Pack of Lies

by Lucy Felthouse

  “Okay,” Richard said, turning to Matthew and Isaac. “Want to go get what you need and get moving? We don’t want you bursting out of your clothes like the Incredible Hulk on the way down there, do we?”

  Isaac smiled at his friend. “No, we absolutely do not. I’ll go get the bag.”

  “It’s all right,” Matthew said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I know where I put it. I’ll grab it.”

  Shrugging, Isaac headed outside to wait, with Richard following close behind. “You all right?” the vicar asked. “You’re awfully quiet this evening.”

  “I know, sorry. It’s just…oh, I dunno. I should be excited, I suppose, that tonight is going to prove Matthew and I aren’t responsible for the dead sheep. And I kind of am, but you know better than anyone how we’ve been disappointed for the past couple of months now, hoping we’d be able to find out who’s doing this. I really want the person caught tonight, but at the same time I daren’t let myself get my hopes up just in case.”

  Nodding thoughtfully, Richard replied, “Yes, I can see where you’re coming from. And I’m not going to insult your intelligence by trying to reassure you that everything’s going to go perfectly tonight. We both know that things could go wrong, but I will assure you that I and the rest of the group will do everything humanly possible to make sure we get the right result. I just hope we don’t let you down.”

  Giving a small smile, Isaac looked at the other man. “Richard, you have nothing to worry about in that regard. Matthew and I know you will never let us down. You’ve always had our backs, have been a great friend to us and to the village, and more supportive than anyone could ever ask for. If things don’t work out as we hope, it’s certainly not down to you, and we definitely won’t be disappointed in you. We’re so grateful for your help and the danger you’re putting yourself in for us.”

  Shrugging, Richard dropped his gaze to the path. “Think nothing of it. You’ve been good friends to me and this village too. You’re good men—the best—and I won’t rest until this is over and your lives can go back to normal. It’s the least you deserve.”

  Matthew exited the church, closing the door behind him. “Okay, gents, I’m ready when you are. Where’s the rest of the group?”

  “Those going to the moor headed straight up there. They’re going to park up at the youth hostel and walk so our sheep killer doesn’t spot the cars and get spooked out. The men coming with us have already started walking down there. I told them we’d catch them up, meet them at the Eyam Dale shaft.”

  Matthew shook his head incredulously. “Richard, you’re a wonder. You’re wasted as a clergyman. You should be a politician or something. Someone with the power to help and change the entire country, not just one tiny village.”

  With a wry grin, Richard replied, “But this tiny village means everything to me. And besides, I’m not nearly crooked enough to be a politician.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Isaac awoke with a groan for the second day in a row. This time it was less to do with the day ahead and more to do with the fact that he was stark naked and lying on a stone floor. Getting to his feet, he hurried to grab the backpack his brother had stashed in a crevice in the cave wall. Pulling their clothes out, he tossed a bundle to his brother, an action that woke him, then tipped out his outfit and scrambled into it as fast as possible.

  “Ugh,” he said to a blinking-awake Matthew, “this is always the worst bit. So frigging cold!” Hopping from foot to foot, he rubbed his arms. “We ought to get some heating installed down here.”

  Shaking his head, Matthew stumbled to his feet and began getting dressed. “I think folks might notice if there were suddenly mod-cons installed in a cave system. It’s just a bugger we can’t stay awake long enough to change back into human form. If we did, we could get dressed and use sleeping bags. Of course,” he slapped his forehead theatrically, “if we changed back before heading to the Land of Nod, we’d just go home and sleep in nice, comfortable, warm beds, rather than staying in here. Christ, I need coffee.”

  “Yeah,” Isaac said, retrieving two cereal bars and handing one to his brother, then shoving the plastic bags they used to keep their clothes dry back into the pack. “Me too. Let’s go and see how everyone got on, shall we?”

  Matthew sighed. “Damn, my brain hadn’t cottoned on to that yet. You couldn’t have just left me oblivious for a while longer, could you?”

  “Sorry. But your oblivion would only have lasted as long as it takes us to get back out of the Gin entrance anyway.”

  “True.” He made short work of the cereal bar, stuffing the wrapper into his pocket. “Come on—let’s go and find out what happened last night. I suppose we’ve just got to think positive. Whatever happens, there’s now video evidence that we did not leave these caves last night.”

  “Agreed.”

  Within minutes, the brothers had squeezed out of the cave system and emerged into the light. Blinking, they quickly spotted the group who’d been watching the Gin entrance overnight. The camera still stood there on its tripod, the light flashing as it recorded their emergence.

  “Morning, guys,” Isaac said, smiling as he approached the makeshift campsite and the disheveled-looking men who were gathered around it. “I won’t ask if you had a good night, as it’s a stupid question. But we appreciate you putting yourselves out for us, especially in this weather.” It was almost November, and a chilly autumn was in full force. He paused. “Hey, where’s Richard?”

  One of the men jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Over there somewhere. He’s taking a phone call.”

  “Oh right, cool. We’ll help you get packed up, then, and make a move.”

  The vicar appeared on the path, his face pale and drawn. Isaac’s heart dropped into his shoes. He wanted to believe it was just a lack of sleep that had given his friend that look, but deep down he knew that wasn’t the case.

  “Richard?” he said, drawing the man’s attention to him as he approached. “What is it? What happened?”

  He waited until he was next to the brothers before speaking. “That was John Rayne on the phone. I’m really sorry, guys, but it’s not good news. The group up on the moor set up exactly as we’d agreed. Nothing happened for hours on end, and they were just beginning to think nothing would happen when they heard a commotion. They left the cameras and ran in the direction of the noise. By the time they got there, they were too late. The man who’s been doing this had already,” he stopped, swallowed hard, “gutted the sheep. From what they could see with their torches and lamps, it was brutal. They tried to catch him but he gave them the slip. Somehow he found a gap between them and managed to kill another sheep.” He dropped his head into his hands, sighed heavily. “The only plus points, I suppose, are that we now have absolute proof it’s not you two, and that we’ve now got more to go on. Apparently the person in question wore a balaclava and was all in black, but his body shape, height and the way he moved showed it was a man. So I’m afraid your theory was wrong, Isaac. Whoever is doing this is male.”

  “At this stage, mate, I’m not bothered about theories. So what happened next? How did he get away?”

  “He’s damn quick, I gather. They tried to grab him, took a couple of shots, but nothing. He managed to get away and ran in the direction of the village. They chased him, but no one could keep up, and because the cars were at the youth hostel, by the time they got to them they had no idea where he’d gone. He’d probably have got off the road as soon as possible, gone onto the footpaths and away. They went back and packed up, collected the cars and drove around anyway, to see if there were any vehicles or anything else unusual around. But there was nothing. It’s as if he disappeared into thin air. Of course the likelihood is that he just ran home. He could have been home, his doors locked and tucked up in bed by the time our guys had packed up and gone back to their cars.”

  “Fuck!” Matthew barked, then strode away a few feet and drove his fist into a tree trunk. “Fuck it!”

>   Giving the vicar an apologetic look, Isaac said, “Sorry. He’s not aiming it at you or any of the guys. You know that. He’s just pissed off. I’m pissed off, disappointed and any other adjective for not happy that you can think of. I’m just hiding it better. Once he’s calmed down, I’ll try to get him focused on the positives. For now I’m going to let him get on with it. I don’t much fancy getting between him and that tree at the moment. He packs quite a punch, especially when he’s angry.”

  Richard flicked a worried glance at the older brother. “If you think he packs a punch, then I’m steering well clear. And don’t worry, I get it. I’m disappointed too. We all are. We want this to be over as much as you do.”

  The assembled group nodded and murmured words of assent.

  “I guess we’d better get going, get this footage downloaded and where it needs to be and get everyone off to work. Once I’ve done my parish work for the day, I’ll make a start on what we’re going to do next month. Because, lads,” he raised his voice and glanced at Matthew, “next month, we’re going to catch the bastard. I’m sure of it!”

  Isaac raised an eyebrow. His friend never swore, not even under duress. Apparently he was more passionate about this cause than he’d ever been before. Either that or he spent a lot of time swearing in private. “Thanks, mate.” He clapped the vicar on the shoulder. “Thanks to all of you. You know what this means to us. I’ll take the camera that was trained on the Gin entrance and the one from the Eyam Dale shaft, and get the footage sorted. I’ll make sure you get the files. Then, Richard, if it’s all right with you, it’d be great if you could show it to anyone who wants to see it. Not exactly the sort of thing we can upload to YouTube, is it?” He gave a wry smile.

  “Absolutely—take the cameras, Isaac. Do what you’ve got to do. At least we can draw a line under part of this sorry mess.”

  “Great, thanks. Need a hand with anything else?”

  Richard shook his head. “Nah, we’re good, thanks. Carl’s car is in the lay-by down the road, so we can get that loaded up and cart stuff back up to the village.”

  “If you’re sure. I’d better get a move on—I have work today. There are only so many post-full-moon days off I can get away with before somebody notices.”

  “I’m sure. Go, and I’ll catch you later.”

  “Thanks, mate. Perhaps a good job I’m at work. I need to earn all the money I can to pay for all the pints I owe you lot!” Giving a smile and a nod to each man in the group, he turned away and headed for Matthew, hoping he could snap his brother out of his funk without ending up getting punched.

  “Hey, Matthew,” he said gently, standing a couple of feet away from the tree his brother had been taking his frustration out on. “I’m gonna grab the camera, head to the shaft, grab that camera, then head home. I’ve gotta eat, get showered and get ready for work. I’ll sort the videos out later. You coming with me?”

  Instead of replying, his brother turned and stalked over to the camera. Switching it off, he carefully removed it from the tripod and held it in one hand as he used the other to collapse the stand. He strode over to the group of men and placed it down amongst them, nodded, then walked away again, showing no signs of slowing or looking back. With a glance at the group and a shrug, Isaac followed him.

  He caught up with him just before they crossed the road toward Eyam Dale shaft. Just as well, as he didn’t think his brother was in the mood to converse with the other men and bring them up to speed on what had happened. He’d be more likely to grunt at them, snatch the camera and walk away. Pre-empting this, he sped up a little so as to be a pace in front of Matthew as they reached the men.

  “Morning,” he said, spotting them curled up in camping chairs and thick sleeping bags on either side of the shaft. “I know you’ve got to get off to work, so I’ll keep this brief. First and most important, thank you for doing this. Second, Richard heard from John, and they had an incident up there.”

  The two men sat up straighter, their eyes wide. Isaac continued, “This is the very short version. Someone can fill you in in more detail later. Basically, the person in question managed to slip in between them and gut a sheep, brutally. They heard the commotion and ran over, by which point it was far too late for the sheep. They could tell by the shape, height and body language that it was a man, but he was dressed all in black and was wearing a balaclava, so they’ve no idea who it was. He managed to get away from them and ran in the direction of the village. They lost him and weren’t able to find him again, or any evidence of any vehicles nearby. So it looks as though he ran right into the village and was probably at home and in bed by the time they reached their cars at the youth hostel. So…” He took a breath. “We’re only a tiny bit further forward in that regard—we now know it’s a man—which is unfortunate, but we do now have the video footage from the cameras that proves Matthew and I stayed in the caves all night long. So not a total success, but we’re a damn sight better off than we were yesterday.”

  “All right,” said Andy, one of the men. “Thanks for letting us know. I’ll pop in and see Richard when I finish work and get all the details. You wanna take the camera now?”

  Isaac was just nodding when Matthew started dismantling it. He gave the other man an apologetic look and a shrug. “Sorry,” he mouthed, taking off after Matthew as he strode back down the slope and onto the side of the road.

  He fell into step beside his brother and didn’t even bother trying to talk to him. It would be a waste of time and he knew it. When Matthew was like this, especially when the situation was so bad, it was best just to let him work it out in his own way. There was nothing Isaac could say or do to make it better.

  They walked all the way home in total silence. Isaac opened the door and they strode in. Matthew carefully deposited the two cameras next to the computer, then turned on his heel and stomped back out into the hallway. “Going for a shower. See you later.”

  “See you later.” Huh, seven words he hadn’t been expecting. They weren’t particularly interesting ones, but they indicated that his brother’s foul mood was ebbing away, albeit slowly. With any luck, by the time he next saw Matthew he’d be almost back to normal. He had a feeling he didn’t have a shift at the pub that day, and he hoped for the staff and customers’ sakes that he was right. His brother was absolutely not in a fit state to be serving members of the public today. He’d be more likely to pour a pint of beer over someone’s head than to let them drink it.

  Slotting a couple of slices of bread into the toaster and switching it on, Isaac grabbed a plate, the butter and a knife. Toast for breakfast would have to do for now. He didn’t have the time or, if he were honest with himself, the stomach for anything else.

  By the time the toaster shunted the bread back up, Isaac was ready for it. Smearing the butter liberally over both slices, he made himself eat them. He didn’t really want them but he knew he’d regret it in an hour if he had nothing at all except for the cereal bar he’d had when he’d woken up. If the tiny meal could just see him through until lunchtime, he’d get something more substantial. Hopefully he’d be able to handle it by then, once his mood and emotions had leveled out a bit.

  He scrawled a note for Matthew on the pad they kept by the telephone.

  Matthew,

  If you get chance today, would you mind doing some digging around? Go and speak to the men who were up on the moor, find out what you can. Maybe even head up there and try again and see if you can get a scent? If it brings us even a tiny step closer to finding out who’s doing this, then it’s time well spent.

  I’ll be home around 6:40, so will sort out the video footage then. At least we have that. No one in their right mind would argue with video evidence.

  See you later,

  Isaac

  Dropping the pen back into the holder, he tore the top sheet of paper off the pad and placed it by the kettle. After his shower, Matthew’s next stop would be coffee, so he’d be sure to see the note then and hopefully take note
of its contents.

  Isaac was pretty confident he would. He might be furious but he’d also see the sense in what his brother was saying. They were so much closer to catching the bastard than they had been twenty-four hours ago. Not close enough, but each step, each tiny bit of evidence was progress. Progress that was vital to ending this horrendous stage of their lives and allowing them to get things back to normal.

  Well, as normal as it ever was when you were a four-hundred-year-old werewolf.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Matthew listened carefully as he left his bedroom and headed for the staircase, to make sure Isaac was gone. An almost deathly silence indicated that he was. He loved his brother dearly, but right now he wanted nothing more than to be alone. The events of the previous night and this morning had put him into the foulest mood possible, and the last thing he wanted was company, especially Isaac’s. He knew his brother had his best interests at heart and would try to talk him out of the mood, try to explain why all was not lost. But the truth was, Matthew already knew all that. Isaac couldn’t possibly tell him anything about the situation that he didn’t already know.

  What’s more, Matthew knew he was being unreasonable. All he could concentrate on was the negative side of what had happened in the last twenty-four hours—basically, the bastard targeting them had gotten away. He’d managed to let go of his guilt, however, that the person doing this was some woman he’d slighted. The witnesses had said that there was no question at all—the perpetrator was a man. And as far as he knew, he’d never slighted a man.

  Inevitably, as a result, his mind had turned over the information and begun to question whether they were on the right track but with the wrong brother. He knew they’d already had this conversation and decided it wasn’t a possibility, but what if it was? Rather than Matthew pissing a woman off and causing her to go on this evil rampage, perhaps Isaac had put a potential suitor’s nose out of joint. Given that Isaac wasn’t even out, it was unlikely, but not completely impossible. People had to suspect that there was something different about Isaac, given he’d never once had a girlfriend, not so much as a casual fling.