While talking, Lars was also observing Don’s reaction and facial expressions without letting him notice. In fact, Lars and several high ranked board members believed someone was leaking very sensitive information and documents to the outside. The name, Don Arnold, had made it to the top of the suspect’s list, and some board members were convinced he was a spy. If that turned out to be true, he was most likely working for one of the big corporations that had tried to get involved with the Mars First project, but had been turned down.
Of course, judging the man solely by his reaction would not be proof of guilt, especially given the situation, but unbeknownst to him, Don was now going to be monitored around the clock. Cameras had just been installed throughout the entire complex, and the small one right above Lars’ head was currently feeding a live account of the conversation to the security office in another part of building. What Don didn’t know either was that the “lock down” story was just an excuse to see what he would do next if he was given only one last chance to leave the Mars First complex.
As planned, Lars added, “I have arranged for the whole complex to be sealed by 2200 tonight. Make sure to be back before the curfew. I suggest you take advantage and take the rest of the day off. Go home. Spend a few hours with your wife. You won’t see her again for several weeks. Send her my love. Just be sure to be back before ten, alright?”
Leaving the coffee cup on Lars’ desk, Don got up, “Ok, thanks Lars,” and exited the room quickly.
The trap was set.
As expected, the Mars First operation manager first went straight to his quarters. The place had already been bugged but he did not make a phone call, as expected. Instead, he hurried to grab some clothes, put a few documents in his briefcase, and exited the room, locking the door behind him. But rather than head towards the front of the building, as he would normally do to leave the building, he opted to go back to the training quarters in the opposite direction, making sure no one was following him.
Although no one was, he was being monitored by several cameras placed all around the complex, some barely visible, hidden in strategic locations by the security team.
Lars had also left his office, but not to follow Don. He had gone straight to the security office.
“Where is he?” asked Lars as he closed the door behind him.
“Looks like he’s heading for lab number two,” replied Michael Blem, a heavy-set man seated in front of a long, curved desk. He was facing an array of monitors on the wall in front of him and had his hands on a video controller, allowing him to switch various camera views in the building.
“Do you want to sit down, sir?” asked the woman standing to his left.
“No, I’m OK, Sylvia. Thanks.”
Lars was staring at the central screen. The view from a camera above was showing Don ruffling through a series of drawers, clearly looking frantically for something.
“What is he doing?”
“I’m not sure, Sir, but he’s obviously looking for something…” replied Michael Blem.
Lars walked around Sylvia and moved a bit closer to the screens, trying to get a better look at their suspect.
The man they were watching suddenly stopped his search, looking attentively at a couple of documents he had just found in a drawer.
“Can you zoom on that?” asked Lars.
“Sorry Mr. Bruininck, those cameras don’t have that capability,” replied Michael.
Don Arnold opened his briefcase and inserted the documents in a side pocket. He then closed the briefcase shut and randomly spun the rollers of the coded lock. After replacing the rest of the file, he shut the drawer and hurried out of the room, carefully making his way back the same way he had come, through the small maze corridors. Still attentively followed by the spying cameras, he soon reached the garage level.
Pressing the side button of his radio on his uniform, Michael Blem called out, “Unit two? The subject is leaving the garage in his vehicle. You should have a visual in a few seconds…”
“Yes, we see him,” responded a man’s voice.
“Please engage pursuit but keep your distance. We don’t want to arouse his suspicion.”
Leaving the garage in his blue 2021 Volvo Boog, Don was too preoccupied to notice the black 2023 Mercedes Sapphire SUV following, less than fifty meters behind. After passing through the guard’s gate, the blue Volvo veered south. Following from a safe distance, the black SUV’s crew started relaying its whereabouts to the security desk.
“Yes Sir, he just turned south.”
“So, he is not going home… OK. Don’t lose him!” replied Michael Blem.
“We need to find out where he is going, but we cannot let those documents leave his car,” said Lars Bruininck, addressing the security chief.
“I know Mr. Bruininck. Don’t worry, my guys have their instructions. They will not let that car out of their sight.”
In the black SUV, the passenger next to the driver was following the Volvo with a long-range zoom.
“Looks like he’s about to make a phone call on his cell.”
Having heard what the man had just said through the monitors in the security room, Lars asked, “Can we hear the conversation?”
“Sorry, Mr. Bruininck, we don’t have a tap on his cell, and we couldn’t bug the car in time,” replied Michael.
“What about tracing the call? Can we do that?”
“No, sorry, we don’t have the capability to do that either. Only the police or the AIVD can.”
“Darn! That’s OK. Let’s hope he takes us to his contact, then,” replied Lars.
Michael Blem got back on the radio, “Unit two, what’s your location now? Still on N227? Any change?”
“We just entered Doorn, sir. He is slowing down. Looks like he’s about to turn right at the next intersection… Yes, he just turned on Dorpsstraat, heading west. Looks like he… Wait. Now he’s turning left on a small side street. I think he’s about to park…”
A few seconds passed…
“Well? Where is he now?”
“He just parked. We kept going to make sure he wouldn’t spot us. We just made a U-turn a bit further down the road. We’re coming back now. I still see him. He’s still in his car and… He just got out. Hanz, park there. No, no, right there, so he won’t see us…” he added, talking to the driver of the SUV, while pointing at an empty spot in the parking lot.
“Unit two, did you say he left the car?”
“Sorry, sir, we’re parking. Yes, he’s walking now. I have him in sight. He just reached the back of the building. We are pursuing on foot.”
“Ok,” said Michael.
“Are we gonna lose them?” asked Lars to Michael.
“No, they have in-ear communicators. They should be able to stay in contact with us and relay what’s going on, as long as they don’t venture too far from their vehicle.”
A few seconds later…
“Huh… Mr. Blem? He just walked past the building where we parked. Now, it looks like he’s heading straight for the big church in the back.”
“A church? Why is he going to a church?” said Lars dumbfounded.
“I… I don’t know,” replied the security manager, just as surprised.
“Does he have the briefcase with him?” asked Sylvia Kaarzeev, who had just returned from getting herself a cup of tea.
“Yes, Ma’am!” replied one of the men in pursuit. “He just entered the church.”
“What is he doing in a church?” asked Sylvia completely taken back, staring at Lars.
“No idea!” he replied, shrugging.
A very soft whispering voice came through the monitors a few seconds later, “We’re inside. He is talking to a priest at the other end of the chamber. Wait… They just went through a small door in the back. What should we do?”