The Mystery in Dracula's Castle (7 page)

Alfie's idea was good, but he hadn't counted on Dracula tripping on his long cape and stumbling forward. "Cut!" he called. "Now we'll start again. Leonard, watch that cape. Action!"

This time, Dracula made it safely up the stairs. Jean, a terrified expression on her face, thrust out her arm. Dracula hissed, took a step backward, and grabbed for the staircase railing. He missed.

"Leonard!" Jean screamed.

Noah Baxter sprang up the stairs. Before Leonard could fall, Noah caught him — and caught the Daumier necklace too.

"Thanks, Mr. Baxter," Leonard said. "It's this stupid cape. Alfie, do I have to wear it?"

"We have to have this scene," Alfie answered heartlessly.

"But in a safer location," Jean said, her voice firm.

"The shadows —" Alfie began to say. Then he had an idea. "What about trapped on the walkway that goes around the top of the lighthouse? That would be great. The only escape — hundreds of feet down the jagged rocks and the crashing waves!"

"You mean the walkaway around the lantern gallery," Keith said. He glanced at Noah. "What do you think?"

Noah nodded. "Why not?"

Everybody but Noah Baxter started to climb up to the lantern gallery. He lingered behind to place the fake necklace on the iron steps where Leonard could find it later. But as he took it from his pocket, a "ruby" fell out,
plinked
on the iron steps and shattered on the floor below. Noah frowned, then he pocketed the fake necklace once again and went on up the stairs to join the others.

Out on the walkway, he and Keith exchanged glances. "I started to explain to our guests how the light and foghorn used to help the ships at sea," Keith said, "but Alfie wanted to get right on with his filming."

Alfie hardly glanced at Noah. He placed Jean's hands on the iron railing that circled the lantern gallery. "There, that's good. Now you lean back and look terrified. Are you ready, Leonard?"

Leonard stepped forward, adjusting the neck of his cape. "My necklace!" he gasped. "It's gone!"

Noah Baxter grinned and held up the fake. "Found it on the stairs, Leonard. Here you are."

But as Leonard reached out for it, Noah let the necklace slide from his fingers. It plummeted to the rocks below.

"Noah!" Keith Raynor cried out sharply.

Noah shrugged. "Sorry, kid!"

Leonard dashed into the lantern gallery and ran for the stairs. Alfie and Jean sped close behind him.

Keith glared at Noah. "That was a rotten thing to do."

Noah leaned his elbows on the railing and looked down at the rocks. "You said yourself that the kid might not be fooled. Besides, a so-called ruby fell out of it. Some work you do!"

Keith's hands clenched. Then he turned away and hurried after the boys and Jean.

He reached them none too soon. Almost at the very edge of the cliff, Leonard was wiggling out of Alfie's grasp. "But I can
see
it," he was saying desperately. "It's right down there on the rocks." He moved his foot and loose stones began sliding and clattering down the steep slope. Far below, surf smashed against the rocks and salt spray rose high in the air.

"Leonard, you can't go down there," Alfie cried, clutching his brother.

Keith caught Leonard's shoulders and pulled him back. "Leonard," he said gently, "you'll never reach it. Forget it. I think we've all had enough for a while. How about a break? Ice cream sound good?"

As the four walked back to the lighthouse, Leonard looked back at the cliff edge. And high above them, Noah Baxter watched them with a tight little grin.

"Tough luck, kid," he muttered cynically.

Back again at the cottage, Alfie sat at the kitchen table designing titles for his film. Across from him, Leonard and Watson watched Jean add a few drops of steak sauce to the bowl of catsup she was mixing.

She set it down and tilted it toward Alfie. "Sir, the blood is ready," she said.

Alfie glanced at it. "Mmm. Say, Jean — which of these titles do you like best?
Horror of Dracula; Dracula, Prince of Darkness; Dracula Risen from the Grave;
or
Scars of Dracula
? All the really good titles have been taken."

Jean eyed Watson as he hopped up on a chair and sampled the contents of the bowl. He licked his chops in a pleased way. "How about
Taste the Blood of Dracula
," she suggested.

"It's been used," Alfie answered. "Leonard, we'd have the ideal title if you'd only traded that necklace for the ring when I told you to. I'd have called it
The Deadly Ring of Dracula
. Now I can't even call it
The Deadly Necklace of Dracula
."

Leonard didn't reply. He left the kitchen with Watson at his heels.

Five minutes later, Watson was riding in the bike carrier as Leonard, fishing rod over his shoulder, pedaled toward the lighthouse — and the cliff.

At the cliff's edge, Watson's enjoyment of the outing came to a sudden end.

"Stay," Leonard commanded.

Watson didn't mind "staying" at all. Nothing could have tempted him to go down over the edge of the cliff. It was Leonard's
not
staying that was ruining the afternoon. Watson woofed and whined anxiously as he watched Leonard lower himself over the craggy rocks.

Holding a fishing rod in one hand and grabbing at rocks with the other was no easy job. Leonard tried not to look all the way down to the dizzying foam that swirled around the base of the cliff.

Inch by inch, Leonard moved to a narrow foothold where he could press his back against the rock wall to steady himself. And there he made his first try with hook and line to catch the necklace on the rocks below.

He lowered the line until the hook nibbled at the necklace. It didn't catch. Leonard reeled in a bit and tried again. This time he felt the hook grab. Excitedly he reeled in. Up, up, came the necklace, swaying gently. Then, to Leonard's dismay, the line caught fast in a crevice in the rocks.

There was only one thing to do — and Leonard did it. He began to edge his way down the steep face of the cliff. Small rocks loosened beneath his sneakers and he could see the sickening plunge they made to the sea below. Fear choked his throat. He knew he must keep his eye on the necklace and think of nothing else. One step at a time. Another, then another. And there was the necklace within reach! He worked the line free and then stuffed the necklace in his pocket.

It wasn't until he looked up the cliff that Leonard realized his terrible danger. Sliding and grabbing his way down had been bad, going back looked impossible.

With every reach and push of his sneakers, rocks loosened and clattered down and off into space. In one dreadful slip, Leonard felt himself dangling in air. Only his hands held. Desperately he kicked his legs, found another foothold, and the struggle to the top began again.

Watson was watching all this so intently that he never noticed the arrival of his old enemy, Bill Wasdahl. But Leonard did. Two shoes came into view just as he was making a grab for the grass edge at the cliff top. But as his fingers clutched at it, the soil began to break away. For one dreadful moment Leonard was sure he'd lost his chance of reaching the top.

"Watson!" he screamed.

Almost as he began to hurtle backward, one of the jeweler's shoes came at him.

"Grab, boy! Grab my ankle!" Bill Wasdahl shouted.

Seconds later, he was standing safe and sound and looking up at Bill Wasdahl.

"Are you all right?" the jeweler asked.

Too shaken to speak, Leonard nodded.

"What are you doing here?" Bill Wasdahl asked.

"Fishing," Leonard gasped.

"Fishing!" Bill Wasdahl looked at Leonard suspiciously.

Leonard nodded. "Yes, I was."

Bill Wasdahl frowned. "Come on. I'll take you home. I want to make sure your mother knows where I found you 'fishing.'"

"Oh — you needn't bother, Mr. Wasdahl," Leonard answered quickly. "I have my bike."

"No bother. We'll take that along too. Don't worry."

But Leonard Booth was very worried. "This will be worse than the cliff!" he thought miserably.

As soon as Bill Wasdahl left, Marsha Booth hugged Leonard close. "Leonard, you could have been
killed
."

"I wasn't," Leonard replied uneasily, knowing the worst was to come.

"You could have been. And that settles it." She looked from Leonard to Alfie. "Boys, you're
both
confined to the house for a week. And Jean, it's your job to see that they're
both
all right."

Jean flushed. "I know, Mrs. Booth."

"Mom!" Alfie said angrily. "Why should
I
be confined to the house? I didn't do anything."

"No, you didn't," his mother said. "And that's just it. You're Leonard's older brother. You should have been looking out for him too."

Like Jean, Alfie flushed. "I guess you're right, Mom."

Mrs. Booth left the room and Alfie threw himself into a chair and glared at Leonard. "And now how am I going to finish my picture?" he asked.

"I had to get the necklace," Leonard said stubbornly.

"You and that stupid necklace," Alfie snapped. "And you didn't even get it back."

"Yes I did," Leonard said. He pulled it from his pocket. Where there had been four "rubies," now there were only three — and they were not nearly as shiny and glowing as Leonard remembered. He walked away and picked up his magnifying glass.

Alfie thumped his heels on the floor. "We might as well send out the invitations to the opening," he said gloomily. "I'll get my prints back in a couple of days, and I'm not going to be able to add anymore scenes to this movie — I can see that. Did you finish the list, Jean?"

Jean nodded. "Here it is. Your mom, my father, and — "

Leonard walked in. "I knew it. There's something wrong with this necklace. The color's different and — "

Jean glanced up and away again. "Looks all right to me," she said. She turned back to Alfie. "I'm asking Keith Raynor and Noah Baxter — and Mr. Wasdahl too. How's that?"

"Great!" Alfie exclaimed. "Jean, this is going to be
big
."