Page 35 of Wyatt
“I never asked,” said Zane in a low voice. “I fucking never asked. I figured if she was in the bar, drinking, she was old enough.”
“She probably was,” said Bree, trying to console him. The likelihood that she might have been under twenty-one was fairly high, considering what they knew so far.
“Well, we appreciate all you’re trying to do,” said Lucas. “We’ll get out of your hair, but if you need anything else from us, let us know.”
They watched as the men left, all of them rallying around Quentin. Bree turned to U-Jin and Moose.
“What’s wrong?” asked Moose.
“Bethany said she met with four guys. Four. She didn’t meet with all four of them. She doesn’t meet the description, and she’s been doing it for months. Who were the other four?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Ezra, thank you for bringing her back in,” said Ulani. He nodded, pointing his daughter to the chair.
“Bethany, my name is Dr. Ashley Banks. I’ve been trying to help the pilots remember what happened to them.” The girl said nothing, just staring at the woman. “Today, they said something that didn’t align with your statement.”
“I told the truth,” she said quickly.
“Yes, I’m sure you did. You said you had been with four men. Except we know that it’s only been four pilots, and you don’t fit the description for all of them. Who were the other men, Bethany? Who were they, and how many were there?”
Bethany stared nervously at the woman, then back at her father, who looked as if he were going to cry.
“Dad, I–“
“Don’t. Don’t lie again. Tell them everything,” he said calmly.
“The first two were cops,” she said matter-of-factly. “They were way easier than the pilots. I just pretended to be scared, running from an abusive boyfriend, and they jumped right in.”
They couldn’t have stopped him. Nothing could have stopped him. Ezra slapped his daughter so hard, she flew from the chair. Moose wanted to help her up, but he honestly wasn’t sure he should. This young woman had caused more problems than her young brain could possibly fathom.
Drugging cops, pilots, and maybe others, all for cash. It was reprehensible.
“Dad!” she cried out, weeping as she pulled herself up.
“You were not raised this way. You can’t blame this on the divorce, or your mother leaving us, or anything else. You made a conscious choice to do this to other people. Do you understand? Do you have any idea what you’ve done to these men?”
Wisely, Bethany said nothing as she sat in the chair crying.
“Bethany, how many cops were targeted?” asked Ashley.
“I did three,” she whispered. “But there were a lot. Maybe eight or nine.”
“So, three cops for you and one pilot?” asked Moose. She nodded, not saying anything else.
“Why wouldn’t the police have shared this with us?” asked Ezra. “I asked them if anything similar had happened, and they said nothing.”
“Embarrassment. Maybe just not wanting to cooperate,” said Moose. “We’ll definitely be reaching out to them. Bethany? I have a daughter. I know what your father is feeling right now, and it’s suffocating me. I hope one day you realize what you’ve done and the terrible impact you’ve had on these men. All for a new handbag or pair of shoes.”
“It made me feel special,” she whispered. “I felt important. Needed. I had money of my own, and I wouldn’t have to rely on anyone.”
“I can understand how that would make you feel special,” said Ashley, “but do you understand that it was the wrong way to obtain those feelings?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“Do you really?” asked Bree. “Or are you just trying to get us to stop talking to you?” Bree smiled at the young girl, and she looked up, giving a small grin.
“No. I really do. I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
