Who Are You?: With one click she found her perfect man. And he found his perfect victim. A true story of the ultimate deception.. Megan Henley
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you’re not prying, he said. It’s just a very raw subject for me.
It turned out that his whole life and career were based on a heartbreaking accident. Vic’s little boy, Zack, had died, run over by a car on a travellers’ site when he was less than two years old. Zack’s mum was meant to be looking after him, but she was drunk or drugged at the time, according to Vic, and her negligence had cost the poor child his life.
I’ll never forgive myself, he said. She was in charge of him, but I should never have let that happen. I was too busy trying to give her a bit of responsibility and Zack paid the price. She had no interest in keeping him safe, she had no interest in anything apart from what came out of a bottle or went up her nose. I’ll regret to my dying day that I didn’t put my foot down and say she couldn’t have anything to do with my son.
The site had been on a farm, and the little boy had run out in front of a car – driven by the farmer’s wife – so quickly that there was no chance. The poor woman had been driving a 4x4 and hadn’t even seen the child. Vic was, naturally, devastated by this and had decided to set up the charity in Zack’s memory, to raise money for those street kids in Zimbabwe. He had already sent tens of thousands, keeping nothing for himself or the other members, just focusing on the less fortunate. He told me that StreetBeats had been set up in little Zack’s memory and that everyone in the collective just withdrew minimal living expenses, as they are so committed to helping these children.
I tried to reach out to Vic as we chatted online, but it was clear, even through such an impersonal medium, that he was hurting.
This is really painful, Megan – he was just a little boy. I try to block it out but there are times when I get a flash of his tiny body, crumpled and broken, and I can’t believe I could have let that happen.
To make matters worse, Vic’s relationship with Zack’s mum was not good, and he told me she had done everything she could to stand in the way of him being able to see the boy – sadly, Vic hadn’t even had much access to him in the months leading up to his death. I told him, It wasn’t your fault! I can tell how much you loved him and it wasn’t your choice that she didn’t give you access and that you couldn’t be there to protect him. It sounds like you were being a really good dad actually – you could have just kept Zack’s mum out of the picture entirely but you were trying to keep that link. I’m not with my little girl’s father but I do try and make sure he sees her. That’s important and it’s just heartbreaking that it didn’t work out for you.
Thanks for understanding xxx he replied.
There were a number of Facebook pages for the charity, including Vic’s personal page, as well as one called Hippy69, which seemed to be run by everyone involved in the higher echelons of StreetBeats. They had an agent and a pretty punishing schedule, and I knew that their Facebook page was constantly being updated with their location and details of forthcoming tours. They were incredibly popular in Europe and spent a lot of time there, so much that all of the members seemed to constantly be going from one place to another, doing the whole festival and rave circuit, always with their eye on the main reason for their work – to raise money for children living terrible lives in memory of one little boy who had died tragically. Even if Vic wasn’t online, someone else from StreetBeats usually was. They worked crazy hours, and I was amazed at their lifestyle – the energy must have kept them going almost twenty-four hours a day, and I felt a bit pathetic that I tended to be exhausted when I was up early with Ruby!
It was as if we crossed a line the night Vic told me about his little boy, and we started to chat much more online. He made me laugh and I needed that sort of easy friendship in my life. I was really touched by his generosity and the way in which he’d managed to make something so good from his own loss. To be honest, it was rare for me to meet people like him and I really admired his strength of character and philanthropy. What did I give him in return? Just a listening ear, really – I wasn’t part of his real life, so he could be completely open with me about how much he missed Zack and how much he blamed himself for leaving the child in the care of his unreliable mother. It was a tragedy that Vic really couldn’t blame himself for, but I was touched that he had such a strong moral core to even consider that it was all his fault; he was not to blame for the fact that Zack’s mother had made it so difficult for him to see his son. The horrific tragedy which followed was due to her choices but Vic didn’t see it that way – he blamed himself and was paying the ultimate price, empty and bereft without his son. It was so touching that he would try to make me smile in the middle of his own grief. Every so often, he would say ‘Enough about me,’ and move on to telling me some silly story. He made me laugh so much. He wasn’t flirty, just clever and funny, laid back and chatty. Vic always showed an interest in my life and was really supportive, telling me that being a good parent was the most important thing anyone could do.
He was often abroad with the charity, or in an airport waiting for a flight, which meant that someone else from the collective would check messages on the StreetBeats page and even on his own personal one. He’d be online at the strangest times as his itinerary was mad. Whenever I logged in, he’d be there. I was amazed at the awards they won and the plaudits they got; when he wasn’t at gigs or festivals Vic would be working on new mixes, always putting them up online. The gigs were always punted by other people who so enjoyed what he did, and it seemed as if they were in demand across the world. The DJs all trusted each other as they had been through a lot, and Vic seemed particularly close to one member of the group called Valerie. She would reply to me when Vic was unable to, and I started to see her as a friend too, usually chatting through the Hippy69 message option. One day, I got a message from her that made me think that I’d soon be meeting them all.
Hi Megan – just to let you know that we’re planning a surprise birthday party for Vic next month. He doesn’t have a clue, so PLEASE make sure you don’t say anything! I’m trying to get it all organised while he’s out of the country. It would be fantastic if you could make it – do you think there’s any chance? I’ve found the perfect place, a barn where we can all have a great time, lots of dancing and music ☺ I’ll send the date and time to you later – fingers crossed that you’ll be able to come. I know that he would love to meet you, we all would, so please please do try – and don’t mention a word of this to him!
It sounded fantastic! As soon as Valerie confirmed things, I messaged to say that I would try and get a babysitter and – hopefully – see them there. Over 300 people had accepted the invite and it would be a great party, just what I needed, a night of music and new friends.
I really hope you can, she went on. Vic has been talking about you so much; I know that he has really enjoyed chatting and says that you’ve been incredibly understanding about Zack. It was such an awful time for him. He still finds it hard, which is only natural, but he’s one of the good guys, he really is, and if we can keep the party secret it’ll be fantastic. I just want to see the smile on his face when you walk in! I can’t believe he’s opened up to you so much already.
How did she know he’s opened up so much? I asked.
Well, he talks about you a lot – and, anyway, we have no secrets, we all share the password for the sites and messages aren’t private. You’re part of the StreetBeats family now, my dear!
I was really looking forward to the party but there was no ulterior motive. I wasn’t attracted to Vic in any way, I hadn’t even seen a picture of him, and, although I’d split up with Christopher, I certainly wasn’t in the market for another relationship. I just saw Vic as a new friend who had been through a hard time. It was lovely of Valerie to invite me, but I knew that she was asking dozens of others too, lots of them Facebook contacts who only knew Vic through StreetBeats. I did manage to persuade my mum to take Ruby for the night – my parents had divorced by this point, but I tried to keep a good family network for my little girl. Not only did she see her grandparents, but I also made sure Lucas had time with her every other weekend, just as I’d told Vic.
I was all ready to go when, the day before the party, I got another message from Valerie. It was to everyone who had been invited and was to the point.