I took Edgar outside to get some air. He looked like he needed it and to be honest, I needed some fresh air myself. Edgar paced back and forth in deep thought. He would look up occasionally, but just for a quick second, and then proceed to pace again. I just stood there staring at him and tossing the question, ‘Why would vampires be back in Woodley?’ in my head. Vampires are a lot like gypsies. We are wanderers of the world. There are a select few that like to stay in one place but that is dangerous. The longer you stay in a single place, the easier it is for someone to find out your identity. A vampire’s greatest asset is camouflage. If a vampire can not blend in, then he is pretty much done for. We make camouflage an art and I highly doubt anyone can do it better than we can. It is not unusual for a vampire to just gather his things and leave town with no notice. I do it quite a bit myself.

“Edgar, tell me something,” I said.

“What?”

“How did Susan die?”

Edgar stopped pacing, “She was on her way home. She had just dropped Aeryn off at a school dance. Maggie was working late that night on midterms, so Susan volunteered to go. She some how lost control of her vehicle and went off the old bridge by Sheldon’s Way. She must have fallen twenty five or thirty feet. She was killed instantly on impact. I thank God every day that Aeryn wasn’t with her. Can you imagine that, if Aeryn was with her, I would be without a family right now?”

“Wasn’t there a guard rail to prevent an accident like that on the bridge? Yeah, there is, I remember seeing them on my way into town. There are steel guard rails.”

“The city was in the process of replacing the outdated wood guard rails with the steel ones they have now. If it would have happened a day later, she would still be alive today.”

“If I remember right, wasn’t Susan pretty good with protection magic?”

“Yeah, she was better than me at it. She had the patience to work with it. I always liked the flashy stuff better, but Susan was always fascinated with the ways of defense. She would always say, ‘A good defense can negate a good offense,’ and it was true.”

“If she knew she lost control of the car and was heading over the side of the bridge, why didn’t she cast a protection spell?”

“I have asked myself that a few times, Falcon. I don’t have an answer to that question. The best I can come up with is that everything happened to fast and it took her by surprise. She just wasn’t ready for something like that to happen, I suppose.”

“I don’t believe that. The one thing that you knew about Susan was that she was prepared for anything. Nothing really took her by surprise. Is Susan buried next to Maggie’s grave?”

“Well,” he sighed, “What was left of her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, after the car went over the side and crashed, the car caught on fire. The fire destroyed almost everything, including Susan.”

“Edgar, I think the vampires got to Susan. I think she was dead before she even went off the bridge.”

“How is that possible, she always wore the necklace,” Edgar said sternly as he grabbed out his necklace.

“Did you recover the necklace?”

“No, but it was probably destroyed in the fire.”

“Edgar, that necklace is magical. The stone is a vampire ward. No fire could destroy that. I remember on your wedding day, you broke the stone in half, and made two necklaces, to showing your love for her. It was also a way for you to protect her. Mainly from me if I remember right.”

“You can’t blame me; I wasn’t sure how you would react after becoming a vampire a mere few days sooner. I had to protect my bride.”

I chuckled, “From one of her best friends?”

“Better safe than sorry!”

“I guess so.”

“Then where is the necklace,” questioned Edgar.

“I bet you I know.”

“Where?”

“Give me a few minutes,” I said as I started to walk a way.

“Where are you going,” Edgar quickly questioned.

“To get the person who has the necklace. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

I had a hunch but I wasn’t sure if it was true. I simply had to find Aeryn. It seemed like I searched everywhere for that girl. My first thought was by the food. Teenagers love to eat, so I thought it was a good place to start. Nope, she wasn’t there. Maybe she is with the minister? I was wrong again. People, who do nothing but complain about their problems, were with the minister. Maybe the music room; nope, strike three. Is this girl hiding from me? Then again, why would she be in the music room in the first place? What is left? The only place left is the parking lot.

There she stood, deep in conversation with Rachel. At least I found her. “Aeryn, can I talk to you?”

“Oh, hey Falcon, have you met Rachel yet?”

“Yes, I have, but I really need to talk to you.”

“Okay! Okay! Do you mind Rachel?”

Rachel smiled, “No, not at all, go ahead.”

Aeryn and I went back to where Edgar was. He looked to be a little upset.

“What happened to a few minutes?”

I laughed, “Give me a break; she wasn’t the easiest person to find. Okay, so Aeryn?”

“Yes?”

“Did you grandmother give you a necklace the last night you saw her?”

“Yeah, how did you know,” asked Aeryn surprised.

“I thought so. She must have figured out the vampires were back in town and gave you it to protect you, which in turn, made her vulnerable.”

“What are you talking about,” asked Aeryn confused.

Edgar pulled out his necklace, “The necklaces are vampire wards. A vampire can not attack with it on.”

I walked over to her, “Watch, you should feel a little shock, while I will be in great pain,” I said. The moment I touched her, a painful shock shot through my arm. So painful that it dropped me to my knees. Luckily, I knew it lasted only a few seconds.

“That’s weird,” exclaimed Aeryn.

“What is,” Edgar replied.

“The same thing happened to Rachel when she went to give me a hug.”

I quickly jumped up, “You got the same shock from Rachel?”

“Yeah, but I just thought it was static electricity.”

“And Rachel fell to the ground like I did,” I questioned.

“Yeah! Wait! Does that make her a vampire too?”

I nodded, “Yes, and we need to find her quickly”

Aeryn looked confused, “Why?”

I quickly responded, “She might be the one who killed your mom.”