Page 45 of Starved Until Sunset

“And here I had family heirloom silver melted down.”

Margie approached their table as another clump of out of towners entered the diner. She smiled and slid into the booth next to Demetrius.

“How are you boys?”

“I’m crabby,” Cody said, tipping his head toward the loud group of new arrivals. He waved a hand toward Demetrius. “And he’s working on a bad night of sleep. Just to give you fair warning.”

Margie leaned in over the table and looked between them. “I heard about Spiffy and Pete. And Deputy Walsh.”

“Word travels fast.”

“I’m shocked,” Cody said.

“Oh, yes,” Margie said. “Isaac Wilkerson and his police radio are a font of information.”

“Those seniors,” Cody said with a grin and a shake of his head.

“What do you two think it was?”

Demetrius shrugged. “We don’t know. We didn’t get a very good look at it, but it was scary as hell.”

“And it was strong,” Cody said. “It was able to grab Deputy Walsh, lift her into the air as she struggled, and carry her a few miles.” He grimaced. “And don’t get me started about the bats.”

“Bats?”

Before they could respond, the door opened and Zenona entered. She paused to look around and her face brightened when she saw them.

“Zenona’s here,” Demetrius said as she approached their booth.

“Hey, Doc,” Cody said.

Margie slid out of the booth and smiled at Zenona. “You can sit right here and talk while I go take care of these visitors and give them a lesson on how to correctly wear their werewolf ears.”

Zenona sat beside Demetrius and looked between him and Cody. “Are you two all right?”

Cody frowned. “Why? What have you heard?”

“I heard about the attacks last night, and that the two of you were smack in the middle of it again.”

“We’re fine,” Demetrius said. “They haven’t found Spiffy, from what I’ve heard. Anything you can tell us about Pete?”

“He’s not under my care, but from what I’ve heard, he’s not able to say much. I think he’s still in shock. He just keeps repeating the Lord’s Prayer.”

“Better than that music he blasts from his motorcycle,” Cody grumbled. He caught Demetrius’s look and shrugged. “Well, it is.”

Zenona looked up as Margie approached, shaking her head.

“Those kids just don’t get it,” Margie said. “Glorifying all the terrible things we’ve all lived through.”

“Kids these days,” Cody said.

They gave Margie their orders, and she headed for the kitchen. Zenona stared at the tabletop a moment, then asked, “Do you two have plans tonight? After sundown?”

CHAPTER TEN

Cody was caught between wishing the sun would set and for daylight to remain long into the night. All through lunch, Zenona had never explained the reason for her cryptic invitation. She simply told them to meet her in the lobby of the hospital just before the sun went down. At least she’d paid for their meals on her way out the door.

“I wish we had some idea what was going on,” Demmy said from the passenger seat.