been a couple wearing dark clothes," I rationalized. "Because I saw Jameson helping them out of the Mercedes." "Wow! Then you did see them. Tell me everything!" "I was driving Matt home from practice when we passed by the Emerson office building. The Mercedes was parked in front. Jameson opened the car door and a tall man in a cape stepped out with a lanky woman carrying an open umbrella. It wasn't raining. And even stranger, it was dark." "It was them!" I deduced as we headed out the door. "It had to have been." "Who carries an open umbrella at night under a perfect sky?" Becky asked. "Only the coolest people in the world!" The Emerson office building was a brand-new ten-story monolith. Businesses that once occupied the quaint and charming main square now inhabited the uncreative and antiseptic space. It was filled with everything from real estate to taxes. There was even a hair salon and a plastic surgery practice. "Curious. I wonder what they were doing there," I said. "Do you think Mrs. Sterling is getting a quick nip and tuck?" Becky asked. "I don't think she'd need it." "Maybe it's nothing more than boring tax advice," Becky offered when we got inside her truck. "So they're going out of the Mansion. And for some reason, I'm not going in. This calls for a Raven Madison-style investigation." I passed the school day away waiting for the final bell to ring and wondering why the Sterlings were checking out the Emerson at night.
8 Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) With the promise of a piping-hot Hatsy's burger and atomic fries, I bribed Becky into driving me to the Emerson building on our way home from school. It was like me to snoop, so I took advantage of my true nature. Of course, Becky was horrified with the whole idea and decided to wait in the car. "I need your help," I said. "You do so well on your own." "We can cover more terrain with two people. I want to know what they might have come here for." "Isn � t that spying? Maybe Alexander's father was getting a haircut. Why would that be such a big deal?" It wouldn't be if they weren't vampires, I wanted to say. "Nothing about them is usual" Becky put the truck in park. "Fine, I'll go myself. But leave the truck running in case I need a quick getaway." "Wait," she said, hopping out of the truck. "I'd better keep my eye on you." "Works every time," I mumbled. The Emerson building was like any other upscale office center. The blue and white glass structure was box-shaped. A three-tiered fountain highlighted the center of the building, and its Masonite floors sparkled as if they'd just been waxed. Becky appeared to be intimidated by what she thought was a security guard ready to arrest all teen loiterers. "It's an info desk," I said. "Chill out" I made my way to the elevators and scanned the alphabetized list of tenants hanging on the wall. "Now we have to see which one they went into," "I thought you just wanted to know what was in the building." I ignored Becky's comment. "They visited at night, so that should eliminate some of these." I dragged Becky into the male-only hair salon. "We only do men's hair," the overdyed red-haired receptionist said before I asked her a question. "I know. Did a couple come in last night?" "A male couple?" "No, a man and a woman. They're from Romania." "No." "Well, thanks for your help," I said. "One down, five hundred to go." We opened the glass doors to a Younger You cosmetic surgery office.
" Do you remember seeing a couple here yesterday?" I asked the receptionist, who could have doubled as a nurse. "Our client list is confidential" " I understand you can't tell me who visited your office, but you surely can tell me who didn't. So can you confirm that a man and woman from Romania didn't visit this office yesterday?" She rolled her eyes. "Yes." "Yes, they did?" "Yes, they didn't." Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Becky