Phoebe Judge

One had graduated college, and the other had enlisted in the Navy.

She and Vinny started talking about moving back to Los Angeles.

They both missed it.

They thought maybe if they went back under their new names, it would be safe.

It had been a very long time, and the city was huge.

Sometimes Karen would Google Gil's name.

She usually didn't get a lot of search results, usually just Gill's appeal to the New York Supreme Court to have his conviction for weapons possessions overturned.

In 2006, Karen hired a private investigator.

He'd been recommended by a friend.

She learned that Gil was back in California, in a town called Santa Maria, just 150 miles from Los Angeles.

The investigator couldn't find a phone number or address or any utilities connected to him.

He said if she wanted more information, she could hire a local investigator.

She decided not to.

A couple of years later, in 2008, Karen's daughters were home for Christmas.

They gave Vinnie a present.

It was a book about how to adopt in California.

Karen went to Santa Maria.

She told the coroner she was Gil's ex-wife.

Karen later got to see Gil's case files at the courthouse.

He'd been arrested 18 times in four years for burglary, driving under the influence, and assault.