The devil twin

What is he about

*Jay*

“Her name is Eden Newmoon.” I say.

“Elisabeth’s sister. I should have guessed. There is an uncanny resemblance.”

I don't turn to acknowledge the quiet muttering from the shadowed corner following my pronouncement of the name of the she-wolf I've encountered at the pleasure Gardens… after spying on her for two days now.

My superior, Sir David Mitchum, sits behind the desk in front of which I stand. As the flame in the lamp is low, failing to cast enough light to reach the corners, I assume I'm to pretend I'm not aware that another person inhabits the room. The man smells of sandalwood, rich tobacco, and nervous sweat, making it a bit difficult for him to blend in with the surroundings. The fact that he's spoken… apparently surprised by the information I've imparted… adds to the ludicrousness of trying to pretend that Sir David and I are alone in the room.

Unlike the man in the corner, I have the uncanny knack of blending in wherever necessary. Still, I give no indication that I'm aware of the other's presence. I can pretend with the best of them. Although I find it inconceivable that the man would believe his identity is a secret, especially as my investigation of the she-wolf began at the Alpha’s residence. I suspect the Alpha of Rockberry is a conceited buffoon.

"What more have you managed to learn about the she-wolf?" Sir David asks. After sending the she-wolf on her way, I took another hansom, following at a discreet distance and ordering the driver to let me out on a street near Miss Newmoon's lodgings.

I walked briskly the remainder of the way, arriving just as Miss Newmoon entered through the front door. I waited until I saw a soft light appear in a corner window… fortunate that her hired room faces the street… to approach. By placing a few coins in the pudgy hand of the landlady who opened the door, I was able to discern a few more details. "She has a hired room. She has only paid for the month and has been in the city for a week. She is extremely quiet, never causes a disturbance, does not visit with the other residents, and has no callers. Often takes her meal in her room."

Silence stretches between us before Sir David asks, "Anything else?"

"I fear I have nothing else to add. My instructions were to follow her and not approach her. However, as some young swells were intent upon engaging in a bit of mischief where she was concerned, I thought it prudent to ignore the second part of my orders. They claimed someone informed them that she was ‘available.’ I don’t suppose we have any idea who that someone might have been."

"Don’t be ridiculous," it comes from the corner, confirming my suspicions that Rockberry himself might have advised the young gents to make short work of her. Apparently patience isn’t Rockberry’s strong suit.

"A Miss wandering through the Gardens late at night… alone… is bound to run into trouble," Sir David says. "She’s fortunate you were watching her. I assume she’s none the wiser regarding your task." If he harbors my suspicions regarding Rockberry, he gives no hint of it.

"She knows nothing about my true purpose. I have shared with you all that her landlady was able to reveal. Well, except for the fact that Miss Newmoon arrived with one trunk and seems to have a preference for pink. If I might be honest here, from my initial observations, I hardly view Miss Newmoon as a threat to anyone."

My boss gives me a tight smile, "The Alpha disagrees."

Which is the reason I've been brought in. To determine what the Miss is about. So far she has followed Rockberry through the zoological gardens and the Park. Last night she followed him to his club… The full Moon club, one of the city’s more exclusive venues for gentlemen of leisure to enjoy the vices. Tonight, the pleasure Gardens. If it were a crime to follow someone, I’d be rotting in Prison by now.

"With all due respect, sir, I believe I can serve better elsewhere. I heard someone reported a murder in the rookeries tonight and…"

"I know you prefer solving crimes after they’ve been committed, but our duty first and foremost is to prevent the commission of crimes." He says.

I adhere to the werewolf policeman’s motto, my creed: Prevention. It's the very reason so many of us patrol the streets. But I believe nothing will prevent someone who is intent on committing transgressions. I'm more obsessed with securing justice and ensuring that the correct person pays the price for felonious crimes. I have no desire to deal with a pampered Alpha who is concerned with a slight from a she-wolf whose head barely reaches the center of my chest. The Goddess help me, I felt like a lumbering giant next to her.

“It would help to know what crime we expect her to commit,” I say.

“I believe she intends to kill me,” comes the low-simmering voice from the corner. Sir David arches a dark brow at me, and I fight not to let my impatience with this situation show. I'm very close to wanting to strangle the lord himself.

“Do we know why the Alpha believes Miss Newmoon would wish him ill?” I ask.

Sir David’s gaze darts to the corner. I hear the impatient sigh before the voice rumbles from it. “Elisabeth Newmoon had her coming out last mating Season. We danced on occasion. Nothing more.”

There is always more.

“Am I to assume then that these she-wolves. miss Elisabeth and Miss Eden, is of High rank?” I inquire.

“No, her father is merely a Beta. ’Tis Miss Eden Newmoon.”

Merely? So the man in the corner with his higher rank possesses a superior attitude. Weary of this dance, I spin around. I can see one outstretched leg and a well-made boot polished to a shine that barely reaches into the light. The remainder of the person is lost in the darkness, but I know what the man looks like, as the trail began at his residence. He is not terribly old. He is, however, terribly handsome, with the perfect alignment of features that causes poets to apply ink to paper and wax poetically about the wonders of love. I'm damned tempted to address him by name, but for some unknown reason, games are being played, and Sir David is tolerating them… which means the man either has friends even more superior than Sir David or he’s witnessed Sir David doing something he shouldn’t. “If it was Elisabeth who caught your fancy last mating Season, why would Eden now wish you harm?”

Silence greets my question.

“My Alpha, I cannot be of much assistance if you are anything less than forthright. I am not one to gossip. You could confess to enjoying the most depraved s****l acts…”

Even with the distance separating us, I feel a ripple of tension emanating from the corner.

“… known to man, and I wouldn’t tell a soul.”

The silence thickens and lengthens. Is that what this is about, then? Some depravity that now haunts the Alpha?

Rockberry finally clears his throat. “Miss Elisabeth Newmoon met with an untimely end. It’s quite possible her sister holds me responsible, which is ludicrous, as I was nowhere near the silly chit when she encountered her demise. Miss Eden Newmoon has never confronted me. She doesn’t speak to me. She merely watches. Near a lamppost or from beside a tree in the park. I’ll be taking a stroll and I’ll have a sense of being spied upon. I glance back and there she is, watching… always watching. When I try to approach her to determine her purpose, she walks away, disappears in the crowd, and I’m left to wonder if I truly saw her at all. Because of her uncanny resemblance to Elisabeth, I was beginning to think Elisabeth had returned to haunt me. But as I said, we only danced, so I can determine no reason for this annoying game.”

With his repeated ‘we only danced,’ I wonder who the Alpha is seeking to convince: me or himself.

“So you’ll continue to follow her, Swindler, see what she’s about,” Sir David says sharply in a tone that means he’ll brook no further arguments on this matter.

I give my attention back to my superior. I like Sir David, admire him, but this matter is beyond the pale. “As I was forced to approach her, I assume you have no objection to my approaching her again.”

“Handle this matter however you deem best.” He says.

I hear the frustration and annoyance in Sir David’s voice. Sir David is no happier about this situation than I am. If I have my way, I’ll make the matter go away tomorrow.