Law America, the Devil's Agent

Time passed second by second.

Finally, Link finished reading the entire thicker file that Eric had taken out of his briefcase.

"This is all the investigation materials that the Winthrop family has accumulated over the past six months since they discovered Ella."

Eric said, "Do you need us to help you sort this out?"

Link waved his hand and slowly said:

"No need to trouble yourself."

More than a decade ago, the final buyers for Ella's abduction were identified as a couple living in Block D of the North District.

The man's name was Marcus, and he is deceased.

The woman's name is Gloria, she is 67 years old and still lives in the North End.

Marcus was a mid-level leader in the North District Brotherhood, a medium-sized gang in the North District.

Gloria has no criminal record, worked in administration at a community college, and is now retired. However, it can be inferred that she is infertile.

"Buying Ella is probably because these two hope to have a secure life in the future. Ha, they certainly know how to buy her."

Ella was raised by Marcus and Gloria and secretly married DeShawn when she was sixteen.

This is Marcus's distant nephew, a typical practice in the Black community where blood ties are kept strictly within the family.

Link tapped his knuckles lightly on the table.

"Child bride".

"To be more precise, it's targeted marriage of abducted children."

Eric's tone remained calm: "From a young age, she was instilled with the identity of 'a member of the Washington family.'"

Her blood type wasn't checked until two years ago when she went to the Presbyterian Hospital for a prenatal checkup due to pregnancy.

Link flipped to Ella's photos.

The young white woman had dark brown hair, light gray eyes, and a reserved expression.

Her facial features were very similar to those in the missing baby notice from twenty years ago, but her eyes were completely different.

That kind of cautious vigilance formed from living under high pressure for a long time.

"She's very scared and insecure," Link asked.

"That's inevitable. Her husband is a scumbag. She has been beaten and abused for a long time, and she has become close to being withdrawn and depressed because of fear."

  

"It seems they've already made quite in-depth contact."

"That's right."

Eric said, "We were very cautious during our second attempt to make contact."

Instead of going directly to her door, her subordinates "bumped into" her when she went shopping alone at the community supermarket.

Our team presented her with missing person notices, DNA comparison reports, and information about the Winthrop family, explaining her life before she was abducted in a very fast pace.

But Ella's reaction at the time—"

Eric paused for a moment.

"She didn't deny it, she didn't scream. She didn't even ask for help. She just looked at the materials and said one sentence: 'Please leave, he will find out.'"

"It seems that our client's depression is quite severe."

Link stroked his chin.

"That's right, because of her depression and emotional instability, we didn't follow up."

But since then, Ella has never gone to that supermarket alone again.

She now needs to be accompanied by DeSean or one of his men when she goes out.

Her phone was monitored and her social media accounts were deleted.

The Winthrop family tried to contact her by email, but her email address was clearly no longer under her control.

We believe her husband sensed something was wrong and placed her under house arrest.

Eric added.

"But legally it isn't."

Link shook his head:

"Legally, as an adult woman, she is now facing this situation with no police report or domestic violence complaint—at least not on the surface."

If he doesn't appeal, no one will judge him as being under house arrest.

But I think she probably doesn't even know what an appeal or other legal matters are.

An 18-year-old woman, specially trained to be a child bride, has a two-year-old child, no basic understanding of the world, and no independent source of income.

Faced with physical abuse, verbal abuse, and torment, she wanted to leave, but she didn't even know how to take the first step.

Link closed the file and leaned back in his chair.

"And that's precisely the most troublesome part, because the person we're trying to save is mentally unstable and can be manipulated at will by others."

This is very detrimental to the subsequent court proceedings.

Silence fell over the meeting room.

Link's brain, however, was already working non-stop.

While processing this information, she was already building a multi-dimensional offensive and defensive framework.

On the civil level: the validity of the marriage, child custody, and personal protection orders.

Criminal aspects: statute of limitations for unlawful detention, coercion, and human trafficking.

Political aspects: City Councilor Clemons' district interests, the ethnic political landscape of the North Side, and the public opinion climate following the Floyd case.

Tactical level: How to get Ella and the child out of that community without triggering violent conflict.

Each level is like an independent string on a piano, and he needs to find the key that can make the whole piano resonate.

After a long silence, Link finally spoke in a low voice:

"I have two things to confirm first."

First, how many people can AnDun mobilize without revealing their identities?

Second, is it possible for the Winthrop family, or you, to contact federal agents of the Philadelphia ATF (Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)?

Note that it's federal, not city police department.

Once the first two conditions are met, the third step will allow us to steadily advance our plan.

Eric was taken aback: "You're going to take action against federal law enforcement? Isn't that a bit over the top?"

"Dealing with a small-time thug is unnecessary, but what I'm considering is his powerful backer:"

Clemens.

He's a city councilman, but his influence doesn't extend to the federal government.

Link pointed to DeShawn's criminal record with his fingertip:

"Is the reason why this gang leader in the black neighborhood has a criminal record for illegal gun possession and drug trafficking, and is also suspected of threatening witnesses, all because of his congressman backing?"

The NYPD can exert pressure, but the ATF won't give city councilors any special treatment, especially in cases involving interstate gun and drug trafficking.

Klaus, who had been silent all along, leaned forward slightly: "Continue."

"With these two external conditions in place, we can begin our plan."

The first step is that our actions towards them must not be carried out under the guise of "Winthrop finding its lost children."

Link's voice was steady as he said:

"Once this narrative holds true, tomorrow's Philadelphia Inquirer's headline will be 'White families use the legal system to break up underprivileged Black families.'"

"This politician, Clemons, only needs to stand in his district and shout 'racial oppression,' and the Winthrop family will become public enemy number one in Philadelphia."

Racial discrimination, political infighting!

This is precisely the most fatal flaw in the entire case, and the core reason why other law firms previously hesitated to take on the case.

"So what banner should we use?"

"It's very simple, just gravitate towards this public issue."

They were operating under the guise of "combating gang crime and protecting abused women and children."

Link's smile turned cold:

"DeShawn is a gang leader with a history of violent crimes, including long-term illegal detention of his wife and abuse of children."

We are helping a female victim escape a violent family and protecting minors from criminal environments.

If necessary, women's organizations and youth protection organizations can be brought in.

Political correctness is on our side; anyone who opposes it is seen as supporting domestic violence and gangs.

Klaus and the others nodded repeatedly, only then realizing what was happening.

By replacing "finding relatives in wealthy families" with "domestic violence relief" and turning "racial antagonism" into "combating crime," they have effectively neutralized the propaganda weapon they previously feared most.

Even if the people behind him wanted to cause trouble, they would never dare to speak up for such a politically incorrect gang member!

Because that would be tantamount to ruining one's political career.

"The second step is that I need to see the Winthrop family," Link said.

"Their involvement is essential in this step."

Klaus didn't ask why, he simply picked up his phone from the table and dialed a number:

"I will contact Mr. Winthrop now."