How to Party with a Killer Vampire

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Book: How to Party with a Killer Vampire Read Free
Author: Penny Warner
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man seemed to loom larger than life.
    “What’s going on here?” The man spat, then grimaced, revealing a row of crooked, yellowed teeth. He swung the beam of a heavy flashlight around the crew. Everyone stopped working and stared at the man—and at the large shovel he held in his other hand.
    I was about to explain, when Cruz bounded over, nearly tripping over a cord. “I should ask you the same question, buddy,” he said to the man who was nearly twice his size. While Cruz may have had a big bark, I had a feeling this guy had a bigger bite. Those creases in his aging face weren’t made by lots of smiling.
    “I’m the owner and manager of Peaceful Kingdom, and you’re on private property.” He spat again, and I realized his lower lip was filled with chewing tobacco.
    Reluctantly, I stepped up to take over from Cruz, who had a short fuse to match his short stature. While the big old guy held a menacing flashlight and shovel, I still had some garlic bulbs in my hands, and I knew how to use them if it came to that.
    “Hi.” I reached out a garlic-free hand. “I’m Presley Parker, from Killer Parties. We’re hosting a wrap party for a recently completed film, and we have permission to be here.”
    “A what party?” he asked, ignoring my hand—thank God—and aimed the flashlight right in my eyes. He reeked of alcohol, tobacco, and dirt.
    I shaded the glare. “A wrap party,” I said, enunciating. “To celebrate the end of—”
    “I don’t care if it’s a crap party; you cain’t have it here!” He gave his shovel a menacing shake.
    “I’m afraid we can,” Cruz said. The flashlight shifted to his face. “I don’t know anything about your Peaceful Kingdom or whatever, but you don’t own this place. We have documentation from the city of Colma allowing us to rent Lawndale Cemetery for our event.”
    “Listen, you maggot, and listen good. My name’s Otto Gunther. Me and my wife, Carrie—God rest her soul—we’ve owned this here cemetery for over fifty years and you’re trespassing. So git.”
    “We’re not going to ‘git,’ Otto,” Cruz continued, “but we are going to call the police and have them settle this.” He turned to me and pulled out his cell. “Right, Presley?”
    I glanced at the others who had gathered to watch the real-life drama. No one looked particularly frightened, but they did seem eager to find out what would happen next—except for Brad, who was nowhere in sight. I looked back at Otto. His angry expression was easily visible in the party lighting.
    Or was that an expression of fear I saw behind those bloodshot eyes and rigid grimace?
    Otto’s hand shook as he held the flashlight on Cruz. “You’re trespassing on hallowed ground, people, and you’re disturbing the dead. The owl portends that if you’re not gone by midnight, Death will follow.... Death will follow. . . .”
    He turned and vanished back into the darkness.
    Cruz looked stunned at the man’s own special effect of appearing and disappearing, then shook his head. “ ‘The owl portends’? That’s all I need. A nutcase in a cemetery . . . and a flying monkey in the trees. What else can go wrong?” He was still muttering as he returned to the problem at hand—fixing the vampire’s own disappearing act.
    I looked into the dark recesses of the cemetery where Otto had disappeared and wondered about the unkempt giant of a man. Where had he gone? And why had he claimed to be the owner of Peaceful Kingdom, whatever that was? At the moment, his kingdom didn’t look so peaceful.
    Great. I was just starting to relax and now this. Cruz was right: What else could go wrong at our upcoming Vampire Party? If it was anything like some of my other events—everything.
     
    By midnight, the decorations were in place, Jonas the vampire was able to disappear without a glitch, and rough cuts of the film were ready to be viewed on the side of the large mausoleum. Although I kept looking over my shoulder, I’d seen

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