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Back Blood in the Water
Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

Diamond realized that Joe was serious, and despite the kindness in his voice, she had little doubt that he would use whatever force necessary to keep her there. His determination and the apparent depth of her father’s concern for her heightened her anxiety about what Cormack and Buddy were mixed up in. “But I don’t have a choice,” she stressed. “I have to see my doctor.”

“A doctor?” Joe looked concerned at that. “Are you OK? Are you sick?”

“I’m not sick,” she said. “Not exactly.”

“I don’t understand.”

She sighed. “It’s a woman issue,” she said, drawing her shoulders up and crossing her arms. He was silent for a moment. “It’s just—”

He held up his hands, mortified at the prospect of getting any more detail. “That’s OK,” he said quickly. “That’s your business. I’m just not sure what to do. Cormack was real specific.”

“I’ll come right back after the appointment,” Diamond said. “You could even drive me there and back.” She could feel that the bleeding had not stopped, and she was growing more and more concerned. She could hear fear growing in her voice, and suspected Joe could hear it, too.

“How far?” he asked.

“Five minutes,” she said. “It’s over by UMass.”

Joe was rubbing his chin. “How long will the appointment take?”

“Not too long, I hope,” Diamond responded.

“OK,” he said at last. “But I’m driving you, and we’re just going there and back. OK?”

Diamond nodded. “Thank you.” It was so odd. He was essentially keeping her hostage, and yet she felt a strong sense of gratitude toward him at that moment.

He shook his head as he stood up. “Don’t tell Cormack, all right? He’d kill me if he found out I let you out of the house.”

As she followed him out toward the car, she wondered how literally Joe meant that.

Kit was back at FMC Devens, staring at the screen that showed Vincente Carpio in his cell. She was trying to decipher some of the tattoos that covered his face and head. There were skulls, all of different sizes. They reminded her of the piles of skulls she’d seen in pictures from the aftermath of the Holocaust. There were other images as well, though. Just over his left ear, there was an American flag flying upside down, being carried by a skeleton with a military helmet on it. Over his right ear, there was an altar covered in flames. And on the top of his bald head, there was an image of what appeared to be an angel. Her wings were spread wide, her hair flowing. She was beautiful, except that where her face should have been, there was nothing but a black space ringed with blood.