Дэвид Балдаччи - The Guilty

“It would matter if it was Coastal Energy.”

Cassandra stood and said darkly, “I want you two outta my house. Right now.”

Neither Robie nor Reel moved.

Robie said, “People have died, Ms. Clancy. Murdered. Including your husband. We know why he was murdered. Do you? And do you want to be next?”

Her lips were trembling but Cassandra still stood there looking defiant.

“I think you should sit down,” said Reel. “And let’s talk about this before things get even worse.”

Cassandra abruptly sat, smoked down her cigarette, and hastily lit another.

“There’s a shack on the back part of your farm, you remember that?” asked Robie.

Cassandra said nothing.

He took out the photo and slid it across to her. “This was taken inside that shack, wasn’t it?”

Cassandra glanced at the photo and then just as quickly looked away.

“And that man is the late, if unlamented, Nelson Wendell,” added Reel.

Robie tapped the photo. “The thing is, Cassandra, where did the little kids come from?”

The woman’s face turned red and she started to breathe more heavily. She grabbed her chest. “I think I might be having a heart attack,” she gasped.

“I think you’re having a panic attack. We can call an ambulance if you want. But my question will still be out there. And maybe the police will be the ones to come and ask you next time.”

Her chest stopped heaving and she glared at him venomously. “It’s not legally actionable anymore. They have to file criminal charges before they turn twenty-one. And the statute of limitations has run on the civil side, too.”

“You checked the law, so you must have known all about it, then,” said Robie.

Cassandra was trembling. “If my ex did somethin’ bad, that’s on him, not me.”

“So where did the kids come from?”

“I have no idea what you’re even talkin’ about.”

“But like you said, you’re home free, Ms. Clancy. The law can’t touch you now.”

She tapped her ash and said nothing.

“Your kids doing okay?”

She said warily, “Yes. And the grandkiddies, too. Got six of ’em. All just fine.”

“Unlike the kids in the shack. Did you and your husband befriend folks saying you’d take care of their kids for them while they were working, maybe? And instead you let two pedophiles loose on them?”

She barked, “You two get the hell outta my house. Now! Before I call the cops.”

“The cops know we’re here,” said Robie. “We’re working with Sheriff Monda on this.”

Cassandra nearly dropped her cigarette. “He... he knows you’re here?”

Robie nodded.

“He knows a lot,” said Reel. “Pretty much everything we do.”

She sputtered, “I-it’s not actionable. I–I’m tellin’ you that. It’s n-not.”

“But that’s not the same as the truth coming out. They may not be able to take you to court, but I wonder how your kids will take the news. And your grandkids.”

“I’ll sue you. That would be slander. I’ll sue you!” screamed Cassandra.

“Well, one absolute defense to slander is the truth.” He pulled out his phone and held it up. “I recorded everything you said.”

“That’s... that’s illegal.”

“Is it? Maybe, maybe not. I don’t think it’ll matter to your family.”

“I... I...”

“You might want to think about moving to another country and assuming a new identity,” said Reel. “Because your life, as you know it, is over. I don’t think folks around here would like a pedophile’s helper.” Reel looked around at the fine property. “I hope it was worth it,” she added.

Cassandra slumped back in her chair. “Look, can we come to some sort’a understandin’?”

“Like what?” asked Robie.

“I tell you what I know and you forget I’m part of this at all.”

“Let’s hear what you have to say.”

“But—”

“Let’s hear what you have to say,” said Robie more firmly.

Cassandra finally nodded and sat forward, stubbing out her cigarette. She drew a few long breaths and began.

“See, the thing was we had seasonal workers comin’ through,” she said, her voice trembling a bit. “They came through every year, usually from Mexico or Central America. And some of them were black folks, itinerant workers, tryin’ to get by.”

“But no white kids then?” said Robie.

“No, none that I can remember. They worked the fields all day when we were harvestin’. Most had kids, little kids. Me and my daughter would watch ’em and even do a little schoolin’ with ’em. That was all. I swear to God.”

“Okay, when did things start to change?” asked Robie.

“Sherm came to me one day and said he’d had a visitor. Apparently, Henry Barksdale got wind of the little kids we kept in the shack on the edge of our property. He had a friend, he said, who would pay well if we...”

“If you left him alone with the kids for a while each day?” said Reel.

She nodded.

“When was this?” asked Robie.

“Hell, I can’t recall exactly. Probably twenty-five years ago.”

“Did your daughter know?”

“Absolutely not!” snapped Cassandra. “She’s a good person. She never would have” — she drew another long breath — “she never would have been part of that. So, I just had her head up to the house when the man was comin’ by.”

“But you obviously had no problem with it?” said Robie quietly.

Tears started to spill out of the woman’s eyes. “I did have a problem with it. But I talked myself into believin’ it was really doin’ no harm. And those kids were so little and most of ’em didn’t even speak English. And the money, my God, the money was—”

“—just too good? It made you forget about what was happening to the kids?” said Robie.

“You can judge me,” said Cassandra spitefully. She added in a more resigned tone, “And Lord knows God will one day, but I didn’t know those kids. They were just part of these families comin’ through. And they didn’t take good care’a their kids neither, let me tell you. But when they were with me they were fed and clean and taught some—”

“—and molested,” Reel finished for her.

Cassandra wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her blouse.

“Did you see both Henry Barksdale and Nelson Wendell at the shack?” asked Robie.

“Once. As a rule they didn’t come till I was gone. Sherm and them had it all worked out. Fewer people knew about it the better. And to tell the truth, I didn’t want to know. But I left late one day and they got there a bit early. They didn’t see me, but I saw them.”

“And the kids?” asked Reel.

Cassandra looked at her. “I swear to God they didn’t seem no worse for it. They were so young and all. Whatever they did to ’em, I don’t think it messed ’em up. Probably didn’t even know what was happenin’. And their parents never said anythin’, so I guess the kids never even told ’em. So, I think they’re okay, right?”

Reel said fiercely, “No child walks away from being molested without being damaged.”

“No, I... I guess not,” admitted Cassandra, sniffling a bit while Reel looked at her in unconcealed disgust.

“Okay, Sherm was getting well paid for his ‘services.’ So when did he start blackmailing Wendell?” asked Robie quietly.

“That came later, a few years or so after this whole thing started. He didn’t tell me he was going to do it, but I called him out on it after he told me who was buyin’ our farm.”

“Coastal Energy?” said Robie.

“Yes. Hell, we never had oil or gas on our land. I knew that. And nobody had come out there to check for it, so why was some big oil company writin’ us a huge check for our farm? I mean millions and millions of dollars. Well, I knew why. Nelson Wendell.”