A nice enough young man? Kevin thought in objection. He’s creepy, just like Bill.
A few minutes later, they were all seated in the big, gloomy dining room. In the high windows, they could see the lightning flashing. Eventually, Becky came down, dressed ridiculously in one of her very best dresses, and her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail with a bow on it. Kevin and Jimmy smiled at each other.
“He’s not here,” Kevin said.
“Who?” Becky smirked her reply.
“Wally, your Prince Charming.”
“Oh, you’re so stupid,” Becky moaned, and sat down.
“And he won’t be here any time soon, either,” Jimmy said. “He’ll probably get washed away in the rain. We just saw him in the woods, digging holes.”
“Digging holes?” Becky said.
“That’s right,” Kevin added on. “In the middle of the woods, in the rain.”
“Why would Wally be digging holes in the woods?” Becky countered from her place at the table. “I’ve never heard anything so stupid in my life. You two are just making it up, like you do everything else.”
“It’s true,” Jimmy said. “We saw him out there about an hour ago.”
“You did not!” Becky exclaimed.
“We did too,” Kevin said.
“What’s this about digging holes?” Aunt Carolyn suddenly remarked, appearing from the kitchen. She set down steaming dinner plates before each other them: t-bone steaks, baked potatoes, buttered lima beans.
Becky smirked. “Kevin and Jimmy said they saw Wally digging in the woods a little while ago.”
“Not just digging,” Kevin corrected. “He was digging a big oblong hole. Coffin shaped.”
“There you go with your stupid vampires again,” Becky scoffed.
“Hey, I didn’t say anything about vampires,” Kevin came right back. “All I said was that the hole was shaped like a coffin, and it was your big lover boy Wally who was digging the hole.”
“Kevin, shut up!”
“Now, kids,” Aunt Carolyn interrupted. “The dinner table is no place to argue.”
But Becky grumbled on, “All Kevin ever talks about is stupid vampires, I’m sick of listening to him.”
Aunt Carolyn looked up very slowly and smiled. “So Kevin’s interested in vampires?”
“Well, sort of,” Kevin admitted. “I think they’re pretty cool.”
Aunt Carolyn’s smile seemed to hover before her face. “Well, then, tonight, before you go to bed, remind me to tell you about the local legend.”
“What local legend?” Kevin asked over his steak.
“The local vampire legend,” Aunt Carolyn said.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Kevin could scarcely think of anything else all throughout dinner. A vampire legend? Here? What could it be? And could it have anything to do with the strange painting he’d seen in the foyer? The painting of the men in the rowboat, with the box of gold bricks and—
And the coffin? he wondered.
Kevin felt charged up with excitement. He couldn’t wait to hear about it.
“That was a great dinner, Aunt Carolyn,” Kevin said when they were all finished eating.
“Yeah, thanks,” Jimmy said.
“Well, I’m glad you liked it,” Aunt Carolyn said.
But just then, something occurred to Kevin. The big meal they’d had was very good, but—
Aunt Carolyn didn’t eat anything at all, he thought now as they were taking their plates out to the kitchen.
And she hadn’t drunk anything. And this morning, when she served everybody the spiced cider, she didn’t drink any of that either.
“I have some things to do around the lodge,” Aunt Carolyn said then. “Would you kids mind doing the dishes?”
“We’d be happy to,” Kevin said. “But—”
Aunt Carolyn stopped. “But what, Kevin?”
Kevin knew he shouldn’t bug her about it, but he couldn’t help asking. “When are you going to tell us about the local vampire legend?”
Aunt Carolyn smiled to herself. “Later on. Tonight.”
Then she disappeared down the hall, leaving the three of them in the large country kitchen.
“I shouldn’t have to wash dishes,” Becky complained. “I’ll get my brand-new dress all messed up.”
“Fine,” Kevin said, turning on the hot water. “Go find something else to do then. Go haunt a house.”
“I’d need your ugly face to do it,” Becky came back.
“Go look for your lover boy Wally,” Jimmy chuckled. “You can help him dig holes in the woods, in your brand-new dress!”
Becky glared at them both. “I just can’t believe how stupid you two guys are.”
“You’re still here?” Kevin asked sarcastically.
Becky stomped off, frowning, as Kevin and Jimmy laughed out loud.
“Boy,” Jimmy said. “You sure got rid of her in a hurry.”
But that’s exactly what Kevin had intended to do. “I can’t talk around her,” he said. “Wasn’t that kind of weird?”
“What? Your sister?”
“No, no, she’s always weird,” Kevin said. “I mean Aunt Carolyn.”
Jimmy dried each plate that Kevin passed to him from the sink. “Well, she does dress weird,” Jimmy admitted. “Those long, black dresses and all.”
Kevin lowered his voice to a sharp whisper. “That’s not what I mean. Don’t you think it was weird that she didn’t eat anything during dinner?”
Jimmy paused, drying a plate. “You know, you’re right. She didn’t eat. It was just us.”
“And did you see the weird way she looked up when Becky told her I was interested in vampires?”
Jimmy paused yet again, thinking. “Well, yeah, I guess you’re right. I guess she did look pretty weird now that you mention it.”
But before Kevin could say anything more, a gust of wind blew in, and then the back door to the kitchen slammed.
And Wally walked in.
“Hey, guys,” he said. His long hair was wet from the rain, and he had a bunch of firewood in his arms. “Carolyn told me to bring in some firewood, said she was running low.”
“Oh,” Kevin said, and he couldn’t think of much else to say. All he could remember was how they’d seen Wally in the woods earlier…
“Uh, uh,” Kevin said, “I think Becky was looking for you. She’s around here someplace.”
“Any idea where?”
“Probably out in the hearth room, near the fireplace,” Kevin told him.
“Okay, thanks,” Wally said. Then he walked off toward the hearth room with his armload of fire wood.
“Maybe we should’ve asked him,” Jimmy speculated. “Asked him what he was doing digging in the woods today.”
“I don’t know,” Kevin said, rinsing off the last plate under the running faucet. “That would just tip him off that we saw him. Then he might tell Bill and get us in trouble.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. The last thing either of us need is that old creep giving us a hard time.”
But that gave Kevin an idea. He quickly peeked out into the hearth room and saw Becky talking to Wally as he loaded the wood into the holder next to the fireplace. Then Kevin peeked around the corner into the dining room and foyer.
No one was there.
“Look, you stay here,” he told Jimmy, “and put the dishes away. I’m going back down that hallway we were in this morning. If anyone comes, slam one of the cabinets real hard so I’ll hear it and know to come back.”
“Well, okay,” Jimmy said. “But do you think it’s a good idea to go back there. Bill already caught you there once.”
“I know, but he’s probably not there now. What would he be doing at the lodge this late? I want to check some things out real fast.”