angrily.
"I'm shocked and I step back in horror — just like you said," Leonard answered.
Alfie groaned. "But you're not
showing
it! How can you look shocked by just bumping up your shoulders?" He twitched his own shoulders up and down and Jean giggled.
Leonard whirled away. "I never wanted to play your old Dracula anyhow," he burst out.
"Aw, Leonard, you can do it. Look. Watch me." Alfie swooped up to Jean, stopped suddenly, hissed in horror, and flung himself on the sand. "See, Leonard? I'm showing I'm completely stopped by the power of goodness."
"Okay." Leonard answered quickly. "You be the one to get stopped. I'll call 'action.'"
Above them, in the storage room of the lighthouse, Noah Baxter was having harder problems even than Alfie. He had the job of hooking up a charge of explosives to the practice safe — and he was in a bad mood.
"Getting fireworks for those kids was stupid," he snapped at Keith. "For one thing, they're illegal. And for another, I don't want the kids here anytime — that goes for Labor Day too."
Keith Raynor shrugged. "You don't see them hanging around here, do you? Telling them they could come on Labor Day is why you're having privacy now. And as far as fireworks being illegal — what you're doing now isn't exactly legal, is it?"
Noah glared at him angrily. Instead of glaring back, Keith pointed to his workroom on the top of the lighthouse. "Right now," he said, "I'm worrying more about that charge going off. I've got a lot of valuable things up there, including a certain very hot necklace."
Noah scowled. "Will you stop it? I'm the best explosives man on the West Coast. I can do this blindfolded."
Keith eyed the fuse Noah was handling. "Maybe you can, but I think I'll just take a walk — check the car, or something."
"Nothing is going to happen," Noah retorted. He struck a match. "All you have to do is cover your ears. One
pop
, and that's it." He lighted the fuse.
Down on the beach the director and the cast of
Dracula
heard a heavy
boom
. Watson dived into Leonard's cape.
"What was that!" Jean Wyndham exclaimed. She jumped up.
Leonard pointed up toward the lighthouse. "There's a lot of black smoke."
"Dracula's Castle!" Alfie exclaimed. "Something's happening to it!"
"And maybe something's happening to Mr. Raynor," Leonard quavered.
Jean didn't hesitate. She rushed toward the steps, Alfie, Leonard, and Watson at her heels.
Black smoke and dust clouds were still rolling from the storage-room windows as they reached the top step. Jean darted for the door. As she put her hand on the doorknob, the door was flung back. Keith Raynor and Noah Baxter, both smoke-blackened, staggered out.
"Are you all right?" Jean gasped.
"Okay," Keith Raynor replied, quickly blocking her view through the open door. "I — I was lighting the stove. I guess there must have been a gas leak, and gas had built up."
"Everything's under control," Noah added.
"We heard it all the way down on the beach," Alfie panted. "What a shot! If I'd only had my camera ready!"
Noah Baxter laughed unpleasantly. "We'll try to time it better for you next time." He suddenly whirled around. "Hey! That dog!"
Watson was edging past Keith Raynor's legs and heading into the building.
"I'll get him," Leonard said. He hurried forward. "Watson! Come back here!"
Noah Baxter snatched Leonard by the cape. "You just stay here, kid.
I'll
get him." He strode off, calling "Watson! Come back here, you mutt!"
Watson didn't bother to even look back. He trotted into the storage room, took one sniff, and proceeded up the staircase.
On the top floor, something glinting in the sunlight caught Watson's attention — the Daumier necklace on Keith Raynor's drawing table. For a clearer view, Watson jumped on a chair.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, dog?" a hard voice said behind him. "Even better than the car keys." Watson felt himself being swooped up and swiftly carried down the stairs he had just climbed.
In no
"I'm shocked and I step back in horror — just like you said," Leonard answered.
Alfie groaned. "But you're not
showing
it! How can you look shocked by just bumping up your shoulders?" He twitched his own shoulders up and down and Jean giggled.
Leonard whirled away. "I never wanted to play your old Dracula anyhow," he burst out.
"Aw, Leonard, you can do it. Look. Watch me." Alfie swooped up to Jean, stopped suddenly, hissed in horror, and flung himself on the sand. "See, Leonard? I'm showing I'm completely stopped by the power of goodness."
"Okay." Leonard answered quickly. "You be the one to get stopped. I'll call 'action.'"
Above them, in the storage room of the lighthouse, Noah Baxter was having harder problems even than Alfie. He had the job of hooking up a charge of explosives to the practice safe — and he was in a bad mood.
"Getting fireworks for those kids was stupid," he snapped at Keith. "For one thing, they're illegal. And for another, I don't want the kids here anytime — that goes for Labor Day too."
Keith Raynor shrugged. "You don't see them hanging around here, do you? Telling them they could come on Labor Day is why you're having privacy now. And as far as fireworks being illegal — what you're doing now isn't exactly legal, is it?"
Noah glared at him angrily. Instead of glaring back, Keith pointed to his workroom on the top of the lighthouse. "Right now," he said, "I'm worrying more about that charge going off. I've got a lot of valuable things up there, including a certain very hot necklace."
Noah scowled. "Will you stop it? I'm the best explosives man on the West Coast. I can do this blindfolded."
Keith eyed the fuse Noah was handling. "Maybe you can, but I think I'll just take a walk — check the car, or something."
"Nothing is going to happen," Noah retorted. He struck a match. "All you have to do is cover your ears. One
pop
, and that's it." He lighted the fuse.
Down on the beach the director and the cast of
Dracula
heard a heavy
boom
. Watson dived into Leonard's cape.
"What was that!" Jean Wyndham exclaimed. She jumped up.
Leonard pointed up toward the lighthouse. "There's a lot of black smoke."
"Dracula's Castle!" Alfie exclaimed. "Something's happening to it!"
"And maybe something's happening to Mr. Raynor," Leonard quavered.
Jean didn't hesitate. She rushed toward the steps, Alfie, Leonard, and Watson at her heels.
Black smoke and dust clouds were still rolling from the storage-room windows as they reached the top step. Jean darted for the door. As she put her hand on the doorknob, the door was flung back. Keith Raynor and Noah Baxter, both smoke-blackened, staggered out.
"Are you all right?" Jean gasped.
"Okay," Keith Raynor replied, quickly blocking her view through the open door. "I — I was lighting the stove. I guess there must have been a gas leak, and gas had built up."
"Everything's under control," Noah added.
"We heard it all the way down on the beach," Alfie panted. "What a shot! If I'd only had my camera ready!"
Noah Baxter laughed unpleasantly. "We'll try to time it better for you next time." He suddenly whirled around. "Hey! That dog!"
Watson was edging past Keith Raynor's legs and heading into the building.
"I'll get him," Leonard said. He hurried forward. "Watson! Come back here!"
Noah Baxter snatched Leonard by the cape. "You just stay here, kid.
I'll
get him." He strode off, calling "Watson! Come back here, you mutt!"
Watson didn't bother to even look back. He trotted into the storage room, took one sniff, and proceeded up the staircase.
On the top floor, something glinting in the sunlight caught Watson's attention — the Daumier necklace on Keith Raynor's drawing table. For a clearer view, Watson jumped on a chair.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, dog?" a hard voice said behind him. "Even better than the car keys." Watson felt himself being swooped up and swiftly carried down the stairs he had just climbed.
In no
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