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garlic tomorrow before I stop by. Nobody questions a large quantity buy of that stuff in Jersey.”

      “Would ten o’clock be too early?” Alexa asked.

      “Definitely not. I like the idea of approaching that old factory in total daylight, girls.”

      “Hope it is not too late to rescue the old guy, Grandpa.”

      “Alexa, if this all turns out the way you hope, what is your next step?”

      “Huh?”

      “Well, if Mr. Fromme is down there and he is still alive--barely, we predict--what happens then? Do we just take him home and dump the guy on his front porch?” Good questions from Grandpa.

      Alexa and Rachael looked at each other.

      “Should we take him to the hospital?” Rachael asked.

      “If we do, I hope your friend has some kind of vampire health insurance plan. These places do not work for free, you know.”

      “Guess we can decide that when the time comes.”

      “Oh boy. Here I go again, getting mixed up in one of your crazy schemes,” Grandpa mumbled as he shook his head one more time.”

      CHAPTER 4

      RETURN TO THE ABANDONED FACTORY

      “I have no clue how you ever talked your Grandpa into taking you shopping this morning,” said Victoria Casaday, Alexa and Rachael’s mother. “I always thought my dad hated shopping.”

      “All I did was tell him that if he took us today it would be a big help to you, Mom.”

      “Why so early in the fall? I am still planning our way through Halloween.”

      “Alexa and I decided that this year we are going to beat the rush and get the good stuff before it is gone. You always tell us: do not wait until the last minute to do things. Like homework.”

      Their mother smiled. “Yes, but normally you never pay any attention to my advice.”

      “Jeez, gives us a little credit, Mom.”

      “Well, it does give me some time to run a few errands on my own, girls. You DO remember. The Halloween party is tonight at your school, Rachael.”

      “Oh. That.” With everything going on with the Fromme case, she nearly forgot the holiday party. “Yeah...whatever.”

      “After all the preparation by the parents I certainly hope you kids appreciate our hard work. So, have a good time with Grandpa but be on time later on.”

      “Grandma is working more hours with the holidays coming soon. He never mentions it, but I think he gets lonely at home by himself. Alexa and I will fix that.”

      “Very thoughtful of you.” Mom looked at the girls as Rachael peeked out, hoping to see their ride. “My. That is strange. You two never dress alike. What is this with all the black garb all of a sudden?”

      “Uh, the Halloween look I guess,” replied Rachael, always quick with a story for all seasons.

      “Just had to be a coincidence, Mom,” said Alexa. “I had no idea what Rache was wearing today.”

      “Come on, Lex. Grandpa is in the driveway.” Rachael threw open the door for a quick getaway. “See you later, Mom. Probably late this afternoon.”

      “Have a good time, you two. Be good for your grandfather, don’t fight with each other, and--”

      Too late. Alexa and Rachael were already out the door and running toward Grandpa’s car.

      “Not even a chance for a ‘hi’ to Dad,” their mother said to no one.

      Both girls jumped into the back seat and Grandpa drove away. At the first stop sign he pulled over.

      “Okay. Before I go any farther, we must take inventory.”

      “We both have a crucifix, Grandpa. See?” Alexa exposed a bit of chain at her neck.

      “Good start. I picked up an ample supply of garlic. It is in a foam cooler in the trunk, to keep that smell out of my car.”

      “Did you bring the wooden stakes, just in case?” Alexa quietly asked.

      He nodded. “A bag full. Mr. Fromme may have some undead friends hiding with him. The heavy mallet in the trunk should do the trick. Oh, and I brought a shovel, too. We need something to dig up that box with the key.”

      “Yeah, right. Can you think of anything else?” Rachael asked.

      “Not at the moment. Do you think your mother was suspicious?”

      “Nope.”

      “Well, she wondered why we were both wearing black, so I told her it was just a coincidence, Grandpa.”

      “That is the exact reason I waited in the car. I know from experience that my daughter is a very smart girl. If I talk for a few minutes she will figure something is going on, and we do not want that.”

      “Tell him, Lex. Tell him how I made it sound like we thought he was lonely with nobody around while Grandma is working, and we would be great company for him.”

      “Please. You make me sound so pathetic. I do have a life besides assisting super kids, you know.”

      “Well, it worked, Grandpa.”

      They drove in silence for the first few minutes. Going through Berlin, the little town where Grandpa Maguire lived, a line of cars delayed them. Rachael fidgeted.

      “Saturday morning, girls. Too much traffic, not enough roads.”

      “Nothing you can do about it, Grandpa,” Rachael said.

      “You girls had breakfast, right?”

      “Yeah. More than we could handle.” An unusual answer for his older granddaughter, the one with the ravenous appetite.

      Grandpa thought about what she said, figuring Alexa was fibbing. “I do not think I could eat a thing either just now. I am nervous, too.”

      They finally made it to the other side of town and headed out across the countryside. At least this time Grandpa knew the way, so neither of the girls offered to direct. In ten minutes they arrived at the deserted building. Even in daylight the factory had a forbidding look to it. The warehouse end appeared to be something out of a war zone. Most of the destructions resulted from the showdown of their previous adventure. The ruthless boys tried desperately to end their lives with relentless power blasts that brought down the masonry walls. Using their abundance of superpowers the Casadays finally won that struggle of good versus evil.

      Grandpa came to a stop very close to the same parking spot of their last visit to this desolate territory at the edge of The Pinelands. He looked ahead to that bleak structure before him. “You really want to go back into that building?”

      “We must,” Alexa said, a bold statement for her. “It is what we do...sometimes.”

      Their grandfather locked his Honda Accord the conventional way, unlike the last visit when he merely gestured toward his car and things magically happened. He opened the trunk to retrieve a shovel and his little bag of “tricks”: garlands of garlic, a hammer, and plenty of wooden stakes. Grandpa also wore a crucifix around his neck.

      They ventured forward toward the office area of that building, a one-story appendage to the taller factory.

      “You know the spot, Grandpa. Take us to where that box is buried,” said Rachael.

      The girls followed him to the left and around the corner. Sure enough, there was a stone marker over a fresh patch of disturbed soil. It was also the burial plot where Dunbro Lasnikov and the boys left Mrs. Fromme, according to Lasnikov’s parting message. Alexa dropped to her hands and knees to roll back the stone. Grandpa dug into the loose sandy

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