Law America, the Devil's Agent

Chapter 83 The play ends, but the people remain—adding icing on the cake (I have a cold today, so only one update, sorry).

Benny sat in the driver's seat of the black Cadillac across from the theater, the window rolled down a crack to let in the night breeze to refresh him.

His gaze remained fixed on the heavy oak doors of the theater, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the steering wheel.

From his position, he could clearly see everyone who came out of the theater.

Most of the regular audience members had already left.

Most of the people leaving were middle-aged couples and elderly theatergoers, dressed in decent coats, discussing the performance they had just watched.

But Benny's furrowed brow remained unchanged.

Because the person he wanted to see hadn't come out yet.

To be honest, Benny wasn't optimistic about Link's move.

With Costello's help, they obtained a list of some victims.

They then began to plot, seeking a discreet opportunity to gather them together and then engage in dialogue with them.

Theater ticket delivery services emerged as a result.

While these people are indeed some of the past victims of Sacred Heart Academy, much time has passed since then.

They have all returned to their normal lives.

To gather them together in a surprise attack at this point, and then persuade them with words to become their aid in Alex's case, is both presumptuous and somewhat far-fetched.

Having gone through a complete case with Link, he didn't approve of this approach, but he trusted his boss completely.

Even though he wasn't optimistic, he silently prayed in the car, hoping that the best possible outcome would happen.

Soon, Benny's eyes lit up.

Audience members from the private boxes began to appear, and their demeanor was noticeably different from that of the regular audience.

After they came out together, no one spoke; most people walked away quickly with their heads down.

Several people stood on the steps at the theater entrance for a moment, looked up at the night sky, took a deep breath, and then disappeared into the early winter night of Philadelphia.

Benny had seen the photos attached to Costello's list: blurry ID photos, photocopies of enrollment records from years ago,

A close-up photo taken from social media.

At this moment, the people walking past the theater entrance overlapped one after another with those photos: Trevor, Eileen, Matthew.

They walked into the night, like a pile of ashes scattered by the wind falling back to the ground.

Link came out last.

He stood on the steps at the theater entrance, straightened his tie, glanced to his left and right, then walked across the road with his usual unhurried pace, came to the car, opened the passenger door, and got in.

He had a relaxed and cheerful expression on his face.

As the oldest person to have followed him the longest, Benny has learned to read more from that face.

The matter is settled!

"Team leader, how's the situation?"

After rolling up the car window, Benny looked at Link, who was in a particularly good mood, and turned back with a smile to ask.

"The conversation went quite well; they gave me a lot of information."

Those people harbored anger and resentment, yet they were willing to help us.

Link leaned back in his chair, took the water bottle Benny handed him, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

"I set fire to the private room, reigniting the anger that they had buried for too long."

No one left.

All eight people stayed.

They are willing to hand over all the evidence they have hidden away and dare not look at, including their complaint records, medical records, and private diaries from back then.

They are willing to have their names added to the list of plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit.

"Very good!"

Benny slammed his hand on the steering wheel, his eyes gleaming.

"With the testimonies of these people, we have a chain of witnesses that directly proves the existence of systemic abuses at the Sacred Heart Church and Sacred Heart Elementary School."

With the addition of the internal complaint files provided by Costello, Crawford and Mosley's identities have been confirmed, forming a complete closed loop of evidence!

"Benny, don't get too excited."

Link screwed the cap back on, placed the water bottle on the cup holder, and his tone suddenly became indifferent: "These people are indeed important reinforcements for us, but they cannot become the main force and cornerstone of this case."

They have been away from Sacred Heart Elementary School for too many years, and some of their traumatic memories have become fragmented after more than a decade of repression.

Some people's experiences were deliberately obscured in the complaint files at the time, and most importantly, the evidence against some people was misrepresented:

Medical records, photos, and diaries from that time —

These items may have been lost or destroyed.

Their involvement can make our class action lawsuit more impactful in terms of scale.

However, the sheer number of people involved reveals a systemic picture of harm, but their evidence, worn down by time and memory, is no longer sufficient to support the most crucial and direct round of cross-examination in the courtroom debate.

, 7

"you mean----"

"This arranged gathering and the proposed joint lawsuit are merely icing on the cake, certainly not a lifeline."

Link turned his head to look at the streetlights outside the car window, which were gradually thinning out: "In court, the jury is always most willing to believe the victims who have just crawled out of the darkness, covered in blood and still trembling."

Not those adults who have spent decades hiding their scars.

Alex and the children who are still being abused at Sacred Heart Elementary School are our sharpest knives.

The bruises on their bodies were still fresh, their fear had not yet faded with time, and they didn't need to recall anything as they stood in the witness stand—

They only need to recount what happened yesterday.

Benny was silent for a moment, then placed his hands on the steering wheel, slowly exhaled, and the lingering excitement gradually cooled down.

"Do me a favor tomorrow."

Link didn't give him much time to reflect. He leaned back in his chair and switched his tone back to his usual steady and precise working style.

"I have Costello's list, confirmed Crawford and Mosley's identities, and now we have witnesses, but that's not enough."

I want to go in and see for myself what those children are going through—

Not through paintings, not through Martha's narration, not through Costello's archival summary.

I want to see for myself what it's really like inside those walls.

He tilted his head slightly to look at Benny: "Although Costello's authority in A0I is limited, he has the right to conduct routine compliance inspections of church-affiliated institutions."

We arranged for him to visit Sacred Heart Elementary School under the guise of a "routine inspection," and we accompanied him as the parish's legal advisor.

Go and contact Costello to arrange this.

Tell him to prepare the relevant authorization documents and access notices.

Keep a low profile and do not inform the school of the specific identities of the visitors in advance.

Benny nodded, memorizing the details, then stepped on the gas, and the Cadillac smoothly glided out of the parking space and merged into the sparse night traffic.

The streetlights of Philadelphia flashed past the car window, casting alternating shadows on his face. He knew what Link's words meant.

They have found past victims; now they are going to find those who are currently being victimized.

Those children who are still inside the walls of Sacred Heart Elementary School, riding Tomsky's school bus to church every Saturday and Sunday, tormented by the same fears in their dormitories and corridor corners.

Alex wasn't the only one; he was just the bravest, the luckiest, and the first to be found.

And tomorrow, they will walk through that door to find the rest of the people.

"Tomorrow I'll be stepping into that sacred den of demons. I'm actually quite nervous."

"Brother Link, what are you so nervous about?"

17

"I'm afraid I won't be able to resist shooting all those scumbags."

Let us wait and see.

"6