The downpour eased after a half-hour, but it remained overcast, a few stars flickering dimly in a futile attempt to brighten the night sky. Charlotte waited until well after midnight before moving cautiously along the seaward side of the embankment, following it north for another hundred yards. She then clawed her way to the top of the sea-wall, crouching down to peer out over the opposite edge. Almost directly ahead lay the Management Centre, a scattering of lights brightening its dirty-brown walls.
Most of the interior was in darkness, with just one room in the accommodation block showing a subdued glimmer from behind the half-open window-blind. More light spilled out from the computer centre on the top floor, security lights stationed above the storeroom and each of the side doors barely managing to beat back the darkness for more than a few yards.
Charlotte slipped her binoculars from the back-pack and slowly scanned across the buildings from left to right, using the various light sources to search out some weakness, or indeed anything out of the ordinary. The doors were coded entry, the windows double-glazed with restricted openings. Charlotte wasn’t expecting to break in, she was just hoping there would be something that would help her cause – even evidence that Anderson was actually there would be a start.
The Last of the Mohicans – could Anderson be implying his room was the last one in the block? Silly though it seemed, Charlotte warmed to the idea. From Erdenheim’s original building plans and Anderson’s many photos, she knew there were just five security cameras and a similar number of motion-sensor lights. Presumably any more might draw attention to Erdenheim’s desire for security, or maybe five was enough considering the Management Centre had twenty-four hour occupancy. In any event, twenty minutes research on the internet had provided Charlotte with enough knowledge to work out a relatively safe approach; all it took were the low-tech aids of school protractor, ruler and pen. Assuming the cameras were high quality with dual day and night operation, at best they would have a hundred degree viewing angle and a night-time range of sixty metres. That would leave various blind spots, as long as she kept well away from the main entrance and both side doors.
Decision made, Charlotte crept across the sea-wall, slithering her way down the embankment and into a stinking mud-filled ditch. Whilst mud was supposedly good for her complexion and she couldn’t get much wetter, it was still a disgusting experience. Some of the mud managed to find its way into her mouth, and greasy sewage seemed a fitting description for the taste. Other than that, it was all quite exciting, almost a childhood game of hide-and-seek combined with a mud fight; surprisingly the muddy mix of black silt and water wasn’t that cold – chilly but hardly freezing.
There was still time to turn back, home to a hot bath and cosy bed. Charlotte savoured the thought then reluctantly put it to one side, focusing instead on what to do next. Her chosen blind-spot meant she would need to take a diagonal route to the north-eastern edge, well away from where the lone room-light shone.
The fence was easy enough, Charlotte more concerned by the amount of noise she seemed to be making, yet she was still far enough away for it not to be a problem. The final stretch became a painstaking shuffle, any faster and her mud-covered shoes insisted on slapping loudly down onto the grass. Pausing to catch her breath, she crouched midway between fence and eastern wall, and for the first time she realised she was shaking. Whether it was cold or fear wasn’t obvious, but it didn’t help her confidence. Yet, so far, everything was going as planned, with no suggestion Erdenheim was aware of her presence.
It was then she heard what sounded like a muffled explosion; Charlotte stood stock-still, seconds later she was battered by the ear-splitting screech of an alarm...