“Why is he still out on the streets then?” I knew Beau had explained but maybe Rose had a different version.
“Because he has a lot of influential people in his pocket. And no matter what the FBI does, they can never pin anything down on him. It wouldn’t have been Richard that came to Beau’s. He’s never directly involved in anything. It’s all circumstantial, as far as the courts are concerned.”
“Beau said something about this divine child thing.”
“Father Samuel found a woman, I don’t know the full story. She was blonde, so light she was nearly white-haired and with startling blue eyes. To be honest, I imagine her to be albino to some degree. She had alabaster skin, she was angelic looking, Charlotte. He knew he was a sinner, he thought if she was his mate, if he was able to produce children from her, he could create a line of divine children. That would ensure his seat next to God. He was quite crazy.”
“Did you meet him?”
“Many times. One stare from him, Charlotte, and any child would fall immediately into submission. He was evil, and that evilness rolled off him like a gas, contaminating everything and everyone around.”
She was looking off into the distance, lost to her memory. I wasn’t sure whether to interrupt to bring her back to the safe present or let her be.
“I was placed with a family, made to work the land, cook, clean. It was nothing more than modern day slavery, but with the added bonus of being regularly abused by the family or the elders of the cult. I wasn’t classed as a divine child; I don’t have that look. Those children were revered, as much as an abused child could be.”
“Are there any left?”
“One. And we’ve been working hard at getting her out.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s closely guarded, protected. Once she was permitted to leave their compound and that was under armed guard. Her beauty takes your breath away, Charlotte. For a long time I wished they were angelic, they were divine, but it’s nothing more than faulty genetics and indoctrination. I caught a glimpse of her, they had moved her because they’d been tipped off the FBI were about to raid. When they did raid, they found that nothing goes on in that compound; they have several dotted around the county. There is one where they make the drugs, another where the families live, and a third where the elders live. I’m sure there are many more. They are able to pick up and move in an instant because they are so spread out.”
My soup was getting cold, but I was intrigued with what Rose was telling me. As she spoke, I popped small pieces of bread in my mouth to quiet the grumble of hunger.
“Anyway, we know the elders, we know where the children are, and we work at getting them out.”
“We?”
“There are five women, we were six until Cecelia passed, in this town. We either came from the cult or volunteered to help the cause. Ellie is one; I’ll introduce you to the others. Kacy was one of our girls, Charlotte. When we managed to get her away from her adoptive parents she was pregnant. She’s never spoken of the father to her son, but we suspect it was her adoptive father.”
“How many girls have you managed to help, and how, exactly, do you get them out?”
“Oh, hundreds. I don’t think we’ve kept a tally. We’ve been doing this for many years. Nearly all the girls move across the country. We keep in touch with some. How do we get them out?” She sighed, but I noticed a glint of something naughty in her eyes. She seemed to come alive.
“We have insiders, we spend time reeducating the child and then we snatch them.”
“You snatch…?”
“They’re not going to hand them over, Charlotte. We can only do this with a child who is willing; you understand that, don’t you? We don’t go around kidnapping kids who don’t want to leave. And believe me, there are many that are either too scared, or too deep in the faith, to believe us when we tell them it’s all wrong.”
“What I don’t get is how this can all happen. How can you live here with Paul, and Richard, and Cody on your doorstep and nothing happens to them, or you?”
“First, Richard, Paul, or Cody even, have no idea who we are. They know there is a group of people, who seem to disrupt their activities periodically but look at us. We’re a group of old women, who would suspect us? And my time in that cult was years before Richard was born.”
A group of old women; vigilante old women. Women whose knees creaked when they stood, who complained of arthritic bones, and still got blue rinse perms at the local hair salon.
“It’s fucking genius,” I said, finally letting out that laugh, not caring whether my throat was torn to shreds by it.
“It’s worked for many years. And that’s why we stay here, Charlotte, the cult is here.”
“How did Beau become involved?”
“When he left the army he was a changed man, a damaged one. It took a long time for him to readjust. I don’t know exactly what he does, I doubt it’s legal, and I do know, despite his whispered conversation, Kieran is involved somehow, too. Did you know Kieran was his commanding officer? Beau couldn’t cope when his best friend was killed. He was dishonorably discharged,” she said with a laugh. “He took up with Rachel. Like his aunt, he has a good heart. He wants to save people, because somewhere deep inside him, he couldn’t save his friend. I’ll let Kieran tell you about that time, I only know snippets.”
“Rachel told us it was her or me. I can only assume that meant Richard wanted one of us. But for what? Beau said they wouldn’t pass me off as a divine child; I don’t have blue eyes. Did they want me for their prostitution business?”
Rose nodded her head. “There are still the older generation who believe in their warped version of the faith. Richard tells them he’ll give them a divine child, I think, but like I said, there is only one left and she belongs to him. Prostitution is a lucrative business for the cult, as are the drugs.”
“I don’t know if I can process all of this. I mean, this should be something I read in a crime novel, not something that goes on in real life.”
“And where do you think those authors get their ideas from? Mostly it’s what happens in real life, sadly. Now, I think that’s enough for tonight. You haven’t eaten your soup.”
“I’ve eaten a ton of bread, I could do with a rest though.”
With what I’d learned from Beau, what I experienced at his house, and subsequently the information Rose had just given me, my brain was about to explode. I was still unsure on how Damien fit in, I guessed he had a hand in finding the girls, but why had he kept hold of me? Maybe he saw just how lucrative it was. Had I always been on the periphery of this cult? It certainly appeared that way. Maybe I was always destined to be dragged into it.
“What is her name? The divine child?”
“Allana. She’ll be about twelve now, so time is running out to get to her before…”
“Can you get her out in time?”
“We’re hoping so. Charlotte, my sister is still in the cult. She’s older than me and she chooses to stay because she helps us.”
“Richard must know who you are then?”
“No. We were separated as children, as I said, long before he was born.”
There was so much to process, so much more to learn, I was sure. All I did know was, when I was able, I was going to help this group of vigilante old women, and I was going to redye my hair.
I pushed my chair back and stood. “You need a name, like a gang name or something,” I said, shaking my head at the thought.
“We are the thorns in their side, for sure. Maybe it should be something to do with roses, since I started the gang.”
I gave her a hug, placed my bowl in the sink, and turned the faucet on. “Leave that, it will all go in the washer,” Rose said.
I smiled and left her in the kitchen. My legs felt heavy; I was weary as I climbed the stairs to the bedroom. Although I’d already slept for most of the day, I couldn’t wait to climb back into bed. I wanted sleep to calm down the overload of info
rmation in my brain.
I woke late the following morning. I hadn’t pulled the drapes and the winter sun, although low in the sky, brightened up the room. It picked out the small, pastel-colored birds that shimmered on the wallpaper. I ran my hand over one of the small birds. They looked like hummingbirds about to take a dip into the head of a flower. For that moment I forgot why I was there. It was the sound of Kieran calling out as he walked through the front door, I imagined, that brought me back to earth.
I gathered a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, some underwear, replacing the bra in the drawer knowing it wouldn’t fit, and headed to the bathroom. I stood in awe at the huge shower. The water that fell from the showerhead pricked my skin. It made me feel alive. My skin pinked with the heat and the steam cleaned my sooty pores. I scrubbed my skin, shaved my legs, and washed my hair. When I emerged, I felt human again. I felt like the old Charlotte, prior to Damien. I had a determination that I hadn’t felt for years. For the first time in a while, I didn’t feel beaten down.
I stared at myself in the mirror as I rubbed the towel over my head. Did I have the courage and determination to help Rose? To be one of the gang? The woman staring back believed I did.
“Good morning. It is morning still, isn’t it?” I said as I walked into the kitchen.
“Well, look at you, girl,” Kieran said as he stood. He wrapped his large arms around my shoulders, engulfing me.
“Let her down,” Rose said, slapping his arm.
I sat at the table as a cup of coffee was placed in front of me. Kieran held in his hand a large brown envelope. He fiddled with it, looking at me periodically and smiling.
“What do you have there?” I asked.
“Something that will set you up for life.”
I cocked my head with interest. “Stop teasing her, Kieran,” Rose scolded.
He placed the envelope on the table and slid it across to me. I ran a finger under the flap and shook out a bundle of official looking papers. I wasn’t sure what I was reading.
“I don’t understand…” It was titled ‘Last Will & Testament of Cecelia Mercier’.
Kieran leaned forward and flicked a couple of pages over. He placed his finger on one section.
To the wonderful Charlotte Kenny, I leave my house for her to do as she wishes. The house comes with twenty-two acres of land. There is a codicil that gives the tenants of that land lifetime tenancy, all rents to be paid to Charlotte Kenny. In addition, I leave five hundred thousand dollars…
I couldn’t read on. “This has to be a mistake, doesn’t it?”
“No. Beau didn’t want the house, he and Cecelia chatted about it and she wanted you to have it. They both wanted you to have a permanent base, should you want to stick around, of course. I know that Cecelia would equally be happy for you to sell it.”
Prior to the previous evening conversation with Rose, I’d have disputed Cecelia wanting me to have the house. However, with the knowledge I’d gained, although still very surprised, I was overjoyed.
“Of course I want to stay, I’m joining the gang,” I said, throwing myself at Kieran and then Rose.
I looked back at the document. I could forget about my grandmother’s house. It was run down when I’d lived in it, and I had no desire to ever step foot back in Whiteling unless I was on a mission.
“We have a lot of work to do with you before you can join the gang,” Kieran said.
“Like what?”
“All in good time. Right now, eat,” Rose said, placing bacon and waffles on the table.
We chatted about the house; I brought up the subject of security. I knew I was still at risk but I was eager to live in my own place. Kieran would sort out what I needed. He also informed me that Corey Lowe, the FBI guy would be arriving at lunchtime. I trusted Kieran to steer me in the right direction, and when we’d finished eating, he informed Rose that he was taking me out on to the back porch to debrief me. She handed him a tray with a pot of coffee and some cups. She also wrapped a blanket around my shoulders before we headed out.
There were a couple of wicker sofas on the porch, I settled in one and Kieran, the other. He dragged a small table between us and poured the coffee.
“Corey Lowe has been chasing the cult for years. He’s the FBI’s top man in their cult section.”
“They have a cult section?”
“Sure, although that’s not its official name, of course. Since Waco, the FBI has very different techniques on how to deal with cults. Corey heads all that up. He’s going to ask you to tell him everything you know. Tell him everything. He knows about Cody’s involvement.”
“Why hasn’t Cody been arrested?”
“Because they have to be able to prove a crime has been committed and so far, Cody, Paul, and Richard, have been very clever. Richard hangs people out to dry and somehow the shit never sticks on him.”
“What went wrong, Kieran? With Rachel, I mean.”
He slumped back in his chair. “We don’t know. She was abused by her father, passed around, from what we were told. I’m beginning to wonder whether any of it was the truth, though. I don’t doubt she was abused and that fucked her up, I imagine, but I’m not sure she was scared for her life, or that she needed to get away. I think she was very much part of the cult and one of her tasks was to find the girls. I mean, think about it. You’d trust her before a guy you’d never met.”
Kieran had a valid point.
“Where did I fit into this?”
“By accident, I believe. Your cousin, Damien, was on the outside but he bought drugs from Richard. Not directly, of course. Richard wouldn’t lower himself to deal with someone like Damien. The ‘accident’ occurred when you took up with Philip. Now, he was very much involved. Richard supplied the young girls to him.”
“Beau told me he killed Philip, he was ordered to,” I said, lowering my voice.
“Philip was in trouble, there seems to be an open case file with the FBI and he might have known about that. Perhaps Richard knew that Philip would tell the FBI everything he knew, if it meant not going to prison himself, so he had to be silenced. I fear that someone who Beau trusts had set him up there. He believes he received an order, and he did, but I can’t see the top of our chain of command even knowing who Philip Stanton was. I think Richard has someone on the inside and what better way than to set up someone like Beau.”
“Someone like Beau?”
“Volatile, violent, unhinged, and one of my platoon’s best soldier.”
“I just feel Philip didn’t need to die.”
“Philip Stanton was a pedophile, Charlotte. Don’t make any mistakes about that. He willingly took girls from Richard; we know that for fact. Ultimately, he got what he deserved,” Kieran made a point to remind me of something Beau had said.
“What I meant was, why couldn’t he have been arrested?” It wasn’t that I was believer in the country’s justice system, but it would have made a statement to the rest of the people involved. “He could have passed over information to legitimately close down the cult,” I added. I didn’t care about the cult getting closed down; I cared about Beau taking it on by himself.
“He was the ex-mayor, Charlotte. Do you know how many important people escape jail just because of who they are, or were in his case? Thousands upon thousands.”
“Where is Beau?” I asked.
Kieran smiled, I wasn’t going to get an answer from the look on his face.
“He told me what he does, what you did.”
“Then you know I can’t tell you anything about him. He’s very good at what he does, Charlotte, and it’s all covert. Black ops are maybe the words you know, not that we use those in real life,” he said with a chuckle.
I was more than aware of the use of the word, ‘we’, Kieran was obviously still involved, which surprised me bearing his age.
“Anyway, enough for now. Corey will be here in a minute, and I don’t want you overloaded with information he doesn’t need to know.”
I
nodded and hoped that I wouldn’t slip up.
I sat with Corey and Kieran for over two hours, explaining what had happened. I didn’t know who was shooting at us, or who Rachel had intended to hand me over to. I assumed Paul or Richard. I asked where Paul was, and was told that he’d disappeared. The state police had visited his office and found it locked up. When they’d gained access, all his files were missing. Not that I was told directly, but it seemed Paul represented the cult whenever there was trouble, he was known to Corey. I also wanted to know what the connection between Richard and Paul was.
“We believe that Paul owed Richard money. We’ve audited him before and we know there was an initial set up loan given to him when he passed the bar. We were never able to track back far enough to know who gave him the money, though,” Corey said.
“Kieran, what level of risk do you put Charlotte at?” Corey asked.
“We’ll take care of that. No disrespect, Corey, but you’ve lost way more men than I ever have.”
“Fair enough. Charlotte, I’m probably going to need to speak to you again. Right now, and I hate to say this, but I have nothing really to work on. I know the fire department is still sifting through the ashes. They have a body, we presume to be Rachel’s, and we know exactly how the fire started. Someone poured a shitload of gasoline around the property, but we don’t have any evidence of who that was. So, for now, Kieran has taken on your protection. You’d be wise to follow everything he says.”
“You can’t just pick up Richard and interview him?”
“No, not without just cause. Believe me, I’ve had that prick in my office so many times, and the slimy fucker always manages to slither out of my grasp. I’d love nothing better than to see him behind bars. You’ve no idea of the devastation he’s caused over the years, but if I’m to keep my job, and follow the law, I need evidence.”
Harlot Page 21
