Bear Naked

Chapter Sixteen

Amanda spent most to the evening glued to the local news. It was nothing but a rehash. The police were "doing everything they could," whatever that meant. They had crews out searching, and they were already dredging the river.

She must have seen Sheryl's picture a hundred times. Her school picture was of a pretty girl with brown hair and a bright smile. It made Amanda sick to think that she was caught in the clutches of that man. She replayed every personal encounter she'd had with Stanley. Was there anything she could have done differently? Could she have caught him? Or at least have done something to lead to his capture?

Uncle Darren came in and sat beside her. He must have caught her mood. "I am glad he didn't get you that time in the parking lot," he said quietly. "And believe me, if I could have caught him then," he broke off. Then he added, "You know it's not your fault." She put her head down and nodded.

She stayed in front of the TV until after the ten o'clock news. Then she went up to her bed, but it was a long time before she could sleep. They had misjudged somehow. They had all been convinced Amanda was the target, and now another girl had been abducted, possibly killed. But then again, Stanley had called Amanda by name. So had Erik. She was the target, wasn't she? If so, why had Stanley captured Sheryl? What were they missing? Something didn't make sense.

In the morning it was Brianna, in human form again, and Tanner waiting for her. Amanda insisted they go the long way and pick up Jay and Courtney. She felt increasingly protective of them.

School was quiet. Everyone spoke in low voices. Some of the kids looked like they had been crying, and principal Higgs announced that there were crisis counselors available if anyone needed them.

Amanda thought about going, but what would she say? She was being chased by werewolves, or at least she thought so, until these werewolves took a completely different girl instead. She paused: did she know for sure they were werewolves? She couldn't possibly doubt the Leidulfs; she had seen both Connor and Brianna transform. But what if they were wrong about Stanley?

The day passed slowly. She sat with Jay, Courtney, Connor, Tanner, and Brianna at lunch. They spoke little.

Teachers tried to continue lessons, despite everyone's obsession with the abduction and search for Sheryl. A few bowed to pressure and let students check local news on laptops at intervals, or even tuned in on TVs in their classroom, but most attempted to stay focused on lessons.

At the beginning of final period, one the girls in front of Amanda whispered to a friend, "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" the girl replied.

"They found a body, in the woods."

"Sheryl?" the girl gasped.

Amanda leaned forward, as everyone within hearing distance did, and the class was suddenly silent.

"No, a man . . . nothing to do with Sheryl," this girl said. "Completely unrelated. They just happened to stumble across him while searching for Sheryl. But here is the freaky part-he was killed by an animal. Like tore apart or something."

Amanda's heart raced, and her blood ran cold. "Did they say who he was?" she asked in a worried whisper. The girl scowled back at her, clearly indicating that Amanda was not a welcome part of the conversation. Amanda ignored the look. "Did they say who it was?" she asked again urgently.

"Not specifically," the girl said slowly, "just that he was some DNR officer or something."

Relief flooded her. It was not Uncle Darren. Thank goodness, she thought. Then a new suspicion grew in her mind, and her heart beat fast again. She half rose from her seat.