After twenty-four hours of wasting time in official offices, I realized that in this city of fifteen million people, glass screens, satellites, and Western algorithms were useless. Istanbul is a labyrinth of ancient stone that knows how to keep secrets better than anyone. It's a chaotic mass of alleyways, bazaars, and docks where anyone can become a shadow if they know who to pay.
So I changed my strategy. I abandoned diplomacy and the corporate power that was so frightening in New York but meant nothing here. I got down and dirty.
I called a meeting with the local Karaköy mafia bosses, the ruthless types who truly control what goes in and out of the slums. I gave them a photograph of Gianna, one of the few I had where her face was clearly visible, and placed a wad of cash on the table t
