Meet Sherry at the cafe

The cafe was a chain store of well-known brand. You recognized its green and white trademark from afar, and noticed that a redhead girl was sitting by the window, deep in thought with her head down. There she is. Sherry Smith, Leonard's younger daughter. She doesn't look like her sister at all, though. You parked the car right outside, entered the cafe, and went straight towards her.

"Miss Smith. Nice to meet you." You reached out your hand but she seemed to be startled by you as she gasped and almost jumped.

"Oh... Sorry, Mr. Wilson... Nice to meet you, too." Sherry stood up, carefully grasped your fingers and shook slightly. She slowly lifted her head to meet your eyes, but once she did she looked away.

"It's okay." You tried to comfort her with a smile and sat down with her, "Is there something you want to discuss with me?"

"I..." She seemed nervous.

"Hi, Sherry!" A waiter wearing a suit came to your table with a gentle smile. He greeted Sherry before turning towards you, "Is this the big detective you're talking about?"

The waiter seems to be close to her... Who is he? You kept your usual smile and remained calm.

"Yes... Uh..." Sherry looked at the waiter awkwardly and introduced him, "This is Bruce. We're... seeing each other... And this is..."

"James Wilson, private investigator." You stood up and shook hands with him.

"Oh, Mr. Wilson! I heard your agency is a famous one. Welcome to Howland Town." Bruce looked very excited to see you in person, "I'm working part time here. It's not paying much, but I'll buy you a coffee, if that's enough to keep you from stealing Sherry."

"Ha..." You chuckled softly at his joke and shook your head, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm just here to talk. Stealing her is the last thing on my mind today."

"That's a relief. So, what can I get you?"

"Just the usual." Sherry replied quietly.

"A cup of latte, thanks." You smiled.

"Got it." Bruce nodded and gently squeezed Sherry's shoulder before heading back to the counter to get your drinks.

You sat back in your chair and turned your gaze back to Sherry, who has been staring at the table again since you stood up. She took a deep breath, fidgeting for a few more seconds before finally lifting her head again.

"Mr. Wilson… " Her voice was quiet as if she didn't want anyone else to hear her, "It's about my sister, Shannon. I… I think she's a werewolf."

You jolted a bit, as if you'd been shocked by electricity. That was a serious accusation. If you had heard that from someone else at another time, you wouldn't have believed it at all.

"Why would you think that?" You asked calmly.

"She's been strange since she came back. She's more irritable. She yelled at Donna, our housemaid, and even at Dad and me. She never did that before. Last night she locked herself in her room, and I heard strange noises coming from it. Like she was growling..." Sherry talked with her voice becoming lower and lower. She seemed scared.

"That's not solid evidence, though..." That being said, you frowned and began to think.

"And she was naked when she came back! Where were her clothes? I read books and watched movies, and they always said werewolves ripped their clothes apart before they transformed..." Sherry continued her theory as she looked you in the eyes, "And then... I remembered you said you were attacked by a werewolf... Would it be... her?"

Your anxiously tapped the edge of the table with your fingers. The thought had already crossed your mind when she brought it up, but hearing it spoken out loud still made you tremble. The timing was too good to be a coincidence, and you didn't believe in coincidence these days.

"Here's your drinks." Bruce came back just at the right time and eased the tension a bit. He gave you a cup of latte and carefully handed Sherry a glass of hot milk.

"Thanks." You smiled at him as he left you alone again.

You wrapped your fingers around the warm coffee cup and took a sip before you continued. "Did you notice anything else? Other changes, or any marks on her body?"

"Well... Yes. I saw a small scratch on her left thigh when she was changing the day before. But, yesterday it disappeared when I saw her again. I thought I was just seeing things..." She added.

A small scratch on the left thigh? The scene where you desperately cut the werewolf's left thigh with a piece of rock flashed in your mind. No way that was a coincidence!

"What do you want me to do?"

"There is a book in the local book shop called ‘Tales of the Wolves'. It's about the legend of the wolves that helped founding this town. I read it for three time and I think it's actually a cover-up story by the founders. You might find something in it."

"Yeah, I've already borrowed that book. I have the same feeling." You recalled what you've read from that book and nodded.

"Okay... And..." She drank half a glass of milk to calm down before she continued, "I want you to go check Shannon's room and see if you can find any evidence there."

"I don't know if-"

"I'll pay you well!" Her voice sounded agitated but she still kept it down. She pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her pocket and placed it on the table, "This is the deposit, and for the coffee. I'll pay you more when you're done investigating!"

"I understand. It's not about the money." You expressed your concern, "I'm not sure if your father will let me get into his mansion and search his daughter's room freely."

"I thought about that, too. The town's mayor will be back from his vacation this Friday, and Dad will host a dinner for him in our mansion." Sherry continued, "I'll persuade Dad to invite you as well, so that you can get into our house. If it works, I'll call you. But it'll be up to you to find a chance to investigate Shannon's room."

"That's good enough." You sighed a breath of relief.

You didn't talk much after that since Sherry bade you farewell once she finished her milk. When you emptied your cup minutes later and went to pay the bill, you noticed that Bruce wasn't in the cafe, and you couldn't recall when he left. It didn't bother you much since you were busy collecting your thoughts.

When you left the cafe, a young lady with short brown hair and dressed in a maid uniform, came up to you with a smile. You found her familiar, and it took you a few seconds to recognize her as the maid in the mansion who took care of Shannon when she came back.

"Hi, Mr. Wilson. My name's Donna. We haven't officially met, but I work as a housemaid at the Smith mansion." She glanced at the cafe and you for a moment before she continued, "I thought Lady Sherry was with you."

"Uh... We did meet before, but she left early." You shook your head slightly.

"Oh, dear... She must have gone with her boyfriend, again." Donna sighed helplessly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson, but I have to go find her now, before she does something reckless."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Well, boys and girls these days... You gave Donna an understanding grin when she turned around and left.

It's almost 11 now. You grabbed that second prescription Dr. Jones gave you from your pocket and checked the map again. Valerie, is it?

The werewolf attack... Shannon's disappearance and return... The scar on her thigh... And what's more, the change in your diet habits and the strange feelings when you fucked Grace, which normally you would never have done...

The dots were connecting, and you hoped this "expert" had the key to all those questions.