Hannah and Jane were heading up the drive towards a Georgian house set in beautiful gardens. They agreed that the building was exceptional, but their anticipation of what lay inside was preoccupying their minds. They walked up to the portico and knocked at the front door. Half expecting a butler to greet them, it was Mr Hanley-Trent who opened the door.
Introductions were made and the ladies were invited into the house. The wide hallway and the stunning staircase gave an indication of what the rest of the house might be like. Jane and Hannah passed comment on Edward's beautiful home, but they were all on tenterhooks eager to exchange information and see the book.
Their host ushered them into a drawing room and offered them tea.
"I would really like to have a chat about our mutual interests before I show you the book."
"That's fine. I think it would be good to share what we know." Jane said.
"Right, before we start, let me get some tea."
Immediately, they were on first name terms. Despite the bizarre nature of the reason for their meeting, they were relaxed and comfortable in each other's company.
Once everyone had a, bone china, cup in their hands, Edward started the conversation by relating the tale told to him by Michael so many years before.
"The man was terrified. Normally, Michael was fairly placid, but he became animated and emotional telling the story. I didn't doubt any part of what he said and the thought of these beasts being at large has fascinated me ever since. After that, wherever I went, I searched for information, legends, myths, relating to this phenomenon. As a pilot, I was able to collect things from all over the world. My library is full of articles, books, manuscripts and, of course, I have the book that you want."
Edward got up, saying he would be back in a moment. When he returned, he was holding a box file.
"There are another twelve of these" he told them.
The contents of the box included photographs and they all studied the grainy images of a man with distorted features. It seemed that the man had hair that covered his forehead and practically met his eyebrows. The jaw was wide and jutting with large teeth just visible. The hands looked as if they were hairy and they were tipped with claws.
"Some would say that this was fancy dress, or a trick of the light, but I'm not so sure."
More pictures and papers were retrieved and Hannah and Jane studied them closely. What was in the other boxes, they wondered. At some time, they would like to look through the whole collection, but other matters were on their minds.
"You know about the reasons for my interest. Tell me your stories." Edward was perched on the edge of the chair, leaning forward.
"My tale starts with my sister. She met a man who was one of your beasts. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to see auras around people. As we sit here now, I can see Hannah's golden glow, and you, Edward, are a soft green. The man, Charlie, who my sister was dating, had a dark shadow all around him. I could see that he was bad. No one else could. It seemed that he had a way of enchanting everyone he came into contact with. My parents, my sister, they all thought that he was a nice man." Jane said.
"Oh, that's interesting." Edward was hanging on her every word.
"Hannah will be able to tell you more about that. Anyway, my sister was whisked away by Charlie and I have never seen her again. I've, like you, tried to find out more about these men since then. When I met Hannah and her partner Carl, I saw the same shadow around him. I tried to warn her about him, but she was still under his influence. She listened though, and I hoped that she would consider what I had said. It transpired that she did."
"How did you know that Charlie and Carl were beasts? Was it because of their dark auras?" Edward asked.
"I didn't at that stage. I only knew that something was wrong with them. That information came a couple of years later when Hannah turned up on my doorstep. Over to you, Hannah."
"I met Carl when I was sixteen. He was, so charming, I fell for him straight away. My parents, my brother, they loved him and went along with everything he said. Before I knew it, I had left school and moved in with him. Then we moved away to Cartham, where I met Jane. I had moments of doubt about my life with him. Jane's words added to my concerns. Then I found out what he really was. I had a baby with him, but he took it and gave it away. Those two things gave me the strength to leave him."
Edward asked about the baby and listened as Hannah told him about Anthony being left in a box. The packing of the case, starting with just one shoe, and the slow progression up to the day she finally walked out of the door were discussed, too.
"I couldn't go home to my family. He had got to them. I headed for Cartham and went to Jane."
"You said that you found out what he really was. Tell me about that." Edward knew he was getting close to the important part.
"Okay. Carl had been gone for the day. When he was away, I would regain my sense a bit. I suppose his influence would wear off and I could see things clearly. Anyway, I heard a noise outside and I went to the window to see if it was him. Getting out of his car was a man with thick, black hair on his face. There was a, sort of, ruff of hair around his neck. The face was oddly shaped, massive teeth, wide jaw, and his hands had claws. As he approached, I saw him change. The hair receded, the teeth changed, his posture changed, and then it was Carl. You know what? It was scary, but I wasn't surprised."
"Did he know that you had seen him?"
"No. I rushed to a chair and was sat down when he came in. I gave him a hug and a kiss and went to get him a drink. As the evening wore on, I began to think I must have imagined it. I never forgot it though, and once I had got away, the memory came back. I told Jane about it. Afterwards, I realised that the thing with my baby was what started my determination to escape, but what I saw was the final catalyst."
"You saw the beast." Edward said as he sat back in his chair.