Read Online Deep Into The Night (Hartz Island Series) by Tracie Ingersoll Loy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tracie Ingersoll Loy
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Services at a local pub in Victoria, B.C., near the marina where Kip had docked his boat. They’d cruised over to Victoria from Hartz Island for a dinner meeting with Jack’s Canadian counterpart. The Canadians had spotted Rob Armstrong frequently getting on and off the ferry in Sidney, B.C. Both Jack and Dan were convinced Armstrong was somehow involved with the increase in human trafficking up and down the west coast. The problem was they had no hard facts to prove it. Earlier in the spring, Armstrong had shown up on Hartz Island supposedly to write the great American novel. From day one, no one believed him.
Once the table was cleared, Dan pulled out several documents and CCTV photos and spread them out. The men examined the photos and studied the documents.
“You can see by the figures we’ve had an increase of human trafficking, but worse, child prostitution. And who knows how many cases have gone undetected. In the last nine months, we’ve been tracking ‘escort service’ photos posted on several Internet sites starting out in Vancouver, but then the pictures of the same girl wound up in Los Angeles,” said Dan Williams. “I’ve got a Filipino girl in custody, not talking, scared to death. We think she is sixteen, posing as an eighteen year old. She came in under the radar to work in our Live-in Caregiver program, but, in reality, the company was nonexistent for her. They had her working in, I suppose you could say, the caregiver department.”
“And then they’re sneaking them over the border,” Jack said, “because initially, it’s easier for them to get into Canada.”
“That’s right. We have the British Commonwealth rules, and then our own trade policies like the one with South Korea that makes it easier than USA policies.”
Jack shook his head in disgust. “They prey on their own. We busted a Korean national smuggling twenty women a month into the United States from Canada. Who knows what they were promised, but they ended up working in massage parlors and brothels to pay their smuggling debt,” Jack explained to Kip. “Seattle has a huge problem, and it’s growing.”
“They’ve been beaten, threatened with their lives, and any family left behind will get the same treatment if they talk.” Jack took out his iPad and did an Internet search. “Let’s see what’s happening in Vancouver.” He held up the photo of a young Asian girl. “According to her information, she is nineteen. What do you think?”
“Fifteen, sixteen maybe,” Kip guessed. He took out his smart phone and searched different sites, swearing under his breath.
“Look at her eyes. They’re dead and she’s trapped. Put in a different city and see if you can find her advertised for Victoria,” Dan said. “Their pimps are moving them around for maximum money and keeping their exposure down in one city.”
Kip held up the screen for the two men to see. “Different name but same photo. I see what you’re talking about.” He looked over at Jack. “What’s going on in Seattle and Tacoma?”
“From the photos of the girls posing, it looks like the Seattle area has a mix of ethnic backgrounds. Vancouver is showing a larger Asian group, but I don’t think this is necessarily true,” said Jack. “I think it depends on what social media site they can get away with advertising on.”
“Dan, what are you thinking about with Armstrong?” asked Kip. “I met him in March when I was here tracking the ships coming in from Indonesia. Something about him bothered me then.”
“He’s making a lot of visits into Canada. Why? We’ve got him on CCTV and no record at Customs to coordinate with his timing.”
Jack nodded his head in agreement. “I think he’s sex trafficking the girls in from Canada. The money is not in writing the great American novel like he claims he’s doing. A pimp can make anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000 per girl. You add in five to ten girls to that figure, you have well over a million
Once the table was cleared, Dan pulled out several documents and CCTV photos and spread them out. The men examined the photos and studied the documents.
“You can see by the figures we’ve had an increase of human trafficking, but worse, child prostitution. And who knows how many cases have gone undetected. In the last nine months, we’ve been tracking ‘escort service’ photos posted on several Internet sites starting out in Vancouver, but then the pictures of the same girl wound up in Los Angeles,” said Dan Williams. “I’ve got a Filipino girl in custody, not talking, scared to death. We think she is sixteen, posing as an eighteen year old. She came in under the radar to work in our Live-in Caregiver program, but, in reality, the company was nonexistent for her. They had her working in, I suppose you could say, the caregiver department.”
“And then they’re sneaking them over the border,” Jack said, “because initially, it’s easier for them to get into Canada.”
“That’s right. We have the British Commonwealth rules, and then our own trade policies like the one with South Korea that makes it easier than USA policies.”
Jack shook his head in disgust. “They prey on their own. We busted a Korean national smuggling twenty women a month into the United States from Canada. Who knows what they were promised, but they ended up working in massage parlors and brothels to pay their smuggling debt,” Jack explained to Kip. “Seattle has a huge problem, and it’s growing.”
“They’ve been beaten, threatened with their lives, and any family left behind will get the same treatment if they talk.” Jack took out his iPad and did an Internet search. “Let’s see what’s happening in Vancouver.” He held up the photo of a young Asian girl. “According to her information, she is nineteen. What do you think?”
“Fifteen, sixteen maybe,” Kip guessed. He took out his smart phone and searched different sites, swearing under his breath.
“Look at her eyes. They’re dead and she’s trapped. Put in a different city and see if you can find her advertised for Victoria,” Dan said. “Their pimps are moving them around for maximum money and keeping their exposure down in one city.”
Kip held up the screen for the two men to see. “Different name but same photo. I see what you’re talking about.” He looked over at Jack. “What’s going on in Seattle and Tacoma?”
“From the photos of the girls posing, it looks like the Seattle area has a mix of ethnic backgrounds. Vancouver is showing a larger Asian group, but I don’t think this is necessarily true,” said Jack. “I think it depends on what social media site they can get away with advertising on.”
“Dan, what are you thinking about with Armstrong?” asked Kip. “I met him in March when I was here tracking the ships coming in from Indonesia. Something about him bothered me then.”
“He’s making a lot of visits into Canada. Why? We’ve got him on CCTV and no record at Customs to coordinate with his timing.”
Jack nodded his head in agreement. “I think he’s sex trafficking the girls in from Canada. The money is not in writing the great American novel like he claims he’s doing. A pimp can make anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000 per girl. You add in five to ten girls to that figure, you have well over a million
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