Chapter 7
First Warning Signs
Lina experiences subtle intimidation. Her sources dry up, and she feels watched. Vytautas begins his campaign to deter her, testing her resolve.
The air in the Jurbarko Laikraštis office always smelled faintly of ink and old paper, a comforting aroma Lina had grown to associate with discovery. But today, a new scent, sharp and metallic, seemed to cling to the edges of her thoughts. It had been three days since she’d last seen Elena Jankauskienė, three days since her usual stream of cautious whispers had abruptly silenced. It wasn't just Elena, either. The retired teacher who’d confirmed the rumour about the pension increase had suddenly become tight-lipped, mumbling about misremembering. Even the usually garrulous postman, who’d once provided snippets of office gossip, had offered only a curt nod and a hurried pace when Lina approached him.
A knot of unease tightened in Lina’s stomach. This wasn't the usual ebb and flow of information. This felt deliberate. She traced the worn edges of her notepad, the cryptic symbols from the Sodra notice still etched in her mind. The pension increase was real, she was sure of it. But Elena’s fear, the sudden silence of her sources – it all pointed to something far more complex and dangerous than a simple administrative announcement.
“Lina, a word?” Jonas Valaitis’s voice, usually a gentle rumble, held a new, sharper edge. He stood in the doorway of his small, cluttered office, his usual amiable smile replaced by a thoughtful frown.
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