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"Excellent." Ronald's voice dropped to what he clearly thought was a seductive purr, but sounded more like a garbage disposal with something stuck in it.

"Remember our deal, Tandy. You help me establish Fangtasia Falls Resort, and you'll have exclusive selling rights to vampire vacation homes for eternity.

You see, I'm going to rename the town, too.

Fangtasia Falls. Has the best ring to it. Doesn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it does," Tandy nodded enthusiastically. "And I'll be the Minister of Real Estate in the new vampire order, right? With the corner office and the special name plaque we discussed? And underlings?"

"The best corner office," Ronald assured her vaguely. "Really tremendous office. People are saying it might be the best office in the history of vampire resorts."

The word "eternity" echoed in Tandy's mind, along with visions of commission checks with many zeros.

A lifetime of selling real estate to wealthy, immortal clients.

But more than that---access to the falls water for herself.

The journal had hinted that regular exposure could permanently enhance magical abilities.

Perhaps she could finally be the powerful witch she'd always wanted to be, respected rather than pitied.

"I won't let you down," she promised. "But we need to be careful. There's a detective here---Roam O'Reilly. If he starts taking the vampire rumors seriously..."

"That's your job to make sure he doesn't," Ronald interrupted, his auburn face filling the mirror.

His tone suddenly hardened, all pretense of joviality vanishing.

"You must clear the path, Tandy. The resort must happen.

Do you know how embarrassing it was when my Florida vampire resort failed?

No one came! Apparently, vampires don't actually want to be tan! "

His voice ended in a shriek, and Tandy noticed several cringing vampires in the mirror's reflection. One, a dour figure in Victorian clothes, rolled his eyes so far back they almost disappeared into his skull.

"Don't worry," Tandy assured him, adjusting one of her many gold bracelets---a gift from Ronald featuring tiny fang designs. "I have connections. And I know just how to keep the town distracted while we prepare."

She turned to her desk where she'd laid out detailed floor plans of potential vampire properties. "I've already identified the perfect location for the Blood Spa! And the Coffin Suites! And the Plasma Bar with extended happy hour from midnight to 4 AM!"

"Beautiful," Ronald nodded. "Because if you fail me.

.." His expression changed again, the clownish facade dropping away entirely.

His eyes darkened, fangs emerged, and a raspy hiss, seeming to circumvent the mirror, whispered directly into Tandy's mind.

"I don't tolerate failure, Tandy. The last agent who disappointed me became a midnight snack for my newest fledglings. They aren't very neat eaters."

The threat hung in the air for a moment before Ronald's face suddenly snapped back to its grinning, orange-tinted mask.

"But that won't happen with you! You're the best, really tremendous.

Nobody sells property like Tandy Keyes, am I right?

" His attempt at a threatening growl was undermined by a coughing fit when some of his hair spray apparently went down the wrong way.

"I won't fail," Tandy said firmly as the mirror began to fade. "Cauldron Falls will be vampire territory by the end of the blood moon."

As the mirror returned to normal, Tandy's professional smile remained, but her eyes clouded with worry. She pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Marty? It's Tandy. Have you heard the rumors? Yes, the vampire ones. Listen, we need to talk. Meet me at my office right away."

Ending the call, she opened a drawer and pulled out business cards she'd secretly had printed: "Tandy Keyes, Vampire Real Estate Queen - Fangtasia Falls Division." The cards featured little coffin designs in the corners and blood-red lettering.

"I can always have them reprinted. Too soon?” she wondered aloud, then shrugged and tucked them back in the drawer. "No, just good preparation. That's what separates top producers from the rest!"

She strode to the front door and flung it open desperate for some fresh air.

Standing in the threshold she noticed something unusual---a small bat circling in broad daylight, behaving erratically as if searching for something.

Unlike the dead bat from the bookshop, this one was tiny with a distinctive reddish tinge to its fur.

"Another scout," she murmured. "Ronald's getting impatient."

Watching closely, the bat suddenly turned towards Main Street, where a small gathering was outside Spellbinders Bookstore. Even from this distance, Tandy could see Gloria Pendlebury's flame-red hair and hear her excited voice.

"---vampire invasion! My cousin's neighbor's familiar in Assjacket says they've had bats circling for weeks! It's all connected, I tell you!"

Beside Gloria, another witch was shaking her head emphatically. "Ridiculous superstition! This is exactly the kind of backward thinking that keeps Cauldron Falls stuck in the past!"

Tandy smiled coldly. The town was naturally dividing itself---believers versus skeptics. And divided towns were so much easier to conquer.

She closed the door and slipped back inside her office. It was time to fan the flames of discord, just as Ronald had instructed. By the time the blood moon rose, Cauldron Falls would be too busy arguing among themselves to mount any unified defense.

And she, Tandy Keyes, would finally have everything she'd ever wanted: wealth, power, and the magic that had always been just beyond her reach. Plus, that corner office with the name plaque.

"Minister of Real Estate," she practiced in the mirror, striking a pose. "No, too formal. Supreme Commander of Vampire Properties! Too military. Eternal Homes Empress!" She smiled at her reflection. "Perfect."