Page 75
He sensed it, heard it...
I sped up.
The paranoid Julie in me made me turn around again, but the glass elevator had already closed and was on its way down.
I didn't know if I had just overreacted, but I knew I couldn't trust anyone here. Not the dozens of scientists walking through the sterile modern corridors in white coats, about whom no information could be found on the internet. And neither this man.
Suspenseful Mystery Investigation
RealTunesStudio
I might have managed to maintain my emotionally controlled, calculated facade at Vanderwood, but the moment I stepped into the spacious laboratory, that facade began to crumble mercilessly, threatening to expose my vulnerability.
The uninformed Julie of a month ago would have surveyed her surroundings suspiciously, marveling at all the latest technology that equipped the DLSC from the inside. She would have walked through the lab in fascination, trying to memorize every detail.
Bright LED lighting with color temperature adjustment for an optimal working environment. Glass walls with smart OLED display integration showing real-time data and analyses. Ergonomic desks with motorized height adjustment. Wireless charging stations that used induction technology, while holographic projections, which – as far as I could tell – were mainly used for meetings, were mounted on the huge round center table that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Added to this were acoustic ceiling panels with active noise channeling, and intelligent IoT devices, including edge computing servers and sensor arrays, which were linked wirelessly and enabled data-driven decisions. Not to mention the VR station for simulation processes with already recorded data.
The old Julie would have been itching to get started if she had seen all the possibilities and opportunities that this internship would ultimately give her. But the Julie of today knew she had bigger problems.
Frozen in place, I stared past David – who was already wearing his lab coat and carrying fragile-looking glass boxes to one of the countless glass tables – further, past the tables with microscopes, to the man who propped himself on one of the lab tables with his veiny hands.
I swallowed.
Quick Musical Doodles
Two Feet
He wore a white lab coat over a light blue shirt, for once without a vest, but with gray chinos.
One hand rested on the tabletop, while the middle and index fingers of the other hand wandered over a sheet of paper covered with tables and scribbles.
He stared at the sheet with furrowed brows, his jaw working. Not like when he was glaring at me after I criticized him in front of the whole class, but differently, more rhythmically.
Two champagne-blond strands fell across his forehead, giving him a handsome appearance. Added to this were his black-rimmed glasses.
According to Grace, glasses made me look like a ferret, but this man's well-defined face was made for those glasses.
As I examined his prominent Adam's apple and light stubble, a slight tugging sensation travelled through my stomach.
How could someone so insufferable look so good? In a lab coat... and glasses...
Damn it, Julie, this isn't just any man. This is Erik!
He leaned forward, picked up a pen, and began to write something before biting his lower lip. After a few seconds, he pressed his lips together and stared intently at a second sheet of paper.
The pleasant tingling in my stomach intensified.
You slept with him. With this man...
He straightened up and walked past the table to one of the high-tech shelves, held the ID card on his breast pocket against a glass scanner, and, with a soft beep, the glass cabinet opened, revealing a rack holding sealed test tubes filled with dark red liquid.
He grabbed three of the test tubes and went back to the table, where he placed them in little holders and picked up a clipboard.
With a quick motion, he brought his thumb and index finger to his lips and... moistened them.
The tingling in my stomach grew stronger and moved down to my lower abdomen.
The last time I had seen him doing that that had been shortly after he had pulled his fingers out of me.
