Chapter 51
JD and I pushed through the crowd, making our way across the lot. We exited the grounds and made it to Stadium Row.
I still couldn't get a cell signal.
We ran a few blocks until I got a bar, then I called for a rideshare. Five minutes later, we hopped into a silver sedan, and the driver sped us over to DRI on Rock Island.
That was the true target.
I was sure of it.
The bomber’s words echoed in my mind. "Imagine what I could do with true Oblivium.”
I called Emily, but she didn’t pick up. I left a voicemail warning her.
Our driver pulled up to the front gate of the compound. A candy cane lever arm blocked the entrance to the security booth.
The property was surrounded by a chain-link fence, topped with razor wire. On a Sunday, the place was pretty desolate. The perfect time to stage an assault.
Security cameras at the guard booth monitored everyone coming and going.
We hopped out of the rideshare and walked up to the booth. I flashed my badge, and the guard stepped out and looked at us with curiosity. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
"Have you noticed anything unusual today?”
His lips tightened, and he shook his head.
"We believe there may be a robbery in progress," I said.
He looked at me with doubtful eyes. "I've been here all morning. The only people who've been in or out are Dr. Foster and the cleaning crew. They typically come on Sundays, as well as Monday and Thursday nights.”
"Did the cleaners have proper credentials?”
He nodded. "I wouldn’t be doing my job if they didn't."
"Did you recognize them?"
He shrugged. "I don’t know. Didn’t pay much attention. Crews rotate all the time. It's hard to keep good staff these days.”
"We need to get inside the building.”
He frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry. No can do. No unauthorized personnel. Unless of course you got a warrant.”
My eyes narrowed at him. "You heard what I said. We believe there's a potential robbery happening right now."
He shrugged. "Policy is policy. I could lose my job.”
“You’re gonna lose it anyway if there’s a heist in progress.”
He didn’t like the sound of that.
I looked across the lot and spotted a nondescript white van that could have belonged to a cleaning company. Or it could have belonged to criminals disguised as a cleaning company.
I began to wonder if this guard wasn't on the take.
How much could he possibly make working the gate?
A six-figure deposit into his crypto account might be pretty persuasive.
After all, he'd have plausible deniability.
They were just the cleaning crew. They had the proper ID.
ID that could have easily been stolen or forged.
"Exigent circumstances," I said, moving past him, ducking under the candy cane lever arm.
"Hey! You can't go in there.”
"Try and stop me,” I shouted back.
I had no probable cause. Nothing to establish exigent circumstances other than a hunch. It certainly wouldn’t hold up in a court of law. But I didn’t want to take the risk of pure, unadulterated Oblivium falling into the wrong hands.
JD and I hustled to the main entrance and pushed into the lobby. The atrium was spacious, with a lounge area that had comfortable leather chairs and sofas. There were coffee tables with magazines, a counter with a coffee maker, snacks, and a mini fridge with bottles of water.
Like any high-security facility, there was a walk-through metal detector and a conveyor X-ray scanner.
I flashed my badge at the security guard behind the desk. "Where's the cleaning crew?"
He was on the phone, presumably with the gate guard. “Yeah, I'll take care of this," he said, then he addressed us as he hung up. "Uh, I don’t know.” Then he added, "You need to sign in."
"Have you noticed anything unusual?”
He shook his head. "Unusual, like what?”
"Like a robbery in progress."
"A robbery?"
"Where's Dr. Foster's lab?”
The guard hesitated for a moment. "I'm supposed to call a supervisor in situations like this. Can I see your badge again?"
I displayed it as I approached the counter.
He surveyed it carefully.
The nameplate on his chest read D. Dugan. "You really think there's a robbery in progress?"
"Did the cleaning crew look familiar to you?”
He shrugged. "I can't say I really paid attention. It's always different people." He picked up the phone and dialed an extension. "I'm calling Dr. Foster.”
I kept my head on a swivel.
The place was quiet. I didn't see any unusual activity. There was no sign of the cleaning crew. They could have been anywhere.
Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe this was just a calm Sunday at DRI.
The phone rang several times. "She's not picking up. Not unusual." Dugan paused. Before I could say anything else, he said, "I'll take you to the lab.“
He stood up, walked around the desk, then hurried to the main entrance and locked it up. He spun around and walked past us in a hurry. "Come with me."
We followed him across the lobby, and he motioned to a hallway that led to our right. "It's all the way down the hall, last door to the left. You’ll need a key card for access.” He handed it to me. “I’ve got a bum ankle, so I don’t move too fast these days, but I’ll be right behind you.”
I took the key card from him, and JD and I started down the hallway. We drew our pistols and kept them in a low ready position as we moved with caution.
Dugan followed and kept up with us. He drew his weapon as well.
We made it about halfway down the hall when he said, "Hold up right there."
I had that unmistakable sensation that his pistol was aimed right at my back.
"Don't move. Toss your weapons to the ground. Now!”
We hesitated a moment.
"Do it. Or I swear to God, I’ll put a bullet in you both.”
He had the drop on us. No doubt about it. He'd be able to shoot one of us for sure. Maybe two. It wasn't worth the risk.
With angry faces, we tossed our weapons to the ground. They clattered off the tile.
"Kick them farther away."
They were still within reach.
After a moment of hesitation, JD and I complied.
The pistols scraped across the tile.
"I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you're either on the take or you don't work for DRI," I said.
"Did you figure that all out by yourself?" he said in a condescending tone. He tossed two pairs of flex cuffs to me. "Cuff him, then yourself.”