Being constantly observed and spied upon can be debilitating and frustrating and also makes you feel unstable and unsure of anything.
You can go slowly mad like the religious fanatic who imagines the devil hiding in every doorway.
It can make you mistrust your friends, or worse, if the spy's objective is to discredit you, he can sow misinformation that can produce a rift in even longtime friendships, especially if your friend believes you've done something to slander their reputation.
Sometimes, when it's an indirect attack like that, it will result in your doing damage control.
The goal is to distract you from the prize.
All these things were going through my mind as I lay in bed in the grey morning light, hearing the sparrows' protests outside my window at the cold autumn rain.
Despite the fact Mer and I spent a peaceful night relaxing before the fire, I couldn't escape the feeling everything was looking gloomy.
Maybe it was my natural melancholic pessimism that wouldn't let me rejoice in a victory because I knew how difficult the road was ahead.
Pollock infiltrated the police and left us in a quandary wondering who was loyal and whom could we trust, or did we have to suspect everybody?
At this point I was honestly overwhelmed by the enormity of the task before me. We had no witnesses, no informant and at the moment, a compromised security detail.
Lovely, just lovely, I mused cynically.
The landline rang and I hastily answered knowing it would be Martin Withers wanting to give an update.
I didn't want Mer wakened because I knew she was struggling with the same questions and needed a good sleep.
I needn't have worried because she appeared in the doorway, showered and dressed, so I put Martin on speakerphone so she could hear and join the conference. call if she wanted.
"Good morning, Logan and Mer," Martin began, "The RCMP did a complete internal investigation and uncovered a small cadre of officers who had been compromised by Pollock and who are now suspended without pay and facing severe criminal charges."
"Are they sure they located all the crooked cops?" I asked.
"They were able to confirm with certainty that there were only a few rogue officers with limited access to tech resources and now the leak had been contained. We'll continue your protective detail from our end and re-assess the situation as we go. "
"I really appreciate what you've done, Martin and the sciff you provided gives us an added measure of security."
We'll touch base frequently and in the meantime if you need anything call the emergency number I gave you."
"That's a relief," Mer sighed, "I'm glad they were able to catch these perps so quickly."
"I think we should split up today―I'll try to work my sources to see if anyone can give me a name of an insider willing to talk and you can do the same on your end. Why don't we meet at Milestones for supper at six pm and compare notes?"
"Sounds like a plan, " she smiled. "In the meanwhile, you should get dressed―breakfast is almost ready."
"You mean you've been up that long?"
"Of course," she teased, "I was letting you sleep."
I just shook my head marvelling at her strength.
