The morning hustle of the office corridor was interrupted by a hurried stride. I was just about to enter my office, as my gaze followed the movement behind, resting on the guard.
The same guard that was gassed a few days ago during the security centre breach.
“Rashmoor,” he almost whispered as he approached me “we need to talk. It’s about the security breach.”
I felt a shiver of anxiety. That security centre breach was a wound that hadn’t yet healed.
“Go on,” I urged.
The mumble of the maniac
He took a deep breath and his fingers twitched, revealing nervousness mixed with excitement. “It’s taken me days to remember, days to make sense of that blur. You remember that day, right? The gas… the darkness that followed…”
He was mumbling, as if still affected by the gas, struggling to put sentences together.
I nodded. “Yes, but what’s the new information?”
His voice dropped even lower. “I woke up for a moment, just a fleeting second. It was dark and hazy. The room spun. I could barely make out figures. But then, as my eyes tried to focus, there was a face. I saw it!” He was spitting the words out at a super fast speed without even trying to make sense.
The suspense was thickening. “Whose face?” I asked and my patience was running thin for what seemed to be a maniac’s recollection of a bad dream.
The Eye of Betrayal
His voice trembled. “It was the exit door. The slight creaking sound was just loud enough to make out in my semi-conscious state. Just before the door inched close, a ray of dim light streamed in, revealing the intruder’s profile. I couldn’t see the whole face… but the eyes. Those piercing eyes met mine for a split second. Eyes that I recognized.”
The weight of his next words nearly knocked the wind out of me. “It was Dr Nakamura.”
The maniac got my attention.
The corridors around us seemed to fade away. The murmurs, the clicking of heels, all drowned out by the weight of his revelation.
Did I finally find the evidence I needed? A testimony confirming that Dr Nakamura, a highly respected figure, was involved in the security breach.
“Are you absolutely certain?” I asked, needing to hear it again.
His gaze was unwavering. “Yes. I saw her again in the cafeteria today, and there was no doubt. It’s her.”
I leaned against the wall, absorbing the gravity of the situation.
There it was. An inside job.
The very foundation of our trust was shaken. “We need evidence,” I said, a mix of determination and anger in my voice. “This isn’t just about the security breach anymore; it’s about betrayal.”
“Bring her in, we need to find out what she knows”, I finished.
