Wednesday
July 31^st 1996
0800

Bond sat stewing in his room, all night he had thought of Holly. It had only subsided when he had started to read the Gideon Bible he had found in top drawer of the bedside cabinet. He had tried to contact Holly on her mobile phone but there had been no reply, which had only made it worse.

He knew most of the bible of by heart, as a child his father made him read it. Not being a religious person, Bond found comfort within the words, choosing to treat its various authors as visionaries. He knew there was a greater being watching and waiting for them, that he still believed, but religion itself was diluting over centuries and was losing its potency. A means for kings to rule, the holy leaders to strike fear in their flock and an excuse for governments to wage war.

His father, a devout Christian priest shunned his views and it was never discussed. His strict church up bringing of his son only fuelling the denial for what he held most dearly. Bond spent many nights in the coalbunker, with a single candle and a bible. It was his fathers way of making him read the ‘Lords Word’, he never felt close to his father until he moved to Washington but he knew he was never alone.

Disturbed from his thoughts Bond was vaguely aware of his telephone ringing. He reached across the bed and answered.

‘We’re going to make our way back down today, unless you want us to stay here.’ It was Mac, unconsciously rubbing salt in Bond’s open wounds.

‘Ok, no there’s nothing else so far.’ He wanted to know what had happened the previous evening but did not really want to know.

‘I think the extra room fooled them, I’ve been out and checked for tails this morning and all seems clear.’ He said confidently.

‘Yeah, I told you about it last night, we paid for an extra room last night to share. So if the tails tried anything they would raid our individual rooms instead of the room we were in’ Bond’s world fell back into place. Anger had shortened his sight.

‘Err right,’ rapidly wanting to change the subject of the conversation. ‘Did you find anything in the autopsies?’

‘Yes, the bodies are completely devoid of blood. It seems the blood was extracted through several small puncture wounds, probably needles.’ Mac paused. ‘But the needles would have had to go through bone as well from their positioning.’ He sounded uncertain of his last remark. ‘The toxicology report is still to come in, but that can be sent to us.’

‘We’ve got various leads to follow up on, call us when you’re both back.’ Relieved Bond got ready for the day ahead, they still had little to go on.