by Krista Davis
Mindful of the time, I hurried along the brick sidewalk, feeling very witchy in my costume. Pumpkins and elegant fall wreaths decorated the old homes I passed, and dry leaves crunched under my boots.
I seemed to be making a lot of noise in my rush. I paused for a second and heard footsteps behind me. The horror of my attack overwhelmed me, and I ran like the devil pursued me.
My breath came heavy and a burning sensation hit my chest. I stopped, bent over to catch my breath, and looked back. I didn’t see anyone who appeared to be following me. Straightening up, I noted that a nearby service gate swung as though someone had just gone through it. Was someone hiding behind it?
Across the street, people walked along, enjoying the weather and historical ambiance of Old Town. Their relaxed demeanor made me chide myself for overreacting. Those old gates swung in breezes all the time. And the cracking leaves I’d heard were probably just rustling in the wind.
I turned and continued on my way, but I did jaywalk across the street to be closer to the calm tourists. In spite of myself, I looked over my shoulder every few minutes. When I saw a figure on the other side of the street dodge behind a delivery van, I no longer thought my panic ridiculous. I sprinted ahead, winding my way between people who strolled and paused to examine store windows.
Unfortunately, to reach the haunted house, I had to cross the street again, which would put me closer to my stalker. In case he had followed me to the other side, I jogged between cars in slow-moving traffic. When I reached the corner, I fled for the haunted house, flung open the door, and slammed it shut behind me.
Wanda, seated at her fortune-telling table, frowned at me.
Mars emerged from the lair dressed in his Gomez Addams outfit. “There you are! Everything okay? You’re out of breath.”
“He’s following me,” I croaked.
“Where? Did you see him? I’ll nab him.” He reached for the doorknob.
“I didn’t get a good look.”
“Soph! Should I man the front door, so I can watch who comes and goes?” He winked at me and pretended to kiss my arm from fingers to shoulder, but it didn’t feel like he was pretending.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have thought a thing about it, but after our moment last night, I forced myself to pull away and straighten my witch costume. Putting on a smile, I pretended to be fine, took a deep breath, and entered the lair.
June had already replenished the caramel apples and treat bags. An ominous cloud wafted from the cauldron.
“Thanks for taking care of all this, June.”
“My pleasure. I hear Blake’s mother will recover?”
I drew the gauzy window covering aside to see if my stalker was watching. “She’ll be . . .”
Two vampires tapped the window and flashed their fangs. I screeched.
June ran to my aid. “A little Halloween scare. Are you all right, dear?”
What could I say? No matter how much I wanted to deny it, my nerves were frayed.
The vampires high-fived and waved at us.
June smiled and waved back at them. “Isn’t it marvelous that men in their early twenties would dress in heavily ruffled white shirts and black leather jackets cut in a style that would have pleased George Washington? And in his old stomping grounds at that.”
Fighting my fear, I looked out the window again. Detective Kenner walked by. Where had he been when I was being followed?
People waited patiently for us to open the doors. Adorable three-foot-tall princesses and a short frog, several superheroes, ghouls, and rock stars waited among the vampires. Many had removed masks and some only wore makeup, but the ones with masks that pulled over their heads, completely concealing their identities, worried me.
“Lovely,” I choked. I dashed to the kitchen and searched the closet for a leftover piece of cardboard and a marker. There wasn’t time to fashion anything cute, so I simply wrote in block letters, “PLEASE REMOVE ALL MASKS BEFORE ENTERING.” That should do the trick. At least we would be able to see who toured the house.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Surrounded by friends, I would be safe. It was time to open the haunted house and let the fun begin.
When I opened the door to post the sign, Jesse rushed in with his mom, Dana. Humphrey followed behind them.
“So sorry we’re late.” Dana grimaced. “This was Jesse’s idea. I hope it’s okay.” She wore a pink 1950s poodle skirt with a demure black top and apron. She’d used white makeup all over her face and drawn black circles around her eyes, a black triangle on her nose, and garish grinning teeth over her lips, giving her pretty face the look of a skull.
“Isn’t it cool?” asked Jesse. “She can pretend to be cooking in the kitchen and then when she turns around—whammo—she’s a skeleton!”
Dana giggled. “This is fun, even for adults. You’ve got quite a crowd out there.”
Upstairs, someone screamed. A shiver-down-to-your-toes scream.
“Wow,” said Dana. “Is that a recording? It’s very effective.”
We’d listened to all our spooky CDs repeatedly the day before. “That was real.” I cautioned myself not to overreact since it was probably one of the kids scaring another one.
A door slammed and we heard the scream again. I rushed to the foot of the stairs. Natasha stood at the top, clutching her heart as though she was about to collapse.
“You okay?” I asked.
“You could have told me there’s a body in the coffin!” She gripped the stair rail for support.
I had a strong hunch that someone was playing a trick on her, but I hastened up the stairs with Mars right behind me. I opened the door carefully, but nothing appeared to be amiss.
Mars lifted the lid on the casket. “Trying to get us in the spirit, Nat?”
One hand still on her chest, she inched over to look inside. “There was somebody in there. Really. He had fangs! And . . . and a vampire cape folded over him. His hands were crossed over his chest.”
“It wasn’t me,” said Blake. “I was with Vegas. Right?”
Vegas blushed. Her black lipstick had smeared. A hundred and one adults in the house, and we still couldn’t stop them from smooching.
“Sophie, the window in Viktor’s room was open again when I got here this morning.” Blake spoke earnestly. I didn’t think he meant to pull my leg.
“Did anyone open it?” I asked.
We all looked around at each other, but if the prankster was present, he didn’t speak up.
“Who cares about a window? There was a vampire in that casket!”
I didn’t want to embarrass Natasha in front of the kids. “Great prank, Natasha! You had us all going. Everybody back to your stations.”
They filed out, a lucky thing because Natasha grew stormy. “He was there! I am not making this up. You’re acting like I’m pretending.”
Mars placed a reassuring hand on Natasha’s arm. “It’s Halloween. I’m sure someone was playing a prank.”
She yanked her arm away from him. “Perhaps you didn’t notice that the door slammed behind me. How did that prankster get out of the room?”
“He probably slipped out right behind you. What are you doing here anyway?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why shouldn’t I be here? You, Vegas, my mom—our entire household is here.”
“Why don’t you join the first group going through the house?” I suggested. “I bet you’d enjoy it.”
“To hear that ridiculous story about a vampire that June told my mother? Honestly, June shouldn’t be walking around on the streets anymore. She’s delusional.”
Just yesterday Natasha had talked as though she believed in vampires. We’d been through this before with her. I couldn’t grasp why she thought it normal for her own mother to believe in the supernatural, but she couldn’t deal with that sort of behavior from June. I turned slowly, hoping no one, and especially not June, had heard Natasha.
June stood in the doorway, her face flushed, her lips drawn into bitter lines. She
huffed and retreated down the stairs.
Mars massaged his forehead. “Don’t start that again, Natasha. Now, go home. All you’ve done is cause a ruckus.”
She drew herself erect and glided past me on her way out. “There was a vampire in that casket—I’m telling you.”
I didn’t envy Mars. He had two women on his hands who were undoubtedly angry with one another and would put him in the middle.
“Are we ready?” Jen’s voice echoed up the stairs.
Blake hustled in to take his place as the vampire. I was relieved I didn’t have to deal with Natasha and her issues at the moment. I ducked down the back stairs and the show was under way.
Dash arrived two hours later wrapped like a mummy. Blake had begged him not to hang out in the vampire’s bedroom, so he’d agreed to float from room to room to graveyard. If I hadn’t recognized his voice, I wouldn’t have known who was wrapped in those shreds.
“How’s Maggie?” I asked.
“Worried about you!”
We could hear a group coming through the kitchen. They shrieked, no doubt at Dana. Dash raised his arms and held them out like a sleepwalker. He marched to the kitchen like a stiff mummy and the gleeful screams rang out again.
I smiled for the first time in hours. Patrick’s killer had placed a curse on Maggie and me. I hoped I wasn’t quite as nervous as Maggie yet, but I was certain I’d been followed to the haunted house.
A soft touch on my shoulder made me swing around, fists clenched. Bernie raised his hands as though I held a gun. “Mars just told me about the killer attacking you and the plan to sleep over. I’m going to trade off with Mars and Humphrey. Dash says that Maggie has friends lined up to stay with her. We can do the same for you.”
It was a lovely thought, but I hated feeling so needy. “I am not san-guin-vor-iphobic or whatever it’s called.”
“Of course you’re not. But under the costume there was a live, breathing killer, and for some reason, he wants to exact his vengeance on you. We’re not going to give him the opportunity.”
I had mixed feelings. What wonderful friends I had. They were willing to give up the comforts of their own homes just to watch over me. On the other hand, I hated imposing on them. Reaching out, I hugged Bernie. “Thank you.”
He returned to his house-haunting duties, and June waltzed over to me. “Such a lovely boy. I don’t understand why he’s not married. Your generation is a mystery to me.”
I hadn’t given Bernie’s marital status much thought. “I guess he’s busy running the restaurant. He probably doesn’t have much time to date.”
She leaned toward me and whispered, “Dana’s completely in love with his British accent.”
“June! You little matchmaker.”
She grinned. “What’s life without a little love?”
I handed bags of candy to children, but my mind wasn’t on my job. In between tours, I hurried up the back stairs to find Nina.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed.
“Will you come with me when we’re done here tonight? I need to do a little nosing around.”
She perked up. “You bet! Count me in.”
I scuttled across the hall to Mars. “Could you watch the girls for a few hours tonight? Maybe take them out for pizza?”
“Sure.”
I could hear the tour coming through and dashed down to the kitchen and through to the lair. Minutes later, when I was handing out treats, Mars showed up.
“Do you have a date with Wolf?”
“Wolf? No, I have plans with Nina.”
“Oh. Okay.” He disappeared into the kitchen, and I could hear his footsteps on the stairs.
Officer Wong burst through the gaggle of kids exiting. “I thought all of Old Town came through here yesterday, but the line outside seems even longer tonight. And the merchants on this street are making the most of it. Did you know that Ray has set out an ancient soft drink machine? He’s making a bundle.”
June lifted an eyebrow. “He jumps on every opportunity, doesn’t he?”
Wong motioned for her to come closer to us. “I called my granny to ask her what she remembered about your Viktor Luca. She almost got the vapors just hearing his name.”
That piqued June’s interest. “Your granny knew him?”
“She used to help out the Widow Nagle. Did a lot of the baking for her.”
“Is your granny Opal Jones?” asked June.
Wong smiled. “Do you know her?”
“Know her? Opal was famous for her sweet potato pie. She made it for the Widow Nagle to serve to her boarders.”
“She’s living in Florida, but she still bakes those sweet potato pies for a local restaurant down there.”
June focused on me. “You see? I’m not a loon like Natasha thinks. Other people remember Viktor.”
“Granny couldn’t believe it when I brought up his name. She said she has nightmares about him. That she’d be here, in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove, and without any warning, he would be behind her, watching. No footsteps, no sound at all, like he appeared out of thin air. She said dove necklaces were really popular with the peace movement and all, and a lot of people wore them, but Viktor wore a necklace with a bat on it that grossed her out.”
June clasped her hands in excitement. “We found pictures of him wearing that bat. It was silver with glowing ruby eyes.”
“Granny said it looked silver, but he refused to touch silver. Not even when Mrs. Nagle brought out her good silver flatware. He wouldn’t eat with it. He insisted on using stainless. Granny thinks the bat was white gold.”
June beamed. “You kids thought I was making all this up. Viktor was a vampire.”
Was I the only person in the world who didn’t believe that vampires exist? I didn’t know Wong well enough to read her yet.
“Did you know about the cat?” Wong asked June.
TWENTY
Dear Natasha,
I love Halloween, but my apartment complex restricts what I’m allowed to do outside on my doorstep. I refuse to allow them to squelch my Halloween spirit, though! What can I do in my windows for maximum impact?
—Sneaky One in Trickum, Georgia
Dear Sneaky One,
Surely they can’t complain if your lights are turned on. Dangle black cutouts of spiders, scary cats, and ghostly images in your windows and be sure the lights are on to highlight them! The scarier, the better!
—Natasha
“The black cat! I’d forgotten all about it,” said June.
Wong eagerly filled me in. “There was a huge black cat, solid black, no white whatsoever. It hated Viktor. It would hang out in the backyard and screech like a Halloween cat when it saw him.”
“It was a stray,” added June. “He loathed that cat. It would show up in the oddest places, like it was following him.” She gasped. “Like that cat Nina is looking for!”
Wong looked at me. “Is that true? There’s a black cat on the loose?”
No amount of coaxing or bribes could possibly have persuaded me to reveal the fact that the murderer nearly tripped over a black cat when he ran from the scene of the crime. I wasn’t going to feed the vampire hysteria.
I tilted my head. “Don’t you think there’s usually a stray black cat around?”
June made a little sputtering noise as though she was pooh-poohing me. “Officer Wong, we’re having a midnight meal at Sophie’s house tomorrow night.” She lowered her head a bit in a coy manner. “You know, that’s when the dead are best able to communicate. Won’t you come? It’s a buffet. Maybe you could bring Opal’s sweet potato pie?”
“I would if she’d share the recipe! I made her promise to write it down and put it in a safe so I can inherit it. Maybe I can coax it out of her with information about the black cat and Viktor. She’s afraid Viktor is back and warned me not to end up like Peggy!”
Fortunately, I could hear another group coming through. I tried to wind up the conversation on a realistic note.
“I’m sure Peggy died of natural causes.”
Wong snapped her fingers. “Of course. They must have performed an autopsy.” She waved good-bye to June and me and fled before the oncoming troop of ghosts and goblins.
At eight o’clock, I was thrilled to close for the night. Only one more night to go. The next day would be Halloween and the insane vampire craze would finally fade away.
I sought out Jen. “Sweetie, you’re having dinner with Mars and Vegas tonight, okay?”
Her face wrinkled in dismay. “Who will protect you?”
“Nina. We’re . . . going to visit a sick friend.” I hated lying, but if I wasn’t careful, Jen would insist on coming with us. Besides, it wasn’t a total lie. I did hope to stop by Maggie’s house.
She cast a suspicious glance my way. “All right. But you better be careful. Do you have your cell phone?”
I pulled it out of my pocket. Even better, I retrieved my bag and returned Jen’s cell phone to her.
She wrapped her arms around me. “Thanks for having faith in me.”
Excited chatter filled the house as the participants filed out. I locked the front door behind them and we scattered in all directions.
Nina grinned at me. “You’re wearing that?”
I smoothed the skirt of my witch outfit. “I don’t want to waste time going home to change. Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Hart Wine.”
“Ohhh, you picked the right gal for that. I love to haunt wine and liquor stores.”
“Do you know anything about it?” I asked.
“I know I never shop there. Frank’s prices are way too high. You can buy the same thing a couple of blocks away for significantly less. What are we shopping for?”
“Nothing. We’re sleuthing.”
“Interesting. I assume this has something to do with Patrick’s murder?”
I talked as we walked. We didn’t have much time before the store closed. “Frank was at Mars and Natasha’s party the night of the murder, placing him at the scene. The next night, when Mars and I went to Maggie’s house, someone hid from me and there were two empty glasses in the sink. His car was parked half a block away from Maggie’s house.”