Chapter 10: What Adler Said
The DOJ field office in Pittsburgh was a grey building on a grey street, and we arrived at eleven forty-three in the morning looking like exactly what we were — a family that had been awake all night, a child with a stuffed bear, a man who had been living in shadows for two years.
Marsh met us at the entrance.
He was in his sixties, compact, with a handshake that was brief and firm.
He looked at David the way people look at someone they weren't entirely sure they would see again.
"She's ready for you," he said.
"Did she listen to the recording?" David asked.
"Twice." Marsh glanced at me.
"She wants to meet your wife first."
The conference room had a long table and windows that looked out onto a parking structure.
Sarah Adler was younger than I expected — early forties, dark hair pulled back, a yellow legal pad in front of her covered in handwriting.
She stood when we came in.
She looked at David.
"Mr.
Winters."
"Ms.
Adler."
She looked at me.
"Mrs.
Winters.
I want you to know — I've read the summary of what your family has been through.
I'm sorry it took this long to get to this point."
"What happens now?" I said.
She sat down.
We sat down.
Logan climbed into David's lap and immediately began inspecting the pens in a cup at the center of the table.
"The financial records your husband preserved are sufficient to support federal charges against Reeves on corruption, obstruction, and material support to a criminal enterprise," Adler said.
"The recording adds conspiracy.
We will also be examining his role in the falsification of the death record used to stage your husband's disappearance — that's a separate set of charges involving at least three other bureau personnel."
"How long?" David asked.
"The warrant for Reeves's arrest will be executed today.
His bureau credentials have already been suspended pending review — that happened at nine this morning when Marsh delivered the records." She looked at her legal pad.
"The network itself — the trafficking operation — is a longer process.
But the financial architecture David documented gives us the structure.
We know where the money moved.
We can follow it."
"Caruso," I said.
"The man inside Alessandro Romano's organization."
Adler nodded.
"We'll be speaking with Mr.
Romano's legal team.
Caruso will be offered a cooperation agreement in exchange for testimony against Reeves.
He'll take it."
Logan had selected a blue pen and was drawing something on the corner of a blank piece of paper someone had left near the cup.
Small shapes.
A house.
A figure with a large round head.
"What about us?" I said.
"Our identities, our records — David's death certificate, Logan's records, everything that was falsified."
"We will correct the official record," Adler said.
"David Winters will be legally alive again.
That process takes approximately thirty days.
In the meantime, you will have written documentation from this office confirming the circumstances." She paused.
"There will be a period of adjustment.
I won't pretend otherwise.
But you will have support."
David looked down at Logan.
Logan held up the drawing.
It showed two large figures and one small one, all holding hands, standing in front of a house with a lopsided roof.
"That's us," Logan announced.
"Mommy and Daddy and me.
And Captain Bear." He pointed to a small square shape near the door.
"He's going inside because he's tired."
David's hand came up and covered his eyes for a moment.
Adler looked at the drawing.
Something in her expression softened.
"We'll get you home," she said quietly.
"All of you."
May you like
Outside, through the parking structure windows, I could see a thin strip of sky.
It was starting to clear.
