36. Walker
Chapter thirty-six
Walker
Once the pain point was identified to convince Nam to cooperate, we put together a plan to locate Matteo Antonio Galletti. Nam explained the process of contacting and hiring The Susurro, which he ironically learned from Van Tran. We knew Galletti was somehow leaving Italy without a trace but recognized there was a good chance that he could presently be in Italy or anywhere else in the world.
Nam showed us the dark web location where Galletti had a simple webpage with four fields to be filled out. The required fields were for the contact’s first name, a phone number of a burner phone, an email address, and the last section was labeled ‘coupon code’.
“Is this a buy one get one fifty percent off situation?” Mason asks Nam in the conference room with our team.
“No, there’s no discount. This is not a big box store. I heard he put that there because it’s not as obvious as a password or code word.” Nam huffs.
“What’s the code, Nam? Stop stalling.” I drum my fingers on the table, ready to get out of Kansas City and catch this guy already.
Nam’s hands run over his face and up to tug his hair, glaring at me. “Giang.”
A bark of laughter escapes me. “The last name of your wife’s uncle is the password to accessing him? Does her uncle know that? ”
“Not to my knowledge and I would appreciate it if it stayed that way. I’m not supposed to use his name without authorization.”
“Permission, you mean. You aren’t to use his name without permission from the big Daddy or you might get grounded.” Kelly barely holds his grin back. “Are you worried he might take your toys away or ground you? Or is it just that it pisses you off that Smith isn’t a big enough name to open the door?”
Slamming his fist on the table, Nam quickly tells Kelly, “Fuck off,” but Kelly declines the offer.
“Mason, are we ready with the code for the phone in case he calls instead of emailing this time?” He nods and we submit the information as though Nam is contacting Galletti again. Nam walked us through his previous conversations with Galletti and was taken back to a holding cell while we waited.
While we wait, my team continues our investigation into Galletti and his alias. We have identified at least five other cases that may fit Galletti’s pattern. The working theory is since his dismissal from the Carabinieri special forces in the Italian Army, Galletti has been working as a hitman for various syndicates and crime families in the United States. His crimes could extend to other countries. Both Interpol and Europol have been contacted to see if any of their unsolved cases could be a match.
Six and a half hours later, Mason’s fake account receives an email.
“I’m not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling from Galletti. What a strange email,” Tara says to Harlow.
“He may have a softer side with his personal life—if he has one. But he likely compartmentalizes this part of his personality so he can function without the typical guilt one would feel if they were a serial killer. It would be jarring if he spoke in a friendly tone in the email. His lack of warmth fits our assessment perfectly.” Harlow tilts her head as she mentally works to weave this additional information with her assessment. “And if we’re acting as Nam, he would be pissed about an increase in cost, so let’s push back on that in our response. It could also be how Galletti verifies who he’s dealing with on the other end of the email.”
Mason replies with the necessary fake information, while embedding the malicious virus in the email. Galletti will see a plain text email, but Mason disguised the code to launch immediately upon opening. The virus Mason designed will work in two ways. First, it will instantly pin the physical location of the device back to Mason’s computer. The other half of the code will copy any and all data on the device, sending the information to a secure cloud. It is highly likely Galletti accesses emails on a burner phone on public Wi-Fi, but at the very least, we may get more information out of his other emails. The virus will only run as long as the device is on. If Galletti is smart and shuts the device down as soon as he’s done reading his emails, the window will be short, but Mason is convinced it will be enough time so long as he opens the email.
Fifteen minutes later, Mason announces, “Sir, we’ve got it. We have Galletti’s location. He’s at a coffee chain in Toronto, Ontario.”
I walk over and pat him on the back. “Good fucking work, Mason! Let’s get Special Agent Chavez on the phone. We need to coordinate with our Canadian friends.” I pace the front of the conference room as I rub the back of my neck. We don’t know how long Galletti will be in Toronto and time is not on our side.
Thankfully, while time may not have been on our side, our Canadian friends had our backs. Special Agent Chavez swiftly coordinated with the bureau’s contact in Canada. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service assembled a team with local authorities. We shared Galletti’s last known location with the CSIS, and they were able to use video surveillance to track Galletti’s movements around Toronto. Galletti led them to an unassuming house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. The short-term rental was allegedly booked by a family of four visiting from Minnesota, and the alias he used allowed us to fill in additional information about Galletti’s movements over the last few months. The CSIS coordinated with the local tactical unit, and Galletti was arrested less than twelve hours after he unknowingly shared his location with Mason.
Watching a video of his arrest and interrogation, it's clear Galletti has no intention of cooperating. He’s five-foot-nine with a dark complexion that strongly favors his Spanish mother, and his once buzzed dark hair is now long enough for him to wear it up in a man bun. His brown eyes are so dark they look black, but he is calm, collected, and completely unbothered by the arrest. Galletti rotates his responses in Italian, Spanish, French, and English as he answered every question with, “I want a lawyer. I have nothing to say to you.”
The extradition process can take months or years, but due to the nature of his crimes, Galletti should be back on US soil soon. His case was granted Authority to Proceed by Department of Justice officials within a few hours of his arrest, and both the judicial phase with the superior court and the ministerial phase with the Minister of Justice are expected to be expedited and completed within the next few days.
I’m ready to get out of Kansas City, but first, there’s something I’ve been waiting to do and I’m not waiting a minute more. As soon as I have a moment to myself, my fingers barely feel the screen as I pull up Vivian’s contact information. The adrenaline of finally arresting The Susurro feels like I just won every single Olympic medal. I check the time and see it’s two in the morning. I should let her sleep but fuck it, I can’t wait for the morning to hear her voice, I’ve already been waiting long enough. I hold my breath as it connects and rings.
“Uh, hello? Walker? Are you okay?” Vivian’s groggy whisper confirms I just woke her up, but I’ll ask for forgiveness later.
“We got him, baby. We got the asshole, and he’s in custody.” The thrill of today pumps through my veins, from not only the victory of the arrest, but of the promise of what’s to come. “I’m so sorry to wake you and there’s so much to tell you, but I couldn’t wait. The second I get home I am taking you on a very long and overdue date. It’s time, and I can’t wait to have you all to myself.”