In Sheep's Clothing

Chief Constable Stowe hurried through the cobblestone streets of the tiny town of Ragged Hill. As he dodged carts, people, and horse manure, his thoughts circled around a single phrase. City people never know when to keep their noses out of things that don't concern them.

Stowe looked at his watch and wondered if he'd make it in time to defend the boy before She got to him. The new addition to the Ragged Hill constabulary was a young man called Hartley who'd come up from New London days before to replace Constable Aimes, who'd gone missing. It hadn't taken Hartley long to start poking about in places he'd been warned to stay out of.

Gone missing, Stowe huffed to himself as he thought of Aimes. Dead more likely.

Stowe emerged from a thin alley right in front of the Mayor's house. Two of his men stood guard just outside the wrought iron gates. They nodded as he passed but their faces remained blank and their eyes downcast.

Stowe cursed under his breath. I'm too late. He rushed up the stone steps, and removed his hat as he pushed the heavy door aside. In the ill-lit front hall he found Hartley, his arms bound behind his back. The rest of the constabulary stood in the shadows on either side of him, while the Mayor paced back and forth in front of him. The Mayor's brow was creased and Stowe could tell he was anxious. Stowe glanced around but he saw no sign of Her.

"I've done nothing wrong!" Hartley was saying. "Mr. C-Coates was drunk. He only mentioned her because-"

"Silence," The mayor barked. Then he noticed Stowe. "Ah, Chief Constable. I'm sorry to say your new man has turned out to be the curious sort."

"I heard sir," Stowe said, doing his best to hide his pity for the boy. Pity never did anyone good in Ragged Hill. "Hartley, what's all this about?"

"Must he repeat it?" The Mayor hissed, before Hartley gladly stated his case again.

"Murder sir. I found Mr. Coates covered in blood this morning and the dead body of Mr. Peters t-torn to pieces nearby. I would've just brought Coates in if he hadn't been blathering something about a monster. I asked him what he meant and he said he might be the monster only he couldn't remember. Then he showed me his hand and there were t-teeth marks in it, huge ones. I asked him how he got them, and he just said, 'It's her, I know it.' When I asked who he was t-talking about, he looked at me like I was some kind of dunce and said, 'Adreana of course. She's made me a monster like her'."

At the mention of her name, Stowe felt a shudder go through all of them but Hartley, who continued his narrative in a quavering tone. "I d-didn't know what to make of it sir, and when I asked the other constables, I was dragged here in irons." He swallowed and his voice grew stronger. "What's going on in this town that the mention of a girl gets a man arrested?"

Stowe ran a hand over his damp forehead. If any other constable had found Coates, they would have killed him and the situation would have been resolved, but it had been Hartley. Young, curious Hartley, a mere boy from the city who thought he'd solve the dark mystery of Ragged Hill.

"I only wanted to question Miss Adreana," Harley said, his eyes on Stowe.

An icy breeze swept across the room as a high-pitched voice echoed through the hall. "Question me?" A young woman emerged from the shadows, her black hair worn loose and wild like a feral child's. She was beautiful, so beautiful that she was painful to look at. The Mayor averted his eyes as she floated past him to approach Hartley. "What kind of question could a constable have for a girl such as myself?"

Hartley was transfixed and for almost a minute could only stammer. Stowe hoped he wouldn't regain his composure but Hartley was a determined fellow. He dropped his gaze then said in a small voice, "You've been mentioned in regards to a m-murder, Miss."

Her piercing eyes narrowed. "Mentioned?" she said as innocently as a demon.

Stop talking, Stowe thought loudly at Hartley. Say you're mistaken and apologize.

Hartley cleared his throat. "Mr. C-Coates, he said you attacked him last night and k-killed another man."

"Did he?" Adreana glided toward Hartley and began walking slow circles around him with cold appraising eyes.

Hartley trembled. "Yes, Miss. He called you a m-monster."

Adreana stopped pacing. With a sharp look, she dismissed her father from the room. The rest of the constables hurried after him. When Stowe tried to follow, Adreana held up a hand, paralyzing him where he stood. "You ought to train your new men properly, Chief Constable. This fool will pay for your lapse in judgment."

"Please, Miss. He's just a boy," Stowe mumbled.

Adreana ignored him. She moved to stand right in front of Hartley. "If it's a monster you want, then that's what you shall have." She untied the knot at her throat and her velvety cloak fell away, revealing the nakedness beneath. Hartley was shocked, and his awe was amplified as Adreana bent double, her limbs lengthening and coarse hair bursting forth from her every pore. Her beautiful face warped and became that of an enormous wolf.

Stowe turned away just as she opened her mouth. With the snap of teeth, he heard Hartley's body as it crumpled to the floor. There was a satisfied sigh and the sound rusting fabric before Adreana's voice startled Stowe.

"Take this away, Chief Constable, and mind you keep to rules or next it will be your head."

Stowe looked up just in time to see Adreana sweeping from the room, her dark cloak fanning out behind her. He shivered, then proceeded to follow his orders, removing the headless corpse of Constable Hartley from the Mayor's front hall.

THE END

© 2015 Hallie M. Smith

E-mail: Hallie M. Smith

Comment on this story in the Aphelion Forum

Return to Aphelion's Index page.

Comment on this story in the Aphelion Forum

Return to Aphelion's Index page.