 
### The Girth Brothers - Chickenman's Revenge

Published by Rick Berry at

Smashwords

Copyright 2017 Rick Berry

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

**Prologue**

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

About the Author

### ~Bottomless Pit~

### "A place where demons are imprisoned"
Prologue

The _Sandal Pointe Journal_ lay on Rita Whittaker's desk, fresh off the printing press. The smell of ink was still evident as Rita glanced at the front-page headline. Taking up the entire width of the page, in capital letters and in bold print, the headline read: **"CHICKENMAN DEAD; STINE CAPTURED!"**

Rita knew this would be the story of the decade when the paper hit the streets; a year-long mystery had been solved. Chickenman and Stine were the two evil doctors and cousins who escaped from the Sandal Pointe police and disappeared 10 months ago. It turned out they were hiding underneath the marshlands on the north end of Sandal Pointe, an area of the seaside island to which no one dared journey. They had spent the last 10 months creating a weapon of mass destruction which they planned using on Sandal Pointe and its inhabitants. But Rita, along with the Girth Brothers, Police Chief Bailey, and others, thwarted the attack and saved the island of Sandal Pointe. Stine was captured, and Chickenman, along with his henchman Slab, were thrown into a bottomless pit.

Rita sat back in her chair and stretched her arms, feeling exhilarated by all that had happened. The _Journal_ would soon be in the public's hands, and before long the people of Sandal Pointe would be reading about the events that occurred on that hot, August night. In her mind, Rita was sure the case of the two evil doctors, Chickenman and Stine, was over—or so she thought...

### Chapter 1

2 Months Later

The old woman stood motionless, gazing out the open, stained-glass window. The western view had always intrigued her, her eyes fixated on a sunset that would soon disappear behind Romania's majestic Carpathian Mountains. The snow-covered peaks glistened as the sun began its descent, bringing a wintry chill that filled the air. The old woman knew the coldness was common for this time of year, as the warm, sun-drenched days of summer were now past, and the October days and nights possessed a more bracing feeling. Each day the darkness began earlier, ushering in a somber mood in the mountainous region of Banat, Transylvania's southwestern neighbor. But high up in the Eastern Carpathians, inside the fortress of Castle Cheqman, the early darkness and longer nights brought a different sort of sensation.

The old woman continued to watch the sun fade behind the enormous peaks, knowing all too well what was in store for her. For almost five years she had watched the sun's demise, and always from the same stained-glass window. She knew her days were numbered, but she also knew that someone would have to take her place.

Still standing by the window, the old woman felt the autumn winds blow through the opening. She reached up and secured the wool scarf that covered her neck, hiding yesterday's wounds that were still fresh on her skin. She desperately wanted to escape the madness that held her captive, but she knew the walls of Castle Cheqman wouldn't allow that. Their mesmerizing presence might have confined her, but it was a powerful demon that owned her.

"Good evening, Fräulein."

The old woman turned from the window and looked back, seeing the very person that had haunted her for nearly five years.

"Good evening, Countess. How was your rest?"

"Don't be a fool! My rest is always the same, as it's been for over 150 years!" the Countess howled as she stared at the old woman.

"I am sorry, my Master. Forgive me."

The Countess continued to stare at the old woman. "Pour me my tea, and then we will have a talk."

"Yes, my Master."

The old woman walked over to the dining room table, reaching for the tray that contained the pot of warm tea and the cups. The freshness of the tea was evident to the old woman, but she knew the Countess could not enjoy the aroma.

She grabbed the teapot and poured, being careful that nothing was spilled. The old woman then walked the cup of tea over to where the Countess had taken her seat, where she always did, in a high winged-backed burgundy chair, positioned in the center of the room.

The Countess looked up at the old woman, watching her every move as she laid the cup of tea on the end table next to the chair. The Countess nodded and, with only her eyes, motioned for the old woman to get a chair and set it directly in front of hers. The old woman walked over to the corner of the room, picked up a small, armless chair, and carried it over to where the Countess was sitting. She placed it in front of the Countess and sat down, obedient to her Master.

The Countess took a sip from her teacup and put it back down on the end table. She looked over at the open window and noticed it was now dark outside. It was then she began to talk.

"My dear Ana, how long have you been with me?"

Knowing that the Countess already knew the answer to the question, Ana looked at her and replied, "Four years, 11 months, and 14 days, my Master."

"Yes, you are exactly right."

The Countess paused for a long moment before she spoke again. "We both know that your five years has almost ended."

"Yes, my Master."

"You do want to be young and beautiful again, don't you?"

"Yes, my Master."

"Good, but before that time arrives, we have one small task that needs to be done."

Ana looked up, puzzled, at the Countess. "What task is that, my Master?"

Pretending not to hear Ana's question, the Countess rose from her seat and started to move around the room. As if floating on air, the Countess glided above the floor, not touching the granite tiles beneath her. She inspected the condition of the room with her eyes, satisfied that the ancient ceiling, walls, and floor were still in pristine condition. Over 200 years old, Castle Cheqman had no decay, inside or out. She continued to move around the room, now stopping at each candle that was lit, staring at the only light that was permissible. The Countess then made her way back to Ana and stopped in front of her, still suspended above the floor. "We have to take a trip," she began.

"A trip, where?" Ana responded.

"Across the ocean, to the Americas."

"But why, my Master?"

"I have received knowledge that a distant relative is in grave danger," the Countess said. "He has been sent to a rotting hell, and he needs to be freed."

Ana looked confused. "But why you, my Countess? Why must you go?"

The Countess forced a peculiar smile as she looked down at Ana. "He will be your replacement, my dear. You will soon be by my side, as we shall rule these Carpathian Mountains together!"

The Countess let out a hideous laugh as she reached down to loosen Ana's scarf, examining the fresh puncture wounds on her neck. Content with their progress, the Countess continued, "You will travel with me and make sure I am safe during the day. We will rent a house for a short period of time, find our subject, and then travel back with him to this place."

Ana bowed her head as the last word came out of her Master's mouth. She knew that someday her fate would be decided. Imprisoned for almost 5 years by an unearthly being, Ana knew there could be only one outcome.

"Yes, my Master. I understand," Ana said, but still not finished with her questioning. "What is your relative's name, may I ask?"

The Countess of Cheqman raised both of her hands into the air, her voice rising as she bellowed: "His name is Wilhelm Chickenman!"

****

3 Days Later

Waiting to board the large passenger liner, Karen Sutby gazed around and watched with anticipation. The cool morning air felt refreshing as the autumn leaves began to fall, making London's harbor docks look somewhat picturesque. Sunlight radiated off the ship's exterior, providing an extra sparkle to the leaves as they fell. Everywhere Karen looked, she saw people that were busy and going about their business.

Looking toward the bow of the ship, Karen noticed two of the ship's workers loading funeral caskets into the ship's hull. Three in all, each casket had exquisite markings, making them look imposing. "Those markings look familiar," Karen thought to herself, noticing the large letter "C" on the side of each casket. Karen continued to watch as the caskets were ushered into the ship's cargo hold, each handled with delicate care by the workers.

But all the bustling people that surrounded her made Karen feel disheartened. A month ago, she decided to leave her troubles behind and start a new life. Her recent divorce after 5 years of marriage was the final blow in what had been a tumultuous year. "Why did all this have to happen?" she lamented.

Karen's mind traveled back 13 months to the night she received that dreadful phone call from her brother-in-law. It was September 1955 when Karen's sister and brother-in-law were walking home from London's theater district. They were approached by three hooligans who demanded money and jewelry. Unwisely, her sister tried to fend them off, but one fired a single shot that ripped through her sister's abdomen. Karen's brother-in-law, who was a doctor, tried in vain to save his wife, but within minutes, she was dead. That phone call was still etched in Karen's mind.

Karen's train of thought was interrupted by the thunderous air horns that came from the ship's tall masts. "All aboard!" a voice roared through the loudspeakers.

Karen bent down to pick up the two small suitcases she was traveling with and carried them as she walked toward the ship. Again her mind began to wander; this time her thoughts were of her brother-in-law. Distraught from the death of his wife, he lost interest in his medical practice and shut it down just weeks after her death. And then, with just a sudden goodbye, Karen's brother-in law boarded a ship and set sail for America. That was the last contact she had with him until two months ago, when a newspaper from the states landed on her front doorstep, placed there by an anonymous person. The front page headline only brought more heartache to Karen's life.

As Karen waited her turn to board the ship, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. Inside was a photograph of her sister and her husband, the last known picture of the two of them. "They look so happy," Karen found herself saying out loud as a tear trickled down her face.

Karen turned the photograph over and read the inscription: "To my loving sister... We can't wait to see you for the holidays! Maggie and Ronald." But that gathering never took place.

Karen looked at the photograph one last time and put it back in the envelope. She glanced at the front of the envelope and saw her sister's handwriting in the top left corner, "From: Maggie and Dr. Ronald Stine."

### Chapter 2

Once a year, always in the month of October, the Sandal Pointe police academy holds a graduation ceremony for its recruits. Every class consists of two divisions, the police officers and the private investigators, each division as important as the other. The police officers do most of the up-front work, making arrests and patrolling the streets, while the private investigators handle the background work, developing their cases against the criminals of society.

This October, it was the class of 1956 that paraded down the middle aisle of the school auditorium. One by one, the graduates walked onto the stage, shook hands with Police Chief Bailey, and received their diplomas. The private investigative division of 1956 had only one graduate, but because of his physical size, this person could have been mistaken for two people.

"Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" Raz and O yelled as they watched Buffalo walk across the stage, making his way toward Police Chief Bailey and stopping in front of him.

The chief had a genuine smile on his face as he handed Buffalo his diploma. "Buffalo, it is my honor to give you your diploma for graduating from Sandal Pointe's police academy. You are now an official private investigator!"

"Thank you, Chief Bailey!" Buffalo exclaimed.

Buffalo took the rolled-up diploma from the chief and began to jump up and down on the stage, his face beaming with a smile. Looking out into the audience, he saw Raz and O standing there, applauding their buddy.

Raz and O were known to most people on the island of Sandal Pointe as the Girth Brothers. They were childhood friends, always the biggest boys in their school class. Their stomachs were so large and round, they looked like bowling balls. Ironically, Buffalo had the same physical features.

Raz and O received their private investigator diplomas over a year ago, and opened their own private investigative business in the seaside town of Sandal Pointe. They met Buffalo last October, after Buffalo got laid off from Mother Goose Land, a local tourist attraction. At that time, Buffalo was feeling depressed about not having a job, and was wandering the streets of Sandal Pointe one evening when he became tired and lay down to rest on a doorstep. It turned out to be Raz and O's apartment. When Raz and O came home that night and found Buffalo lying there, the Girth Brothers felt sorry for him and allowed him to stay. Raz, O, and Buffalo became fast friends, and Buffalo soon wanted to follow his newfound buddies' careers. It was about two months ago when Buffalo finally got his chance, helping crack the case of the two evil doctors, Chickenman and Stine.

When the graduation ceremony ended, Buffalo made his way over to Raz and O and stood next to his buddies. His chest was sticking out, and his face was glowing with pride.

"Thanks for being here today, guys. It really means a lot to me," Buffalo said.

"Are you kidding? We would not have missed this for the whole wide world," O responded, noticing two women approaching. They stopped behind Buffalo and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Buffalo!" they yelled.

Buffalo turned around and saw Rita and Sally. "Thank you! Thank you!" he exclaimed. Rita, the reporter from the _Sandal Pointe Journal_ , leaned toward Buffalo and gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing Buffalo to blush in front of his buddies.

Now, it was well known to most people in Sandal Pointe that Buffalo had special feelings for Rita, and Rita always expressed the same admiration toward Buffalo. And it was even more obvious that Raz and Sally had unique feelings toward each other.

Raz looked over at Sally and lowered his eyeglasses. "Miss Sally, will you and Miss Rita join us tonight at the Barefoot Lounge for a few chocolate malts and iced teas? We will be celebrating Buffalo's grand achievement!"

"Of course, Raz," Sally answered, feeling like a schoolgirl on her first date.

"OK, all you lovebirds. First, we have to take Buffalo back to our office. We have a surprise for him," O interrupted, feeling a little awkward with all the sentiment going on in front of him.

Rita grabbed Sally by the arm. "We have to get back to work, so we will see you gentlemen later tonight," Rita said as she started to escort Sally toward the door.

"See you tonight!" Buffalo exclaimed as Raz, O, and Buffalo watched the girls walk out of the auditorium, leaving an opening for Chief Bailey to approach them.

"Congratulations, Buffalo. How does it feel now that you're an official private investigator?"

"It feels great, Chief Bailey! Thank you for letting me go to investigative school!"

"Buffalo, after how you handled yourself down in Chickenman's and Stine's cave, it was a no-brainer," the chief said, remembering how Buffalo saved everyone from the two evil doctors just a few months back. "Once you guys get settled in your new office, come down to the police station. I have a new job for the three of you."

"Yes, chief!" Raz, O, and Buffalo responded in unison. They watched Chief Bailey walk away, leaving them there by themselves.

"OK, Buffalo, let's go back to the office." O said, looking at the clock on the wall. "Raz and I want to show you your surprise before we go and meet Chief Bailey."

Raz, O, and Buffalo walked out of the auditorium and proceeded down the street toward their office. As they got near, Raz turned to Buffalo and said, "Close your eyes, Buffalo. We will guide you from here."

Buffalo closed his eyes, prompting Raz and O to grab one of Buffalo's arms. They walked him to the front door of their office, stopping in front.

"You can now open your eyes!" O commanded.

Buffalo opened his eyes and looked straight ahead. There in front of him was the front door to Raz and O's office, and the lettering had recently been changed. It now read: "The Girth Brothers - Raz, O, and Buffalo - Licensed Private Investigators."

Tears developed in Buffalo's eyes. He turned to Raz and O and put his hands on their shoulders. "Thank you, guys!"

Looking at the lettering on the door and then at Buffalo, Raz lowered his eyeglasses and responded, "Buffalo, when we found you on our front steps last October, O and I knew that someday you would be a partner with us. That day has come. Congratulations!"

Buffalo jumped up and down as he exclaimed, "I am an official Girth Brother! Yippee!"

****

After getting Buffalo situated in his new office, the Girth Brothers hurried down the crowded streets of Sandal Pointe, knowing their meeting with Police Chief Bailey was only minutes away. Buffalo kept up with his buddies, thinking to himself that his first official week on the job was going to be one he would remember.

They walked into the police station and soon found themselves standing outside of Chief Bailey's office. Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at O and Buffalo, noticing something out of order. "One, two, three, pants up!" Raz exclaimed. As if on cue, all three Girth Brothers reached for their pants and pulled them up to their natural positions.

"Now that's more like it," Raz said as he pushed his eyeglasses back up.

"How come our pants always droop down past our waists?" Buffalo lamented.

O looked at Buffalo and said, "You have to be kidding me, Buffalo. Look at that gut!"

Buffalo looked down and saw what O was talking about. "Oh, I see what you mean." He then looked at Raz and O, his eyes focused on their stomachs. "Yes, I do see what you mean," Buffalo finished as they heard Chief Bailey's door open. The chief walked out and stood beside them.

"Thanks for being on time, gentlemen. Please come in."

Raz, O, and Buffalo followed Chief Bailey into his office and took a seat in front of his desk. Chief Bailey walked behind his desk, took his seat, and grabbed a piece of paper lying in front of him.

"OK, again I would like to congratulate Buffalo for graduating from the Sandal Pointe police academy. It is a pleasure to have you work for us in an official capacity."

"Thank you, Chief Bailey. I won't let you down," Buffalo responded.

"Great! Now let's get down to business," the chief said.

Raz, O, and Buffalo all leaned forward in their seats, accidently moving the chief's desk with their stomachs.

"Oops, sorry chief," O said as he reached out and pulled the desk back to its original spot.

"There are three things I need to tell you about," Chief Bailey began. "First, I have an update on Dr. Stine. As you know, he is still sitting in the Sandal Pointe jail awaiting trial. I got word today that his trial is to begin in a few weeks. I will need the three of you to be available to testify when the time comes." The Girth Brothers all nodded when the chief finished.

"Second, I received this government letter in the mail yesterday, and it looks like the mysterious ship in the marshlands is to be excavated, beginning in a few days. The United States government does not want to wait until spring to unearth the giant ship, so they are bringing up a team of excavators along with large equipment to raise the ship out of the ground. As you know, the ship partially sank when we had that last earthquake tremor two months ago, and now the government, with the help of the United States Army, is finally getting around to dealing with the large vessel."

Raz, O, and Buffalo knew all too well what he was talking about. It was two months ago when another government team had permission to clear parts of the marshlands on the north end of Sandal Pointe. Buffalo was their guide, and after working all day in the marshlands, they came upon a huge shipwreck that no one knew about. Covered with vines, weeds, and underbrush, the large ship was just sitting there in the middle of the marshlands, its origin still unknown to this day.

The chief continued, "You also know the one end of the secret tunnel that led from Dr. Stine's laboratory to the underground cave was sealed off when the earthquake hit. All the fallen granite has made that entrance no longer accessible. The other entrance to the cave, the one in the ship itself, is also blocked off. The government hopes by raising the ship, the access to the underground cave from inside the ship will again be available. We also need to verify that Dr. Chickenman and Slab, who both fell into the bottomless pit, did indeed perish."

"What do you want us to do, chief?" O asked.

"I need you to assist the government team in any way possible," the chief began. "You have total permission to help with the operation once you get back down into the underground cave. You possess the knowledge and experience that the Army does not have, and they welcome your guidance."

The chief finished by saying, "Oh, there is one more thing. Stine's home is going to be rented this week by a Countess that is traveling from Europe. She should be arriving on tomorrow's ship and will probably need an escort to the north end of the island. I would like the three of you to be her escort."

"What about Finnegan?" Buffalo asked, thinking about Chief Bailey's deputy who helped Buffalo and Rita capture Stine two months ago.

The chief looked at Buffalo and answered, "Finnegan is on vacation this week, or else I would have asked him to escort the Countess tomorrow."

"Oh..." Raz, O, and Buffalo said at the same time.

Raz lowered his eyeglasses as he looked at Chief Bailey. "Why would anyone want to stay in Stine's place?"

Chief Bailey looked serious as he answered Raz's question, "You see, Raz, the town of Sandal Pointe has been footing the tax bill on Stine's home since it was built last year. This is a way to pay back Sandal Pointe for lost monies. The Countess is paying top dollar to stay there, so I need the three of you to go up there today and make sure the secret doorway in Stine's laboratory is closed and locked. Like I said, she will be arriving tomorrow."

"When will the government workers start?" Buffalo asked.

"Matter of fact, they are supposed to be up there today," the chief responded. "After you take care of Stine's place, go over to the marshlands and introduce yourselves. They will be expecting you. As you know, the Army has taken control of the marshlands, so they are in charge."

"Are Grady, Chip, and Lori going to be there?" O asked, recalling how the three government surveyors, along with Buffalo, were the ones that discovered the mysterious ship two months ago.

The chief leaned forward in his chair. "No, they asked not to be on this job. Personally, I think they had enough of those marshlands."

Raz, O, and Buffalo all nodded when the chief said that. Everyone knew the marshlands on the north end of the island were once a forbidden area. No one would dare journey into that hideous place. There were always rumors of people venturing into the marshlands and never returning, but those rumors were never confirmed.

Chief Bailey said one more thing: "OK, the three of you have a job to do. Get up to Stine's place and secure that secret door, then go over and start helping the government workers."

"Yes, chief!" Raz, O, and Buffalo all said at the same time.

The Girth Brothers got up out of their seats and walked out of Chief Bailey's office. Once they were outside the police station, Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at O and Buffalo. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

O started to lick his lips. "I believe we are, my large, round buddy."

"It's food time!" Buffalo yelled as he started to jump up and down.

"All right, we'll stop at the Barefoot Lounge for a quick take-out. We will eat the food on our way to Stine's," Raz said as he started walking down the street.

O looked at Buffalo, "What are we waiting for? Let's chow!"

### Chapter 3

Raz, O, and Buffalo marched into the Barefoot Lounge with one thing on their minds – food. The Barefoot Lounge was located down by the docks, and it was the most popular place to eat in Sandal Pointe. Raz and O spent most of their high school years working part-time at the Barefoot, doing general cleaning and maintenance after classes, and although they were now full-time private investigators, they still found a few hours to work there during the week. In the past year, Buffalo joined them, and the three of them always looked forward to the best meals in town.

It was just about lunchtime, and the Girth Brothers knew the Barefoot would soon be crowded. They inspected the main room that would accommodate the hungry patrons, and satisfied that everything was in order, walked toward the kitchen door. Halfway there, the door flew open and the person they had hoped to see was right in front of them.

"Hello, Zlata!" O exclaimed, waving.

Zlata, the owner of the Barefoot Lounge, looked over and saw the three familiar faces.

"Well, I'll be!" Zlata responded. "And a good morning to my favorite Girth Brothers!"

Zlata walked over and gave each a kiss on the cheek. O started to blush, while Raz and Buffalo did not seem to mind the affection. Zlata looked over at Buffalo and said, "I am sorry I couldn't be there this morning for your graduation. I had so much to do here to get ready for the lunch crowd."

"Ah, don't worry, Zlata. It was a quick ceremony, and now I have my first official job," Buffalo responded.

"Wonderful! I am so happy for you!"

"Miss Zlata, we have another job up at the marshlands, and we start this afternoon. Before we go, may we see the cook for a travel lunch?" Raz asked, lowering his eyeglasses.

Zlata just laughed. "Since when do you three need permission to see the cook? As I've said many times before, 'You know the drill!'"

With those words, Raz, O, and Buffalo ran toward the kitchen door, barging through like wild animals. Zlata laughed as she watched them, knowing the Girth Brothers planned their days around food.

After getting their lunch, Raz, O, and Buffalo came back out and thanked Zlata, but Zlata was not letting them go so quickly. "Now tell me about your new job," she asked.

O was the first to speak: "We have to help another government team and the United States Army up at the marshlands. They are going to excavate the mysterious ship, hoping they can get back down into the cave."

Zlata went over to a table and sat down. "And what do you think you'll find down in that vast, cold cave?"

Raz lowered his eyeglasses again. "Miss Zlata, we never recovered the bodies of Chickenman and Slab from the bottomless pit."

Zlata was now getting concerned. "They are probably all the way to China by now. Isn't that why they call it a bottomless pit?"

"When I fell into the bottomless pit, I landed on a ledge about 10 feet down, so we're thinking there could be other ledges in the pit, and maybe Chickenman and Slab might be lying on one of them," Buffalo piped up.

Zlata just shook her head. "Why can't you just leave well enough alone? If you leave that cave sealed up, there would be no chance of Chickenman and Slab escaping, even if they are alive! Am I right?"

The Girth Brothers looked at each other when Zlata said that, knowing she was right.

"Chief Bailey also wants us to make sure Stine's door to the secret tunnel is closed," O offered.

"And why do you have to close Stine's door?" Zlata asked with irritation in her voice. "I thought the other end was totally sealed off?"

Buffalo responded, "There is a Countess traveling over from Europe tomorrow, and she is going to rent Stine's castle."

Zlata knew what Buffalo meant by Stine's "castle." When Chickenman built the mammoth home for his cousin, Stine, the locals in Sandal Pointe began to call the structure "the castle" because of its immense size.

"Why is she coming here and renting that place? Why doesn't she go somewhere else and rent a home?" Zlata asked again.

Raz lowered his eyeglasses for the last time. "Miss Zlata, you are wearing us out with all the questions. We are just doing what Chief Bailey asked us to do. That is our job."

Zlata chuckled when Raz said that. "OK, you are right. I guess I am feeling like a mother hen to you three. I'm sorry."

Buffalo stepped in front of Raz and O and exclaimed, "This is my first week on the job, and I can't wait to get started!"

Zlata smiled at the three Girth Brothers. "All right, get out of here, and be careful up at the marshlands. You remember what happened the last time you had a job up there."

Raz nudged O and Buffalo. "Let's go, fellows. We can't keep the government people waiting."

Raz, O, and Buffalo said their goodbyes to Zlata and walked out of the Barefoot Lounge, heading north toward Stine's place and the mysterious marshlands. Zlata watched them from the front door as they waddled their way up the crowded streets of Sandal Pointe. She felt a little insecure about them working up at the marshlands, but she also knew that they were just about grown men, all three having graduated from high school less than two years ago. She went back inside and began thinking about what Buffalo said concerning the Countess arriving tomorrow. Again, the same thought entered her mind: "Why would someone want to rent Stine's castle?"

****

The afternoon sun was plentiful as the Girth Brothers travelled out of Sandal Pointe and continued north toward the marshlands. The October temperature was in the low 70s, making the journey pleasant and comfortable. It took them an hour to reach Stine's home, with the marshlands another quarter mile up the road. They consumed their lunch before they got out of Sandal Pointe, and their stomachs were full.

As they approached the majestic home of Dr. Stine, Buffalo began to sing a song: "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go!"

Raz and O looked over at Buffalo, wondering where they had heard that song before.

"Buffalo, what are you singing?" O asked as they stopped in front of Stine's front door.

"That's from Snow White. You know, those dwarfs sang that tune when they went to work."

Raz lowered his eyeglasses. "Buffalo, we are not dwarfs. Matter of fact, we are anything but dwarfs! Dwarfs are small and old. We are big, fat, and young!"

"Yeah, I know. I just like the song, that's all," Buffalo answered back.

"Do not call me fat!" O barked, perturbed by Raz's comment.

"My jolly, round buddy, I am sorry I mentioned the word fat. The next time I will use the phrase 'pleasantly plump!'" Raz said, knowing his pal did not like to hear the word "fat."

"That's more like it. 'Pleasantly plump' I like; 'fat' I do not!"

Buffalo was amused at the banter. "You two crack me up. Look at us. We are all fat!"

"Buffalo!" O yelled.

Raz interrupted, "Hold on! We are here to do a job, so let's get to it, my well-nourished buddies!"

O and Buffalo nodded when Raz said that, so O reached for the doorknob, turned it, and pushed the door open. O walked in first, with Raz and Buffalo right behind. They stood in the massive foyer and looked around, amazed at the sight before them. The foyer of Stine's place was a large, circular room, with a high cathedral ceiling. Around the perimeter of the room were large, marble statues, each one resembling a Greek god or goddess. The walls were filled with exquisite paintings, masterpieces to the human eye, and granite tiles filled the floor, each one imported from a foreign land.

"Wow!" Buffalo exclaimed as the Girth Brothers gazed around the magnificent room.

O looked over to the right side of the room, locking his eyes on the laboratory door. "Gentlemen, follow me."

O led Raz and Buffalo through the door, feeling a brisk change in temperature as they entered. They walked to the far side of the room, coming to a halt before an open granite door, where the cold air was rushing through. Raz and O reached out and pushed on the door until it was entirely shut, hearing the door lock in place after it closed.

"There, our first job is done. The secret doorway leading to the secret tunnel is closed and locked." O said as inspected the doorway area, making sure the job was complete. "Our next job is to head over to the marshlands and meet the new government people. So let's hop to it!"

Raz, O, and Buffalo walked out of Dr. Stine's home and proceeded another quarter mile north, toward the marshlands. They found the area filled with people wearing fatigues, all busy with their duties. Army trucks and jeeps were scattered about, and large cranes were being guided into the jumbled, tangled mess.

Making their way toward the entrance of the marshlands, the Girth Brothers stopped for a second as a man approached them.

"Hello, I am from the United States Government. Are you the gentlemen that are suppose to help with the excavation?" he asked.

O spoke for the group, "Yes, we are the Girth Brothers. My name is O, this is Raz, and this is Buffalo."

The government worker acknowledged O's introduction, "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Captain Henry Jones, United States Army. You may call me Henry."

Everyone exchanged handshakes, and then Henry continued the conversation, "I understand that you three have experience with these marshlands and the sunken ship. If you gentlemen can follow me, I will tell you about the plans I have."

Henry escorted Raz, O, and Buffalo over to the entrance of the marshlands, where an Army jeep was waiting for them.

The Girth Brothers looked at the jeep, and then at each other. "How is a jeep going to make it through that mess?" O asked as he pointed to the entrance of the marshlands.

"Don't worry," Henry answered. "We've been doing some work up here in the last couple of months."

The Girth Brothers found out right away what Henry was talking about. The path that Buffalo helped clear before was now wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other. Above them, the area was cleared by 50 feet, making the work that Buffalo had done look miniscule. Driving down the path, the boys noticed numerous soldiers positioned along its side, standing at their posts. As they approached the ship, their jeep had to slow while a large crane was being transported in front of them. According to Henry, the cranes would be used to lift the ship high enough out of the ground so the team could find the underground cave. Henry seemed up to date on what happened two months ago, saying he was briefed by Chip, Lori, and Grady.

When they finally reached the mysterious ship, Henry parked the jeep off to the side so they were not in anyone's way. Raz, O, and Buffalo could not believe all the activity that surrounded the area. The first thing the Girth Brothers noticed was that the entire perimeter of the ship had been cleared away, making the ship accessible from all sides. Bulldozers were busy clearing more areas around the ship as Army personnel prepared for the initial excavating.

"When are you planning on starting this excavation?" Buffalo asked, as the Girth Brothers watched the large hoist cranes being guided toward the ship.

"Tomorrow," was the only word that Henry said.

Raz, O, and Buffalo looked at one another, each thinking the same thing. They knew tomorrow was going to be a long day, helping the Army with the excavating, and also escorting a Countess from the Sandal Pointe docks to Stine's castle.

"I guess tomorrow we better pack a bigger lunch," O said, as Raz and Buffalo nodded their heads, knowing O was right.

### Chapter 4

The sail across the Atlantic Ocean was anything but pleasant for Karen. The first three days of the five-day trip she spent in her room, clinging to her bed with a vise-like grip, her stomach churning with every wave the enormous ship hit. Only on occasion did she sense that her insides were starting to feel normal, and that was just after she ate the food that was delivered to her small cabin.

On the fourth day, Karen felt well enough to venture outside her room. She walked around the massive ocean liner and found a small eatery on one of the levels. She sat down and ordered a sandwich and a cup of tea, the nourishment comforting. Karen was now enjoying the freedom of being out of her room, and after a half-hour sitting there watching the people walk about, she decided to explore the ship. The first thing Karen happened upon was a small group of boutiques. She loved the thought of buying something for herself but spent most of her time window shopping, conscious not to spend even a dime. Karen knew the money she had saved would be needed for more important things when she arrived in America, such as housing and daily essentials.

After a few hours, Karen was starting to feel tired and knew it was time to head back to her cabin. She stopped one more time at the eatery, ordering another sandwich and glass of tea to take back with her. With her dinner in a paper bag, she walked down the long corridors, swaying from side to side as the waves continued to pound the ship. Turning the last corner, she didn't realize another person was coming the other way and the two collided. Both were startled for a moment, and Karen was quick to notice the other person was an elderly woman, wearing a long, black overcoat with a wool scarf wrapped around her neck.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention where I was going," Karen said.

At first, the elderly woman gave Karen a cold, blank stare, but soon Karen could see her face softening a bit.

"Don't worry, my dear. It was probably a mutual mishap. Are you all right?"

Karen was impressed with her honesty. The elderly woman's deep English accent made her sound as if she was from Eastern Europe. "Yes, of course, and you?"

The elderly woman forced a smile as she responded, "Yes, I am fine."

As the elderly woman spoke, Karen noticed that the long overcoat she was wearing had a large letter "C" on the left breast. It was the same marking that Karen saw on the caskets that were loaded onto the ship.

"Excuse me, but what does the letter "C" stand for?" Karen asked, now forgetting about the awkward moment of bumping into the elderly woman.

The elderly woman studied Karen for a brief moment before replying, "My dear, this is the marking of the mighty Cheqman family from Romania. This marking has been with the family for over 150 years."

Karen was careful with her next words. "I have seen that marking before, but I don't remember where. Do you have any relatives living in London?"

The elderly woman was getting uncomfortable with the questioning. "I work for the Countess of Cheqman, and I have no idea of any relatives in London."

Karen was now pushing her luck. "Oh, and where is the Countess? I would love to meet her."

The old woman tried to be polite with her response. "The Countess is resting. There is a chance she might be out dining tonight. Now, if you would excuse me, I must get back and check on her. Good day."

The elderly woman walked past Karen and made her way down the long corridor. Karen watched her turn at the end and disappear from sight. She stood there for a moment and thought about what the elderly woman said about the marking. She tried to remember where she had seen that letter "C" before, but could not.

Not wanting her dinner to get cold, Karen continued to her cabin. When she got there, she walked straight over to a chair and small table in the corner of the room. She placed her dinner on the table next to the newspaper she brought with her from home. After hanging up her coat, Karen took a seat and grabbed the newspaper, shaking her head as she once again read the front-page headline. Millions of thoughts raced through her head as she stared at the bold print words that seemed to jump from the page. "My dear Ronald," she thought to herself. "What have you done?"

Karen's thoughts shifted and focused on the chance meeting with the elderly woman. Karen wondered if the elderly woman was right about the Countess going out dining tonight. Karen decided that later on she would venture out again, this time to try and find the Countess and the elderly woman. She now was on a mission to find out what the marking "C" was really about.

****

It was 8 p.m. when Karen finally left her room. Feeling refreshed from a long, afternoon nap, Karen decided she felt well enough to explore the rest of the ship. She made her way to the nearest stairwell, went up one level, and walked to the end of the corridor. She stopped by an exterior sliding door and reached for its handle, gently gliding the door along its track. For the first time on this trip, Karen was outside and walking around the promenade. The air was crisp and the wind was strong, but the elements didn't bother her. Karen walked to the bow of the ship and stood by the railing, watching the waves roll past like platoons of soldiers parading past their superiors. Looking up, she noticed the moon was full and bright, and not a cloud in the sky. The stars twinkled as if they were waving to the earth below.

Remembering why she was out tonight, Karen gave one last look up at the sky, turned and walked back inside. She went to the same eatery where she sat earlier in the day and ordered a cup of hot tea, a welcome treat after being outside for so long. The boutique and eatery area were crowded, as it seemed the other guests were enjoying their last night of the voyage. Everyone seemed joyous and happy as they milled around, which made it more difficult for Karen to observe. She kept her eyes to the crowd, still diligent in her quest to find the Countess as her thoughts bounced back and forth from the elderly woman she met this afternoon to her brother-in-law, with whom she hoped to reconnect and find out the truth of his past actions.

Finally, Karen's patience paid off. Through the mass of people, Karen saw the elderly woman walking toward the shops, and watched her enter one of the boutiques. The elderly woman seemed to be alone, and a feeling of intrigue began to fill Karen while she waited.

Minutes later, Karen saw the elderly woman walk out of the boutique, but this time she was not by herself. The elderly woman was accompanied by another woman, who looked much younger. Karen tried to control her exhilaration as the two women paused in the middle of the crowded floor, with Karen noticing both women wearing long overcoats with the familiar "C" on their left breasts. Karen kept her eye on them, trying not to seem too obvious with her stare.

The two women started to walk again, this time toward Karen. They walked past her and proceeded to one of the stairwell doors. Karen watched the elderly woman open the door for her younger companion, and the two women disappeared as the door closed behind them. After a brief moment, Karen got out of her chair and walked over to the same door, opened it, and went through.

Karen was now in a stairwell that led both up and down. She wasn't certain about which way to go. She listened for a moment, concentrating on any noise, either way. Finally, she heard footsteps coming from above; faint, but still audible. She cautiously started up the steps.

Karen climbed two flights of stairs before she stopped to listen again, but did not hear anything. She continued her ascent, clutching the side railing that balanced her every step as the ship gently rocked. When she reached the next landing, she froze. There in front of her stood the two women, standing there as if they were waiting for her.

"Good evening, Fräulein," the elderly woman said.

Karen began to feel anxious. "Good evening. It is a pleasure to meet you again."

The two women studied Karen for a long moment, making Karen feel uncomfortable. The woman that Karen wanted to meet finally spoke. "Why were you following us?" she asked, her eyes piercing down at Karen.

Karen tried to answer the woman, but couldn't find the words.

"I am the Countess of Cheqman!" the woman said, her voice rising with every word. The Countess looked at her companion and then back at Karen. "Answer me!"

Karen somehow found the strength to answer, "I was curious as to where I have seen that marking before," she said, lifting her arm and pointing to the "C" on the Countess's coat.

The Countess gave an unusual smile as she answered Karen. "This is my family marking, as I am sure you were told this afternoon."

Karen glanced over at the elderly woman, knowing that she had told the Countess of their chance meeting.

The Countess leaned forward. "Look into my eyes."

Karen shifted her gaze toward the Countess and looked into her cold, dark eyes. In a matter of seconds Karen found herself captivated by the eye contact, and soon began to feel weak and drained. She wanted to leave, but could not move and it felt like an eternity before the Countess finally spoke.

"Are you traveling alone, my dear?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a place to stay when we arrive tomorrow?"

"No."

"Then why don't you stay with us? We have rented a large mansion in Sandal Pointe that has plenty of room."

Karen felt mesmerized with each word the Countess said. "That would be wonderful."

The Countess unlocked her gaze on Karen. "Good, then we will see you tomorrow when we land. Ana will help you with your belongings." The Countess added, "Now go back to your room and rest. Ana will come for you when we are ready."

"Yes, my Countess," Karen said as she turned to walk back down the steps.

The Countess and Ana waited for Karen to leave before the Countess spoke. "She could be useful to us, don't you think, Ana?"

Ana looked in the direction that Karen just walked, not wanting to make eye contact with the Countess. "Yes, my Master."

"I agree," the Countess responded, turning her attention to Ana. "You take care of the young lady tomorrow when we dock, and I will see you tomorrow night." The Countess paused before she spoke for the final time. "Now if you will excuse me, it is time for me to eat."

### Chapter 5

The Girth Brothers spent the rest of the afternoon with Henry learning all about tomorrow's excavation, and after leaving the marshlands, Raz, O, and Buffalo had a lot on their minds. They realized tomorrow was going to be a big day as they now had two jobs to accomplish. First, they had to escort a Countess from Sandal Pointe's harbor to Stine's place, and then they had orders to assist the government team in raising the large, mysterious ship in the marshlands.

It was almost 7 o'clock when they arrived home, and the Girth Brothers knew their dinner date with Rita and Sally was only moments away. They quickly showered, changed clothes, and then rushed down the crowded streets of Sandal Pointe. When they got to the Barefoot Lounge, the women were already seated. Rita, who saw the Girth Brothers walk in, stood up and waved them over.

After taking their seats, Raz lowered his eyeglasses and was the first to speak. "Good evening, Miss Rita and Miss Sally. We would like to thank you for meeting us here tonight. As you know, we are here to celebrate Buffalo's grand achievement!"

"It is an honor to be here! And just look at Buffalo, doesn't he look all official?" Rita responded as she reached over and pinched Buffalo on his cheek, causing Buffalo to blush.

Sally looked over at Raz and said, "It is a pleasure to see you again, Raz."

Raz smiled and replied, "Miss Sally, the pleasure is all mine."

O looked at his four friends and began to feel a little left out. He had witnessed over the past year the development in Raz and Sally's relationship, as well as the courtship of Buffalo and Rita. It never really bothered him until now.

"OK, you lovebirds, may we order some food and drinks? I am starving!" O said as he looked for Zlata.

Rita could tell O was feeling awkward with the situation. "You know what, O? We need to find you a nice girl. Sally and I will have to work on that."

Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at his pal. "Don't worry, my pleasantly plump buddy. Your day will come, and sooner than you think."

"Don't worry about me, my round friend. I will find someone when it is right for me. Besides, I have my career to think about," O responded.

Buffalo started to laugh. "Your career? We all have a career, and now me and Raz have girlfriends."

Rita reached over and grabbed Buffalo's ear. "Be quiet, Buffalo! You are making O feel more uncomfortable."

"Ouch!" Buffalo exclaimed as Rita held onto his ear. "I'm sorry, O. Raz is right. You will find someone, and soon!"

"That is better," Rita said as she let go of Buffalo's ear.

Zlata stopped by the table and took their drink orders. Raz, O, and Buffalo asked for chocolate malts, while Rita and Sally ordered iced teas. After Zlata left to get their drinks, Rita began asking questions. "So, do you guys have any jobs lined up?"

O pretended to be all business. "Tomorrow, we have two jobs: first, we have to escort a Countess up to Stine's castle. She will be on tomorrow's passenger ship. Then we have to assist another government team in the marshlands. They will be excavating the mysterious ship, and we are supposed to help in any way we can."

Rita was now intrigued. "Wow! That's two great stories I can report on!" she said. "First, how are they going to raise the ship?"

"They are bringing in cranes to lift it up!" Buffalo chimed in.

"That sounds like a big job," Sally began, and then changed the subject. "Who is this Countess you're escorting? And why are you taking her to Stine's castle?"

"Miss Sally, the Countess is renting Stine's place for a few days. Chief Bailey thought it would be a good idea for us to pick her up at the docks and take her there," Raz said.

"The Countess has a lot of money!" Buffalo added.

Rita seemed interested that a rich Countess from Europe was going to rent Stine's castle. "And my second question, does anyone know her name?"

"Chief Bailey didn't tell us. I guess we will find out in the morning," O said as Zlata stopped at the table with drinks.

O stood up and made a toast. "Here's to our good friend, Buffalo. We want to say congratulations for graduating from the Sandal Pointe Police Academy this morning. May your first job tomorrow be your most memorable!"

Everyone raised their drinks and yelled, "Hip, hip, hooray!"

Buffalo smiled as he looked at everyone praising him. He started to turn a few shades of red. "Thank you everyone! I can't wait for tomorrow!"

****

The past two months had been a nightmare for the man who was once a prominent doctor. He remembered surviving the fall into the bottomless pit, landing on a ledge 15 feet below. There was no way to get back up into the cave; the side walls of the pit were too steep to climb. He lamented about what to do, and then noticed a faint light coming through the granite wall. Within arm's reach, he dug out the location with his hands until he could squeeze through. That passageway led him into another area which was dimly lit like the cave above. He searched every inch of its granite ceiling and walls, but could not find another opening. It seemed he was trapped in the bottomless pit.

Soon it was all about survival, with food and water his primary concern. His diet consisted of insects, mice, or anything else he could find in the subterranean chamber, but his stomach could not handle its sustenance. The water he found in the cracks of the granite did not come close to quenching his thirst. He was growing weaker by the day, and his health was declining.

Now, as he sat on the cold, granite floor, he leaned his back against the stone wall. He knew he couldn't survive much longer; his energy level exhausted. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, a practice that was becoming common for him. Just as he was about to doze, a woman's voice prompted him to reopen his eyes. He looked around, but saw nothing. The cold air made him shiver, so he curled up in a ball and once again closed his eyes. In a matter of seconds, the woman's voice was back, this time in a clear tone. "Chickenman, I am coming to save you!" Chickenman's eyes grew wide, and for the first time in two months a feeling of hope grew inside him.

### Chapter 6

The early morning darkness was something Chief Bailey hadn't experienced in a long time. He usually started his work day at 8 o'clock, and the sun was always up when he drove to the police station, but it was now 5 a.m. with sunrise at least two hours away. Driving his police car down the streets of Sandal Pointe, the chief noticed a dense fog hanging low throughout the town, the result of an overnight rain shower. Since it was late October, the cooler temperatures turned the moisture into a thick mist.

As the chief drove toward the Girth Brothers' apartment, he tried to remember the last time he had been awakened this early for an official emergency. He could not recall a phone call as serious as the one he had received. The time was precisely 4:30 a.m. on his bedside alarm clock as he reached for the phone.

The voice on the phone spoke: "Chief Bailey, this is Johnson, the harbor master."

"Yes, Johnson. Why are you calling me this early in the morning?"

There was a slight pause before the harbor master spoke again. "There has been a murder, chief."

"What?!" Chief Bailey responded, now wide awake and sitting up in his bed.

Johnson continued, "The large passenger ship that arrived from Europe – you know which one I'm talking about?"

"Yes, Johnson, go on."

"Well, the captain of the ship called me and said one of his crewmen was found dead about a half hour ago. There was blood everywhere."

Chief Bailey sat, stunned, as he heard Johnson's words.

"Chief, are you still there?"

"Yes, Johnson. Thank you for calling, I will be down as soon as possible. Please tell the captain not to move the body or touch anything!"

"Yes, chief, I will."

Chief Bailey hung up the phone. "Oh, boy," he muttered. "This is going to be a long day."

****

The loud knock on the front door prompted Buffalo to open his eyes. He had been sound asleep on the couch. He closed his eyes again, hoping the noise was only his imagination. Then he heard the thunderous knocks again. Buffalo jumped off the couch and made his way to the door while Raz and O shuffled out of their bedrooms, rubbing their eyes as they walked.

"Hey Buffalo, who is at the door?" Raz asked as he slipped on his eyeglasses.

"I don't know," Buffalo answered as he reached for the doorknob. Buffalo opened the door and the Girth Brothers saw Chief Bailey.

"Good morning, guys. I'm sorry I have to wake you so early, but we have a dire situation down by the docks," the chief said as he let himself in.

"What is the problem, chief?" O asked.

"The passenger ship from Europe arrived about three hours ago. It docked, and while the passengers were still sleeping, the crew members went through their normal inspection of the ship. When they went through the lower boiler room, they found the body of one of the crewmen with blood surrounding him. It turns out the man was deceased, a victim of some sort of attack."

"Whoa!" Raz exclaimed as he lowered his eyeglasses. "A murder in Sandal Pointe!"

The chief continued. "I need the three of you to come with me. They are keeping the body in its original position until we get there."

"We'll be ready in two minutes, chief!" O yelled as Raz and O rushed to get dressed. Buffalo reached underneath the couch to grab his clothes. When they were ready, Raz, O, and Buffalo followed Chief Bailey outside and crammed themselves into his police car. The chief drove straight to Sandal Pointe's harbor and guided the squad car toward the large passenger ship that had docked just a few hours earlier. It was still dark out as the vehicle came to a halt next to the loading dock, and the ship's captain was waiting for them.

"Thanks for coming down, chief," the captain started. "Per your instructions, we have kept the body in its original position. We have not moved it, but out of respect we have covered it with a sheet. It has turned out to be one of my crew that was killed."

"Thank you captain, we will take it from here. Oh, these three gentlemen are the Girth Brothers. Raz, O, and Buffalo are private detectives and will assist me with the investigation."

The captain shook hands with the three and continued, "Never in my 25 years of captaining a ship have I had this happen. My entire crew is badly shaken from this. These guys have worked together for a long time. They were like family."

Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at the captain, saying, "Don't worry, sir. We will find out who did this."

"Thank you. Now, if you will follow me," the captain said as he turned and walked up the plank toward the ship.

Chief Bailey and the Girth Brothers followed the captain up and into the ship. They made their way to a door that had a sign "No Admittance – Crew Only." They went through the door and followed a set of stairs that led down into the ship. Once in the engine room, the captain walked over to another door, turned to everyone and said, "This way to the boiler room."

There were two more sets of stairs that led down to the bottom of the ship. The iron steps clanked as the five men descended, and the lighting became dimmer with each step they took. When they finally made it to the boiler room, the Girth Brothers and Chief Bailey found some of the ship's crew standing around a sheet covering the body. Buffalo noticed blood on the floor. "Oh my," he said. Chief Bailey went over to the body, bent down, and pulled back one end of the sheet. The Girth Brothers stood beside the chief and looked down at the dead man.

O was the first one to speak. "I believe this is the first dead person I have seen."

Raz nodded his head. "That goes the same for me."

"Wow!" Buffalo gasped. "What happened to his neck?"

Chief Bailey pulled the entire sheet off the man, noticing that the blood was coming from a ghastly wound on his neck. "Hey guys, look at this."

Raz, O, and Buffalo got closer to the deceased and noticed what the chief was talking about.

"Hey chief, what do you make of those puncture wounds on the neck?" O asked.

"I'm not sure, but this poor man lost a lot of blood from that wound. It's probably why he died."

Chief Bailey looked up at the captain and asked, "Captain, did you have any animals on this ship?"

The captain shook his head and answered, "No sir, there were no animals aboard this vessel."

"It doesn't look like there are any other visible wounds," O said.

"You're right, O," Chief Bailey said. "We will have to wait for the coroner's report to get the actual cause of death. Captain, we will have to interview your passengers before they leave the ship. I know that sounds like a lot of work, but it is necessary."

"I understand, Chief Bailey. My crew will assist you with whatever you need."

****

Down in the cargo hold, the Countess of Cheqman hovered above her casket, fresh off an overdue feeding. The blood from her victim soaked her coat, but she knew it wouldn't be long before the blood disappeared, as the unexplained vanishing of the evidence was one of the twisted perks for being who she was. She glanced out the tiny window toward the bow of the ship and saw the day was beginning, and she knew even in the cramped, musty cargo hold, the intense rays of the sun would find a way to enter.

For 150 years, the Countess was the master of the night, her strength and powers no match for the normal human being. Between the sun's setting and its rise the next morning, the Countess was invincible. But she wasn't always that way, as she was at one time a normal human being. It was exactly 150 years ago, on a dark and rainy night when she was the victim of a brutal attack. Her body was spared, but her soul went dead.

At first she struggled with the change, but her master was wise and taught her how to live off others, drinking their blood as her nourishment. She could not remember how many lives she had since taken, or how many bloody nights she had endured. Most of her victims were local people in the region of Banat, and a fear always seemed to grip the area. The local authorities could never pinpoint the exact cause of death, and most autopsies listed the cause as some vicious animal attack. The Countess always waited until after midnight to attack, for that was when the humans were most tired, and at their weakest.

Now the sunlight was just moments away. The Countess gazed down at her casket until the lid began to open. She levitated to a horizontal position and slowly descended into the exquisitely made box. Once she was inside, the lid began to close, locking in place as if it had never been open. Lying in complete darkness, the Countess knew her thirst for blood was not satisfied, and before she closed her eyes, she began planning her next victim on the tiny island of Sandal Pointe.

### Chapter 7

By 10 o'clock in the morning, the passengers aboard the ship were getting restless. Word was getting around that a crewman was found dead, and to complicate matters, Chief Bailey had given orders that no one, including crew members, could leave the ship without answering questions.

The Girth Brothers now had the daunting task of interviewing over 200 people, and with the captain's permission, they set up a table and a few chairs near the ship's departure area. Chief Bailey knew this process was going to take some time, so he sent one of his deputies up to the marshlands to inform the government people the Girth Brothers would be delayed for a few hours while the questioning went on. A half hour later, the deputy returned to say that they would postpone the excavation until 8 o'clock that evening, and perform the task under the lights.

Karen and Ana stood near the end of the line, waiting their turn to be questioned. Karen was still feeling a little seasick from the long voyage, and thought it odd that she could not remember one single thing about last night. Sensing Karen's uneasiness, Ana turned to Karen and said, "Don't be nervous, my dear. We should be done with these questions in a matter of minutes. Then we will go up to our rented house and you can rest." Karen looked at Ana and nodded.

Karen felt strange to be with Ana. The last thing Karen remembered about yesterday was bumping into Ana in the ship's corridor. Everything else in her mind was blank. Then came this morning when the elderly woman showed up at Karen's cabin door and said Karen had agreed to spend a few days with her. Karen could not remember agreeing to spend any time with the elderly woman, but at the same time felt the elderly woman was right. "Besides," Karen thought to herself, "it is only a night or two."

When it was their turn, Karen and Ana walked up to O, who was holding a pad and paper as he waited with Raz and Buffalo. "Hello, ladies. We are the Girth Brothers and we have a few questions for you," O said. "So if you don't mind, I would like to begin." He looked at Ana. "OK, I will start with you. Can you give me your name?"

Ana looked perturbed and said, "I am the Countess of Cheqman!" Raz, O, and Buffalo's eyes grew wide.

"You must be the Countess we have to escort!" Buffalo piped up.

"Yes, you fat moron! Why must we stand here and answer these questions? We have had a long journey and my assistant is not feeling well!" said Ana as she pointed toward Karen.

Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at Ana. "I'm sorry Miss Countess, but this is our job. Please be patient with us, and we will have you on your way to Stine's castle, I mean your rented house."

Karen looked at Raz when he mentioned the name Stine. "What do you know about Dr. Ronald Stine?" she asked, now starting to understand what was going on around her.

O, noticing that Karen's voice was trembling, answered, "Stine has been arrested and is in jail for trying to destroy Sandal Pointe."

Karen's eyes started to tear up. "Oh no! Ronald would never do that!"

Ana was now persistent. "Are we done with the questioning? Like I said, we are tired from our journey. We would like to be taken to our house!"

O walked up to Karen and asked, "We need to know where you two were last night between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m."

"We were asleep, you idiots!" Ana bellowed. "Now, let's go!"

Chief Bailey, overhearing the conversation, walked over to the group. "OK fellows, we shouldn't hold up the Countess any more than we have to. I think we are done with all the questioning. Why don't you guys take the ladies up to their rented house? I will catch up to you three later at the marshlands."

"Yes Chief!" Raz, O, and Buffalo said at the same time.

O turned and spoke to Karen and Ana. "Follow us, ladies; we will escort you to your lodging. How much luggage do you have?"

Ana answered, "Just a few suitcases, and three coffins."

Raz lowered his eyeglasses again. "Huh?"

"We have personal items stored in the coffins. I'm sure you understand."

Buffalo seemed confused. "I thought only dead bodies were stored in coffins? I never heard of coffins being used for luggage."

"This is a custom of our people," Ana replied, giving the Girth Brothers a cold, hard stare.

Raz, O, and Buffalo looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and escorted Ana and Karen outside where the taxis were waiting. Before they picked out a suitable vehicle, the Girth Brothers stopped and talked to Rita, who was there to get information on the crime. When they finished, O picked out a large station wagon, big enough to fit the coffins in the back. The Girth Brothers and the two women got into the vehicle and drove north out of Sandal Pointe.

On the way, Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at O. "Coffins?" were his only words. O rolled his eyes and began to think about what Karen said about Stine. "I wonder how she knows Stine?" he thought to himself as the station wagon hummed along the only road to Stine's place.

****

It was mid-afternoon when the station wagon loaded with people and luggage pulled up in front of Stine's castle. The ride had been uneventful and only a few words were spoken. O was nearest to the front door of the station wagon, and he opened it for Ana and Karen.

"Well, here we are! This is your new residence for the next few days," O said as he extended his hand, helping the women out of the vehicle.

Ana did not respond to O's comments as she gazed around the area. She looked across the front of the property and saw the majestic Atlantic Ocean straight ahead. Birds flew overhead as Ana could see the waves pound their way toward the shoreline. Ana then turned her attention back toward the station wagon, keeping a careful eye on Raz and Buffalo as they unloaded the coffins. The first two coffins were not a problem for the large and strong Girth Brothers, but when they tried to unload the third one, there was a noticeable difference in its weight.

"Wow! You must have packed everything in this one. It is heavy!" Buffalo exclaimed as he looked back at Ana.

"Be careful with that one, you fat fool!" Ana bellowed as she watched Raz and Buffalo struggle with the heavy coffin.

O pretended he didn't hear Ana use the word fat and walked over to the front door of the castle. He opened the door, turned around to the ladies and said, "Welcome to your home away from home!"

Ana and Karen followed O into the mammoth place and stood in the foyer. They gazed around the stunning interior, impressed with the sheer beauty of the workmanship.

"Where do you want us to put these coffins?" Raz asked as he and Buffalo were still struggling with the heavier one.

Ana walked over to the laboratory door, opened it, and walked into the room. She carefully scanned the room with her eyes, making sure it was ideal for her master. "You can place the coffins in here."

O helped Raz and Buffalo carry the coffins into the laboratory, placing them in the middle of the floor. After the third coffin was in place, O turned to Ana and asked, "Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"No, that is all."

Raz, O, and Buffalo said their goodbyes and began to walk out, but before they reached the front door, Karen rushed toward them and grabbed O's arm. "I need to know what happened to my brother-in-law, Dr. Ronald Stine."

O's attention perked up when Karen said that. "Stine is your brother-in-law?"

"Yes," Karen answered. "He was my sister's husband."

"Like we told you at the docks, Stine has been arrested for trying to blow up Sandal Pointe," O began. "Then you must know his cousin, Dr. Chickenman?"

"What about Dr. Chickenman?" Ana asked with her voice rising.

"He fell into the bottomless pit!" Buffalo chimed in.

Karen did not seem concerned about the person they were calling Chickenman. "I would like to see Ronald, if you could arrange it."

"Our next job today has been postponed until this evening," O began, glancing over at Raz and Buffalo for a brief moment, then back at Karen. "Let us go up to the marshlands and check in with the government people. If everything is still on for this evening, I would be glad to come back and take you into town to see Stine. Chief Bailey shouldn't mind."

"That would be wonderful!" Karen exclaimed as she leaned over and gave O a hug, causing O to turn a deep shade of red.

"We will see if you are feeling up to it," Ana said to Karen and then looked at the Girth Brothers, adding, "Now leave!"

Raz, O, and Buffalo sensed their stay was over and walked out the front door. Ana closed it behind them and looked back at Karen. "Let us find you a room so you can rest. It will be getting dark soon, and I want you refreshed for tonight."

Karen did not know what Ana meant by that comment but did agree she needed to lie down for a bit. She grabbed her two bags and walked through the foyer to the stairs. Ana followed and, once upstairs, picked a bedroom for Karen to rest. Karen thanked Ana for the accommodation and watched Ana walk out of the room, closing the door behind her. Karen sat down on the bed and pulled out the newspaper she brought with her from home. Once again she looked at the headline, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe this," was all she said as she folded the newspaper and placed it on the bed's end table. Feeling tired from the long trip, Karen pulled down the covers and slid underneath. Within seconds she was asleep.

Downstairs, Ana walked into the laboratory and stood before the coffins, inspecting each one for any scratches from the long journey. Satisfied they were OK, her eyes focused on the coffin that housed her master. "Soon you will be awake," Ana began. "Then you can go find your relative!"

### Chapter 8

The changing of the guard was taking place in the October sky. The sun was setting lower on the horizon and the moon had begun its ascent. Throughout Sandal Pointe, the early evening atmosphere was evident. Merchants could be seen turning their "closed" signs toward the street, signifying their work day was done, and restaurants began serving their dinner menus, the last meal of the day. But just as significant, the streetlights began to illuminate.

Sandal Pointe had a street light on every corner, a safety feature for the community. In addition to the streetlights, businesses in town also had outdoor lighting. And while most buildings in town were protected by well-lit exteriors, it was the police station that shone the brightest. The reason was simple; attached to the police station were the jail cells, which required more security, especially at night. Inside, the cells were small and modest, each having just an aluminum cot and a tiny window facing Sandal Pointe's harbor. The cots were not the most comfortable bed; often the coiled springs would penetrate through the thin mattresses, but most people only had to endure a night or two, since most of the crimes in Sandal Pointe were misdemeanors. However, for the last two months there was one inmate whose crime was more severe than a misdemeanor. This criminal resided in cell number one.

Thirteen months ago, the death of his wife drove him to the brink of insanity, an edge from which he did not return. Before long, his life became consumed with his cousin's terroristic madness, and he failed to comprehend the immoral implications of his crimes. Now, lying on his cot, he closed his eyes and tried to forget about his past wrongdoings, but it was no use—the images were ingrained in his memory.

Still lying there, the inmate heard a rustle at the cell door and opened his eyes. He heard the jingle of keys and the sound of the door lock turning. After a couple of clicks, the iron-cast door began to open. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and then stood beside the bed. He watched the night guard enter the cell, but it was not the sight of the guard that caught his eye. It was the two people that accompanied the guard.

"What is that fat Girth Brother doing here?" the man yelled.

"OK, Stine, enough of your belligerent language!" O responded as he stepped closer to Stine.

Stine was about to reply when he noticed the person standing next to O was a woman. He strained his eyes to see, but the low lighting of the cell made it hard to distinguish the woman.

"Ronald, it is me, Karen," Karen said as she held on to O's arm.

Stine gasped when he heard her voice, unprepared to confront a person from his past. "Karen?" was all he could say, sitting back down on his bed in disbelief.

"Yes, Ronald, it is me. I have come to find you, to talk to you."

"But how did you find me?"

Karen pulled the newspaper out of her purse and pointed at the headline. "From this," she answered, and then looked at O, "and with the help from this nice, young man."

Stine winced when Karen said that. "You mean from that fat Girth Brother!"

"Ronald!" Karen yelled, her voice beginning to tremble. "What you did was wrong! Don't you know that?"

Stine bowed his head and then looked back up at her. "Yes, Karen, I now know what I did was wrong. I am sorry."

An uncomfortable few seconds passed before Stine spoke again. "What happened to Wilhelm, and Slab?"

O was ready to respond. "They fell into the bottomless pit. Both are feared dead, but that is not confirmed. The cave was sealed off when the last earthquake struck. Tonight we are going to excavate the mysterious ship in the marshlands, in hope of getting back down into the cave."

"And what about the other end of the cave, the end that leads to the secret tunnel?"

"That is also blocked off from all the fallen granite."

Stine shook his head as O spoke of Chickenman's demise, and then looked at Karen. "Where are you staying? Do you have enough money?"

"I am fine. I am staying at your place, actually. A Countess from Europe befriended me on my trip across the Atlantic. She is renting your house for a day or two and asked me if I wanted to stay with her. I thought that was nice of her, don't you think?"

Stine grew concerned with Karen's comments. "What is the Countess' name?"

"The Countess of Cheqman," O answered.

Stine's eyes showed alarm when O said that. "No! You have to get away from her. She is evil!"

Karen squeezed O's arm a little tighter. "No, Ronald, she is very nice. As a matter of fact, we had a pleasant conversation this morning."

"This morning? That can't be," Stine paused before he asked his next question. "Karen, what does she look like?"

"What do you mean, Ronald?"

"How old is she?"

"She is an elderly woman. My guess is she is in her 70s. Why?"

Stine stood up, walked over to the small window and stared at the sky. In the distance, he could see the moon rising, and tonight it looked full. After a few seconds, he looked back at Karen and O. "That is not the real Countess."

"What do you mean by that, Stine?" O asked.

Stine took a deep breath before he spoke. "Karen, do you remember the day Maggie and I got married?"

"Of course, Ronald, how could I forget?"

"Well, my cousin, Wilhelm Chickenman, was supposed to be at our wedding, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he could not attend. A few days before the wedding, Maggie and I received word that a relative of his, from Romania, would be there in his place. We had no idea who the person was, but we just accepted the fact. That person was the Countess of Cheqman."

"Of course, that is where I have seen the letter "C" before!" Karen exclaimed, realizing her dilemma aboard the ship was now solved. She thought back to the day her sister Maggie married Ronald. Karen remembered being impressed with the lady who was introduced as the Countess of Cheqman. The Countess was very attractive, and wore a long, black gown with a large letter "C" embroidered on the front.

"The Countess of Cheqman is a young, beautiful woman with mysterious powers. Don't ask me how or why; that is all I know. But I can tell you one thing, that woman you are calling the Countess is not the real Countess." Stine paused for a second. "Did this elderly woman bring anything unusual with her for her stay?"

"Coffins," O blurted out.

Stine knew exactly what was happening. "Wilhelm is alive, and the Countess has come to find him!"

"Stine, you're making this up to scare the young lady," O said.

"Ronald, if that elderly lady is not the Countess, then who is?" Karen asked, now concerned about her gracious host.

Stine, avoiding Karen's question, looked out the window again, this time concentrating on the harbor. In plain sight, he could see all the activity hovering near the large passenger ship. "Tell me, fat Girth Brother, was there any disturbance on the passenger ship? Was there any odd occurrence?"

O realized Stine was on to something. "A crewman was found dead this morning."

Stine stood there and began to laugh. "Of course, and I bet the dead crewman had puncture wounds on his neck. Am I right, fat Girth Brother?"

O could feel his blood pressure begin to rise. "Do not call me fat, Stine! And how do you know about the puncture wounds?"

Stine looked over at Karen, "Karen, I am sorry if I have caused you any pain or heartache from my past doings, but you must not go back to my house while those coffins are still there. You have no idea what this Countess is capable of. Like I said before, she is evil and dangerous."

Stine looked one more time out the window and saw darkness fill the sky. "The Countess will soon be awake, and she has traveled across the Atlantic to save her relative, Wilhelm Chickenman!"

****

Sitting at his desk, Chief Bailey began the tedious process of going through the notes the Girth Brothers took at the ship. It was now close to 5 o'clock and he had over 200 testimonies to comb through. For a steady half hour, he sifted through the notes, impressed with the details of the interviews. All the information was right there in front of him, even how many pieces of luggage each passenger had. Now he just needed to make a connection, no matter how insignificant. Page after page he studied, jotting down his own notes on a separate piece of paper. When he got to the Countess' information, he stopped his writing and stared at the page. Including the Countess' assistant, they had two suitcases between the two of them. But that is not what caught the chief's eye; it was the three coffins that the Countess was traveling with. "Why in the world would someone bring coffins across the ocean?" he thought to himself.

Feeling the need for a quick break, the chief stood up and walked over to his office window. A splendid view of the harbor was to his right, and he noticed a large gathering still down by the docks. "The people of Sandal Pointe are learning about the murder," he said out loud as he turned his attention left toward the marshlands. The faint sight of the U.S. Army and government team could be seen milling around the entrance of the marshlands. The chief began to wonder about the Countess and her assistant. "Maybe Raz was right," he thought. "Why is the Countess renting Stine's castle?"

The chief took in a deep breath and looked at the crowded streets below. Scanning the mass of people, he noticed three young children playfully running down the street, dressed in their Halloween costumes. The chief chuckled to himself, "That's right; it is the end of October. Tonight, the good people of Sandal Pointe celebrate Halloween." He watched the children as they ran around, playing tag with each other. He admired their costumes: one looked like a spaceman, another a witch, or vampire, and the third dressed up as an angel. "How innocent they look," he thought to himself.

Remembering his task at hand, Chief Bailey walked back over to his desk and sat down. He could still hear the children playing on the street below, a slight distraction for him as he picked up the notes on the Countess and looked at her information. "Three coffins," he mumbled to himself. The word coffin reminded the chief about the dead crewman found on the ship. Still staring at the page, the chief began to form a bizarre theory. The young child's costume and the crewman's ghastly neck wound flooded his mind. "A vampire? That's impossible!" he exclaimed out loud. The chief continued to look at the sheet of paper in his hand. "Why didn't we open and inspect the coffins?" he said, each word louder than the last. The chief folded the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. He got up from his chair, grabbed his hat and hurried to the door. "A vampire?" was all he could think about as he rushed to his police car.

Reaching for the door handle of his car, the chief heard a familiar voice behind him. "Chief Bailey."

The chief turned and saw O and Karen standing there. "I thought you were up at the marshlands?" Chief Bailey asked, remembering the Girth Brothers were due to help with the excavation of the ship.

"We had some extra time before the excavation began, so I offered to bring Karen down to see her brother-in-law, Stine."

The Chief acted surprised by O's comments and looked at Karen. "Weren't you the young lady with the Countess this morning?"

"Yes, Chief Bailey. She asked me to stay with her. Don't you think that was nice of her?"

The chief did not answer the question but instead told O and Karen his theory on the Countess. When the chief finished, O gave his recap of the conversation he and Karen had with Stine. O agreed with Chief Bailey's assumption, and the chief was fascinated with O's chat with Stine. Both men felt they had enough evidence to pursue.

"If you're going up to Stine's place, may we come with you?" O asked. "I can assist you when you talk to the Countess, or whoever that lady is."

The chief opened the back door of his patrol car. "Good idea. Let's go!"

Chapter 9

Rita was both exhilarated and saddened by the news of the dead crewman. She realized those feelings were part of her job: the excitement of a sudden news story, and the understanding that a life had been taken. She became aware of the situation early that morning, when a dock worker, who had just ended his shift, stopped by the _Sandal Pointe Journal_ to let her know what happened.

When Rita arrived at the docks, a yellow banner of tape was already in place near the passenger ship, a clear sign that a crime had been committed. She patiently waited with other onlookers, and as each passenger was allowed to disembark, she tried to get as much information as possible.

It was mid-afternoon when she finally saw Raz, O, and Buffalo exiting the ship. They told Rita that an investigation was ongoing and they could not give her any more information than what the passengers had already told her. Rita understood and noticed the Girth Brothers were preoccupied with two women, one elderly and the other much younger. Rita concluded the two women were the Countess from Europe and her assistant, another story Rita was sure to write about.

Rita waited until the Girth Brothers drove off with the Countess to rush back to her office. She wanted to get an article of the crewman's death in the _Journal's_ evening edition, a story that surely would be the talk of the town. She got the article in under the wire and began to work on expanding it for the morning edition. After a few hours of frantic typing, she glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost 6 p.m. She polished off the piece of writing, ran it down to the editor, and within 30 minutes it was sent back with a "green light," meaning the story was ready for print. Rita's job was done.

Feeling the need for more information, Rita went back down to the docks, but the yellow tape was still in place. The only update she got was that the passenger ship would leave port in the morning. The ship would sail with another load of passengers back to Europe, a common occurrence for these cruise lines, to make return trips between London and Sandal Pointe.

At this point, Rita was beginning to get hungry, and knew she had one more story tonight – the excavation of the mysterious ship in the marshlands. When Rita saw the Girth Brothers earlier in the day, she was told the excavation had been postponed until 8 p.m. With only an hour until the excavation, Rita walked over to the Barefoot Lounge and ordered a sandwich to go. She paid for the dinner and decided to wait outside while her food was being made.

After a minute, Rita noticed Police Chief Bailey's patrol car coming down the street. As the car drove by, Rita saw O and a young woman sitting in the back seat. Rita kept her eyes on the patrol car and before the vehicle disappeared from sight, O looked around with a worried look on his face and said a word Rita could not hear nor understand.

"What are you trying to say, O?" Rita thought to herself as the police car turned the corner, heading north toward the marshlands. "OK, he just said a two-syllable word and it looked like it could have begun with an "F" or a "V," with the second syllable possibly starting with a "P."

Rita scratched her head as she tried to figure out the word, but could not think of anything logical. A few more minutes passed before a waitress brought out her sandwich, neatly packed in a paper bag. Rita thanked the young lady and stood up to hail a cab. When her taxi arrived, Rita got in the back seat and told the driver to take her to the marshlands. "What was O trying to tell me?" Rita thought as her taxi sped out of Sandal Pointe.

****

"It's time," Ana said as she stood before the three coffins. She looked around the laboratory, which was now illuminated with over 100 candles. Ana had rummaged through the many rooms in Stine's castle, grabbing all the waxed miniature torches she could find. She lit each candle and placed them around the room, giving the laboratory the artificial light that was needed. Satisfied with the room's ambiance, Ana walked over to the corner of the room, grabbed an armless, wing-backed chair and placed it in front of the coffins. She sat down and waited for her master to awaken, until finally, a familiar sound began to occur.

The coffin lid that housed Ana's master began to open, a sight she had witnessed numerous times. Inch by inch, the lid levitated until it was fully open, bringing with it the unnatural smell of death. It took only a few moments before her master rose from her sleep, and Ana marveled at the sight – the Countess floating horizontally in the air, a magical, yet haunting vision. The Countess moved with grace, adjusting her body in mid-air before coming to a vertical rest in front of Ana. Before she spoke, the Countess stared at her coffin, her eyes commanding the lid to close. Once the lid was completely shut, the nightly ritual was complete.

"Good evening, Ana," the Countess said as she looked back at Ana.

"Good evening, my Master," Ana replied, her tone obedient.

The Countess turned her head and surveyed the room, making sure her surroundings were satisfactory. Feeling content, she turned her attention back to Ana. "I am pleased you have looked after me with such care."

"Yes, my Master. I have taken care of everything you asked of me."

"That is good," the Countess began. "Did you make plans for our return trip?"

"Yes, my Master. We have our return tickets on tomorrow's sailing. The ship leaves in the morning."

"Then we have no time to waste. We need to find Wilhelm Chickenman tonight and prepare him for departure."

The Countess began to move around the laboratory, speaking as she glided above the floor. "There must be a way to find him from here. I can sense there is a passageway in this room that will lead us to him." The Countess stopped her movement when she got to the secret door. She studied it for a few seconds, and then reached out to press the two areas that would open it. The door slowly unlocked and began to open, causing a rush of cold air to filter into the room. Flames from each candle rocked back and forth as the air moved throughout.

The Countess, satisfied to see the door open, raised her arms in triumph, but before she could say another word, there was a loud knock on the front door.

The Countess looked at Ana and said, "Go see who it is and get rid of them."

Ana got up out of her chair and obeyed. "Yes, my Master."

Ana walked out of the laboratory and made her way through the foyer. When she opened the door, Ana saw Chief Bailey, O, and Karen standing there. The chief had a serious look on his face as he spoke to Ana.

"Good evening, Countess. I am sorry to disturb you on your first night, but I have some questions that I need to ask. May I come in?"

"Chief Bailey, I have had a long day and I am tired. Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry, but I need to know this information now," Chief Bailey said as he walked past Ana and into the foyer. O and Karen followed the chief inside and stood next to him. Ana began to feel uncomfortable, knowing her master was in the room next door.

"Chief Bailey, why do you need your information tonight?"

Chief Bailey looked around the foyer and then back at Ana. "I need to inspect the coffins you were traveling with. I have a feeling we overlooked something this morning when you were leaving the ship."

When the chief finished his sentence, the laboratory door began to close, making a creaking sound that everyone heard. When the door was completely shut, Chief Bailey looked at Ana and said, "Will you please excuse me?"

The chief then glanced over at O. "O, stay here and keep an eye on her."

"Yes, Chief!"

The chief walked toward the laboratory door, grabbed the handle, and pushed it open. The door made the same sound as it opened, as if the hinges were rusted. The chief walked into the room and saw the candles flickering, and also noticed the tunnel's secret door was open. "I thought I told you guys to shut that door yesterday!" he yelled back at O as he walked toward the secret door.

O did not know what the chief meant by the comment and before he could respond, the laboratory door swung shut, sending an echo throughout the massive foyer. A few seconds later, they heard Chief Bailey let out a horrific scream, signifying there was something terribly wrong and he was in danger.

O rushed to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He frantically pounded on the door, yelling the chief's name at the top of his lungs, and after a few seconds, the screaming stopped.

O stood by the door, his heart pounding as silence filled the air. The quiet was interrupted by a faint sound on the other side of the door, and then the door handle turned, prompting O to take a step back. Karen rushed to O's side, grabbing his arm as both of them watched the door open. Ana stayed behind, knowing all too well what was going to happen, and when the door was fully open, the Countess walked out of the room, blood dripping from her mouth. She looked at Karen, then at O, and without a sound, the Countess locked eyes with them, sending both into a trance. O and Karen were now under a spell.

The Countess spared Chief Bailey's life, but not before she drank enough of his blood to satisfy her thirst. Two puncture wounds were now evident on his neck, blood oozing from the holes. The Countess called Ana into the laboratory and gave Ana assurance the chief would live, but would remember nothing for seven days about his visit to Stine's castle. "He has lost a lot of blood," the Countess said, blood still dripping out of her mouth. "But he will survive."

Ana looked at the chief lying on the tile floor, surrounded by blood. The Countess, with only her mind, commanded Chief Bailey to rise and walk out to his police car. She instructed him to drive back to town as if nothing had ever happened. The chief, feeling weak with nausea, got up and walked past O and Karen, who could do nothing but remain still, their bodies and minds still under the Countess's spell. The chief got in his patrol car and began the five-mile drive back to Sandal Pointe.

Now feeling nourished, the Countess walked into the secret tunnel and moved as fast as she could to the other end, where she found boulders scattered about, blocking the entrance. Using her mental power, the Countess moved each piece of granite. When the path was clear, she moved into the cave, the location of the bottomless pit.

Again she had to make a path, and once at the edge of the pit, she floated down into the darkness. It took only a few seconds to locate Chickenman, who was slumped against a cold, granite wall. His heartbeat was faint, and the Countess realized she did not have a moment to spare. She bent down, propped his head up and opened his mouth. She pressed her lips against his, and breathed air into his mouth, causing Chickenman to stir with life. He opened his eyes as the Countess pulled away from his mouth, and stared at her with curiosity, wondering who this beautiful, young person was.

Chickenman managed to say a few words. "Who are you?"

The Countess gazed down at her long, lost relative. "I have come to save you, Wilhelm Chickenman."

### Chapter 10

Captain Henry Jones stood in the command tent, located just a few yards from the mysterious ship, and finalized the excavation procedures with his junior officers. A career Army soldier, Henry was known not only for his strict, disciplined authority, but also for the respect he showed to each of his men. When Henry was asked to oversee the excavation of Sandal Pointe's unexplained shipwreck, he did not hesitate to say yes. His superiors knew when Captain Jones was in charge, the job would get done.

It was now almost 8 p.m., and everyone knew the excavation and search for Chickenman and Slab was about to begin. When Henry concluded the meeting, the officers vacated the tent; the orders they just received would be passed on to the other soldiers. Henry followed his officers out of the tent and was now eager to give a final inspection. He decided to take one more stroll around the ship and make sure everything and everyone were in their place.

While he walked, Henry could hear thunder in the distance. He looked up at the dark blue sky and could see clouds gathering, a sign that a possible storm might be approaching. "The autumn air has a chilly feeling tonight," he thought to himself.

After finishing his inspection, he made his way back to the tent, now mentally prepared to get the excavation and search underway. As he walked, Henry noticed Raz and Buffalo standing nearby. He approached them and made sure they were ready.

"We will get started in a few minutes. Are you guys ready?"

"Yes sir!" Raz and Buffalo exclaimed at the same time.

Henry looked around for a second and asked, "Where is O?"

Raz lowered his eyeglasses and answered, "He should be here any minute, sir."

"OK. I will be back when we are ready to start," Henry responded and walked back into the tent.

Raz and Buffalo stood there and continued to watch the Army personnel prepare for the task at hand. They saw two large cranes being maneuvered around the old, worn vessel, each being carefully positioned. They also noticed massive floodlights were brought in to help because of the darkness. Located around the perimeter of the ship, the floodlights made the area seem like it was still daytime.

After a few more moments, Raz and Buffalo heard a jeep pull up beside them. The driver looked at them and asked, "Hey, do you guys know a young newspaper reporter named Rita?"

"Yes sir!" Buffalo responded. "She is with us!"

The driver, a young private, nodded, "OK, she just arrived at the camp outside the marshlands. I will go back and bring her here."

Raz and Buffalo thanked him and again turned their focus to the soldiers and their preparation. Beginning to feel a little uncomfortable with O not being there, Buffalo looked over at his buddy. "Hey Raz, do you think O will make it back in time?"

Raz lowered his eyeglasses and acknowledged Buffalo's comments. "He'll be fine. Besides, he has a young woman with him. I'm sure he wants to make an impression," he said with a smile on his face. "My guess is he will be back here before the action starts."

"I hope you are right," Buffalo answered as he and Raz heard a jeep pull up. They looked around and saw Rita sitting in the front passenger seat. Rita thanked the driver, opened her door, and got out.

"Hello Girth Brothers! Are we ready to start?"

"In a few minutes," Buffalo answered.

Rita noticed O was not present. "Where's O?"

"He took the Countess's assistant into town," Raz said. "Evidently, she is somehow related to Stine."

"How unfortunate for her," Rita countered, her words short and concise. "When I was in town, I saw O and a young woman in the back of Chief Bailey's car. O had a worried look on his face, and before the car turned the corner, he looked around and I swear he tried to say something to me."

"What do you think he was trying to say?" Raz asked, now feeling concerned.

"I'm not sure," Rita answered. "And what's even stranger is on my way here, I saw Chief Bailey walk out of Stine's castle and get in his car. When my taxi dropped me off, I looked back toward Stine's place and saw Chief Bailey's car heading south, in the direction of Sandal Pointe."

"I thought Chief Bailey was supposed to be here with us?" Buffalo asked, knowing the chief was adamant about being present when the excavation began.

Raz, Buffalo, and Rita were not sure what to think about Chief Bailey and O's odd behavior. They stood there for a few seconds in silence and listened to Henry give additional orders to his men.

When Henry finished, he walked toward the three and stopped in front of them. "It's time to begin," he said while keeping an eye on his men.

"What happens first?" Rita asked, her journalistic mind at work.

Henry looked toward the ship. "When we lift the ship out of the ground, we will swing it over there." Henry pointed to an area past the ship that had been cleared, and Raz, Buffalo, and Rita saw a large, wood-framed object. "We will lower the ship into the frame and secure it. As you can see, the wooden frame sits approximately 10 feet off the ground, so the ship will not be touching the earth. When the time comes, we will have better access to inspect the ship's bottom." Henry paused for a second. "Anyway, once the ship is secure, the lights will be rotated and shone into the hole, and when we know it is safe, we will go down to see if the tunnel below is clear of debris. That is when you guys come into play."

"What about me?" Rita asked, already prepared for the answer.

"You need to stay here, where you are safe." Henry said. "Only Raz, O, and Buffalo have permission to help out down in the cave." Henry looked around for a moment and asked, "Still no O?"

"We don't know where he is," Raz responded, looking back down the cleared path, hoping to see his longtime buddy.

Henry nodded and looked at his watch. "OK, it is 8 o'clock. We will start without O. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir!" Raz and Buffalo answered.

The four of them watched as the operators of the two massive cranes fired up the engines, causing thick, black smoke to exit the rear of the machines. Each operator meticulously maneuvered the cranes' large J-hooks and guided each toward the ship. Once each J-hook was positioned, the hooks began to descend. When they were low enough, the Army personnel grabbed the hooks and attached them to heavy metal bars that had been drilled onto the ship's flooring. With the hooks in place, Henry waited for his men to clear the immediate area. It took a few minutes for all personnel to get off the ship, and when everyone was safe, Henry yelled one final order, indicating it was time to begin.

The J-hooks slowly began to rise, taking the large ship with it. Raz, Buffalo, and Rita were impressed with how effortlessly the ship was extracted from the earth. It took only a minute to get the ship in the air, with dirt, tree roots, and chunks of rock falling from the ship's bottom. In less than 15 minutes, the ship was out of the ground and secure in the wooden frame. Army personnel then began the procedure of readjusting the lights so each would be shone into the crater. Raz and Buffalo walked over to the large hole in the ground and looked down. From their vantage point, the tunnel entrance looked clear; it seemed the raising of the ship made the opening accessible.

Henry walked back over to the Girth Brothers, stood before them and pointed to a nearby table, where there were flashlights and helmets. "Grab a flashlight and a helmet. When we go down there, you will need them," he said. Raz and Buffalo followed Henry's orders, and each took a helmet and flashlight from the table.

"Why do we have to wear these?" Buffalo asked, looking at the helmet and wondering if it would fit on his head.

"Two reasons," Henry began. "One, these helmets are strictly precautionary. We don't know how stable or unstable the cave is. The helmets are a safeguard in case rocks or boulders are still shifting and falling about."

Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at Henry. "What is the other reason?"

Henry answered promptly: "Because I said so."

Raz and Buffalo acknowledged Henry's comment and all three put on the helmets. They made their way down to the opening and were extra careful as they approached the access. After a few moments at the tunnel's entrance, Henry turned to his men and gave the thumbs up. Raz, Buffalo, and Henry all entered the tunnel, vanishing into the earth.

Rita, still nearby, gradually moved toward the table where another helmet lay. While standing next to the table, Rita nonchalantly reached down, grabbed the helmet, and placed it on her head. She waited a few moments while the rest of the Army personnel turned their attention to the ship and without anyone seeing her, Rita walked in the direction of the opening and disappeared from sight.

****

The Countess of Cheqman lifted Chickenman off the cold, granite floor, hoisting the tall, lanky man over her shoulders. She went to the room's opening, walked out onto the ledge, and floated toward the cave above. When she reached the top of the bottomless pit, she lay Chickenman down.

Chickenman was beginning to understand what just happened; a beautiful and powerful woman had saved him, like the voice told him only days before. He tried to get up, a normal task that now seemed difficult, but he managed to fight through the pain, and after a few moments he was on his feet, standing before the woman that rescued him.

"I am indebted to you for what you have done," he began. "How did you know where to find me, and why did you save me?"

The Countess forced a smile, revealing her long, protruding teeth. "I am a long, lost relative of yours, Wilhelm Chickenman. My ancestors spoke to me from the dead and told me I had to save you."

Chickenman was taken aback by her words and shocked by the elongated teeth. "You do not seem to be a normal human being. Who are you? What are you?"

The Countess opened her mouth wide and let out a hideous cackle, her fangs glistening as she laughed. "I am the undead!"

Chickenman gasped at her words. "You can't be!"

"Yes, Wilhelm Chickenman, I am the Countess of Cheqman! And yes, Wilhelm Chickenman, I am a vampire!"

Chickenman's eyes grew wide when the Countess finished. "My God, this has got to be a dream!"

The Countess rose in the air until her feet were above Chickenman's head. "This is no dream, Wilhelm," she said, looking down at him. "I have crossed the Atlantic to find you and bring you back to my castle. It is there you will stay and protect me from the evils that walk during the day."

When the Countess finished speaking, Chickenman heard a rustle behind him. He turned and saw three men walk through an opening on the other side of the cave. Chickenman focused his eyes on the group, and it did not take long for him to realize who two of the men were.

"It's those fat Girth Brothers!" he exclaimed, pointing toward Raz and Buffalo.

The Countess floated down next to Chickenman, staring at the Girth Brothers and their companion. "Don't worry, Wilhelm. I will take care of them."

With a swift motion, the Countess glided toward the group, coming to a stop before them. Raz, Buffalo, and Henry were startled when they saw the beautiful woman in a long, black cape hovering in their path.

Raz lowered his eyeglasses and looked at the Countess. "Where did you come from?"

Buffalo looked beyond the woman and saw Chickenman standing near the bottomless pit. "There's Chickenman!"

Henry began to move toward Chickenman but stopped when the Countess raised her arm, her hand pointing at him. Raz and Buffalo could hear Chickenman laugh as Henry stood still, unable to move.

"It's no use, fat Girth Brothers! You cannot defeat this woman!"

"Oh yeah, Chickenman, watch this!" Raz said as he attempted to confront the Countess.

The Countess swiftly locked eyes with Raz and Buffalo, and both men began to feel weak and drained. Once she was satisfied Raz and Buffalo were under her spell, the Countess moved toward Henry, opened her mouth and sent her sharp teeth into his neck. Henry screamed but could do nothing to stop the woman. The Countess ravaged Henry's neck and when she finished, Henry collapsed onto the floor, his body in shock.

Raz and Buffalo were horrified as they witnessed Henry being attacked, and both felt helpless as they stood there, frozen in their spot. Chickenman walked over to the Girth Brothers and laughed as he poked each one, knowing they could not defend themselves. "What are you going to do now, fat Girth Brothers?" Chickenman taunted.

The Countess wiped the blood from her mouth and stood next to Chickenman. "I will put these men in a deep trance. They will not remember anything about our meeting, and in another seven days, we will back at Castle Cheqman."

Chickenman looked at the Countess and asked, "Can I take one of these overweight Girth Brothers with me? You can feast on his blood for months, maybe even years!"

The Countess laughed out loud when she heard Chickenman's words. "Good idea, Wilhelm Chickenman, but I have one of their friends back at your cousin's castle. How about we take him?"

Chickenman knew exactly who the Countess was talking about. He smiled at her and approved, "Yes, let's take the one they call 'O'!"

### Chapter 11

Rita walked into the vast, cold cave and began to shiver. The enormous cavern had the same wintry feeling as it did two months ago, and the decaying smell of the lifeless grotto had not changed. Rita thought back to that night when the Girth Brothers defeated the two evil doctors and their henchman, Slab. Buffalo was the hero that evening when he knocked Slab into the bottomless pit, saving Raz and O from their pending doom. And then a massive earthquake struck, causing Chickenman to fall into the pit. The earthquake sealed both entrances to the cave, and for the last two months no one had been back in the subterranean area. But thanks to the U.S. Army, the entrance in the ship above had been cleared, and the search for Chickenman and Slab was underway.

It took a few moments for Rita to adjust her eyes to the low lighting of the cave, and once she could see, she immediately saw Raz and Buffalo. She watched them from afar, knowing she was not allowed in the cave, and right away she noticed something different about them. It seemed to Rita that the Girth Brothers were just standing there, not moving or talking, as if they were in some kind of trance. She continued to watch them and began to wonder about Henry. He was not with Raz and Buffalo, and she could not see him anywhere in the cave.

Rita stood near the cave's entrance for what seemed like an eternity, being extra careful not to make even the smallest sound. After a few moments, she saw Raz and Buffalo bend over and pick something up. Rita knew right away it was Henry's body! Rita could not figure out why Henry was on the ground, and she saw each Girth Brother put one of Henry's arms over their shoulders. It appeared Henry was injured, and Raz and Buffalo turned around and began to walk toward Rita. Forgetting about her ban from being in the cave, Rita rushed over to them. "What happened to Henry?" she asked, her voice full of alarm.

"Henry fell," Buffalo answered as he and Raz kept walking, dragging Henry with them.

Rita noticed blood on Henry's neck and jumped in front of Raz and Buffalo, forcing them to stop.

"I'll ask again. What happened to Henry?"

Rita reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and placed it on Henry's neck. She began to wipe the blood away and noticed two puncture wounds. Henry moaned as Rita dabbed at the wound.

"Henry fell?" she asked.

"He slipped on the rocks," Raz said, pointing to the loose gravel spread on the floor. "He'll be all right."

Rita was stunned. "There is no way rocks did that kind of damage!"

Raz and Buffalo ignored Rita and continued to the cave's entrance. Rita was dumbfounded as she watched Raz and Buffalo disappear through the access. She rushed after them and followed them through the opening above.

Raz and Buffalo made their way toward the campsite and lay Henry down on the table that housed the flashlights and helmets. Army personnel rushed over to their leader and asked Raz and Buffalo what happened. The two Girth Brothers explained that Henry slipped on some loose rocks and injured his neck. Rita stood nearby and was confused with Raz and Buffalo's behavior. Something seemed odd, but she could not figure out what was the problem.

"Did you find Chickenman and Slab?" one of the Army workers asked.

"No, they must have perished in the bottomless pit, just like we thought." Raz answered.

The Army doctor on staff began to attend to Henry's wound, wiping the blood off his neck. As the doctor cleansed the wound, he was shocked to see two puncture holes in the side of Henry's neck.

"This wound looks like some sort of animal bite. Are you sure the captain slipped on rocks?" the doctor asked.

Buffalo looked at the doctor and just said, "Yes."

Raz and Buffalo asked to be excused from the campsite, claiming their job was done, and they did not find Chickenman and Slab. The doctor, a sergeant and next in charge, told them they could go. The sergeant ordered a young private to escort Raz, Buffalo, and Rita out of the marshlands, and as they drove down the cleared path, Rita tried to get answers from the two Girth Brothers.

"What happened down there? Why are you not talking to me?" she asked, becoming extremely frustrated with both of them.

Raz and Buffalo kept their eyes straight ahead, not even acknowledging that Rita was in the jeep with them. When they arrived at the camp outside the marshlands, Rita told them she would get her own ride back to Sandal Pointe.

Back at the _Sandal Pointe Journal_ , Rita sat in her chair and stared at the wall in front of her. She could not understand what happened in the short period of time the Girth Brothers and Henry were in the cave. They were down there for maybe 15 minutes before Rita, and in those 15 minutes, a lot seemed to have happened.

She turned her attention to her typewriter and began to formulate her story on what transpired at the marshlands. So many thoughts rushed through her head as she typed, and one question kept coming back to her: "What happened to O?"

****

Ana could hear movement coming from the secret tunnel. She stood in the laboratory and watched as the Countess glided through the door, but the Countess was not alone.

"You found your relative, I presume?"

"Yes, Ana. I want you to meet my long, lost family member, Wilhelm Chickenman."

"Hello, Wilhelm Chickenman. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I return the pleasure," Chickenman said, acknowledging Ana's remarks. He looked around the laboratory, and in the middle of the floor, he saw the three coffins. He walked over, bent down, and ran his hand over one of them. "Is this the way I will be traveling with you?" he asked, looking up at the Countess.

"Yes, Wilhelm, but we have to get them ready for you and your Girth Brother," the Countess said. "I need you and Ana to drill holes in these two coffins. There needs to be enough ventilation for a human to breathe and survive a seven-day journey."

Ana was confused with the request. "Are we taking the fat Girth Brother with us?"

"Yes, Ana. It is Wilhelm's request, and I will grant it."

"Yes, my Master."

"How can I survive seven days without nourishment?" Chickenman asked, concerned with his health.

"Each night, I will provide both you and your fat Girth Brother with food and water. You will have to adapt for the journey."

Chickenman nodded and then walked out into the foyer. He saw O and Karen standing there, both still under the Countess's spell. He stood before O and prodded him with his hand. "Ha ha, Girth Brother. I have a surprise for you. Your two fat friends down in the cave could not stop me, and now I am going to take you on a long trip."

O could see Chickenman standing in front of him, but could not move. He could sense there was something wrong, but could do nothing about it. All he could hear was Chickenman laughing as the evil doctor stood before him.

The Countess walked out into the foyer and stood next to Chickenman. "Wilhelm, after you finish helping Ana with the coffins, I want both of you to get some rest. We leave in the morning and have a long journey ahead of us. You can have fun with your Girth Brother when we get back to Castle Cheqman."

Chickenman laughed one more time. "I can't wait to start over at Castle Cheqman!"

### Chapter 12

Seven Days Later

Chief Bailey sat at his desk and sifted through the paperwork that had piled up in recent days. He was struggling with why so many papers were left unattended; once a simple task now seemed daunting. He felt overwhelmed with daily chores, and his mind wandered. His energy level was zapped, and the past few nights he had slept on the couch in his office, too tired to drive home.

Still sitting there, he felt a discomfort on the side of his neck. He reached and scratched the bandage that covered a wound he could not remember getting. Under the bandage were two holes, and the abrasion was still seeping blood. The chief was confused with how he got the injury, and like everything else in the past days, he had no answer for its cause.

Suddenly, a strange feeling over took him. The paperwork he was looking at became blurry, and his body began to shake. He felt light-headed and a nauseating sensation started to build. And in a matter of seconds, the feelings abruptly stopped.

The chief looked around his office, not entirely sure what just happened. He had never in his life felt like that, and he now sensed something was wrong. He tried to figure out what he was feeling, but could not. After a few more moments passed, the phone on his desk rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Chief Bailey?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Chief Bailey, this is Karen Sutby. I was the young lady that arrived with the Countess last week."

"Yes, Karen. How may I help you?"

Chief Bailey kept the receiver up to his ear, listening to Karen as she spoke. A worried look began to take over the chief's face as he sat there, and after a minute into the conversation, Raz and Buffalo came barging through the chief's door.

"Chief Bailey, O is missing!" Raz and Buffalo exclaimed at the same time.

Chief Bailey held up his hand, signifying for them to wait a moment. "OK, Miss Sutby, I will look into your accusations. Thank you for calling."

The chief hung up the phone and looked at Raz and Buffalo. "What in the world is going on?"

Raz lowered his eyeglasses. "Chief Bailey, we don't know what happened to O. He has vanished!"

The chief's face looked solemn when Raz finished. "That was Karen Sutby on the phone. You know, the young lady that was with the Countess. She claims the Countess kidnapped O!"

As soon as the Chief finished his sentence, Rita walked through the door.

"Chief Bailey, I need to talk to you."

"Rita, what happened to O?" Buffalo asked, his voice trembling.

Rita stood next to Raz and Buffalo and began her story. "Gentlemen, seven days ago I witnessed a lot of strange things. First it was O sitting in the back of Chief Bailey's car with the nervous look on his face. Then you Chief Bailey, walking out of Stine's castle looking like you were lost. And finally, Raz and Buffalo down in the cave dragging Henry back up to the campsite, claiming he slipped on some rocks when the wound on his neck was more like an animal bite."

Chief Bailey reached for the bandage on the side of his neck and ripped it off. Rita and the Girth Brothers gasped when they saw two puncture marks on the chief's neck.

"Chief Bailey! That is the same puncture wound Henry had!" Rita exclaimed.

"It is also the same wound that was on the dead crewman's neck!" Buffalo added.

"How did you get that wound, chief?" Raz asked, lowering his eyeglasses to get a better look.

The chief stood and looked at them. "I don't know. I remember being in Stine's foyer with O and we saw the laboratory door close by itself. I went over to the door, opened it, and walked into the room. Then everything went blank. I have no recollection of the past seven days."

"Raz and I don't remember anything either from the last seven days!" Buffalo added.

Chief Bailey looked at Rita. "I just got off the phone with Karen Sutby, the young lady traveling with the Countess. She claims she has been under a spell for the last week. She snapped out of it a few moments ago, just like the rest of us."

Rita thought of an idea. "We need to have a talk with Dr. Stine."

"What?" the chief asked.

Rita continued. "I have a feeling he might have some insight on what has been going on. Besides, what do we have to lose?"

"She might have a point, chief," Raz said, agreeing with Rita.

Chief Bailey reached for his phone and started to dial. "Excuse me a second."

"Who are you calling, chief?" Buffalo asked.

"Johnson, the harbor master."

Chief Bailey's conversation with the harbor master was brief, and when he hung up the phone he said, "OK, follow me."

Chief Bailey walked out of his office with Raz, Buffalo, and Rita behind him. They walked through the main room of the police station and headed straight for the back of the building, the location of the prison cells. They entered the area and stopped at cell number one, where Stine was standing at his cell door, as if he were waiting for them.

"I did not think it would take this long for you people to come and see me." Stine began, scanning the visitors with his eyes. "I see you are missing one fat Girth Brother. Let me guess. He has disappeared and you don't know where he is."

"How do you know that?" Rita asked.

"Let's just say I know more than you think. Let me guess something else. The Countess of Cheqman is no longer staying at my place. And furthermore, I bet she did not stay in Sandal Pointe very long."

Chief Bailey took over the conversation. "OK, Stine, this is what we know: The Countess arrived on the passenger ship eight days ago, stayed the night at your place, and then got back on the passenger ship the next morning. This has been confirmed by the harbor master. By now the Countess is probably back at her home, wherever that is."

Stine began to laugh when the chief finished. "You are 100 percent correct, Chief Bailey!"

"What can you tell us about this Countess?" the chief asked, almost sounding desperate.

"Not so fast, Chief Bailey. I have a lot of information, but it will come at a price."

The chief seemed beaten. "What do you want?"

Stine walked to the window of his cell and looked down at the Sandal Pointe Harbor. He saw another passenger ship had arrived. He turned back around and began his negotiation. "I will tell you everything I know about the Countess, but only if you agree to drop the charges that are levied against me. Then, and only then, will I give you your information. Believe me, Chief Bailey, if you want to see your precious Girth Brother again, you will agree to my demands. I will give you the information you want and help you find your Girth Brother, but first I must have in writing the charges against me have been dropped."

The chief stood there for a moment, trying to digest what he had heard. Rita moved closer to the chief and touched him on the arm. "Chief Bailey, this might be our only hope of finding O."

"Rita is right, chief." Raz added. "We have to trust Stine with his information, as hard as that might seem."

Chief Bailey looked at Raz, Buffalo, and Rita, and could see it in their eyes that he had to accept this ultimatum.

"OK, Stine. I will meet your demand, but only if the information is credible. Deal?"

Stine walked back to his cell door. "Deal."

"Where do we start?" the chief asked.

Stine was blunt and to the point. "We need to get on the next passenger ship and travel across the Atlantic. I will lead you to Castle Cheqman, but when we get there, we have to accomplish our mission during the day, not at night."

"Why is that?" the chief asked.

Stine lifted his arms in the air, laughing as he exclaimed, "Because we will be dealing with vampires!"

Chief Bailey and the others could not believe what Stine just said. The chief moved a step closer to the cell door and looked straight at Stine. "That's impossible!"

Rita stood there and mouthed the word vampire. "Of course! Chief Bailey, that is what O was trying to say to me the day he was in the back of your police car!"

The thought of the child running around in the vampire costume ran through the chief's mind. "Now I remember," the chief said, looking at Stine. "O and Miss Sutby talked to you that day. That is why we went up to your place to see the Countess. It is all coming back to me. Stine, what else do you know?"

"Chief Bailey, you get me my signed document, and then I suggest we book the next passenger ship to Europe. On the way, I will fill you in with all the details you need." Stine walked back to the window and again stared at the passenger ship. "Our ship is waiting."

Chief Bailey stepped back from the cell door and looked at Raz, Buffalo, and Rita. "Go home and pack your bags. We are going to be on the ship that sails tomorrow. I will inform Miss Sutby she is going with us."

Stine turned from the window when he heard the chief mention Karen's name. "Thank you, Chief Bailey. I will not let you down."

### Epilogue

For the second time in as many days, Chickenman stood in front of the open, stained-glass window, his eyes captivated by a sunset that would soon vanish behind Romania's Carpathian Mountains. A fresh batch of snow had fallen during the day, and the white powder sparkled as the sun faded behind the enormous peaks.

Chickenman shivered as he stood there, his heavy clothes no match to the November, wintry winds that blew through the opening. He closed the window and walked toward the fireplace, where a high-backed burgundy chair was placed in front of a roaring fire. He sat and rubbed his hands together, hoping the friction would help warm him, and as he sat there he began to think about his first night at Castle Cheqman. He had done many evil things in his life, but nothing compared to what he witnessed only 48 hours ago.

The Countess made good on her promise to Ana. Chickenman observed what would be the final minutes of Ana's natural life, with the Countess sinking her teeth into Ana's neck one last time. Blood was abundant as Ana slipped away into death, only to resurrect moments later as an undead being. The old woman that was once Ana became young and beautiful, with not a wrinkle to be seen.

Chickenman looked back at the window and could tell the sun was no longer visible. He closed his eyes and dozed, his energy still not 100 percent. After a few moments, he was awakened by a familiar voice.

"Good evening, Wilhelm."

Chickenman opened his eyes and before him stood the Countess of Cheqman and Ana.

"Good evening, my Masters."

The Countess stared down at him. "How was your second day at Castle Cheqman? Satisfactory, I hope."

"Yes, it was," Chickenman answered.

"Did you feed the Girth Brother today?" the Countess asked.

"Yes, my Countess. He should have his total strength back in a few days. Then you can drink his blood."

The Countess began to laugh when Chickenman finished his sentence. "Yes, Wilhelm, we cannot wait. Until then, Ana and I will feast on the locals in the towns below. It's OK if we have to wait another week or two before we feed on your fat Girth Brother."

Ana joined the Countess in her laughter, and Chickenman could see their fangs shimmering. He was indebted to the Countess and Ana for saving him, and now the two vampires were part of his life. The everyday horrors were about to intensify, and Chickenman knew he had better get used to it.

****

Unlike the immaculate condition of the upper living areas, a maze of dark and decaying dungeons lay deep under Castle Cheqman. Thousands of human skeletal remains covered the floors, and dried blood was splattered in the dank rooms. For 150 years, the Countess of Cheqman fed on her prey in these rooms.

The passageways to each dungeon were dimly lit, with only a few cast-iron torches lining the moldy, crumbling walls. Rodents scurried along the floor.

Every dungeon had its own set of shackles attached to the walls, where the Countess would chain her victims. The walls were not soundproof, though, and in one of the dungeons, a voice could be heard.

"Let me out of here!" O cried as he tried to loosen the irons that held him captive. Chained against one of the walls, the metal straps were firmly attached to his wrists and ankles, causing the heavy, iron bands to dig into his flesh.

"Raz, Buffalo," O thought to himself. "Where are you?"

O lowered his head and tried to sleep, his blond hair disheveled and dirty. The long journey across the ocean had weakened him, and his stomach was constantly crying for food. Relief only came twice a day, when Chickenman brought him nourishment, just enough to keep him healthy. And twice a day, the malicious doctor would also torment O with words of terror.

O thought of one more person and wondered if he would ever see her again. "Karen," he said out loud. "I love you."

Unable to sleep, O raised his head and felt a tear run down the side of his face. For the first time in his life, he felt alone and frightened.

~To Be Continued~

### About the Author

Hello, everyone. I would like to thank you for purchasing **"The Girth Brothers –Chickenman's Revenge."** I hope you found it enjoyable. The book is available in both digital (eBook) and print (paperback) format on Amazon. This is the third installment of **The Girth Brothers** series. The first two books, " **The Girth Brothers and the Sandal Pointe Castle"** and **"The Girth Brothers and the Secret of the Marshlands"** are also available on Amazon as an eBook and in paperback. Please visit my website, www.thegirthbrothers.com, and you will learn more about where and how to purchase these books.

Now about me: I was born and raised in Berwyn Heights, Md., and I'm a 1982 graduate of the University of Maryland. When I'm not hacking it up on the golf course or in front of my computer typing away, I enjoy my teams, the Washington Redskins and the Maryland Terrapins. For the last 22 years, I have been owner and operator of Fairway Interiors, a home improvement company in south New Jersey. I have resided these past 22 years in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, with my beautiful wife, Carol Ann.

Acknowledgement

Again, I would like to thank **Jim Brocker** for his time and assisting me in editing this book.

Thanks, Brock!

Front cover illustration by

Katrina Joyner

me@10confessions.com

