They had a warrant.
Her computer.
Her phone.
Her files.
Everything was seized.
The lead agent looked almost apologetic.
“Dr. Ellis, you're not under arrest.”
“Yet.”
He didn't answer.
Naomi watched them carry away the evidence.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
NOW YOU UNDERSTAND.
She stared at it.
Then another message appeared.
YOU WERE NEVER THE INVESTIGATOR.
A final line followed.
YOU WERE THE TARGET.
The Hidden Witness
Naomi spent the night in a borrowed apartment belonging to Rachel's sister.
She couldn't sleep.
Every sound seemed amplified.
Every passing car made her look toward the window.
At 3:17 a.m., someone knocked.
Rachel entered.
Behind her was Ethan.
“We found someone,” Rachel said.
Naomi sat up.
“Who?”
“Someone inside Washington.”
A woman stepped forward.
Late fifties.
Gray hair.
Black coat.
She looked exhausted.
“My name is Evelyn Shaw.”
Naomi recognized the name.
“Inspector General's Office.”
Evelyn nodded.
“I investigated Mercer four years ago.”
“What happened?”
“They buried the investigation.”
“Why?”
“Because I found the original Horizon agreement.”
She placed a folder on the table.
“This is the document they don't want anyone to see.”
Naomi opened it.
Unlike the other files, this one carried no classification stamp.
It was a contract.
Between government agencies and private airline contractors.
But the final page was missing.
“Where's the rest?”
Evelyn looked at her.
“That's why I came.”
She removed a tiny memory card.
“The missing page isn't a page.”
Naomi frowned.
“Then what is it?”
“A list.”
“What list?”
“Names of officials who received money.”
Silence filled the room.
Evelyn continued.
“Project Horizon wasn't simply authorized by Mercer. It was profitable.”
Naomi felt sick.
“Profitable?”
“Companies were paid to monitor employees and passengers. Consultants were paid to analyze reputational threats. Contractors were paid to manage investigations.”
Rachel whispered, “They turned discrimination into an industry.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn looked at Naomi.
“And then they expanded.”
She explained that Horizon had moved beyond airlines.
Hospitals.
Hotels.
Financial institutions.
Universities.
Any organization with a public reputation to protect could participate.
Naomi looked at the memory card.
“How many people know?”
“Too few.”
“Then we tell everyone.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because the final evidence is missing.”
“What evidence?”
Evelyn leaned closer.
“The authorization meeting.”
Naomi's eyes widened.
“The original meeting?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
Evelyn smiled faintly.
“Washington.”
Before anyone could speak, the apartment lights went out.
Rachel froze.
A car alarm sounded outside.
Ethan moved toward the window.
“Don't,” Naomi warned.
A loud crash came from the hallway.
Someone had entered the building.
Evelyn grabbed Naomi's arm.
“There is a second exit.”
They rushed into the kitchen.
Footsteps approached.
Naomi opened a service door.
They escaped through the stairwell.
Outside, they ran into an alley.
A black SUV turned the corner.
Rachel shouted.
“Run!”
They disappeared into the darkness.
Only when they reached a crowded street did they stop.
Naomi looked at Evelyn.
“You said the evidence was in Washington.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Then that's where we're going.”
The Room in Washington
Forty-eight hours later, Naomi stood outside a government archive building in Washington.