The Vampire Hunters (Book 2): Vampyrnomicon Read Online Free PDF Page B

night.
    Copies of The Washington Post and The Washington Times plopped down on her desk. Jessica looked up to see Philips standing at the entrance to her cubicle, arms folded across his chest. She tried to remain collected, but her resolve melted away under his withering glare.
    “Sorry,” said Jessica with feigned casualness, hoping Philips directed his anger at her being two hours late. “I overslept this morning.”
    “I guess it’s hard getting up on time after you spent the night in jail.”
    Shit. So much for keeping a low profile. Jessica’s eyes fell upon The Post and The Times . “I suppose it made the papers?”
    “You supposed right.”
    Jessica took The Washington Post and pulled out the Metro Section. The bottom right corner held a short, five-paragraph blurb titled “Local Journalist Arrested.” If she harbored any hopes of receiving less of a profile from The Washington Times , they were dashed when she opened the Metropolitan Section. The headline read “Standard Journalist Arrested for Assaulting Police Officer,” accompanied by a feature article that continued on page B5.
    “At least it didn’t make the front page.” Seeing the look on Philips’ face, Jessica regretted the feeble attempt at humor.
    “The rampage by those crack heads and the murder of that sewer worker made the front pages, a story you would have had an inside angle on if you weren’t playing The Nutcracker with the local police.”
    “Inside angle?”
    “You were arrested along with James Delmarco, one of Matthews’ cronies. I’ll bet my pension that the two unidentified persons who helped save that sewer worker were Drake Matthews and Alison Monroe.”
    “But….” Jessica struggled to find an explanation that did not sound idiotic, but failed. Miserably.
    Thankfully Philips gave her an out. “I understand you have a fondness for this Matthews guy. Hell, I admit I might have misjudged him. He did save your life last week when you were kidnapped.”
    “So you admit he’s one of the good guys?”
    “I’ll concede he’s not one of the bad guys. Good guys usually don’t burn down half the city around them.” Jessica started to speak, but Philips cut her off. “I’ve been in the newspaper business longer than you’ve been alive, and I’ve seen dozens of groups that claimed they supported the common good but turned out to be extremists for whatever cause they espoused. If Matthews fancies himself as Charles Bronson playing Death Wish here in Washington, that’s for the police to worry about. Not me.
    “My point is, you have the potential to be a damn good journalist, but you’re blowing that opportunity. You have to report the news, not make it.”
    Jessica wanted to explain everything to Philips. Wanted to tell him the truth about what was going on. About the threat that endangered the city, and how Drake worked to stop it. But why bother? Even if she could convince Philips of the truth, which seemed doubtful, what then? Would he go to the senior editors or the publisher and demand they warn the city? Not likely. He’d be lucky if all they did was fire him. Even if they did run with the story, the outcome would be predictable. No one in Washington would believe it, especially coming from The Standard . All they would succeed in doing is making Drake’s job that much harder.
    Instead, she offered a half-hearted, “Sorry.”
    “I don’t want apologies. I want a story. On my desk. By Friday.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Philips went to leave, but stopped. He turned back to face Jessica and spoke in a low voice so no one else could hear. “I admire your loyalty. But you’re going to have to make a decision, and soon, whether your allegiance is to this paper or to Drake Matthews.”
    Philips returned to his office.
    Jessica logged onto her computer and thumbed through her e-mail, skimming rather than reading each one. As much as she hated to admit it, Philips was right. Her fondness for Drake interfered with her