Sea Change

“Oh God,” Molly said, watching Cathleen. “The poor thing.”

Jesse nodded. The tapes ground on. Many women. Several no older than Cathleen Holton. Jesse counted five other men besides Darnell. Two of them Jesse had seen aboard the Lady Jane. He wondered if the men knew they’d been videotaped.

“There’s no bathroom stuff,” Jesse said.

“Just the showers,” Molly said.

“Doesn’t fit the fantasy,” Jesse said.

“I guess not,” Molly said.

On the screen another young girl was climbing into bed with Darnell.

“Jesus Christ,” Molly said.

Jesse froze the frame.

“I know her,” Molly said.

“Local girl,” Jesse said.

“Katie, Kate DeWolfe. She’s in school with my oldest.”

“Which would make her how old?” Jesse said.

“Fifteen.”

“Under age.”

Molly nodded. They both stared at the frozen image of the girl.

“Which gives us another handhold on Darnell,” she said.

“Doesn’t prove he killed Florence Horvath,” Jesse said.

“Proves he’s a bad man,” Molly said.

“We knew that.”

“What in God’s name will I tell her mother?” Molly said.

Jesse didn’t say anything. They both looked at Katie De-1 5 0

S E A C H A N G E

Wolfe for another moment. Then Jesse pressed play, and the videotape unspooled relentlessly. The tapes seemed infinite.

Blondie Martin took her turn. They watched all day and when it was over had not seen Florence Horvath.

They sat silently when the last scene had played and the last tape had rewound. There was nothing to say. They didn’t look at each other.

“I may never have sex again,” Molly said after a time.

“I know,” Jesse said.

“You’ve probably seen worse,” Molly said.

“Yes.”

“But . . .”

“It’s the quantity,” Jesse said.

“Yes,” Molly said. “That’s what it is. The women become interchangeable. They are just parts. Nipples and pubic hair.

There’s no . . . there’s no . . .”

Molly stopped and shook her head.

“Humanity,” Jesse said.

“Yes. Nothing human is happening. Do men find this exciting?”

“I don’t,” Jesse said.

“Not for a minute?”

“First ten seconds, maybe,” Jesse said. “More anticipation, probably, than anything.”

“Those tapes shouldn’t exist,” Molly said. “Am I a prude?”

“We had to watch it,” Jesse said. “Not everybody does.”

“So you’re saying it should exist.”

“Most people, I’d say if you don’t like it, don’t look at it.”

1 5 1

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

“It’s worse than that,” Molly said. “I don’t want it available to anyone who wants to look.”

“Not my area,” Jesse said. “But my guess is that it would probably do more harm to try and prevent it.”

“Censorship and all that,” Molly said.

“I don’t mind censorship,” Jesse said, “long as I get to be censor.”

Molly smiled.

“Yes. I know. But damn . . .”

“Consenting adults,” Jesse said.

“Not all of them,” Molly said.

Jesse smiled.

“There’s that,” he said.

1 5 2

32

K elly Cruz sat with Mandy Morello at an outdoor table outside a bakery and deli

near the Marriott Marina Hotel. Kelly

Cruz was drinking coffee. Mandy was having a Pepsi-Cola and eating some sort of napoleon and smoking a cigarette.

“Is sex against the law?” Mandy said.

“Not for consenting adults.”

“How about posing for nude pictures?”

“Not for consenting adults.”

“Okay,” Mandy said. “What would you like to know?”

“Does being one of Mr. Ralston’s girls involve sex and nude pictures?” Kelly Cruz said.

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

“Sure,” Mandy said.

She wiped whipped cream off her upper lip.

“Tell me about that,” Kelly Cruz said.

“That give you a charge?” Mandy said. “Hearing about it?”

Kelly Cruz sighed.

“Mandy,” she said. “I’m a fun person, just like you, but I am also a cop investigating a homicide, and I would just as soon not fuck around with it too much, okay?”

“Whoa,” Mandy said. “Kelly, I didn’t mean anything. It’s just how I talk.”

“Sure,” Kelly Cruz said. “Tell me about life with Thomas Ralston.”

“Well, ah, what can I tell you. He parties.”

“With you?”

“Sometimes with me.”

“Sometimes with others?”

“Sure.”

“One at a time?” Kelly Cruz said.

Mandy rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Not always,” she said.

“Other men involved?”

“Sometimes.”

“Are we talking about gang bangs here, Mandy?”

“Sometimes.”

“Willing?”

“Willing? Oh, sure, willing. Of course, it’s all in fun. Somebody doesn’t groove on that. Fine. Don’t party. You know?”

“What about the nude pictures.”

1 5 4

S E A C H A N G E

“Oh those,” Mandy laughed and stubbed her cigarette out in the remains of her napoleon. “Tommy got it all rigged on his boat, cameras in the bedrooms, all hooked to a VCR.”

“Do the participants know they’re being taped?” Kelly Cruz said.

Mandy shrugged.

“I know,” she said, “because he showed me some pictures of me.”

“You didn’t mind?”

“Hell, no, fun stuff. I thought it was cool.”

“How’d you meet Mr. Ralston?” Kelly Cruz said.

“Around. I like yachts and men who own them,” Mandy said. “You hang around the right marinas and you get to see a lot of both.”

“And the other women?” Kelly Cruz said.

Mandy laughed.

“I’m not there,” she said, “because I’m interested in the other women.”

“Any names?”