"Alexander! Get me out! Now!"
I wondered if the cables were still intact; if not, the elevator could plummet to the bowels of the basement at any moment.
I even thought I heard the screams of the ghosts—until I realized the screams were coming from me.
Suddenly the door pulled open, and I could barely see the oversized black pants and combat boots standing before me. My eyes squinted, trying to adjust to the moonlight that shined through the uncovered hallway window.
I was standing in the middle of an oval-shaped ring of dirt, the front part messy, as if something heavy had dragged over it.
Alexander pulled me out before the door closed again.
I squeezed him with the little breath I still had in me.
"You saved my life."
"Hardly. But I think you found something."
We stood at a distance and examined the elevator's contents. Gravestone etchings covered the walls. In the corner sat an antique candelabra and a pewter goblet.
"Jagger had the same etchings at his Coffin Club apartment!" I said excitedly. "It's just missing the coffin."
"He must have left in a hurry."
"Why would he leave? Jagger could remain undiscovered for several eternities in this place. And this elevator could easily fit two coffins."
"He must have felt threatened."
"By the ghost story?"
"This old elevator isn't moving anywhere," Alexander reassured.
"Then what could possibly threaten Jagger?" I wondered.
While Alexander examined the elevator, I tried to catch my breath and combed the hallway for any more clues. Next to the boxes I noticed something silver catching the moonlight.
"What would this be doing here?" I asked, holding a garage door opener in my hand.
Alexander came over to me and examined my discovery.
At that moment, standing in the window right behind him, was a ghostly, attractive teen with white hair, the ends dyed bloodred. His eyes, one blue and one green, stared through me.
"Jagger!" I whispered.
"I know," Alexander answered, repeatedly clicking the opener in frustration. "He was here."
"No. He's here now! He's right outside!" I said, pointing to the window again.
Jagger flashed a wicked grin, his fangs gleaming.
Alexander quickly turned around, but Jagger had vanished.
"He was standing right there!" I cried, pointing to the window.
Alexander took off and I followed him back through the factory, past the ghostly Halloween props and out the front door.
When we reached the gravel drive, Alexander suddenly stopped next to the Mercedes.
He pressed the keys to the car in my hand and handed me the flashlight.
"Drive to the Mansion. I'll meet you there in half an hour," he said.
"But—" "Please," he said, opening the door for me.
"Okay," I agreed, and reluctantly got inside.
Alexander closed the door. When I glanced back to say good-bye, he had vanished.
I locked the door and put the key in the ignition. As the crickets chirped and Alexander continued his search alone, I grew anxious. What if something happened to him? I couldn't hear his calls if I was miles away atop Benson Hill. I checked my container of garlic sealed safely inside my purse. I got out of the car and stuck the keys into my back pocket. I raced toward the east side of the factory with the flashlight in my hand.
The mill grounds had an eerie quietness to them. I felt as if someone were watching me. I looked up at the sky. I saw what appeared to be a bat hanging from the power lines above me. When I shined my light on the wire, it was gone.
I turned the corner of the factory to find Alexander pacing outside the hallway window.
"He was standing right here," I said.
"I should have known—," Alexander murmured.
"That I wouldn't stay in the car?"
Alexander shook his head and pointed toward the smokestack. Not twenty feet from where we were standing I could see plain as daylight what had threatened Jagger—a giant wrecking ball.
5 The Key
That night I sat in my computer chair, holding the garage door opener in my hand.
I felt I held the key to cracking the Case of the Missing Twin Teen Vampires.
In fact, an empty garage was an awesome hiding place for a vampire. If a family were on vacation, they would have to drive the hour and a half to the nearest airport, therefore giving vacancy to a waiting coffin. With no one in the residence, Jagger and Luna could go undetected long enough to seduce Trevor into their vampirey lair.
If Alexander and I walked from garage door to garage door, it could take decades to discover which one Jagger and Luna were calling their latest batcave. By then Trevor would be "fluless" and return to practice in enough time for Luna to have sunk her fangs into him and the entire Dullsville High soccer team.
I hardly spoke to anyone in this town, much less knew the travel plans of the other Dullsvillians. I had to figure out a way to find out who was traveling, their destinations, and the durations of their stays. How could I get access to that information? Just then an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning. Of course I couldn't get the information—but I knew someone who could.
The next day, after school, Becky drove me to the Armstrong Travel Agency.
I missed the old girl. Since she'd begun dating Matt Wells and I'd met Alexander, we didn't have the endless free time to hang out, talk on the phone, or climb the Mansion's gates. So when we did have girl time, we made the most of it.