There’s a woman, I won’t name her but at least some of you have heard of her, because she pops up in the news every so often as an expert on human trafficking. Sex trafficking specifically, because that’s pretty much the only human trafficking anyone wants to read about. Guys brought in to do slave labor in a restaurant or cucumber field? Booorrr-ing. Teens forced to have sex with greasy old men? Titillating!

Anyway, she published a book about her own history as a trafficked teenager. I read it, twice. I have rarely concluded a purportedly nonfiction book believing that virtually every word of it was some sort of fantastical lie, but for this one, I did. Never mind that, though. I come not to accuse, but to go over the Gannett tips box in every story about sex trafficking, the “how to spot it” part. Look for a couple far apart in age, where the younger party keeps their eyes downcast and doesn’t seem to want to be there, who doesn’t speak for themself, etc. etc. This is advice I’ve read over and over, from the aforementioned woman and many others. And every time I do, I think: Great. You’ve just described every reluctant teenager traveling with a parent. And this is straight out of the “Taken” fantasy, that women are literally snatched off the street and forced into prostitution by swarthy men who are no match for Liam Neeson. What else do you have?

And then I see photos of the Epstein girls. Granted, their faces are mostly black squares, but the body language doesn’t suggest sullen resignation. Probably the most famous photo is this one, of Epstein’s Victim Zero Virginia Giuffre and the former Prince Andrew:

Does she look like she’s looking for the nearest exit and wondering if she can reach the gate before they release the hounds? And the many Epstein girls in the latest document dump, leaning in to some older man’s shoulder for a photo, look the same:

Please, mark my words here: I am not saying these girls aren’t victims. I’m saying that we have a lot to learn about how this case began, developed and sustained itself for so many years. And this latest tranche of emails, photos and videos offer a few clues.

Some of it is pretty widely understood by anyone old enough to have watched some nature documentaries: Epstein had a predator’s eye for a certain kind of girl, pretty but on the poorer side of middle class, badly or indifferently parented, far more likely to be wowed by a couple of C-notes slipped into her hand with a sshhh gesture from the man involved. They’d love the helicopter rides, the private plane, the multiple mansions, the Caribbean island. Perhaps some of them had been primed for this duty by a pervy uncle, stepdad or mom’s boyfriend. I recall a quote from some rock star, asked why groupies would willingly present themselves for no-strings sex with some sweaty bassist who wouldn’t even stay in their lives for 24 hours, and he replied that it probably was more interesting than sex with some hometown loser. Giuffre described sex with Randy Andy as short and not particularly satisfying. As a price to be paid for the life that she had? Probably worth it. At least, worth it at the time.

A few people have noted the super-weird emails to Epstein from Soon-Yi Previn, aka Mrs. Woody Allen, who got together when she was a teen and Woody already approaching senior-citizen status. She describes the 2016 sexting scandal between then-Rep. Anthony Weiner and a 15-year-old as…the girl’s fault. She also thanks Epstein for helping their kid get into Bard College. (NYT story, not a gift link.)

This, I’m convinced, is one reason so many scumbags — Peter Attia, Donald Trump, et al — were willing to look the other way. The girls didn’t seem like victims. Yeah, they were disconcertingly…young, but their eyes weren’t downcast! They weren’t sullen and cowed-looking! So just keep your mouth shut and everything will be fine.

We also have to consider the incontrovertible fact that women have traded sex for advancement throughout human history. Bobbie Gentry wrote a song about it. It doesn’t always work out for them, but our First Lady made it to the White House via that route, even though I’m sure she’d rather be back at Mar-a-lago. (What am I saying? She is at Mar-a-lago. She’s clocked less time in the White House than a minor senator from a blue state.)

And what do we make of photos like this?

I’m assuming that foot is under 18 years old. Who wrote that line from “Lolita” on it? The owner, another girl, Alan Dershowitz?

I guess what all this woolgathering is leading to is: Sex trafficking isn’t as simple as looking for the mismatched couple. It requires old men to stop consorting with obvious teenagers, even if they’re brokered by charming Jeffrey, and even if the girls act like they want to be there. (No 17-year-old wants to have sex with Bill Gates, or Ehud Barak, or sweaty Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, or Noam Chomsky. Or even hot-for-his-age Peter Attia.) The thing about teenagers is, they grow up, and they wise up. And they know what happened to them. Of course it was a woman, Melinda Gates, who seemed to be the only person in that whole crew who took one look at this guy and asked, what are all these teenagers doing at this dinner table?

This is too long. But I’m working on a difficult letter on another tab, and I am a world-class procrastinator. Have a good weekend, all.