Free Vampire Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

laughed. “I’m not all that famous, you know,” he said.
    “You are famous!” Benny cried. He pulled The Legend of the Vampire from his backpack. “Your book was in the library!”
    Just then a big, blue car screeched to a halt in front of the house. A young man in a business suit jumped out. He hurried up the sidewalk.
    “This is the last time!” he said. He hammered a “For Sale” sign into the lawn. His face was red.
    Grandfather looked puzzled.
    “Don’t mind Josh,” Mr. Hudson said. “He is my realtor and someone keeps stealing his sign from my front lawn. He’s been quite upset by it.”
    Benny looked at Josh banging away on the metal sign. “What’s a realtor?” he asked.
    “A realtor is a person who tries to help you sell your home,” Jessie explained.
    “Let me give Josh a hand.” Grandfather went over and held the sign steady while Josh hammered.
    “Are you moving away from Greenfield, Mr. Hudson?” Henry asked.
    “No. I love Greenfield,” Mr. Hudson said. “I don’t really even want to sell my home.” He sighed and looked up at the pretty house. “I’ve lived here all my life, but it is too big of a place for one old man to take care of on his own. When the house is sold, I’ll move to an apartment on the other side of town.”
    “You mean if the house is ever sold,” Josh said, wiping his forehead.
    “Now, Josh,” Mr. Hudson scolded. “Just because the sign keeps disappearing doesn’t mean we can’t sell the house.”
    “No, but the broken flowerpots and the old cemetery out back don’t help either.”
    “Old cemetery?” asked Violet.
    “Yes,” Mr. Hudson replied. “It’s quite historic. Some of Greenfield’s first citizens are buried back there. You kids are welcome to go take a look. It’s actually very beautiful and peaceful.”
    “Except when the vampire is prowling,” Josh added.
    The Aldens were too surprised to speak. Violet’s face turned white.
    “Don’t pay attention to Josh,” Mr. Hudson hurriedly said. “He gets overly excited sometimes. The vampire is just an old legend.”
    “But, you said you saw …” Josh tried to argue.
    “Now is not the time or place to discuss this, Josh,” Mr. Hudson said, glancing over at the Aldens.
    “Let’s take a walk out back,” Jessie said to her sister and brothers. Benny held tightly to Jessie’s hand, and Violet stayed close to Henry’s side as the Aldens walked back to see the old cemetery. The grass was neatly cut between the rows of the weatherworn headstones.
    “What’s a legend, anyway?” asked Benny as the children walked.
    “It’s an old story that has become famous,” Jessie said.
    “Like Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox,” Henry said. “That story is a legend.”
    Just then the Aldens heard a loud sound in the quiet cemetery. They stopped walking and stared at each other.
    Benny groaned. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it,” he said. “I’m so hungry my stomach keeps growling.”
    Henry laughed. “I think your appetite is becoming a legend, Benny.”

    “I know,” Benny said. “Right now I think I could eat more than both Paul Bunyan and his ox!”
    Violet bent over to look at an old headstone with a pretty flower carved on its front. “This one is hundreds of years old,” she said. “The person buried here died in 1742.” As she stood up, something caught her eye at the edge of the cemetery.
    “Look!” Violet gripped Henry’s arm. “There’s someone staring at us over there!”
    Henry, Jessie, and Benny turned just in time to see the man. He wore a long, dark coat. When he saw that the children had spotted him, he ducked behind a tree and disappeared into the woods.
    Violet shivered. “That was odd,” she said.
    “Not really, Violet,” said Henry. “Maybe he was just taking a walk, the same as we were.”
    “I’m sure Henry’s right,” Jessie said. “But let’s get back to Grandfather now.”

CHAPTER 2
An Offer to Help
    “What do you think of our little