Paradigms Lost Read Online Free

money. So they’ll just naturally gravitate to the ‘shady’ side of commerce, pardon the pun. And with their natural advantages, it isn’t surprising that one might be high up on the ladder.”
    “I hadn’t thought of it that way. But drug deals happen in the daytime, too.”
    “If you’ve got muscle to back you up, you can get away with a lot of odd quirks. Avoiding sunlight might be possible.” I nodded to myself. “And Lewis acted as an informant to me; might have done so to the police, or—more likely—he’d tell me and expect I’d get it to them. So if Lewis had seen something and come to tell me . . .”
    “Oh, the poor man,” Syl said softly. “But you’re right, it does make sense. And, by the way, apology accepted. I’ve been calling around and getting my better occult acquaintances on the alert. They’ll see what they can find.”
    “Good.” Privately, I didn’t expect much from Sylvie’s pals. Sylvie herself might have something, but most of the people who visited the Silver Stake were your typical muddled New Age escapists who confused Tolkien and Star Wars with real life. “I’m working on something here that might help. Stop by after you’re done, okay?”
    “Sure thing, Jason. Just promise me no more bodies, huh?”
    “I make no guarantees. Bodies never consult me before arriving. See you.”
    “Bye.”
    It was ten o’clock by the time I finished. Then I put WISDOM to work. Wood’s Information Service Database Online Manager can analyze information using many different statistical methods and a lot of other heuristics. WISDOM was instructed to examine the information on all different kinds of vampires to construct the most likely abilities that an actual vampire might be expected to possess. It took WISDOM only a few minutes to do its calculations. I sat down and read. It was grim reading.

CHAPTER 3
    Contingency Planning
    “What in the world are you doing?” Sylvie asked.
    I put down the loading kit. “Preparing. I figure that if I’m going to deal with a vampire, I’d better have something other than conventional ammo.”
    She picked up a cartridge. “Silver? I thought I read somewhere that you actually couldn’t make silver bullets; something about balance?”
    “I heard that too, but it’s a silly statement on the face of it. Lead’s softer and just as heavy, and they’ve been making bullets from lead as long as they’ve been making guns. Yes, you have to make a few adjustments, but nothing prevents a silver bullet from working as a bullet.” I checked the fit of another bullet. “Not that I expect those to be of much use. WISDOM only gave a twenty-five-percent chance of vulnerability to silver. That seems more of a werewolf thing.”
    She examined the other kinds of ammo. “Well, I’ll say this for you, you have one heck of an assortment.” She reached into her purse, pulled out a small wooden box. “Here, Jason.”
    “What’s this?” I opened the box. On a slender silver chain was a crystal-headed hammer, handle wrapped in miniature leather thongs, the head an angle-faced box. “It’s gorgeous, Syl! Thank you!”
    “I remembered how much you like the Norse pantheon—you even named your car after Thor’s hammer—and if you look real closely on the hammer head, you’ll see Mjölnir engraved there in Nordic runes.”
    I squinted closely at it, and I could just make out the spiderweb-thin runic lines. “It’s really beautiful, Sylvie. But why now?”
    “I was actually saving it for your birthday next month, but with this vampire thing going on, I decided it was best I give it to you now.” She saw my puzzlement. “It’s not just a piece of jewelry, Jason. I made it especially to be a focus, a protection against evil, for you.”
    “But you know I don’t really believe in that stuff.”
    She gave a lopsided smile. “Jason Wood, how in the world can you believe in vampires and sneer at crystals and spirits?”
    “Touché.” I slipped the