To facilitate Jojo’s plane trip to Europe, the clinic gave me a slightly scaled down horse tranquilizer to keep him quiet while he was in the hold of the plane. I gave it to him when I got to the airport and by the time he was loaded in the cage he was has happily snoring.
The flight from Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) to Touluse (TLS) required two layovers, one in Atlanta (ATL) and the second one in Paris (CDG), the total time including layovers was 15 1/2 hours. Because Jojo woke up in mid-flight across the Atlantic, they allowed me to go down under supervision to the pressurized animal hold to give him some water to drink and another sleeping pill. I sat with him till he fell asleep, then I went back to my seat. I was most appreciative of their consideration. I think part of it had to do that I had first class tickets. The fact that the flight attendant was a dog lover didn’t hurt either. I have to admit she was quite cute as well. Under any other circumstances, I would have asked for her contact information.
When we finally arrived in Toulouse, I picked up my white cargo van. Because the van was not your typical rental vehicle for tourists, I had made reservations in advance. I had packed his favorite blanket, pad, poop collection gear, water and food bowl, several cans of dog food, and a chew toy in an oversized suitcase. Before I left the rental parking lot, I laid the pad and blanket in the back of the van so that he could be comfortable. He still was a little groggy, and after he drank a little water and wolfed down a can of dog food, he fell back asleep. Of course, it goes without saying that he left a large deposit before we hit the road.
Charlie’s interpol contact had provided the address that Francois Thuet had resided at when he lived in Toulouse, so that is where I went right off. France is known for their open air cafes, so I thought this would be a great place to start on my informal investigation. I wasn’t trying to get information for a conviction, I just wanted to get a feel for what type of person he was, and to see if anyone living there still remembered the incident with the minor.
Bringing Jojo with me proved to be a great conversation piece as everybody that I met was amazed at the size of him and how friendly he was. Of course, they had no way of knowing that with a simple command, I could have ordered him to rip their throats out. We will just keep that our little secret. I was amazed, I didn’t even have to approach people they just kept on coming to me.
The first day didn’t provide much in the way of information, but by the second day, people being people word got out that I was looking for information on Francois Thuet. So the information started to flood in. Of course, none of it would be admissable in a court of law as it was purely anecdotal, that is until the girl that was involved in the incident introduced herself to me and started talking to me. It seemed like she just needed to get the incident off her chest. She had been living with it since 1985. She was only 12 years old when it happened. Now she was 39 years of age, was married with two children, a boy and a girl. Her name was Chloe Beaumont, and this is her story as told by her.
“My name is Chloe, and I was only 12 years old when Mr. Thuet raped me. I had seen him walking around town on several occasions. I had seen him interact with other children, and he had always seemed friendly and quite harmless. I don’t know what he did for a living, but he always seemed to be dressed nicely. I am not sure how long he had lived in our town, but he has been here as long as I can remember. So when he approached me one day, I did not think anything of it. I thought he was just being his usual friendly self. He introduced himself to me as Francois, he said that he was lonely as both of his parents had passed away and he was living by himself just a few blocks away from the cafe I was standing in front of. He asked me if I was hungry and if I would like a croissant and a cup of coffee. I had just gotten out of school, and it was too early for dinner at my house, and to tell you the truth, I was actually a little hungry. So I said “yes”. He gave me a big bright smile when I agreed to take a repast with him. He said he hated dining alone and just wanted to talk.
We sat down at the cafe I had been standing in front of and ordered a couple of croissants and two cups of cappuccino. I had no way of knowing that this event would alter my life forever. While our conversation wasn’t exactly sparkling, it was at least friendly. As I finished my cappucino and croissant, I noticed that I was feeling a little off. Mr. Thuet didn’t seem to notice as he kept on rambling on. When I went to stand up, he also quickly stood up and took my arm as if to steady me. He then put his arm completely around my shoulder while holding my other hand. His grip was quite strong. I wanted to resist and yell out, but I was just too groggy. The next thing I knew I was walking with him down an alleyway. After a short while, we came to the back entrance of a small two-story bungalow. He unlocked the door with the hand that had been holding mine. He still held me by the shoulder with the other arm. After he opened the door, he led me down a dark hallway and into a small windowless room. The only piece of furniture in the room was a bed. He closed the door behind him. The next thing I knew, he was taking my clothes off. I could not do anything to stop him. It was like I had no will of my own. After I was naked, he took his clothes off. I distinctly remember him putting a rubber on. I was surprised that he was gentle with me. I expected it to really hurt when he entered me.
After he finished, he instructed me to put my clothes back on, and before I knew it, I was outdoors, walking by myself down the street. It took a while for the groggy feeling to wear off, but finally, I was able to make my way home. I was too afraid to tell my mother what had happened, but eventually I did. After I finished, she immediately took me to the local constabulatory. A female officer performed an examination on me, but because there was no vaginal tearing or semen present, not even lubrication from the condom, and Mr. Thuet was an upstanding citizen they thought I was lying. Even the blood sample they took came back negative for any chemicals. It was the word of a young, rather homely girl against an upstanding citizen with a clean record. It showed that I had sex, but there was no evidence of rape. Because I was drugged up, I could not even remember where his house was. Even though I went back several times on my own, I could not find the house he raped me in. So he got away with it.
I, of course, told everybody that would listen to me about the rape, and I expect that it got too uncomfortable for him in Toulouse because after a while, he just disappeared. I believe that it was the same year that he raped me when he left. My mother and father believed the police and Mr. Thuet over me, especially when there was no evidence of rape. After that, my parents treated me differently. They didn’t believe that Mr. Thuet raped me. They thought I was having sex with boys at school, and I just made up everything. Eventually, I ran away a couple of times. I dropped out of school and wandered the streets for a while. It was a wonder that I did not turn to prostitution or do drugs, but I did not. Eventually, I was taken in by my one of my aunts in the town of Balma. I went back to school and finally graduated. I went on to become a beautician, and I have been one ever since. I finally met a nice man and got married and now I have two beautiful children. I still don’t talk to my parents, though I am sure my aunt keeps them up on what is happening in my life.
Well, that is my story, I hope it helped some,“ Chloe concluded.
“Chloe, thank you for telling me your story. I want you to know three things, first off, I believe everything you said and second of all, you were not to blame for anything that happened on that day, and finally Francois is dead. He died two years ago. So he can never hurt anyone again. I hope this helps some.”
Chloe started crying and said, “Thank you for your kind words, I feel better finally getting this off my chest, and yes, it does help knowing that he can’t hurt anyone again. I think I will be going now, I have dinner to cook for my family. It has been good talking to you, Mr. Anderson.“
When I got back to my hotel, I immediately called Charlie and told him the news, “Charlie,” I exclaimed when he answered, “we finally have proof that Francois Thuet was a molester of children. Chloe, the young girl that he raped in Toulouse in 1985, just told me her story.”
Charlie excitedly exclaimed, “That is great news Peter, you are really on fire. The noose is tightening around the necks of the Thuets.”
“The pieces are starting to fall in place, but we still need more. What we need is a key character to talk.” I responded. I further added, “Since I am already in France, I am thinking of going to Istanbul to do a little research on the brothels there. While I have no real proof yet that my sister Yua was part of the sex trafficking ring, her dying of AIDS certainly points in that direction. Maybe I can find someone who remembers her or is willing to talk. At the very least, I will get a lay of the land.”
“Sounds good, just be careful. Even though prostitution is legal in Istanbul, that doesn’t mean that everything is as it may seem.” warned Charlie.
“Thanks, I will. Besides, I have Jojo as my ‘wing man’. You would have to be crazy to take on a 200-pound mastiff.”
After I finished talking to Charlie on the phone, I started thinking about my trip to Istanbul. By flying there, Jojo would have to be sedated again, and I just don’t want to do it that soon. I don’t know if it would hurt him, but I just can’t take the chance. Besides, it is only 1800 odd miles to Istanbul. I am sure the scenery will be quite beautiful. All I have to do is make the necessary arrangements with my van rental. If they give me grief, I will just buy one. I know I am sounding like a spoiled rich American.
Luckily, I wasn’t forced to buy a van, as the rental agency was quite willing to extend my rental agreement for a handsome fee that is. As I see it, I can just drive there without seeing anything, or I can do what Andersons do best, and that is to explore. Luckily for me, I had packed my camera. It always pays to be prepared.
I gave a call to Steve Johnson, my travel agent and he gave me a few pointers. I mapped out a more scenic route, and as I had nothing pressing back at home to do, I decided why not. While I saw a lot of places in Europe on my last trip, I was still limited by my job. Now, that’s no longer an issue. The only living being that relied on me was Jojo, and he was already with me. Thanks to my Grandpa Gordon’s hard work and fortunate investments on my part, money was not an issue.
The cities I have listed below are some of the main places I stopped at. I allowed two to three days at each one to ensure that I didn’t miss anything of interest.
Top cities between Toulouse and Istanbul
The top cities between Toulouse and Istanbul are Venice, Milan, Turin, Nice, Verona, Genoa, Marseille, Bologna, Pisa, and Padua. Venice is the most popular city on the route. It’s 10 hours from Toulouse and 15 hours from Istanbul.
1 Marseille
Marseille, a harbor city in the south of France, has been a hub for immigration and commerce since its establishment by the Greeks around 600 B.C. At its core lies the Vieux-Port (Old Port), where vendors sell their fish along the quay filled with boats. The Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde is an architectural blend of Romanesque and Byzantine styles.
2 Nice
Situated on the pebbly shores of Baie des Anges, Nice is the capital of Alpes-Maritimes department in French Riviera. It was established by Greeks and was a popular destination for European aristocrats during the 19th century.
3 Genoa
Genoa, also known as Genova, is the capital of Liguria region in northwest Italy and has played a significant role in maritime trade for many centuries. The city’s old town is home to the Romanesque Cathedral of San Lorenzo with its distinct black-and-white-striped facade and frescoed interior. Piazza de Ferrari is a notable site with an iconic bronze fountain and Teatro Carlo Felice opera house.
4 Turin
Turin is the capital city of Piedmont in northern Italy, known for its refined architecture and cuisine. The Alps rise to the northwest of the city. Stately baroque buildings and old cafes line Turin’s boulevards and grand squares such as Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo. Nearby is the soaring spire of the Mole Antonelliana, a 19th-century tower housing the interactive National Cinema Museum.
5 Milan
Milan is a major city located in northern Lombardy, Italy. It is renowned for its fashion and design industry, as well as being a financial center with upscale restaurants and stores. The city boasts impressive landmarks such as the Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral and Santa Maria delle Grazie convent, which displays Leonardo da Vinci’s famous mural “The Last Supper.
6 Pisa
Pisa is a city located in Tuscany, Italy that is famous for its iconic Leaning Tower which was constructed in 1372. The tower is a white-marble cylinder that stands at 56 meters and serves as the bell tower for the Romanesque cathedral situated nearby in Piazza dei Miracoli. Other attractions found in this square include the Baptistry which has excellent acoustics and the Caposanto Monumentale cemetery.
7 Verona
Verona is a charming city located in the Veneto region of northern Italy. The medieval old town, built along the winding Adige River, is famous for its association with Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Visitors can explore Juliet’s House, a 14th-century residence featuring a small balcony overlooking a courtyard. The Verona Arena, an enormous Roman amphitheater from the 1st century AD, remains an important venue for concerts and opera performances today.
8 Bologna
Bologna is the lively, historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, in northern Italy. Its Piazza Maggiore is a sprawling plaza lined with arched colonnades, cafes and medieval and Renaissance structures such as City Hall, the Fountain of Neptune and the Basilica di San Petronio. Among the city’s many medieval towers are the Two Towers, leaning Asinelli and Garisenda.
9 Padua
Padua is a municipality in the northern part of Italy’s Veneto area that boasts various attractions. The Scrovegni Chapel houses Giotto’s frescoes from the years 1303 to 1305, while the Basilica of St. Anthony, constructed during the thirteenth century, features Byzantine-style domes and notable works of art, including the tomb of its namesake saint.
10 Venice
Venice, the capital of Veneto region in northern Italy, is a unique city built on over 100 small islands connected by bridges and separated by canals. It has no roads but instead offers a network of canals including the famous Grand Canal lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco houses St. Mark’s Basilica which features Byzantine mosaics and the Campanile bell tower offering panoramic views of the city’s red roofs.
I have to admit my drive through the European countryside was quite interesting. During my previous trip, most of my travels involved commercial transportation either via bus, train, or boat. I didn’t have to do anything but relax and enjoy the view. This time all of the travel was done by me. Reading signs in foreign languages is definitely challenging. In some countries, the street signs are in two languages, one, thankfully being English. However, in many countries, this is not the case. Before I started my road trip, I purchased a road atlas of Europe. While my cell phone has GPS, I try never to rely solely on electronic devices for my navigational aid.
Maps never run out of battery power, nor do I have to worry about losing my signal. Though I do have to admit that when I do have a reliable signal, GPS is a wonderful thing.
For the last several weeks I have enjoyed my time as “Joe Tourist.” Now that I have arrived in Istanbul, it’s time to get serious again. I must admit that traveling with Jojo has been a joy. It is amazing how much pleasure he gets from the simplest of things. It is also nice to have someone or thing give their total attention to you. I bought a baseball to play fetch. It is amazing to watch a 200 pound dog bounce around like a happy puppy while chasing after the ball. The only bad part was handling a ball covered with Jojo slobber, so I quickly purchased a pair of gloves.
In Turkey prostitution is only legal in brothels. In Istanbul, that means the following three streets, Zürafa [Giraffe], Alageyik [Fallow deer] and Kadem [Foot].
The history of prostitution in Turkey is quite interesting so I have included a brief discussion on the subject below.
The secularization of Turkish society allowed prostitution to achieve legal status during the early 20th century. Known as “general houses” (genelevler) in the country, brothels must receive permits from the government to operate. In turn, the regulatory agencies issue identity cards to sex workers that give them rights to some free medical care and other social services.
Outside of these, there is some freelance prostitution on some streets and some upscale discos like Reina or Sortie. You also have hostess bars, most of which are tourist traps. You should be careful to avoid them, especially if you are not familiar with the country. These places are run by mafias who specialize in extorting money from confused tourists. They advertise cheap drinks from outside, then present you an outrageous bill that you cannot avoid to pay.
Prostitution in Turkey is regulated under article 227 of the Turkish Penal Code (Law No. 5237). Promoting prostitution is punishable by two months to four years’ imprisonment. The passport law forbids entry to Turkey for the purposes of prostitution.
Brothels (Genelev) are legal and licensed under health laws dealing with Sexually transmitted infections. Women need to be registered and acquire an ID card stating the dates of their health checks. It is mandatory for registered prostitutes to undergo regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases, and the use of condoms is mandatory. The police are allowed to check the authenticity of registered prostitutes to determine whether they have been examined properly and to ensure they see the health authorities if they don’t. However, men cannot register under this regulation. Most prostitutes, however, are unregistered, as local governments have made it policy not to issue new registrations.
The brothels are a double-edged sword for their workers. They provide a relative safety net compared with independent sex workers. But once workers are registered as brothel employees, their chances of finding other employment are rather slim. The stigma is official and permanent. The workers have to pay a hefty portion of their income to the brothel management, as well.
Turkish law does not make brothel work legal for foreign women or for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual (LGBTI) community. So anyone belonging to any of these groups must work outside legal brothels and inevitably becomes part of a criminal operation.While the Turkish economy is deteriorating, sex workers say the demand for them is on the rise, given the young population. However, the demand is selective. Ece, a registered sex worker at an Istanbul brothel for two decades, told Al-Monitor, “In this profession, unlike others, seniority is a disadvantage. Your income decreases as you age. Then, of course, the market is bustling with young boys and girls from Syria and still others from Eastern Europe. Now brothels have to compete against the internet. Most upper-class customers do not come to brothels anymore. Several houses have shut down on Zurafa Street.”
Indeed, the face of Turkey’s sex industry is changing fast. On several main city streets, particularly in Ankara, in broad daylight, you can see young men handing out colorful business cards to passers-by, including children and even police officers. The cards, complete with phone numbers and nude photos of them, say, “Ms. X is waiting for you at her home. Call her.”
Similarly, a simple search online will yield hundreds of webpages providing escort services in different cities, with names such as Escort Istanbul, Escort Izmir, etc. Unlike other countries, escort services are not legal or regulated in Turkey, yet they explicitly offer sexual services. Some escorts provide a detailed list of sexual services they are willing and unwilling to provide, explaining the details of pricing and providing a manual about the kind of hotels they are willing to spend the night at and the product brands they prefer — in case a client would like to buy gifts. None of these webpages have an age requirement to visit.
Similarly, escort services that provide male and transgender escorts to both men and women have bloomed as well.
It has become easier for escorts to work independently, with the help of everything from houses that can be rented for a day without the requirement of an ID card (unlike most hotels) to services such as Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook and scheduling webpages such as Kolaygece (“easy night”). The internet provides tools for online marketing, advertising, screening of customers and arranging a private location to meet.
Sporadically, the police decide there is an overabundance of escort services and crack down on them. Usually, it is the sex worker who gets caught and penalized in such instances, and the webpages are shut down
It is quite interesting that an Islamist government — one that prides itself on raising a pious generation with a high moral code — has worked to minimize the number of brothels while at the same time turning a blind eye to a flourishing sex industry that uses all sorts of online tools. It is most likely because a sizable portion of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) supporters tacitly approve of this arrangement where prostitution is largely kept out of public view. And even some AKP members are not immune to the wiles of the sex industry. “That is one of the few joys of life left,” one such customer told Hande during our interview.
Since there has been three years or so since Yua had passed, it is unlikely there will be anyone who knows her still left. One thing I did not take into account is how paranoid some of the people that run these brothels are. I hit every brothel in the three main streets, and not one girl recognized Yua. In the three days, it took me to canvass them all, even though I dropped over $5,000 U.S. I did not get one positive response. While I wasn’t expecting to find anyone who would talk, I, at least thought I would see some sign of recognition from one of these girls, such as a subtle change in breathing or other tell.
I would find out later that the madame that ran the brothel Yua was held captive in, closed down immediately after she escaped. The madame moved her whole operation to Cheb, a border town of the Czech Republic.
After spending three fruitless and expensive days in the red light district of Istanbul, I decided it was about time that I wrapped up things and headed back home.
That night, I purchased one way first class tickets to Washington D.C. I spent the rest of the evening chilling with Jojo and called it an early night. My plane left at noon, so I had plenty of time to shower and pack in the morning. I ordered breakfast from room service. I gave Jojo his last can of dog food. I also took out two of the tranquilizers and put them in a small ziplock bag. I would give him one pill after I dropped off the van and brought him to the Kennel, and the second one would be for the halfway point on the plane trip.
The flight went along without incident, and like clockwork, Jojo woke up halfway over the Atlantic. Like before, I was escorted down to the pressurized hold where I gave him the second pill. I again stayed with him till he fell asleep and as before, the attendant escorted me back to my seat. Now that I knew Jojo would be OK, I allowed myself to relax, and I quickly fell asleep.
Before I knew it we were landing. The bouncing and jerking of the plane braking on the runway woke me up. First Class exited the plane first, so I had a short wait for my luggage. After I picked my suitcases up, I went and picked up my SUV and then drove over to the Kennel to get Jojo. After that we stopped by a pet superstore and replenished my stock of food for him which pretty much filled up the whole back seat and the passenger seat. Jojo was already occupying the back of the SUV, only now he was somewhat cramped because he was keeping the luggage company as well. When we finally got home, Jojo was only too happy to leave the unloading to me as he bolted out of the back of the SUV and proceeded to run arround the property and sniff everything to make sure nothing had been changed.
After I unpacked everything and restocked Jojo’s “food warehouse“, I went into my office and updated my files and maps and whiteboards with all the new information I had discovered. For now, at least Istanbul had become a deadend. Now I had to do a little brain work to see if I could narrow down where in Europe Yua’s old brothel could have been relocated to. Unfortunately there were way too many countries that had either chose to look the other way or have made prostitution legal. One important thing to remember is that even though something is legal it doesn’t mean that illegal things are still not going on. It seems that doing things illegally is far more lucrative than doing them legally.
I know one thing for certain a visit to see Mrs Thuet was now definitely in the cards. As was a few more visits to Europe.