Simon drove me to the airport. He took the scenic route, twisting up and down every fucking street in the city. On the way we went past the police precinct where I’d worked briefly as a cop. I got thrown out, but that’s another story. Suffice to say the massive intake of drugs and police work don’t always mix.

It occurred to me that I’d forgotten to tell my old pal Blout I was leaving, but I hadn’t heard a word from him since the Edgar Cain case. I figured he need to distance himself from me for the sake of his job. He was up for Captain. He didn’t need me fucking things up for him. Another normy out of my life. And people wonder why I surround myself with freaks?

The farewell tour continued, passing the Black Cat Club, the scene of many a drunken brawl, and around Dupont Circle. Dupont was known for its gay community, but it also had considerable vampire traffic. I’d nailed a few bloodsuckers to the walls of the tunnels beneath the Circle over the years.

Simon wove through downtown and down by the Mall where I got a final glimpse at the Capitol Building, the Smithsonian, and the Washington Monument in the distance. It was a funny thing. I’d lived in D.C. my entire life, and I never once went up in that fucking thing. I’d shot a creature who called himself the Master Eye off the top with a rifle once, though. He fell and exploded like a massive water balloon.

As we moved away from the Mall, I spotted the Lincoln Memorial beyond the reflecting pool and smiled. Far beneath the memorial is a cavernous pit where the city’s ghouls gather. To this day, I think I’m the only human that was ever invited to attend.

I caught Simon glancing at me in the mirror and dropped the stupid grin. I figured it was as good as any time to ask him what I needed to ask.

“You got any cash I can borrow?”

Simon’s sunken eyes flashed in the rearview. “How much you need?”

“What’s a plane ticket to L.A. cost?” I said. Most ghouls worked almost around the clock, but they didn’t have much use for the cash they made.

“Yeah,” he said after a short pause, “no problem.”

The rain had slowed to an annoying hot mist by the time the taxi dropped me off at the airport. It was crowded. A swell of people clogged the doors and the walkways trying to stay dry. I thanked Simon and walked away without ceremony. He watched me until a cop tapped his hood and told him to move it along.

Inside I bought my ticket and waited to board the plane.