Chapter Five

"So do you usually do this kind of work?" October asked the silent officer as the drove on the highway. It was a two-hour drive to where the funeral service was going to be held. A half hour into the trip and Officer Wilkinson has said barely two words.

"What kind of work?" He asked

"You know driving mental people to funerals?" She said with a smirk on her face.

"It comes with the job description." He said keeping his eye on the road.

"Ah, then where your uniform?" She said trying her best to make a conversation to make the car ride more bearable.

"I'm Undercover." He said; there was no emotion in his voice.

"Kinda like 21 Jump Street." October said with a little chuckle.

"What?" He said finally looking at her.

"You know 21 Jump Street, a show in the 80's about undercover cops in high schools, staring Johnny Depp."

"Never heard of it." He said in his very British accent.

"Ah, of course not, this is England. It was American show. Fox. Big hit." She said to herself looking out the passenger window.

Wilkinson looked ahead and drove in silence once more. Then glance at October who was staring out the window. Then he let out a big sigh and looked back at the road.

"I'm not mental." She said. Feeling that he needed to know that.

"What?" He was shock at her sudden outburst.

"I'm not mental. I'm not crazy." She said wanting to defend herself.

"Okay." He said not sounding interested.

"I didn't kill my grandpa."

"Then who did?"

"Never mind it's not like you are going to believe me."

"Try me."

"Satanist."

"You right. I don't believe you."

"So you think I did it?"

"No. I can't see you as being a murder." He said smiling slightly.

October was about something but Derek cut her off. "Besides that one time. Reports says that there were many complaint about abuse before the incident, but the were all over looked. Is that right?"

October nodded her head "Yeah."

"Then I understand why you did you what you did. No one would listen and your mother defended him didn't she." Derek said with caring, sympathetic eyes.

October nodded her head "She said that that she loved him too much. But an even an eight year can till that there was no love on his side. I just couldn't stand it any more."

"What happened to you mother?" He asked not sure weather or not it was appropriate.

"Car accident." She said a little too quickly for his liking but he just shrugged it off.

"So do you know who did it?" Wilkinson asked.

"No, but I have an idea." Then October went on telling him the story about the day of the murder. She told him about the book and what relation she had with Dracula and everything her grandfather told her that night.

"Wow." was the only thing that he could say.

"I know. I still can't believe what happened in last week."

They had finally arrived at the graveyard where William Van Helsing was to be buried. Though the morning was clear sky when they first started on their trip, out in the middle of nowhere, the sky was gray and gloomy. One could say a perfect day for a funeral.

October sat in the car and watch as over and hundred people headed towards the place he was supposed to be buried. She recognized so many people and didn't want to be seen by them, know what was being said about her on the news.

"Ready?" Derek asked as he turned of the vehicle.

"No." She said as he head was turned away from him and her eyes on the people that mourned for her grandfather. "No. I can't do this."

"What? We came all the way down her to come to the funeral and we are going to turn around and head back to London." Wilkinson said in disbelief.

"No. Lets go for a drive and come back when everyone is gone." She said looking ahead at the car in front of them.

"Okay. Where do you want to go?" Derek asked.

"Just drive."

Derek nodded his head and started the vehicle again and started driving. They keep driving for fifteen minutes when October told him to stop.

Derek parked on the side of the road just before a bridge started.

Without saying anything October got of the car and went towards the bridge looking out to the small river.

Derek got of the car and went to stand beside her.

They stood in silence staring at the ice that had formed over the cold day, but still not cold enough to stand on it.

"I remember just this past summer, we would come fishing her everyday. We would have a good time even if both of us sucked at fishing. We would sit in a comfortable silence and waited for the fish to nibble. I think we might have caught maybe three fish combined all summer." October finally said with a sad smile on her face.

Derek just stood there and listened to her.

"I want to find out who did this Officer."

"Derek." He corrected her.

"Derek. Will you help me? No one else will believe me or even look." October turned to face the officer. "Please?"

Derek looked into the scenery then looked at October and stared into her pleading eyes.

"I could get fired if I do this."

"Do you like your job anyway?"

"I could get sent to jail."

"They probably think that I killed you. I know I just met you but I need to find out who did it."

"I don't know." He bit his lip.

"What is that saying 'Innocent till proven guilty.'"

Derek took a deep breath, then looked back to her. "What do you need to do? Where do you need to go?"

October smile and gave him and big hug. "Thank you. You don't understand what this means to me."

Derek smiled awkwardly and chuckled "Do you want to go back to the grave first?"

October nodded her head and the head back to the mustang.

When they had arrived back at the grave, almost everyone was gone.

October sat in the car, not wanting to face the few people that were still there. Her stomach was turning as she stared out the window. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Derek's kind face.

"I'm going to have to put these on. If no one was here, I would let it slide, but there are people." He said holding up the cuffs.

October just nodded her head and held out her arms. Then the young officer cuffed her wrist.

Derek got out of the car and went around to the other side and opened the door for October. Then he helped her out. Then taking her arm her lead her throw the snow up to the grave, while October keep her eyes to the ground until they got to the grave.

William Van Helsing

Born: April 4 1946

Died: November 15 2006

Father and Friend

"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things.
The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have."

October smiled sadly at the quotation, it was something that her grandfather always believed. She knelt down in the snow beside the grave and caressed the tombstone. A single tear fell from her face.

Derek stood behind her and looked at the people staring at her with hate. He felt sorry for the girl who had lost her grandfather and was frowned upon for mourning his loss. He could here them whispering to amongst themselves.

"The nerve of the girl", "What is SHE doing here?" and "Satan's little helper."

Derek looked down at October who had tuned out the rude remarks, and mourned for her grandfather.

After a few minutes, October stood up and looked at Derek with red eyes. He stared back at her for a minute and then pulled her in close into a tight embrace and kissed her on the head to try and comfort her. They stayed in that position for a good ten minutes before they left the cemetery.