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"I'm guessing you're right. He's been missing all day. His wife claims he had a last-minute meeting out of town and she wasn't sure when he'd be back."
"Convenient."
"Right?" Noam laughed. "Anyway, the D.A. will be contacting you once he gets time. I'm guessing he's going to be busy most of today just dealing with those he rescued, but expect a call from him at some point."
"I will, thanks for the heads up." He was relieved he wouldn't have to bring up Trenton and how he'd gone to his friends to get help. This worked out well for both of them. "Will you keep me updated on Trenton's condition?"
"Sure. I'll give you a call this afternoon once we get to see him." Noam was quiet for a minute, then cleared his throat again. "You know, if you are serious about turning in that badge, I can always use help catching online pedophiles who are messaging kids. It won't pay nearly what you're used to, but the option is there if you want. Most of my crew are either retired or off-duty officers. It's a lot of sitting behind a computer, but we do go out and put the fear of God in them when they are stupid enough to set up a meet."
Ben laughed. "I could get behind scaring the shit out of some perverts. I'll keep your offer in mind. Thanks, Noam. You've made this whole thing a hell of a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be. I know there's still plenty to work through and a pile of paperwork in my future, but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel now."
"I'm just glad you contacted us to bring an end to it all. Now we'll find out just how deep the chief and others were in this and see where we go from there. I need to run and make a few more calls, but expect Jason to call you later today. If you need anything before then, call me at this number. I'll call you as soon as I can update you on Trenton's condition."
"Thanks. Talk soon." Ben ended the call. He set the phone down and blew out a long breath. His biggest worry had been that Trenton had been one of them killed in the raid. It wasn't good that he'd been shot, but at least the news was good and he should completely recover. He also liked the idea that there was another job waiting for him if he wanted it. It was hardly what he thought he'd be doing with his life, but after the last few months, things had changed. He wasn't as invested in being a detective or the best undercover agent there was.
It was time for him to stop playing roles and settle into his own life for a change. Put down some roots and look to a future. He worked so much, taking a cut in pay wouldn't hurt him. He'd saved almost everything over the last few years. Other than paying for a small storage unit, he didn't have many bills. The department put him up in an apartment and gave him a car to drive when he was undercover. His bills were minimal. He could do almost anything he wanted now.
The question was, could he deal with pedophiles after everything he'd seen? Could he stay calm and pretend to be a child while chatting online with these perverts and not lose his temper? Could he go out and confront them with Noam and not kill them? He wasn't sure anymore. He'd seen too much that would never be erased from his memory.
He was about to leave to grab something to eat when his phone rang again. This time his personal phone. He answered hesitantly, seeing an unknown number. "Hello?"
"Is this Detective Benton Sills?"
"May I ask who's calling?"
"This is U.S. District Attorney, Jason Elbert. Noam gave me your number."
Relieved, he relaxed. "I've been expecting your call. How can I help you?"
"You were the one who alerted Noam to the trafficking ring, correct?"
"Yes, I was working undercover when things just didn't feel right. I contacted him for advice and to make sure it wasn't just me feeling burnout or something."
"I'm glad you made the choice to contact him. This is one of the largest busts we've seen in California. As we dig through evidence, we are finding it reaches worldwide. I was wondering if you'd be willing to come down to my office and meet with one of the members of my team for an interview."
"I'd be glad to. I wasn't sure who to contact. I knew Chief Jones was involved, but I had a feeling my captain was as well."
"He was, but has skipped town. We seem to have a leak in the department and I'm hoping you might be able to help us find who's sharing information. From this point on, you're on paid leave and will report only to my office. Once we know better who we can trust, we'll see what the chain of command will look like."
"What about the others who were working there?"
"So far, they are talking, but it's too early to know who we can trust. I'm trusting you because you came forward to put a stop to this, but you should be aware, no one is off the suspect list as of right now."
Ben expected that. "That's fine. You can dig into my past and present as deeply as you like." If he was found guilty of wrongdoing, he'd take whatever punishment came his way. He felt as if he owed someone something for not speaking out sooner or stopping everything he'd seen over the last few months. "I have nothing to hide. I just couldn't watch more people abused or killed."
"Did you witness executions?"
"Of other guards, yes, but not of the hostages. I did see two hostages beaten so badly by guards that they died, and several beaten by those upstairs that resulted in them dying later in the cages where I worked." He closed his eyes at the memories. "I saw countless guards rape the hostages, and beat them frequently. Dr. Frank, who was brought into exam all new intakes, often raped and abused his patients, especially the younger ones."
"If you will start making a list of everything you remember. Give names where you can, descriptions if you can't remember names. You know how this works. The more you give us, the more we can investigate. I don't want any of these assholes going free. What I saw last night was horrific and all I can say is thank you for bringing it to our attention. There is a good chance if you hadn't it would have only continued to grow," Jason told him.
"They would have killed me eventually to keep me quiet," Ben mumbled more to himself than to Jason.
"Probably that or found a way to blackmail you into silence."
Ben sighed. "What time do you want me at your office?"
"I won't be there, but my staff will know you're coming. Let's say around three?"
