The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 2: Cold Wars (The Stein & Candle Detective Agency #2) (31 page)

Clearly, the Twister is serving out some premium stuff, and it’s no wonder that everyone’s clamoring for a taste.

Doctor Twist answered a question about the Panacea with his usual mysterious good humor.
“The secret ingredient, my dear?”
he replied to this reporter at an exclusive jazz performance in Harlem.
“Grave dust and powdered bones.”
Whatever his secret is, Doctor Twist’s fame and fortune are certainly on the rise.

Dig this, cool kids – the Twister is one cat you do want crossing your path.

I finished reading the article for the second time and then I stood up, reaching into my coat to feel the cold reassuring handles of my automatics. Weatherby grabbed my arm. “Where are you going, Mort?”

“Greenwich Village. To kill Wagner Stein.”

“No, Mort! You can’t do that! That’s precisely what he wants.” Weatherby sighed and pointed to the picture. “He’s become a cultural figure of these decadents, getting well-known and drawing people around him, just like I thought he would. We can’t get away with just gunning down such a well-known figure. We must wait, bide our time, and take him down without the public realizing the truth.”

I thought about Weatherby’s words. I didn’t like them one bit, but that didn’t stop him from being absolutely right. I sat down, and stared at the ceiling. “Damn it,” I muttered. “That’s bastard’s loose in the world. He’s getting more and more power and influence every day and it’s our own damn fault. And now we have to wait for the right opportunity to finish it.” I looked at Weatherby. He was upset, but he wasn’t fuming and he wasn’t crying. “Ain’t you bouncing off the walls about it, kiddo?”

“I am upset,” Weatherby agreed. “Gravely so. But I must remember Evelyn’s words. She’s extremely intelligent, you know, as well as being utterly beautiful.”

“So what’d she say?”

“She told me that we are the only ones who can stop Viscount Wagner Stein. So we have to do it correctly. And for now, that means waiting.” I could sense the tremor in his voice, the anger threatening to boil over and make Weatherby get as angry as his ancestor was cruel. But there was admiration and affection too. I guess our adventure hadn’t done much, but it did let Weatherby get closer with Evelyn, so at least one good thing had come out of it.

And as for Viscount Wagner, we just had to wait. Let him sit and steam with all those Bohemian punks and perverts, getting weaker and forgetting about me and Weatherby. We’d remind him, all right. We’d kill him – and this time, it’d stick. I was looking forward to making sure that it did.

Thank You For Reading.

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About the Author

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Twenty-Two years old,
Michael Panush
has distinguished himself as one of Sacramento’s most promising young writers. Michael has published numerous short stories in a variety of e-zines including: AuroraWolf, Demon Minds, Fantastic Horror, Dark Fire Fiction, Aphelion, Horrorbound, Fantasy Gazetteer, Demonic Tome, Tiny Globule, and Defenestration.

Michael began telling stories when he was only nine years old. He won first place in the Sacramento Storyteller’s Guild “Liar’s Contest” in 2002 and was a finalist in the National Youth Storytelling Olympics in in 2003. In 2005, Michael’s short story entitled, Adventures in Algebra, won first place in the annual MISFITS Writing Contest.

In 2007, Michael was selected as a California Art’s Scholar and attended the Innerspark Summer Writing Program at the CalArts Institute. He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 2008 and has recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz.

The Stein & Candle Detective Agency series launched in the Winter of 2012, with
Vol. 1: American Nightmares
being Michael's first title published under the banner of
Curiosity Quills Press
, with
Vol. 2: Cold Wars
and
Vol. 3: Red Reunion
coming soon. More exciting series will also be announced, including the
El Mosaico
and
Horrorwood, P.I.
series.

A Division of
Whampa, LLC
P.O. Box 2540
Dulles, VA 20101
Tel/Fax: 800-998-2509
http://curiosityquills.com

© 2012 Michael Panush
http://www.clarkreeper.com

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information about Subsidiary Rights, Bulk Purchases, Live Events, or any other questions - please contact Curiosity Quills Press at
[email protected]
, or visit
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Cover Design by Ricky Gunawan
http://ricky-gunawan.daportfolio.com

ISBN: 978-1-62007-032-1 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-62007-033-8 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-62007-034-5 (hardcover)

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