Chapter 43

Cassidy broke into tears as she left the room and rushed into Holly's embrace.

"Hey, it's okay," Holly advised as she hugged the young woman. "You did a great job."

Cassidy looked up with tear-stained eyes.

"Those girls are going to be molested by that monster tonight," she wailed, "and it's all my fault. If I had just left things to Bryant, they'd be safe. Instead I had to push it. Did you see that woman? She was drooling on her keyboard. Oh those poor little girls."

"You did a fine job, Cassidy," Herman repeated. "This is not your fault. The only people to blame are people like me who can't control themselves. If you did anything tonight you've hastened those girls' rescue."

Cassidy frowned but looked that older man so he continued.

"You pushed the woman into rushing into a meeting," he added. "She is so enamored by the thought of Kameron and her father that she is willing to forgo some of their safety concerns. The husband isn't happy with this, as you might have guessed. I firmly believe, though, that she is the one calling the shots – perhaps because she is the only one with a viable claim to the young girls. If she would leave, he would lose access to what he desires – a replica of his stepsister (or at least his childhood fantasy of her). My therapist says that's where my problem began, in my teenage years. I had one person I was close to but I let her go. I have tried to resurrect that relationship with others of the same age bracket. It could be a load of crap. I'm not a big believer in the soft sciences but in some ways it makes sense. Whatever my problem might be, you did not create anything for those children than wasn't likely to happen anyway."

"I still feel guilty," Cassidy said. Holly still had her arm around the girl protectively.

"I understand guilt," Herman agreed, "and I see where you would feel that way. Cassidy, I want to explain something to you. Do you know why those girls were dressed the way they were?"

"So they would look like miniature sex dolls!" Cassidy spat.

"I suppose that's partly true," Herman admitted. "The Westlakes, for lack of a better name, wanted to entice Kameron's father. He is a perfect mark and I'm glad the role we picked for him works so well. He is a conflicted man with a conflicted child. Both understand their relationship is to be short and both wish it had begun earlier. Those little girls were put out there so Kameron's father could see what it might have been like to have a sexual relationship with a prepubescent female. But that's not the primary reason. Cassidy, I want you to think about something for me. How long would it take you to get dressed that way?"

"I don't know, thirty minutes, I guess," she said, "for the hair and the makeup. God knows they didn't have many clothes on so that didn't take any time at all."

"How long was Alan Westlake out of the room?" Herman inquired.

Cassidy thought for a moment and then her eyes widened.

"He wasn't gone long enough to dress those girls," Herman said sadly. "Whatever is happening right now was going to happen regardless of how you performed tonight. You need to understand that. Yes, they were dressed that way for Kameron's father but they were also dressed that way for the adults on the other end of the computer. Then there is the primary reason they were made up that way."

"What's that?" Holly asked with interest.

"I know you've already sent the pictures to every police agency in South Carolina and surrounding states," Herman replied. "Monday morning I would wager that almost every elementary school in the state will have a police officer show up with the photos hoping to get the young women identified."

"Exactly!" Holly said.

"I would also wager that by Thursday or Friday you'll know what I already suspect," Herman said with a sad voice. "You'll see that the main reason those girls had their hair done and their faces made up was so that they didn't remotely resemble the little girls who will be in school on Monday. Detective Garvin, I am the rule when it comes to sexual offenders. Most generally, we are caught the first time we undertake such actions. If you find someone who has been out there doing this for as long as we suspect the Westlakes have it is because they do not leave little things to chance. If you were to pass Emma Westlake on the street tomorrow, I doubt you would recognize her. The color of her eyes came from contact lenses, I am certain. I would also bet that her hair was a wig."

"I thought she was a little too tanned for a blonde," Jan admitted.

"And her eyebrows were a little too dark, too," Herman pointed out. "The Westlakes did the same thing that we've done for you. We've changed your hairstyle and your clothing for this scenario and we've darkened Bryant's hair. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think I am."

"But if we find out who the girls are, we can have their parents arrested!" Cassidy said.

"For what?" Bryant inquired as he walked out of the bedroom. He had shut the computer down and disabled the remote camera in there.

"Don't be stupid," Cassidy said.

"I'm not being stupid," Bryant said. "Exactly what did you see tonight that constitutes a criminal act? They dressed the girls like hookers. Sadly that's not a crime. The girls told us stories of what they've done sexually but we have no proof they weren't lying. Even if we find out their names in ten minutes, we couldn't even get a warrant for their computer. The Westlake's faces never appear on any video – or at least that's what the FBI has told us. If those girls have appeared, it was looking far different than they do now. Facial recognition software is not permissible in South Carolina courts because it is too easy to fudge the results. We have two preteen girls – fully clothed even if the clothing was meant to be provocative – telling wild tales about sex. If you swap the gender, you could probably describe ninety percent of the sleepovers happening in America right now."

"You don't even need to swap the genders," Cassidy replied with a frown. "So we didn't actually accomplish anything tonight."

"You accomplished a great deal," Herman said sympathetically. "As I said, when they entered the conversation tonight a face to face visit was not in the cards. The husband's stiff manner suggested it was going to be more of a question and answer session. It was the wife who was pressing the agenda. If you will recall it was also the wife who initiated the contact with you in the first place. I believe my initial estimate of how long it would take for them to agree to a face to face meeting was overly ambitious. This group is far more cautious than any other I've read about – light years in fact. I would suppose you've pushed up the timetable on those girls' rescue by a month or perhaps two. I think you should feel proud about your efforts, tonight."

"You should feel proud, too, Herman," Holly said. "We would be blundering around in the dark without your guidance. You've admitted when you were out of your element and given us sound advice every step of the way. When we catch these bastards, a large portion of the credit is going to belong to you."

"That's kind of you to say but you could have pulled in anyone to help you," Herman answered.

"And most of them would have pushed us right down a rat hole!" Jan reminded him. "You've known for weeks that you faced no criminal charges. We've also been upfront with you that your help on this case won't bring any special favors as far as relief for you current situation or for any charges you might face in the future. Yet you've stuck it out and done a hell of a lot more than any other informant I've ever seen. I know you've gone home and researched the mindset of the Westlakes. I would imagine you've even devoted a few sessions with your therapist to this topic. You have kept track of the facts Bryant has provided and created a way for him to keep track of them too. Herman, no one else would have done even a quarter of this without getting a hell of a lot in return."

"Then you're missing the point, Chief Elliot," Herman said. "Outside of the young girls you'll rescue, I'm getting the most of anyone. I'm getting a little of my dignity and self-respect back."

He shook his head slightly.

"If my estimations are correct, things will escalate from here," Herman said, moving the conversation back to the topic of importance. "Cassidy, the woman is going to try to get you to chat with her alone. I cannot stress this enough: Do not even consider it. She will urge you into doing sexual things on camera and she will record them. She might even offer to do the same things that you're doing – or even have her children try to coerce you into masturbation or even into meeting them on your own. Remember, you are supposed to be fourteen-year-old Courtney Beckwith, not twenty-year-old Cassidy Bell. As Cassidy, you would tell them to leave you alone. As Kameron or Courtney, a young girl with a secret that she's dying to share – and has shared to these people – you would be expected to play along. If you were to refuse it would perhaps blow the whole sting. If you were to agree, it would give them leverage to hold over your head later. I want you to promise everyone that you won't even consider something like that."

"But if I chat with them alone, I can get evidence on them!" Cassidy insisted. "I'm sure they can be convinced to do something if it's just me alone."

"That's called entrapment, Sweetheart," Jan said softly. "You cannot be the one who suggests anything to them. If you would have encouraged the woman to commit a sex act on the children tonight – even by hinting that you'd do something with Bryant if they did – the courts would rule it inadmissible."

"Herman just explained why those girls were going to get raped anyway tonight!" Cassidy fumed.

"And I agree with his explanation," Holly cut in. "I think he is exactly right about why those girls looked that way. You're missing one important element though – defense attorneys. It has to be completely clear that the Westlakes were not compelled to commit a criminal act they had no intention of committing without your intervention or the defense will jump on it and ride it clear to an acquittal."

"I'm still waiting for the promise Herman asked you to give," Bryant said, staring directly at his pseudo-daughter.

"I promise," Cassidy replied grudgingly.

"I also want a promise that you will not go past the bounds we establish beforehand," Bryant said.

"I'm not going to promise that," Cassidy said. "Herman said this is going to escalate over the coming weeks. That means we're going to have to do some things together. I'm the impetuous teenager, remember. I push boundaries. That means I might put my hand in your lap or disappear below the desk to give them the impression that I'm going down on you. You might have to do the same thing. You were aware of the likelihood this would come up. Bryant, you're going to need evidence against them. We can record any action they do on screen. I mean, you know, unless you plan to actually have sex with those children."

Jan let out a long sigh. She had been unhappy to see Cassidy push her breasts in Bryant's face – perhaps unhappier than Bryant had been, which was saying something.

"I think she's right," Jan said. "I've talked to Jonah a lot over the past few weeks and he's been in contact with the state's attorney. In order to secure an iron-clad conviction, we're going to need to have more than a conspiracy charge. We're going to need video evidence that they are molesting those children. Cassidy has said she is comfortable with limited nudity in this role..."

"And I think I proved tonight that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get these people," Cassidy cut in.

"Yes," Jan remarked. "Yes, you did. Bryant, I think you're just going to have to resign yourself to the fact that eventually you're going to have to at least fondle her under her clothing. I don't think we should let things progress as far as true sexual contact – oral or intercourse. But you need to show them you are comfortable with them. You have to kiss her more often and touch her more often. You can't sit there like it's the first time she's ever been on your lap. We are counting on their comfort level to lower their defenses. I think it's safe to say that we're counting on Emma Westlake's desires to force them into something they don't have time to plan well."

"I agree," Herman said, thankful he wasn't the one who had to bring it up. "I noticed one other thing and I can't say for certain that I'm correct about this. I think Alan Westlake would be content to confine the relationship to his wife and stepchildren. I truly believe it is the woman who consistently pushes for outsiders to join them. I tend to believe he was telling the truth about how the relationship began. I also would doubt that he has had very much experience with anyone outside of his family."

"What about the other girls he took movies with?" Holly asked.

"If I had to make a guess – and it would be only a guess – it was Emma's way of keeping him on a leash," Herman replied. "He can't hope to turn her in and keep custody of the girls because she has him on video, too. I hope I'm not out of line but I was hoping that I might get a copy of the video to take to my therapy session next Tuesday. I won't need anything past when the girls enter the room. I want to watch the video with someone trained in sex offender treatment and get his take. If we can determine with some assurance that Emma is the one who pulls the strings, we'll know which one we need to work on. Would that be possible?"

"Without the last section?" Jan asked.

"There is no need for that because he isn't in the room," Herman said. "I'm also not interested in seeing it again. I found it painful to have a human personality put to the pictures I've always enjoyed. Listening to those young girls talk about the acts they perform on their parents and each other was sickening. I think I finally understand why everyone views me as they do."

The man wore a look of sheer dejection on his face.

"They view you that way because they won't take the time to get to know you," Holly said. "Herman, I want you to remember something: you are not a bad person. You made a mistake when you were young and, in the opinion of a seasoned law enforcement officer, you have paid for that mistake ten times over. I misjudged you when we first met. I didn't give you a chance and I was wrong. I apologize for painting you with the same brush as the others in your situation. I've come to realize that a one-size fits-all approach doesn't work. I'm sorry."

After Holly and Cassidy had left to drive home and Herman had caught a taxi back to his apartment, Jan and Bryant got the chance to sit for a while.

"Are you okay?" Bryant asked her for perhaps the thousandth time since the operation had begun.

"If I thought you had designs on Cassidy's body – or that she might try to steal you away – I wouldn't be," Jan replied. "But you don't; I can see that. And she's using you as a test run for her sexuality. She didn't get the chance to experiment with flirting or teasing with someone safe so she's getting the chance now. She's not that different from me, in a way. I practice my seduction techniques on you all the time. The only difference is that I'm playing for keeps."

"I wasn't really talking about that," Bryant replied. "We've gone over that many times and I can see you're not really bothered by her putting her boobs in my face. I meant the whole shape this case has taken. We've got two seemingly willing participants in those little girls. I know they were trained to act that way but I worried that it might bring back some really tough memories for you."

"It has in some ways," Jan admitted. "I mean it brought back memories; they're not really difficult for me to process. I've always understood that my complicity in the abuse was a large factor in how I turned out. I felt massive guilt that I allowed it to happen and that I'd never said anything to anyone. I've put that behind me though. No, I wasn't as powerless as I believed myself to be; and yes, I could have taken steps to stop it. At the same time, though, I was a child in dire need of any sort of affection."

"It was also the 1970s," Bryant pointed out. "We hadn't really moved so far to the left on child-rearing. Now, even a hint of impropriety is enough to get us involved. Third-party hearsay is enough to get a teacher suspended or a guy locked up. Back then it would have almost required your parents to file a complaint. I'm not sure anyone would have taken the word of a child."