"So, you thought to retrace Wendy Pruitt's route?" Sheriff Oates was not in a good mood "If you knew it why not tell us? Why not even tell us where you found her? Because you wanted to play cop?
"It was not… I did not think."
"No, you didn't. The temptation to play detective was too great Wasn't getting John Lawson killed enough for you? You let him walk into Midler's office and let him know that he was on to him. "
"I did not know that he'd do that."
"And you provided no back up. God preserve me from civilians playing cop!"
-0-
"You see why Orczy made made it so in the show that Amos had killed Lawson?" Heather commented "And that Lawson had scorned and denounced him before he died? Because Amos does believe that he did get Lawson killed. That, as Oates told him he had encouraged him to play detective and let him expose himself. It was opening an old wound to see that playing in front of him"
"Of course, Oates had his own guilt" Danny added "Because Lawson had one tried to contact him, and Oates was so angry with him that would not listen…. Lawson would not have asked Amos if he thought he could go to Oates… I was there. I know what he said."
"But that did not keep Amos from going on in another soliloquy about how he was at fault and that he brought tragedy to all he touched. I had to remind him that the other vampire was still at large and that he was supposed to do something about it."
-0-
Beverly's mind raced as she contemplated the possibility that Amos was out of control Any moment now, he would summon her… and this time he would not be able to stop himself.
She had to hold on until Professor Romney got here… and what if he could do nothing? What if Amos took him over the way that he had taken John Lawson? And now Lawson was dead…
She tried to calm herself. She could not think straight with those thoughts running round her head. And if she could not think straight, then how could she protect herself?
She did what she always did to calm herself. She went to the bookstore to browse among the history books. They had bestsellers, of course and those tended to be superficial most of the time. But also, there were local history books and local authors. She took several and went to the cash register. And as she went there, she tripped and fell. A young man helped her up, and as she got up he did comment on the books she carried.
"Like local history?" he asked.
Before long they had struck a conversation, with names of local authors and interesting anecdotes that he knew of.
"My name is Martin Cooley." He said at last.
-0-
"How was I supposed to know that he was Herb Whitby?" Beverly asked her companions. "I was never involved in what he did. I might have seen him a couple of times in the bookstore where he was probably watching Collinsport for Heather but I see a lot of people in the bookstore specially in tourist season. The police never asked me about him – and why should they? I never saw a picture of him. And then Herb Whitby was supposed to be dead his car having gone over the cliff. Anyway, he could change his appearance. He was one of Midler's experiments and had a rubber face that he could change by pulling and stretching his flesh. Sunken cheeks or full. Thick lips or thin. Ears large or small. Bulbous nose or thin. Double chin… His face could change enough… So, you see, you should not make fun of me"
"In the show he is supposed to be your boyfriend."
"God forbid."
-0-
Heather hoped that Amos got somewhere in his search. If not, he would have trouble feeding, as the women he relied on would be scared of him and try to ward him off….And worse…
But she could do nothing to help there.
She saw a bat flying towards her.
"I hope that he found out something"
She waited until the bat alighted and then it changed shape.
"You are the other one!"