Chapter 5: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Alex arrived at work the next morning with his usual coffee and practiced smile, but his stomach was churning with anticipation. He'd spent the night replaying every keystroke, every deleted file, every digital breadcrumb that might lead back to him. The beauty of his plan had been its simplicity—but even the most elegant schemes left traces for those who knew where to look.

The student services office hummed with its typical morning energy, but Alex immediately sensed an undercurrent of tension. Mrs. Patterson stood near the main desk in deep conversation with a woman Alex didn't recognize—tall, sharp-eyed, with prematurely gray hair pulled back in a severe bun and a tablet clutched in her manicured hands.

"Alex," Mrs. Patterson called out as he hung up his jacket. "I'd like you to meet Ms. Albright from the IT Security department. She's here about yesterday's... situation."

Ms. Albright turned to study Alex with the intensity of a raptor evaluating prey. Her eyes were pale blue, almost colorless, and they seemed to catalog every detail of his appearance in the span of a heartbeat. When she spoke, her voice carried the crisp authority of someone accustomed to finding needles in digital haystacks.

"Mr. Carter, isn't it? I understand you've been working in student services for approximately two years." It wasn't a question, and Alex realized she'd already reviewed his employment records.

"Yes, ma'am. Since my sophomore year." Alex kept his voice steady, projecting the mild helpfulness that had made him invisible for so long. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Ms. Albright's smile was thin and professional. "I'm conducting a comprehensive investigation into what appears to be a critical data integrity breach in our student information system. Yesterday's incident involving Mr. Sharma is just the tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid."

Alex felt his pulse quicken, but he maintained his expression of polite interest. "A data breach? That sounds serious."

"Indeed it is." Ms. Albright consulted her tablet, scrolling through what looked like system logs. "Someone with intimate knowledge of our enrollment procedures systematically dismantled a student's academic record using methodologies that suggest extensive familiarity with both our online and legacy phone registration systems."

The way she said "intimate knowledge" made Alex's skin crawl. This wasn't some routine IT audit—Ms. Albright was hunting, and she clearly believed the predator was someone with inside access.

Mrs. Patterson looked genuinely concerned. "Do you think it was an external hacker? I've read about students at other universities having their records compromised."

"That's one possibility," Ms. Albright replied, her gaze never leaving Alex's face. "However, the level of system access required for these modifications suggests someone with legitimate credentials. The perpetrator knew exactly which databases to target, which fees to assess, and how to navigate our phone registration system without triggering standard security protocols."

Alex forced himself to nod thoughtfully, as if he were just another concerned employee learning about a security breach. "That's frightening. How many students were affected?"

"So far, Mr. Sharma appears to be the only victim. But the sophistication of this attack suggests we're dealing with someone who could easily repeat the process." Ms. Albright's fingers danced across her tablet screen. "I'll be interviewing all personnel with elevated system access over the next few days. I trust you'll make yourself available if needed?"

"Of course," Alex said, his mouth suddenly dry. "Whatever I can do to help."

Ms. Albright's smile became fractionally warmer, though her eyes remained calculating. "Excellent. I particularly want to speak with employees who understand both our current systems and our legacy infrastructure. Your supervisor mentioned you've become quite proficient with the phone registration protocols."

The words hit Alex like a physical blow. Mrs. Patterson had just painted a target on his back without realizing it, identifying him as someone with exactly the skill set needed to execute yesterday's digital assassination.

"Alex is our go-to person for phone registration issues," Mrs. Patterson confirmed proudly. "Students are always getting confused by those old menu systems, but Alex can walk them through anything. He's saved me countless hours of troubleshooting."

"How fortunate," Ms. Albright murmured, making a note on her tablet. "Mr. Carter, I'd like to schedule a formal interview with you later this week. In the meantime, I'll need you to avoid accessing any student records that aren't directly related to your current job responsibilities."

Alex felt the walls closing in. Being restricted from system access was essentially being placed under suspicion, though Ms. Albright had phrased it diplomatically. "I understand. Should I continue helping students with routine registration questions?"

"For now, yes. But I'll need you to log all system access and document every interaction. Think of it as helping us understand our normal traffic patterns versus the anomalous activity we're investigating."

The morning passed in a haze of hypervigilance. Every time Alex touched his keyboard, he wondered if Ms. Albright was monitoring his access logs in real time. Every routine task felt like potential evidence, every helpful gesture toward confused students like a performance under scrutiny.

During his lunch break, Alex found himself walking aimlessly around campus, his mind racing through possibilities. Ms. Albright was clearly more than just an IT administrator—she had the methodical precision of someone trained in digital forensics. The way she'd studied his face, catalogued his responses, suggested she was building a psychological profile alongside her technical investigation.

His phone buzzed with a text from Lucy: Sara's mood is so much better today! She actually laughed at something in class. Whatever's happening with Jay, it's giving her space to breathe.

Alex typed back: That's great. She deserves to feel safe.

But as he sent the message, Alex realized his own safety was rapidly evaporating. Ms. Albright wasn't just investigating a random system breach—she was hunting him specifically, and she clearly suspected that the perpetrator was someone with inside knowledge.

The afternoon brought a steady stream of students with routine problems, but Alex found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Every time the office door opened, he expected to see Ms. Albright returning with handcuffs or campus security. Every phone call could be the one that summoned him to a formal interrogation.

At 3:30, Mrs. Patterson approached his desk with a concerned expression. "Alex, I wanted to apologize if I put you in an awkward position this morning. I didn't realize Ms. Albright was conducting such a serious investigation when I mentioned your technical skills."

"It's fine," Alex said, though his stomach was churning. "I want to help catch whoever did this. If someone can manipulate student records that easily, no one's academic career is safe."

Mrs. Patterson nodded approvingly. "That's exactly the right attitude. Ms. Albright mentioned that she's particularly interested in speaking with employees who have after-hours access to the building. You've been working late shifts recently, haven't you?"

Alex's blood turned to ice water. "A few times this week, yes. Budget cuts mean we need coverage during evening hours."

"Well, I'm sure it's just routine questioning. Ms. Albright seemed very professional." Mrs. Patterson paused, studying Alex's face with maternal concern. "You look pale, honey. Are you feeling alright?"

"Just tired," Alex lied. "The late shifts are catching up with me."

But as Mrs. Patterson returned to her desk, Alex realized that exhaustion was the least of his problems. Ms. Albright had identified him as someone with the technical knowledge, system access, and physical opportunity to execute the attack on Jay's records. All she needed now was motive, and Alex suspected she was methodical enough to find it.

The final hour of his shift crawled by with excruciating slowness. Alex processed transcript requests and answered routine questions while his mind raced through contingency plans. Could he claim his credentials had been compromised? Suggest that someone else had used his access during the late night shifts? The problem was that any defense would require him to provide alternative explanations, and Ms. Albright struck him as someone who would dissect every inconsistency.

As closing time approached, Alex began shutting down his workstation when Mrs. Patterson called out from her office. "Alex, could you come here for a moment?"

He found her reviewing a stack of printouts, her expression troubled. "I've been going through our access logs from this week, trying to help Ms. Albright identify anyone with unusual system activity. Look at this."

She handed him a report showing his login times for the past seven days. The pattern was damning—multiple late-night sessions, extended periods of system access, and timestamps that aligned perfectly with the window when Jay's records had been modified.

"This shows you were logged in until almost midnight on Tuesday," Mrs. Patterson said, her voice carefully neutral. "That's much later than your usual shift ends."

Alex's mind raced for an explanation that wouldn't sound rehearsed. "I was helping a student with a complex registration issue. You know how the phone system can be—sometimes it takes multiple attempts to get everything processed correctly."

Mrs. Patterson nodded slowly, but Alex could see doubt creeping into her expression. "Of course. I'm sure Ms. Albright will want to discuss the details when she interviews you."

As Alex gathered his things and prepared to leave, he caught Mrs. Patterson watching him with an expression he'd never seen before—not suspicion exactly, but a careful assessment that made his skin crawl. The woman who'd trusted him with increasing responsibilities over two years was now seeing him through Ms. Albright's eyes, evaluating whether her helpful student assistant might be capable of digital sabotage.

The walk back to his dorm felt like a death march. Alex's sanctuary—the administration building where he'd wielded power like a digital god—had become a crime scene with his fingerprints on every surface. Ms. Albright was closing in with the inexorable patience of a professional hunter, and Alex was running out of places to hide.

His phone buzzed with another text from Lucy: Jay looked absolutely desperate in the cafeteria today. Like he hadn't slept in days. Sara said he's been calling her non-stop, begging her to help him figure out what happened to his enrollment. Isn't that ironic?

Alex stared at the message, feeling a mixture of satisfaction and growing dread. Jay's desperation was exactly what he'd hoped for, but it came with a price Alex was only beginning to understand. Ms. Albright wasn't just investigating a crime—she was hunting him specifically, and she clearly had the skills to eventually find what she was looking for.

As he reached his dorm room, Alex realized that his perfect digital assassination had transformed him from predator to prey. The ghost in the machine was about to become very, very visible.

And Ms. Albright was the kind of hunter who never stopped until she found her quarry.