Band of Demons (The Sanheim Chronicles, Book Two) Read Online Free PDF Page A

him. I thought it was time to reclaim my life.”
    “It’s funny you bring up Lord Halloween,” Rebecca said.
    Until then, Quinn had almost forgotten about the Post story, or at least succeeded in pushing it to the back of his mind.
    “I’m afraid you are going to face your first challenge as editor a bit earlier than planned,” she continued, and handed him the copy of the Post .
    “What is it?” Ethan asked.
    Anderson opened the paper and read the headline out loud: “Is Lord Halloween Really Dead?”
    He kept reading: “‘The Loudoun County police and local media claim the infamous serial killer was murdered, but many residents—and outside experts—have their doubts.’ Who is this by-line? Summer Mandaville?”
    Both Kate and Quinn groaned, but didn’t have time to respond.
    “I assume since you’re interested in the case, that you know what this means,” Rebecca said.
    Ethan weighed in first.
    “It’s an attack on our paper,” he responded. “We were the ones to tell the world who Lord Halloween was and that he was dead. We have to respond in force.”
    Quinn didn’t usually like Ethan much, but he was definitely in favor of the militaristic tone. It was not unusual for newspapers to disagree with each other, at least somewhat. Send two different people to the same event and they would likely have differing perspectives. This article, however, was something entirely different.
    Mandaville’s piece suggested that the man identified by police as the killer—Kyle Thompson—may have been merely an accessory. The real killer might remain at large.  In addition to potentially sowing more panic among a populace that had twice been terrorized by the serial killer, the story claimed the Loudoun Chronicle had been wrong about the most important details in their extensive reporting on the subject. It was an assault on the paper’s integrity.
    “Hmmm,” was all Tim said. “Of course I agree with you, Ethan. It is an attack on this paper. No doubt. But let’s make sure we have our ducks in a row before responding. Anything less and we’ll only undermine our own credibility. If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Kate and Quinn more about the story in-depth today, and we’ll get a sense of our next move.”
    “We can’t afford to wait,” Ethan said. “Other media will be calling today.”
    “I agree that time is of the essence,” Tim said. “Like I said, give me some time to huddle with Kate, Quinn and Rebecca, and we’ll plot our strategy.”
    “I’ll leave it to you, then,” Ethan said.
    For the second time that morning, Quinn’s jaw practically dropped to the floor. Ethan was the publisher, but he always liked to be as involved as possible on the biggest stories. This was a prime opportunity. But he noticed a look pass between Tim and Ethan. Obviously some deal had been cut—and part of it seemed to be for Ethan to back off.
    Kate and Quinn watched as Ethan left the room. Quinn kept expecting him to turn around, having rethought his quiet acceptance of the new power structure at the paper. But he left without any fuss.
    Quinn wished Rebecca had left too, but there was no way to politely get rid of her. He wasn’t prepared to tell the whole truth to Tim—but he would be freer than he was now.
    “What’s your plan?” Tim said, looking directly at Kate.
    The man had good instincts. While Quinn had been quietly mulling over the situation, Kate had undoubtedly been working on a counter-strategy. She paused for a moment before responding.
    “Our story had a hole,” she acknowledged.
    “Yes, it did,” Tim said. “Don’t get me wrong, you two did outstanding work. The fact that you’re even alive is a testament to your journalistic skills. Had I gotten that close, Lord Halloween would have finished me off.”
    “He did try,” Kate said flatly.
    “What’s the hole?” Quinn said. He hated feeling like he was missing something.
    It was Rebecca who answered him.
    “Who killed