"And why not tell us this when Jenny was around?"

Sheila shrugged. "I don't know, really. I mean, how much do you trust your friend?"

"Jenny?" Annja grinned. "I trust her completely. We've known each other for years. We haven't been in constant contact, of course, but overall..." She stopped. "Look, there's nothing unsavory about Jenny no matter how weird she might seem. I'd stake my life on it."

"You might have to," Sheila said. "You don't have any idea what's going on here and that fact could get you killed."

"So why don't you go ahead and tell me, then?" Annja stretched her legs. "I'm finding this whole adventure rather strange."

"You can't trust the sheriff."

"David? Why not? I mean, he wasn't going to be a close confidant or anything, but what reason do you have that we shouldn't trust him?"

"He hasn't been himself lately."

Annja sighed. "Look, Sheila, I don't mean to be rude here or anything, but I'm really tired. So if we could just skip the "you give me one line and I have to pry more out of you' thing, that'd be great."

"Dave is an imposter. He isn't the real Dave."

Annja eyed Sheila. "Okay, now I'm lost. What do you mean he's not the real David?"

"I mean he looks the same as he used to, but he's all different now. Everyone knows it. He changed when he got back after going hiking a few months back. Friday evening he set out to spend some time tracking. Monday he came back looking...strange."

"Maybe he ran into the Sasquatch."

Sheila waved her hand. "That was a load of hooey. I told that story because I could see your friend needed to hear it."

"You lied?"

"For her sake, yes. Tell me she isn't feeling a bit more excited now that she thinks I ran into the thing."

"Well, of course she is. But now she wants to go out and find it for herself. You heard her. She's jealous of you!"

Sheila shook her head. "Whatever you do, you've got to keep her out of the woods. Do not go in there again unless you have a means of arming yourself."

Annja thought about her sword. "Yeah, well, why shouldn't we go back there?"

"I know about those guys."

"Simpson and Baker?"

"Yes. Ellen keeps me in the loop. She was the first person to notice the change in Dave."

"And what exactly do you think happened to him?"

Sheila glanced away. "It's too ridiculous to talk about."

Annja smiled. "You'd be surprised at how many crazy stories I've heard in my life. Why don't you try me?"

"About four months back-a month before Dave went camping-there was a meteor shower. It came upon us suddenly but the show was incredible. For two nights, we watched the fireworks in the sky. Brilliant flashes and streaks cut across the heavens at night. Wondrous stuff."

Annja nodded. "I've seen some amazing displays in my time."

"Well, one of the shooting stars seemed to touch down out there." She pointed to the window. "Somewhere in the woods, one of those meteors landed. And somewhere out there, something happened."

"And you think that David stumbled across the meteor, perhaps?"

"Maybe."

"And then what?" Annja frowned. "It would seem unlikely that he came into contact with an extraterrestrial race who then turned him into a mindless zombie that they could control with strange thought beams and stuff like that."

Sheila eyed her. "You're mocking me, Annja. I don't appreciate that."

"Well, try to see it from my perspective. It sounds like another load of BS."

"It's not bulls.h.i.t."

"So you say, right after you tell me that you just lied to my good friend about seeing big foot."

Sheila sighed. "Look, they're not related. I told a white lie and now I'm telling you the truth."

Annja took a deep breath. "So what exactly are we supposed to do, then?"

"Wait until your clothes are dry and then leave this place. While you still can."

"While we still can? What does that mean?"

"Haven't you noticed the lack of people in town? The lack of activity? Folks are starting to disappear."

Annja nodded. "Things do seem a bit quiet, but I chalked that up to people not needing to come into town all that often."

"Before Dave changed, this place was much busier."

"And you're saying he's directly responsible for the people going missing?"

Sheila nodded. "He knows he can't get rid of everyone without raising the alarm, so he went after the people living farthest away first. Eventually, he'll get to the rest of us. Those of us who live here in town."

"Why don't you leave?"

Sheila shook her head. "Not everyone is convinced."

"You don't say."

"They think I'm crazy. Just because I had a nervous breakdown a few years back and had to spend some time resting. They think I'm out of my mind. Sure, they're all nice to my face but I know how they talk behind my back."

"And Ellen thinks this is the case, too?"

"Ellen's my best friend. She's the only friend I have here in town aside from my husband. She's the only one who lets me know what's going on, but she spends most of her days in abject terror of what Dave has become."