Call Me! (20 page)

“What about them?”

“Aren’t they furious when they receive cartoons instead of photographs?”

“Apparently, they know what they’re getting, because they’ve dealt with
Sean
in the past. The whole thing about helping him obtain the date rape drug, telling
Sean
what to do to his sister, is audience participation. They’re helping
Sean
decide what types of pictures to draw.”

“This is insane.”

“It is. But the internet proves there’s a market for every perversion. And men who are afraid to possess photos of actual children are willing to settle for cute cartoon drawings of children in sexual situations. In the end, whether guys are rubbing one out over porn stars or cartoons, it’s all fantasy, right?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

He laughs.

“It’s still pornography, Pat.”

“I agree. But I’ll ask you what Cheryl asked me an hour ago.”

“What’s that?”

“Have you ever seen paintings of naked babies in museums?”

“Of course.”

“Should you be arrested for that?” He pauses, then says, “So where do you draw the line?”

“Sex acts?”

He chuckles. “You’re a smart one, Dani. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”

“I already don’t.”

He chuckles again. Then says, “According to Cheryl, the government wants to make it a crime to draw, view, or possess drawings that depict underage children in sexual situations. Even cute cartoon figures.”

“So this shower picture would be legal.”

“For now. Technically. Probably. Like I say, it’s fuzzy. This isn’t the type of picture to build a case around.”

“But
Shawn’s
next series? Cartoon drawings that depict him doing sexual things to his drugged, naked, underage sister?”

“That’s the type they could take to court.”

“So I’ve helped?”

“You’ve helped.”

“What happens next?”

“For us? Nothing. It’s not our jurisdiction.”

“What do you mean?”

“
Sean
lives in Sacramento.”

“But if Cheryl buys the next set and
Sean
mails them to her—”

“
Sean
doesn’t mail. The photos are downloaded.”

“But still—the purchase is
made
here in town. The pictures are
received
here in town.”

“Doesn’t matter. The crime, if there
is
one, took place where he offered the pictures for sale. We think.”

“What you’re saying, the police don’t really know what to think.”

“Not yet. This internet’s a whole new ballgame. The laws haven’t caught up yet. The good is really good, but the bad is still evolving. At any rate, Cheryl’s going to pass along the info about
Sean
to the Sacramento PD. Maybe they’ll look into it, maybe they won’t.”

Pat says I’ve helped, but I feel thoroughly defeated. And annoyed with myself for allowing this whole
Sean
thing to get me sidetracked. My mission is finding
ManChild
, not saving
Sean’s
sister. I’d do well to remember that.

“Thanks, Pat.”

“No sweat, kid. And remember, the offer’s still on the table.”

“The one about how if Ben and I have children you want to babysit?”

He laughs a good, hearty laugh. When it dies down he says, “Try again.”

“The one about if Ben and I break up, you want to be my boyfriend?”

“That’s the one.”

“I GIVE UP, Sofe. I’m done with it.”

“No. You’re just beaten down. Step away for a couple of days. Or weeks.”

“When I think of the hundreds of hours I’ve wasted…”

“You haven’t wasted those hours. You’ll catch the bastard someday.”

I’m at my office, on the phone. I told Sophie about
SeanInPain
, and how frustrated I am that the whole internet thing is yielding no results. I’m feeling defeated.

“I don’t know,” I say. “What if all these chat rooms turn out to be marketing people selling cartoon pornography?”

“You’re doing this for Jaqui Moreland.”

I sigh. “Good point.”

“Look, you just need some TLC. You’re still planning to come on Sunday?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good. I know you’re feeling down right now, but we’re going to have a great time, I promise.”

“I believe you.”

“I’m so excited, Dani! I’ve got you for three full days!”

“Maybe you’ll get bored with me.”

Sophie pauses. “What else happened?”

I say nothing.

“Spill, girl. This isn’t about
SeanInPain
. I’ve never heard you sound so down. Seriously, what’s happened?”

I start crying.

Then I tell her about Roy’s visit yesterday, and how he threatened to expose my identity.

“He would never do that,” she says.

“You don’t know him. He’s pond scum. He’d do it for the worst reason in the world.”

“What’s that?”

“Because he can.”

“Is that your office phone ringing in the background?” she says.

“Yup. But I don’t care.”

“You need to answer it, Dani. Might be a real PI job!”

“I’d rather talk to you.”

“Answer the phone, then call me back.”

“Okay.”

I pick up the phone on the fifth ring.

“Hello?”

It’s Ben, and he’s not in a good mood. At all. He says, “I just got an interesting call.”

My heart sinks. Roy came through. The media has found me. Our lives are over.

“Do you want to hear about my call?” he asks.

“Where are you?”

“Home.”

“Are you feeling any better?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to come home? I can stop by the drugstore on my way.”

“Stop being nice to me. Can’t you tell I’m furious?

“Did you lose your job?”

“No Dani, it’s Thursday. I have two morning classes and two afternoon classes on Thursdays. You’d know this if you paid the slightest bit of attention to me. But since you don’t, I should probably point out that when I’m between classes on Thursdays, I often come home for a couple of hours. Which is why I was here when the interesting call came in.”

I say nothing, so Ben jumps right in with, “Do you know a Meg Worthington from yoga class?”

“Oh shit!”

“Meg informed me you tried to recruit her to have an affair with me this morning. She also said you’re planning to divorce me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Which part?”

I sigh. “Let’s not do this now, over the phone.”

“Why? Is there someone in your office?”

“No. It’s just—”

“There’s another guy, isn’t there?”

“No. I promise there’s not.”

“Then what the hell’s going on? Does the whole town know you’re trying to fix me up?”

“No.”

“Well, have you asked anyone else?”

“Um…”

“I don’t believe this. What’s going on, Dani? Seriously, what is it you want?”

I take a deep breath. “I think maybe it’s time we should start dating other women.”

“
Excuse me
?”

“I mean,
you
! I think it’s time
you
should start dating other women. We’re not happy together, Ben. I want you to find someone who makes you happy.”

He pauses before saying, “You make me happy, Dani. Only you.”

“Well, maybe
I’m
not all that happy.”

He pauses again. “I gave you the two days a week to do whatever it is you’re doing. I sleep alone. We have sex twice a year.”

“Like I said, you’re not happy.”

He hangs up.

I hang up.

Then the phone rings again.

“Ben,” I say, “Seriously, let’s—”

The voice on the other end cuts me off. It isn’t Ben. It’s a reporter from one of the local TV stations. She asks if it’s true.

“Is what true?”

“Are you really Mindy Renee Whittaker?”

I SLAM THE phone down, grab my handbag and my laptop, and race out the door. With keys in hand, I run to my car, looking side to side for the media mob.

So far so good!

If I can get out of here before the throng of traffic blocks my exit, I might be able to escape.

You probably think I’m awfully full of myself, or that I’m being overly dramatic. Or maybe you think I have an overinflated ego regarding my newsworthiness.

But this isn’t my first rodeo.

You’ve seen people on the news, walking with their attorneys to or from a courthouse, surrounded by dozens of reporters, yelling, barking out questions. Looks like a busy crowd, doesn’t it? But the footage you’ve seen on TV was probably shot at close range. If the cameras were to pan a wider area, you’d see people and cars moving along in the background, completely oblivious to the activity being filmed.

That wasn’t the case when I walked out of the police station after my encounter with Collin Tyler Hicks. On that occasion the downtown streets of Portland had been blocked off, and thousands of reporters, photographers, and well-wishers were so tightly packed, you couldn’t have wedged a sheet of paper between them. Thousands upon thousands of people were pushing and shouting at the same time, all wanting a piece of me. It was…

It was overwhelming.

And this story will be just as big:

Here she is, folks, the little girl who got away. The one you didn’t see on a TV movie of the week, because she and her mother never authorized the story. And now she’s all grown up. Sadly, her mother died four years ago, during an operation, so she’s an orphan this time around! But she’s also a wife, living quietly among us! What’s her story? Where does she live? Does she have kids? A job? What does she eat?