He reached for the television and turned it on. He saw the evening newscast was just beginning. The news anchor was relating the day’s news events.

"Today, the local police found the body of a young man laying in a ditch," the news anchor began. "The young had suffered from considerable blood loss. At this time, officials are searching for any information about the young man. This is the third time in the past two weeks that a young man had been found in the area. Each time, the victim was a young man and suffered considerable blood loss. Officials are stumped. People are claiming this is the work of vampires, but police are denying this information.

"And when we comeback, we’ll check the weather for the next five days." Joe turned off the television and stared at the screen.

He thought, I can’t believe people think this was the work of vampires. There’s no such thing as vampires. It must be some kind of joke. I can see it being a joke with Halloween approaching. This has to be some kind of gag.

At that moment the phone rang, making Joe jump.

"Hello?" Joe asked. "Frank?"

"Hi, Joe, it’s Nancy, not Frank," a female voice said.

"Nancy!" Joe exclaimed. "I’m surprised to hear from you."

Nancy Drew was a good friend of theirs and helped them from time to time when they stumbled onto a mystery.

"Joe, are you all right? You sound worried."

Joe knew he had to be honest with Nancy. He said, "I am worried."

"About what?"

Joe remained quiet for a moment. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get Nancy involved. He knew Nancy was just beginning her life with her husband, Ned.

"Joe, tell me that’s going on," Nancy insisted.

"Well," Joe began. He explained how Frank had disappeared from the theater the previous evening. He also told her how Frank had shown up at school that day and how he was behaving. He also told her how Frank had gotten into a limousine and he had gone searching for it after school.

When Joe finished, Nancy was shocked. She asked, "Did you check everywhere?"

"I did. There’s no sign of Frank anywhere."

"Joe, could Frank’s disappearance have anything to do with those deaths?"

"The ones that were on the news?"

"Those ones," Nancy said. "I wonder if those deaths are connected to Frank’s disappearance."

"I don’t think so," Joe said. "There’s no such thing as vampires."

"Could Frank be looking into the possibility of vampires?"

"I doubt it. He doesn’t believe in vampires either. Besides, he’s acting strangely."

"What do you mean?"

"He’s not acting like himself. He walks around with a dazed look on his face and barely talks to anyone." He paused. "Frank could be in trouble."

"I’m coming, Joe."

"It’s not necessary, Nancy. I can handle it."

"I’m coming. It’ll be easier to find him with both of us looking."

"All right," Joe said, knowing he couldn’t argue with Nancy. "When you arrive, come right to the house. I’ll be here."

"I’ll be there in the morning."

"Thanks, Nancy. I’ll see you soon." Joe set the phone down. He hoped Nancy would be able to help.

* * * * *

Nancy slowly put the phone down. She couldn’t believe Frank had disappeared. She felt something was terribly wrong. She knew it had to be serious if Joe was worried.

She knew from what Joe told her, Frank was behaving abnormally. She knew this wasn’t like Frank. She knew she needed to help Frank and Joe.

"Nancy."

She looked up and saw Ned standing in front of her. She smiled at Ned. They had only been married a short time. She saw his brown hair curled slightly on his forehead. She watched as he kneeled down in front of her.

Ned asked, "What’s going on?"

Nancy filled Ned in on what Joe told her. When she finished, she said, "I’m going to help look for Frank."

"You have to go. Joe needs your help."

Nancy reached over and touched Ned’s face. She was touched Ned was being understanding about her need to help her friends. She was glad he was encouraging her to go. She leaned over and gave him a kiss.

When they finally broke apart, Ned said, "You should go pack. I’ll call the airport and get you a ticket."

Nancy kissed Ned again. "Thank you."

Nancy hurried up to their room and quickly started to pack. As he worked, she hoped Frank was all right. She knew Joe was more concerned than he let on. She hoped they could be able to find him.

She heard a creak on the floor. She turned and saw Ned standing there. Ned said, "Your ticket is waiting at the airport. Your flight leaves in an hour and a half."

Nancy closed her suitcase as she said, "I need to get to the airport."

"I’ll drive," Ned said, reaching for her suitcase as Nancy grabbed her purse.

An hour later, they arrived at the airport. They got Nancy’s ticket and checked her bag in. As they moved into the waiting area, Ned pulled her close.

Ned said softly, "You need to be careful. I don’t want to find you in the hospital again."

"I’ll be careful. The most important thing is to find Frank."

"You’ll find him."

"I hope so, but I’m worried though. The way Frank was behaving bothers me."

"Everything will be okay."

"Flight 308 to New York is now boarding," the announcer said. "Flight 308 to New York is now boarding."

Ned touched her cheek. He said, "I am going to miss you so much."

"I’m going to miss you too." Nancy leaned to Ned and gave him a kiss.

When they broke apart, Nancy said, "I need to go."

"Be careful, please."

"I will be."

"I love you, Nancy."

"I love you, too."

Ned reached over and pulled Nancy close. She could smell the cologne he always wore. She held Ned tight.

"Final boarding call for flight 308 to New York. Final boarding call for flight 308 to New York."

Nancy gave Ned a kiss on the cheek before taking a step back. She looked at Ned as she said, "I’ll call you when the plane lands."

"I’ll be waiting."

"Bye, Ned."

"Bye."