A Cloud Before the Moon

Chapter 24

Davy Adams walked his beat along Tower Road, which ran perpendicular to the High Street, near the Police Station. His shift was almost over. Things had been quiet that night, and at 2:30 a.m., the street was empty. However, he was feeling a bit anxious. He had not yet had any response to his last letter to Norma Jean. True, it was only a few days, but something bothered him about that bloke... The condition in which he'd found Ronnie did nothing to alleviate his unease.

A loud static-y noise from his walkie-talkie startled him from his thoughts. He picked it up. On the other end, he heard someone sniggering. "Adams, is that you?" came Harris' mirthful voice.

"Of course it's me, pea brain, what are you on about?"

Harris was laughing so hard he could barely talk. "I think you have a visit from your long lost brother. I believe he's stopped by on the way to a Halloween party."

"Are you daft?" he growled. Bleedin' cabbage head!"

Harris guffawed. "Now, now, sugarplum. Just get over here to the station house."

Adams sighed in exasperation. Emmet was a good man, but sometimes.... He headed back to the station house, and when he walked through the door, he saw what had Harris so amused. In front of him a tall, skinny young man with long black greasy hair stood glowering unpleasantly at a small cluster of policemen, who were making no effort to conceal their amusement. Harris spotted Adams and called out, "What did I tell you?" Admittedly, the man did rather resemble him, and was oddly dressed in a long black robe and antique-looking clothing. Adams was filled with both excitement and dread.

"Well, Harris, you are a complete idiot. Still and all, you weren't all that wrong."

"Not such an idiot then, am I, Davy?"

Adams shook his head. "Oh yes you are. A blithering idiot!" he snapped. He walked over to the fuming young man and clapped him on the shoulder. "Really, Stephen, if you're going to show up dressed like that around here and expect people not to say nothin'!" The man stared at him as if he were insane. Then he looked at Harris. "Don't you remember Stephen, my Aunt Joan's boy? The one who gives her so much grief?

Harris looked uncertain. "I- I think so."

"Stevie plays guitar, y'see, in some kind of god awful heavy metal band. He seems to think all the girls will swoon over his scrawny arse if he looks like a bleedin' vampire and makes that noise he calls music." He walked up to the scowling man and whispered, "Isn't that right, Severus?" The man stared at him, revealing only the slightest hint of surprise. "Just play along, right?"

Adams sighed and addressed his partner. "I forgot - Aunt Joan asked if she could send him to me for a bit of sorting out. If it's all right with you, Emmet, I'm going to take him up to my flat, get him cleaned up and settled in."

"Sure thing."

"Come along, Stephen. Like I told your Mum, you can use my flat - long as you don't trash it." The bewildered man followed him out of the station house, while the officers stood silently, no doubt ready to start chuckling again as soon as they were gone.

"How do you..."?

Adams interrupted him. "Wait 'til we get to my flat. Then we'll talk"

When they got to Adams' apartment, his guest looked around suspiciously. Without asking leave, he swooped around from room to room, carefully surveying the modest furnishings. Davy said nothing until the man seemed satisfied, then brought him into the kitchen. "I have to get back to work. So let's make this fast, Severus."

"Who are you and how do you know who I am?"

"Constable David Adams at your service. You can call me Davy if you'd like", he added agreeably. "And you are my cousin, Stevie Adams."

"No I most certainly am not."

"Do you prefer that I should tell people your name is Severus and you're a wizard...I am right about that, aren't I?"

Snape was at a loss for words. "How - who told you - ?"

"Listen! You're here about Norma Jean, aren't you?" asked Adams.

"Who?"

"Pretty girl, early 20's, golden-brown hair, blue eyes..."

"Where is she?"

"I wish I knew. I last saw her nearly a week ago, and I've been a bit concerned. Now you've shown up, I'm worried as hell "

"And who is Norma Jean?"

"That's the name she used. She wouldn't tell me her real one."

Snape frowned. "Am I to understand that she told you my name but not hers?" He pulled his robe about him in the haughty manner 'Norma Jean' had imitated uncannily.

"She said she was afraid that she could get in trouble -"

"Is that right? But she had no problem giving out my name? What an imbecile!"

"Take that back!" Adams growled softly.

Snape smirked. "Ah, what touching gallantry." His lip curled. "I can well imagine why..."

Adams interrupted. "No, I don't think you have the slightest idea." He wanted to punch the miserable bastard right in his sneering mouth, but Norma Jean would never forgive him. Women - who could make any sense of them? "Surely you must have SOME redeeming qualities. At least I hope you do, for her sake." Then he smiled wryly. "At any rate, speaking of imbeciles, what would possess you to walk into a police station in a small town, looking like Count bloody Dracula? Very discreet. Very surprising indeed that anyone should take any notice of you." To his immense satisfaction, Severus did not look happy. But then, Adams mused, he looked like a man who was rarely, if ever, happy. "Here's the situation, Severus. I'm going to lend you some of my clothing - I think it should fit you just fine. If you'll wait here, I'll be off duty soon, and maybe I can help you out a bit." He went into the bedroom and opened a bureau drawer. He pulled out a pair of hideous bright orange shorts and a T-shirt Emmet had given him as a lark that said "Kiss Me - I'm Irish". He sniggered - it was perfect! But no - it really wouldn't do, would it? He put back the ghastly ensemble and pulled out a black shirt and black jeans. Black appeared to be Severus' favorite color, and most befitting his personality. He handed the items to his "cousin" and dashed out of the flat

When his shift ended, Adams returned home and found Severus pacing restlessly, dressed in the borrowed clothing. He changed out of his uniform. When he came out of the bedroom, he said "It can't be good news if you have to come looking for her."

"I certainly haven't come visiting your charming little town by choice." Gratuitously, he added, "If your police force is any indication, the position of village idiot must be hotly contested."

"Well I do appreciate your thoughtful comments, Severus. Why are you looking for Norma Jean?"

"Letha. Her name is Letha Faraday. Not Norma Jean. At any rate, it seems that no one has seen her in days. She hasn't been at work or at home."

"You're worried, aren't you?"

Snape waved his arm noncommittally. "I am simply required to ascertain her whereabouts, or face rather bothersome consequences."

"Oh, I see. Anyways, how did you track her down here?"

Adams knew the answer before Snape said it: "I can't tell you that." Then he asked sharply, "Mr. Adams, what did you mean before about 'odd things' happening?"

Davy put up a kettle of water. "Coffee? It's instant."

Snape looked at the kettle. "Instant?"

"You add a spoon of crystals to hot water, and there it is - coffee." Adams held out the jar, and Snape picked it up, opened it and sniffed the contents. These people were fascinated with the damn Nescafe, weren't they? "Well it isn't witchcraft, of course, but..."

Snape eyed him suspiciously. "Just what did she tell you?"

"Not much, I assure you. I figured it out myself, Sherlock bloody Holmes that I am."

"How nice for you." Icily, Snape asked again, "You were saying, odd things happened? What do you mean?"

"A week ago, Norma Jean - I mean Letha- came to see me and we went out. When we got back, there was this bloke standing in front of my building - stocky fellow with curly blond hair. She looked none too delighted about it, but she went off with him. Then I went up to my flat. When I'd left, the maintenance man Ronnie, really just a lad, anyways, he was set to fix the plumbing. When I came back, he was still here, but he couldn't remember a damned thing. I mean - nothing at all - like his memory was wiped clean. I took him to the hospital, but they don't know what's wrong with him."

Snape looked at him very gravely. He said, "You're right to be concerned." He looked pensive. "May I ask, what was Miss Faraday doing here?"

"From the looks of it, she was poking around where she wasn't supposed to, on account of she thought her boss was making a half-arsed job of it. Some reason, she thought maybe I could help her."

Snape considered this answer. "What else can tell me?"

"Not much. Much later that night, I saw the two of them lurking around near the park. She didn't look too happy. I haven't seen her since then."

Snape sat back, tented his fingers in front of him, and pondered. "Where is this maintenance man? I need to see him."

"He won't be able to tell you a thing."

"On the contrary" said Snape. "He may be able to tell me a great deal"

"Ah", responded Adams appreciatively. "I'd be very interested in accompanying you..."

"No!" Snape said sharply. "This does not concern you."

"It certainly does!" he snapped. Then more mildly, he asked, "Mayn't I come with you to see Ronnie? I could be of some help. Finding him, for one thing."

Snape seemed to ponder the matter for quite some time. "It is true, I am a complete stranger and that could present certain difficulties. You may accompany me, on the condition that you follow certain rules."

"Go on..."

"No more idiotic questions. No interference with what I do. And - you must be willing to let me put a memory charm on you afterwards."

"What's that?"

"It removes certain memories from your mind."

"Oh no!"

"Really, you can't believe I can allow you to remember any of this, can you?"

Adams backed away, his brow furrowed. "Then why are you asking me, if you're planning on turning me into a damn zombie like poor Ronnie Farrell?" Nothing was worth ending up like that - nothing.

Snape shrugged. "You are correct, insofar as it is merely a formality - I will have to do it anyway. However, let me reassure you - a memory charm, properly done, does not alter the subject's memory, except as to specific target events. Whomever we are dealing with has utterly botched it up. Unfortunately, he seems to have fashioned a nasty little weapon out of his own incompetence." He shook his head. "A stupid enemy can be the most dangerous sometimes - he tends to be erratic and unpredictable, precisely because he is too obtuse to think logically. After all, I'm certain your unfortunate repair man posed a serious threat to him," he scoffed. "Do you consent to my terms?

There wasn't much choice, was there? He'd better not end up like Ronnie. Or Mick. Snape better know what he was doing. He glanced at the wizard's enigmatic black eyes. A man like that wouldn't tolerate incompetence, least of all his own. He nodded slowly.