The Vampire's Vacation

This book is for all my readers who have sent me letters
and e-mails. Thank you!
—
R.R.

To the immortal Bela Lugosi
—
J.S.G.

CHAPTER 1

“Careful going over the curb, or you’ll spill the whole pile,” Dink cautioned his friend Josh.

“You and Ruth Rose are supposed to be holding on to it!” Josh answered.

“We
are
holding, Josh,” Ruth Rose said. “But you’re pulling the wagon too fast!”

An hour before, Dink and Josh had helped Ruth Rose clean some old news-papers out of her basement. Now they were hauling the papers to the recycling bin at the supermarket. For the job, Ruth
Rose borrowed her little brother Nate’s wagon.

It was early August and the sky was filled with cotton candy clouds. The kids wore shorts and T-shirts. Ruth Rose liked to dress all in one color. Her shorts and shirt were sky blue. They matched her eyes, headband, and sneakers.

The kids crossed Main Street in front of the supermarket. “Almost there,” Dink said, struggling to keep the tower of papers from toppling. A drop of sweat fell from the tip of his nose.

Dink’s real name was Donald David Duncan. Most people called him Dink, except his mother when she was annoyed with him.

The kids tugged the wagon to a row of tall wooden bins at the side of the supermarket. Each bin was labeled according to what was being recycled, and one was for newspapers.

Dink pulled open the door, and the
kids began tossing bundles of papers inside.

“Boy, was that hard work,” Josh announced when they were finished. He grabbed the wagon handle. “Let’s go inside and get something to drink!”

Dink and Ruth Rose followed Josh into the supermarket. The automatic door swooshed open, and they were immediately bathed in cool air.

They found a machine in the frozen-foods section and each bought a cold soda.

“Guys, look!” Josh whispered. He tipped his soda can toward the meat counter. A few customers waited while a butcher sliced steaks.

“Why are we looking at steaks?” Dink asked.

“You’re always thinking of your next meal, Josh,” said Ruth Rose.

“No, I mean the guy standing there,” Josh said. He pointed at a man dressed
completely in black. His slicked-back hair was also black. His skin was ghostly pale. Dark sunglasses were perched above his long nose.

“I wonder who he is,” Josh said. “I’ve never seen him in Green Lawn before.”

“I haven’t, either,” Dink said. “But so
what? I don’t know everybody in town.”

Ruth Rose peeked over a display of frozen chickens to get a better look. “Something about him looks familiar,” she said.

“Do you know what he looks like to me?” Josh asked.

“A man buying meat?” Dink said.

Josh shook his head. “No. He looks like a vampire!”

Dink grinned at Josh. “Have you ever
seen
a vampire, Josh?” he asked.

“No, but I know what they look like.” Josh pointed toward the man. “Vampires have skinny lips and really pale skin, like him!”

Ruth Rose laughed. “Your skin is pale. Are you a vampire?” she asked.

“I am not pale,” Josh said. “I have freckles.”

The man strolled away from the meat counter.

“Let’s follow him!” Josh said.

“Why?” Dink asked.

“Because he’s weird!” Josh said. “Who wears sunglasses inside a store?”

“Lots of people do, Josh,” Dink said.

“Guys, we have to go home for more newspapers,” Ruth Rose said. “My mom is paying us, remember?”

“We can do that later,” Josh said, finishing his drink. “Come on, the guy’s leaving!”

Shaking their heads, Dink and Ruth Rose followed Josh, who took off after the man in black.

Suddenly the man stopped in the doorway. He turned and seemed to stare right at the three kids. The store lights reflected off his glasses like tiny lightning bolts. The man smiled and nodded at the kids.

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose froze. The man in black shoved the door open and walked out.

“Oh my gosh,” Josh whispered. “He saw us following him!”

“No, he saw
you
following him,” Ruth Rose said. “I’m going home to help my mom.”

“The guy
is
pretty strange,” Dink said. “I got goose bumps when he looked at us.”

“That’s because it’s air-conditioned in here,” Ruth Rose said. “Can we go now?”

“I want to see where he’s going,” Josh said. Crouching, he pulled the wagon through the door. Dink and Ruth Rose were right behind him, laughing.

The stranger made his way down Main Street. The kids stayed behind him. Suddenly he disappeared inside a doorway.

“He’s gone into Ellie’s!” Josh said.

“Gee, I didn’t know vampires ate real food,” Dink cracked. “Don’t they just drink blood?”

Josh ignored Dink. “We’re going in, too,” Josh said. “But let’s wait a couple of minutes. We don’t want to look like we’re following him.”

“But we are!” Ruth Rose pointed out.

“Well, we don’t have to advertise it!” Josh said. “Let’s just get ice cream, like we usually do.”

The kids left the wagon outside and pushed through the door to Ellie’s Diner. Ellie had her back to them. The kids glanced around at all the seats. The man in black was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’d he go?” Josh whispered.

“Are you sure he came in here?” Dink asked. “Maybe he went into the pet shop next door.”

“I know he came in here,” Josh said.
He peeked under a booth. “Let’s ask Ellie.”

“Ask me what?” Ellie asked.

She turned around just as she fin-ished sticking a small, round Band-Aid on the side of her neck.