Page 72 of Death at a Scottish Halloween

I shook my shoulders and did my best to ignore the sensation that someone was focused on me.

But I’d learned long ago to trust those instincts. Ewan typed something on his phone.

By the time we’d finished judging the contest, my face hurt from smiling so much, and the trouble from earlier was forgotten.

That is until we were leaving. “It’s him,” I said.

“Who?” Ewan’s head snapped from the right to the left.

“Dracula,” I pointed to the right corner. He was directly across from the families of the murder victims.

There were hordes of people between us and the back of the room, since everyone was headed to the exit.

“Henry, Dracula to your left,” Ewan said into his radio.

The Dracula was trying to make a quick exit by pushing through the crowd. “Akif and Sam, stay with the families. I’m going out the side door.”

“Be careful,” I warned, but it was to air. He’d already run away.

“Maybe we should stay here until it empties out,” Jasper suggested.

“Yes. Don’t worry, I’m not going to chase that guy,” I said.

“Was it the Dracula from the maze?” He seemed shocked the guy would have the nerve to show up here.

“Yes, at least it was the same kind of mask.”

“He was trying to get out fast, so you may be on to something. Who do you think it is?”

I shrugged. “I thought it might be one of Robert McClendon’s men, but now I don’t know. I can’t imagine any of them would be dumb enough to show up here with the police all over the place.”

“True.”

“Could be it’s just someone with the same mask.” But I didn’t think so. I trusted that feeling from earlier.

We waited and then met up with the families of the victims. They were all smiles. So evidently they had no idea Ewan and Henry were chasing the guy in the mask.

I knelt down in front of Elsie. “Did you enjoy it?”

“The fairies were my favorite,” she said. “They were beautiful. And the angels. Ma says Da is with the angels now. So we shouldn’t be scared for him.”

“Oh? Why would you be scared for him?”

She shrugged her tiny shoulders. “Da said he was bringing me a shiny,” she said. “But then he dista-ppeared. I was worried maybe bad people took him, but Ma says he’s in heaven with the angels. And he’s watchin’ us, so we’ll be safe.”

“Your mom is a very smart woman,” I said.

“He promised me a new rainbow doll.” She sighed heavily in only the way kids could when they worried something wasn’t going to happen. “But it’s OK. He couldn’t help it. Ma said he got sick and didn’t have time. Do you always die when you get sick when you are old people? I’m worried because Ma gets sick all the time.”

“No,” I said quickly. “Everyone gets sick sometimes. Most of the time, we get better. You don’t need to worry.”

She nodded.

There was a scream outside. Jasper helped me up. Akif looked at me and then the other officer.

“You stay here with the families,” I said. “We’ll be back.”

Akif frowned, but I didn’t want to leave these poor people unguarded.