'm talking about kissing her on the lips and touching her butt or her breasts."

"I will not touch her butt or her breasts," Bryant insisted.

"If you want to arrest these people, you will," Jan said in an angry voice. "Bryant, this isn't about you or Cassidy. This is about those sick fucks and what they are doing to those children. You are the man who can bring them down – if you don't screw it up because you're too embarrassed to kiss a pretty girl."

"It's Cassidy I'm worried about," Bryant said.

"Don't," Jan stated firmly. "Cassidy is fine with this. I am fine with this. Holly is fine with this. You are the one who gets a red face if she sits on your lap. I'm telling you a fact: You have until this goes to video chat to get over that or these people are going to get away."

Bryant nodded his agreement but Jan knew she would have to keep an eye on his reactions to Cassidy.

Holly hated to admit it but Herman Tallmadge had become integral to the investigation. She still couldn't stand the man but he had proven useful.

He was the sole member of the task force that fully understood the intricacies of navigating the chat rooms. He had written down the myriad rules of online chatting in child-sex chat rooms. He had kept detailed notes of every nuance of the conversations and had kept "fact sheets" so Bryant and Cassidy wouldn't get tripped up on something they had mentioned earlier.

He did all this while working his midnight shift job at a local grocery store. Still, Holly was uncomfortable being in proximity to the man. There was something about him that gave her the creeps.

She had no details of his case. He had been arrested and convicted before Emerald Cove had incorporated so the details were with the county sheriff's department.

Herman seemed to understand Holly's reticence so he did his best to avoid speaking to her. The rest of the task force treated him cordially enough but he knew they found him disgusting. He kept any conversation to what was transpiring on the screen or on what he suspected would be coming next in the investigation.

At a task force meeting in early November, he proved his worth again.

"We're starting to skate into dangerous territory," he said.

"Why do you say that?" Jan asked with interest.

"You know I've done my best to keep a record of any fact you've relayed to the suspects," he said. "Well, I've been keeping track of the facts they've relayed, too. They're starting to test you. They're starting to change small details. It's nothing major. It's just little things. Last month, they said their house had four bedrooms. Last night, they said they have three. I just want you to stay on top of things. Bryant, you have to call them on these discrepancies."

"Why?" Bryant asked.

"They expect you to," Herman insisted. "Look, you're doing really well but your language is stiff. It's obvious that you don't have a lot of experience on a computer. But it also makes you come off sounding like a cop. A cop would let the lies go through in order to keep the conversation going. Anyone else would call them on it in order to make sure the other party isn't a cop. I've been trying to stay away from you while you're chatting online. You have enough voices in your ear without me adding mine. Still, I will nudge you the next time they lie to you."

Bryant looked around the table to get everyone else's impression. They were all looking at Herman.

"Okay," Bryant decided. "I've noticed the changes in their stories. I assumed it was because they were lying the first time and they couldn't remember the lie."

"It might be as simple as that," Herman admitted. "But I don't think so. I think it is intentional. I spotted four times in your last chat where they altered their initial story slightly. The bedroom thing was the big one. The others were smaller: the color of their car went from red to maroon; his job went from office work to clerical; she went from enjoying jogging to taking walks. Like I said, it's little things but, when you're dealing with the unknown, they're large. At least I think they're large."

The meeting broke up a few minutes later. A fall rainstorm off the ocean was drenching the city and Herman stood forlornly on the sidewalk trying to find a non-existent cab. Holly was the only person leaving the precinct and she let out a sigh when she saw the small little man.

"Fuck," she muttered as she pulled up to the curb and pushed the door to her sports car open. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"That isn't necessary, Detective," Herman said.

"Just get in the fucking car," Holly insisted. Herman looked up and down the street for another mode of transit before complying.

"I'm sorry for getting your seats all wet," Herman said. He turned his face toward the window and went silent. He didn't want the woman to be forced into conversation with him.

The silence lasted until the second stoplight. It was Holly who spoke.

"You have a good read on the situation," she said.

Herman continued to look out the window but nodded slightly.

"Look, I'm sorry about how I've been acting," Holly said. "You've been a real standup guy but I worked sex crimes division. Most of the pedophiles I've met do not fit that classification."

"I understand," Herman said. "I'm not clinically classified as a pedophile. Legally, I'm a sex offender but psychologically, I'm not."

"I've not pulled your file so I don't know what you did," Holly admitted.

"It's a long story," Herman said.

"With the way it's pissing down the rain, I think we have time," Holly said. "If you're uncomfortable, it's okay."

"No, it's all public record," Herman said with a shrug. "You worked sex crimes so what I'm going to tell you is probably old news. When you're dealing with a child sex offender, most people are caught the first time. It is rare for child sex offenders to get away with a single criminal act."

"Okay," Holly said.

"Well, I'm the typical sex offender," Herman said. "A dozen years ago, when the Internet was in its infancy, it was unregulated. It was almost completely lawless. Child sex sites were easily accessed. Chat rooms exploded across the Web. I was always an odd person. I rarely dated in high school and I had only one serious girlfriend in my life. We dated for a year when I was sixteen and she was fifteen. She moved away and I never saw her again. The psychiatrist I see tells me that is why I tend to fixate on younger women. I am trying to recreate that relationship. That might be a crock. I don't know.

"Anyway, I was working as an insurance agent. I was twenty-eight. I had a degree in marketing from the University of Florida. I was financially secure. But I couldn't find a girlfriend if I stapled a copy of my net worth to my forehead. I went online to try to find someone. During my perusals, I wandered into a news group that specialized in pictures of teenage girls."

"And you got caught there?" Holly asked when Herman went silent.

"No," Herman said. "Nothing there was illegal. The young women were clothed. There was no nudity or even simulated nudity. The same sites still exist on the Internet today. They might be hidden a little better but they're there. I got caught when I ordered a magazine from another site. I know it might not sound plausible but I had no idea that the magazine featured anything more than teenagers in swimwear or underwear. Yes, that is bad enough but it is not as bad as what arrived in the mail. It featured photos of infants and toddlers being raped. I took one look at it and threw it in the garbage. In hindsight, I should have burned it or shredded it."

Herman puffed his cheeks and blew out a long breath.

"Someone found it in the garbage," he said. "I didn't try to hide it. It was in a garbage bag with my other stuff. The brown envelope it came in was with it. I might have even put the magazine back in the envelope. I don't remember. A dog searching for food ripped the bag. The magazine was right there on top. The next thing I knew, I was in handcuffs. I was sentenced in state court for possession of child pornography. Since it was my first offense, I was given a year in prison, nine years of a suspended sentence and 10 years of concurrent probation."

"I thought you were inside for close to five years," Holly said.

"Federal prison," Herman said with a sigh. "They charged me with postal violations. I served my state sentence while I was awaiting sentencing. I pleaded guilty but I couldn't make bail. I lost my job and spent my savings on an attorney who basically told me I was screwed. He was right."

"So you spent five years in prison for a magazine you didn't even look at?" Holly asked.

"If you pull the court documents, you'll see that it wasn't even removed from the plastic wrapper," Herman answered in a toneless voice. "The postman was interviewed. He said that it was the first time anything like that had been dropped at my address. He also told them it was delivered the day before it was found in the garbage. But I ordered the magazine and paid for it with a credit card. There was no denying that I'd purchased it so I pleaded guilty. My attorney told me that I was almost assured of probation. I had no criminal record. I had a good job. I wasn't a threat to society. I was surprised when I was given a year in jail. I had served almost a year by that point while I was waiting for everything to get through the courts.

"The day I was released on parole, the feds were waiting. I was broke by this point so I couldn't fight the charges of using the U.S. Postal Service to solicit obscene material. The only break I got was that the federal judge counted my state sentence against my federal time."

"So the Web sites Adele and Jim found?" Holly asked.

"For a normal citizen, they are perfectly legal," Herman said. "In my situation, I was wrong to be there. I should have known better. As a probationer, I have to permit a search of my dwelling and computer anytime a police agency asks. It is a technical violation of my probation to visit such sites and I knew it. When Detective Andrews and Sergeant Coleman showed up, I assumed that someone had reported me or had accessed my Internet history remotely. There are people out there who take it upon themselves to hack into the computers of sex offenders to make sure we're walking the straight and narrow."

"That's a crime!" Holly said.

"You will understand if the courts aren't really interested in protecting what few rights I have left," Herman said blandly. "Either way, I admitted to Detective Andrews that I had accessed a few sites that I shouldn't have and he dragged me in. I don't know if it would be enough to have my probation revoked but I do know it wasn't worth the risk. I certainly couldn't afford an attorney and the public defenders aren't much help here or anywhere else."