FILTHY RICH
CHAPTER 7
Still, a friend.
“Nothing,” says Mary.
“You got your period?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Mary whispers.
There have been rumors going around, she knows that.
Rumors started by a girl who has eyes for Joe.
“Whore,” her rival shouts in the hallway one day.
“You’re the whore,” Mary shouts back.
Mary rushes the girl, who shoves back, grabbing at Mary’s hair,
twisting and tugging. Someone yells, “Catfight!” By the time the
bell rings for next period, Mary’s sitting in the principal’s office.
She shakes her head in reply to the questions, stays silent,
feeling humiliated.
Then, in her wallet, they find the three hundred dollars.
getown is less than thirty min-
Palm Beach. But in economic
igh school is run by the county.
ck. Thirty percent are Hispanic,
school has a C rating, and lots
unted lunches. Mary is one of
1, she’s working her way out of
r teachers think. A kid with a
her meeting with Epstein. She
sit. Still, other kids at the high
'hat’s up with you anyway?”
m nice to mean, depending on
20
Mary’s too young and too small to be stripping. Besides, the bills
are all twenties, not singles or fives. When they call Mary’s parents, her teachers suggest a more obvious explanation: Does
Mary do drugs or deal them?
Mary’s father knows better than that. “No,” he insists. A psychologist is called in. And then, Mary does start talking.
Once she does, she can’t stop.
It’s a wild story. Highly disturbing. A mansion in Palm Beach.
A powerful man. This is all far from the principal’s wheelhouse.
It’s definitely a matter for the police. In the meantime, the school’s
recommending a transfer, purely temporarily, to a facility for
troubled kids—ones with “issues.”
Mary’s a good girl, it’s true. But further confrontations at the
high school will not be tolerated.
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Officer Pagan's startin
uncharted waters. She's yo
this have been minor. Ro
used to the Gold Coast. Sl
to her, the less affluent to
well be somewhere in Gec
know that in the back .
whispering.
What's a guy with that
out west? The women arou
Extortion?
The kid's fourteen. Wha
Have you seen the sho
things we've never dreamed
No, Pagan thinks. This
She's the one who's goi
CHAPTER 8
Michele Pagan: March 2005
O
n March 15, Palm Beach police officer Michele Pagan
takes the first call from Mary's stepmother.
"Ma'am," she says, "I'm going to have to ask you to
come down to the station."
"I don't want to say anything more until I speak with my
husband."
"Ma'am, I appreciate that. But I'd urge you to come in. Let us
find out what happened. Please."
"I'll get back to you."
"Please, ma'am. I'm here for the rest of the day. We're on
South County Road."
At the station, Mary's father does most of the talking.
"There was an incident," he says. "At school. A fight between
Mary and another girl. But please understand, our Mary's not
like that."
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FILTHY RICH
Officer Pagan's starting to feel as though she's swimming in
uncharted waters. She's young, and the cases she's worked before
this have been minor. Robberies, that sort of thing. Pagan's not
used to the Gold Coast. She was educated in New York City, and,
to her, the less affluent towns further in from the Coast might as
well be somewhere in Georgia. Then again, she knows enough to
know that in the back of the station, detectives are already
whispering.
What's a guy with that kind of money need with some girl from
out west? The women around here could make a man cry.
Extortion?
The kid's fourteen. What would she know from extortion?
Have you seen the shows these kids watch? They know about
things we've never dreamed about.
No, Pagan thinks. This is her case.
She's the one who's going to work it.
CHAPTER 8
a police officer Michele Pagan
fary's stepmother.
'm going to have to ask you to
ng more until I speak with my
it I'd urge you to come in. Let us
r the rest of the day. We're on
does most of the talking.
says. "At school. A fight between
ease understand, our Mary's not
22
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She removed her par
writes in her incident re
She straddled his ba
touching Epstein's exposec
Epstein then turned to
up-and-down motion. Eps
to massage Mary's vagina.
Mary's sure that Epst
himself down as he got c
That week, Pagan's as
tives. Five men, two won
say. "This is different fro
tor is a smart person, anc
Within days, another
a similar story.
It's a tricky case, accordi
investigation, because th
as bait in an attempt to cat
even if they were willin
strings that Chief Reiter's
Two weeks later, on N
a controlled call to Wend
The first attempt goes
The next time Mary c
On the recordings m
tiny and tentative, whil
grown, like the femme fat
"Hey, what's up?" she
CHAPTER 9
Mary: March 2005
M
ary's father and stepmother believe their girl. Officer
Pagan believes Mary's parents. Ergo, Mary must be telling the truth. The girl's got a sweet, high, halting voice.
Pagan interviews her twice, and both times, she speaks with her
chin buried deep in her chest.
"Tell me, honey," says Pagan. "What happened?"
In her notepad, Michele Pagan writes: While speaking to me,
Mary became upset and started to cry.
"This white-haired guy came into the room," Mary says.
"Wearing only a towel around his waist. He took off the towel.
And then he was all naked, and he lay down on a massage table.
"He was a really built guy. But his wee-wee was very tiny."
Mary tells Pagan that Epstein spoke only to give her instructions, which he did in a stern voice. She tells Pagan that she was
alone and didn't know what to do.
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