Agent Violet looked down on Alison Hall, who at 5'9" was still three inches shorter than the witness protection program agent. "We can't tell you. Sorry." Her cold voice contradicted her last word. It was a meaningless syllable to her, just part of the routine. She might have been sorry when she first started relocating people, but by now she was accustomed to destroying, no, rebuilding lives. Even someone as cold-blooded as she was needed to rationalize her actions. At least she wasn't a murderer unlike Mark Thomson's killer. The people she helped were still alive and she'd do everything in her power to keep them that way ... even if that meant eradicating every last vestige of their identities.
Tears welled up in Alison's green eyes. "I'll never see her again? Can't I give letters to you to pass on to her or something? At least IM her? I won't have to know exactly where she is. She and I could meet in a neutral place far from wherever you'll place her."
Violet had heard such desperation before. It no longer had any effect on her. "If you want Karyn and her family to live, you'll have to let go of her. Forever."
That word stabbed Alison's heart. "No! I can't!"
"You have to." Violet pointed at the door of the windowless room. "Mark Thomson's killers are still out there. They will take advantage of any clue to find you. They've got the resources of a multinational organization. You don't. Only by embracing your new self can you improve your odds of survival."
"Why do they want us dead? What's the big deal? Jessie and I saw a murder. Lots of people see them and don't get killed. Why do this to us?"
"We can't take any chances."
"You're not answering my first question. Lots of public figures die in plain sight. Thomson wasn't exactly a secret agent. I wrote about him back in elementary school. I used to read about him in the newspaper. Those reporters who wrote the articles I read must still be alive. They're probably writing about his death right now. And I bet you're not taking away everything from them! Like their sex! I don't even sound like me anymore!"
"Forget Jon. He's gone."
"I'm still here!" insisted Alison. "Where's Karyn!?"
