The terror in her countenance was clear as crystal. She was afraid to speak freely and glancing over her shoulder almost every three seconds. She caught the CCTV mounted at a corner above and lowered her head.
She wasn’t going to give me a name. That fear in her eyes wouldn’t let her.
“Did you sign any contract?”
She shook her head.
“What about transportation?”
“We drove all night. Windows locked,” she answered. “They seized our phones for safekeeping. Said it was policy.”
I noticed the plural in her statement, which meant she wasn’t alone. “You saidwe.There were others?”
Silence.
July didn’t confirm or deny it.
I rubbed my eyes. “July, I cannot help you if you keep giving me half-baked information.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, lowering her head.
I let out a soft sigh. “It’s fine.”
Her fingers curled inward.
I opened the file and turned it toward her. “It says right here that you relocated voluntarily. That the operation concluded without incident.”
She stared at the file in front of her. “That’s not what happened.”
“Then help me understand what really did.”
At this point, her testimony no longer matched the official case record.
“They wrote it before we even left.”
“You’re not making any sense. Who wrote it?”
She hesitated, her eyes locked on mine. “The people who call the shots.” She leaned in and whispered, “They’re everywhere.”
“They’re not in here.”
“Yes, they are,” she insisted, straining her whisper. “Why do you think I asked for you?”
July was indirectly suggesting that some of my colleagues had been compromised. She was saying that whoever was behind her trafficking had eyes and ears in the office.
Personally, I’d always known the system was porous and rigged for malpractice and corruption. If July believed her oppressors were everywhere, including in this office, then maybe I should tread carefully.
That’s when I recalled Jake’s warning.
“…I want you to know that this is way above our pay grade. So you might wanna tread carefully.”
My eyes squinted, my head tilting slightly to the side as suspicion began creeping in.
“Just…don’t go digging. You might not like what you find.”
Did he know something I didn’t?
After July left, I returned to my desk and, amidst the rowdiness of the day, immersed myself in work. While thoroughly reviewing her file again, I noticed that some things weren’t adding up.
