The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 2: Cold Wars (The Stein & Candle Detective Agency #2) Read Online Free

away from these devils!”
    “Keep going and keep on the road!” I shouted. “I’ll keep them off of you!”
    “I don’t know if I can—” Selena swerved the wheel again. She slammed the front bumper into a roadside sign and sent the flimsy wooden board flying into the grass. More of the Kapua were floating around now, held aloft by magical winds, and swooping down to attack. I started firing, hearing the automatic bark in my hands. Selena was still panicking. Weatherby was holding her shoulder, keeping her calm. “I just don’t know!” the girl cried. Car chases and leaf demons – this wasn’t her world.
    “You’ve just got be strong,” I said. “As strong as your baby brother.”
    The Kapua started to mass in front of us, preparing for a major attack. My automatic was empty, so I tossed it back in the car and pulled my second gun from the holster. “Gun it!” I shouted to Selena, and she slammed on the gas. I put the bullets where I wanted them, firing fast and planting shots between the flowery eyes of the Kapua. They burst like overstuffed piñatas, spreading leaves and greenery across the road. There were still dozens of them, flying in front of us and blocking the way.
    Selena slammed the car through them, flattening the Kapua out on the hood. She kept the automobile going straight, rolling over the long road with the city in the distance. I fired the last shots of the clip and picked off the Kapua. A harsh turn came up, and Selena spun the wheel and kept us from wrapping around a tree. Weatherby fired his own revolver – completely missing everything he shot at.
    By then I was out of bullets and it was all up to Selena. The Kapua floated behind us, trying their best to keep up. But Selena kept the gas pedal down and her car zoomed along. The Kapua gained ground, flying easily over the road, but now we had a lead and we kept it.
    I slammed new clips into my automatics and leaned out of the window, opening a blistering barrage on our Kapua pursuers. They went down, one after the other, and Selena kept us going fast and evenly over the winding roads. Soon enough, we had left them behind completely.
    I got back into the car, reloaded my pistols and slumped back. “Aces,” I said. “Good driving, sister.”
    “What about Big Joe Lono?” Weatherby asked. “Undoubtedly, he sent those demons to destroy us, making it look like an automobile accident! Perhaps we should confront him…”
    “Nix on that, kiddo. Let him think he won – if he’s the one behind it.” I leaned back as we entered Honolulu once again. “Back to the Grand Tiki. I need a drink.”

    We reached the Grand Tiki right around nightfall. The few guests were all in their rooms, a couple strolling along the pure white beach, but the hotel was mostly empty. Once again, we took that golden elevator up to the penthouse, and met with Carla Pepperdine in her late husband’s office. The police had gotten around to removing the body – but not the bloodstains.
    Mrs. Pepperdine listened carefully as I made my report. “Yeah, I think I remember Horace talking about how he had the cabbage to pay back Fancy Freddy. I don’t think he mentioned where he was keeping the money. I already checked the drawers of the desk, and ain’t found bupkis.”
    “And you’re not worried about Fancy Freddy coming here to get his money?” Selena wondered.
    “Bring that pansy on,” Carla replied. She stood up from her chair. “You fellows have done a good job. You can get back to pounding suspects tomorrow. In the meantime, any suite on the top floor is all yours.”
    “Thanks, Mrs. Pepperdine,” I said. We stood up to go, leaving the office and walking down the hall.
    Tanya’s desk was at the end of the hall. She stood in front of it, her purse over her arm. She walked forward slowly, her eyes settling on Weatherby. “Solved the mystery yet, little guy?” she asked. “Or maybe I should say little man?”
    “We’re doing a d-decent job,