How did a Vershire man come to possess the address book of infamous pedophile, international financier and friend to the world’s most powerful people Jeffrey Epstein?

Why, eBay, of course.

Five years ago, Christopher Helali saw the book for sale online and took a gamble, spending a few hundred bucks on the off chance the artifact was the real thing.

When the “little black book” filled with the contacts of the world’s most notorious sex criminal arrived in Vershire, Helali picked it up at the post office and opened it in gloves and a mask, careful not to leave fingerprints. Though at the time the veracity of the document remained in question, Helali himself was quickly convinced.

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While the subject of Epstein and his connection to the halls of power has gone quiet in the daily news cycle since this summer’s fever pitch, the saga sustains a perennial appeal for Helali and others like him. They believe there’s more going on behind the scenes than what most people imagine. To them, it’s clear, as long as you pay attention: In Epstein, the most far-fetched of conspiracies crystalize — if not in verifiable fact, then at least in circumstantial evidence.

“The vast networks of financial interests, intelligence interests, and the military aspects that intersect with the media, with powerful people who can shape narratives and can shape people’s perceptions” all join together in the Epstein tale, Helali said. “What it ultimately raises the specter of is what people sometimes refer to as the deep state.”