One article talked about a “protected government witness.” The courtroom was closed during the trial; no media allowed, the identity of the witness was not disclosed. Alexa tried “Bobby Giordano” and “New Jersey” and “wife.” Bingo. Up came a grainy photograph from a local paper. Bobby Giordano was wearing a tuxedo and standing at what looked like a fancy party with a woman clinging to his arm. Bobby Giordano and his wife, Sharon, arrive at the third annual New Year’s Eve gala to benefit the Hope Society of Jersey City, said the caption. The photo was dated eight years ago. Alexa tried to enlarge the photo, but when she did it became even grainier, so she returned it to its original size and leaned in very close to the screen. The woman’s hair was very blond, and it was piled on top of her head. She looked a little bit like early photos of Ivana Trump, before she shed Trump. The dress was not something Alexa would ever wear but then again it was eight years ago and fashion had totally changed since then. The woman had her head turned slightly to the side . . . and, yes, there was something familiar in the tilt of the head, the angle of the nose. Yes, this could be the Sherri Alexa knew: blonder, more full figured, younger, with a surprisingly rocking body.

She googled “Witness Protection Program” and picked up several salient facts, although overall the machinations of the program seemed to be largely undocumented. She learned that witnesses were usually given a lump sum with which to start their new lives and that after that they were on their own, and that it wasn’t very much—around sixty thousand dollars. Sheesh. She learned that Sherri and Katie had to take their new identities to their grave. Even if Sherri met someone and fell in love and decided to get married, she had to do it under her new name. She learned that some witnesses requested an improvement in grades for their children along with doctored school records (usually denied). She learned that it was common for witnesses to be allowed to keep or alter only slightly their first names and the first letter of their last names so that they had time to catch themselves when signing paperwork or a check. She learned that there had been over 18,000 witnesses protected in the program, and that 95 percent of them were criminals themselves, making Sherri and Katie a tiny subset of an already small group.

She tiptoed up the stairs again to check on Katie. Still sleeping. She stood in the doorway of Katie’s room and took a deep, deep breath, feeling the weight of this new secret, which she had wanted to possess so badly and now wanted only to jettison.