Girls Like Us(45)

“His neighbor here told me he has cops on the take.”

“Oh, for sure. Not just cops. Judges. Senators. For a while, we were chasing down a story about him and the vice president.”

“Seriously? What’s the story?”

“Well, allegedly Meachem has cameras in the bedrooms at his house in Palm Beach. According to one girl we talked to, he has a tape of the VP with a fifteen-year-old undocumented Nicaraguan girl. Not a good look for our super-conservative, Bible-thumping, very much married vice president.”

“Have you seen the tape?”

“No. We tried, believe me. But we’ve talked to girls who have been at his house. They all know that they’re being recorded. One girl ID’d various men who she said frequented Meachem’s parties. She gave us a detailed, credible account, naming a number of high-ranking politicians. The vice president included. We began to build a whole case around her. And then she vanished.”

“Vanished?”

“Yeah. No trace.”

“Do you think she was murdered?”

“Honestly, yes. If Meachem found out she was cooperating with us, then he’d certainly have reason to get rid of her. So would a whole host of other people. But without a body . . .” She trails off, and I can almost hear her shrugging.

“And the investigation? What happened?”

“It fell apart after that. We had to move on to other, equally sleazy traffickers. There’s no shortage of them, unfortunately. There is, however, a shortage of people on my team. So we do what we can. I wish there was more we could’ve done there. Maybe one day.”

“Could you pull records of every Jane Doe found in the Palm Beach area over the last few years? Check to see if any of them were shot and dismembered, and then wrapped in burlap. If Meachem is having someone kill off the girls who have worked for him, he’s not going to stop at the ones from Suffolk County.”

Sarah pauses. “I will. But Nell, I don’t think Meachem is your guy in this case. I think he’s a complete scumbag, don’t get me wrong. And absolutely capable of murder. But burying a girl in your backyard seems like a very stupid thing to do, and Meachem is not a stupid guy.”

“Maybe he panicked,” I suggest. “Maybe she was trying to blackmail him and he just snapped.”

“Then why not toss her in the ocean with a cinder block tied to her ankle?”

“I know. Fuck. You’re right. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Are you absolutely certain that both victims were in contact with Meachem?”

“I mean, I suspect they were. But I can’t prove it.”

“Well, get on that. Once you prove that this ring exists and that Meachem is a frequent client, it will be a lot easier to build a case against him.”

“He’s involved, Sarah. I just feel it. I need to know if he was paying off cops in Suffolk County. His neighbor suggested as much. If he was, that helps explain why no one did anything to investigate Sandoval’s death.”

“Are we talking Suffolk County cops?”

“Yeah.”

“Your dad was a Suffolk County cop.”

“Correct.”

“So these are your father’s friends? Men you grew up with?”

Maybe my father, too, I almost say but stop myself.

“Yes.”

“You sure you want to go down this particular rabbit hole?”

“Yes. I have to. I need to know.”

Sarah pauses. “We’re watching Meachem down here. We’re waiting for him to screw up. He’ll get his. You have my word on that.”

“It’s not just about Meachem. It’s about Adriana and Ria. These are girls like us, Sarah. I want people to know their names. I want to know who killed them. They deserve that, at least.”

“Does Lightman know you’re doing this?”

“No. I can’t ask the Bureau to come in officially. Not without tipping off the SCPD. That’s why I’m coming to you.” I decline to tell her that I’m also technically on medical leave and that Lightman would have my head if he knew what I was up to.

“Okay,” she says, though I can hear the reluctance in her voice. She thinks we’re in murky waters here. She’s not wrong. “Let’s start with the guy you think is running this ring.”

“Giovanni Calabrese. Runs a limo company out of Wyandanch called GC Limo Services. He drove both victims around.”

“If someone is paying off cops, it’s probably him.”

“So we need to find some way into his operation.”

“Do we know any of the girls in this ring besides the two victims?”

It takes me a moment, but I remember. “There is one. Ria Sandoval, the first victim, had a friend named Luz Molina. She also worked for Calabrese.”

“Well, go find her. She could be our in.”

“She might be too scared to help us.”

“She should be scared. If someone’s killing off Calabrese’s girls, she might be next.”

“I’m on it,” I say, already moving toward the door.

“Hey, Nell?”

“Yep?”

“Be careful. Watch your back. Meachem is smart and he’s dangerous. Please stay in touch. I can’t have you disappearing on me, too.”