Page 110 of The Right to Remain

“Tell me about the gun that Helena’s dog dug up in her yard,” said Jack.

“What about it?”

“It has no serial number. I’m almost certain it came from your facility.”

“Yeah. Helena and I talked about it.”

Jack was taken aback by how forthcoming he was. “Talked about it how?”

He glanced through the sliding glass door, taking in the masterpiece. Then his gaze returned to Jack.

“Look, all of this is going to come out eventually, so I might as well tell you. Yes, the gun came from our facility.”

“That makes sense,” said Jack. “But how can you be sure?”

“Because I gave it to her,” said CJ.

Jack could not hide his reaction. “I don’t know what surprises me more. The fact that you gave her the gun or that you just admitted it.”

CJ laughed, then turned serious. “You should be surprised. I flat out told Helena I would deny that I gave it to her. But what’s the point? It’s clear enough now that the truth doesn’t hurt me.”

“What is the truth?”

“I gave her the gun because, from what I saw, Helena needed to start carrying protection with her at all times. Protection from Owen, I mean.”

“Tell me more about that,” said Jack.

“If you want details, talk to Helena. But it was no secret that the two of them were at war over Austen’s dancing. I should have never stuck my nose into it, but Owen came to me one day.”

“For advice?”

“I don’t know what for. Maybe just to vent. He was out of control.”

“Over what?”

“Helena started posting pictures of Austen on social media. Pictures of him dancing.”

“Posting on her account?”

“No. She created an account in Austen’s name, and she was managing it for him. It’s something a lot of ballet moms do. Usually for their daughters, but boys too.”

“Owen didn’t like the photographs, I take it?”

“Didn’t like the photos, but what sent him over the edge was that Austen had over ten thousand followers.”

“A six-year-old boy?”

“Helena was partnering with another dance mom who had a twelve-year-old daughter. But yes—boys, girls, it doesn’t matter. It’s a bigger investment of time and money than just creating a profile and posting pictures. Some parents hire social media consultants who help post new ‘stories’ every day. Some even buy followers on a pay-per-click basis to get traction. The key is that you constantly generate fresh content, you build followers, you start to get sponsorships. Before you know it, a middle school kid has a hundred thousand followers and is on her way to a six-figure income as an influencer.”

“Was that Helena’s goal for Austen?”

“I don’t know what her goal was. Honestly, I think she was proud of him. But after Owen came to me, I had my tech expert look into the whole thing. If Owen flipped out over the sheer number of followers, I could only imagine what he would do if he learned their demographics.”

“Who were they?”

“Ninety percent adult male. Pedophiles, I presume.”

“I hardly think they were Disney talent scouts,” said Jack.