Legacy: Phoenix and the Dark Star. Gerald Pruett

is left hand, the officer looked into the backseats first. When the light had found Winona, the officer held it there for a second longer before shining it on Riley in the front passenger seat. After seeing who all were in the van, the officer turned his attention towards Brad.

      The officer had his right hand resting on his gun as he instructed, “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

      “Of course,” they said in cadence.

      Winona put her hands on the back of Brad’s seat. Brad placed his hands on the steering wheel and Riley placed his hands on the dashboard.

      When the officer saw that the three had complied, he said, “Guys, no doubt that you three are big fans of Denise Stanley, but give her a break tonight and don’t stalk her home.”

      “Denise Stanley lives there?” Winona quickly questioned in a surprised tone as she gestured towards the house.

      Winona was being serious, but the officer shot her a look that said, “I’m tired of the dumbness routine.”

      “I don’t go around stalking novelists,” Winona defended just before a thought occurred to her. “Not as a rule anyway. Her books are awesome though. I read them all.”

      The officer took a breath before saying patiently, “She’s supposed to be signing books tomorrow at ‘Jinkie’s Bookstore’. So go there tomorrow if you want to see her.”

      “Yes,” Winona agreed. “We’ll do that.”

      The officer nodded before instructing, “Now move along.”

      “Yes, officer,” Brad said before starting the van.

      “I’ll be keeping watch to ensure that you won’t be back,” the officer informed.

      “We’re leaving,” Riley assured him with a slight wave.

      The officer backed up a couple of steps and watched as Brad put the van into drive and drove away.

      “So what kind of books does Denise Stanley write?” Riley asked as Brad was driving away from the house.

      “Romance novels,” Winona informed.

      “Huh?” Riley let out.

      “What?” Winona questioned skeptically.

      “I never pegged you for the romance novel type,” Riley said.

      “I’m not,” Winona informed. “At least not as a rule. However, Maryann is, and she has read all of Denise Stanley’s books plus several romance novels from other authors.”

       “So you knew who Denise Stanley was because of Maryann,” Brad accused.

      “Yep, and good thing too,” Winona said. “Being stalking fans is easier to explain than being vampire hunters.”

      “So what are we going to do about the vampires?” Riley asked.

      “Well, watching Denise Stanley’s house is definitely out,” Brad said.

      Winona pulled out her cell phone before saying, “I’ll call my parents and have them keep track of the vampires’ movements with the mirror. As with us, we can go back to my Great Aunt Bonnie’s house and relax or…”

      “Rushing out of the house once your parents call might look suspicious to your aunt,” Brad pointed out.

      “Or we can find a club that minors can get into and relax,” Winona continued after the brief interruption.

      “Alright,” Brad began. “We’ll find somewhere to hang out at.”