The Darkness Of Healing // Ruel // English

Chapter 51

I try to remember the directions correctly when I look at the many buttons in the elevator. I was helped further by the woman behind the counter, in the huge building where the AFP has their office, but she didn't have time to walk with me. If I remember correctly it was the eighth floor and then straight ahead into the hallway until someone addresses me. I don't think it's welcomed if I'm just walking through the building looking for someone who doesn't even know what time I'm coming. Those colleagues probably have no idea either.

My eyes wander to myself in the mirror. I can see in myself that I'm nervous even though I don't want to admit it to myself. My eyes are wide, my muscles tense. My hands are clenched like a fist, holding all that emotion.

While the doors of the elevator finally open again, I take a deep breath. Just chin up, chest out and walk like they have to sweep the floor for me.

It didn't take long for someone to see me as an unknown intruder. Everyone here seems to be wearing a suit, even the women. I have to admit, it looks good. I would only go crazy from that tie constantly around my neck.

"Hi how can I help you?" The muscular man asks when he walks up to me. He will be around his late twenties. A bachelor anyway because of the way he pronounces the words so charmingly.

Yasmine: "I'm looking for Agent Rubenfield."

Lucas Rubenfield to be exact.

Before the man, who hasn't even introduced himself yet, accompanies me to the man I'm looking for, he first takes out his phone to call Lucas. It is answered almost immediately. I expect that he will be called quite often, especially if he is not in the office. Here someone can still walk into his office to say something.

I try not to eavesdrop on the conversation, even though it's partly about me. I can barely hear what is being said on the other end of the line.

When the man takes me to the right I assume we have permission to come over. The many office spaces have a wall of glass on the corridor side so that a lot of light enters the building, in the middle there is a thick strip with a blurry foil sticker so that we cannot look inside by everyone. I can tell from the outside that Lucas's office is larger than the rest of his colleagues, probably because he has a slightly higher position than the rest.

Which throws me off track a bit is that the man who took me to the AFP agent's office first stops at the coffee machine across the hallway. He fills the mug with pure black coffee only, which he then presses into my hands.  Kind enough to turn the side of the ear towards me so I wouldn't burn my hands.

The man knocks on the door for me before pushing it open, not waiting for an answer from the boss who runs the team here.

Nervous but as professional as possible I walk into the office. At the desk is the man I was looking for. Fully dressed in suit like the rest, his gun quietly beside him on the desk. Rubenfield closes the folder of evidence of his case, hidden from my view, stands and extends a hand to me to shake. I quickly exchange the mug in my hand and accept his hand.

Lucas: "You must be Yasmine Gray, don't you?"

This is clearly a scarier encounter that I expected.

Yasmine: "Yes... How do you know?" I ask, suppressing the surprise in my voice.

Lucas: "I have to give you the confidence that our team will succeed in solving your case," Rubenfield laughs. "Please sit down." He directs me, his hand gestures to the chair on the other side of the large desk.

I raise the mug in my hand to indicate that I brought his coffee.

Luke: "Thanks." he replies as he takes the mug from me. "Please save your eyes by not looking around the room. There are a bit, yes, horrifying pictures." There is a smile on his face. This is truly a man married to his job.