Meet Sherry at the cafe right now

Given what you were going through right now, learning some information from a Smith sounded like a good idea.

"Okay, I'll meet you there." You replied calmly.

"Thank you, Mr. Wilson. See you." Sherry quickly hung up the phone.

"Who is it?" Fran asked curiously as she leaned closer and looked at you with a gentle smile.

"It's Sherry Smith, Leonard's younger daughter. It seems she wants to talk about the werewolf myth."

"That sounds serious. You don't mind me coming with you?" Fran looked concerned.

"You sure?" You paused for a moment, "I'm not sure if she wants to... meet someone else, you know?"

"Well, it never hurts to make a new friend, right? Come on, let's go." Fran grabbed your arm and gently pulled you out.

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, uh..." Sherry stood up and was about to say something. But when she noticed Fran standing next to you, she hesitated.

"This is-"

"Hi! I'm Francesca Evans." Fran proudly introduced herself before you did, "I'm his assistant and girlfriend."

"Mr. Wilson... Miss Evans... Nice to meet you, too." Sherry carefully grasped your fingers and shook slightly. She smiled at Fran and nodded, but once she met your eyes, she looked away.

"It's okay." You tried to comfort her with a smile and sat down with the girls, "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..."

"James Wilson, private investigator." You stood up and shook hands with him, "This is my assistant..."

"Francesca Evans. Nice to meet you." Fran seemed delighted to meet the two of them.

"Good day, Miss Evans. I heard your agency is a famous one, Mr. Wilson. Welcome to Howland Town." Bruce looked very excited to see you in person. "I'm working part time here, but I've never seen a man as charming as you, getting along with two beautiful ladies at the same time. You're not here to steal Sherry from me, are you? Considering you have such a lovely companion?"

"I'm sure he's not." Fran smiled at you with a threatening gaze.

"No, of course not." You shivered when you glanced at Fran for a moment and shook your head, "I'm just here to talk."

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

"Just the usual." Sherry replied quietly.

"Americano with ice, please." Fran added.

"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. Fran became more serious when she heard this as she straightened her back right away.

"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... sounds like she's just on her period..." Fran raised her eyebrows skeptically and whispered.

"Fran's got a point. That's not solid evidence." 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. Does it count?" She added.

{if@ F2R1 - Grace Sex = 1}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! Fran's eyes widened. She must've realized this, too.{else}You already knew that when Fran told you about Shannon during the lunch, and Sherry's testament only deepened the suspicion.{endif}

"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.

"Hey. Don't worry. We'll find out what's going on." Fran went to hold Sherry's hand in hers and gently smiled.

"Thank you." Sherry returned a smile in relief.

Fran began to share her thoughts about the town and asked Sherry if she knew one or two scenic spots that could be explored on foot. Sherry didn't talk much, but you could feel that she was enjoying Fran's enthusiasm, as she smiled more often than when you just met.

Minutes later Sherry bade you farewell once she finished her milk. When you and Fran both emptied your drinks 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.

"So, what now?" Fran asked when the two of you were back in the car, "It's getting late now. Shall we go back to the hotel and get something to eat? Or do you have other plans?"

"Oh, speaking of which... The owner of the book shop that I went to this morning, George, has invited us to dinner at his place." You suddenly remembered the offer, "Would you like to go?"

"Mm... I don't know... I usually don't have dinner with someone I merely know, let alone someone I've never met before." Fran smiled reluctantly, "But if you want to go, I'll go with you. Your call."

"Well..."