Left To Die

Adele suppressed the urge to vomit and closed her eyes, trying to focusing on her breathing and steady her nerves. Tired as she was, she couldn’t allow it to slow her thoughts. Her target was in her crosshairs… now it was only a matter of time.

Finally, after nearly an hour, the limousine pulled into a side road that led toward a large metal fence topped with barbed wire.

Adele perked up, peering through the tinted windows toward a large structure in the distance. A giant building of glass and curved windows centered the stretch of fence. The building looked like an aquarium from this distance, except for the rows of barbed wire between the road and the compound.

A couple of men armed with rifles stood outside the gate, holding up halting hands toward the car.

Marshall nodded politely through the window and leaned out, extending identification. “I’m here with the BKA,” she rattled off in German. “My supervisor should’ve called ahead.”

John wrinkled his nose at the foreign language, but Adele listened intently.

Marshall continued, “These are agents Renee and Sharp from the DGSI and FBI. They’re under my supervision; there shouldn’t be any problems.”

A few exchanges later, following a phone call from the gate, the guards stepped aside, and the gate split, rolling on a metal track and allowing them entrance into the parking lot.

The driver guided the limousine further into the compound and pulled up outside the curb closest to the front doors.

Lion Pharmaceutical was displayed in large golden block letters above the giant glass doors. On each of the front windows, a crisp design of a white lion head stenciled the glass.

John exited the vehicle first, pushing open the back door and swinging his long legs out onto the curb. He extended a hand, gallantly offering his arm toward Agent Marshall. Adele rolled her eyes again as the young German operative accepted the French man’s arm and climbed out from the back of the limousine. Adele followed.

She glanced back at the long, black vehicle with the tinted windows. She’d never been one for the German sense of humor. This, though a small one, was a jab in their direction. Sending a young agent in a limousine was the German government’s way of putting them in their place.

Adele adjusted her sleeves and stared up at the enormous blue glass building. Somewhere in that structure, somebody knew who the killer was. She was sure of it.

The chemical compound had been a perfect match for a drug created in this very building.

She turned to John. “You have the files?”

Renee continued chatting with Marshall but wiggled the band of a briefcase strapped over his shoulder in Adele’s direction.

The limousine pulled away from the curb in search of a proper parking spot while Adele and her two teammates made their way toward the large glass doors with angled metal handles.

Conspicuous red letters were scrawled across the door: “WARNING: Authorized Personnel Only.”

Elsewhere, stenciled beneath the lion logos, other warnings ornamented the glass, as well as a yellow triangle with black marks over the word: “TOXIC.”

Before they reached the doors, Adele spotted someone through the glass and both doors were pushed open. A man and a woman stood on either side, flanking the entry, both wearing business suits and gesturing politely at the agents to enter.

“Director Mueller is upstairs,” said the man on the right side of the door.

He had no distinguishing features whatsoever. He had an average face, was of average height, and had light brown hair. His complexion was hard to place ethnically, and his voice wasn’t deep nor was it high-pitched. As if to complete the image, he was also wearing a charcoal gray suit.

The woman on the other side of the door didn’t say anything, but kept the door ajar, still smiling politely at them with the sort of feigned excitement a car salesman might have envied.

“Who are you?” John growled in English.

“Personal assistants to Director Mueller,” said the young man, with a light, airy accent, flashing a Colgate smile. “Please, if you will… we’ve been expecting you.”

Adele followed the two young assistants into the lobby of a large white-walled atrium. Strange decor, like the type found in hotels or banks, had been arranged tastefully throughout the space, including a small koi pond beneath a fountain in the center of the room. The sound of trickling water created a peaceful atmosphere in the otherwise intimidating building.

“Director Mueller is quite busy today,” the male assistant began, turning to face the agents with a smile, his hands on his hips. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting—er, excuse me, miss!”

Two sets of stairs ascended the back of the room, and an elevator door presented itself at the base of the stairs.