Helpless

by Daniel Palmer

  Chapter 85

  Tom struggled to open his eyes. When he did, he was looking up at Rainy’s smiling face.

  “Are you an angel?” he managed to croak.

  “No. I’m not.”

  “Is this heaven?” he asked.

  “No. It’s St. Elizabeth’s Hospital,” Rainy said.

  “I don’t believe you. No, I’m sure this is heaven.”

  “Have you ever been kissed by an angel?” Rainy asked.

  Tom felt the warmth of her lips pressing gently against his eyelids, then brushing over his mouth. “I think I can get used to heaven.”

  “Well, heaven can wait.”

  “Warren Beatty,” Tom said.

  “What?”

  “That’s my favorite Warren Beatty movie. Heaven Can Wait.”

  “I see.”

  “We can watch it together.”

  Tom tried to sit up and felt a sharp pain in his gut.

  “Not time for that just yet,” Rainy said.

  He lifted up his hands, expecting at least one of them to be handcuffed. “I’m still a free man?” he asked.

  “You’re a lucky man,” Rainy said. “The bullet hit you in the side, not the stomach. But it was touch and go for a while there.”

  “Rainy ... what happened ... ?”

  “What happened is the Boyd family is not going to make the cover of Parents magazine, that’s for sure.”

  “How did Adriana frame me? Why?”

  “A lot’s happened since you’ve been out of pocket.”

  “How long?”

  “Three days. Going on four.”

  “Jill?”

  “She’s fine. She’s with Lindsey Wells.”

  Tom’s expression went blank, and his jaw fell slack.

  “But I thought Lindsey was dead. The police found her body in the woods. That’s why they were coming to arrest me.”

  “They found her blood-soaked jacket in the woods and your knife nearby. Frank Dee was supposed to kill her but decided to keep her locked up in the icehouse. Apparently, he’d been ... assaulting her. Instead of killing Lindsey, he cut her hand and soiled her jacket. I guess he planned on absconding with her, but Adriana didn’t give him that choice. One of the Willards Woods employees noticed the lock on the icehouse door wasn’t the one she put there. She called the police, and they found Lindsey alive. Traumatized, but at least she’s alive.”

  “Thank God,” Tom breathed. “What happened? Did Mitchell try to kill her?”

  “He did,” Rainy said. “Lindsey called Tanner and told him about the flash drive Jill gave her. Tanner called Mitchell. They hatched a plan to get the flash drive back. Mitchell planned to kill Lindsey. Only he couldn’t do it. He choked her until she passed out. He put her in the trunk of his car and drove her back to his house. Then he went to Daddy. He told Roland everything, about his illegal image business and what he did to Lindsey. Only, he didn’t tell Dad that Mommy already knew about his sexting ring and told him to shut it down.”

  “Sexting ring?”

  “This kid was pretty entrepreneurial. He contracted a bunch of his friends and strangers he met over the Internet. These kids coerced their girlfriends into taking naked pictures of themselves. Mitchell paid them for any pictures they got, then sold them on the Internet for a profit. He basically tapped into an underserviced, but highly desired fetish market. The kid was making a fortune.”

  “Tanner Farnsworth?”

  “He was one of them. So was Gretchen Stiller.”

  “A girl was coercing her own girlfriends into taking these pictures?”

  “Sexting is anybody’s game.”

  “So Mitchell knew his mom was framing me?”

  “He did. This family kept a lot of secrets from each other.”

  “I saw Adriana kill Dee and Roland. It’s like she just snapped.”

  “Well, Adriana wasn’t who she pretended to be,” Rainy said, stroking Tom’s hair. “This woman nearly destroyed your life.”

  “How? She’s not a computer wizard.”

  “No,” Rainy said. “But following your tip about Cortland, we made several arrests. One of the people we arrested, a guy named Aaron Donovan, turned state’s witness. He told us everything.”

  “Everything?”

  “Adriana seduced Simon Cortland. She knew about the stock scheme Cortland concocted with her husband. She knew he had the ability to destroy people’s reputations. Apparently, Adriana was curious about Mitchell’s growing wealth. She seduced Cortland and had him install spyware on Mitchell’s computers. That’s how she found out Mitchell had been running a sexting ring.”

  “So Adriana got Cortland to frame me for Mitchell’s crimes.”

  “Simon Cortland hijacked Lindsey’s wireless network and wrote the Tumblr blog posts about her supposed affair with you. He was ‘Fidelius Charm’ and sent you the text messages of one of Mitchell’s many victims. Marvin was right.”

  “How so?”

  “Adriana came up with the idea to make it look like you were sleeping with one of your players.”

  “Why?”

  “She wanted to make you look like a sexual predator. A jury would be more willing to believe you were running a sophisticated sexting ring that way. According to Donovan, Adriana was paranoid about the plan falling apart. That’s why she posted your bail. She wanted to keep the suspicion as far away from herself and Mitchell as possible. Who would think that the woman who bailed you out of jail was also the one who put you there?”

  “So Cortland put that Leterg program on my computer? Faked those bank accounts, too?”

  “He did,” Rainy said. “Only Cortland couldn’t easily get to your home computer, especially after you installed the alarm, which is why he used your work computer instead.”

  “Grateful for that.”

  “Me too. The failed battery was the turning point for me.”

  “And James Mann?” asked Tom. He kept his eyes closed, picturing Mitchell Boyd and this Aaron Donovan telling Rainy their stories.

  “Simon was opportunistic,” Rainy said. “He knew about PrimaMed’s pending drug approval. His firm wrote the press releases. He already had his stock scheme going with Roland Boyd. ‘Two for the price of one,’ is how Donovan put it. He’d bring you down and make a mint with Boyd in the process.”

  “Then who killed Marvin?”

  “Frank Dee,” Rainy said. “Sadly, Lindsey Wells witnessed it all.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Marvin figured out the connection between Cortland and Boyd. That’s why Boyd had Marvin killed.”

  Tom closed his eyes tightly and tried to swallow his anger. “Boyd got what he deserved,” he said. “Dee too.”

  “And so did you,” Rainy said. “You’re now an innocent man.”

  “In less than twenty-four hours I went from being a rapist, child pornographer, and drug smuggler to almost being in the clear,” Tom said with some amazement.

  “What do you mean, almost?”

  “I did ignite a fireball in front of a bunch of police cars,” Tom said.

  “Well, the good news is I’ve had a chat with Sergeant Brendan Murphy. He’s sorry about how he treated you. I think you might find you’re in less hot water than you’d expect. My guess is you’ll get off with probation. No jail time.”

  “But I’ll still need a lawyer.”

  “I’d say that’d be a smart move.”

  “Do me a favor,” Tom said.

  “Anything.”

  “Call Amanda Pressman. She’s the only attorney I’ll ever use.”

  Epilogue

  The Shilo High School parking lot was crowded with runners. There were a thousand registered participants, all of whom were stretching in preparation for the first annual Marvin Pressman 5k Memorial Run for Teen Safety. Organizing the event in such a compressed timeline would have been too massive an undertaking for Tom without Rainy’s guidance and expertise. In fact, it was Rainy who had inspired Tom to organize Marvin�
��s run. She participated in the Melanie Smyth Memorial Run, held each year in Newton, and had been more than happy to help Tom pull this race together.

  Media coverage of the shocking events that had occurred in the sleepy hamlet of Shilo, New Hampshire not only helped to spread the word about Marvin’s run, but also proved instrumental in securing numerous event sponsors. Donations flooded in to the scholarship fund established in Marvin’s name.

  Shilo’s main road, equipped with a lone traffic light, couldn’t accommodate the large crowds expected. School buses were brought in to shuttle runners from the parking lot at Silver Lake to the high school where the race would commence. Runners were asked to raise money through individual sponsorships, with a suggested minimum of one hundred dollars to enter the race. Most of the entrants doubled that.

  One runner in particular raised more than anybody else—by a factor of ten. Accordingly, his picture was featured on a poster that hung on a telephone pole near the starting line. Out-of-towners who passed by that poster glanced at the top fundraiser’s photograph, not recognizing his name. But everyone from Shilo knew Sergeant Brendan Murphy. Murphy took some responsibility for what happened to Tom, though his aggressive fundraising effort was the most he could manage by way of an apology.

  Seven months had passed since Jill had dragged Tom’s limp and bleeding body to the shoreline of the quarry. Although he was fully prepared to accept punishment for his crimes, Tom never anticipated how it would all play out.

  He’d hired Marvin’s sister, Amanda, to be his attorney. Amanda was more than happy to take on his case. It was, she said, what Marvin would have wanted. The statute of limitations for Tom’s narcotics related crimes was long past. The firebomb he detonated, several counts of assault, grand theft auto for stealing Sullivan’s car, and resisting arrest were not.

  The media portrayed Tom as a folk hero. They viewed him as a man committed to protecting his family at all costs. It didn’t hurt Tom’s profile that in the process he had helped to bring down a child pornography ring, along with a financial scheme that had ruined hundreds of lives. But Tom didn’t care how he was viewed by the media or by the masses. The threats against his daughter had been neutralized. That was most important to him. He was ready to pay the penalty for what he had done. However, the DA accepted Amanda’s deal without reservation. Tom would plead guilty to criminal mischief, a Class A Misdemeanor, and in exchange he would get probation instead of jail time.

  The spring sun was warm and bright in the perfect late morning sky. Tom noticed Lindsey Wells stretching to get ready for her run. She caught Tom’s eye, gave him a slight wave and what he interpreted to be a sad smile. He knew she had a long road ahead of her, but there were signs of her continued improvement. She was seeing her friends now and started working out again in part to train for this race. According to Jill, there were some nights that Lindsey didn’t cry herself to sleep.

  A wave of high profile arrests followed the shooting at the Spot in Willards Woods. Simon Cortland, along with several of his associates, were charged with numerous felony crimes pertaining to their stock scheme and vicious online reputation attacks. In the process, a dozen innocent people framed by Cortland were cleared of their crimes. A dozen more cases were under active review. Gill Sullivan was in prison, awaiting trial on racketeering charges. Roland Boyd’s financial empire crumbled upon his death.

  Mitchell Boyd was in custody, charged with two counts of attempted murder, and numerous other charges pertaining to his sexting ring. All of Mitchell’s suppliers were arrested and they too were awaiting trial. Mitchell was being tried as an adult. He didn’t make bail, but from prison he did send Jill a letter. In it, he expressed real feelings for her. He didn’t view her in the same way as the other girls in his operation, and went on to say he had never sold her pictures. Not once. Not to anybody.

  “Maybe he didn’t,” Jill had said to Tom after she read the letter. “But I guess I can never know for certain if that’s true.”

  Tom waded through the crowd of appreciative racers on his way to the makeshift stage that had been erected at the edge of the parking lot abutting the soccer field. Soon, from that stage, Tom would signal the start of the race. Rainy and Jill were waiting for Tom at the front of the stage. Tom choked up seeing them standing close together, talking freely, sharing several laughs. Rainy and Jill had formed their own bond and Tom couldn’t have been happier.

  “Dad!” Jill yelled, waving frantically as he neared. “This is amazing! Can you believe all the runners?”

  “Amazing,” Tom agreed, shouting to be heard above the din of the crowd, then giving Jill a warm embrace.

  Rainy leaned in and gave Tom an affectionate kiss hello.

  Jill smiled, winked and gave Tom the “thumbs up” sign. She was both teasing him and encouraging him at the same time, having already suggested that perhaps he should go ring shopping.

  “Too soon,” Tom had said, not admitting that he had already checked out a couple jewelry stores and was seriously contemplating making a purchase.

  Tom knew that a relationship begun under such extreme circumstances had a low probability for success, but then again, there was nothing probable about how Tom and Rainy became a couple.

  A light breeze filled the air with the scent of blooming flowers, and the freshness of a new day. Tom looked at Jill and smiled.

  “What?”

  “Have I told you how proud I am of you?” he asked.

  “Just about everyday,” Jill said.

  “I guess I can’t tell you enough,” he said.

  Jill held her father’s affectionate gaze, and smiled broadly.

  “I’m proud of you too, Dad,” Jill said. “For everything.” Here, she paused. “Say, is it true that they offered you your job back?” Jill asked him. “Lauren Grass said she heard that from her mom.”

  Tom nodded. “They did, but I declined.”

  Jill looked surprised. “Really? Why?”

  “I keep getting offers to work as a private security contractor. It’s more lucrative than coaching, even though I miss it and the kids. In the long run it’ll be better for both of us. Trust me.”

  Jill looked at her father, emotion welling in her eyes. “I do trust you, Dad,” she said. “More than anything.”

  Rainy answered a page she received from her handheld Motorola Talkabout. “We’re ready to start the race,” she said to Tom after clicking off. “The last bus has just finished unloading.”

  “Who is going to give the go signal?” Jill asked.

  “I am,” Tom said.

  Tom got up on the stage and spoke into the microphone.

  “Excuse me,” he said. “Hello runners. May I have your attention please.”

  It was hard for them to hear Tom over the crowd noise. Runners continued to talk. Then, using just two fingers, Tom whistled loud enough to get everyone’s attention.

  Acknowledgments

  Helpless was a challenging book to write on many levels. I knew I wanted to write a story about two fathers, former friends, who in the course of the novel become adversaries. It was my editor, John, who suggested that I write about sexting. The idea immediately intrigued me as I’m attracted to stories that explore the hidden dangers of commonly used technologies. However, I didn’t want the story to center on what happens in the hallways of a high school when a teenage girl’s compromising pictures are shared among her peers.

  That’s a scary premise for sure, but not scary enough.

  Still, I knew as soon as John said “sexting” that I had a story here.

  I just needed to find it.

  Then one day, while doing research, I found my story.

  It’s dinner time. You receive a knock on the door. You open the door and standing before you is a federal agent. The agent his holding nude photographs of your daughter. She explains that the FBI arrested a child pornographer who was in possession of these images. The agent requests to see your daughter, then asks to verify that she is, in f
act, the girl depicted in the lurid photographs. Your daughter, who had sent these pictures to her boyfriend, is asked to sign and date the back of them. Your daughter is utterly mortified and frightened. She will be given the opportunity to write a victim impact statement. This statement will be read aloud at the time of sentencing should the accused be convicted. Not only will your daughter’s statement be read at this particular trial, but it will be put on file and read at any trial where your daughter’s image gets included as evidence.

  And this will go on in perpetuity.

  When your daughter is in college.

  After she gets married.

  Long after she has children of her own.

  Now this, I thought, was very scary.

  Shilo, New Hampshire, is a fictional town, but the core elements of Helpless are real. To tell the story required a tremendous amount of support from a variety of experts. My deepest gratitude goes to the FBI’s Innocent Images National Initiative and the special agent who became my inspiration for Rainy. The agent who assisted me was so gracious with her time and knowledge that it is no exaggeration to claim this novel would not have been possible without her assistance. As a father, I’m a deeply grateful for the gut-wrenching work of the FBI’s cyber squad and others like it throughout the country. Thank you with all my heart for working so hard to keep our children safe from online predators.

  An equal debt is owed to Commander William C. (Bud) Taylor II, who before heading off to lead the Afghan National Police Program in Kabul, met with me at a coffee shop to talk about the Navy SEALs. Bud’s deep knowledge of SEAL culture and warfare tactics brought Tom Hawkins to life for me. Some things Bud told me about the SEALs couldn’t be included in my book because nobody would believe them.

  The character of Sergeant Brendan Murphy is in no way representative of the exceptional police force that is safeguarding our home towns. However, Sergeant Rich Mello and former police officer, Janet Fox, patiently answered my numerous questions about police procedures. I’m deeply grateful to Susan Hodgdon for her expertise in school politics and for providing a fantastic role model for the Superintendent of Shilo Schools, Angie Didomenico.