The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 2: Cold Wars (The Stein & Candle Detective Agency #2) by Michael Panush

Author:Michael Panush [Panush, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Vampires, demons, Urban Fantasy, werewolves, gritty, nazis, Detective, paranormal
ISBN: 9781620070321
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Published: 2012-06-24T06:00:00+00:00

After a little driving we reached the all-night diner. The joint was empty, except for a fat man in a stained apron at the counter. He gave us a dirty look until I ordered a coffee for me and Doc Dearborn, and then he slapped down the mugs on our table in the back. I took a sip and it tasted like mud. I let it rest on the table and thicken, and then looked up at Dearborn. He smiled.

“I’m gonna tell you the whole damn story,” I said, reaching for a cigarette. I noticed Weatherby was staring at Evelyn Dearborn. Whenever she looked back at him, he busied himself with staring at the napkins and his face went red. “It’s crazy, but I’m guessing you’ve seen your share of crazy things, Doc. So I’ll bump gums and you’ll listen.”

I told him about Don Vizzini giving us the case, and our initial search. I told him about the sixth floor, with the set of enchanted scales, and the pit, and the bloody sacrifice of a child’s heart that kept it all working. Doc Dearborn nodded as he listened, an ivory pipe smoking in one of his weathered hands. Evelyn was just as interested, and when I finished, she was the first to speak.

“I believe we know the identity of Mr. Caduceus,” she said. “He’s Nepher-Ka, a heretical minor pharaoh from the Middle Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt.” She talked like he was reciting her times tables. “Nepher-Ka came to power under suspicious circumstances, murdering the previous pharaoh with a squad of trained and vicious baboons. Once he came to power, he abolished worship of the old gods and declared that everyone follow Apep.”

“The Primal God of Chaos and Darkness,” Weatherby whispered. “Often depicted as a serpent.”

“Exactly,” Evelyn agreed, giving Weatherby a small smile. “You know your stuff.”

“He’s a Stein, my jewel,” Dearborn said. “The last male of his line. They know quite a bit of these matters.” He puffed his ivory pipe. “Please continue.”

“Well, Nepher-Ka’s reign ended in bloodshed. The royal guards turned against him and killed him. But he had time to work dark enchantments, promising that life would be returned to him if his sarcophagus was ever breached. And about a month ago, in a traveling museum and sideshow in Reno, that very thing happened. My father and I attempted to stop it, but the owner ignored us. Nepher-Ka emerged, sucked out the lives of several people and escaped. And now he’s working here.”

I nodded. It all made sense – given how nuts everything else was. “You daughter knows the score,” I told Doc Dearborn.

“She does indeed, sir. My daughter exceeds myself in knowledge and adventuring ability. After the death of her dear mother, I decided to raise her myself, so she might learn by my side, as we ventured across the world. She has proven invaluable.”

“Oh Daddy,” Evelyn said, with an embarrassed shake of her head.

Weatherby considered the information. “So, now Nepher-Ka – aka Nestor Caduceus—is using

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