The other guard on János’s side had been looking in the back of the van, smiling at Remi. Tibor’s shout startled him, and then he heard a low growl, and saw the big shepherd start to bare his teeth, leaning toward the open window. The man jerked back, stepped to his post, and activated a circuit to make the gate swing inward.
János drove through the gate and kept going up the asphalt road, then made a turn beyond the first row of buildings so the van was out of sight of the two guards. He stopped and everyone got out. Remi and the big dog went first, János and Sam came next, while Tibor stood a little apart like a drill sergeant next to his marching platoon. As a group, they looked very formidable and professional. Sam’s care in being sure all wore pressed uniforms, identical sidearms, boots, utility belts, and caps was paying off. Remi also had a matching black shoulder bag. She gave Zoltán a biscuit, patted him hard, murmured a few words to him in Hungarian, then reached into her leather bag. She pulled out the scarf that Albrecht had lost in his lab and let the dog sniff it. Then she said, “Vadászat!” Hunt!
Zoltán began to sniff, moving back and forth across the paved area between the rows of buildings. He seemed to be at a loss at first, but then he moved on ahead, pulling Remi with him. She spoke to the dog in English as they went, her voice barely above a whisper. “Come on, you big boy. You’re going to use that big beautiful nose to find Albrecht.”
The rest of the group followed at a distance of just a couple yards, giving Remi and the dog space to move or double back, but Zoltán walked along at a slow, comfortable pace, holding his head up and turning from one side to the other, no more interested in one spot than another. Sam said, “Has he lost him?”
Remi said, “He’s got the scent in mind and now he’s hunting. We just have to let him search for another whiff of it.”
“Look up there,” said János. There was a low rectangular building at the edge of the compound farthest from the road. It had its own high chain-link fence around it with coiled razor wire on top. Inside that fence was a second one that had four strands of thinner, tightly strung wire.
Sam said, “It’s an electrified fence.” He pointed to a sign in Hungarian. “What does that say?”
“Danger. Contagious Disease Research Laboratory. No Unauthorized Personnel. Protective Suits Required at All Times. Gate Sets Off Alarm.”
“Do you think it’s real?” asked János. “If I kidnapped someone, I’d put him in a place like that.”
“Bring Zoltán,” Sam said. Remi brought the big dog close to the gate. He sniffed around dutifully and then moved on.
They kept going and then turned a corner, and, as they did, they came face-to-face with a pair of security guards dressed exactly as they were. The two men had AK-47 assault rifles slung over their shoulders. The one nearest to Sam lifted a flashlight to shine on their faces.