"Jumped out of the van at a stoplight. Ran into a gas station. Called 911." Her jaw tightens. Muscle jumping in her cheek. "Cops came. Took statements. I told them everything. Where I'd been held. Names of the men running the operation. I thought I was safe. Thought they'd help."
"What happened?"
"Federal agent showed up at the station. Said his name was Lyle Haywood. FBI. Said he was investigating the trafficking network and needed my cooperation." She meets my eyes. "He took me into an interview room alone. No recording. No other officers. Him and me. And he told me if I testified, if I gave any information to local law enforcement or tried to cooperate with the investigation, he'd make sure I got deported. Said I'd entered the country illegally once my employer violated visa terms. Said I'd committed crimes by working without proper authorization. That I'd never be allowed back in the US and might face charges in my home country."
My hands curl into fists on the table. "He threatened you."
"He didn't threaten. He explained how things would go if I didn't cooperate with his version of events." Her voice stays level but I hear the tremor underneath. "Said the trafficking network had connections. That if I talked, they'd find me. That federal witness protection wouldn't help because they had people inside law enforcement. That my best option was to disappear into the system and keep my mouth shut."
"Did you?"
"For a while. Got assigned to a shelter. Kept my head down. Then I met Emma at the ER after one of the other women from the network got hurt and they brought her in. Emma treated her. Asked questions. And when the woman told her about Haywood, Emma listened." Jackie takes a breath. "She told me she was documenting everything. Building a case. That she knew people who could help. I gave her my statement. Recorded it on her phone. Thought maybe something would actually happen."
"Then Emma died."
"Yeah. Car accident, they said. I knew it wasn't." Her eyes find mine. "That's when I reached out to a victim advocate who'd helped me after Emma's death. Rebecca Macintosh. She works for the Aurora Covenant, a non-profit that helps trafficking survivors. She's the only one I trust."
I pull out my phone. Open the encrypted recording app Marc set up this morning. The interface is simple. Red button to record. Blue button to stop. Automatic upload to the secure server Cara configured.
"I need you to tell me everything you just told me, on the record. Confirm Haywood's name. Describe what he said and did. And I need permission to share this with the task force that's working on this and Rebecca Macintosh if we can confirm she can be trusted."
"Why would I do that? Haywood's still out there. Still has power."
"Because Emma's dead and we have evidence that proves what you're saying. Surveillance photos of Haywood meeting with the traffickers. Financial records showing payments. Audio recordings from other victims. Your testimony ties it all together. Makes it impossible for the DOJ to ignore."
"DOJ? Not the FBI?"
"Public corruption unit. We're bypassing the FBI entirely because we don't know who else Haywood owns."
Jackie considers this. Her fingers tap against the table. Fear warring with the chance at justice. The possibility that maybe, finally, someone will make Haywood pay.
"If I do this," she says slowly, "I want Rebecca Macintosh involved from the start. And I want protection. Real protection. Not witness services run by people Haywood might have compromised."
"We can arrange that. Marc Wells is the deputy who's been working with me. Former Army CID. He's got contacts at the DOJ. We'll make sure Rebecca gets the statement and that you're protected."
"Marc Wells. He the one sitting in the truck outside watching this place?"
I blink. "You saw him?"
"I see everything. Survival skill." She almost smiles. Almost. "He your backup?"
"Yeah."
"Good. You shouldn't be doing this alone." She nods toward my phone. "Record it. I'll give you everything. But then I'm gone until you can guarantee Rebecca is handling this and Haywood's in custody."
I start the recording. State the date, time, location. Jackie's name and her consent to be recorded. Then I ask her to tell her story again, this time with every detail. Every name. Every threat Haywood made.
She does. Speaks clearly and directly. Doesn't embellish. Doesn't soften the reality of what happened. Tells the truth with absolute precision. Hell teaches you to remember details.
When she's done, I stop the recording and immediately upload it to the encrypted server Cara set up. Redundantbackups. Multiple locations. If something happens to me, the testimony survives.
"What happens now?" Jackie asks.
"I get this to Marc. He gets it to his DOJ contacts along with Emma's evidence. We push for an immediate investigation with Rebecca as the primary contact for victim services."
"How long?"
"I don't know. Days, maybe. Haywood's a federal agent with resources. This won't be fast."
