Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Detective Phillips came out of the interrogation room a few hours later and shook his head. "He's not telling us anything useful." He looked directly at Frank. "He says that he'll only talk to you."
"Did he say why?" Frank asked.
"Nope, and right now I'm going to have to let him go. We don't have anything we can use against him. He's never asked for a lawyer and there's really nothing to say that he is responsible for this." Phillips explained.
Frank looked at his watch. "The party is about to get underway. Let him go. He's supposed to be taking Nancy to the party. I can keep an eye on him there."
Phillips nodded and went back into the interrogation room. A couple of minutes later, Aiden walked out of the room.
"You want to talk to me about something?" Frank asked him.
Aiden looked at Joe. "I"ll only talk to you alone."
Frank sighed and turned to Joe. "You go pick up Bess and George. I'll meet up with you at the party."
Joe was reluctant to leave his brother. Frank grabbed Joe by the arm and pulled him to the side where they could talk. "Joe, this is the only way that we're gonna know what's going on. I'll be fine. Just go to the party and keep an eye on things."
Joe hesitated, but knew that his brother was right. "I don't like this, Frank."
"Neither do I, but if this is the only way we'll get information, then I'll take it." Frank said.
Joe nodded and left the police station. Frank turned to Aiden. "Shall we?"
Frank drove them back to the hotel room. As soon as they were settled in, Frank picked up the phone to call Nancy's cell.
"You won't find her." Aiden said.
Frank froze and slowly hung up the phone
"That's why I needed to talk to you. I didn't want the police involved." Aiden said.
Frank reached Aiden in two strides and slammed him up against the wall.
"Where is she!?" He demanded.
"She's safe...for now." Aiden said.
"What do you mean, for now? Where is she!?" Frank yelled, pushing him into the wall.
"She's in the mansion. Let me go and I'll explain everything to you." Aiden said, breathing hard.
Frank stared at him for a moment longer and roughly let him go. He then walked to a chair and sat down.
"All right. Talk." Frank said.
"I lied to you when I first met you." Aiden began. "Ernest Calloway isn't my uncle."
"Nancy found that out." Frank said quietly.
"Do you know the story of the mansion?" Aiden asked.
"What does a ghost story have to do with Nancy?" Frank asked.
"When I explain it to you, you'll know. Do you know the story?" Aiden asked again.
"Yes." Frank said impatiently.
"Would you believe me when I say that I'm seventy-five years old?" Aiden asked.
"Is this some kind of game?" Frank asked ,jumping up from his chair.
"No. My father is the one you hear the stories about, except they're not stories. They're true--every one of them. My father is a vampire. He needs human blood to survive. When I was twenty-two, he turned me into one of him. I'm a vampire. Excpet I learned to control my urges." Aiden explained.
Frank sank slowly back into his chair, shocked.
"I thought vampires couldn't be out in the sun." Frank said, suspicious.
Aiden gave a small smile. "Don't believe everything that you read and hear about us. Anyway, I don't feed on humans. I get animal blood from the butcher and survive on that. My father feeds strictly on humans. He's the one that killed that girl the other night. He's been after me for years tofind someone to settle down with. But I don't want to. I can't bear to bring someone into this nightmare. But he forced me to. If you go back for the past seventy-five years, if you follow our trail, you'll find one girl missing from every city that we visited. I would bring them home and they weren't good enough for him. So instead of letting them go, he would kill them."
"How many are we talking about?" Frank asked, mortified.
"I don't know." Aiden answered. "Maybe over one hundred. But now he's set his sights on Nancy."
"Where is she?" Frank asked, afraid.
"He made me bring her to him. He wants to make her my bride." Aiden explained.
"You left her with him?!" Frank roared.
"He told me to hide everything, to make it look like she had left."
Frank got up threateningly.
"I want to help her." Aiden pleaded. "But I can't get everyone involved. That's why I only wanted to talk to you. If he finds out that I told you, he'll be furious. And I'd hate to see what he'd do."
"What do you want me to do?" Frank asked.
"Let me go back first, by myself. I'll tell you how to get into the underground crypt. I need to explain to Nancy." Aiden said.
"How long do you need?" Frank asked.
"Give me a good hour." He looked Frank in the eyes. "I'll get her out of this alive. Even if I have to die to make it happen."
"I hope that's what your prepared to give up. Because if anything does happen to Nancy, you won't have to worry about your father." He walked closer to Aiden. "You'll have to worry about me."
Detective Phillips came out of the interrogation room a few hours later and shook his head. "He's not telling us anything useful." He looked directly at Frank. "He says that he'll only talk to you."
"Did he say why?" Frank asked.
"Nope, and right now I'm going to have to let him go. We don't have anything we can use against him. He's never asked for a lawyer and there's really nothing to say that he is responsible for this." Phillips explained.
Frank looked at his watch. "The party is about to get underway. Let him go. He's supposed to be taking Nancy to the party. I can keep an eye on him there."
Phillips nodded and went back into the interrogation room. A couple of minutes later, Aiden walked out of the room.
"You want to talk to me about something?" Frank asked him.
Aiden looked at Joe. "I"ll only talk to you alone."
Frank sighed and turned to Joe. "You go pick up Bess and George. I'll meet up with you at the party."
Joe was reluctant to leave his brother. Frank grabbed Joe by the arm and pulled him to the side where they could talk. "Joe, this is the only way that we're gonna know what's going on. I'll be fine. Just go to the party and keep an eye on things."
Joe hesitated, but knew that his brother was right. "I don't like this, Frank."
"Neither do I, but if this is the only way we'll get information, then I'll take it." Frank said.
Joe nodded and left the police station. Frank turned to Aiden. "Shall we?"
Frank drove them back to the hotel room. As soon as they were settled in, Frank picked up the phone to call Nancy's cell.
"You won't find her." Aiden said.
Frank froze and slowly hung up the phone
"That's why I needed to talk to you. I didn't want the police involved." Aiden said.
Frank reached Aiden in two strides and slammed him up against the wall.
"Where is she!?" He demanded.
"She's safe...for now." Aiden said.
"What do you mean, for now? Where is she!?" Frank yelled, pushing him into the wall.
"She's in the mansion. Let me go and I'll explain everything to you." Aiden said, breathing hard.
Frank stared at him for a moment longer and roughly let him go. He then walked to a chair and sat down.
"All right. Talk." Frank said.
"I lied to you when I first met you." Aiden began. "Ernest Calloway isn't my uncle."
"Nancy found that out." Frank said quietly.
"Do you know the story of the mansion?" Aiden asked.
"What does a ghost story have to do with Nancy?" Frank asked.
"When I explain it to you, you'll know. Do you know the story?" Aiden asked again.
"Yes." Frank said impatiently.
"Would you believe me when I say that I'm seventy-five years old?" Aiden asked.
"Is this some kind of game?" Frank asked ,jumping up from his chair.
"No. My father is the one you hear the stories about, except they're not stories. They're true--every one of them. My father is a vampire. He needs human blood to survive. When I was twenty-two, he turned me into one of him. I'm a vampire. Excpet I learned to control my urges." Aiden explained.
Frank sank slowly back into his chair, shocked.
"I thought vampires couldn't be out in the sun." Frank said, suspicious.
Aiden gave a small smile. "Don't believe everything that you read and hear about us. Anyway, I don't feed on humans. I get animal blood from the butcher and survive on that. My father feeds strictly on humans. He's the one that killed that girl the other night. He's been after me for years tofind someone to settle down with. But I don't want to. I can't bear to bring someone into this nightmare. But he forced me to. If you go back for the past seventy-five years, if you follow our trail, you'll find one girl missing from every city that we visited. I would bring them home and they weren't good enough for him. So instead of letting them go, he would kill them."
"How many are we talking about?" Frank asked, mortified.
"I don't know." Aiden answered. "Maybe over one hundred. But now he's set his sights on Nancy."
"Where is she?" Frank asked, afraid.
"He made me bring her to him. He wants to make her my bride." Aiden explained.
"You left her with him?!" Frank roared.
"He told me to hide everything, to make it look like she had left."
Frank got up threateningly.
"I want to help her." Aiden pleaded. "But I can't get everyone involved. That's why I only wanted to talk to you. If he finds out that I told you, he'll be furious. And I'd hate to see what he'd do."
"What do you want me to do?" Frank asked.
"Let me go back first, by myself. I'll tell you how to get into the underground crypt. I need to explain to Nancy." Aiden said.
"How long do you need?" Frank asked.
"Give me a good hour." He looked Frank in the eyes. "I'll get her out of this alive. Even if I have to die to make it happen."
"I hope that's what your prepared to give up. Because if anything does happen to Nancy, you won't have to worry about your father." He walked closer to Aiden. "You'll have to worry about me."