WereWoman (10 page)

“I hope this doesn't make mischief with Nonce.”

“Phil, Nonce is a Witch. They are notoriously good lovers, but also notoriously fickle. Your liaison with her is unlikely to be of long duration. When it expires, I suspect you could do a hell of a lot worse than Molly.”

“I know it. But right now I don't know how I feel.”

“Let's nail Bear's murderer. Then our feelings should sort themselves out.”

“With no other suspects among the Weres, you will have to move on to the other case, the Vampire.”

“We have contacted the assistant to the Vamp Chief. She was very helpful.”

“Vachelle. I understand she's every man and woman's girlfriend.”

“Pretty much. She impressed me.”

“She would. If you have a weakness, Phil, it is for pretty women. Which is surprising, considering that you
are
one.”

“No, I'm always a man, even in the woman's body.”

“So some time you may find Mena making out with a woman.”

“I already did,” I agreed.

“Nonce?”

“She was fun. I was not revolted. Women really
are
cleaner and more sensitive. But it's still better as a man.”

We arrived at my office. There was someone familiar waiting by the front window.

“Molly!” I exclaimed, going to her.

“That's her?” Syd asked, surprised. “Oto said he would pass the word.”

“He did,” Molly said. “I came immediately.”

“That was fast,” I agreed as I hugged her. She was older now than she had been, and better filled out; in fact she was an attractive woman. “And this is my associate Sydelle.”

The two women shook hands guardedly.

“I know you have another girlfriend now,” Molly said.

“A Witch,” I agreed. “I thought you were permanently out of my life.”

“It wasn't just you I missed. It was the Supe community. I feel more at home here.”

“Look, Molly, Bear was murdered. You were close to him, as I was. We need to clear you of any complicity.”

“I wasn't even here. But of course I could have sneaked in, killed him, and sneaked back out. So yes, check me. I don't want anyone ever to think that I could hurt Bear. I was going to attend the Prom with him, way back when.”

“Before you got the flu,” I agreed. “So Mena took your place.”

“Weren't those the days!”

“What you need to do is start your Change, in my presence. I'll read your Name and nature, and know. That's all there is to it.”

“Except that my Name and nature are more intimate than my body. I'd much rather have you see me naked than read my mind. But for you I'll do it.”

I understood how she felt, but it was necessary. “Thank you.”

We were in the office. Syd locked the door and drew the shutters. Then Molly stepped out of her dress. She wore no underwear. I knew that wasn't intended to be seductive; it was that Weres didn't like to be hampered when they Changed, so they dressed simply. Did I say she had filled out? She was a buxom beauty!

Then she started her Change. I tuned in on her mind—and was nearly blown away. Not only was she innocent, she still loved me, with a deep emotional and sexual passion. She had been away for years, but the flame never faded. That was why she had returned.

“I have it,” I said. “You're clean. Change back.”

She reversed the fur that had been forming on that perfect body, and firmed back into a woman. She donned her dress. “How much did you read?”

“Too much,” I admitted. “It was inadvertent. Oh, Molly, I truly didn't know you cared! Not like that, after all this time. I am unworthy.”

“Well, I didn't mean to tell you. I hoped that you would not pick up on that aspect.”

“It was like stepping into a tornado. I couldn't miss it.”

“The love of Witches generally doesn't last long,” Syd said. “Now Phil knows where he can go when the Witch fades.”

“I do indeed,” I said. Already I could see a future with Molly. “Meanwhile, I have to solve this murder.”

“I know. Bear was a great guy. My roommate Queue knew him too.”

“Roommate?”

“I needed a place to stay, and she had room. Weres look out for Weres.”

“She knew Bear? I never heard of her.”

“She told me she met him about six months ago in Oto's dojo. They worked out together. They were casual friends. That was all there was to it. He wasn't one to make moves on girls.”

I sighed. “I had better check Queue, just to be sure. Can you ask her to come see me?”

“You can check her now. She's waiting for me in her car.”

That was how she had gotten here so quickly. “Okay. Bring her in.”

Queue turned out to be a tall, buxom, black-haired black-eyed woman, pretty and self-possessed. Her midnight tresses contrasted with Molly's curly brown hair, being luxuriously waist length.

We shook hands. “I'm Phil Were, investigating a murder.”

“Queue Were. Molly said I might be a suspect.”

“It's a technical thing. We are checking out all of Bear's closer acquaintances.”

“We weren't close. Oh, I suppose we could have been, as he was a good man, but he was locked in.” She glanced briefly at Syd, signaling that she knew the lock.

“I need to see you Change.”

“The hell! I'm not exposing my body to a stranger.”

“It's that my secondary is to read a person when he invokes his Name. I can tell guilt or innocence. You could start your Change in clothing, and reverse it soon.”

“I reversed mine,” Molly said.

Queue surveyed me speculatively. “Like a lie detector. You tune in on the Name because that's the very essence of a person's magic.”

“Something like that,” I agreed.

“I've got reason to keep my clothing on. I'm unusual. I'm a WereMan.”

I thought I had misheard. “A what?”

“A WereMan. I Change into a man, complete with genitalia. It can freak folk out.”

“I'm a WereWoman!” I said.

“You're like me! Only reversed.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me: when you Change, are you male or female inside?”

“I'm a man in a woman's body. So I don't do it often; it's not comfortable.”

“And I'm a woman in a man's body. Same situation. I don't sexually hunger for women in either form.”

I nodded, understanding perfectly.

“She's a better match for you than I am,” Molly said sadly.

“You assume I want him,” Queue said. “I'm not looking for romance with anyone. Not since my boyfriend dumped me three months ago.”

“You're still hurting,” Syd said wisely.

“Yes. These things take time.”

“Now about the verification,” I said.

“Ah, yes. That. I'll make you this deal: I'll strip and Change if you do too. So if it's awkward, we'll both be similarly embarrassed. Is that a fair compromise?”

Was she really a WereMan? I wanted to verify that too. In fact I was overwhelmingly curious about this aspect, so similar to my own. “Deal,” I agreed.

The two of us faced each other and stripped, while Syd and Molly sat watching. Queue was a luscious creature, generous in breast and buttock. I did start to get an erection, but quickly progressed with my Change so that there was nothing to erect. Meanwhile she shifted, her breasts flattening into chest and upper arm muscle, her bottom condensing, her groin growing a fair sized phallus. She was definitely a man in form.

The point of this was almost lost along the way, but I did accomplish it in the moment she invoked her Name: she was innocent. Good enough.

Our transformation complete, we stood and looked at each other. The figure before me was now taller and more muscular, but had similar long dark hair. Hair was difficult, because it wasn't exactly alive and changed reluctantly; I wore mine long but bound back so it looked short, so that Mena could have it, unbound. Pubic hair wasn't a problem because it didn't need to change.

I had no interest in bedding him, and knew that he had a similar aversion to bedding me. I remained male, the other female, in outlook, despite our bodies. We understood each other in that respect in a way that perhaps no others would.

“I am Quent,” he said. “Short for Quentin, close as I could get to Queue.”

“I am Mena, short for Philomena, similarly.”

“Now that we've shared our secrets, let's Change back.”

“Let's.”

We invoked our reversed Names and Changed. I reverified her innocence of murder, not that I needed to. She was at heart a nice person, not capable of any such violence.

In due course we were back to our original forms, and clothed. “This has been interesting,” Queue said. “Let's not do it again.”

“Agreed.”

Queue and Molly departed, leaving Syd and me to unwind. “I never saw the like,” Syd said. “Man to woman, woman to man, together. You may be the only two Weres like that.”

“We may be,” I agreed. “I'm glad she checked out, not that I ever thought she was guilty.”

“We seem to have eliminated all the suspects in Bear's murder.”

“Just as Nonce and I eliminated them in the Warlock's murder,” I agreed. “So far, as an investigator, my score stands at zero.”

“I don't think so. Eliminating false leads is just as important as locating the right one.”

Nonce arrived. “I thought you'd be needing me about this time,” she said.

“Yes. I eliminated two more suspects, finishing the Were contingent. Now I think it's time for the Vamps.”

“I will take you there. Meanwhile you can tell me about those suspects. I take it neither would apply to the Warlock.”

“Neither would,” I said, and told her about Molly and Queue as we drove.

“Your former girlfriend! And a Were who is the mirror of you. Now I won't need to be concerned about where you'll go when my Witchly passion expires and you'll be cast emotionally adrift.”

“Don't be in too much of a hurry to expire. I'm way short of being ready to drift.”

“Of course. As long as you know that we Witches burn too fiercely emotionally to endure for long. We're great passing company, but not good marriage material.”

So I was coming to understand. Another Were, however, might be excellent material.

We arrived at a fenced estate resembling an overgrown mountain with solar collectors on it. There was a little shack near the gate. It wasn't very impressive. But I knew better than to judge by appearances. Vampires had suffered more than Weres or Goblins, and were more careful about showing their nature. There was a worn sign saying, perhaps facetiously, PARADISE MOUNTAIN.

There was an old man snoozing in a chair by the iron gate. That too was deceptive; I smelled his Supe nature. And he wasn't asleep; he was alertly watching us. In fact he wasn't old, either. It was all an act to fool mundanes.

We halted before him. “Hello, Vamp,” Nonce said. “We are Nonce Witch and Phil Were, here on business. We have clearance from Vachelle.”

The man abandoned his act. “She said you were coming. Go on in.”

“Thank you.” She leaned down and kissed him. Nonce kissed folk freely, and it was apparent that they liked it; it seemed to be part of the Witchly protocol.

We entered the gate and discovered a wooden cellar-type door at the base of the mountain. We opened it and descended into a gloomy storage room that smelled of decaying potatoes. Still not impressive. No one would be looking in here for anything. We turned a dark corner, found another rickety wooden door, opened that, and entered a dank tunnel. It curved, then opened out into an amazing brightly-lighted subterranean cave. We were on a ledge looking down into its central valley.

The heart of the mountain was evidently hollow, and this was the inner sanctum. It was an amazing garden with all manner of exotic plants and trees, and a lake in the center. Animals abounded, with squirrels in the trees, deer grazing in the glades, birds in the air, and fish leaping in the water.

“This is paradise,” I murmured, awed.

“So it is labeled,” Nonce agreed. “The solar lenses direct the sunlight down here to make a very nice greenhouse.”

“But to what purpose, since there's no indication that this is a tourist attraction? In fact this is perfectly hidden.”

A Vampire lass approached us, as lithe and lovely as they all seemed to be. “I am Veera, caretaker of the day. How may I help you, honored visitors?”

“We are Phil Were and Nonce Witch, here to interview suspects in the recent murder of Vulcan Vamp,” I said. “We admit to being impressed by the setting.”

“We do enjoy it,” Veera said. “Perhaps before you meet the suspects, I should acquaint you with the nature of this retreat.”

“Please do. I had no idea that such a garden existed, and I am quite curious as to its purpose.”

“As you surely do know, we Vamps can assume the form of human-sized bats,” Veera said, shifting briefly to exactly that. “But we would be unable to fly, because of the square-cube law. That is, our mass is much greater than our wings can lift, at this size; only much smaller birds and real-life bats can fly naturally. So we require magic to increase our strength and decrease our weight, to make flight feasible. To gain that magic we must drink fresh blood.” She smiled. “Don't worry; I am not going to bite you. We don't prey on Supes. Or on normal humans, for that matter; it's too dangerous. Instead we raise blood-rich animals, harvesting their blood carefully so as not to damage them. They are used to it, and really don't mind; our bites are anesthetic and we give them treats. This is our hunting ground.”

“Amazing,” I said. “But couldn't you do it more efficiently with caged animals, the way commercial interests farm for eggs and meat?”

“We would never do that,” Veera said, making a brief expression of horror. “It is important that our animals be happy. It affects the taste and vigor of the blood.”