SEVEN
Cole stood outside the large house where the college professor lived. It had been nearly a week since his meeting with Malevant. In that time he had learned as much as he could about his target. He had learned quite a bit.
The man was named Wilhelm Strauss. He was a German-Jew who had escaped from Europe early in the days of World War II. Most of his family had been murdered by the Nazi's and only he and his wife had been able to escape. He had arrived in the United States late in 1942 and had been able to acquire a position teaching basic law procedures at the university.
In the four years since he had garnered quite a reputation for himself. He was considered one of the best law professors in the country. He seemed to have two passions. His love of the law and his collection of books. It was the latter that Cole planned to take advantage of.
There was a sign in the window of the house that read "Room For Rent". This would make things much easier. He could be close to Strauss without raising suspicions. To complete his cover Cole had actually enrolled in the college. He could claim to be a student using his G.I. Bill to go to school. It would help explain how he was able to support himself without having a job.
Cole walked up on the porch and knocked on the front door. After a few moments a man answered the door. He appeared to be in his late fifties and was holding a pipe in one hand. Although Cole was over forty years old his demonic heritage allowed him to age much slower than humans. He could easily pass for someone in their early twenties.
"Yes?" questioned the man.
"Hello," said Cole, extending his hand and smiling at the man. "I noticed you have a room for rent. I was wondering if it was still available."
"Yes, it is," said the man. "My name is Wilhelm Strauss."
"I'm Cole Turner," said Cole. "I just recently enrolled in the university and I'm looking for a place to live."
"Really?" questioned Strauss. "I teach at the university."
"Is that so?" Cole asked, feigning ignorance. "Well, small world. After I got out of the army I decided it was time to get a degree. I hear this school has one of the best law departments in the country."
"You're a law student?" Strauss asked.
"Pre-law. I figure I'll get my degree and then go to law school. I'm not sure what area of law yet, but people can always use a good lawyer."
"I agree," said Strauss, inviting Cole in. "Actually, that's what I teach. Basic and Advanced Principles of Criminal Law. You'll probably be in a couple of my classes."
"That's great. This is a beautiful home you have. Have you lived here long?"
"About four years. "My wife and I came over from Germany in 1942. We were lucky to escape. I count my blessings every day."
"I can understand that. It was a terrible place. I'm glad I made it back. A lot of my friends didn't."
"Well, the room is forty dollars a month. My wife will provide meals. I do ask that you help with some of the work. Nothing major. Mowing the grass that sort of thing. We lead a quiet life and I expect the same of my tenant. You'll have your own private room that's located over the garage. And of course you'll be able to come and go as you please."
"Sounds great. My G.I. Bill provides me with enough to live on. I'm very quiet. And I don't mind doing some chores. My mother was very big on that when I was growing up. She says it builds character."
"Smart woman," said Strauss. "The rent is to be paid promptly the first of each month. And I have quite an extensive library. Since you're a student you can have access to it you'd like. It should help you quite a bit in your studies. I was able to bring quite a number of books with me from Germany. And I expect you to take very good care of the books. Some of them are quite old and very valuable."
"That sounds good," said Cole. "And I'll treat them as if they were my own. My father is a collector. He has some unique finds. He would always impress on me that books were more than just paper and ink. They show us where we come from. It's important to know and understand your heritage."
"Well, it seems your father and I have something in common," said Strauss. "I'm a collector myself. Perhaps you'd like to see my collection? I'm very proud of it."
"I'd love to," said Cole, smiling to himself.
As Strauss showed Cole to the library he had to congratulate himself. That had been easier than he had imagined. He knew that as a collector Strauss would love to show off his collection. Especially if it was as good as he let on. And particularly to someone who understood and appreciated such a collection.
Strauss spent nearly an hour showing Cole his collection. Cole patiently watched and listened to the man go on and on about each book and how he had acquired it and it's history. The entire time Cole was looking for the one book he had come for.
As Strauss was showing him yet another book Cole saw the one he was looking for. It was lying on a stack of books near the back. Cole had to contain his excitement. He couldn't appear too eager or Strauss might become suspicious. As Strauss finished talking about the book he was currently holding, Cole casually reached over and picked up the one book he was looking for.
"Is this genuine?" Cole asked, looking through the book.
"Oh, that one," said Strauss. "Yes, it's quite genuine. Do you know it?"
"I know of it," said Cole. "It's part of a set. Supposedly it details ancient demonic creatures. My father has three of the books and is always looking for the rest."
"Really?" I didn't know it was part of a set."
"It's not well known. I do know there are supposed to be seven books in the set. Would you be interested in selling it?"
"I'm afraid not. I've had several very generous offers for it but it's part of my collection. I simply couldn't sell it."
"I understand. My father is the same way. He treats them almost like they were his children."
"We do have a lot in common."
"Well," said Cole, handing Strauss forty dollars, "if it's okay I can move in Monday."
"That will be fine," said Strauss. He handed Cole a key. "This is to the front door. I'll tell my wife about you. She'll be glad to have someone else around for a change."
"I'm looking forward to it," said Cole.
As Cole left the house he thought about the assignment. This wasn't going to be easy. If Strauss were that attached to his books it would take a great deal to get him to give Cole one. But that was not what occupied Cole's mind at the moment.
The book he had looked at was not what he had been led to believe. He recognized the type. His mother had been thorough in his training. He had been led to believe the book contained some mystical properties. Even Malevant had hinted at that. But this book was not that type of book. It was altogether different.
He had noticed some very unusual markings in the book. Markings that looked to most people to be simply nothing more than ornamentation. Something that was very common, especially in older books. But he had recognized a few of the markings. He had seen similar ones in other books his mother had forced him to read.
This book would be some form of map. It would contain directions of some kind to something very powerful. If you didn't know what to look for you could easily overlook it. But Cole knew what to look for. His mercenary training as well as the training he had received from his mother afforded him some benefits not available to other demons.
So why had he been lied to? He could understand why Malevant might lie to him. To prevent him from finding whatever it was the book was designed to lead to. But that didn't explain why the Circle had lied to him. There didn't seem to be any reason for it.
Cole decided the best thing to do was to first get the book. They wouldn't know when he got it. After he had it he could try to decipher it. Maybe learn what was really so important about it. Cole stepped into an alley and looked around. Confident he was alone he shimmered out to the underworld.
As Cole shimmered out he was watched by a figure obscured in shadows from the nearby buildings. After a quick glance around, the figure shimmered out of the alley as well.