After ending the call, Tandy pulled out the Falls journal again, studying the underground water tunnels with renewed focus. Her eyes lingered on a passage: "The waters respond to intention. Force diminishes their power; freely given, they unlock their full potential."
This was the key---the town would need to grant access willingly.
She closed the journal and grabbed her coat. The dead drop Ronald mentioned would contain the tools she needed to remove Evangelina Coal---permanently. One strategic "accident," and the town's expert would be gone before she could mess up anything.
Tandy paused, practicing once more in her compact mirror: "What a terrible tragedy! Poor Evangelina!" Then she smiled at her reflection and whispered, "When Ronald's resort is up and running, I'll finally get the respect I deserve. Minister of Real Estate in the new vampire order has such a nice ring to it."
As she left her office, she adjusted the small vampire-shaped brooch on her lapel, then thought better of it and removed it entirely. No need to give Mrs. Wilson more ammunition. The comical bauble---Ronald's idea of subtle solidarity---would have to wait until after the blood moon.
By then, Cauldron Falls would be under new management, and Tandy Keyes would finally have the client list she'd always dreamed of---one that would last for eternity.
Coal Mining (for Truth)
From the moment the large bat was squished between the pages of Poe and the witch who predicted a vampire invasion arrived the evening prior, Evangelina Coal had been on the hunt for answers. Her consultation space occupied the top floor of an ancient stone building on the edge of town. Unlike most establishments in Cauldron Falls, there was no cute sign, no whimsical name---just a small wooden plaque reading "E. Coal - Specialist in Dark Creatures." The simplicity reflected her direct approach, honed over two centuries of studying the darkest corners of the magical world.
Inside, Honey, Roam, and Maisie found themselves in an old oak room fitting for the exterior of the tower. The walls were lined with framed certificates and degrees from prestigious magical institutions, alongside glass display cases containing various artifacts: wooden stakes, silver daggers, and vials of mysterious substances. The dates on some certificates went back to the early 1800s, revealing Evangelina's true age to the observant visitor.
"Is that real vampire ash?" Honey whispered, pointing to a glass jar containing what looked like gray powder.
"No, it's just fancy bath salts," the expert's assistant, a bored-looking teenage witch was filing her nails with supernatural precision. She barely looked up as she spoke. Her outfit was entirely black except for a name badge reading "Tiffany, Assistant Dark Creatures Specialist."
"We have an appointment with Evangelina," Roam said. "For Maisie Hadwin."
Tiffany glanced up, her heavily lined eyes widening slightly at the sight of Bartie perched on Maisie's shoulder. "Oh. The vampire bat case. She's expecting you." She pressed a button on her desk. "Go on through." As they disappeared into the inner office, Tiffany returned to her nail filing.
The inner office was befitting of Evangelina's reputation, dark, cluttered, and distinctly magical. Ancient books filled towering shelves, strange instruments hung from the ceiling, and the air smelled of sage and something metallic. Behind a massive oak desk sat Evangelina Coal herself.
She was surrounded by ancient tomes, and artifacts collected over decades of study. Her piercing green eyes narrowed as she studied a faded illustration of a vampire resort scheme from the late 1980s. She cross-referenced the image with reports from three other magical communities---all had experienced mysterious 'accidents' before vampire incursions.
"Florida," she murmured to herself. "Why does that sound familiar?"
On her desk lay a leather-bound journal much like the one Tandy had stolen---another volume from the Falls family collection, this one detailing the protective properties of Cauldron Falls water against dark creatures. Evangelina's was on the brink, and she could feel it. Her research was bringing herdangerously close to understanding the full scope of Ronald's plan.
At first glance, she looked like any other professional witch in her late one-hundreds---silver-streaked black hair tied back, crisp button-down shirt, reading glasses perched on her nose. But her eyes, when she looked up from her notes, revealed her true age---unnervingly penetrating, with the depth that came only from centuries of experience.
"Detective O'Reilly. Ms. Hadwin," she nodded to each of them before her gaze settled on Maisie. "And you must be the sister. With the bat."
"Bartie, at your service," the bat introduced himself with a little wing flourish. "Familiar, currently unaligned."
"Fascinating." Evangelina stood, revealing her impressive height. She towered over the sisters by nearly a foot. "A bat familiar. Very unusual."
"Not really," Bartie said. "Only in America."
Evangelina ignored this, focusing on Maisie. "Tell me about Ronald."
Maisie shivered slightly at the name. "He's the leader. Not very old for a vampire---turned in the 1840s, I think. Obsessed with looking more human. "He's ridiculous looking," Maisie said, her voice dropping with remembered dread despite herself, "with skin the color of artificial cheese, a blonde feathered thing on his head that's more hairspray than hair, and a bedazzled wardrobe that looks like he murdered a craft store and is wearing the evidence."
"And he wants Cauldron Falls?" Evangelina asked.
"For a resort," Maisie nodded. "The water from the falls has magical properties that can help vampires overcome their weaknesses. Not completely, but enough to make them stronger, more resistant to their traditional vulnerabilities."
Evangelina made a notation in her book. Her handwriting was elegant and precise, the penmanship of someone who had learned to write in a different century. "And how many vampires are in his coven?"
"Fifteen, maybe twenty," Maisie replied. "Most are newly turned and not very bright."
"Classic narcissistic leadership," Evangelina murmured. "And you were their prisoner? For how long?"
Maisie's face clouded. "I don't... remember everything. Ronald did something to my mind, and my memories."
