Chapter 34: Uncle Frank

I waved at Alison as she walked away before turning back to Uncle Frank. He held out his arm, formally. I shifted the candy haul enough so I could link up with him for the walk home.

That act alone eased some of my concern. If he was really mad at me, and he was never mad at me, he wouldn't be so casual about it. I relaxed and sighed away some of my tension.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm glad you are, too. Did Mom tell you Sassy's missing?"

Frank's eyes scanned the street as we walked. I wondered if it was a vampire thing or if he was being cautious after everything that happened.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. But don't count him out," he said. "He's been around a long time. You never know with Sassafras."

"Yeah," I said, feeling a little better. "For all we know, he could be shielding himself to stay safe, right?"

"Anything is possible," Frank said. "Even the weirdest things. Like, say, a whole houseful of kids getting food poisoning all at the same time. That's weird. Do