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Our search led us in the direction of a remote part of the domain, and we were actually not all that far from the chicken shed now. A derelict smaller shed that had weathered many a storm, nevertheless still stood erect. We were on a hill, and could see the chicken shed and the farm from where we sat, and had a good view of the house, too.

“I never noticed this shed before,” said Dooley as we stared at the crooked structure.

“Me neither,” I said. “I guess we missed it when we passed here yesterday.”

We moved closer, and saw that the door was locked. The wood was decayed in places, though, and we managed to enter through an opening between two wooden planks.

Once inside, it took us a moment for our eyes to adjust. The scent of Grace had become much stronger, and there was a second scent mixed in with the first. Could it be Fabio?

And then suddenly I saw it: two people sat there, trussed up nice and good.

“I think we found them, Dooley,” I said.

“Are they dead?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Let’s find out, shall we?”

We moved a little closer, and I immediately sensed body heat. I’m not an expert, but dead people tend to be cold to the touch, so it was obvious these two were still alive.

Just then, I could hear footsteps approaching, and the two trussed-up figures started moving and hollering something I couldn’t understand as they had gags in their mouths.

There was a rattle of chains, and I said,“Quick, Dooley. Hide!”

And quick as a flash—or two flashes—we hid behind an old cupboard in a corner of the small space.

A shaft of light fell on us when the door was opened a crack, then opened further.

A man stepped inside, and I immediately recognized him as the same man who’d chased us from the chicken shed the night before.

“It’s the same man!” Dooley said, excitedly.

“Shush, Dooley,” I said.

I didn’t want to suffer the same fate as Grace and Fabio, who clearly had become the man’s prisoners for some reason.

The man removed the gags, then placed a Tupperware container on the table and removed the lid. The scent of something edible wafted in my direction, and I recognized it as broccoli, eggs and potatoes. Not exactly the most sumptuous meal for a person like Grace Farnsworth, probably more accustomed to dining at five-star restaurants.

Grace said,“You have to let us go, Gino. You can’t keep us here forever.”

But Gino didn’t respond.

“Do you hear me? Tell my husband he can’t do this. When the police find out what he’s been up to, there will be hell to pay, and that goes for you, too.”

“Oh, shut up already, will you?” growled the man.

“This is an outrage,” said Fabio. “I’ll complain to my manager about this. Nowhere did it say in my contract that I would be subjected to this kind of horrible treatment!”

“And you shut up as well, painter boy,” said the man. “Now eat.”

He’d released the prisoners’ ties so they could eat, and they did so now, with visible and audible relish. I guess everything tastes better when you’re hungry. Meanwhile, the man kept a close eye on them, making sure they didn’t escape. I saw he was casually holding a gun, which he loosely pointed in their direction.

“How much longer are you going to keep us here?” asked Grace.

The man shrugged.“As long as the boss tells me to.”

“And how long will that be?” she insisted.

“Enough with the questions. Shut up and eat.”

“We have to tell Odelia,” I whispered.

“I can’t believe Jock would lock up his own wife!” said Dooley.

Unfortunately our meowing, even though hushed, had attracted the man’s attention. He stomped his rubber-booted foot, shouting, “Get out of here, you filthy cats! Now get!”

And get we did, fleeing swiftly, then racing back to the house to meet Odelia and give her the good news.

Grace and Fabio were still alive. The less than good news was that the man who could have been Odelia’s dad in a different life was a criminal.

Chapter 36

“So I’m afraid we’re nowhere closer to finding out what happened to your wife, Mr. Farnsworth,” Odelia said.

“Well, thank you for driving all the way out here to keep me informed,” said Jock courteously. “And I’m sorry Alicia couldn’t be here. But I’ll be sure to tell her.”

“You haven’t heard from your wife by any chance?”

“No, not a single word, I’m afraid,” said the man, looking as dapper and handsome as ever. His gray hair was perfectly coiffed, his polo shirt neatly ironed. There was even a crease in his pants.

“The thing is, my uncle is pretty swamped with this werewolf story,” said Odelia.

“Ah, yes, the werewolf. Interesting story. You met the beast yourself?”

“I did, yes. I would never have believed the stories if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes.”

“So it’s true? There is a monster out there?”

“I’m afraid so. I met it near Garrison’s Field last night.”