Daniel Palmer - Helpless

“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.

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 fact, 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.

I have two people to thank for Marvin’s character. Attorney William J. Bladd generously shared his legal expertise, while Attorney Sven D. Wiberg assisted with his knowledge of the New Hampshire laws.

I’d like to thank Craig Powers who allowed me to observe him coaching our local high school girls soccer team. I also want to thank Jill’s namesake, Jill Ackerly, who like the character in the book is a standout soccer player.

I try hard to make the technology in my books both informative and accessible. To that end, I’m indebted to the talents of my tech support team, Jon Corum, Mark Niedzielski, Jeff Strobel, and Peter Floss.

A novel is as good as its words, therefore I’m supremely fortunate to have had the following people contribute their editorial talents to this work: Clair Lamb, Rosemary Silva, and Carlie Webber. I cannot thank my fabulous mother enough for her careful readings, insightful editorial suggestions, and never ending willingness to help. And to my dad, who is always a great sounding board.

A huge thanks to Meg Ruley and the entire team at the Jane Rotrosen Agency for their continued support. I’m fortunate to have your continued guidance and stewardship. Also, I couldn’t imagine being a part of a better publishing team! John, Peter, Laurie, Steve, Lesleigh, Adeola, and Karen, you’re the tops! I’d like to also say a special thank you in memoriam to Walter Zacharius. To say that he will be missed is vastly understated.

As always, I thank my family, my wife Jessica, and children Benjamin and Sophie. You give my life its shape and purpose.

DJP 2011

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: www.missingkids.com

Official site for current information on Missing and Exploited Children. Search for missing children, view wanted posters, submit child “sightings,” and additional information.

FBI—Innocent Images: www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigage/cyber/innocent/innocent

Virtually every day, children are lured away from their families by cybersexual predators. We’re committed to stopping these crimes through our Innocent Images National Initiative. Based in Maryland, it joins FBI agents and local police in proactive task forces around the country that work online undercover to stop those who prey on our kids.

National Crime Prevention Council: www.ncpc.org/topics

A non-profit educational group formed to address the causes of crime and violence and reduce the opportunities for crime to occur.

Tips to Prevent Sexting: http://www.doj.state.wi.us/news/files/SextingPrevention.pdf

Five simple tips to help prevent sexting

Cyberbullying Research Center: www.cyberbullying.us

Presents research statistics, tips, prevention strategies, stories, fact sheets, handouts, and other downloads to combat cyberbullying.