Acts of Violet(52)
CAMERON FRANK: Wait, what? How come we never saw any of that in the tabloids?
JOHN ARNO: A couple of reasons. First, unless she’s out in the forest smoking crack or canoodling with some new lover, it’s not gonna be worth anybody’s time to schlep to the middle of nowhere for photos of her and some trees. Second … [clears throat] Uh, Ms. Volk actually busted me spying on her one time.
CAMERON FRANK: I imagine that’s a rare occurrence.
JOHN ARNO: You got that right. It happened in Peru, on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. It was just her and her porter, and me and my porter got a little too close. She didn’t believe I was a tourist because she recognized me from watching her other times. I was embarrassed … but also impressed because it’s rare for people to be as aware of their surroundings as she was.
CAMERON FRANK: So what happened next?
JOHN ARNO: She offered to pay me double for keeping her whereabouts private. I made her a counteroffer: pay me double that, and I’ll teach you how to evade creeps like me.
CAMERON FRANK: I’m guessing she took you up on the offer?
JOHN ARNO: If she did, would we be having this conversation right now? Wouldn’t I be violating the terms of my agreement with Ms. Volk?
CAMERON FRANK: But if she didn’t, there would’ve been some media coverage of her sneaky camping trips at some point. You’re more of an expert on tabloid practices than I am, but I call bullshit on paparazzi not being willing to “schlep to the middle of nowhere.” Considering the effort they make with helicopters and telephoto lenses to get celebs on yachts, private beaches, you name it—they would’ve made the effort to follow Violet wherever she went, especially if it was somewhere as unexpected as a wildlife preserve.
JOHN ARNO: You can believe what you want, but I can neither confirm nor deny.
CAMERON FRANK: Okay, then how about this. Were you involved in the search for Violet Volk?
JOHN ARNO: In a manner of speaking.
CAMERON FRANK: Was this in an official capacity, like working with the feds, or helping the family on a separate investigation, or …
JOHN ARNO: Or what? Looking for her like it’s a hobby of mine? Like in my spare time I enjoy golf, crosswords, and looking for Jimmy Hoffa and Violet Volk? Some TV show hired me years ago. They were covering cases where people had faked their deaths. Wanted me to take them through the logistics of how Violet could’ve done it. There were some problems with the production and the whole thing was shut down before we finished filming. Never even aired.
CAMERON FRANK: What information did you present on this show?
JOHN ARNO: I was able to map out a feasible way she could’ve escaped the Witkin Theater without being spotted. When that place was a private estate, it was built with multiple secret passages and staircases, presumably for the servants to move around without causing disruption to the Worthington family. Some of these passages are still used today by the theater staff, and I found two others, both near the backstage area, which had been sealed and unused prior to the night of Volk’s final performance. Unfortunately, it was never determined whether these passages were unsealed by investigators, panicked staff searching for Violet, or somebody else, but they provided direct access to the subbasement. This subbasement was connected to the Finchley Mines tunnel network, which offered any number of exit points from Willow Glen and several neighboring towns.
CAMERON FRANK: Hypothetically, what would happen next? She has a getaway car near one of these exit points?
JOHN ARNO: Most likely. If she’s smart, she takes a nonlinear journey to where she wants to go and uses public transportation to get lost in the crowds at airports, train stations, bus terminals.
CAMERON FRANK: And how does this happen without her being recognized? Especially in the days that follow, when everyone is looking for her?
JOHN ARNO: Without her crazy makeup and outfits, she was pretty nondescript. A celebrity like, I don’t know, Angelina Jolie or Sarah Jessica Parker would have more trouble going unrecognized because they have such distinct facial features, but Violet was ordinary-looking. She would’ve had no problem being incognito.
CAMERON FRANK: What about the other logistics involved in something like this? It’s hard to believe anybody could voluntarily vanish in this day and age, with all the technology we have: cameras, GPS tracking, facial recognition software. It might not have been as prevalent ten years ago, but I can’t imagine it would’ve been easy to go off the radar back then, either.
JOHN ARNO: Is it tough to disappear in this day and age? Absolutely. Participating in modern society demands you sacrifice your privacy for the sake of ego and convenience. Not to mention, the government finds more and more ways to keep tabs on you every day. At this point, you hand over those liberties willingly. Whether it’s online banking and shopping, navigation systems in your car, location tracking on your phone and fitness devices, social media sites, the more you use these tools, the more visible you make yourself and your personal information. When a person decides to abandon these conveniences and start a new life, there are a lot of connections to sever. It’s a process that can take months if you want to ensure you won’t be found again. But it is possible, even today.
CAMERON FRANK: Is it legal?
JOHN ARNO: There’s no law against dropping out, cutting yourself off from everyone you know, and moving somewhere new to start over. It’s well within your rights to engineer a more discreet life for yourself. Just as long as you aren’t evading legal prosecution or breaking any laws in securing this new life for yourself, like committing identity fraud.