Monster by Bernard L. DeLeo Read Free Book Online

“They’ll pick up the body later on in the day. You should never have volunteered for this if you had the intention of murdering Hughes. I’m sorry our transmission was picked up.”
    “I’m still getting paid for this, right?”
    “Just as promised,” Dreyer answered. “I know better than to break a deal with you.”
    “Good.” McDaniels leaned back with his hands behind his head.
    * * *
    McDaniels, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, ducked slightly through the doorway. The guard trailing him indicated the seat at the small conference table opposite the three people sitting on the other side. Agent Reskova, AD Dreyer, and a very well dressed man in his late thirties waited for Colonel McDaniels to sit down. Before either of the FBI agents could speak, the man with them stood up quickly and grasped McDaniels’ handcuffed hands in both of his across the table.
    “Colonel, I’m Frank Hokanson. Thank you for saving my niece. I’m sorry for this delay in getting to see you. The legal team I hired for you had a bit of difficulty with the DA in this place. Guard, take the Colonel’s cuffs off please.”
    “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Sir,” the guard replied. “We had to put McDaniels in solitary confinement after his participation in an altercation with other inmates. He nearly killed three men.”
    “Shit, Colonel!” Dreyer exclaimed. “You’ve been in here less than two weeks.”
    “This isn’t the Hilton Hotel, Jim,” McDaniels said, waving off the guard and sitting down. “Nice meeting you, Senator. I’m very glad to have been of help to the little one. I trust she is feeling better?”
    “She sure is. There’s no way in hell you should have ever been put in here. If this… I mean if Agent Reskova had restrained from broadcasting the circumstances of Alicia’s rescue for the eight o’clock news, we’d be having ticker tape parades for you. You’ve impressed a lot of people in places where they don’t think much about the rights of maniacal child murderers.”
    “I appreciate your support, Sir, but I knew my actions would have consequences,” McDaniels replied, smiling at a scowling Reskova. “When will I be charged?”
    “Never. You would not believe the public outcry over your detainment. In spite of newscasters and reporters trying to make you into Charlie Manson, the people want you canonized. You’ve even been given a nickname after the interview you gave. Look at this.”
    Hokanson spread out a newspaper with the headline: DA To Release Cold Mountain .
    McDaniels read a little of the article. “Cold Mountain, huh? The DA is really going to release me?”
    “The papers should be ready by tomorrow morning,” Dreyer put in at Hokanson’s nod. “Luckily, you were never formally charged.”
    “Not that I’m ungrateful but how come three of you came over to give me the news?”
    “As you may or may not know,” Hokanson went on with some excitement, “Agent Reskova heads up a task force, which investigates crimes committed by serial monsters like Hughes. They are under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security so they also work at the anti-terrorism angle frequently.”
    “We’d like you to consider joining up with the task force, Colonel,” Dreyer finished.
    “From prison to the FBI special task force?” McDaniels chuckled. “How do you feel about that Agent Reskova?”
    “It stinks.” Reskova ignored Dreyer’s warning look. “You are arguably as psycho as…”
    “That will be all, Agent Reskova,” Hokanson cut her off angrily. “Will you consider it, Colonel? We know you served with CIA anti-terrorism and you’re an expert tactician in hostage or urban warfare situations.”
    “What leeway would I have within the taskforce?”
    “You would be a freelance consultant,” Dreyer answered. “We would of course expect you to keep the head count down in your work.”
    “That’s not funny, Jim,” Reskova snapped as both Hokanson and McDaniels laughed a