The Collector

by Scott Wittenburg

When Alan returned to his hotel room, he reviewed the recording he had made of his encounter with Elena to make sure it was audible and complete. It was crisp, clear and included the unexpected appearance of Viktor into her room.

  The next thing he did was to call Beth Lindsey.

  "Hey Beth, it' s Alan."

  "Alan! How is it going?"

  "Pretty good. I'm in New York and was finally able to track down the infamous Ellen, whose actual name is Elena."

  "That's excellent! What have you found out?"

  "First of all, you were right: she is a hooker and her pimp owns her. Literally. She was lured out of her native Russia by human traffickers, smuggled into the U.S. and has been totally exploited by her pimp/owner for months. She is a frigging slave, Beth!"

  Even as he spoke those words, Alan could still hardly believe them himself.

  "Oh my God, you're kidding!" Beth cried.

  "I kid you not. And I think we've stumbled onto something really big. I mean, not only has Elena been exploited by some gang that could be part of the Russian mafia, but her sister has, too. Both girls were abducted by traffickers in Russia. Then they were separated in Germany. Elena hasn't seen or heard from her sister in months and she fears that she will be sold into prostitution, too."

  "That's horrible! But how does she know that her sister hasn't already been sexually exploited? Or did I not hear you right?"

  "You heard me right. Elena was told by her pimp that Polina—that's her sister's name—has been modeling all this time for the guy who purchased her—the guy who posted the Degas-like photos on his website. But this artist guy is apparently finished uisng her for modeling purposes and is about to sell her again. Now hold on to your seat for what I'm about to tell you. I think there's a pretty good chance that all of those young girls in those photos were trafficked, Beth!"

  "Why do you say that?" the dread clear in her voice.

  "Elena recognized one of the girls in the photos as being in the same group of victims that had been smuggled out of Russia to Germany."

  "Oh, shit! You're right, Alan, this sounds really big. We are definitely going to have to get some help on this."

  "But the big problem is that all Elena seems to care about is saving her sister. She wouldn't even consider letting me get the cops or the feds involved so they can bust the brothel she's working at. She said that if anything like that happens, her pimp's 'business partners' will track down her their mother—back in Russia, no less—and murder her. I can't understand why she doesn't give a damn about saving her own ass from that miserable existence."

  "That's very typical of victims like her, Alan. They are so used to being beaten into submission and constantly being told what to do that they lose all sense of self-worth. Elena probably feels like she is already doomed and no longer has a chance at having any sort of normal life. And, she is probably thinking that if they bust the place, she'll have to face criminal charges for prostitution, which is most likely what would happen. The law doesn't really care why these girls prostitute themselves; it just wants to punish them for their offenses. That's why I'm an advocate for decriminalizing prostitution."

  "But she has been forced into doing this! She's a goddamn slave, for chrissakes! How can they charge her for being forced into doing something she doesn't want to do?"

  "Welcome to my world, Alan. As I told you the other day, this sort of thing goes on all the time all over the globe. Yet very little is being done about it. Even though there are an estimated 17,500 foreigners including children that have been trafficked into the U.S. this year, there are only a handful of organizations actively fighting to do anything about it. Most of these are non-profit organizations such as the Polaris Project, CAST and CATW. Federal and State governments are also involved but not nearly as much as they should be. It's heartbreaking to think that so little is being done while so many continue to suffer."

  "I don't get it. Why isn't anything being done? It doesn't make sense."

  "Lots of reasons, none of them good ones. The biggest reason is ignorance. Most people aren't even aware of how huge human trafficking has become and that it is already happening on a large scale in our very own communities. Another reason is greed. There is a lot of money to be made in the sex industry and a lot of people go to great measures to keep it that way. There is a lot of apathy, too. How many people you think give a damn about whether or not a whore is being forced to sell her body? Or that she is nothing more than a slave to her pimp? Many think these women deserve what they're getting because they figure that if they don't like what they're doing they can simply quit. They don't realize that getting out is much harder than they think. Elena's situation is a perfect example."

  "So what do these organizations do? What can they do to help Elena get out of that place and lead a normal life?"

  "A lot of their energy goes into awareness, prevention and advocacy. They also give victims counseling, medical assistance, food and shelter until they can get back on their feet. These women are usually in horrible physical and emotional shape after having endured this kind of demoralizing abuse and neglect. They often feel useless and out of touch with reality. Many victims require extensive therapy in order to re-discover themselves and to get over the guilt and shame they feel. They need reaffirmation that they are not worthless human beings and that they deserve a life that is worth living."

  "That's all very commendable, but what about arrests and prosecution? Do these organizations work with law enforcement to see that the guilty parties are put in jail?"

  "In all honesty, I'm not exactly sure what all they can do in that regard. I do know that it depends a lot on the state or region where the crimes are occurring since some states are more proactive than others and have actually created task forces specifically to combat these crimes. I also know that many of the organizations offer twenty-four hour hotlines for people to report suspected cases of physical and sexual abuse, trafficking, and so forth. But how closely they work with law enforcement is something I'm going to look into as soon as I get off the phone. I have a close acquaintance in New York City who should be able to enlighten me on the situation there."

  "That would certainly help. This is so frustrating because we know that a serious crime is being committed yet we can't really do anything about it at this stage—because Elena is so worried about the ramifications with regard to her family. Since you've had experience with this sort of thing, what do you think the chances are of this Russian gang actually tracking down her mother in Russia and doing her harm?"

  "God, Alan, I don't have a clue. I've never really dealt directly with a situation quite like this—it's new territory for me. I need to get with Maddie Fulton and see what she says. She's done a lot of work with The Human Connection in the New York and should be knowledgeable with cases like this."

  "In the meantime, there's something I'd like you to do for me Beth. I gave Elena a pre-paid cell phone in order to keep in touch with her. Could you give her a call and offer her some counseling or whatever you would call it?"

  "Of course I will. And I have to admit, Alan, I'm impressed that you thought of that. I mean, most men probably don't realize how important it is that this poor girl receives support right now. I commend you on your foresight in giving her that outlet."

  "Believe me, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that this girl is on the brink of disaster. Not only does she look severely weak and undernourished, she is like a frigging zombie! You can tell that she has lost any sense of self-respect and is simply living for the moment in order to survive. She has nothing to look forward to but an endlessly dark and lonely existence. I'll be honest, it took everything I had to not just take her by the hand and drag her out of that godforsaken place!"

  "That is so sweet, Alan! I can see that Elena has hit a chord with you and it's no wonder. I've read about so many cases like hers but unfortunately they almost always end tragically. I didn't want to tell you that but there's no sense in sugar coating this. E
lena is in for a really rough time no matter what happens. Even if she gets freed she may be so damaged that she can never recover from her experience."

  This was not what Alan wanted to hear. "Jesus, that's depressing. You mean even if she gets out of there she may not be able to be 'normal' again?"

  "Afraid so. But let's be cautiously optimistic. There's also a decent chance that she can be rehabilitated, especially since she has been incarcerated for such a relatively short time. Her chances of recovery are exponential to how long she has been exploited. Six months is much better than say, a couple of years."

  "That's good to know. One thing I am definitely going to make sure of is that her pimp, Viktor, pays dearly for what he has done to her. I've gathered quite a bit of evidence already that should help hang his ass and I've only just begun. If I can track down all of the other bastards that are in on this enterprise, I'll see to it that they join Viktor."

  "So you have some other parties to investigate?"

  "Yeah, Elena gave me a few names to work with—one of them in particular may actually be one of the kingpins of the whole outfit here in the States. I'm going to check him out and see if I can find some leads to Polina's whereabouts. It may be a long shot, but there's not much else to do at this point."

  "And if you can save Polina, that will go a long way in helping Elena's recovery."

  "That's just what I plan to do."

  "How long are you going to be in New York?"

  "I'm not sure yet. The big shot lives out on Long Island so I'm going to go out there tomorrow—which means I'll be here at least another day. That reminds me, I'll have to call the doggie day care center and let them know."

  "You have a dog?"

  "Yeah, I picked up an abandoned pooch a few days ago. Haven't been much of a master to her, though. No sooner got her then I flew up here."

  "All I can say is that she should be happy to have someone like you, Alan. Like me, she will learn to appreciate your empathy for others."

  "Thanks for that, Beth. I just hope we don't let Elena and her sister down."

  "We can do this, Alan. I just know it. Can you give me that cell phone number? I really want to talk to her."

  "Sure. I turned off the ringer so it will go straight to voicemail when you call. I did that as a precaution. I also told her that you would probably be calling her. Just leave your number and she can call you back when the coast is clear."

  "Okay."

  Alan retrieved the phone number from his pocket and read it off to Beth.

  "I hope she calls you back. She seemed pretty grateful about getting the phone so I think she will. If she doesn't, let me know and I'll give her a call to find out what's up."

  "Okay, I'll do that."

  "Thanks, Beth. I'll check in with you tomorrow. When are going to call this Maddie woman?"

  "Just as soon as we get off. Maybe you could even meet with her while you're up there."

  "That might not be a bad idea. Well, give me a call if you haven't heard from me first."

  "Will do. Be careful, Alan. And thanks so much for what you're doing."

  “Talk to you later.”

  Alan disconnected then gave Charlie Ling a call.

  "Charlie, got anything for me?"

  "Not thing yet. That URL is screwy, man. It's gonna be one of those hard ones to nail down, I'm afraid."

  "Shit, I was afraid you'd say something like that."

  "Sorry. But I'll keep on it. You know me, never say never. I'll track it down if it takes a year."

  "Let's hope it won't take that long."

  "Just kidding. But it will take some time."

  "Okay. Well, give me a shout if ya get lucky."

  "I will. Take it easy, Alan."

  "You too."

  After disconnecting from Charlie, Alan used his iPhone to search Google for "restaurants, Yuri Popov" and got six hits. The results were reviews of a restaurant named Stolovaya owned by Popov in East Hampton, Long Island. Pleased that the search had been so easy, Alan checked out the location of the restaurant on his Google Maps app and estimated the distance from midtown Manhattan. About two hours and change.

  Deciding that a car would make snooping around much easier in the Hamptons, he searched car rentals in Manhattan and found a Hertz on West Fortieth Street. He went to the website and made an online reservation for a compact to be picked up the next morning, using his credit card to confirm the reservation.

  He spent the next fifteen minutes or so checking out the East Hampton region on Google Earth, noting the large exclusive homes dotting the area. He knew that the Hamptons had some of the most expensive real estate in the New York area and as he zoomed in on several of them, he wondered how accessible Yuri Popov's home would be if he was lucky enough to locate it.

  He decided to wait until the morning to call Marie and let her know that he would be staying at least another day. He felt guilty being away from Pan yet another day and realized that he was probably being a little overly sentimental about his new pet. On the other hand, he had to admit that he was already a bit homesick and couldn't wait to get back to Ohio. The vibe of the Big Apple was pretty lackluster and although the trip had yielded considerable progress on the case, he quite frankly didn't care if he ever came back to the place.

  Noting that it was nearly midnight, Alan realized that he was exhausted and that sleep would come easily. He drained the last of his Michelob, washed up and hit the rack. Tomorrow he hoped would be another productive day.