“I don’t … it’s all messed up in my head.”
He nodded as if he understood, and she saw something in his eyes she hadn’t seen in many in her life. Kindness.
“That’s the concussion,” he told her. “Don’t worry about all of that right now.” He set the water glass aside, then took her hand. “Do you want to tell me your name? It doesn’t have to be your real name if you’re not ready.”
She had a fresh moment of panic when nothing came, then it did, at least that did. Her relief rose so fast she didn’t think of making up a name.
“I’m Dorian.”
He smiled at her. “Hello, Dorian. I’m Sebastian.”
* * *
Nadine Furst powered into the conference room in a sharp blue dress paired with a short white jacket and towering white heels. She carried a bag approximately the size of New Jersey with big blue flowers over a white field.
Her streaky blond hair fell in a new style to swing, ruler straight, at her chin. Cat-green eyes scanned the board before shifting to Eve.
“I filled myself in on the way over. Mina Cabot, age thirteen, missing from a Philly suburb since November. Her body was found yesterday morning in Battery Park, impaled. You’re primary. Early reports suspect a mugging gone wrong.”
She scanned the board again. “Which is bogus or you wouldn’t have tagged me. Who is this?” She gestured toward Dorian. “Who is Dorian Gregg, and why is she on your board?”
Eve walked to the AutoChef, programmed coffee for both of them. “None of this goes on the air yet. I’m turning off the board before I give you the one-on-one.”
“I’ve got that part, Dallas. Give me the rest.”
“What do you know about Chicklets, youth sex trafficking, sex traffic in general, and kiddie porn?”
“For one thing, if you ever watched Now, you’d know we devoted an entire show to the bust a couple months ago. Importing women from overseas, locking them into the sex trade, selling them. Chicklets are generally between eleven and fourteen. Too old for the Kiddie circuit, too young for the adult. A prime spot for certain types of predators.
“Why do you think this is that?”
“Two twelve-year-old girls—twelve when Mina was taken, and when we project Dorian was—were abducted. Devon, Pennsylvania, and somewhere, we believe, between Freehold, New Jersey, and New York for Dorian.”
“Beautiful girls,” Nadine commented. “Strikingly pretty girls. Was Mina raped?”
“No, she died a virgin. One in very good health, who’d recently used high-end hair products and was wearing a custom-tailored white shirt, her old school uniform pants, and silk underwear that retails at a couple grand.”
Nadine opened her mouth, and Eve pointed to the conference table. “Don’t ask, and I’ll tell.”
She ran it through with the respect and trust that had built through friendship. She ran it through, Eve realized, almost as she would for another cop.
“An organization,” Nadine commented. “What you see as a structured and sophisticated, even practiced one. Do you think it focuses on girls in this basic age range?”
“Can’t say, can’t know. But it’s a hard swallow for me to believe these were the only two.
“Selling in bulk, either auctions or choosing and grooming a girl for a specific client or client type. You have the setup, the structure, the staff, the facility, and some of that is steady outlay. Additional girls only cost to feed and clothe, essentially.”
Nadine sat back, held her coffee mug in both hands. “Jesus, Dallas, if you’re right, and they have scouts in other areas, it could draw girls in nationwide, even import them from overseas. Or have other locations like the one here in New York.”
“There has to be a money man. You can’t start up an organization like this without serious financial backing. Money to buy the property—you’re not going to rent unless you’re renting from a head guy. You need money to hire, for a security system, for medical, for food and clothes.”
She’d already pushed up as she’d briefed Nadine, and now continued to pace in front of the board. “And that money man expects to make a profit, so you’ve got somebody keeping an accounting.”
“And how do you hide girls—however many—without anyone noticing? How do you keep them contained without restraints or drugs?”
“They might use either or both at first. ‘Want these bindings off, kid? Behave.’ And still … my best guess is they have a solid front. Maybe run some business out of part of the property, or have the look of it. Some people coming and going, so it looks like it’s a business or residence. Some property that has a garage or a shipping dock or something that allows them to bring the girls in, take them out when it’s time without drawing notice.”