Page 39 of Only the Hunter

Someone scrubbed this file. Made sure it won’t surface through cross-reference searches, won’t flag for international cooperation protocols.

This wasn’t a mistake. This was deliberate.

And they did it as me.

Did they do anything else?

I pull up the witness files, hands shaking slightly.

Lina’s still listed. But her status⁠—

Status: Resolved. No further DOJ action required. Relocated: External custody. Last modified: 11:52 p.m.

She’s no longer a material witness. No longer our responsibility.

Someone logged in as me to erase her from the system.

My case should be dead. But someone else is still working it—and they’re working against me.

Chatter from the hallway draws my attention to my open office door. I cross the room to close it, return to my desk and pull up my chair.

Yesterday, Daniel mentioned the NGO. The phrasing in Lina’s status update—external custody—matches language I’ve seen exactly once before.

It’s not unusual for an NGO to partner with the DOJ. There’s nothing listed in the case directory, but I kept an internal contact list when working on the case. And I kept it on my notes app…which means there’s a good chance I’ve got the contact.

In my notes app, I have over a hundred files, but only two related to this case. One is random chaos, the other is contacts.

And boom. Twelve down. Astrid Berglund. Based in Switzerland. She works for GIHS. That’s all I wrote in my notes, but if memory serves that stands for the Geneva Initiative for Human Security. And while I don’t have her email, I do have her phone number.

I check the time. It’s still early here, but if Astrid is in Geneva, she should be in the office.

I dial, wait through the clicks, and a receptionist answers.

“May I speak with Astrid Berglund.”

“A moment please.”

While I wait, my screensaver engages.

“This is Astrid,” a crisp, slightly accented feminine voice answers.

“Hi Astrid. This is Evie Thompson from the United States Department of Justice. I’m trying to confirm whether a witness was transitioned into your care.”

“Evie Thompson. I remember you. We met last year. In New York.”

“Yes, that’s right. At the global symposium.” She’d been in an FBI briefing for an international task force, that’s why I put her name down on my contact list.

“Yes. Now, let’s see, a witness. We don’t usually accept transfers unless local protections fail.”

“I understand. That’s why I’m following up. Her transfer is noted in the case file and it might be in error. The name is Lina Morozova.”

Silence follows.

I hold my breath.

With the click of keys, I exhale.

“I cannot discuss details.”