Chapter 3

Chapter 3 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 neat color," Dink said. "It's Party Purple," Nate told him. "And guess what? It smells like jelly- beans!"

Ruth Rose printed the words, then pointed to each one in turn as she read them aloud for her brother. "Thanks, Ruth Rose!" said Nate. He grabbed the picture and ran to show his mother. "I wonder if that guy we saw sleeps hanging upside down," Josh said. "I hate to spoil your fun," Dink said. "Bats sleep that way, not people." "And vampires aren't real," Ruth Rose said. "Dracula was a real person," Josh said. "I read about him." "But Dracula wasn't really a vam-pire," said Ruth Rose. "And he died a long time ago." Josh wiggled his eyebrows. "How do we know he's really dead?" Ruth Rose laughed. She reached into Nate's box and pulled out a miniature plastic Count Dracula. "Here he is!" she said. "See," Josh said. "He looks just like our guy. All dressed in black."

"Except this one has long fangs," Ruth Rose said, standing the vampire on his plastic feet. Painted-on "blood" dripped from the fangs. "The guy we're following might have fangs," Josh said. "We didn't see his teeth." Suddenly Dink remembered something. "Guys, did you notice that Mr. Paskey was wearing a Band-Aid on his neck?" he asked. "I did," Ruth Rose said. "A little round one, right here." She put a finger on the side of her own neck.