Frank asked, “What has gotten into you?”  

Joe stared at Frank. He was wearing the same clothes he had worn at the movie theater. Joe was confused. Frank looked like his old self. Joe couldn’t understand what was going on.  

“I should be asking you that,” Joe said, sitting up. He got to his feet. “Where have you been?”  

Frank raised his eyebrows. Joe watched as Frank opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when they both heard pounding coming from the stairs.  

They turned and a moment later, Nancy appeared in the doorway. Nancy said, “Frank, you’re back. I heard a thump. I thought there was trouble.”  

“What are you doing here, Nancy?” Frank asked.  

“I came to look for you.”  

“Why? I’m not lost. I’m right here.”  

“Where have you been?”  

“Nowhere in particular.”  

“You had to be somewhere,” Joe said. “This is the first time you’ve been home in over 24 hours.”  

Frank sat down on his bed and untied his sneakers. “You’ve flipped,” he said. “I think you should have your head examined.”  

Joe looked at Nancy. She said, “You were missing. Joe had no idea where you were.”  

“There’s nothing to worry about. I’m here now.” Frank pulled off his shirt. He got to his feet and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.  

Joe said, “I know I wasn’t imagining things.”  

“I know you’re telling the truth.”  

“Things are not right.”  

“I agree,” Nancy said.  

Joe and Nancy left Frank’s bedroom and went downstairs. They went into the kitchen. As Nancy sat down at the table and Joe leaned against the counter, he said, “Something weird is going on. Frank’s behavior is really confusing. One minute he’s zoned and then the next one, he’s acting as if everything is okay. What could be going on?”  

“We’ll find out,” Nancy said. “When did Frank start acting strangely?”  

“Monday night at the movies. Frank left for refreshments and never came back to his seat.”  

“I’ll head to the theater and see what I can find out. You should probably check around school.”  

“I will, but I don’t think I’ll find anything. The problem is at the theater. There has to be something there.”  

“We’ll figure it out, whatever it is.”  

* * * * *  

After breakfast, Frank and Joe headed to school while Nancy rented a car for herself. She went to the library knowing the theater would still be closed for several hours.  

Nancy dug through the papers looking for information about the deaths that had been reported in the news. She had a feeling the deaths were connected to Frank’s strange behavior.  

She easily found the stories. All three young men had died the same way. All three had died from loss of blood. Nancy realized each of the young men had the same build, height and hair color as Frank. She had an uneasy feeling Frank was next.  

She glanced at her watch and realized several hours had passed. She knew the theater was about to open. She quickly left the library and made her way to the theater.  

She made her way inside when she arrived at the theater. She saw a man in a navy blue blazer and white shirt. He appeared to be in his 30s with short blond hair.  

Nancy approached him and introduced herself. “I was wondering if there’s someone here now who was working Monday night. You see, a friend of mine disappeared while he was here that night and I was trying to find out what happened. I was wondering if anyone saw anything.”  

“I was working. What did your friend look like?” Nancy described Frank and saw the manager nodding his head. “I saw someone matching his description. I remember him because everyone else was inside watching the movie. He got a drink. I figured he went back into the theater.”  

“Was anyone else in the lobby?”  

“No.”  

“Thank you for talking with me.”  

“It was my pleasure,” the manager said. “I hope you find your friend.”