Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stood on the porch of their new neighbors' house. Piper was holding the tray of cookies she had prepared. Paige knocked on the door for the third time.
"Doesn't seem to be anyone home," Paige said.
"Or they just aren't answering," Piper said. "If they know who we are they may have good reason for not answering."
"The mail is addressed to a Victor Shelley," Phoebe said, coming over from the mailbox. "Mostly bills and such."
"Phoebe," Paige chided, "you shouldn't be snooping through his mail."
"Hey, we came here to find out who this guy is," responded Phoebe. "At least now we have a name to go on."
"Well, it doesn't look like anyone is going to answer," said Piper, turning to head for the steps. "I guess we'll just have to think of some other way to..."
Her voice trailed off as she stared into the yard.
"What's the matter?" Phoebe asked.
Phoebe and Paige looked into the yard. Rain from a couple of day's prior had made the ground very soft. Imprinted in the grass and mud of the yard was a footprint. But it was the largest footprint any of them had ever seen.
"Looks like a footprint," Phoebe said, placing her foot next to the print. Compared to the imprint her foot appeared to be that of a small child. "But it's the largest one I've ever seen. From the size of it, whomever made it must be seven or eight feet tall."
"And probably three hundred pounds or more," Paige said. "Look how deep it is. This guy must be enormous."
"Which makes him doubly dangerous if he's a demon," Piper said.
"That doesn't necessarily make him a demon," Phoebe said. There have been documented cases of humans that big."
"Not living in the former residence of a demon," Piper added. "Let's get back to the manor. The Book of Shadows should have something on a thing this big. We need to get prepared."
As the girls returned to Paige's car a figure stood looking out the curtains in the living room. The room, as the entire house, was completely dark. Heavy drapes covered all of the windows preventing any light from entering.
"Witches," said the figure in a low voice. "They must have been sent for me. I thought I'd have more time. Well, they won't find me an easy target. And whatever their instructions, I won't be taken easily. They're sure to be back soon. If I hurry, I may be able to escape before they return."
Silently the figure turned and headed for the stairs to the second floor.
"Victor Shelley?" Paige questioned as Phoebe was checking the Book of Shadows. "That name sounds familiar. But I can't remember from where."
"It's hard telling," said Piper. "We can't even be sure it's his real name."
"If it is a demon," said Chris, "it may not be using its real name so you won't figure out what it is."
"We aren't even sure it is a demon," Leo said. "It might just be someone who doesn't want to be bothered by people."
"Hey, you're the one who said he could be attracted to the house because it was evil," said Piper. "I doubt if an innocent would be."
"I said might," corrected Leo. "So far all you have is a name and some indication he might be very big. For all you know one of the movers left that footprint."
"Well, I can't find anything in the Book of Shadows that fits what we know," Phoebe said, coming into he kitchen. "There are demons that big listed in the book but none that have a human form. So it's doubtful one would move into that house. It would stand out too much."
"Belthazor was that big," Paige said.
"Yeah, but he didn't weigh that much," said Piper. "Besides, I doubt if this guy would be outside in his demonic form. He seems to have gone to a lot of trouble to keep from drawing attention to himself."
"Maybe we're overreacting," said Chris. "I mean the guy hasn't done anything that we know of. And all we have to go on is Paige's feeling. I'm not discounting that she might have sensed something. But that doesn't mean it was demonic."
"Chris might be right," Leo said. "A feeling could be just about anything."
Just then there was a knock at the front door.
"I'll get it," said Phoebe.
"Maybe it's not demonic," Paige said. "But I'm definitely getting some kind of vibe from that house."
"Vibe?" questioned Piper, a half smile on her face.
"You know what I mean," Paige said.
"Well, we can't just go spying on the man unless we have more to go on," said Leo.
"Hey, look who stopped by for a visit," Phoebe said coming back into the kitchen followed by Darryl.
"Hey, Darryl," Piper said. "What brings you by in the middle of the afternoon?"
"Business," said Darryl. "We're canvassing the entire neighborhood. A little girl was taken this morning down the block and there's a report that three women matching your descriptions were seen in the are just before it happened."
"You think they kidnapped a little girl?" Chris questioned.
"No, of course not," Darryl said, slightly annoyed. "But they were across the street from the girls' house. I thought maybe you might have seen something that could help."
Everyone looked at each other. The only place they had gone was to their new neighbors' house.
"I'd say this constitutes more to go on," Paige said. "It can't be coincidence."
"What can't be?" Darryl asked.
They told Darryl about the new neighbor and of their suspicions about him.
"A demon?" Darryl questioned. "That's just great. No one answered when the uniforms went there. Maybe I should have a second look."
"Darryl, if this guy is a demon," Phoebe said, "you're not equipped to deal with him. We are."
"Phoebe's right," Leo said. "We'll need to check this guy out and find out what we're dealing with."
"Wait a minute," said Darryl. "This is official police business. I can't just look the other way on this one. Too many people are watching this case."
"Not if there's a demon involved," Piper said. "Look, Darryl, just let us check this guy out. If it turns out he's not a demon we'll turn the whole thing over to you. But if he is a demon, we're the only ones who can handle it."
"Well, okay," said Darryl. "I guess that makes sense. Only don't be seen going over there again. It would raise too many questions that none of us want asked."
"Let's get going," Chris said. "The longer we wait the more trouble that little girl could be in."