“Yeah, me, too.”
“He says he hasn’t seen her since he was ten, but I spent thirty minutes with him, which was just enough time to see who he’s grown up to be under his father’s misogynistic tutelage. It’s truly horrifying.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Did you know about this incel culture stuff before this case?” Jake asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve read about it. I believe it’s factored into some SVU cases where men took what they felt they deserved from the women who’d disdained them. There was a double murder in Baltimore that was tied to an incel punishing the woman who rejected him. He also murdered her new boyfriend.”
“It’s so sick. They feel like they have a right to these women, regardless of whether they’re wanted or not.”
“They’re never wanted, which becomes the problem. Rather than look internally to figure out what would make them more attractive to women, they blame the women for all of it and often lash out with violence or doxing or other forms of harassment.”
“I can’t wrap my head around this.”
“It’s one of the many ways the internet has been a curse. It’s given people with these sorts of grievances a place to find others who agree with them. When they’re in an echo chamber with everyone on the same page, there’s no one to say, ‘Hey, what you’re saying is sick and twisted, and you might be the problem.’”
“People say stuff online they’d never say out loud.”
“Right, and when everyone they’re saying it to agrees with them, it gives them permission to pursue these dark thoughts.” Ruiz’s phone buzzed with a text. “Emergency Response is in place and ready to assist.”
Jake’s stomach twisted with anxiety. “I’m so scared of what we’re going to find in that storage unit.”
“Me, too.”
* * *
After having dinner with the kids and going to bed early, Sam slept fitfully during the night. At five a.m., she checked her phone to see if there were any developments in the search for Luna. She’d received a text from Captain Malone an hour ago, saying they had a lead on her whereabouts and were following up, but nothing since then.
Thinking about what Luna might be going through had Sam wide awake and wanting to help if she could. Moving carefully so she wouldn’t disturb Nick, she got out of bed and went into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind her. She called the number she’d been given to arrange Secret Service escorts after hours.
“Good morning, Mrs. Cappuano. This is Agent Quigley. How may I help you?”
“They’ve got you working the overnight shift, Q?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I need to go into work. Would you please arrange that?”
“Absolutely, ma’am. I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes?”
“Perfect, thank you.”
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
That was a lot of ma’am in one conversation, she thought as she rushed through a shower and got dressed in jeans and a pullover sweatshirt. He probably had supervisors listening to him. She put her hair up in a clip, applied some moisturizer and mascara and declared herself fit for public consumption.
She was tiptoeing out of their bedroom when Nick called to her.
“Where’re you going?” He’d pushed himself up on one elbow.
“Into work for a bit. There’ve been some developments, and I’m awake. May as well help out if I can.”
“I thought you were taking a break.”
“I will, after we find Luna. I can’t bear knowing she’s out there somewhere… dealing with God knows what. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Be safe out there.”
