The Blood Detail (Vigil) by Arvin Loudermilk Read Free Book Online Page B

trying to win me over, and he kind of had.
    “This question may seem strange,” I said. “But are you aware of who I really am?”
    “Yes. You are Grant McMartin’s long-lost daughter. Special Agent Parker informed me of this fact a few hours ago. I was just scanning through a few of your father’s many public exploits. My condolences on your loss, by the way.”
    “Thank you. But right now I’m more concerned about what the FBI thinks about my presence on this case. Before I came west, I was definitely persona non grata with my father and his minions.”
    Castellano leaned forward so nonchalantly, his limbs could have been made of rubber. “I personally I have heard no objection to your participation,” he said. “And I wouldn’t give a damn if I had. This is my team, and I pick my own players.”
    I could tell he believed what he was saying, but you cannot give the Feds an inch. And after accepting the building we were in, and whatever other fancy toys they’d provided, the Captain had already given up quite a bit.
    “One last thing,” I said. “If my assistance is significant in any way, I’d like to be kept on here full time.”
    “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Castellano said, tapping his finger energetically. “So, does that mean you’re in?”
    I could feel the pain in my wrist flare up, but that wasn’t about to stop me. “You bet. I’m most definitely in.”

Alone
    I spent the rest of the day sleeping on a couch.
    I awoke sometime after five. Douglass was shaking me, gibbering on and on about how we needed to get our butts into gear before the sun went down. Forgoing the impulse to slap the shit out of him, I sat up, scratched the skin beneath my bra strap, and yawned.
    “The van is waiting,” he said before helping me to my feet and escorting me out of whatever office I had been stashed into.
    I knew exactly where we were headed, but I didn’t see the point. Jessup had already tried to get inside my condo, and he was stopped by the presence of the Detail’s goon squad. Even a dimwitted brute like him could figure out it was too risky to come back when there was a possibility someone would still be standing guard. But Castellano and company insisted. There was a process they went through on these things, and one of the first steps was to lull the subject into a feeling of self-satisfiedness, whatever that means. I’d have thought just catching the freak was the most important thing, but apparently I was wrong. For a group like the Detail, secrecy was priority number one—first, last, and always.
    While I was sleeping, a tech team had been busy transforming my home. Cameras and other devious forms of surveillance equipment had been situated in nearly every conceivable location. I didn’t learn about any of it until I was in the van, seconds from being let out, in the midst of Douglass’ final spiel. He was pummeling me with instruction after instruction, reminding me of everything that needed to be taken into account over the course of the evening. The Detail itself was remaining close by. They’d appropriated the buildings on both sides of me, and two more at the front and back gates. Once I went inside, I was to go about my normal activities, as if nothing else was going on. A secondary phone system had been installed in the kitchen and in my bedroom. Douglass said I’d recognize the devices right away—they were both red and placed next to my generic store-bought phones. If I needed to contact anyone in ‘our group’, I was to use that line. Someone would always be on the other end for me. If there were any suspicious noises, I was to call in at once, no hesitations. According to Douglass, there was no such thing as a mistake or a false hit. I let him simmer for a moment after he was done, staring at him blankly to let him know his Mr. Cool act had no effect on me whatsoever.
    “May I get out now,” I said, pushing him aside with the back of my bandaged hand.
    “Do you