by Lari Smythe
Chapter 20
I went by Izzy's house again on the way home. I think I hoped she would be there even though I knew she wouldn't. The house was dark—not totally unexpected—but no one answered the door. I got a flashlight from the glove box and discovered the windows were boarded up from the inside—they were gone. I sat down at the top of the steps, confused. Did they leave because of me? Certainly they must have realized I wasn't a threat. Or had they gone to search for Izzy—she was adopted—if you could call it that—but they wouldn't just walk away, leave her all alone? Would they? I was so lost in thought that I didn't see the flashlight coming up the driveway.
"You're trespassing, young man," a deep, stern voice announced as the light filled my face.
"I'm sorry, I was looking for the Faulkners."
"You Jason?" He removed the light from my face. "They told me you might show up."
"Told you? Who are you?" It occurred to me that he might also be a vampire.
"I keep an eye on the place when they're away. Name's Anderson, Thomas Anderson."
"Did they say where they were going?"
"Their summer place. I suppose they don't much like the cold."
He was no vampire. "You know where that is?"
He took off his hat and pushed back his thinning hair. "Nope, can't say I do."
"Do you know when they're coming back?"
"Nope. They'll call one day or just show up out of the blue. That's pretty much how it works." He definitely wasn't very informed, but I suspected that was no accident.
"Well, I didn't mean to trespass." I got up. "You want a lift?"
"No, thanks. I live just at the bottom of the road." He waited until I was headed down the drive before starting back down the hill.
