A baby’s giggle drew her attention to the couple settling in several tables away. Laughing and squirming in its stroller, the baby couldn’t be more than a year old. The mother looked to be about Lucy’s age, a fresh-scrubbed beauty with a glow. The husband had a tanned chiseled jawline, deep-set eyes and a good body. The family exuded a blessed life and made her question if she would ever have a life remotely close to theirs.

“Hey, Lucy?”

A lanky man in his twenties stood at her table. His stubble creased into dark lines when he gave her a little smile. He wore sunglasses, a New York Jets T-shirt, ripped, faded jeans and was sockless in his sneakers. He looked like a bike messenger.

“And you are?”

“I’m Devin. Gina’s friends asked me to help you and, well…” He lifted his arms a little, as if to say here I am. She noticed the strap of a worn soft leather bag across his chest. “May I sit?”

“Sit.”

Devin lifted the strap over his head, set his bag atop the paper. He sat, rested his arms on the leather bag and leaned forward. No one was near enough to overhear; and there was the park and street noise; still, he kept his voice low.

“What you’ve requested is illegal,” he said.

“So? Gina owes me.”

“And I owe her. Well, I owe friends of hers. Everybody owes somebody, the circle of life.”

“Did you do it?”

“Yes, but not me alone. To do this, she called on relatives, cops, lawyers, security people, you know how it works.”

“Are you a cop?”

He laughed. “No. I’m—let’s say I’m a reformed computer expert who got caught in nefarious activities. I paid the bill on that. Now I work in IT security—circle of life again.”

“Did you find what I needed?”

“Yes. Once I was given the basic information. You’re probably aware that traditionally in most states and Canadian provinces legal name changes are, by law, accessible, but you’ve got to know how to look.”

“You said, ‘traditionally.’”

“Yes, getting access to some name changes is not easy. Some cases are flagged, like when courts order protection, making it almost impossible to see the names. To access court-sealed data you need the help of someone with clearance to restricted databases to risk breaking the law. Or you need someone who can gain entry through a back door. It’s extremely difficult and risky but once you’re in you can collect a world of information.”

“Did you find the people I’m looking for?”

“I did. Like I said, Gina leaned on a lot of people, called in favors.” Devin undid the straps of his leather bag and withdrew a brown envelope closed with metal clasps and handed it to Lucy.

“All here, all up to date—addresses, property records, status, everything.”