The time was 4:02. He smiled and motioned with a slight tilt of his head that they were to take their seats at the round table. Just as he finished his last call, the final sheet of paper from Maggie flew out of the fax. He held up his hand for silence even though no one was speaking.

“This intel just came to me from Maggie. We owe the boys a huge vote of thanks for securing all this valuable information. By the time you reach your destination, all of this,” Charles said, pointing to the twenty-inch stack of papers, “will be waiting for you at the Post apartment. What I have here belongs to Adel Newsom. She kept impeccable records, which is good for us. From a quick glance, there appear to be at least two dozen babies whose real parents arranged for a surrogate birth but were reclaimed by the surrogate mothers, then disposed of in a privately arranged adoption, with big bucks changing hands. What a scheme. Consider it. The cost to produce the children, every penny of it, fell on the couples who arranged for the surrogate mothers, with Baron Bell richly rewarded for his efforts.

“Ms. Newsom did not handle all the surrogates after the birth of the babies. She outsourced some of them and received fees from other lawyers. Quite a bit of money changed hands.

“There is a bit of a problem, and it is this. For now, we are only going to concern ourselves with the current year. Once this matter is brought to light by all of you, the authorities will step in and go back over the past ten years and bring to light how long this scheme has been in operation. I see no reason at this point in time to disrupt all those children’s lives or their current parents’ lives, especially at this time of year. Maggie and the Post will be on it. So for now,” Charles said, waving a thick stack of papers, “we’re just going to work on this year’s adoptions. Time will take care of the others.

“The two surrogates, Donna Davis and Joan Olsen, are being taken to the Post apartment and will be held there by Snowden’s people until you get there. The babies will be taken to Maggie’s house in Georgetown. Nurses will be on the job, along with Snowden’s operatives. As much as the weather is a detriment, it is also a blessing for all of you. Everyone will be too busy with the snow to pay attention to any of you. At least that is my hope.”

“Do we know if Bell and Newsom made it back to town?” Kathryn asked.