Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1)(50)

My brother was alive—thank God—but he was still in danger. The necromancer clearly still had him. But... I looked at the letter again, now stained with tears. I hurt Elijah by searching for him? Why? Because the necromancer felt threatened? Yes. That had to be it.

The Spirit-Hunters and I were getting close to solving the mysteries of what the necromancer wanted at the Exhibition, of why he wanted the Germantown boys. The Spirit-Hunters were building devices to destroy the Dead, and now the necromancer was scared. He—or perhaps she or they, since we really did not know who this person was—must have forced Elijah to send this letter.

Yes, this necromancer was scared, and that meant I had an advantage. Fear made people act irrationally, made them misstep and forget to cover their trails. Like at the library.

I scrambled clumsily up and to the window, where some stormy light still came in. Then I pulled the Exhibition catalogues from my pocket.

I started with the Main Hall since that was where Allison had seen the ancient texts. I flipped through and saw that it was organized by nation or state. I hadn’t a clue who displayed the old books, so I started on page one. I scanned for anything noteworthy; but after several pages, I realized the book was almost entirely advertisements. In fact, many exhibits weren’t listed or were given no detail at all.

Official Catalogue? Humbug.

I searched the pages anyway, until my eyes burned from straining. It felt like hours, but I finally found Allison’s book exhibit. There was nothing on display that sounded like a grimoire. All the same, I was certain my hunch was leading me in the right direction. If only I could sort through all these blasted advertisements!

I tossed the catalogues aside in frustration. This must be why a corpse had gone to the library—to find more reliable inventories.

I went to the window and pressed my face against the cool glass. The rain splattered in loud drops and filled my nose with its scent. I held my right hand against the window’s glass, and with my eyes screwed shut, I imagined Elijah’s letters.

“Something took him to Cairo.” I nodded my head with each word as the lines formed in my mind, connecting clue to clue. “And he referenced Solomon... but he said pages were missing. So he traveled to New York because the pages were in a museum.”

That’s what I needed, wasn’t it? Those pages.

I raced back to the Exhibition catalogues and fell to one knee. I clawed at them, searching for any items listed from New York.

Maybe Solomon’s pages had been moved. Maybe they were here, in Philadelphia, at the Centennial Exhibition. The necromancer had followed Elijah to find them!

I found it on page seventy-seven of the United States Government Building’s book, listed under New York’s collection of museum novelties.

Original pages of Le Dragon Noir, a scarce companion to the Grand Grimoire, supposedly from the pen of King Solomon. On loan from the New-York Historical Society.

There it was—a book of magic at the Exhibition. That was what the necromancer wanted and possibly what the spirit wanted too.

I laughed a shrill, panting laugh. I had to tell the Spirit-Hunters.

And we had to find this grimoire.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

At nine o’clock the next morning and without Mama’s knowledge, I waited with a grim face for the Exhibition to open. I was the first through the turnstiles, and I fled instantly to the Spirit-Hunters’ door.

“Bonjour.” Joseph waved me into the lab. I skidded to stop at the sight of Jie wrapped in a blanket on the floor.

“Is she asleep?” I whispered.

“Wi, but do not worry. She worked on the railroad, so she can sleep through anything.”

“Why is she here? Why not in your...” I furrowed my brow. “Well, wherever it is you sleep.”

He chuckled and spread his hands. “This is where we sleep.” He tapped his foot on the floor. “This is our bed.”

“You mean the city never gave you lodging? A house or a hotel to stay in?”

His eyebrows rose. “Are you offering your own?”

I opened and closed my mouth, my face flooding with heat. “I... um... No.”

At that moment the door screamed on its hinges and banged into the table behind. Daniel stormed in.

“They won’t give it to us.” He slammed the door shut. I flinched at the violent whack. Jie jerked awake.

“I ran into one of the officials,” Daniel continued, “and he said the city can’t trust us with dy***ite.” The muscles in his neck strained, and his body was tense with fury. He pounded his chest. “Us. The ones who’ve done nothing but risk our lives.”

Joseph lifted his hands. “Calm yourself.”

“How can I be calm?” Daniel shouted. “They treat us like a bunch of dogs, and we put up with it.”

Jie stretched her arms overhead. “It’s true—” A jaw-cracking yawn overtook words, and she tapped at her mouth. “It’s true,” she tried again. “They want us to save them from the Dead, but then they don’t help us.” She drew herself gracefully to her feet.

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but Joseph laid a warning hand on his shoulder.

“Both of you settle down.”

Daniel ground his teeth and stomped to the window. He pressed his hands against the glass and leaned, his gaze moving to some distant spot outside. Judging by his labored breath, he was trying to keep his temper in control.