Chapter Twelve
1
Once Mr. White figured he was safely out of reach from the vampires' ears, he started talking immediately.
“My sister didn’t really get in a crash,” Mr. White said, pulling into the police station.
“What is going on, babe?” Gracey asked. She sounded concerned to Mr. White.
“This is going to sound crazy to you, and I do not feel like explaining it twice. So, just trust me, I need you to trust me, Gracey. You will hear all about it in the police station,” Mr. White said, unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door. He stepped out into the cold, bitter October air. It wasn't even November and it already felt cold enough to snow. Halloween was tomorrow and, if it snowed then, it would not be the first time it snowed on Halloween in Riverwolf Pass.
“Babe, what is going on? This is the police we are talking about here, this better be something important.”
“Oh it is!” Mr. White chuckled with a slight skip in his step. “This is the biggest damn thing that ever happened in this small town and we were almost victims!” visions of newspaper articles about him and how he saved the day filled his mind. “I can see the movie rights selling now!” he declared with a cheshire-cat type smile on his face.
“Victims? Movie rights? What do you mean we were almost victims? Victims of what? And who would buy movie rights from us? And why?! You are not making any sense, love,” Gracey said, hurrying behind Mr. White into the police station.
“Officer!” he exclaimed, banging his fist down on the counter. He banged his fist so hard that normally it would have hurt, but the adrenaline rushing through his veins made it so he didn't feel it as much as he should have.
“Take it easy, Mr. White,” Officer Newell said, walking over to the counter. His round little body maneuvered its way around the chairs, desks, and books that were around the office. “What can I help you with? Are those crazy teenagers speeding through town again?” he asked, raising both his eyebrows and picking up a meat-ball sub and taking an enormous bite from it.
“No officer, I have information on a murder that took place earlier today and a bunch more that are going to take place if you don’t hurry on over to the Dyebuko Manor and stop them!” Mr. White said. His eyes were wider than ever, he gripped the counter hard and leaned over slightly so he was only inches away from Officer Newell's brown eyes.
“A murder! You never said anything about a murder! What are you talking about?” Gracey demanded to know, gripping her fiancé's arm, pleading to know what he was talking about.
“I’m afraid I agree with the Mrs., I haven’t the slightest idea of what you are talking about,” Officer Newell said, leaning in towards Mr. White more, after wiping his mouth with a napkin and putting down his sandwich.
“I am talking about Ms. Anna Beth Hanly. Mrs. Dyebuko murdered her earlier this evening. I think she might have also murdered Mr. Johnson, but I am not sure about that one. It is only a suspicion of mine.”
“Oh really?” Officer Newell said, his eyes widening and his the tone of his voice getting slightly higher.
“Yes!”
“How did these murders take place, love? Ms. Anna Beth Hanly hurt her arm and had to leave, and Mr. Johnson had a family emergency,” Gracey said, running her hand along Mr. White's shoulder.
“No!” Mr. White said, knocking Gracey's hand off of him. “It was a cover up! The vampire, Mrs. Dyebuko, viciously murdered them! Yes, that's right. The Dyebukos are indeed vampires!” Mr. White said, banging both his fists down on the counter. Officer Newell broke out in insane laughter. His fat belly shook like Jell-O, and his face became as red as a cherry!
“Now that's the best joke I've heard all day!” Officer Newell said, slapping the table while trying to control his laughter. “You really had me going there for a second! Murder, dinner party, vampires! What a riot!” Officer Newell was unable to control his laughter and decided not to try anymore.
“I am serious! This is not a joke!” Mr. White said, his face getting red but not for the same reason Officer Newell's face was red. Mr. White entangled his hands in his hair and squeezed hard. Why wouldn't they believe him?
“Well, how do you know they are vampires, dear?” Gracey asked wearily, not wanting to upset her fiancé.
“Yes, Mr. White, how do you know? Did you see their fangs? Did you actually see them bite someone? Are they allergic to garlic, holy water, and crosses?” Officer Newell asked in an almost offensive tone. His roaring laughter had died down now. He was mocking Mr. White, and Mr. White did not like that one little bit.
“No, I did not actually see that happen. But, I read a lot of books, and I used deductive reasoning! If you saw the way Mrs. Dyebuko was looking at me in the kitchen when I helped her carry stuff over there, you would have known she was a vampire too. She was glaring at my neck; I could tell she just wanted to sink her teeth into it.”
“Mr. White,” Officer Newell said in a very deep voice, leaning over the counter and looking him in the eyes. “I do believe that your imagination has gotten the best of you. I think you should go home and lay down. When you wake up in the morning you will realize just how crazy you sound.”
“I am not crazy and I don't sound crazy! You know that I am sane!” Mr. White said, gripping the hair on his head once more. “I work at the library with kids all day! I read! That is how I know they are vampires. You have to get over there and save the poor townspeople from a terrible fate! They will be murdered! REDRUM! REDRUM!” Mr. White repeated as something inside his brain snapped. He was suddenly lost into a reality that was different than his own. The horror books were all alive and he was uncertain what was real and what wasn't. His dead parents haunted his memory, visions of his childhood passed throughout his head.
“Honey, stop it! You sound like a lunatic!” Gracey said, her face twisted into a mangled knot of confusion. Mr. White looked at her and saw she was blushing out of pure mortification. Mr. White stopped... temporarily.
“I- but, neither of you believe me?” he asked, swallowing hard. It hurt when he swallowed, it almost stung. However, it didn't sting as much as seeing his fiancé blush because she was embarrassed by him.
“I am terribly sorry about this, Officer Newell. I will take him home and see to it that he gets lots and lots of rest,” Gracey promised, taking Mr. White’s hand and patting it softly. Mr. White jerked his hand away from her.
“I am not one of your troubled school kids! And you will not treat me like one,” he said, and as soon as he did, he felt badly about it. What was happening to him?
“I-I'm sorry, hon, I-I was only trying to help,” Gracey said, looking down. Mr. White knew she was about to cry, therefore he didn't dwell on the subject.
“I will not leave until Officer Newell says he will go over to the Dyebuko Manor and kill those vampires! The townspeople are in danger! You, Officer Newell, are supposed to serve and protect! You need to do your duty!” Mr. White said, crossing his arms and turning his head to the side so as he couldn't see Gracey.
“Maybe you need to go talk to someone, Mr. White.” Officer Newell said. Mr. White noticed the I pity you look he cast Gracey, out of the corner of his eye.
“Maybe I do! Maybe they will believe me! Come on, Gracey, we are going to go to the next county,” Mr. White demanded, grabbing Gracey’s arm and nearly pulling her down to the ground he jerked it so hard.
“Honey,” she protested, pulling her arm back. “I am not going with you. You need rest. Just listen to what you are saying,” she said, rubbing her arm gingerly. She hoped it wouldn't bruise.
“That is it!” Officer Newell said, throwing his arms up and waddling over toward Gracey. “I am terribly sorry, Miss Yancy, but I cannot just let him go free. I have to take him in, and you know it.”
“Take him in? But he did nothing against the law. Officer Newell, you have to understand that he is just in an odd state of mind.”
?
??I’ll say!” Officer Newell agreed.
“He will be better by morning. I will talk some sense into him. Please, you can’t just lock him up! He's read a lot of books, a lot of horrendous books, they mess with your mind, Officer, please let me take him home.” Gracey nearly cried out, her head tilted and her eyes pleading.
“I am not going to put him in jail, Gracey. He calls for professional help. I’m taking him to the 5th floor on the hospital. He's crazy, Gracey, crazy,” Officer Newell declared, looking at Gracey apologetically.
“I am not crazy. Please, you must believe me. I'm not crazy!” Mr. White protested when Officer Newell tried to handcuff him. “I refuse to go along with this. Gracey, dear, stop him. Stop him already! You cannot just let him take me away like this. Gracey, you know I am sane. Gracey! Gracey!” He called out her name at least a dozen times, and yet, she did nothing. She couldn't move. The tears gently streamed down her face. What had he done to himself? What effect had those books had on him? Did she ever really know him? Had he always been a ticking time bomb? Did she somehow know this day would come? All these questions leaped through her head as frogs leap from Lilly pad to Lilly pad. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her brain from thinking and wondering the most peculiar questions.
She rode with him to the nearest hospital with a psychiatric ward. It was a two-hour long drive. She sobbed the entire time.
2
The appetizers went quicker than the salad did. The conversations skipped from one subject to the next. People talked about everything from church functions to high school football games. Sometimes, people would be in their own conversations, and other times everybody would be commenting on the same thing with each other.
Before anybody knew it, it was time for the main course. Well, at least it was time for the first part of the main course. Everybody was shocked and fascinated to learn that the main course was to come in two different parts. The curiosity built as Mrs. Dyebuko and Mrs. Halcyon brought the appetizer dishes into the kitchen.
“Oh! will I have a story to write about tomorrow!” Mr. Wes Determan exclaimed happily. “This meal is surely scrumptious! And I will have plenty to tell about the Dyebukos' excellent adventures and stories that Mr. Dyebuko told me about himself.”
“I am very much looking forward to reading the article,” Latianna said with a smile, very much enjoying his company.
“Say, how would you like your picture in the paper, Latianna?” Mr. Wes Determan asked with a smile at least ten miles wide.
“Just as long as it is not under Riverwolf Pass’s most wanted persons section,” Latianna said. A roar of laughter escaped from the table, as people were jolly. It reminded Latianna a lot about what she saw on television; family gathered around the table, happily laughing, sharing stories, keeping up interesting conversations. The only difference was there, at that table, everybody who gathered around it would be killed by her parents.
“What profession do you want to go into, Latianna? Ever consider media interviews or editing or perhaps photography?” Mr. Wes Determan asked with a rising anticipation.
“Not exactly media, but I do hope to be a professional novelist one day,” Latianna said, holding her head high.
“Oh yeah? Have you ever written anything before?”
“Not yet, well, a few short stories, but no novels. I have a few great ideas though,” Latianna said with a nod of her head.
“I look forward with growing excitement to reading your work one day,” Mr. Wes Determan said with a nod of his head.
Mrs. Dyebuko came out of the kitchen looking very sad indeed.
“Mrs. Dyebuko, what's wrong?” Thelma asked, concern growing on her face like a bad disease.
“Would you believe that someone broke into the gas station?”
“No!” Mrs. Harvey said in disbelief.
“I know! It is downright horrible. Mrs. Halcyon had to leave in such a hurry. It is sad, really. She was such a nice person,” Mrs. Dyebuko said with a false tone of grievance that only Latianna picked up on was dubious.
“Oh well,” Mr. Dyebuko said. “The dinner party must go on! Bring out the main course.”
And with that, Judd and Samuel brought out part one of the main course, on silver platters no doubt. They set plates full of steak, tender asparagus and delicious looking mashed potatoes that tasted better than the ones Mr. Wes Determan’s own grandmother cooked on Christmas day.
The room filled with the sound of clanking forks and knifes as people ate and ate. It was like a Christmas feast where everything was so delicious, one could not stop themselves from stuffing their gullets.
Even Thelma Garder did not care that there was no vegetarian meal because the food that was there tasted better than any food she had ever had.
The dinner party turned out to be a great success. The humans were unaware of the growing danger they sat in by eating at the Dyebukos' dining room table.
3
Doc Bailey walked into the room. Her long brownish-red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She held her clipboard firmly against her chest as she took her seat.
“Mr. White, I heard that you suspect the new family in town, the Dyebukos, are vampires?” Dr. Bailey asked, sitting down across a table from Mr. White. Gracey sat next to Dr. Bailey and looked sadder than Mr. White had ever seen her look before.
“No, I do not,” Mr. White said. Gracey's face lit up, her eyes became wider and she felt a slight smile tearing at the sides of her mouth. A twinkling of hope shown through on her face.
“I know for a fact that they are vampires,” he finished. He saw both their faces fall and Gracey heaved a heavy sigh.
“And how do you know this, Mr. White?” Dr. Bailey asked, jotting something down on her clipboard. Mr. White sighed and explained what he previously explained to Officer Newell about Ms. Anna Beth Hanly and Mr. Johnson, and how Mrs. Dyebuko had looked at him whilst they were in the kitchen together.
“I see,” Dr. Bailey said, not bothering to look at him but instead, flip through the pages on her clip-board. “Did you actually see any fangs?”
“No,” Mr. White said with a sigh, knowing where this was going. Why did people think he was crazy? The people who knew him nearly his entire life thought he suddenly went insane, that he suddenly read one too many vampire books! He was a grown man and used deductive reasoning to figure out that the Dyebukos were vampires. Why did people have to be so damn oblivious when the facts were looking them in the face. Vampires had come to Riverwolf Pass and no one believed him!
“Did you see them bite someone, Mr. White?”
“No.”
Dr. Bailey jotted yet another thing down on her clipboard.
“So the only reason you think they are vampires is…”
“Because I read frequently and I used deductive reasoning. I know for a fact that they are vampires, Doc Bailey. Please, you have to believe me! I am not a crazy. I don't belong in here. Please just let me go home with my fiancé!” But, Mr. White did not want to go home. What he really wanted was to go back to the dinner party so he could help the poor, helpless guests that the Dyebukos planned on killing.
“Mr. White, I am afraid you leave me with no other choice. I am very sorry, but I have to put you on lock down and under intensive watch for an undisclosed amount of days. You may not to talk to anyone. You are temporarily mentally insane, meaning I feel you will overcome this and be normal once more. But, until we figure out what exactly is going on in that head of yours, you will have to stay here with us. A therapist will visit you twice a day, in addition to a group therapy session. If you work with us, I can assure you that this will all be a lot easier,” Dr. Bailey said.
“No wait! I am not crazy!” Mr. White insisted. “Call and check the emergency room at the Riverwolf Pass Hospital! I can guarantee that Mrs. Anna Beth Hanly never checked in! Vampires murdered her! The Dyebukos are vampires! They viciously murdered her!
REDRUM! REDRUM! REDRUM!”
Something inside him had snapped again. Mr. White repeated the line from Stephen King’s The Shining over and over until the nurses brought him into another room. Temporarily insane, who ever heard of such an absurd thing? He was just fine! Just as mentally sane as he was yesterday and just as sane as he would be tomorrow.
“I’m not insane!” he wailed, banging his head against his pillow. “I’m not insane!” his words sobbed and he fell into a deep dark world of slumber.
4
The guests devoured the main course in a matter of minutes. Soon, everybody was stuffed to the brisket and talking again. The conversation this time lasted about forty-five minutes before Mrs. Dyebuko suggested they bring out the second part of the main dish.
“Oh, Mr. Doug Hanson, you look so strong. Could you help me carry these heavy silver platters into the kitchen?” she sweetly cajoled him to help her.
“Why certainly, Mrs. Dyebuko, I would be happy to be of assistance.” Therefore, Mr. Doug Hanson, the grocery store clerk, followed Mrs. Dyebuko into the kitchen, as a puppy unsuspectingly follows strangers on the street, only to unwittingly run out into the street and be squashed by a car.
5
Dr. Bailey and Gracey watched sadly as they took Mr. White away. Gracey felt small, helpless, and just a little bit scared as to what was going to happen.
“He reads too much Stephen King. That much is apparent. He keeps saying redrum. It's murder spelled backwards and from the Stephen King book The Shining. From what I can deduct, the Dyebukos look similar to a character in one of the horror books that Mr. White has read. His mind still has quite the child’s imagination. He is currently having trouble deciphering reality from the horror he reads in books. I am still not sure what the cure is or how it started in the first place. But I can assure you my team and I will be evaluating him into tomorrow,” Dr. Bailey promised compassionately, placing a hand on Gracey’s shoulder. “I know this is hard for you. You will get to see him soon. Until then, try to keep yourself occupied and do not worry too much.”
Gracey rode back to Riverwolf Pass with Officer Newell. They did not speak one word to each other, however, they thought of the same thing – the same person – all the way back to their hometown.
“Would you like me to drop you off at home, or would you like to go back to the dinner party?” Officer Newell asked once they reached the Welcome to Riverwolf Pass sign.
“I think I would like to go home, Officer Newell. I would be ashamed to explain to everybody at the dinner party what happened,” Gracey said, her words sounded distant even to her.
“I can understand, but, you must be prepared. There is no way Mr. Wes Determan will not find out about this. There will be a story about it in the paper tomorrow.”
“I understand and am fully aware of that. But, it will be much easier to let them read it for themselves than me to explain it to them.”
Gracey's mind whirled and she saw giant black blocked letters spelling out “MAN GOES MENTALLY INSANE OVER NIGHT! SUSPECTS NEW FAMILY IN TOWN TO BE VAMPIRES!” and someone shouting “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” The thought made her shutter and she wanted to close her eyes only to wake up and discover it was all a dream. Of course, that would never happen.
“Very well, Gracey. I will see you later. And I do so hope that Mr. White makes a fast and easy recovery,” Officer Newell said, and meant it.