Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 by Claudia Hall Christian

to
help other victims. I want you to know that you already have. You
inspire our team with your resilience. You give the young girls we
rescue hope.”
    “ Sandy’s amazing,” Sissy
beamed at her.
    “ Is that Rachel?” Agent
Tony leaned over the table when Sandy held the sling open. “She is
more beautiful that the picture Detective O’Malley
sent.”
    “ She’s a hero in her own
right,” Charlie said.
    “ We didn’t think she’d
make it,” Sandy said. “But Rachel is as tough as nails.”
    “ Well, it’s a pleasure to
meet all of you,” Agent Tony sat down across from Sissy.
    “ You need to tell them why
you’re here,” Agent Angie said.
    “ Oh right,” Agent Tony
fumbled for a moment with a briefcase and brought out a file. “I’ve
spent every moment since I’ve been here with a Vere Morgan, Dr.
Jeanette Smyth and Patricia Delgado.”
    Sissy gasped. Charlie’s eyes popped open
with surprise.
    “ Agent Tony?” Agent Angie
asked. “The children don’t know anything.”
    “ I see,” Agent Tony said.
“What do you know?”
    “ We told them this morning
about their mother wanting to make sure she was supported even if
Sissy and Charlie came to live with us,” Sandy said.
    “ She signed documents,”
Sissy said.
    “ Ones that Sandy brought
and ones that they had,” Charlie said. “Sandy showed us the
documents.”
    “ She emailed them to Uncle
Seth,” Sissy nodded her head. “Uncle Seth is really sick right now
but he wanted to help us and help Sandy.”
    “ You don’t seem surprised
by your mother’s actions,” Agent Angie said.
    “ Oh no,” Sissy said. “I
mean, Mom has a job but the money she gets from Dad’s pension is
how she pays the rent and stuff.”
    “ For us,” Charlie
said.
    Agent Tony glanced at Sandy. She was staring
straight at him. He gave a slight nod and glanced at Agent Angie.
Agent Angie didn’t need Sandy’s prodding. She was willing to go
with whatever the kids said.
    “ I think it’s confusing,”
Agent Tony said. “But the law calls that type of interaction human
trafficking.”
    “ How come?” Sissy
asked.
    “ Because Mom sold us like
cows, dummy,” Charlie said.
    “ Charlie,” Aden gave a low
warning which Charlie understood.
    “ Sorry, Sis,” Charlie
said. “I just hate this.”
    “ That’s okay,” Sissy said.
“It’s just confusing. If Mom doesn’t get that money, how will she
live? Are you going to take care of her too?”
    Sissy turned to look at Sandy and Aden.
    “ Mom’s going to jail,”
Sandy said.
    “ Oh,” Sissy’s face
clouded. “Why? I don’t understand how Mom taking care of herself is
illegal.”
    “ I get confused too,”
Agent Tony said. “We originally thought we’d have your Mom on human
trafficking but Sandy and Aden actually found something
else.”
    “ What?” Charlie
asked.
    “ Mom was involved in my
father’s pornography business,” Sandy said.
    “ Dr. Smyth has decided to
cooperate fully,” Agent Angie said.
    “ That’s Mom’s therapist,”
Sandy said.
    “ Dr. Smyth provided us
with evidence that Patricia Delgado was the brains behind the
pornography business,” Agent Tony said. “Ms. Delgado is not
cooperating. She insists that she’s done nothing wrong. Outside of
the therapy notes, we don’t have any hard evidence.”
    “ You don’t seem surprised,
Sissy,” Agent Angie said. “Charlie?”
    “ I wondered how she could
afford to buy all that stuff,” Charlie said. “When I was in school,
I wanted to play basketball. She said she couldn’t afford to get me
good shoes. She even showed her bank account and the records. Dad’s
money wasn’t a ton of money and she had accounted for every
penny.”
    “ She had to for Dad’s
union rep,” Sissy said.
    “ So where’d she get the
money for all the crap she bought?” Charlie asked.
    “ She filled Dad’s house
with stuff she bought online or on QVS,” Sandy said. “Every room,
every closet, everything. I hired a hoarding