Transcript of Fairy Godmother in Glitter Heels | 7

Candice told me about the NBA All-Star Weekend, and the big events like that are big for traffickers. They make a lot of money. So they're doing this rescue, this sting operation. Candice sent a badge. It was a gold badge, and then there was a certificate to the site, and she said, Look who was deputized by Homeland Security. Now I can do even more This year, we were just named the very first private sector company, Exodus being that, to partner with Homeland Security, the very first one. Yeah, they can get a hand of that.

This is Unicorn Girl, an Apple original podcast, produced by Seven Hills, hosted and executive-produced by me, Charlie Webster. If you have your doubts about Candice, you're not alone. Many of the people around her were feeling conflicted. But every operation brought with it something good, a reason to keep pushing through and continuing to give. And for anyone who did have doubts about whether Candice was the real deal, the announcement that came in February 2023 meant any concerns were pushed aside. Candice partnered with the Department of Homeland Security for what she said was a first-of-its-kind sting operation, taking down traffickers together and exiting victims. She might have claimed in the past that her operations came about due to a request from the government, but this time it was true. She really was working with a government agency. Candice must be everything she says she is. Why else would Homeland Security partner with her? Once again, Candice needed someone to help her head up the operation. For Afghanistan, she had an ex-Navy seal, Ukraine, Jason, the cyber security expert. This time, Candice asked a trafficking survivor to help her plan the details. Someone who had lived through what the victims they would be rescuing had experienced.

Candice was A badass single mom making her own independent, boisterous, loud, will say the weird, hard thing in the most inappropriate times. She was a little ghetto, liked We liked some more music. We could talk shit. She wasn't afraid of the hood.

This is Amber. She was sexually trafficked in Utah, including at the prestigious film festival Sundance, held about an hour away from Salt Lake City. Traffickers target these events that bring increased demand, especially from people with power and money. Hollywood festivals are no exception. Amber spent five years being trafficked. She was kept drugged and was raped up to 20 times a day before her trafficker was finally caught, and Amber was rescued. That's when she met Candice, right as she was trying to rebuild her life. They quickly became close, and Candice brought her into exitus as the lead survivor advocate.

Candice was very comfortable on her skin, confident. And I envied that because I never felt comfortable in my skin. She embraced her sexuality. She encouraged me, too, because I had just really imploded in myself. She loved to prop me up and to put me on this pedestal. All these things that I had been known for, she really changed this narrative for me in public. She really made me feel like I was important and that my views were important and my opinions. She also positioned herself as a mentor to me. So we would have mentoring sessions, therapeutic sessions. I told her my dream, what I wanted, this is what I want to do. These are the contacts I've already made, relationships I've already built.

Amber's dream was to create something that she never had, a network of ongoing support for victims and a pathway to bring their traffickers to justice. Candice promised Amber she would make her dream come true.

I really inserted myself into Exxon. I acted more as a volunteer and establishing relationships I would do the occasional transport, Coast to Coast, different state with a survivor, or assisting in communication with the aftercare team, their flights, all the things. That's what I did. There were very little domestic survivor exits without me knowing. I think I personally did six. I enter into these spaces as a lead to help in operations and to be forward-facing every once in a while. So we go to Homeland Security. It's in tandem with several other law enforcement departments. We do a big training before, a big hoop a lot about what we're going to This department is going to focus on this. This department is going to focus on that.

The Homeland Security operation was happening over the NBA All-Star Weekend. It's a weekend of events and parties, and the NBA's greatest players come together for an All-Star showdown. That year, it was being held in Salt Lake City, and Candice was going to be a big part of it. Even hosting a panel to inspire teenage girls. The Sting operation with Homeland was the biggest undertaking yet for Exitus. Human trafficking activity can be more concentrated at major sporting events because of the amount of people they attract to the area. Candice needed a lot more help with this one, not just the usual Exeter's crew. She hit up a wider net, including nonprofit leader, Kate.

Candice told me that I should volunteer because they were going to be doing something really... It was secret news that they were going to be doing the NBA playoff operation. And so I just got more information and was told that I would be a mentor. And so I was like, This sounds incredible to be able to help with us. She said that they were working with the Homeland Security, and that they were going to be working with law enforcements from all over the country. That made me realize, oh, wow, Candice is legit. This is the real deal. Because she was working for those people.

Kate came on board with Amber, as well as Kim, Starly, Matt, philanthropist Mary Crafts, survivor Felicia, and Aura. In total, Candice managed to rally together 72 people. The For The Love Group wouldn't be able to help in person, but Candice was keeping them updated anyway. Candice's posts are read by Emi Jory, and as you've probably started to notice, her pose are a bit scattered. She threw out a whole bunch of personal updates.

I'm bursting in cat. I need to tell secrets to my besties. Yes, life is hard. I'm tired. My ex-husband sucks dead cockroaches. My jeans are still tight. People are dying, and I don't have enough staff. I was on a diet for two weeks for the New Year, and all I lost was 14 days of happiness.

Before finally getting to the point.

We got called from Homeland Security to assist with anti-trafficking operations over All Star Week. I'm so excited. Collaboration and providing care and triage for trafficking victims, along with training for law enforcement and legal aid. Dreams made.

To kick off the partnership with Homeland, Candice was asked to provide training to local law enforcement, educating them on how to respond to victims. Then she had all all the Exeter's volunteers come to her house and did a one-hour training session for them, talking about how the operation would work. She told everyone not to wear religious clothes or any logos, that they couldn't put Homeland's address in their GPS, and not to talk about anything personal that could identify them. This is the audio of Candice leading the briefing.

Super cool, guys. You get to put on your resume that you're helping Home On Security with the very first ever collaborative intertrafficking app ever in the history of the United States. I think it's cool. I love it.

Super fun. Isn't exactly how I would characterize a sting-up to rescue women from abuse, but Candice carried on. Finishing by telling everyone to keep it hush-hush.

Now you guys get to walk around with the biggest secret ever. Don't tell the secret.

Aura was again the go-to person.

Any personal questions, direct those to Aura.

We asked Aura to explain how the operation worked.

We had a group of drivers. We had a group of mentors. They were called mentors, but they were almost more like companions to these girls from one place to the next so that they would feel like they had an advocate or someone by their side. Then there was the admin team, which I was over that. We also had therapists on board, just a huge amount of people involved in this. We didn't know if we'd have 100 trafficking victims come in. We didn't know if we'd have two. We just had to be prepared for everything. We would have the mentors and the driver go together. Then Candice and Amber would be with Homeland Security at a specific location. Then we would have the mentor and driver waiting in in the parking lot. So we had people right away ready to go.

To be able to verify their identity and access Homeland Security, the volunteers were given ID badges. With Amber's lived experience, she was given the role of being the first point of contact with the victims as they were brought into Home On Security HQ.

I am at headquarters waiting for the victims to be brought back Home On Security headquarters. Survivors. Survivors start coming in and we start talking to them. There's a whole variety of types of survivors that we see. They meet them in a hotel. Then we take the survivor over to headquarters, have a conversation. Do you need help? Some of them want help, some of them don't want help. We've got an array of different levels of mental health issues, an array of different levels of medical needs. One needs to be transported to the emergency There's a lot that's happening.

The rest of the volunteers were split up into teams. Mentors were paired with drivers, ready to go when called.

I was paired up with Kim. I was the driver.

The survivor who spoke at the Exeter's Gala in our last episode, Felicia, was a driver and was paired up with Kim from Found Her, who was a mentor. Candice's CEO house in Lehigh was home base. That's where everyone sat waiting for a text message from Candice with the location of a hotel to head out and pick up a trafficking victim.

We'd sit at the house and we'd wait for a text to come through that says, It's go time. As soon as we got that go time, we would go from Lehigh down to downtown Salt Lake.

Which is about, what, 25 minutes?

It depends on how fast we were driving.

A lot of us that night did not do the speed limit.

When we heard go time, it was you had only so many minutes to get into the front of the hotel. And then Kim and I got a text. We'll hold off. Something's happening in the hotel room. So they had set up a sting-up. The Homeland Security was there. Three different jurisdictions of cops were there. They had cameras in rooms, so they'd set up with Johns, and then they'd come in and they'd rescue the girls. And they said something had happened in one of the rooms, and we couldn't go yet. There was a big safety concern. And And so we sat for almost two hours staring at the hotel, and my adrenaline is pumping. I'm like, I am just ready to go. I'm ready to rescue them. And then we got another message that says, That girl didn't want to go. So the girls had a choice. They could either go with us to safety or they could choose to leave and go back to their pimp. And so they said, That girl didn't want to go.

It's not simple for victims to exit trafficking. They are held captive, often groom from a young age, and drugged so they can't leave. The fear of what the trafficker will do to them is so strong that leaving can be scarier than staying. So we come back to the house, and we got another sex.

Okay, it's time to go. So we pull up to the hotel entrance, and Candice opens up the door, puts the girl inside, and says, You guys got to get to homeland. I'm like, Okay. And she grabs this woman's hand, and she's crying, and she goes, Am I safe? Am I safe? And we're like, You are safe. We'll get you to safety. It's okay. It's going to be okay. And Candice goes, They will get you where you need to go. We will get you some help.

Felicia grabbed the wheel ready to go to homeland. Candice put the victim into the back of the car with Kim. As a mentor, it was Kim's job to there every step of the way.

I'm nervous as heck because the first words out of my mouth feel really important, and I don't know what to say. I was about to introduce myself and let her know I was there if she needed anything. Then Bayly gets in the car on the other side of her.

Candice had made Aura's 19-year-old daughter, Bayly, a mentor as well.

Candice came out to grab me. She said that there was a girl, needed a mentor, so I went inside. I met this girl. I sat with her on the bed while people were trying to talk to her. Eventually, we left the hotel lobby area. We were just right outside. Candice told me, You were going to take the girl, you and this other volunteer. It was Kim. This was the first time I met Kim. Felicia was the driver. And you, this driver and mentor, are all going to go to the Homeland Security. You guys are going to go over here, and I'm going to meet you there. I was confused. I was like, Should I not say anything to her then? Because it looks like Bayly's her mentor. And it was so incredibly uncomfortable because she's sitting in the middle of us. It's not like I could lean over and be like, Hey, Bayly, so you got this one? Okay, cool. I'll wait for the next one. And so we would drive down the street to the Homeland Security Building. Candice said that she was going to meet us there. So we walk in and we have badges that were made to show that we're We're official with Exodus.

And we have this girl, and they walked us through the hallways and stuff and took us into this room. We had to wait for Candice to get there, and Candice never came. And we were there for hours, just waiting, and no one could get a hold of her.

Candice had disappeared in the middle of an operation once again. Where was she? Well, this time she was out partying. Aura told us even hired a stylist.

She had hired someone to do all of her clothes, very expensive. And then she would go to these lavish parties with people that were there for the NBA All-Star Weekend. All dressed up, undercover, so that they wouldn't know that there was an operation going on at the same time. She would say, Isn't it amazing? Nobody knows what I'm really doing.

Candice was supposed to leave her parties and meet her teams at the Homeland Security Office, but no one could get a hold of her. So the victim was interviewed and processed at Homeland without Candice. Then they were driven to the Exeter's safe house, which just so happened to be the basement of Candice's CEO house.

She was at the safe house that night, and they needed people to stay overnight just to make sure that she was okay. She made it through the night, and she got to the to the bed, got to sleep. Just had to stay with her that night. It was me and another mentor. We were told to go through all of her bags and stuff to make sure she didn't have anything that could be dangerous to her or us.

Bayly stayed the night with the victim. Nonprofit leader, Kate, was the other mentor who was there to help.

The girl had everything. Her whole life was on her. She had makeup and a bunch of different things in this bag. I put my hand and I'm taking stuff out because we're looking for drugs to see if there's any drugs in it. And I pull out a tourniquet and I go, Oh, my gosh. There could be needles in there and you don't want to get pricked. I've got young kids at home I could have poked myself. We didn't have gloves. None of us, collectively, had really ever experienced a sting operation of any sort. She was in the shower for hours, and in the bathroom for a long time. We just check in every now and then. Kind of like take turns. Taking shifts, like taking quick naps because we were just so tired. I ended up leaving that night with the woman still in the shower and said goodbye. And Bayly, I said goodbye to. And I said, Text me when she gets out so I know that she's okay. And so that was the last I saw that survivor. The next morning, walked her outside It was so sad. She was just crying. This poor woman was just struggling.

She was a mess, but she was willing to go to the detox center to get help. I said bye to her. I handed her her stuff that she could take with her. And then later, I found out that she ran away because they wouldn't let her have her blanket. That facility didn't allow many personal items. It was her blanket, and it was her one thing that she had that was comforting to her. So she was very upset that they wouldn't let her have it. And she made a call, and she got picked up by someone we don't know, and that was it. I was very tired and sleep-deprived. I got in the shower, and I just cried all day about it. I don't know. It was a lot. I mean, I don't know if she's dead or alive. And I thought that this girl was probably going to die. And maybe I could have changed it. Maybe I could have helped. But it was just on the off chance that maybe I could have changed the outcome. It was a big deal. And then that was the end of the operation. That was everything I really was a part of.

Aura had no idea her daughter Bayly had been a part of the operation. She found out the next morning when she got home, only to find Bayly crying.

Candice did take Bayly on the streets in the middle of this operation to find traffickers and trafficked girls. And I didn't know that she was going to. Candice found out how mad I was, and she proceeded to lecture me on how I need to let Bayly be an adult, like how I'm an overbearing mom, and how I don't ever let her make her own decisions. Just lectures me on how bad of a mom I am. And the danger she put my daughter in. My feelings for Candice and Exodus changed that day.

That was the last time Bayly was involved with Exodus. But as upset Aura was, she still continued working for Candice. She removed her daughter from the situation, even if she wasn't able to remove herself. Candice said the MBA operation was a success. She filled her Instagram with posts and stories about it. In one reel, she showed six different pairs of her heels lined up in the Homeland Security office, set to the tune of Crank That, Soulja Boy. Candice also posted a picture of herself with Homeland Security agents standing in between an American and a Homeland Security flag. For the caption of that picture, she wrote, Due to security, nothing was ever made public about what would take place in the evenings, and I carried on, participating in NBA parties and hosting and enjoying super fun athlete and celebrity events, then quickly running to the Homeland Security Building in the evenings, as some of my favorite agents like to say, in my fairy godmother prom gown and glitter heels.

To see the two demographics of individuals both working a market, both wanting so badly to be noticed. One dripping in Jordans and Chanel, and the other dripping in fear and desperation. To reconcile these two, well, it has been quite an experience.

Candice even invited a former homeland agent who was part of the operation onto her podcast, Welcome to My House with Candice Rivera to talk about how successful it was.

It was an incredible honor because really, it's the first time we've seen a federal agency step back, and they really let us run point. An active operation, an active strategy was just an incredible experience. First of its kind, one of a kind, and it was incredibly successful. I offered as a reference as a former law enforcement, and I offered my endorsement of your team, and I was very glad that you You didn't do anything to jeopardize my good name and my reputation, because when I suggest that somebody work with somebody, I put my professional credentials on the line, too. So thank you for doing that. The nonprofit world is full of people who, albeit it are well-intended, not everybody's figured out how to do it well, but you and your organization have.

Then Candice took to the Exitus Instagram, posting the specifics of how many victims they'd rescued.

The operation was incredibly successful, with the engagement of 16 women, with ongoing relocation and after care being provided. She said we had gotten 16 girls or so, but no details.

But Kim didn't see 16 girls.

I only saw the one. I was like, I must have just not seen or been a part of it for all these other ones.

The driver Kim was paired with for that victim, Felicia, did see other victims that Kim wasn't aware of.

We had, I think, upwards of nine or 10 women that night. And then we all met back at the house, and that's when Candice said, Okay, Mission was a success. We're all going to be at Homeland Security. You guys are good to go.

You might have noticed Candice isn't great with numbers. Kate didn't hear of one, 10, or even 16.

I've heard 18 women that we saved. As much as there were some scary moments and unsure moments. I really felt proud of the work that we had done.

Aura and Kim started to follow up with Candice about the victims rescued during the MBA operation.

I kept asking Candice, Where's this girl? Where's this girl? Where's this girl? Candice would tell everybody that somebody else was handling it, and everyone just trusted it.

Kim did keep in contact with the one victim she interacted with.

I took it upon myself to follow up with this I spent probably six months driving to her apartment and back to help her clean, get set up on Medicaid, take her to therapy appointments, do interviews with Homeland, And I did as much as I could to work with her on a budget, show her how to do that. And even just helping her clean her house. And it was the cuteest thing. Every time I'd come back, and I mean, the first time I went there, it was a disaster. But every time I came back, she would be so excited to show me something and be like, Look, I got this room clean all by myself. And I was so proud of her.

Homeland Security was so impressed by how professional Candice was and her work on the operation. They wanted to formalize something more concrete with Exitus.

We had pulled I came off the NBA All-Star op. We sat with Homeland Security officers and agents, and they discussed in length with what we wanted to do. Ultimately, what it comes down to is when dealing with adult survivors who are being exploited. It takes multiple points of contact in order to get them to trust you enough to exit. It's assisting officers when they do come across a identifying actual victims, how to interact with them, and allowing the nonprofit to do the exit portion, the therapeutic portion, the clinical side, so we can prepare a witness. We need a year to two years healing prior to testifying, and then it's going to be another year, typically after testifying.

Homeland and Exitus officially partnered to create a task force to combat human trafficking in Utah. Candice promised Amber a paid full-time job leading it.

We got the MOU signed by Homeland Security.

Can you describe an MOU?

Yeah, it's a document that is used within nonprofits as a way to track funds. So in tandem, an agreement with Homeland Security for this task force. The task force, we had created my dream. Candice called me and told me it was time and I could take the full-time job and we were really doing it. My dream was coming true.

Candice already had a safe house in the basement of her CEO house, but as part of the plan for the new task force, she told Amber she was going to turn her entire house into a safe haven for victims. She gave the project to Amber and told her she had free reign to design it.

And then she moved me to basically packing up her house because we're going to turn her house into a survivor's house. And I can decorate it any way I want. And med rooms, and be conceptualizing, Amber. Think about how you want this constructed. And I'm working on policies, procedures.

As Amber was starting to plan how to transform Candice's house, there was already a survivor living in Candice's basement, a 19-year-old called Camilla.

She had me live in her safe house, which was in the basement of her home. Candice was like, We can arrange therapy. At the time, I didn't have a phone. She was like, We'll get you a phone. We have clothes. You're safe. It was okay. I was 19 years old, and I was really broken. I came from a family of exploitation, and throughout my life, that really led to revictimization. From 13 to 14 to 15, just like I kept on ending back up in these cycles of getting abused and hurt and assaulted. And so I thought that maybe someone finally cared. I very rarely cry, and I never cry in front of people. And I just started bawling. And she just held me, and she goes, You're safe. Her house was huge, huge and gorgeous. And then in the backyard, she was building a greenhouse at the time. And she said that it was because survivors and victims need it.

What was it like living in the safe house, in her basement?

You go down the stairs, and at first, it's the living room area. And there was a couch and a rug, and then a little cabinet that had water bottles for people that stayed there with a chocolate in it. And I ate a couple of those chocolates. And then the kitchen, which was pretty empty. There wasn't pots or pans or anything. There was one door that supposedly was another bedroom, but I wasn't allowed in there, she said, and it was locked. I have no idea what was behind that door. And then there was another bedroom, and then you go in there and there's two beds. The sheets were really dirty. There was two toenels in the sheets, and hairs and crumbs. So I was surprised. I'm like, Wouldn't you wash the sheets after someone left? But obviously, I didn't complain about it or anything because I was given this place. There was instant food down there and stuff like that. And she kept on telling me that we could go grocery shopping, but it never really happened. The whole living room was donations. She also said that I couldn't have any electronics down there, and I can't contact anyone down there.

So I couldn't text people. It felt very isolating. I was completely alone, and I couldn't sleep. And I remember her telling me the first night that, If I can't sleep, just go through all the donations and sort them. Which is also very odd to ask someone that's living in your safe house to go through their donations for There was this notebook in the basement that victims could write in and leave a message for other people or for Candice or whatever, and like a sweet thing. It was almost like a thank you book. And I remember opening it, and there was only one message. It was saying that Candice was amazing and that to trust her. And one thing that really hit me because I was feeling at the time that I didn't deserve this. I didn't belong. And I remember one message said that everyone feels like they don't belong, but take it because you deserve it. And I was like, Maybe I do deserve to be here. I think it's hard to feel that you deserve things when so much of your life you were abused and put down.

Camilla, with everything she'd already been through at such a young age, had very little self-worth, something that a lot of victims are left feeling. Candice was showing her that she was worth something. Camilla spent two months in the safe house and eventually got a phone, although Candice wasn't especially happy about her using it.

Candice would let me have my phone, but I had to put it on silent, not disturb, but not contact people in the basement. She was worried about... They can track you from it. What if someone's getting tracked? I thought it was very odd.

Then one day, Camilla got a call from a friend who also knew Candice.

I was in the backyard and I get this call, and she's like, Can you meet? And so I went and I met her, and she was very serious. She goes, You need to be careful. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I need you to be safe. If you need somewhere to live, you can come live with me, but you need to get out of there. I was in disbelief. I didn't talk to anyone else. I didn't answer messages. And I got out of there. I packed everything up and I left.

Camilla left the safe house, Candice's basement, without saying a word to anyone. Amber carried on planning the new safe house and working on the details for the Homeland Security Task Force, none the wiser. As for Candice, it was coming up to gala season. She had fancy dresses to wear and places to be seen. Three weeks after the MBA operation, There was a gala for Holding Out Help, a nonprofit in Utah. Candice would be taking her assistant Aura, of course, but there was someone else she thought should be there. Her one CR house and co-client, author Charlene. Holding Out Help works with people escaping polygamy in Utah, which is what Charlene's book is about. Charlene's also a big fan of a private investigator called Sam Brower, who was going to be at the gala.

Candice called and said, Guess who I met? I saw him, and we've worked together off and on for years. And I said, Who? And she said, Sam Brower. Do you know who that is? I said, Well, yeah. He got his book sitting right here. And she said, He's so excited to meet you.

Sam Brower is well known, especially in Utah. He worked to bring down a polygamous cult and put their leader, Warren Jeffs, behind bars, and he works closely with Holding Out Help. Charlene talked to Candice when they first met about how Sam had inspired her book and how much she wanted to meet him.

I had told Candice about it and told her that I love the private investigator, and one of these days I'm going to meet him. His name is Sam Brower. It's just a passing thing.

Candice told Charlene she'd organize something special for her at the gala.

She said, You're going to be the special guest author, and we've got four tickets for you, you and three guests. Candice said, I've got it all taken care of. You just have to show up down there and just give them your name. We got there and I go up to the desk and I said, I'm Charlene Paul, like I'm supposed to say. And they're looking in their books and he said, I'm sorry, but you're not on our And I said, But I should be... I have three guests that are coming with me. I should be on your list. And he looks and he said, I'm sorry, it's not on my list. I said, Well, I'm supposed to be the guest author. And he looked at me like I had an eye in my forehead did. I don't think we have any guest authors. And so I give Candice's name. She's not on the list. They have no idea who I'm talking about. It was humiliating. Here is my son and daughter not standing there. And my husband, who we've been talking about this forever, and nobody knows who I am. And as I'm standing there, I see Sam Brower walk out.

He's got his cowboy hat on and his long black coat on and cowboy boots. I knew exactly who he was. So as he walked by, I said, Sam Brower. And he turned around, he said, Yes. And I said, I'm Charlene Paul. And he said, Okay. It doesn't sound like he's very excited to meet me. But then I just reminded him that Candice, who said that she had worked with him forever and had introduced him to my a book, and I have a copy for you, Sam, that I've signed. And then Candice walked in with Aura, her assistant, and I walked over and said, Hey, Candice, there's a problem. I'm not on the list. And she said, I'm busy right now. I'll talk to you later. I'm thinking, This is not working out. Something is not right here.

Eventually, after almost an hour waiting outside, Charlene was allowed in and sat on a table near the front.

She said she was going to introduce me to all of these people, and she disappeared. I didn't see her for the rest of the night. At the very, very, very end, she did grab a hold of me and said, We need to get a selfie, and snuggled me right into that big old left Bowie and big old smile. And she posted it on her social media the next day, and she talked as if she had introduced me to all of these people that she knew. And I was thinking, Candice, I was there, and I didn't see any of this.

Although Charlene did meet the founder of hoarding out help at the gala and got chatting about the polygamous case covered in Charlene's book. After the gala, they started catching up on the phone.

Every time I talk to her, I would say something about Candice because I'm thinking her and Candice are friends. They know each other. And finally, Finally, she said, Charlene, I'm going to go out on a limb here. And she said, Are you friends? And I said, No. I hired her to market my book. And then she said, She's not who you think she is. And Sam Brower wants nothing to do with you because of your association with her. And I just had that feeling in my stomach.

None of Candice's promises to Charlene had materialized. And though Candice promised to sell her book online, Charlene hadn't seen any of the money from the sales. And now Charlene's hero, Sam Brower, wanted nothing to do with her.

And I just said, Can you convince him to talk to me? I need to know what's going on. Something is really wrong. Throughout my career as a private investigator, I see people that are just great people and they just want to help. And then I see people that want to try and get the notoriety and to try and make a name for themselves. And then there's people like Candice. The way she tried playing me sent up red flags that she was up to something. She was up to no good.

This has been Unicorn Girl, an Apple original podcast, produced by Seven Hills and hosted and executive, produced by Charlie Webster. Unicorn Girl is produced by me, Charlie Webster, and Jackson McLennon. Original score and theme music by Ryan Sorenson. Editing and sound design by Nico Pallela. Assistant producer and fact check-in by Emi Jory. Candice's social media posts are also read by Emy Jory. Mixed by Little Big Room. Additional production support by FunMeter. Follow listen on Apple Podcasts.