His attorney worked through them.

The police investigated whether any unresolved offenses accompanied the disappearance.

The old gambling debts were mostly long beyond practical collection or had vanished with creditors.

But Gabriel could not simply announce:

I’m back

and resume life under the old name without paperwork.

Twenty-one years leaves bureaucracy.

PART 31 — NO CRIME FOR DISAPPEARING ALONE

One thing people misunderstand:

An adult can voluntarily leave family.