Two days later, Sheriff Prescott requested a private meeting with me through his defense counsel.

I declined it, flatly, without a second thought.

There was nothing he could say to me, and I had no interest in giving a cornered predator the dignity of a conversation.

Trent tried a different approach.

His defense attorney quietly offered Camila a massive out-of-court civil settlement — five million dollars in cash — if she would agree to stop cooperating with the federal prosecutors.

Camila looked at the legal document for a long moment, and then she looked up at me.