Dead Is So Last Year (12 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Nicholas gave us word
later that the Nightshade City Council had things well in hand. The doctor had said that it would require a series of painful treatments, but the guys on the football team might eventually return to normal.

Now that the rogue werewolf pack mystery had been resolved, I was focused on DoppelDad again. I couldn't take the suspense anymore.

I was off from work the next day, so Ryan and I had decided to go looking for him.

When Ryan rang the doorbell that afternoon, I was ready, but barely. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and hadn't woken up before noon.

"I forgot to pack a picnic," I confessed to him after our hello kiss. I was supposed to be in charge of snacks.

"That's okay," he said. "We can swing by Slim's later, unless you're sick of it by now."

"I love Slim's potato salad, and we could grab a couple of panini sandwiches. He just added those to the menu."

"Sounds great," Ryan said. "Where should we look first?"

"Let's try places that sell sweets, like the concession stand at the beach or even the Donut Hole. Like the other doppelgangers, DoppelDad seems to have a thing for sweets."

He wasn't at any of the places I'd thought of, although we did stop at Slim's to look for him there—and to grab some food to eat "on stake-out," as Ryan jokingly called it.

"What about Mrs. Mason's?" Ryan suggested. "You said you'd followed him there."

"Well, the greenhouse where she created the doppelgangers went up in smoke, but it's worth a try," I said.

Ryan put the car in gear and we headed to Natalie's grandma's house.

The flower garden in the front was nearly black, the plants dead or dying. Even the roses, Mrs. Mason's pride and joy, were wilted.

The lawn looked like it hadn't been watered in weeks. "Natalie doesn't have her grandma's green thumb," I commented.

"Or the magic died with Mrs. Mason," Ryan replied.

I hadn't thought of that, but it supported the suspicions about Mrs. Mason's beating Mom out for prize ribbons for her plants at the county fair every year.

Ryan parked. "It doesn't look like anybody's home," he said.

I knew Natalie had been staying at Slim's, so I figured there was little chance of her returning to her grandma's house while we were there. "Let's check out back," I suggested.

"Ryan, there he is!" We ducked behind a large potted plant near the patio before DoppelDad could spot us. There was barely room for the both of us, so I ended up pressed against his chest. Not a bad place to be.

DoppelDad was dressed in khaki pants, a blue button-down shirt, and a blazer. Something about the outfit looked familiar. Suddenly I realized where I'd seen it before—he was wearing a replica of an outfit Dad wore in one of our family photos.

He looked around furtively and then crossed the garden to the path leading to the charred remains of the greenhouse.

Ryan and I crept after him. When we reached the blackened door, Ryan held it open for me. I moved as quietly as possible, but tripped over a sprinkler line and nearly fell. Ryan caught me and probably prevented me from breaking my leg or something.

Most of the glass that had made up the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse was broken or gone completely from the force of the explosion. What was left was covered in ash, obscuring the light and making it difficult to see across the long room.

There was no movement in the greenhouse. DoppelDad couldn't have just vanished. Ryan and I crept along the length of the room, checking under the sooty metal potting tables that remained. Then, at the far end of the greenhouse, we came to a large hole in the ground. It looked like it could be an entrance to a tunnel.

There were fresh footprints in the blackened soil leading into the opening. It must have been where DoppelDad had disappeared. "I wonder if this tunnel had something to do with her doppelganger-making operation," I said.

"Hold on a minute," Ryan told me.

He ran out to the car and came back with his cell phone, a large flashlight, and a large white paper bag, which I assumed contained our dinner. He also had a sweatshirt, which he handed me. "Put this on. It's cold underground."

"Thanks," I said. "But what about you?"

"I'll be okay. I'm leaving a message with Dad about what we're doing," he said. "This tunnel could lead anywhere." He opened his cell and left a brief message with his dad.

"Okay, let's go." He shone the light into the tunnel. It was narrow at first, but we could see that it gradually increased in size until it became large enough to stand up in, with smooth, slime-covered walls.

"I wonder if Natalie knew anything about this tunnel," Ryan said.

"I doubt it," I assured him. "She told me that her grandmother never let anyone in her greenhouse. Even her own granddaughter."

"It looks like it's been here a long time. What do you think it is?"

"I don't know. Maybe a sewage pipe or something?"

I flinched at the thought. "Gross."

"We don't have to go in," he said. "We could call Dad and he'll have his deputy check it out."

"No, I want to," I said. "I need to know exactly what my dad's double is up to."

Ryan led the way, but held my hand and helped me over any rough spots. We both had to walk stooped over because the tunnel wasn't big enough for us to stand completely upright.

I wondered if the smell bothered him. It bothered me and I didn't have the extremely sensitive nose of a werewolf.

The flashlight illuminated candy wrappers, a bunch of discarded donut boxes, and a particularly rude bit of graffiti, but nothing else. There was no sign of DoppelDad, but we hadn't found any possible exits, either, so obviously he was still somewhere ahead of us.

The tunnel widened and turned, and then there was finally plenty of room for Ryan and me to stand upright.

"We have to be getting close now," I said. It felt like we'd been walking for hours, but my watch said we'd only been in the tunnel about twenty minutes.

"Close to what?" Ryan replied. A few minutes later, he stopped and held a finger to his lips. Werewolves hear better than humans, too.

"Do you hear it?" His lips barely moved.

"Hear what?" I whispered back.

"Voices."

I didn't hear anything, but I took his word for it. We started walking again, this time more cautiously. After we went a few feet more, I could hear the voices, too, but I couldn't understand anything they were saying.

Ryan shone his flashlight on a small door built into the bricks directly in front of us. There was a thin trickle of light coming from behind it.

We waited for the sounds of the voices to recede, and eventually, there was silence on the other side of the wall.

"Do you think it's safe?" I asked, careful to keep my voice low.

"I haven't heard anything," Ryan said, which was reassuring. He'd pick something up before I would." Do you sense anything?"

Meaning, I guess, that I should try to use my psychic abilities to see if I could glean anything. I shrugged. I had been practicing, so maybe there was a chance I'd be able to hear someone else's thoughts. I was no Rose, though.

I put my ear to the wall and concentrated, but all I got was the distressing feeling that there was now something slimy in my hair. "Nothing," I finally said. "I'm not picking up any thoughts at all."

"That probably means the room's empty now," Ryan said. "Let's go."

I held my breath, unsure what we'd find.

He handed me the flashlight, which I trained on the door while he fumbled with the latch. The door creaked open.

As we stepped inside, I realized we were in a lab of some kind. It looked eerily similar to a place I'd been before.

The room was in shadow, but I could see the outlines of beakers, test tubes, and other lab equipment. The trash cans were piled high with pink bakery boxes.

In the corner was a desk with file folders covering most of its surface. I approached it while Ryan wandered off to explore another corner.

There were several certificates and diplomas on the wall above it. I checked the names on all of them. Interesting. "I know where we are," I said.

"Where?" Ryan asked.

I picked up a beaker stamped with the words
PROPERTY OF UC NIGHTSHADE
and showed it to Ryan, then gestured toward the diplomas. "We're in Dr. Franken's lab. I guess now we know who's behind the appearance of the doppelgangers."

There was a click and suddenly the room was flooded with light. Dr. Franken stood in the doorway, arms folded. "That's unfortunate," she said.

She moved into the room, followed by several doppelgangers. I knew they were doppelgangers because I spotted a Mrs. Mason look-alike. Since her death had been confirmed and I hadn't heard of any zombie outbreaks, I was pretty sure I was looking at a doppelganger. I also spotted a Mort double, a Mrs. Wilder double, and even a double of our high school principal, Mr. Amadour.

I was momentarily relieved that DoppelDad wasn't among the group. Maybe the man I'd been spending so much time with wasn't a phony?

That hope was stomped to bits when he walked into the lab and took his place at Dr. Franken's side. He moved jerkily, and I realized that it must have taken a huge effort to control his movements whenever he'd been with me.

"You're the one who has been creating doppelgangers," I said to Dr. Franken. "With Mrs. Mason's help. But I don't understand why."

"I am a scientist." She sniffed. "I do not usually associate with such creatures. But the witch was necessary. I needed an exact combination of magic and science."

"For what purpose?" I said. I surveyed the group of doppelgangers. "These doppelgangers are..."

"Paranormal creatures, yes."

I didn't look at DoppelDad, who was standing there with about as much of an expression as a wooden puppet. I didn't want her to see how disappointed I was that he wasn't the real deal.

"We'll probably never understand exactly how you did it," Ryan said. "But I'd love to know
why.
"

"Yes," I said. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't it?" Dr. Franken lifted an eyebrow.

"Most of these are copies of people of the..." I trailed off, not sure of how much she knew and not wanting to out any paranormal friends to a norm.

"Paranormal persuasion?" She cackled at my look of surprise. "He tried to keep it secret, but your father's research is what clued us in to the nest of paranormals living in Nightshade."

Nest?
She made them sound like some sort of vermin. I was catching on to something. The contemptuous note in her voice gave it away.

I decided to see if I could take a little dip into her mind. I hated doing that. Villains' minds were always so sludgy, so full of evil. It hurt my head to be in there too long.

"You're part of the Scourge," I accused her.

"Yes," she said. "With that witch's help," Dr. Franken continued, "I was able to replicate many involved with Nightshade's city council."

I flinched. Non-paranormals weren't supposed to know about that.

"Rose would never work for someone like you," I said. "At least not knowingly."

"True," she conceded. "But she had no idea of who I truly am. She was only interested in the science. I was careful to keep the legitimate scholarly research separate from the more creative experiments."

It was difficult to have a conversation and read a mind at the same time.

My inattention riled the good doctor and she grabbed my arm and twisted it back painfully. "Are you listening?"

"There is no need for violence," DoppelDad said.

Her head snapped around and she glared at him. "Are you challenging my authority? I say when violence is needed." She twisted my arm a little harder.

Ryan snarled and I saw that his fangs had elongated. I shook my head at him. If Dr. Franken didn't know he was a werewolf, maybe we could use it against her later.

DoppelDad responded in a soothing voice. "Of course. I am not trying to challenge your authority, but we need her cooperation, at least for a little while longer."

The doctor didn't respond, but her grip on my arm eased. That's when I slipped into her mind. I wasn't sure what I was looking for—anything that could help us.

A few minutes in there were enough to learn that the doctor was certifiably insane, which I was already clued in to. The other fact I gleaned from her left me gasping, although I tried to maintain an outward calm.

She ordered DoppelDad to tie up me and Ryan, and the doppelgangers to empty her desk of all its contents. "And hurry," she added.

"But we're hungry," one of the doubles said. He tugged on Dr. Franken's sleeve. I didn't recognize him at first because he was wearing a Members Only jacket and a loud Hawaiian-print shirt with shorts, but I was pretty sure it was a replica of the president of Nightshade's only bank.

"I don't have time to feed you now," Dr. Franken replied. "You'll have to wait."

There was a little grumbling, but the doubles went back to work. A couple of them started dragging furniture in front of the door to the lab, to barricade it.

"I don't like the look of that," I whispered to Ryan. "Dr. Franken obviously doesn't want anyone to get in."

"Or us to get out," he said.

"Make sure those knots are tight," Dr. Franken ordered as DoppelDad worked on securing our hands behind our backs.

"Yes, doctor," he answered obediently, but the binds around my wrists didn't feel especially tight.

At least DoppelDad had tied Ryan and me very close together. His arms were bound much more tightly than mine, I noticed, and he strained against the bonds.

"Why is she taking her files?" I whispered to Ryan.

"I think she may be leaving town," he replied. "She has to know that everyone is on to her. We know what's going on and as soon as we get out of here, so will the city council."

"
IF
we get out of here," I said.

"What should we do?"

"I don't know, but we have to do something." I moved my hands, but the ropes wouldn't budge. Maybe I could use telekinesis after all.