"Except it's not legitimate. It's fabricated. Haywood's using his position to manufacture legal cover for hunting down a witness to his crimes. And you're the fall guy."
Moore studies the document. His fingers twitch toward it before he stops himself.
Rhys picks up Emma's photo. "I thought it was an accident for years. Tragic loss on a dangerous road. Then we started investigating the trafficking network and everything changed. Her patients were trafficking victims. She documented what she saw. And someone made sure she couldn't testify." He sets the photo down in front of Moore. "You're part of that chain. Took Haywood's money. Went after a witness. You're connected to Emma's murder whether you pulled the trigger or not."
Moore won't look away from Emma's photo.
Several long seconds pass. Then Moore exhales slowly. "I want immunity. Full. And witness protection."
"Can't promise that. But I can get you in front of people who can."
He watches Emma's photo for another long moment, then looks up at Rhys. "Haywood hired our outfit recently. Said he needed a material witness detained. Showed us the warrant.We verified it through channels, called the number on the document, got confirmation from someone claiming to be with the bureau's Anchorage office."
"Someone Haywood planted," Harlow says.
"Probably. We were told to locate Sela Mitchell, detain her, and transport her to a federal facility for questioning. Non-lethal force was authorized if she resisted. Payment was wired in advance. Serious money."
And Haywood paid a premium for them.
"How many people on your team?" Rhys asks.
"Small team. A couple in the van, one in the SUV, another providing overwatch you didn't see."
They had more coverage than I thought.
"Where are they now?"
"Gone. Standard protocol—one gets detained, everyone else scatters. They'll be out of state by tonight."
"And Haywood?" Rhys leans forward. "Is he running other teams? Other contractors hunting Sela?"
"We report to a handler. Never met Haywood directly. Don't know if he's running other teams."
I exchange a look with Harlow and she nods. This is bigger than one contractor team.
"The warrant. Where's the original?"
"Handler has it. But I took photos." He nods toward his phone, which I've got bagged as evidence. "It's in there. Encrypted but I'll give you the passcode."
It's the first solid piece of evidence we can use.
Harlow makes notes while Rhys continues. "What else did Haywood tell you about Sela? Why she's important?"
"Nothing. We don't ask questions. Get the target, the parameters, the payment—that's it."
"But you've done this before. Other targets for other clients."
"Yeah."
"How many?"
"Lost count."
Rhys sits back. This is what Emma found and what got her killed. Federal agents using their authority to manufacture legal cover for crimes. Contractors who don't ask questions. A system so broken that a nurse with evidence gets hunted like an enemy combatant.
"One more question," Harlow says. "Your handler. Does he work directly for Haywood?"
"Don't know. But he's got access to federal databases. Real-time updates on target locations. That's not civilian-level access."
