The Devil's Dream: A Nightmare by David Beers Page A

started.
    “Really? Seemed like you did to me,” Art broke in, both of them walking down the hall leading away from Gyle James’ office.
    “I mean, I didn’t want to say anything bad about his plan. That can’t really be what we’re considering doing, is it? Bringing everyone in the FBI to Boston and having them, do what, look around for a black guy driving a white van?”
    Art laughed. “What do you think we should do? We need people here and we need to start looking. As leads turn up, we’re going to follow them and adjust our plans.”
    “Brand needs fifty-one bodies. That’s a lot. Last time he wanted four and look at the mess he made. Fifty-one? He can’t get them the same way he did last time. He’s not going to be able to keep this crucifixion thing up much longer either. He has to know that. He made his point, that he’s serious about us telling the world, but he won’t have the time to continue this, and after this morning, he won’t be able to drive an inch into Boston without someone recognizing him. The crucifixion thing is done, so what other leads are we going to be looking for?”
    Art stopped and turned to Jake. “I’m not going to pull the ‘how many years have you been doing this’ card, but if you’re going to shit on what the FBI Director just told us to do, have something better to put in its place.”
    “All I’m saying is, finding that many bodies is going to be hard. Especially if you’re taking them from the general population. He won’t be able to fly across the country and grab them one by one. He won’t be able to take them from families like he did last time, because it’s too many and we’ll find out too fast. He’s going to have to look outside of the general population, and the easiest way to do that is to take the homeless. No one misses them. No one knows they exist until they’re asking for money. That’s where we need to be looking. The crucifix stuff is over, and he’s going to start pulling large amounts of people soon.”

    * * *
    A rt both loved and hated DC. He hated it because of the people that lived here. The vast majority of a liberal breed so pure that Art was shocked they hadn’t created laws to kick out anyone who even hinted at conservative thoughts. Not that Art was a huge conservative, just that he really wasn’t a fan of liberals. He lived amongst them because he had to, because his position at the FBI demanded he live in DC, and he made it a strict rule to never discuss politics with anyone within a hundred miles of the city. Once he got outside of a hundred miles, he’d begin discussing whatever was popular on the news, and his own ideology after a few drinks.
    He loved DC too, though. One reason was the ability to step outside of almost any building, walk three blocks in any direction, and find a Catholic church. The good Catholics had decided to populate the nation’s capital with buildings, and that was fine by Art. He had his church that he went to each week, but getting over to St. Gregory’s during the middle of the day, like right now, wasn’t going to happen.
    Still, he needed some time to be alone with God, to think, to pray. He could always do that in his office, but interruptions happened there. Prayer wasn’t as respected as much as Art would have liked, and right now, he didn’t want any interruptions. He briefed Jake on who Jake would need to begin speaking with, allowed him use of his office, and told Jake that he would be back in a little bit. Art didn’t mind working twenty-four hours a day if needed, as long as he could take time to pray when it struck him.
    Art was glad he brought Jake to D.C. That insight into the homeless alone was something Art might not have seen. Someone else may have, and it could have risen up through the line, but not this quickly. Jake made it so that on day one, they would have the ability to watch the homeless shelters, to know who was coming up missing.
    “I have blind spots. I’m