Sheep's Clothing by Gary Lewis (dark books to read TXT) 📗

As David opened the driver side door, Sarah looked over the roof of the car at him from her side. Her wide eyes looked straight into his. "I'm almost sure of it." The certainty in her voice was frightening.

David started the engine and turned to look Sarah in the eyes as she buckled up. "Why did you lie about last night?" he asked.

Sarah's short, blonde hair shook to the warm wind that forced through the vents to blow in their faces as the air conditioner took its time getting cool and a stale humidity still hung around them. "Didn't want her to hear that one, did you?" Sarah said, rolling her eyes away from him as she turned to look out her window.

#Janice#

The humidity was beginning to rise as Janice walked back toward the dirt path with Terry. The bright summer sunlight gleamed through the parted bows above when they stopped beside the old stone well.

"I can give you a ride back if you like," Terry said with a brisk lift of his hand. "I know things haven't been easy, but I have faith they will all work out for the best."

Janice glanced up at him. "Thanks, but I drove Mom's van. She's on vacation with my aunt and uncle right now," Janice said as she forced a slight half smile. "But you could give me a lift to the street near where I parked it."

"Sure," Terry said with a huge smile as he swayed his hand to the passenger door, opening it for her.

As the air conditioner sucked away the thick heat, the gravel crackled beneath the slow roll of Terry's car. "Four cylinder," he said, stretching the corner of his mouth with a nod to his side. "Have to take it nice and slow."

"Yeah," Janice said with a smile. "I didn't even risk Mom's van on this road."

The small talk didn't do much to alleviate the silence that became weighted in the clean interior of his car. Not a speck of dust rested along the shiny, black dashboard. An ashtray that had never seen a cigarette was filled with quarters and a piney smell came from the air freshener that dangled from the rearview mirror.

"Sure is clean in here," Janice said.

Terry smiled as he briefly nodded his head to the side. "Well, I'm trying to keep it that way. I clean it out every day." He turned his face to her. "You know what they say about cleanliness."

Janice pressed her lips into a tight smile and raised her eyebrows as she slowly nodded up and down at him. "Godliness."

She adjusted the tightly positioned seat as she scooted to the side, cramming her hand into her pocket to tug her phone loose.

"Sorry," Terry said with a quirky smile. "New car and all." He turned his eyes back to the dirt road ahead. "You're actually the first passenger."

"Oh, it's fine." Janice said, stretching a smile at him.

She scrolled through social media and tapped on a picture of Sarah. There was always something about you that didn't feel right. Janice sighed as she lowered her phone and looked at the dashboard.

She tapped her hand on her knee as she cautiously lifted her eyes in Terry's direction.

"What do you think about Sarah?" she asked.

"She's definitely a fighter, huh?" Terry said with a chuckle.

"I mean, every time there's been an attack, she was either there or alone until now." Janice raised her hand to her chin and pressed her eyebrows in thought. "But I've known David for a long time. He would have spoken up for her if they were together all night."

"He was awful quiet when she said that," Terry said. "And I didn't really feel like she was being completely honest either."

"His reaction to that was... I don't know. Different." She drifted the end of her sentence with her eyes as she turned to stare into the passing woods.

He glanced at her again, before speaking. "I can't rule anyone out except myself, my brother and David," Terry said, now focusing solely on the road ahead. "And since we're so sure that it's someone who was in the room during your meeting..."

"Sarah's meeting," Janice said firmly. "She's been acting so different since this whole thing started. There was even a book about werewolf legends sitting on her table. It was checked out from school a long time ago."

"That's definitely suspicious," Terry said with renewed interest in his voice. "But she was taking the lead on getting to the bottom of this since it started."

"Exactly," Janice said. "Think about it."

Things got quiet again as they approached the street. "If you turn right,” Janice said with a point of her finger. “I'm parked at that little gas station down the road.”

"She was the one who found the destroyed camera traps beside your place, right?" Terry asked with pressed eyebrows that squeezed his forehead.

Janice thought for a second. "Yeah. Why didn't David see them, when he got there first? He's the most observant person I know."

Terry looked at her with a nod as he took a smooth right into the street, easing onto the flat pavement where they continued to the gas station.

Terry came to a gentle park beside her mother's van before reaching to withdraw his phone from his shirt pocket.

"Thanks for the ride, Terry," Janice said. "I really appreciate it."

"Hang on, Janice." His voice sounded with a curious confusion.

"What is it?" She asked as she watched him turn his phone around, lifting the screen to her face. The group chat was open to the bottom message. It was the last one Terry sent. "I don't understand,” she said. “I already read it."

His tone became much more serious. "Yeah, but look who else has too."

###

As the fiery sun was replaced by the pale glow of the moon, a dry chill swept into Pine Bluff below the clear, black sky that revealed every star it held. Tiny specks of infinity had gathered above to bear witness to the events that would unfold below.

Blinding floodlights beamed through the tall grass as