Page 39 of Yankee in the Wind

Jack nodded, and they hurried into the stairwell. “Which floor?”

“Third,” she replied.

Jack glanced around, but he couldn’t see any cameras in the stairwell. They ascended quickly. On the third floor, Lilly led them through another well-lit corridor, then used her access card again to open a door leading into a lab. They entered the dark room and closed the door behind them.

“Don’t switch on the overhead lights,” Jack warned. “Take your flashlight.”

Lilly switched on a flashlight and led him to a corner in the large laboratory. There she stopped and pointed to a long counter with medical equipment. Above it were hanging cabinets. “There are under-cabinet lights. I’ll need to switch them on.”

Jack looked toward the windows. They were far enough away from them, with sufficient pieces of furniture between them and the windows, so the light in this corner wouldn’t travel far.

“Okay.”

The under-cabinet lights illuminated the counter and the supplies and equipment sufficiently for Lilly to commence her work. Jack took a seat on a chair next to her, his gun with the silencer on his lap, and watched her as she went to work.

18

It was nearing four a.m. when Lilly had finally managed to analyze what substance had been in the microdrone.

“It’s Midazolam,” she said, looking at Jack.

“A poison?”

“It’s a powerful sedative. It can paralyze people, and in high doses cause respiratory arrest. It’s used in anesthesia. But considering the size of the microdrone, only a tiny amount could have been injected.”

“Enough to knock somebody out even if just for a short while?” Jack asked.

“Yes, somebody like my size would have most likely been knocked out for a short time, but not somebody like you, although you would still have been affected and felt woozy.”

“Which means if Thomas got this small amount of Midazolam, his reaction would have been impaired.”

She nodded.

“That’s how they might have gotten the drop on him,” Jack said.

Lilly shuddered at the thought of it. Thomas would have been conscious and perhaps known what was coming. What had they done to him to warrant the usage of Midazolam?

“If they were able to get close enough with the drone to inject him with Midazolam, then wouldn’t they also have been close enough to shoot him?”

Jack met her gaze. “You’re right.”

“Perhaps this wasn’t used on him.”

“Or perhaps they didn’t want to kill him, not immediately anyway.”

“What are you saying?” She stared at him, but he didn’t immediately answer. She saw it in his face, saw what he suspected. “You think they kept him alive to torture him to give them information?”

“I’m sorry, but yes, it’s very likely.”

Lilly pushed back the rising tears and turned back to the counter. She was still running tests to find out what had soaked the ground beneath the microdrone. She knew it wasn’t Midazolam that had leaked there. “I still need to figure out what’s in this sample.”

She suddenly felt Jack’s hand on her shoulder. “I know that you loved him like a brother. We’ll get justice for him, I promise you.”

“Okay,” she said with a sob.

When he tried to put his arms around her, she freed herself from them. “Don’t, Jack, or I’m gonna start crying for real.” She sniffled. “And I have to finish this.”

“Okay,” he said gently. “I wish I could help you with this, but I’m not a brain surgeon. I don’t know much when it comes to—”