Shaman - the Awakening Read Online Free PDF Page B

which was restricted to compensation for per diem and expenses. I grabbed two packets of strawberry Pop Tarts and a bottle of Starbucks Cappuccino from the fridge, and departed for Quantico, VA. I arrived in Quantico with little time to spare. Everyone else was already in the conference room, waiting for the briefing.
    “Merry Christmas, everyone,” I said as I entered, and everyone responded in kind. There was coffee and Danishes in the conference room which everyone was partaking in. I smiled at Dianna and she smiled back.
    “Hello,” I said, grinning as I sat across from her at the conference table. She was looking as pretty as when I left her earlier that morning.
    I sat down next to Amber. Paul, who was usually Amber's partner, sat on the other side of her, and Max was next to Dianna across the table. We were waiting for Steve to arrive, so we exchanged chit-chat.
    “So, what did you get for Christmas, Amber?” Max inquired.
    “What Christmas? We scaled down this year and just made it more a religious gathering, like it was supposed to be.”
    “Wow, Mrs. Scrooge; you didn't get anything for your son?” Max demanded.
    “You asked me what I got for Christmas. He made out like a bandit,” she replied.
    Amber was extremely funny and cynical. A recent divorcée with one son, she had moved her mother in to live with her.
    Paul was on his cell phone, texting his wife and kids. Paul was from a big family and had 5 little ones of his own. Max was a bachelor with a lot of female friends. Most of Max's family lived in New Orleans, so he probably spent Christmas the same way Dianna and I did.
    Just as I ran out of people to entertain myself by regarding, Steve finally entered the conference area.
    “Good morning everyone, and happy holidays. I'm sorry to call you in on Christmas morning, but duty calls. The bad guys never take a break, so neither do we,” Steve stated as he walked to the front of the room and began briefing us on our new case.
    “Thus far, the local Bureau has had several abductions and no bodies. There is no certainty whether the victims are still alive, but we can hope for the best. The locals are calling the subject the Night Stalker,” Steve stated before being interrupted.
    “You mean like the old television show?” Paul inquired.
    “Yes; they are all women, and they are believed to have been abducted at night. We believe the subject is counting down in sequence, in reference to the dates he's abducting the victims,” Steve replied.
    “The first abductee was taken on September 5, the second on October 5, the third on November 3 and the fourth on December 3. The pattern is 5, 5, 3, 3 and the locals believe the next projected date will be January 1 and then February 1, if we can't stop him. We're not certain why he or she is counting down this way or what the sub is counting down towards. This is all we have to go on for now. We will work towards constructing our own profiles once we land in New Mexico. Any questions thus far?” Steve inquired, but no one responded, so he continued.
    “Paul and Amber will look into the victims' backgrounds and scrutinize the local police department's files. Check to see if we can find any connections that might have been missed. Max and I will visit the victims' families, friends and persons who were in contact with them. Chris and Dianna will visit the victims' residences and places of work, so Chris can do his thing,” he said, referring to when I conduct dreamscape.
    I hadn't been able to keep my eyes off Dianna during the entire meeting. At first I thought I was making her uncomfortable, until I saw her smile and fling her hair. I think Amber and Steve noticed it, but then again, I was in a room filled with expert profilers. It wouldn't be long before they discovered our secret.
    “We have six days before the first of the year, which is the next projected abduction date. At the latest, we have until nightfall on the 1 st . Are there any preliminary