CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

He couldn’t believe it, but he knew there could be no other explanation. Aunt Carolyn is a vampire, living here in Count Volkov’s lodge, he thought. Where else would a vampire live, but in another vampire’s house?

And everything else made sense, too.

Like Bill Bitner and Wally. In all the vampire movies Kevin had seen, the vampires always had helpers, people who weren’t vampires themselves, so that they could follow the vampire’s orders during the day. Servants, Kevin thought. Like those blank-faced men in the paintings. Those men were Count Volkov’s servants.

So what did that make Bill Bitner and Wally?

They’re… Aunt Carolyn’s servants, Kevin figured. No wonder they work for her so cheap. They’re probably under her spell. They protect her during the day when she’s asleep in her coffin, and they do her work for her. But—

But what work?

Digging, he answered himself at once. He’d found the shovels in the secret room, and not only had he seen Bill holding a shovel in the hallway, he’d also seen Wally out in the woods today, during the rainstorm. And what had Wally been doing?

Digging, Kevin though. Digging a hole in the ground. Digging… for something.

But what?

Count Volkov’s coffin? he wondered. Or the treasure?

It was just one more thing he’d have to find out. He knew there had to be more clues in the secret room, and tomorrow he would go back, with a bright flashlight, so he could see better and investigate some more.

But there was something he had to investigate now.

I have to make absolutely sure, he thought, that Aunt Carolyn really is a vampire…

And he knew there was only one way to do that.

Kevin knew where Aunt Carolyn’s bedroom was. It was upstairs, on the second floor, at the other end of the hall from where he and Jimmy’s room was…

I’ll have to go there now, he realized. I’ll have to look into Aunt Carolyn’s bedroom. If she’s sleeping in her bed, then I’ll know she’s not really a vampire, because vampires never sleep at night, and they only sleep in coffins. And if she isn’t there…

The rest of the thought trailed off for a moment, replaced by fear.

If she isn’t there, his thoughts continued nervously, then I’ll know I’m right. I’ll know for a fact that Aunt Carolyn really is a vampire…

Kevin stood up then, in the dark hearth room, with the rain still pounding the windows and the lightning still flashing. He doubted that he’d ever been this scared, but he knew what he must do.

He had no choice.

I’ve got to go up there now, he thought. To Aunt Carolyn’s bedroom, and I’ve got to see if she’s there. That’s the only way I’ll know for sure.

The clock on the mantle over the fireplace ticked loudly. Kevin looked up and saw that it was almost three o’clock in the morning. He walked cautiously into the foyer, set foot on the landing, and began to quietly climb the stairs. Each step felt higher than he remembered, and took more effort to climb, but maybe that was because he was afraid about all the things he’d discovered tonight. Each step creaked too, not loud, but still he fretted that the sound might wake someone up. Eventually he got to the top of the second-floor landing. It was very dark, he could barely see anything, but at least the lightning in the window at the ends of the hall offered enough light that he could make his way. As he stepped down the hall over the carpet, even the floor creaked a little, and, more eerie paintings passed on either side of him. Kevin felt grateful that it was too dark to see any of their details.

After all, he knew who had painted them.

It seemed to take forever to get all the way down to the end of the hallway. Aunt Carolyn’s bedroom, he knew, was the last door on the left. In another few moments, he was there, standing before the door. And all at once, his entire body felt as thought it were made of stone…

He tried to raise his hand, to grasp the doorknob and open the door. But—

He couldn’t.

His hand was shaking too much.

Get a grip on yourself! he thought. You can’t be a chicken all your life!

He took a deep breath, let himself calm down. then—

Do it! he ordered himself. Just go on and do it!

Very slowly, his hand raised, and then, even more slowly, his fingers closed over the doorknob. They tightened, turned. Then—

He began to turn the old brass doorknob.

Please don’t creak, he thought fearfully to himself. Every door and stair and section of flooring in the entire lodge seemed to creak. But, to Kevin’s relief, when he began to carefully push the door open, he found that the hinges didn’t make any sound. Soon the door was opened wide enough that he could stick his head in and look.

Drat! he thought.

Darkness.

The room was so dark he couldn’t see anything at all inside. The only thing that faced him now was an utter and complete wall of black.

What am I going to do now! he wondered.

But it was just his luck. At that very instant, a long peal of lightning cracked across the sky, and its brief white light flashed into Aunt Carolyn’s bedroom through the high, narrow window. And—

Kevin’s heart felt like it might actually stop beating right there in his chest.

Because when the lightning flashed and lit up the room, he saw no sign at all of Aunt Carolyn.

He saw an antique dresser, a table, a few chairs. He saw some paintings on the wall, too, but—

That was all.

Aunt Carolyn’s not here,he realized. And he realized something else, too.

There wasn’t even a bed in the room.