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"You&039;re crazy"

Stor to catch up

"Itmy path "The bite marks The way the animals were ripped up the etting rid of evidence"

"Crazy!" I snort again, and shove past hio you told me Dervish was your father - now you reckon he&039;s a olf!"

"What&039;s one got to do with the other?" Bill-E says "Werewolves are normal people except around the tiout into welcoht "This is the twenty-first century The police have ca All the rest A ouldn&039;t last a week in today&039;s world"

"It would if it had hurees "Hear h in ured"

I stop reluctantly A large part ofand not listen to another word of Bill-E&039;s madness But a srunt "But if you start on about silver bullets or - "

"You think I want to kill him?" Bill-E snaps "He&039;s my father!"

Bill-E strolls as he outlines his theory I wander along beside him

"In movies you become a olf if another olf bites you But I don&039;t think dozens of people froet bitten, one after another, over so enes, from parents to children The unlucky ones are born to becoe pretty early, when they&039;re kids or teenagers Dervish is in his forties If he is a olf, I think he&039;s been living with this for decades

"Werewolves can&039;t be wild killers," he continues "If they were, Dervish would have killed loads of people here I&039;ve checked old newspapers in the library - nobody nearby has been killed by a savage beast any time recently"

"Maybe he roa," I insert wryly

"I thought of that," Bill-E says earnestly "But I&039;ve kept a close eye on hi nights away around full moon time Besides, we&039;ve seen some of his local kills - the butchered animals If he hunts and kills animals this close to home, there&039;s no reason he shouldn&039;t hunt and kill huht there was even a sli to you - I&039;d be telling the police"

"You&039;d turn in your own father?" I sneer

"I&039;d have to if he was killing," Bill-E says softly "Murderers can&039;t be allowed to roae sheet of corrugated iron lies on the ground between the sheds and the mansion We head for it sio This used to be a small orchard There are several smooth tree stumps close by Bill-E sits on one and I sit on another I tap the corrugated iron withthe &039;evidence&039;

"So you think Dervish is a ith a conscience He kills animals but not people"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Bill-E asks "You accept demons are real - why not olves?"

"I accept demons because I&039;ve seen them," I answer stiffly "And I&039;m sure they&039;re demons twenty-four hours a day, corrupt and evil all the tie beasts - physically transform into wolf-like creatures - maybe I could But I don&039;t believe an ordinary hued olf overnight, then resume his ordinary shape the next day"

"I never said he transformed," Bill-E notes swiftly "I think it&039;s more a mental condition than a physical one"

"What about those creatures in the book?"

"Maybe it works different ways in different people," he suggests "Soe completely Others, like Dervish, are able to control it"

"Degrees of olfisets crazier every ti up, shoulders slu you a favour, but if you&039;re going to mockme a favour?" I interrupt

"I don&039;t live here," Bill-E says, turning to depart "Come the next full moon, I&039;ll be tucked up in bed, in the Vale, safe with Gran and Grandad You&039;ll be out here by yourself alone in the house with Dervish"

Hours later Trying to laugh it off Craziness Utter lunacy I shouldn&039;t even be considering it And yet

In a world beset by demons, why shouldn&039;t olves exist too? And I can&039;t think why Dervish should be searching the forest for dead ani them secretly And some of the faces in the book definitely ain, I&039;ve only Bill-E&039;s word that the book is about olves Dervish has a weird sense of hu Bill-E about the book Maybe he even stuck in the photos and drawings himself That makes ical

And yet

Dervish arrives back just before sunset I greet him as he enters "Go anywhere special?"

"Just for a drive," he replies, slicking down his grey hair at the sides of his head

"Where&039;s Meera?" I ask

"Off touring the countryside She&039;s basing herself here for the next week or so, but she&039;ll be popping in and out a lot Where&039;s Billy?"

"He went home"

"Oh?" Dervish pauses on his way to the bathroos to do," I lie

Dervish continues on to the bathroo his face, the set of his jaw, the crown of his head, searching for abnorli TV with Dervish - a docu people&039;s natural body energies to cure diseases Y-A-W-N!

A game of chess afterwards Dervish appears distracted (or aressive than usual He beats me, but I take a couple of his major pieces and make him work hard for his victory

Dervish stretches Groans Checks his watch "I&039;ht?"

I keep my head down "No I&039;m pretty tired too I&039;ll follow you up soon"

Slyly watching hi for bed

Lining up the chess pieces on the board Idly playing againstlightly outside

I abandon the gah Go up to my room Pause at the door This is stupid If I leave it like this, I&039;ll be iot to share this house -this ridiculous co, I carry on up the staircase to the top floor Dervish&039;s rooht, deciding to tell hirin as I picture his incredulous response Then I rap tith ot to"

I grind to a halt

The room is empty

I&039;ve explored the entire house His study The bathrooms and toilets The other bedroo the racks, ad up in bed Listening to the wind Thinking about dead animals and old olf fil Must have dozed off despite my fear I roll out of bed Grey day, sky obscured by clouds

I pad downstairs to the kitchen Scent of fried bacon and sausages I push the door open slowly Dervish inside, at the frying pan, hu It takes him a moment to spot me He smiles "You&039;re up early"