Transylvania's Most Wanted by M L Dunn

the
cave?”
    “That’s right,” Captain Clarke said. “The
first rope lead to a second rope and finally to two more until they
had made their way deep into the bowels of that cave. The last rope
dead-ended in a small chamber.”
    “Did they find anything there?’
    “They said it was evident some small chest
or something had been removed from there. They could see where it
had left an imprint on a ledge there.”
    “Interesting,” Red said rubbing his
mustache.
    “That’s not all,” Captain Clarke said. “They
said there were hundreds of garlic cloves there. I guess the damp
and cold preserved them.”
    “Garlic cloves? Like would attract a
werewolf?”
    “Exactly. I guess there were some werewolf
prints there and some big shoe prints that must belong to a golem
or troll. They claimed they were pretty fresh prints.”
    Red nodded at Captain Clarke. “Thank
you.”
    “What do you think could have been in the
chest?”
    “Probably some items a witch would want to
throw in her caldron,” Red answered. “I’ve got the feeling
Halloween will be especially interesting this year.”
    “For both of us,” Captain Clarke said. “I’m
sure we’ll have plenty of gremlin fires to put out starting in just
a few hours.”
    “Let’s go buy you a tuxedo,” Red told Tom as
Captain Clarke took his leave. “Oh, and you’d better call up
Rebecca and let her know she’s attending the Halloween Ball at the
Triumph Hotel tonight. It’s the swankest shin-dig in town.”

Chapter 8
     
    Back at the station, Red handed Tom a couple
of tickets for the ball and then a voucher to go buy a tuxedo. Tom
went and bought one and then headed over to the library. Rebecca
was by the main counter.
    “What have you got there?” she asked.
    “A tuxedo.”
    “What’s if for?”
    He pulled the tickets out and showed her
them. In fancy gold-leaf lettering the tickets read;
    Triumph Hotel
    Halloween Ball
    Rebecca eyes opened wide as she snatched
them from his hand. “How did you get these, they are by invitation
only.”
    “Well, actually I’m part of the security
detail for the prince and princess, but we’ll be there. That is if
you want to after I tell you something.”
    “What?”
    Tom leaned over the counter and whispered
that the prince had received a threat on his life. “It may not be
safe there,” he told Rebecca.
    “For the prince anyway, but if you are going
to be there, then I would like to be too.”
    “All right.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
    “I just got handed this assignment an hour
ago.”
    “This means I will get to meet the princess
and Count Vasili,” Rebecca said excitedly.
    “I just met him,” Tom said. “Wasn’t any big
deal.”
    “What do you mean by that?” Rebecca asked.
“He’s very charming.”
    “He seemed a little fake to me.”
    Rebecca looked shocked then, but it wasn’t
because of what Tom had said. “What am I going to wear?” she asked
desperately.

Chapter 9
     
    Tom walked home from the library and changed
into his tuxedo and then, a few minutes before five, Red swung by
and picked him up. Inspector McElroy was in the car too and the
three of them drove to the Triumph.
    Already the party had begun. The lobby was
full of people playing cards and having drinks. The bar was
standing room only, the billiards’ rooms were crowed and many bets
had been placed on the games there. Everyone was dressed sharply,
but a few wore comical looking hats or masks. In the middle of the
lobby were the stairs that led to the grand ballroom and a velvet
rope was strung across the bottom, blocking anyone from going up
there until later. A couple of constables were stationed there, and
as Red approached them he gestured for them to remove the rope so
that they could head upstairs.
    “Here are your armbands,” Red said handing
Inspector McElroy and Tom them. “Go ahead and put them on.”
    Tom slipped his on as they climbed the
stairs, at the top of which stood a couple of