Sheep's Clothing by Gary Lewis (free ebook reader for pc txt) 📕

"What is it?" David's voice sounded from the side of the house as Sarah lowered her weapon with reluctant relief reached up to turn her headlamp on. "What the hell, David?"

"I was just cooling off," he said. He slung a small, wooden handled axe into the ground beside an old tire rim where she remembered leaving it about a week ago.

"Chopping wood alone in the dark?" Sarah asked. "That’s not very smart," she said as her and Janice lowered their guard and walked back toward the porch. David gained quickly from behind.

Sarah took a quick glance at her wrist watch. "It's getting close to nine thirty. Did you ever hear from Terry about the church meeting?"

"Oh yeah." David rubbed the back of his head. "He said any time is good. He's already there, Blane stayed home and nobody has heard from Vance yet."

"You ready, Jan?" Sarah said, eager to get it over with.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay. Let me run inside and get our notes and maps."

"Be sure to keep it under fifty-five,” David said. “We don't want to get pulled over." He lifted out his hand. "Curfew and all."

"We're fine,” Sarah said. “I'm nineteen, remember?"

David rushed over to Sarah’s car and held open the passenger door for Janice before he climbed in the back. Sarah glanced in the rearview mirror.

“Can’t you sit behind Jan?”

David huffed and scooted to the middle of the backseat.

As Sarah sped down the backroads toward the highway, dimly lit streetlights zipped by to alter the shadows on their faces, transforming them into scary looking shapes.

#Janice#

The roads suddenly brightened as two lanes became four and they approached the city limits. Janice studied Sarah closely, noticing her expression of discomfort. She must really hate churches. As Sarah stopped at a red light and looked to the left and right, her eyes never met Janice's face. Or maybe it's something else. 

The sound of David clearing his throat distracted Janice from her thoughts. "The meeting got posted in the group chat, so maybe if Tony is okay..." David abruptly paused and the backseat temporarily illuminated. "Nevermind. He hasn't been active since yesterday." His denial of the situation was evident in his voice.

"I'm sure he's just fine, David," Sarah said. "As calm and gentle as he is, Tony is one tough guy and he knows his way." It seemed she also had trouble accepting the grim truth.

Janice spoke softly with a half turn of her head toward the backseat. "I'm really sorry about Tony, David."

Sarah's eyes finally glanced in her direction. "Jan," she quietly snapped.

"What?" Janice asked as Sarah pressed her lips and shook her head, returning her face to the street ahead. "You're the one giving David false hope," Janice said.

"Excuse me?" Sarah pressed the brake, slowing the car abruptly enough to shift their weight forward. Sarah's angry eyes glared through the shadows cast across her face in the street lights as Janice opened her mouth to speak.

"Calm down," David's voice came from the backseat. "It's okay, Jan." His comforting voice spoke slowly. "I know what you were thinking about. I'm really sorry about what happened to your dad."

Sarah pressed her lips and eyebrows as she silently turned onto Willow Street and the church steeple rose above the surrounding buildings.

The orange glow from the poorly lit parking lot surrounded the dark church and faint lights flickered from a window as they pulled in.

"I guess I park around back?" Sarah asked, pulling around inquisitively.

"Right over there," David said.

###

Inside, rising shadows from the chestnut pews rose to dance along the beige walls to the flickering orange glow of candles as they walked down the central isle of the nave. Terry stood in front of the blood red, velvet lining that draped the pulpit beneath a large cross that hung atop huge, stained glass windows. As Janice followed David and Sarah, she gazed around the room, entranced by how spooky it looked.

"Looks like this is everyone," Terry said. "Shall we begin?" Terry carefully set a small cardboard box upon a fold up metal chair situated on the platform. A loud boom drew everyone's attention to the screech of the large main entrance door swinging open with force. Janice's thoughts turned to images of getting caught trespassing in the church at night. "I'm not even supposed to be out this late," she whispered.

"Don't wait up on account of me. By all means," Vance shouted across the nave of the church, his deep voice carrying a reverberating echo through the large room.

"Nobody heard from your dumbass," David said. "So we figured you forgot about it like everything else."

"Watch it, pal." Vance's finger pointed firmly across the room toward David, baring a huge forearm to assert his testosterone filled stature to the everyone.

"Can we get started?" Terry said once again. Janice stood beside Sarah as she watched everyone nod and mumble in agreement. Terry turned to Sarah who had all her papers stacked tightly in her grasp, prepared for presentation.

"This is a timeline of what we have so far." Sarah's professional tone silenced the quiet bickering that filled the ambience of the church. "On the first night, we had the barn fire and the mutilated cattle. Ms. Tanner said she saw a monster running from the area of the fire. Everyone laughed at her." Sarah’s words were interrupted by a quiet snicker.

"Sorry," David said, to which even Vance shot a slight smile.

Sarah paused for a moment, looking in Vance's direction, before speaking at a faster pace. "Officer Benning seemed to suspect Vance of the fire." Sarah's voice broke with hesitation before she continued. "There was a similar fire last year that killed a few people at the old rec center. Brad's dad was one of them.”

Janice's throat went dry as she stared intensely across their circle at Vance. For a moment, he stared right back.

"Hold on just a minute." Vance's interruption flushed Janice's skin with a cold rush as she awaited his next words. "I had nothing to do with setting fire to the rec and I sure