magazines. The only other person in the store was Mr. Paskey.
“He’s not here,” Dink whispered.
“I don’t believe this!” Josh choked out. “The guy keeps disappearing! What does he do, walk through walls?”
“Hi, kids. Can I help you?” Mr. Paskey asked.
“Hi, Mr. Paskey,” Dink said. “Did aman wearing black just come in here?”
Mr. Paskey rubbed his neck. “No, I don’t think so. But I was in the store-room for a minute or two. I suppose he could have come in, then left again.”
Josh shook his head. “I was watching. He came in, but he didn’t come out,” he said.
“Sorry,” Mr. Paskey said. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
“Did you kids leave this?” asked Mr. Paskey, reaching toward the cash reg-ister. He held up a twenty-dollar bill.
The kids shook their heads.
“How odd,” Mr. Paskey said. “Someone left this bill on the counter.” He looked at the money for a second, then shrugged again.
“Do you have any books about vam-pires?” Josh asked.
“I think there’s one over in non-fiction,” Mr. Paskey answered. “It’s called
Vampires Among Us
, by Dan Starch.”
The kids found the nonfiction books, then looked for
Starch
.
They found a book by Wanda Star, then one written by Peter Starkey. The space between them was empty.
“Mr. Paskey?” said Josh. “We found where the book should be, but it’s gone.”
Mr. Paskey walked over to the shelf. He put his finger in the space between the two books. “Now, that is peculiar,” he muttered, crouching lower. “It was here an hour ago when I dusted this shelf.”
When Mr. Paskey leaned over, his neck was level with Dink’s eyes. As usual, Mr. Paskey wore a crisp white shirt, a necktie, and a suit jacket.
Dink smiled.
Even in this hot weather, Mr. Paskey dresses up
, he thought.
And then Dink noticed a small, round Band-Aid right above Mr. Paskey’s shirt collar.
The kids thanked Mr. Paskey and left his shop.
“I wonder who left that twenty-dollar bill on Mr. Paskey’s counter,” Ruth Rose said.
“I bet it was that guy! I know he went in there!” Josh griped. “People don’t just vanish.”
“But maybe vampires vanish,” Ruth Rose said, grinning at Josh.
Dink laughed. He pretended to read a newspaper headline: “VACATIONING VAMPIRE VANISHES.”
“Laugh, you guys,” Josh said. “But I think that guy is definitely weird. And did you notice how Mr. Paskey didn’t even think it was strange that some guy disappeared inside his shop?”
Dink thought for a minute. “Mr. Paskey’s not the only one who’s not acting like himself. When we saw that guy through the window in Ellie’s Diner, Ellie looked afraid of something,” he said.
“She was probably afraid Josh would choke because he was gobbling his ice cream so fast,” Ruth Rose said. “Now can we go home? We can have lunch at my house.”
A few minutes later, they reached Ruth Rose’s house. They walked to the backyard with the wagon.
Ruth Rose’s brother, Nate, was sit-ting at the picnic table. In front of him were a box of plastic action figures, some crayons, and drawing paper.
“Hey, Nate, what’re you doing?” Dink asked.
“Drawing my guys,” Nate said, holding up a picture. It showed Spider-Man and Superman fighting a purple monster.
“Where’s Mommy?” Ruth Rose asked her brother.
“Here I am!” her mother said, pop-ping up from the open cellar hatchway. “Thanks for taking those newspapers away,” she said. “There are plenty more down here when you feel like working. I left sandwiches and lemonade in the fridge for you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Ruth Rose said. “We’ll take more papers later.”
The kids brought their lunch to the picnic table, and Ruth Rose cleared a space. As they ate, they watched Nate trying to write words on his picture.
“Can I help?” Ruth Rose asked her brother.
“Write
‘I give up,’ said the monster
,”
Nate told Ruth Rose. He handed her a purple crayon.
“That’s a
“He’s not here,” Dink whispered.
“I don’t believe this!” Josh choked out. “The guy keeps disappearing! What does he do, walk through walls?”
“Hi, kids. Can I help you?” Mr. Paskey asked.
“Hi, Mr. Paskey,” Dink said. “Did aman wearing black just come in here?”
Mr. Paskey rubbed his neck. “No, I don’t think so. But I was in the store-room for a minute or two. I suppose he could have come in, then left again.”
Josh shook his head. “I was watching. He came in, but he didn’t come out,” he said.
“Sorry,” Mr. Paskey said. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
“Did you kids leave this?” asked Mr. Paskey, reaching toward the cash reg-ister. He held up a twenty-dollar bill.
The kids shook their heads.
“How odd,” Mr. Paskey said. “Someone left this bill on the counter.” He looked at the money for a second, then shrugged again.
“Do you have any books about vam-pires?” Josh asked.
“I think there’s one over in non-fiction,” Mr. Paskey answered. “It’s called
Vampires Among Us
, by Dan Starch.”
The kids found the nonfiction books, then looked for
Starch
.
They found a book by Wanda Star, then one written by Peter Starkey. The space between them was empty.
“Mr. Paskey?” said Josh. “We found where the book should be, but it’s gone.”
Mr. Paskey walked over to the shelf. He put his finger in the space between the two books. “Now, that is peculiar,” he muttered, crouching lower. “It was here an hour ago when I dusted this shelf.”
When Mr. Paskey leaned over, his neck was level with Dink’s eyes. As usual, Mr. Paskey wore a crisp white shirt, a necktie, and a suit jacket.
Dink smiled.
Even in this hot weather, Mr. Paskey dresses up
, he thought.
And then Dink noticed a small, round Band-Aid right above Mr. Paskey’s shirt collar.
The kids thanked Mr. Paskey and left his shop.
“I wonder who left that twenty-dollar bill on Mr. Paskey’s counter,” Ruth Rose said.
“I bet it was that guy! I know he went in there!” Josh griped. “People don’t just vanish.”
“But maybe vampires vanish,” Ruth Rose said, grinning at Josh.
Dink laughed. He pretended to read a newspaper headline: “VACATIONING VAMPIRE VANISHES.”
“Laugh, you guys,” Josh said. “But I think that guy is definitely weird. And did you notice how Mr. Paskey didn’t even think it was strange that some guy disappeared inside his shop?”
Dink thought for a minute. “Mr. Paskey’s not the only one who’s not acting like himself. When we saw that guy through the window in Ellie’s Diner, Ellie looked afraid of something,” he said.
“She was probably afraid Josh would choke because he was gobbling his ice cream so fast,” Ruth Rose said. “Now can we go home? We can have lunch at my house.”
A few minutes later, they reached Ruth Rose’s house. They walked to the backyard with the wagon.
Ruth Rose’s brother, Nate, was sit-ting at the picnic table. In front of him were a box of plastic action figures, some crayons, and drawing paper.
“Hey, Nate, what’re you doing?” Dink asked.
“Drawing my guys,” Nate said, holding up a picture. It showed Spider-Man and Superman fighting a purple monster.
“Where’s Mommy?” Ruth Rose asked her brother.
“Here I am!” her mother said, pop-ping up from the open cellar hatchway. “Thanks for taking those newspapers away,” she said. “There are plenty more down here when you feel like working. I left sandwiches and lemonade in the fridge for you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Ruth Rose said. “We’ll take more papers later.”
The kids brought their lunch to the picnic table, and Ruth Rose cleared a space. As they ate, they watched Nate trying to write words on his picture.
“Can I help?” Ruth Rose asked her brother.
“Write
‘I give up,’ said the monster
,”
Nate told Ruth Rose. He handed her a purple crayon.
“That’s a
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