Faithless in Death (In Death, #52)(91)

“She’s dead. Killed herself about ten years ago. I’ve got her sister—and I’m not giving you her name at this time.”

“For fuck’s sake, Nadine—”

“I gave my word, Dallas, so just hear me out.”

Though she cursed inside, Eve nodded. “Keep going.”

“The nurse got documents to the sister, begged forgiveness, begged her sister not to expose this until her own children were of age. The nurse got the children out, sent them to her sister along with the documents, then hanged herself.”

“I need those documents.”

“My source is willing to let me turn them over and break this, as long as I keep details, any details that will lead to her and the kids, out of it. She changed her name, and theirs, moved out of the country. But I found her, so they could find her. She’s afraid for them, and I don’t blame her.”

Nadine held up a finger, then took a long sip from a water glass.

“This is human trafficking, Dallas, enforced slavery, turning women into breeding droids. I can’t begin.”

“I know what it is, and we’re going to take them down. All the way down. Get me the documents.”

“I don’t want to send them electronically. It’s going to take me at least another hour to get to you, but I’m coming to you first. And now, I don’t care what the hell time it is, I’m having a serious drink.”

“You did good, Nadine. Think of that.”

“Working on it.”

Eve settled herself, then stepped back in. Peabody was winding it up, so she let her finish.

“We’ve got these bastards,” Baxter muttered. “We’ve got Wilkey and his lunatic faithful up, down, sideways.”

“We just got more. Nadine Furst has uncovered a source, with documentation, that exposes a decades-long system of abductions, human trafficking, enforced slavery, rape, enforced impregnation.”

“A reporter?” Conroy surged to his feet. “We can’t have a reporter in this.”

“Nadine Furst’s integrity is unquestionable,” Eve shot back. “If it was only about the story, she’d be on her way to her studio to break it instead of here to turn over that documentation. She wouldn’t have contacted me to relay the information, she’d have broken it on air.”

“If she leaks any of this before—”

“She won’t. It’s just that simple.”

Turning away, Eve dismissed him.

“Dr. Paula Huffman performed a hysterectomy on Rachel Wilkey three years before the birth of Aaron Wilkey. Subsequently, Huffman impregnated an unidentified woman, against her will, with Wilkey’s sperm. Nadine will be bringing in documentation from a medical who assisted in these procedures, and in others. Others like Gina Mancini, who were kept in the compound against their will, tortured, forced into bogus marriages, and raped and impregnated.

“There will be other facilities like this, and the island is certainly used for this. People like Po are paid to provide the healthy women, the medicals are paid a bonus for live, healthy births. The men pay for the women who will be forced to become wives, and are given a bonus for every live, healthy child produced. So that marriage fee is an investment.”

“It’s a long con.” Fascinated and appalled, Roarke gestured to the board. “A kind of pyramid scheme founded on bigotry with women and children as the bricks.”

“That nutshells it,” Eve agreed. “This is how Wilkey ensures his ranks of faithful grow, and races don’t mix. He has his Realignment centers to deal with homosexuality. And he and his order profit.”

“What do they do when it doesn’t take?” Santiago wondered.

“My guess, slave labor. You don’t get off the island, out of the compound, away from the farm system. More people than Ariel Byrd have been murdered to protect this organization. More people than Keene Grimsley and Special Agent Quirk have gone missing.

“To ensure the flock increases, Mirium Wilkey, the daughter, acts as recruiter in this region.”

“Of course she does,” Peabody stated. “I should’ve seen it.”

“She handles the staff at the compound, serves as her father’s PA. No titles like her older brothers. No big house, no luxury travel. Just a pied-à-terre—as she called it—in the city, and that’s not even in her name.

“Yet she’s the one bringing these women in, seeing to it Natural Order thrives. Before too much longer, I imagine, she’ll be expected to marry someone approved by her father, and start pumping out babies. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll keep what little power she has now. But maybe not. She needs to keep things status quo as long as possible—and ensure money keeps flowing in.”

“All the work,” Peabody commented, “none of the credit.”

“A pisser,” Eve agreed. “Roarke will go over Natural Order’s financial position, but their cash flow isn’t a rushing stream. If she keeps the money—and women—coming in, continues to be useful as she is to her father, she can postpone the rest. Natural Order, and therefore Mirium, made a hefty investment in Gwen Huffman, and will be heavy beneficiaries. As long as she married Merit Caine, produced a child, and fulfilled the terms of her trust.

“When Ariel Byrd threatened that return on the investment, she had to be eliminated.”