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"And you believed him," Vlad said, almost sympathetically. "Like the Denver developer believed him. And the Phoenix nightclub owner. And so many others before them."

"He promised me power," Tandy said, her voice suddenly small.

"Do you know what it's like to be a witch who can barely light a candle in a town of magical elites?

Plus, he promised me exclusive selling rights to all vampire properties!

Do you know what kind of commission that is over an eternity?

I could finally afford to travel. To live anywhere. Anywhere but here!"

"So, you decided to help vampires take over?" Vlad asked, maintaining his hold on her.

"A vampire resort would have meant prosperity," Tandy insisted, a manic gleam entering her eyes. "And I had the perfect slogan: 'Tandy Keyes, Vampire Real Estate Queen!' I'd already designed new business cards with little coffins on them and everything!"

"At what cost?" Vlad asked quietly. "Ronald doesn't share power, Tandy. Once he has what he wants, his helpers become the first course at the victory feast."

This revelation hit Tandy like a physical blow. She had suspected Ronald might not keep all his promises, but she'd convinced herself that her usefulness would protect her.

"BUT HE MADE ME A GOLD brACELET!" she wailed, holding up her wrist to display the gaudy accessory with its distinctive fang pattern. "He called me his 'favorite real estate witch'! He said I'd be 'Minister of Real Estate' in the new vampire order! I was going to have underlings!"

"Minister of Real Estate?" Vlad repeated, unable to hide his amusement. "That's not even a real position."

"It would have been!" Tandy insisted. "I was going to have a special name plaque for my desk and everything!"

"Now," Vlad said, pulling her to her feet, "you're going to tell me exactly what Ronald is planning for tonight. Details. Start with how many vampires and where they'll enter town."

Tandy hesitated, then slumped in defeat. "He's bringing fifteen vampires. They'll enter from the north, following the creek that flows from the falls. He needs to perform a ritual in the town square precisely when the blood moon reaches its apex."

"And what does this ritual involve?"

"Creating a magical claim to the territory," Tandy explained. "He needs to mark Cauldron Falls as vampire territory during the blood moon. That's why the timing is so important.”

"Anything else I should know?" Vlad pressed.

Tandy hesitated again, then blurted. "There's something I didn't tell him. Something I found in the Falls family journal that I stole. The water won't work properly unless the ritual is performed with respect for the falls' magic. It has to be done with reverence, not domination."

"Which means forcing a takeover would backfire," Vlad concluded.

"Yes," Tandy admitted. "The journal was very specific. The falls respond to intention. If the ritual is performed with destructive intent, the water could actually harm vampires rather than help them."

"And Ronald doesn't know this?"

"No," Tandy said. "I thought... I thought I could use it as leverage later. To make myself indispensable. And maybe negotiate a better commission percentage."

Vlad considered this information, his mind working quickly. "One last thing---does he have some way to neutralize the town's magical defenses?"

Tandy nodded, defeated. "Anti-magic powder. The same substance I used on the cross. He has enough to create a pathway through any defensive barrier. And..." she hesitated.

"And?"

"And he has hostages. Hikers he captured near his mountain hideout. He'll use them as leverage or... food, if things go wrong. Though he promised the 'food' part was just a last resort. He said vampire resorts have very strict ethical standards these days. They're trying to improve their image."

Vlad released her wrist, but maintained a cautious distance. "Alright, Ms. Keyes. Here's what happens now. You're going to return to town with me. You'll be taken into custody, and you'll repeat everything you've just told me to Detective O'Reilly."

"And then what? Salem?" Tandy asked bitterly. "Will they at least let me keep my real estate license? Maybe I could sell to imprisoned witches? There's a niche market!"

"That's not my decision," Vlad replied. "But cooperating now might help your case."

As they made their way back along the cliff path, the sun began its descent toward the horizon. In a few hours, the blood moon would rise, and Ronald would make his move.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Tandy said as they walked. "How did you know it was me? What gave me away? Was it my impeccable taste in vampire-adjacent jewelry? My vision board with 'Future Vampire Resort Sales Queen' written on it in glitter?"

Vlad glanced at her with something almost like pity. "Professional vampire hunter, love. I've seen this play out too many times. But if you want specifics---you knew too much. You were too eager to help."

He reached out and touched her gold bracelet, which she'd been nervously twisting throughout their confrontation. "And most telling... again, Ronald gives all his collaborators a gift. He marks his people, can't help himself. Vampire vanity."

Tandy stared at the bracelet in horror. "I thought it was our bond. I thought I was special! I also thought no one else would notice. The fangs are so tiny.”

"You’re all special, but not really," Vlad said quietly. "That's the thing about deals with vampires. The fine print'll kill you every time."

As they approached the edge of town, the sky took on an ominous red tint.

The blood moon was coming, and with it, Ronald Bitterhump and his vampire coven.

Thanks to Tandy's confession, they now knew exactly what they were facing---but would it be enough to save Cauldron Falls from becoming a vampire resort with questionable commission structures?

"One more thing," Vlad said as they walked. "Roam shared Evangelina's research with me---the fragments she discovered before her death. Smart woman, that one."

"What research?" Tandy asked, suddenly alert despite her dejection.

"About the falls water needing to be freely given," Vlad explained, watching her reaction carefully. "Evangelina figured out what you were hiding from Ronald---that the water would be useless if taken by force."

"That's why you're so confident," Tandy realized, her shoulders slumping further. "You're not just planning to fight Ronald---you're going to use the water against him."

"With Maisie's help," Vlad confirmed. "A witch with a direct connection to the falls, giving the water freely, but with protective intent. Exactly what Evangelina's research suggested would work."

"And you let me tell you all about Ronald's plans," Tandy groaned. "I've betrayed him twice over now."

"Look at it this way," Vlad said, as they reached the town limits. "You're finally doing something to help Cauldron Falls instead of selling it out. Evangelina would appreciate the irony."

Tandy had no response to that. In her mind, she could almost see her "Minister of Real Estate" name plaque dissolving like Ronald's spray tan in a rainstorm.

What about the dagger?" Tandy asked sullenly. "It looked pretty deadly to me. All silvery and pointy."

"Not actually a vampire weapon," Vlad informed her with a hint of amusement. "That's a prop dagger from 'Nightfall: Vampire Chronicles'---that cheesy TV show about teenage vampires. The production company sells them at fan conventions."

Tandy's face flushed crimson. "That can't be right. Ronald gave it to me himself! He said it was an ancient vampire artifact passed down through seventeen generations of Bitterhump vampires!"

"Ronald has a collection of them," Vlad confirmed. "He's the show's biggest fan. Even tried to get a guest appearance as 'Ancient Vampire Elder' in season three. They turned him down because his tan was too orange."

This final humiliation was almost too much for Tandy. All her plans, her ambitions, her dreams of power and respect---reduced to a cheap prop dagger, a gaudy bracelet, and a fake job title that sounded like something from a child's make-believe game.

"At least tell me that the eternal vampire resort commission was a real thing," she pleaded. "Was anything he told me true?"

"Well," Vlad considered, "vampires do tend to be wealthy due to compound interest over centuries. That part's true."

Tandy perked up slightly. "So, the commission potential was real!"

"Except vampires are notoriously stingy clients," Vlad added. "Four hundred years of hoarding tends to make them very reluctant to part with money. Most vampire real estate agents end up working for blood payments instead."

"Blood payments?!" Tandy gasped, horrified. "But I hate needles! And I look terrible pale!"

As they entered the town, Tandy's grand dreams of vampire real estate dominance lay in ruins around her.

No fancy name plaque. No eternal commission.

Just the prospect of a cell in the Salem Magical Correctional Facility and the knowledge that she'd betrayed her town for what amounted to empty promises and cheap merchandise.

Vlad's expression hardened as he considered the coming battle. He'd faced Ronald multiple times before and failed to stop him permanently. Tonight would be different. It had to be.

"I don't suppose," Tandy ventured as they approached the town hall, "that there's any chance of a good character reference for the real estate licensing board? No? Worth a shot."