Spooky Skeleton

by Addison Creek

  I waited calmly to see if that would do the trick. Addressing my old butler directly was a bold move, but I had once thought he was a friend of mine. I didn’t think that any longer, but I hoped our old connection would at least get me a conversation with him. If we were to engage the Root of All Evil in a fair fight, we’d lose. I was trying to avoid that at all costs.

  Suddenly, to my utter shock and disbelief, a vampire came around from each side of the porch. Pep started to run, then jerked to a stop and remembered she should hold her ground.

  The first two vampires were closely followed by another pair. Now there were four of them flanking the front door. None of them were familiar. They were dressed all in black except for their red shoes. A nice, circus-like touch if I did say so myself.

  We all just stood there looking at each other. I had such a desperate desire to at least use an enchantment that my fingers tingled and my wrist twisted with the temptation. Four against three wasn’t bad odds for us.

  I took in one breath and then another. The vampires continued to do nothing but stare at us. At the exact moment when I had to make a decision to attack or not . . .

  . . . the front door opened.

  A curl of danger settled in my stomach and started to roll around until it had covered every inch of me. Rain landed on my skin as fear seeped out. My hand went still as I waited.

  The rain was now pouring down in sheets. Pep glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching, and as she did so she surreptitiously cast an enchantment that kept it off of us. Hopefully it wasn’t so obvious that anyone walking past would notice.

  Then again, maybe they’d just think it was some strange, newfangled umbrella that was keeping us dry.

  The vampire who stepped out the front door wasn’t Mirrorz, but he was one whose picture I had seen before. He was a notorious criminal of the sort that usually ended up Down Below with the Fudge. I thought now that maybe the Fudge’s reach was declining just as much as Haunted Bluff’s was.

  I swallowed and searched my brain to remember his name.

  He was thin-faced and young. His black hair was slicked back and his skin was the palest I had ever seen. As he looked at us, his lip curled upward. The inside of his mouth was very red and his eyes glittered dangerously.

  “Hello. A bit wet out here, isn’t it?” His voice was silky and reminded me of poison.

  “Not too bad,” I said easily. My lips had been so tightly pursed that moving them now made them tingle. “Where’s Mirrorz?”

  “You can speak with me. What is it you want?” he said.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know you.”

  “Come to find out you didn’t know Mirrorz very well either, did you?” whispered the vampire.

  The other four vampires never moved. I now realized that they were there for this fifth vampire’s protection. At least they weren’t lackeys laughing at his stupid jokes.

  “I’m Jane Garbo. These are my cousins Pep and Lark. And you are?” I asked pointedly. At the very least he could tell me his name.

  “I’m hurt that you don’t remember me.” The vampire lifted one long and delicate hand and pressed it to his chest.

  I just waited.

  “You aren’t very much fun, are you?” asked the vampire.

  “I’m plenty of fun. Not with murderous criminals when I’m on an investigation, but otherwise I’m a big barrel of laughs,” I said.

  “Ah, I see. I believe you.” His tone was sarcastic. Before I could say anything, he added, “My name is Malcliff. Malcliff Grandhammersmith the Eighth, to be exact. Everyone calls me Hammer, or Malcliff. You may as well.”

  The fact that I was now speaking to a vampire whose name was the Hammer was not comforting.

  “Are you in charge?” I asked.

  “I am second to Mirrorz. He couldn’t just say any old thing to convince me to come on board, you see. He had to offer me something I couldn’t refuse. Lucky for him, he did. That is why I say you may speak to me. I speak for all the vampires. I am well aware of what Mirrorz would agree to and support and what he would not,” the vampire said with a wolfish smile.

  “Very well. If I can’t speak to Mirrorz, you will have to do.” I sighed and examined my nails. Nothing irritated power-hungry vampires more than the notion that someone might be bored in their presence.

  Next to me, Lark gave an almost imperceptible nod, letting me know that supported the idea that I should speak to this vampire. Judging by the presence of the four silent vampires standing guard, it was clear that Malcliff had power. Just how much remained to be seen.

  The Hammer smiled thinly. “Excellent. Now, what questions can I answer for you?”

  “The murder that has recently taken place in Shimmerfield. What do you know about it?”

  Malcliff didn’t move and his facial expression didn’t change. “Surely you don’t think we here had anything to do with that?”

  “Maybe I do and maybe I don’t. What I know is that if something is going on in town you’d know about it,” I said.

  “That’s very flattering,” murmured Malcliff. “We do pride ourselves on having ample sources of information. Not so much as some I could name, but certainly enough.”

  I continued to wait. He wasn’t stalling, exactly, so much as doing an elaborate verbal dance.

  “Let’s say we did know something about the murder. Shouldn’t we report it to the proper authorities?” He said.

  “Aren’t you allergic to the proper authorities?” Lark asked.

  Malcliff smiled beautifully. “You do speak! I wasn’t sure you were both going to do anything but stand there like silent sentries.”

  “Like your vampires?” I said, nodding in the direction of the four vampires flanking him.

  The Hammer’s eyes went sharper. “They speak when we allow it. Until they have more training, we can’t have them making proclamations willy-nilly.”

  “Certainly not,” Lark agreed.

  “What do you know about the murder?” I sighed. This was getting tedious, and I was starting to doubt whether he knew anything at all.

  “I’ll tell you what. Just because I like you and this is a new relationship we’re developing here, I will share with you what the Root knows. Mind you, the information won’t come so free and easy in the future. Look at this as a good faith offer,” Malcliff explained.

  My eyes narrowed. He was going to give me something for nothing and he didn’t even want a favor in return, or so he said. But surely that would only be because the information he had probably wasn’t worth very much. On top of that, he must think that in the future he would have much better information.

  And then I would pay dearly for it.

  I didn’t like it, but there was nothing I could do about it. If future investigations came up and I had to deal with him again, I’d just have to find a way around whatever he asked for. There was no way I was going to start doing the Root’s bidding.

  And with that thought, the image of Grant flashed before my mind. He would be furious if he knew where I was right now.

  “I appreciate your wish to start off on the right foot with us,” I said. “I also appreciate your understanding that we aren’t going anywhere. Any time you recruit new vampires, we’ll be there. Any time you kill someone around town, I’ll find out. If you steal, we will investigate. This will not get you peace with us,” I warned him.

  That same smile sliced across Malcliff’s face. “My dear little investigator, we’re counting on it.”

  I glared at him as Pep shifted uncomfortably.

  “What we know is this,” the vampire began. “We had nothing to do with the murder of the mechanic. We are ashamed to admit that we were unaware the werewolf lived in Shimmerfield. Of course we knew there was a werewolf somewhere in the area. Some of us, in fact, had been hearing him for years. We can say with certainty that the murderer is from town. There were no guest supernaturals in Shimmerfield that night.”

  I frowned. That was clear
ly a clue, but what good did it do me?

  “As opposed to an outsider who wasn’t anyone’s guest?” I said.

  Malcliff lifted two delicate hands that looked more like white claws, indicating that he had said all he was going to say.

  “Thank you for the candor, and thank you for the information. I fear this will not be the only time I come here,” I said.

  “No, I doubt it will. Just be careful. Your reception the next time will be quite different,” he said.

  All four of the vampires standing in front of us suddenly started hissing. Taken aback, Lark readied for an attack. Just as suddenly as they became threatening, the Hammer turned on his heel, snapped his fingers, and disappeared into the house.

  The vampires didn’t move.

  “I think they want to make sure we leave,” said Pep.

  “As if that’s in doubt,” muttered Lark. “Let’s get out of here.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more, but I didn’t want to turn my back on the vampires any more than they wanted to turn their backs on us.

  In unison, we backed away from the Old Bucket House. I had gotten more information than I’d bargained for, but I couldn’t help but wonder whether I would also end up paying more of a price than I wanted to.

  “I can’t believe we thought the Evil was going to be afraid of us,” muttered Lark.

  Just as I neared the woods where we’d left the owls, I saw the guy I’d seen in the gathering outside Elton’s shop when his murder had been discovered. As his floppy brown hair retreated toward the woods, I dashed after him. He looked casually over his shoulder, breaking into a sprint when he saw us.

  He ran faster than anyone I had ever seen. He flashed into the woods so fast I couldn’t track him by sight, and after a few steps I couldn’t hear anything either.

  I glanced back over my shoulder at the Old Bucket House. Malcliff had come back out onto the porch and was now doubled over laughing. Pep and Lark were still far behind me, but they were making good progress in my direction.

  Furious, I stepped into the woods to look around. The forest floor was blanketed with dead leaves, so there wasn’t even a chance to look for footprints.

  First Paul had evaporated, and now this guy. Who would disappear next?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The owls were still waiting for us, I was thankful to see. They were perched on scattered trees, busily fluffing their feathers and not looking very pleased with the weather conditions. Every time I glanced overhead the sky was darker; we would have to move soon. It didn’t look like the rain was going to let up before we had to get home.

  Before we headed home, though, I wanted to see if any of the vampires left the Old Bucket House. I knew that neither Pep nor Lark would want to follow even if we saw them go, but I had to know. I was also hoping that the man I had chased would change his mind and come back and talk to us. So I made us stay in the woods a little while longer.

  “Do we know anything else about Elton?” I asked while we waited.

  “What do you mean?” said Pep.

  “Who he was before Shimmerfield, or where he came from,” I said, shrugging. “The better we understand the victim, the easier a murder is to figure out.”

  “I heard Meg and Cookie talking a bit about him,” said Pep. “They said he came from Alaska. As it turns out, that’s where the biggest werewolf populations are. Cookie seemed to think he had gotten into some robbery trouble there, but I didn’t hear any more of the story because Meg figured out I was in the other room and changed the subject.”

  “Robbery, was it? Maybe he stole something he shouldn’t have and hid away here all these years. We’re a long way from Alaska,” I said.

  “For Elton, maybe it turned out we weren’t a long enough way away,” said Lark.

  Finally, when no one left the Bucket House and the owls seemed ready to take off without us, we mounted our ebony brooms. Clearly the mysterious Shimmerfield visitor was not going to reappear, and it was time to go home.

  The owls were relieved that we’d finally come to our senses and decided to end the day.

  The flight back to the mansion was short and uneventful, but I was unspeakably frustrated not to have caught up with the man I’d been seeing around town. By now, though, I had a good idea of who he was. If only I could figure out how he played into this mess, I’d be getting somewhere!

  We landed on the back lawn with the rain coming down harder than ever. Despite the early hour, the sky was black and all seemed quiet on the home front.

  Through the sheets of icy cold water I could just catch a glimpse of light in Evangeline’s cottage. I wondered if she was up reading. I wondered if she’d recognize the man I was curious about if she ran into him around town. But now was not the time to ask her. We were cold, we were hungry, and we had things to do at home.

  We trudged toward the house, knowing that my family was probably getting ready for a night of haunted house visitors. Mom would expect my help. Cookie would be drinking and Audrey would be cooking while Lizzie mooned after Kip.

  In short, another dull night in the Garbo household.

  My shoes were so soaked that I could feel the water between my toes. The rain was dripping down my neck and I was shivering. My cousins weren’t in any better shape.

  I couldn’t wait to get inside and take a bath. No, not a shower, a bath. Whatever my obligations were for later that evening, I intended to get as warm as possible before attending to them.

  “Does the house look funny to you?” Pep asked tiredly, her eyes trained on the mansion. My own attention had been on the ground, lost in thoughts about my feet.

  “There are a few lights on. Cookie hasn’t torched the place, but there are still a few hours left in the day. I’d say it looks pretty normal,” sighed Lark.

  “I don’t know. There’s something not right,” said Pep.

  “Let’s eat and then we’ll think about it,” I said. I was so tired, hungry, and cold that I could barely focus.

  Not wanting to think about anything too taxing, I turned my mind to Grant. Would I see him later? Was I up for having our talk tonight? Worst of all, when would I discuss my love life with my mother? That was the trickiest question of all.

  As we entered the kitchen, the smell of rosemary and thyme met my nostrils and my mouth started watering. I was expecting to see Audrey, but she wasn’t there.

  “She’s probably resting between meals. I’ll see what’s in the fridge,” said Lark. We had missed lunch entirely, and now that I realized what time it was I knew we had missed dinner too.

  I went over to the stove, glad that at least the fire was going. I took my soaked jacket off and hung it on a hook, and Pep and Lark did the same. Then I went to the cabinet and got three plates and some forks and knives and set them out on the island.

  Pep got glasses and filled them with water, then started to make tea. Lark was at the fridge, pulling out food haphazardly. She would stare at turkey slices and cheese as if she didn’t quite recognize what they were, then wake up and throw them onto the island. When she started to put the dreaded pesto back, Pep stopped her, saying it was good on sandwiches and she wanted some.

  Lark rolled her eyes but did as her sister asked.

  Still shivering, I went to help Pep with the tea. If there was ever an evening for a hot beverage, this was it.

  Lark opened the container and sniffed it. “Maybe if I’d had some of Cookie’s wine.”

  “She’d probably say the wine makes her family likable, so why wouldn’t it work on pesto,” I said.

  “Too true,” said Pep.

  We sat around the island at last and started eating and drinking. I decided I was too hungry to go take a bath right away; it would have to wait until I’d been fed. We dug into an assortment of snacks and leftovers, including various cold cuts, cheese, and crackers, plus servings of the big salad that Audrey always kept in the fridge. Lark also ate three cookies. She had always enjoyed mixing dessert in with her actual di
nner, and even after knowing her for a lifetime, all Pep could do was shake her head.

  “So, what do you think happened to Elton?” asked Pep.

  “I think someone from his past found him and killed him,” I said. “If someone from Shimmerfield wanted to commit murder, I’m pretty sure we all know who the first target would be, and her name is Cookie.”

  “Maybe they couldn’t get to her,” said Lark.

  “Also,” said Pep, “Cookie has probably raised everyone’s tolerance for ridiculousness. The Shimmerfield citizenry is prepared for the worst because they live with a year-round haunted house.”

  “How do you think they found him?” Lark asked, getting back to my point.

  “I have no idea. The howling probably didn’t help keep him hidden, to put it mildly. I’d say that if someone came around and knew that Elton had disappeared all those years ago, they might get very curious at the sound of a werewolf howling,” I theorized.

  “Someone who knew him from his past life? Maybe even knew about this mysterious robbery?” said Lark.

  “Exactly,” I said.

  “Shimmerfield doesn’t exactly get a lot of new faces,” said Pep. “We could always see who has moved into town in the past six months.”

  “What about that guy we’ve seen around? Who do you think he is?” said Lark, who hadn’t ever gotten as clear a look at him as I had.

  “I have a theory on that, but I’m not sure yet,” I told her.

  Pep was busily spreading a thick layer of pesto over Audrey’s fresh crusty bread. “So all we have to do is figure out who’s new in town, and we’ll be all set,” she said.

  “Yeah, until you get pesto breath. Then you have to leave the Bluff,” muttered Lark.

  “Do you want to try some? It’s really delicious,” said Pep, arching one eyebrow.

  Lark screwed up her face, looking disgusted.

  Once we had finished eating we cleaned up; we didn’t like to leave a mess for Audrey to deal with. She never complained, but we all always felt guilty about if we left her to do the dirty work.

  When the kitchen was spic and span again I said, “I’m going to take a bath. Tell Mom if she asks that I’ll be ready to work at the haunted house after that.”