"I'm all right."
He looked uncomfortable.
"I saw what happened."
She nodded.
"I know."
His voice became strained.
"They were looking for me, weren't they?"
The agent considered.
"We're investigating why the officer was directed toward the meeting. We have reason to believe someone was monitoring your movements."
The source lowered his eyes.
"I knew something was wrong."
She leaned forward.
"Tell me."
He took a slow breath.
Then explained that a man had been waiting outside his office two days earlier.
He didn't recognize him.
The man hadn't approached.
He simply stood beside a black SUV and watched the entrance.
The following evening, the same vehicle appeared near his apartment.
He told himself it might be coincidence.
But the next morning, a colleague mentioned that somebody from the foundation's security contractor had requested information about employees who accessed certain payment records.
The source became frightened.
He'd been copying documents through lawful reporting channels and preserving records relevant to suspected fraud.
He knew that raising concerns could anger powerful people.
But he hadn't expected anyone to begin watching his home.
He looked toward the agent.
"I almost didn't come yesterday."
She nodded.
"That would have been understandable."
He swallowed.
"But I kept thinking about the apartments."
The agent waited.
He continued.
"I've approved payments for years. Most of the time, I trusted the inspectors because their reports were supposed to reflect the work."
He looked toward the cardboard box.
"Then I realized some of those reports were false."
His eyes filled.
"I kept thinking about the people living in those buildings."
The agent slid a tissue box toward him.
He took one.
Then opened the cardboard box.
Inside were carefully organized folders.
Payment schedules.
Contract amendments.
Inspection summaries.
Internal correspondence.
And copies of documents showing discrepancies between reported completion dates and actual work records.
The source had organized everything chronologically.
Each folder contained a summary sheet explaining what he believed was significant.
The agent studied the arrangement.
"You did all this yourself?"
He nodded.
"After work."
"How long?"
"Seven months."
She looked up.
He smiled sadly.
"My wife says I've become a very boring person."
The agent laughed softly.
"She might be right."
He smiled for the first time.
Then his expression became serious.
"I need you to understand something."
She leaned forward.
"Go ahead."
"I didn't come here because I hate the foundation."
The agent nodded.
He continued.
"I wanted those housing projects to succeed."
His voice tightened.
"I was proud when we announced the funding."
He looked toward the documents.
"I thought we were helping people."
The agent felt something shift in her chest.