At the Met

It was nearly five o'clock--closing time at the Met. An elderly watchman named Harry met Jessica and Misty at the entrance of the museum, just as the last lingering visitors were leaving. Unfortunately, their guided tour was short for their destination was near the entrance. Harry led them through the great hall, which was decorated with medieval tapestries and weaponry, and into the library. Sitting in a comfortable looking chair was an elderly man wearing a fine suit. He was reading Gladiator by Phillip Wylie. "Hello, I'm Dr. Maximillian Pride, the curator."

Dr. Pride stood to shake the hands of his invited guests and had them seated at an old oak table. "I am Misty Knight, the operative of Heroes For Hire Inc. That you spoke to earlier this morning, and this is my associate Jessica Jones of affiliate business Alias Investigations." Misty formally announced.

"Pleasure to meet the both of you, ladies." Dr. Pride smiled and politely bowed. "May i interest either of you in a beverage of some sort?"

"Um, maybe just a coffee." Misty replied.

"I'll have some too, but if you could splash some bourbon into mine?" Jessica brashly requested.

Dr. Pride chuckled, "certainly," and then he beckoned to Harry who still stood patiently in the library doorway awaiting his dismissal. "Harry, would you be as kind as to ask Felicia to bring us a lot of coffee and a bottle of bourbon from the cafe?"

Once the guard had left the room Dr. Pride joined the women at the table. "I'd like to thank you both again for attending this summons and for considering me as a client." Dr. Pride bowed his head.

"Of course, Dr. Pride. However, I'm still a little confused as to why you contact the Heroes For Hire after the robbery. I thought the bandit had already been arrested?" Misty pondered.

"Well, because the artifact stolen has yet to be returned, and the suspect apprehended has offered no information whatsoever as to the whereabouts of the book or the accomplices involved. In fact, despite having been asked by the police to remain silent, recent events have caused me to believe the NYPD is going to need all the help it can get."

"How was the artifact stolen?"  Jessica asked.

"the theft took place here in the library--the very same room we are now sitting in. The book that was stolen was kept in a locked case that was smashed to bits. There were no signs of forced entry into the museum. Only the alarm in the case was activated. During the robbery, the security cameras recorded an unnatural darkness that completely obscured the thief. Other cameras also caught the man who was arrested arop the skylight of the library the exact moment of the book's disappearance."

With that Jessica began scrutinizing the room. She stood up from the oak table and began taking in all the details of the room. Though she had only agreed to be there in the friend faculty, Jessica would do what she could to help Misty with this case. "Was anything else stolen?" Jessica asked as she looked at the shelves of classic literature.

"several other highly valuable texts were on display with the book in question, but were left untouched. When the guards entered the library they found no sign of any intruder except one rather incriminating clue."

"What's the evidence?" Jessica asked for more.

"Well…." Dr. Pride exhaled heavily before continuing. "nestled upon the ruins of the display case was a hat, similar in style to that made popular by 1920s gangsters--a wide-brimmed fedora with the crown creased lengthwise. Stuck in the black band around the hat was a note."

"Any idea what the note said?"

"The policemen have taken the hat and note, but Harry the watchman had seen it and told me it read : Hammerhead's putting the hammer down!"

Upon hearing that Misty and Jessica shared a grim look. Hammerhead was a name that they were familiar with. Hammerhead was a russian-born crook who had worked his way into a prominent Italian crime family, The Maggia. You couldnt live in Hell's kitchen without knowing who Hammerhead was. If not from personal experience than his reputation alone.

At this moment, the doors to the library opened once again a young blonde woman in an apron carried in a large tray of coffe, cups, and a bottle of aged liquor. The woman was pretty, but appeared to be very tired both emotionally and physically. She clattered the cups and saucers on the table as she poured the group their drinks. Jessica gently pushed for the young woman to pour a mighty swallow of bourbon into her coffee before she would drink it. When the assistant attempted to hand Misty her own cup of coffee she accidentally lost her grip on the handle, sending the hot liquid down the front of Jessica's leather jacket. "Damn it!!" Jessica shouted as she tried to wipe her jacket dry.

"I'm so sorry." the young woman pleaded as tears filled her green eyes. She even began trembling for her nervousness and embarrassment.

"What is this, your first day in the kitchen?" Jessica jibed angrily.

In a fluster, the assistant bolted from the library, sobbing.

"She ok?" Misty asked, shooting a disapproving glare at Jessica.

"Oh, Felicia? Yes, she will be ok. She's always been quite fragile, but as of lately she's been quite distraught. The theft here at the Met has us all quite disturbed."

"So…." Jessica chimed in, after taking her drink down in a single gulp. "What's so special about this book?

"The stolen one?" Dr. Pride attempted to clarify.

"Yes, that's why we're here." Jessica retorted. Attempting to reopen the bottle of bourbon on the table.

"the book is titled 'A Madman's Mutterings'. It was written in 1690 by a man named Bartholomew Jacobs. It was actually on loan to us from the Arkham Institute of historic Literature in Massachusetts. Because of the delicate condition of the book i never endeavored to read it or allowed anyone else to. I'm afraid i couldnt exactly tell you why this particular title was so sought after."

So, the interview continued like this for some time. Jessica consuming the liquor and making seemingly random inquiries as the curator answered the best of his ability, and Misty humored her friend while absorbing the details. Eventually the curator divulged that the Met was willing to make an offer of $50,000 to Heroes For Hire Inc. For the return of the stolen book. With that, all the obligatory documents were signed and Misty and Jessica exited the museum, with a lucrative assignment and a quarter-bottle of the finest bourbon in tow.