The subject raised her hands in the universal gesture of surrender.Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, not yet falling, as she stared down the slab of metal that could potentially end her life.
‘You’re coming with me,’ he said.
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
The automatic doors to Apollo House granted Ella entrance to the monolithic building of glass and steel.She entered into a barren lobby and charged towards the stairwell.
‘Thank God this place is open twenty-four-seven,’ Ella said.According to the police database, Maxwell Tanner lived nearly fifteen miles outside of Cedarburg, so she’d sent Ripley to his house to cover more ground.She made the two-mile trip to Maxwell’s offices because, if her profile was on the money, this was Maxwell’s operating hub during his nightly jaunts.He was stationed somewhere near the crimes, she was certain.
The stairwell door slammed open with a force that reverberated through the concrete expanse, and the numbers flew by as Ella ascended to the ninth floor.The stairwell was a blur of grey and steel, and Ella had a destination in sight and wasn’t stopping until she reached it.She covered the final stretch of corridor that led to office 9AA – her target’s sanctum, then she clasped the handle and yanked, only to find it resisted her efforts.
‘Crap.’
Her fingers curled tighter around the handle to give it one more futile shake.Despite what people thought, willpower absolutely could best steel.
Sometimes, at least.Tonight it couldn’t.
‘You okay there, missy?’a voice carried down the corridor.
Ella spun around, startled by the unexpected company.She saw a janitor idly holding onto a cordless mop.
A plan instantly sprung to mind.
‘FBI,’ she said as she flashed her badge.‘I need access to this office, pronto.Can you help?’
The janitor rubbed his chin as his stare jumped from Ella to her badge to the office door.‘Not sure.The guy in this office… he’s never asked for cleaning services.Keeps to himself.’
‘This is urgent,’ Ella said.She didn’t have time to weigh up the legalities of such an intrusion.If it became an issue, she’d just accept the punishment.‘Has the guy been here tonight?Have you seen him?’
‘Yeah.He was here an hour ago.Walked past me as he left.He’ll know it was me who let you in, plus there’s cameras up there.’The janitor pointed to the ceiling.
An hour ago, Ella said to herself.It meant Maxwell was still in Cedarburg, but it also meant he could be on the move. 'Did you see where he went?Was he carrying anything?'
‘Not sure.He had a bag with him.Looked heavy.’
Ella clasped the handle again.She didn’t have time to mess around.‘Look, either you can unlock this thing for me, or I can break it down.Either way, I’ll be in that office in twenty seconds.What do you say?’
The janitor’s brow furrowed.He looked up at the camera and then back at his keyring.
‘The guy is in trouble?’he asked.
‘Depends what I find in there.I promise you won’t get in trouble for this.If anyone says anything, just say you figured a privacy violation was preferable to a replacement door.’
The janitor scratched his head and then, as if conceding to an invisible force, began sifting through his keyring.
‘Alright,’ he murmured.His keys jangled as sorted through them, then he pushed one into the door of office 9AA and clicked it open.‘I’ll be downstairs.Let me know when you’re done.’
‘Thank you,’ Ella said as she flashed him a nod.She pushed her way into the office and shut the door behind her with a click, sealing herself in Maxwell Tanner’s lair.
The air held a sterile cleanliness, and she could see a mile off that the place had been purposely designed to put any visitor at ease.The far corner hosted a plush couch, and opposite it was a glass-topped coffee table that bore a selection of textbooks. Directly ahead, a large, polished wooden desk dominated the space, its surface clear except for a modern desktop PC.
However, the room, for all its orderly appearance, felt hollow, as if the warmth it tried to project was just another layer of the facade Maxwell Tanner hid behind.
Ella searched the room for any hint of Maxwell’s next move, and her instincts honed in on the desk, the epicenter of Maxwell Tanner's world within these walls.It was the only place where he could hide something – every other facet of the room was visible.
She invaded the desk drawers until she found paper.She inspected them sheet by sheet, possibly violating several privacy laws, but reassured herself that the ends would justify the means.She found professional paperwork, client files, empty letterheads.
Then, Ella’s fingers brushed against something different amongst the sea of papers.
