The Vampire Hunters (Book 2): Vampyrnomicon (37 page)

“Only you would order whiskey at a beer hall.”

“I’m ordering a beer.”

“Well, that’s a switch.”

“Whiskey doesn’t go well with fish and chips.” Drake leaned back and placed his arm on the back of Jessica’s chair. “I’ll have my bourbon back at the apartment when I have a cigar later.”

Jessica referred to the Brickskeller on 22 Street near Rock Creek Park, a favorite haunt of the Georgetown college crowds and any Washington connoisseur of good beer. Most patrons came here to select among the thousand-plus brands listed on the menu. Others enjoyed the atmosphere because the basement maze of low-ceilinged dining rooms, the walls of each adorned with empty beer bottles from most every brew known to man, reminded one of a cross between a Smithsonian Institute exhibit and a Munich beer garden. Drake chose this spot because he and Reese enjoyed good pub food, of which the Brickskeller had some of the best in Washington.

When the waitress came by to take their order, Drake ordered a German lager and Jessica ordered an Irish Guinness. He asked her to come back for their food order after their friend arrived. Once the waitress left, Jessica looked at her watch.

“What time was Reese supposed to meet us?”

“Nine.”

“It’s already a quarter past.”

“Not a problem. Reese sometimes gets so involved in his work he loses track of time. If he’s not here by nine thirty, we’ll go ahead and order dinner.”

The two chatted about nothing in particular for ten minutes before Drake saw Reese stick his head into the doorway, craning his neck to look around. Drake stood and waved. Catching site of his friend, Reese made his way across the room.

Drake and Jessica stood, the former holding out his hand. “Glad you could make it.”

Reese shook Drake’s hand, then Jessica’s. “Sorry I’m late.”

“I thought you might have gotten lucky.”

“I did.” Reese did not get Drake’s joke. As he sat down, he became animated. “I found the location of the
Vampyrnomicon
.”

“You know where it is?” asked Jessica.

“Not the exact location, but close enough.” Reese curbed his enthusiasm and tried to explain. “Ferrar wrote about Emilio Carius, the vampire he was interrogating. Carius had the
Vampyrnomicon
in his possession when taken by the Inquisition. Ferrar read it.”

“What’s in it?” asked Drake.

Reese shrugged. “Ferrar never said. He only mentioned that if the vampires got hold of the book, it could mean the end of humanity. If humans got hold of the book, they could use it to defeat the vampires once and for all.”

“Damn,” whispered Jessica under her breath.

“That’s an understatement.” He lowered his voice so no one else could hear. “So where’s the
Vampyrnomicon
now?”

“Ferrar sent the book to the east, but he didn’t say where. The only indication was a set of cryptic clues as to its whereabouts.”

“Can you figure them out?”

“In time, probably.” Reese slid out if his jacket. Turning around, he draped it over the back of his chair. “That’s why I’m late. When I finished at the Freer, I went to the National Library and did some research, but I didn’t come up with anything.”

“What’s next?” asked Jessica.

“I’m going back to the Freer tomorrow to take more detailed notes. Once I have everything I need, I can start my research in earnest, and hopefully figure out where that book is.”

The waitress showed up with Drake’s and Jessica’s drinks. She took the rest of the order and left.

Reese slapped the palms of his hands against his knees. “Now, is this food really as good as you claim?”

Sitting in his
Oldsmobile parked on 22 Street across from the Brickskeller, Akers adjusted the volume control on his listening device for the third time in as many minutes. The background noise nearly drowned out Drake and Jessica, making it difficult for him to hear their conversation. From what he could make out, though, they were not discussing anything important. Jessica’s editor, a rabbit, and some guy named Rodriguez. Oh, Christ. If he had to listen to much more of this dribble, he would ask Chiang Shih to tear out his throat. He leaned back against the headrest.

After ten minutes, another familiar voice joined the conversation. It belonged to that college professor. Great. Now he could listen to them debate the importance of beer in the Middle Ages.

“I found the location of the
Vampyrnomicon
.”

Akers sat upright in his seat. Jackpot.

“You know where it is?”

“Not the exact location, but close enough.”

Reaching into the glove compartment, Akers pulled out a pen and pad of paper, jotting down notes on what they discussed. After a few minutes, the conversation turned from the
Vampyrnomicon
to the merits of pub food. Akers looked at his notes. The professor had not provided much information, but he knew how to find the book. Chiang Shih would want to know this.

Taking out his cell phone, Akers flipped it open and dialed Walker’s number.

Walker answered his
cell phone. “Yes?”

“It’s me.”

“Be careful what you say.”

“I know,” said Akers. “Our friends have figured out how to find what they’re looking for.”

“Really?” The rise in Walker’s voice caught Chiang Shih’s attention. She looked over at him quizzically. He raised a hand to prevent her from asking. “Hang on. I’m putting you on speaker phone.”

Walker moved closer to Chiang Shih as he switched his cell phone over to speaker mode. He placed it on the table in front of her. “Please repeat that last comment.”

“Our friends have figured out how to find what they’re looking for.”

“How do you know this?” asked Chiang Shih.

“The information is in some memoirs in a book at the museum. It’s in the form of clues the professor says he can solve.”

“We need to get our hands on that book,” said Walker.

“We will,” assured Chiang Shih. “But we can’t overplay our hand. The book isn’t going anywhere, so we have time to form a plan.” To Akers. “You’ve done well. You’ll be properly rewarded.”

“Thank you, Mistress.”

Walker leaned forward and spoke into the phone. “Good job. I’ll be in touch.”

He ended the call, then turned his attention to Chiang Shih. “What now?”

“We need to find a way to get that book.”

“Maybe Akers can request admission to the library for research.”

“It would be easier, but he doesn’t have the credentials.”

“Damn.”

“Don’t worry,” said Chiang Shih. “We’ll brainstorm with the others once they get here.”

Akers closed the
cell phone and contemplated shutting down the listening device, but decided otherwise. It was still relatively early, and the hunters and the professor had only just begun dinner. He figured he would hang around and listen in for a while longer. With luck, he might collect something useful about their future plans.

The three friends
spent the next two hours dining, talking, and laughing, losing track of time. When the waitress brought their bill, Reese looked at his watch.

“It’s after eleven.”

Jessica looked at hers. “I’ll be useless at work tomorrow.”

“I guess brandy and cigars back at my place are out of the question, then?”

Jessica and Reese looked at him and both sarcastically replied, “Yeah.”

Reese reached for his wallet, but Drake stopped him. “My treat, remember?”

“No arguments here.”

As Drake counted out the money to pay the bill, Jessica took her coat from off of her chair and slid it on. She went to get Drake’s jacket and noticed the small object the size of a watch battery attached to his collar.

“What’s that on the collar of your jacket?”

Drake held it up to get a better look. He pried off the object and examined it closely. “I have no idea.”

“Let me see,” asked Reese. Drake handed it over. Reese placed it on his palm, looking at one side before flipping it over to look at the other. “It’s a listening device.”

“Who would have planted it?” asked Jessica. “The police?”

“The police wouldn’t be that sloppy about it.” Reese handed it back.

“So who?”

Drake had an unsettling feeling that he knew the answer. “The vampires.”

“Oh, fuck.” A look of fear crept into Jessica’s eyes. “What now?”

“First, we cut off their access.” Drake held the listening device over a glass half-filled with water. He leaned closer to be sure he was heard. “If it’s a war you bloodsuckers want, then bring it on.”

Drake dropped the listening device into the glass. He watched it sink to the bottom.

“Now we get Ferrar’s memoirs before they do.”

“I’ll do that first thing tomorrow morning,” said Reese.

“We go tonight.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to let me handle it in the morning?”

“They won’t be there tomorrow morning. Now that the vampires know we’re on to them, they’ll make their move tonight.”

“You can’t be certain of that,” argued Reese.

“Do you want to take the risk that they’ll get them before we do?”

Reese thought for a moment, then nodded his head in agreement.

“How are we going to get into the museum after hours?” asked Jessica.

“I don’t know. But I know someone who might.”

“Rodriguez?”

Drake nodded. He removed the SUV keys from his leather jacket and gave them to Jessica. “You drive.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the office. I’m going to call the others and have them meet us there.”

Akers dosed off
twice during the monotonously inane conversation. He breathed a sigh of relief when he overheard them haggling over who would pay. Shifting his seat back into the upright position, he started the Oldsmobile. With luck, in a few hours he would be home in bed and sound asleep.

“What’s that on the collar of your jacket?”

Fuck. Akers listened with growing concern as Drake found the device. He had not anticipated this, though he should have. Don’t panic, he warned himself. Maybe they won’t figure out what it is, or who planted it.

“If it’s a war you bloodsuckers want, then bring it on.”

Shit. Shifting into DRIVE, Akers pulled away from the curb as fast as possible. Once he cleared the Brickskeller, he flipped open the cell phone and dialed Walker’s number again.

“Yes?” asked Walker.

“The hunters found the listening device,” Akers rambled. “They know we planted it. They’re on to us.”

“Calm down. I’m putting you on speaker.” Walker placed the cell phone on speaker mode and set it down on the table in front of Chiang Shih. “Start over. Slowly.”

“The hunter found the listening device I placed on his jacket. They know we planted it. I’m sorry. I failed you.”

“No need to apologize,” said Chiang Shih. “They were bound to discover it sooner or later.”

“What do we do now?” asked Walker.

“We get that book from the museum.”

“Tonight?”

Chiang Shih nodded. “If we don’t steal it tonight, the professor will tomorrow.”

“How do you plan on doing this?”

“Trust me.” Chiang Shih leaned toward the phone. “Are you still there?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I need you to steel a van. A commercial one without windows. Meet me here in two hours. Can you do that?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. But aren’t you concerned about my bringing a stolen vehicle to your apartment building?”

“An unavoidable risk. See you in two hours.” Chiang Shih broke the connection and turned to Walker. “As the others arrive, send them back to prepare their covens. Akers will be picking them up in a few hours.”

“Where are we going?”

“To get that book from the museum.”

J
im had been
working late on the holy water-laced tear gas when he received the call from Drake stating they were all to meet at the office. Drake did not go into details on the phone. He did not have to. The call could only mean that an emergency hunt was on, so Jim prepared their weapons. By the time Drake and the others arrived, he had laid out their arsenal on the work bench.

Alison had turned
in early for the night when the ringing phone interrupted her sleep. Once over the initial stupor of having been wakened, she got dressed and headed for the office, arriving thirty minutes after Drake, Jessica, and Reese.

The last to
be called, Rodriguez and his family were on their way home from visiting friends in Ballston just across the Potomac in Virginia. Hanging up his cell phone, he concocted a story for his wife about being called in to fill a shift for a fellow cop who called in sick with the flu, suddenly thankful that he had decided not to tell his spouse about his change of vocation. After dropping off his wife and daughter at their home in Georgetown, he backtracked to the office, following Alison’s arrival by five minutes.

Once everyone had
gathered, Drake briefed them on how the vampires had bugged him and now knew the location of Ferrar’s memoirs. Since the undead would do anything to get their hands on them, the hunters were going to break into the Freer Gallery and steal them first. Drake could tell by the worried faces around the workbench that no one was pleased with the prospects of tonight’s raid. He knew they were worried about running into vampires. Drake’s concern centered on breaking into the museum because the security system would go off the moment they set foot inside the building, which would bring half the D.C. police down on their heads. He needed to prevent that at all costs.