SOLVED. Vampire owns funeral home and traps a kid who snuck in to spy. Read in 1990s. [s]

[Kiersta]

The main character(a boy; preteen or teenage) is convinced the guy who owns the new funeral home is a vampire. He’s a huge vampire fanatic; knows everything. His best friend plays baseball and I can’t remember if he is interested in vampire or horror movies like the best friend.

There might have been a classmate or someone in the community who died suspiciously. I can’t remember that part, but something makes the main character suspect the funeral owner -who is in fact an actual vampire. The vampire has an assistant who is basically Renfield.

The kid escapes because he convinces the vampire to let him call his best friend by pretending that he needs to tell him where the equipment is for the baseball game or people will worry about him. I don’t know why they aren’t worried now. He speaks in code and gets him to dump out a sandbag at the vampire’s door; knowing a vampire has to count each piece before the sun comes up.

I want to say I read this sometime between 1991 and 1997.

[Rainbowheart]

Prisoner of Vampires

[Kiersta]

Oh my god you are amazing! That’s it!!!!!

[Rainbowheart]

Welcome, glad to help out!