Skull Creek Stakeout (Caden Chronicles, The) by Eddie Jones Read Free Book Online

do.”
    “The boy I was with thought it might be fun to poke around. The place is rumored to be haunted, but what old house isn’t, right? Anyway, normally I wouldn’t be caught deaddoing something like that, but he’d been helping me with a report on geothermal electricity. We were studying how the rate of radioactive decay can serve as a predictor of fossil fuel reserves. I don’t suppose any of that makes sense to you.”
    “The earth’s heat naturally flows to the surface and the speed of decomposition below the crust can increase the pressure, thus causing gases to press against the magma.” I grinned at her. “I watch the Nature Channel sometimes.”
    “So anyway, according to my study buddy, the Randolph place sits on pockets of magma conduits and hydrothermal circulation. There’s supposed to be some old mine shafts under there, but we never had a chance to check it out. As soon as we arrived we began hearing weird noises.”
    “Like?”
    “Someone screaming, footsteps running, things breaking. I got scared and made him take me home. Haven’t been back since. If you really want to know about the manor, you should speak with the owner of Dead Lines Books. He’s like the town’s local historian.”
    “Last question. Estimated time of death?”
    “Sometime between twelve and four a.m.”
    “So before sunrise.”
    “Wow, aren’t you the sharp one.”
    “Now look who’s being snooty.”
    Smiling, she replied, “I pick up things quickly.”
    “Can I get your last name for the story?”
    “Just say ‘a source within the medical community.’ ”
    “Last question, I promise. Do you get a lunch break?”
    “Are you asking me out?”
    “Oh yeah, sure. You and me and my aunt. See, the thing is, I don’t know anybody in the area and I was thinking you could h — ”
    “Sure, sure, that’s fine. Twelve thirty. I’ll meet you out front.”
    I walked outside and waited by the car, thinking about how upset Calvin was going to be when he learned I didn’t have any pictures of the body. I could give him a written description of the victim and play up the bit about fangs and bite marks, but without photos it might not matter. Sorry, buddy, but I’m not a Paparazzi photographer and hope I’ll never become one.
    When Aunt Vivian reached the car, I said, “If it’s okay, I’d like to walk to the bookstore. Need some time to think.”
    “I’ll be at the Red Wolf Gallery. I hardly ever get a chance to shop anymore, and the stores in this little town look so interesting.”
    “Aunt Vivian, thanks again for what you did back there with the doctor and getting the assistant to tell us her name. Dad was right. You’re the greatest great-aunt of all time.”
    “Bless your heart. Your father said this murder business was important to you. And honestly, this is fun. Beats watching TV all day. Now run along and find that poor man’s killer. I cannot wait to tell the girls in my prayer group that I’m part of a criminal investigative unit. They’ll be so jealous.”

CHAPTER FIVE
DEATH—BY HOOK OR BOOK
    I ducked under the vine-shaded canopy of a lattice arbor and followed the pebble footpath through a maze of landscaped ground cover. Beside a goldfish pond, classical music played through plastic speakers made to look like river stones. Customers sat on benches and in Adirondack chairs reading books and drinking coffee. The owner of Dead Lines Books had gone to a lot of trouble to create a relaxed environment, and it appeared to be working.
    I paused midway across the short archway bridge and scanned another section of Forester’s vampire journal. If I was going to solve the mystery surrounding Forester’s death, I needed to learn all I could about the legend of the Dark Curse.
    The fear of vampires and the desire for eternal life is as old as humankind itself. Perhaps the most well-known story is the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are presented with a choice: enjoy all creation except for the fruit from