The funeral was planned for two days later. Lucy Westenra and her mother would be buried together. I finished all the legal work. The undertaker was very polite. A woman came to prepare Lucy’s body. She told me, "Even in death, she is very beautiful. It is a pleasure to prepare her."
Dr. Van Helsing stayed near the body all day. Lucy had no other family nearby. Arthur Holmwood had to go to his father’s funeral. So, Dr. Van Helsing and I looked at Lucy’s papers. Dr. Van Helsing wanted to find her letters and her diary. He said, "I am a doctor and a lawyer. I do not want strangers to read her private thoughts."
Dr. Van Helsing found a few letters and a new diary. He kept them in his pocket. He said he would show them to Arthur later. That night, we went to look at Lucy. The room was full of beautiful white flowers. Lucy looked more beautiful than when she was alive. She did not look dead.
Dr. Van Helsing looked very serious. He put some garlic around the bed. Then he took a small gold crucifix from his neck. He put it over Lucy’s mouth.
Later, Dr. Van Helsing came to my room. He said, "Tomorrow, I need a set of special knives. I want to operate on the body." I asked if he wanted to do an autopsy.
Dr. Van Helsing said, "I want to cut off Lucy’s head. Then I want to take out her heart." I was very shocked. I am a surgeon, but I loved Lucy. I asked, "Why do you want to hurt her body? She is dead!"
Dr. Van Helsing put his hand on my shoulder. He said, "John, I know you are sad. But you must trust me. I have a very good reason. There are terrible days coming. Will you have faith in me?" I took his hand and promised to help him.
The next morning, Dr. Van Helsing came into my room. He looked very angry. He said, "We will not use the knives today. It is too late. Someone stole the gold crucifix from Lucy’s mouth during the night."
At noon, a solicitor came to the house. He said Mrs. Westenra left all her money and the house to Arthur. This was good news because Arthur was Lucy’s fiancé and our friend.
Arthur arrived at five o’clock. He looked very thin and sad. He lost his father and his fiancée in the same week. I took him to Lucy’s room. He knelt by the bed and cried.
Arthur whispered to me, "Jack, is she really dead?" I told him yes. He looked at her for a long time. Then he kissed her hand and her forehead. He said goodbye to her. After he left, the workers came to close the coffin.
That night, we had dinner. Arthur thanked Dr. Van Helsing for his help. Dr. Van Helsing asked for permission to read all of Lucy’s papers. Arthur said, "Yes, Doctor. You can do whatever you want. I trust you."
Mina Harker’s Journal.
22 September. I am on a train with Jonathan. My husband is a solicitor now and he is a partner in his business. We are rich, but I am worried about Jonathan’s health.
Earlier today, we were walking in London. Suddenly, Jonathan grabbed my arm. He was very pale and afraid. He looked at a tall, thin man across the street. The man had a black moustache and a pointed beard. The man had very red lips and sharp white teeth.
Jonathan whispered, "It is the man! It is the Count! But he looks younger now!" Jonathan was so terrified that he almost fell down. He went to sleep on my shoulder in the park. When he woke up, he did not remember the man. I must read Jonathan’s diary from his trip to Transylvania. I need to know the truth.
Later, I received a message from Dr. Van Helsing. He told me that Mrs. Westenra and Lucy were both dead. I am very sad. My poor friends are gone.
Dr. Seward’s Diary.
22 September. The funeral is over. Arthur and Quincey Morris went away to the country. Dr. Van Helsing is going to Amsterdam for one day. He says he has more work to do in London soon.
After the funeral, Dr. Van Helsing did something strange. He began to laugh and cry at the same time. He was very emotional. He said, "I am sad, my friend John. But laughter is like a king. He comes whenever he wants. He does not care if we are at a funeral."
Then Dr. Van Helsing told me why he was laughing. Arthur thinks he is married to Lucy because he gave her his blood. But we all gave her our blood! Dr. Van Helsing said it was a dark joke.
Now everyone is gone. The house is empty. Lucy is in her tomb in a quiet churchyard near London. I will finish this diary now. I hope I never have to write about these terrible things again.
The Westminster Gazette, 25 September
A HAMPSTEAD MYSTERY
People in Hampstead are worried. Some small children went missing for a few hours. When the children came home, they told a strange story. They said a "bloofer lady," their way of saying "beautiful lady," asked them to go for a walk.
The children were not hurt badly. But they all had a tiny wound in the throat. The wounds looked like a bite from a rat or a small dog. The police are looking for the "bloofer lady" and for any stray dogs.
The Westminster Gazette, 25 September
EXTRA SPECIAL: THE HAMPSTEAD HORROR
Another child was found this morning. The child was under a bush on the hill. The child had the same small wound in the throat. The child was very weak and thin. Again, the child spoke about a beautiful lady.