Chapter Seven
The next morning, armed with a large coffee, she stood in front of the Sinaga Cultural Center and stared up at the building.
Standing a little over ten stories, the sleek black windows set amidst bold lines gave it a modern industrial feel.
Taking a sip from her cup, she headed up the symmetrical staircase to the top landing.
Entering the lobby, her mouth dropped open as she craned her neck to take in the giant rainforest thriving behind glass walls.
Steam condensation gathered on the inside of the greenhouse and rested on the plants.
The beautiful, lush vegetation consisted of giant trees, dwarf shrubs, magnolias, and garden terraces stretching all ten stories. It was breathtaking.
“Hello.”
Marion turned and saw an older woman, about five foot even, with salt-and-pepper hair. Kindness radiated from her dark eyes.
“Hi,” Marion replied, and pointed at the glass enclosure. “This is amazing.”
The woman smiled. “Isn’t it? It was designed and funded by the Sinaga family.”
“Oh, right. I think I remembered reading that.” She flashed her biggest smile. “I was wondering if I could talk to Shiel Sinaga for a moment.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Unfortunately, no. I was hoping she had a few minutes to spare.”
Wariness entered the woman’s eyes. “May I ask for what?”
“Oh, yes.” She tried to open her notebook, but the coffee got in the way.
She held it out. “Do you mind holding this?” Without giving the woman time to say no, Marion thrust the cup at her.
From her notebook, Marion pulled out Peter’s picture.
“I’m searching for this man and was told he’s a friend of Ms. Sinaga. Maybe you’ve seen him?”
The woman glanced at the photo, hesitantly shaking her head. “I, uh, can’t say that I have.”
“I see. Perhaps I can show this to Ms. Sinaga.” She kept her voice light, without guile, to make her request sound innocent. “It should only take a minute or two.”
The woman held out the coffee, forcing her to take it back. She slipped Peter’s picture back into her notebook, and then took the mug. For a moment, they stared at one another, but Marion felt the woman’s patience slipping away.
Making a desperate guess, she glanced at the rainforest on the other side of the glass. “This is the kind of environment Komodo dragons thrive in, correct? Fierce fighters, from what I’ve learned.”
The woman blinked, then her eyes narrowed as she searched her face. Marion made sure she kept it vague enough with a hint that she knew a lot more than most humans.
“Please,” Marion begged softly. “Just one minute to ask about my friend. His family is very worried. I’m here before they involve the police.”
Any lingering pleasantries dropped away as the woman understood the hidden meaning in her words. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you,” Marion said politely. “I deeply appreciate it.”
The woman walked away toward the concierge desk and picked up a phone.
Walking around the huge glass enclosure, she passed a set of elevators where a large statue of a Komodo dragon sat next to the exit door marked STAIRS.
The sculptor had paid a lot of attention to detail, especially the tough leathery skin where each scale was meticulously carved.
Above the statue hung a huge golden eagle, with its wings spread wide and its head turned to the right. Between the talons clutched a coat of arms with the saying Bhinneka Tunggal Ika printed on the banner.
“Unity in Diversity.”
The cool feminine voice startled her, and Marion swung around. A statuesque woman dressed in a bold, red dress stood behind her, poised like she was about to give a speech. Her black hair coiled on top of her head accentuated her graceful neck.
How the heck does this woman turn into a giant, ugly lizard? she thought.
“That’s what the motto means,” she explained, flicking a glance up at the statement piece. “It’s the national motto of Indonesia.”
“Oh,” Marion said. “It’s very, um, golden.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “I was told you wanted to talk to me.”
“Ms. Sinaga?”
Shiel gave a royal nod.
“Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Just get to the point of why you insisted on talking to me.”
Marion shifted feet, suddenly feeling threatened. She took a deep breath to help calm her nerves, reminding herself Shiel wouldn’t attack her with visiting people admiring the tropical rainforest in the middle of the building.
She placed her coffee cup on the floor in order to pull out Peter’s picture. “I’m searching for my friend.”
Shiel didn’t even flick a glance at it. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I learned he’s a personal acquaintance of yours.”
“Who told you that?”
Marion’s gaze flickered to the statue. “My own friend with a shifting personality.”
If possible, Shiel’s eyes became even more frigid. “I’ve never met this Peter, and I have no idea who or where he might be.”
For a brief second—one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments—a spot on top of Shiel’s forehead shimmered and a third eye appeared. Almost immediately, it disappeared again. Marion frowned, not sure if she saw anything at all.
“If I were you, Peter’s friend,” Shiel glowered. “I would leave well enough alone and go back home to whatever hovel you crawled out from.”
“Wow,” Marion mouthed before she could curb her tongue.
“I’ve never been threatened before with such a discriminatory sneer.
I know you don’t know me, but I’m a pretty persistent person, and I’m just as tenacious as a pit bull.
So, your cute little jab at me is as transparent as your third eye peeking out.
I know what you are, and I know you have Peter. ”
“Get. Out.” Shiel Sinaga took a step closer. Her voice pitched very low. “If you know what I am, then you know one bite from me can kill you.”
Yes, Marion had read Komodo dragons had a venom that prevented blood from clotting. Didn’t sound very pleasant.
Marion leaned down to grab her coffee cup to take a drink. “Have a nice day.”
Then she casually strolled away and left the building.
****
At dusk, dressed in black and watching from across the street, Marion waited until the guard patrolling the parking garage disappeared, then quickly ran to the entrance.
It was easy enough to hide behind the massive concrete columns that held the entire building up.
The garage was empty, so she quietly made her way to the stairwell.
The only light was the red EXIT sign above the door, and she made sure to close it so it didn’t bang shut.
Then she waited in the dark, making sure no one spotted the breaking-and-entering.
Carefully, she started up the darkened steps, one floor after another until she reached the top.
Marion paused, gulping in deep breaths to control her rapid heartbeat, knowing she would feel the burn in the morning.
Once her nerves had settled, she opened the door and made her way stealthily past all the empty offices.
Skirting around the perimeter, she came to the door with the nameplate of her target: Shiel Sinaga, CEO.
The door was locked, but it looked easy enough to pop.
Luckily, living in a very small town taught a person some interesting tricks.
With nothing to do on the weekends, teenagers invented many ways to keep themselves entertained.
She knelt in front of the simple doorknob and pulled out a metal nail file.
Inserting it into the space between the door and the frame, she twisted it until the lock disengaged.
Rising, she slipped the file back into her pocket and entered the room.
City lights helped illuminate the atmosphere.
A tidy dark mahogany desk, bookshelves filled with encyclopedia-type tomes.
Plush carpet cushioned her steps as she made her way to the desk and sat down behind it.
She opened the first drawer, carefully going through the files.
In the second drawer, she found something that excited her—a tax bill for a property upstate, with Shiel’s name on it.
Marion had a gut feeling this was exactly what she was looking for.
She took a quick picture of it and had just closed the drawer when a noise made her tense.
Easing out of the leather chair, she repositioned it and then slunk to the door, pressing her ear against it. Nothing. Everything was quiet and still. Gathering her nerves, she opened the door and looked around, but didn’t spot anyone. Time to get the hell out of Dodge.
Hurrying toward the stairs, she halted when she heard a slow hissing sound.
Turning, she saw a huge Komodo dragon staring her down.
Its tongue flickered out, scenting the air, and Marion knew her fear was broadcasted through the entire tenth floor.
She slowly backed up, wondering if she’d be able to make it to the stairwell before the giant lizard caught her.
One step back. Then another. Confidence grew until the damn beast ran forward, heading right at her.
She screamed and backtracked, turning to run as quickly as possible to the stairway door.
Shiel, however, was very fast. Too fast. Talons swiped, slashing her calf.
Pain exploded through her body, and she screamed as she fell.
She curled up, reaching for the back of her leg, unable to stop tears trickling down her face.
A hiss had her looking behind her. Shiel studied her, head cocked, waiting for what she didn’t know. Of all the ways she thought she’d die, it wasn’t by Komodo dragon venom. The only thing she regretted was not finding Peter for his grandmother.
Suddenly a loud snort filled the room, and Marion’s eyes widened because she recognized that snort.
Deacon burst from the stairway, shifted in all his hairy glory.
Charging forward, one of his horns managed to catch the lizard by surprise, hooking under its massive feet and flipping it over.
He attacked again, managing to sink his horn into the scaly back.
It hissed again and swiped with its claws, but Deacon managed to avoid being hurt.
Instead, he turned and scooped Marion up in his massive arms and carried her back to the stairs. The staccato strike of his hooves against the metal stairs hurt her ears, so she buried her face into his neck. Trying to ignore the agony radiating through her body.